Tutorial 9: Creating a Hexahedral Mesh using the Solid Map Function.

Rev 1.0 : Created on March 15, 2013, using HyperWorks Student Edition 11.0 Page 1

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In this tutorial, you will learn:

What solid geometry is

What topology is

What 3-D topology looks like Solids are geometric entities that define a three-dimensional volume. The use of solid geometry is helpful when dividing a part into multiple volumes. For example, divide a part into simple, mappable regions to hex mesh the part.

Exercise: Hex-meshing Solid Geometry This exercise uses the model file, solid_map.hm

Step 1: Retrieve model file, solid_map.hm.

Step 2: Mesh the 1/8th sphere-shaped region.

1. On the toolbar, click Shaded Geometry and Surface Edges ( ). 2. Enter the Solid Map through the menu bar by selecting Mesh > Create > Solid Map Mesh. 3. Go to the one volume subpanel.

4. Under along parameters:, set elem size= to 1.

5. With the solid entity selector under volume to mesh active, select the small cube-shaped solid, as shown in the following image.

Tutorial 9: Creating a Hexahedral Mesh using the Solid Map Function.

Rev 1.0 : Created on March 15, 2013, using HyperWorks Student Edition 11.0 Page 2

HW-PTC-India Professional Training Centre

6. Click mesh.

7. On the toolbar, click Shaded Elements with Mesh Lines ( ). 8. Select the solid indicated in the following image.

9. Click mesh. 10. Click return to return to the main menu.

Step 3: Create a shell mesh with the automesh panel to control a mesh pattern. 1. Enter the Automesh panel through the menu bar by selecting Mesh > Create > 2D AutoMesh. 2. Select the surface indicated in the following image.

Tutorial 9: Creating a Hexahedral Mesh using the Solid Map Function.

Rev 1.0 : Created on March 15, 2013, using HyperWorks Student Edition 11.0 Page 3

HW-PTC-India Professional Training Centre

3. Verify that the meshing method is set to size and bias and interactive.

4. Set the element size = to 1.000.

5. Verify that mesh type: is set to mixed. 6. Click mesh.

7. In the elem density = field, enter 4.

8. Click set all to. All the densities are set to 4.

9. Click mesh. 10. Click return twice to return to the main menu.

Step 4: Mesh the solid volume on which the surface mesh was created in Step 3. 1. Enter the Solid Map panel by clicking Mesh > Create > Solid Map Mesh. 2. Go to the one volume subpanel. 3. Select the volume shown in the following image.

4. Under along parameters:, toggle elem size= to density= and then enter 10.

5. Click mesh.

Tutorial 9: Creating a Hexahedral Mesh using the Solid Map Function.

Rev 1.0 : Created on March 15, 2013, using HyperWorks Student Edition 11.0 Page 4

HW-PTC-India Professional Training Centre

6. Rotate the part and note how the mesh pattern created with the automesh panel has been used for the solid elements.

Step 5: Mesh the remaining solid volumes. You should still be in the solid map panel.

1. Select one of the remaining unmeshed solid volumes. Make sure to select a solid adjacent to one that has already been meshed so that connectivity is maintained.

2. For source shells: select mixed.

3. Under along parameters:, toggle density= to elem size= and enter 1.5.

4. Click mesh. 5. Repeat until all solid volumes are meshed. 6. Click return to return to the main menu.

Automated Solid Map Meshing The capability to automate the solid map meshing process is now available. Using the Mappable visualization mode in conjunction with the multi-solids feature will inform you that the solid(s) are ready for solid meshing. Using the multi-solids feature will allow for all solids within the model to be meshed in one step provided that they are Mappable. In this section of the tutorial we will delete all the elements from the previous section. Use the Mappable visualization mode and solid mesh the part using multi-solids.

Step 7: Delete the elements within the model. 1. Press F2 to access the Delete panel. 2. Select all the elements. 3. Click delete entity. 4. Click return to return to the main menu.

Step 8: Use the mappable visualization mode.

1. On the toolbar, click Shaded Geometry and Surfaces ( ).

2. From the Geometry Visualization pull-down, select Mappable ( ). 3. You will notice that each solid is color coded, the color of the solid represents its mappable state. The

goal is to ensure that each solid is either 1-directional or 3-directional Mappable. 4. The color of the mappable state can be found (and adjusted if necessary) within the Preferences >

Color GUI within the Geometry tab.

Tutorial 9: Creating a Hexahedral Mesh using the Solid Map Function.

Rev 1.0 : Created on March 15, 2013, using HyperWorks Student Edition 11.0 Page 5

HW-PTC-India Professional Training Centre

By mappable display control (solids)

ignored map

Default visualization for solids that require partitioning to become mappable.

not mappable

Visualization for solids that have been edited, but still require further partitioning to create mappable solids.

1 dir. map

Visualization for solids that can be mapped (for 3-D meshing) in one direction.

3 dir. map

Visualization for solids that can be mapped (for 3-D meshing) in three directions.

Once in the mappable visualization mode it is clear that there is one 3-directional mappable solid and the rest are 1- directional Mappable.

Tutorial 9: Creating a Hexahedral Mesh using the Solid Map Function.

Rev 1.0 : Created on March 15, 2013, using HyperWorks Student Edition 11.0 Page 6

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Step 9: Use the multi-solid feature to mesh the part. 1. From the menu bar, click Mesh > Create > Solid Map Mesh to open the Solid Map panel. 2. Select the multi solids subpanel. 3. Select all the all solids.

4. For source shells, select mixed and set elem size: to 1.

5. Click Mesh. This will bring you to an interactive mesh mode.

6. Select mesh again to accept the shell elements and create the solid elements. The solids will be sequentially solid meshed. Once complete inspect the model and note that the mesh within all of the solids is correctly equivalence.

7. Select return to accept the solid element mesh and return to the Solid Map panel.