1D Edge Meshing

The Line Mesh panel allows you to create a chain of one dimensional elements such as beams along a line.

This functionality is used for creating beam models or beam representations of structural models. Line mesh can be created from lines or node lists. Once the selection is complete, click mesh to preview the node seeding of the mesh. It also invokes the density and biasing subpanels, similar to those in the automeshing module, allowing you to interactively modify the element density and biasing.

Line mesh (continuous chain of one dimensional elements) can be created for a selection of lines or list of nodes (node list).

Lines Selection

If the selection contains more than one line, each line is individually meshed with the global element size (set in the mesh subpanel of the Options panel). Therefore, they are not considered as a continuous line if the lines are connected. For example, for three lines that are continuous, each having a length of three units: when line meshed global element size is five units, one element is created for each line (total three elements) rather than two elements for all three lines together.

If the lines being meshed are connected, meaning their ends are within node tolerance (set in the Mesh Options panel) of each other, the line mesh created is connected. It also means that the 1D elements created share common nodes.

For individual lines that are not smooth and have a drastic change in direction (break angle), you can choose one of the following options:

segment: Whole line treats the entire line as a single segment and seeds your mesh nodes accordingly, ignoring break angles.
break angle: Uses the specified angle to determine points at which to split the line into segments that can be individually controlled.

Node List Selection

Each pair of sequential nodes in the node list is considered as a segment to line mesh. Therefore, a minimum of one 1D element is seeded for each pair. The number of 1D elements between each pair of nodes is determined by global element size.

The 1D element created maintains connectivity with the selected nodes in the node list. If the nodes of the node list belong to an existing FE mesh, the new 1D elements created share common nodes with them.

element config

You can select the configuration of 1D elements to be created from the list in the pop-up menu.

Select Plot for CFD meshing purposes.

element size =

Use this to specify a size for the 1D elements.

mesh

Once you click mesh to create a 1D line mesh, secondary panels that allow you to change the density and biasing of the 1D elements are displayed. You can interactively adjust the density (and biasing) of 1D elements along a line segment, set the element densities of one or more segments to a specified value, and so on, using these secondary panels.