Originally Posted by DoQuocVu (Post 628283)

For me, since I've just tried GMSH, SnappyMesh, SALOME and from my limited experience, I can handle every kind of Mesh using either GMSH or SnappyMesh.
GMSH is used for a not very complicated models and it offers many functions for controlling the Mesh
SnappyMesh is used for more complicated models (but it is not really good for models which have high aspect ratio features). All i have to do is creating a .stl file by any CAD software.

Originally Posted by philippose (Post 203462)

My vote goes without any second thoughts to the one and only.... Netgen v4.5 :-)!

The software seriously rocks when it comes to mesh generation! I have been using it for over a year now, and always keep it up to date from CVS....

So far... the only complaint I have is that it does not do a good job when there are long narrow gaps (for example concentric cylinders with gaps which are very small compared to the rest of the geometry).

Also... it can only create pure tetrahedral meshes in 3D (though, for my applications... this does not seem to be so much of a limitation)

As for importing into OpenFOAM... flawless.... Mesh Quality... very very acceptable.... Complexity.... hardly complex :-)..... Type of geometries it can handle... yet to find one which it cannot handle :-)!

It can directly import STEP and IGES files (if compiled with OpenCascade support)... and I dont need to do anything special when exporting out of Pro/E.

And on a purely personal note.... I have tried Gmsh and Tetgen... but found netgen to be much more user friendly... and the GUI easier to work with.

Philippose

Originally Posted by gdbaldw (Post 203464)

I too needed hex, not tet. blockMesh does hex, but is difficult for anything but simple geometry. I assure you that Blender is a very capable tool for generating a surface mesh made of quads, and that Calculix can extrude this surface using the Python script I posted in another thread.

Furthermore, I have a technique now for generating "manifolds" from the Blender surface mesh, and using Calculix to create "columns" of hex between each manifold. To generate manifolds I first use a seperate Python script to project normals from the quad surface and make any manual adjustments needed, then export to Calculix. Exports from Calculix to OpenFOAM are without error.

If you'd like to learn this technique, I'd be happy to share my experience with you through this forum, so that others may also benefit. A formal tutorial is really needed, but for now some of my prior postings may be useful as an introduction to this technique.

Doug

Originally Posted by hohmeyer (Post 854571)

Ennova is a commercial pre- post- processor that can import, clean and repair CAD and generate tet + prism meshes or polyhedral meshes with boundary layers. It has a full GUI for setting up the openFOAM dictionaries and has post processing. Free for students ! Reasonable cost for commercial applications. Visit www.ennova-cfd.com. Thanks -Mike