Create 2D Surface Mesh

Use the Interactive: Create tool to create a surface mesh and remesh elements.

A surface mesh or "shell mesh" represents model parts that are relatively two-dimensional, such as sheet metal or a hollow plastic cowl or case. Surface meshes are placed on the outer faces of solid objects, and are used as a baseline mapping point when creating more complex 3D meshes (the quality of a 3D mesh largely depends on the quality of the 2D mesh from which it is generated).

  1. From the Mesh ribbon, click the Interactive tool.


    Figure 1.
    By default, the Create should be selected from the secondary ribbon.
  2. Optional: On the guide bar, click to define surface mesh options.
  3. Select surfaces, solids, or elements to mesh.
    Tip: To select only unmeshed surfaces, right-click on a surface and choose Select Unmeshed Surfaces from the context menu.
  4. Enter an average element size in the microdialog.
  5. Click Mesh on the guide bar or the microdialog.
    A mapped, all quad, mesh is generated. If a surface is determined to not be mappable, that surface is not meshed.

    Any failed surfaces remain selected when returning to the Create tool, or when Mesh mode is set to Automatic.

Tip: When using the other surface mesh tools, you can always go back to the Create tool to add and/or remove surfaces from the meshing area.

Interactive: Create Tool

An overview of the Interactive: Create tool.



Figure 2.

Use the Surface Mesh: Create tool to create a surface mesh and remesh elements.

Access
Go to Mesh > Interactive > Create

Options

Element size
Set the average element size.
Mesh type
Select the algorithm to use for generating the mesh.
Select the type of element to use during mesh creation.
Mixed
Uses quads primarily, but inserts trias when making density transitions, resulting in improved mesh quality.


Figure 3. Example: Mixed Elements
Quads
Attempts to use quads only, however, at least one tria element must be created if the sum of the element densities around the perimeter of the face or surface is odd.


Figure 4. Example: Quad Elements. The sum of element densities on the perimeter of the lower surface is odd, resulting in a tria.
Adjusting the element densities while meshing interactively can usually eliminate all tria elements.


Figure 5. Example: Quad Elements. Adjusting the bottom edge density from 11 to 10 makes the sum even and generates all-quads.
Quads only
Uses a subdividing routine that tends to generate more orthogonal quad elements.
Tria elements may still be introduced depending on the density settings.


Figure 6. Example: Quad Elements Only
Tria
Uses all trias to mesh.


Figure 7. Example: Tria Elements
Advanced
Choose any of the other types individually for mapped elements (elements on surfaces that can be mapped to simple geometric shapes) and free elements (those that cannot easily map to simple shapes).
Element type
Specifies the type of elements used to create the mesh.
Edit criteria
Edit the criteria file via the Criteria Editor
Element order
Specify whether or not to create mid-edge nodes.
Element order
Specify whether or not to create mid-edge nodes.
Active mesh mode
Select the meshing mode, with interactive allowing access to the mesh editing tools.
Curvature based refinement
Option to turn on mesh refinement based on geometric curvature.
Method
Select the adaptive meshing method.
Minimum size factor
The minimum element size, as a factor of the average element size. Value must be less than or equal to 1.
Span angle
Maximum deviation factor
The maximum allowable deviation between an element edge and a geometry edge, as a factor of the average element size.
Feature angle (adaptive mesh)
The maximum allowable break angle between adjacent elements.
Growth rate
The factor to control the rate of transition in case of element size change.


Figure 8.
Minimum edge density
Enable a minimum number of elements along an edge.
Minimum density
Set the minimum number of elements created along an edge.
Apply if edge length <
Apply a minimum edge density when edge lengths are less than the specified value.
Link opposite edges method
Select the method for linking mesh settings on opposite edges of rectangular surfaces.
Features detection
If Connected, feature edges will be auto-detected by specifying the connected feature detection algorithm (as in the Features panel), 1D elements which are part of 2D mesh edges, and existing FE edges with nodes already associated with surface edges.
If Auto-detect, feature edges will be created from the selected mark of 1D plot elements, 1D elements which are part of 2D mesh edges, and existing FE edges with nodes already associated with surface edges.
Feature angle
Define a maximum angle across which elements can be maintained.
Vertex angle
Define the angle used for breaking feature-edges into simpler segments. This is the feature angle for common edge smoothing.
Aspect ratio <
The maximum aspect ratio to allow when linking edges.
Orthogonal alignment
Generates a more orthogonal quad-dominant mesh
Minimum size variation
Enforce a global mesh element size with minimal min/max element size variations.
Size variation
Keep elements roughly the same size.
Skewness
Prevent the mesh from producing highly-skewed elements.
Smooth across common edges with
Allow node smoothing to move nodes across adjacent surface edges whose feature angle is less than the value specified.
Feature angle (advanced)
The feature angle for common edge smoothing.