/*!
\page constructing_meshes_page Constructing meshes
\n Construction of a mesh on some geometry consists of:
- \ref create_mesh_anchor "Creating of a mesh object"
- \ref evaluate_anchor "Evaluating mesh size" (optional)
- \ref preview_anchor "Previewing the mesh" (optional)
- \ref submesh_order_anchor "Changing sub-mesh priority" (optional)
- \ref compute_anchor "Computing the mesh"
Mesh can be \ref use_existing_anchor "computed using your own meshing algorithms"
written in Python.
\anchor create_mesh_anchor
Creation of a mesh object
To construct a mesh:
- Select a geometrical object for meshing.
- In the \b Mesh menu select Create Mesh or click "Create
Mesh" button in the toolbar.
\image html image32.png
"Create Mesh" button
The following dialog box will appear:
\image html createmesh-inv.png
- Apply \subpage basic_meshing_algos_page "meshing algorithms" and
\subpage about_hypo_page "hypotheses" which will be used at computation of
this mesh.
"Create mesh" dialog box contains several tab pages titled \b 3D,
\b 2D, \b 1D and \b 0D. The title of each page reflects the
dimension of the CAD model (geometry) the algorithms listed on
this page affect. For example, \b 3D page lists the algorithms
that affect 3D geometrical objects (solids).
\note
- Some page(s) can be disabled if the source geometrical
object does not include shapes (sub-shapes) of the corresponding
dimension(s). For example, if the input object is a geometrical face,
\b 3D page is disabled.
- Some algorithms affect the geometry of several dimensions,
i.e. "1D-2D" or "1D-2D-3D". If such an algorithm is selected by the
user, the dialog box pages related to the corresponding lower level
dimensions are disabled.
- \b 0D page does not refer to the 0D elements, but to 0D
geometry (vertices). Mesh module does not provide algorithms that
produce 0D elements. Currently \b 0D page provides only one
algorithm "Segments around vertex" that allows specyfying the required
size of mesh edges about the selected vertex (or vertices).
For example, you need to mesh a 3D object.
First, type the name of your mesh in the \b Name box, by default,
it is "Mesh_1". Then select the geometrical object you wish to
mesh in the Object Browser and click "Select" button near \b Geometry
field (if the name of the object has not yet appeared in \b Geometry field).
\image html image120.png
"Select" button
Now you can define 3D Algorithm and 3D Hypotheses, which will be
applied to the solids of your geometrical object. Click the "Add
Hypothesis" button to add a hypothesis.
\image html image121.png
"Add Hypothesis" button
Click the "Edit Hypothesis" button to change the values for the
current hypothesis.
\image html image122.png
"Edit Hypothesis" button
Most standard 2D and 3D algorithms can work without hypotheses
using some default parameters. The use of additional hypotheses
is optional (i.e. you may leave "None" in this box).
Proceed in the same way with 2D and 1D Algorithms and Hypotheses that
will be used to mesh faces and edges of your geometry. (Note
that any object has edges, even if their existence is not
apparent, for example, a sphere has 4 edges). Note that the
choice of hypotheses and lower dimension algorithms depends on
the higher dimension algorithm.
Some algorithms generate mesh of several dimensions, while others
produce mesh of only one dimension. In the latter case there must
be one Algorithm and zero or several
Hypotheses for each dimension of your object, otherwise you will
not get any mesh at all. Of course, if you wish to mesh a face,
which is a 2D object, you do not need to define a 3D Algorithm and
Hypotheses.
In the Object Browser the structure of the new mesh will be
displayed as follows:
\image html image88.jpg
It contains:
- a reference to the geometrical object on the basis of
which the mesh has been constructed;
- Applied hypotheses folder containing the references
to the hypotheses applied at the construction of the mesh;
- Applied algorithms folder containing the references
to the algorithms applied at the construction of the mesh.
There is an alternative way to assign Algorithms and Hypotheses by
clicking Assign a set of hypotheses button and selecting among
pre-defined sets of hypotheses. In addition to the standard
sets of hypotheses, it is possible to create custom sets by editing
CustomMeshers.xml file located in the home directory. CustomMeshers.xml
file must describe sets of hypotheses in the
same way as ${SMESH_ROOT_DIR}/share/salome/resources/smesh/StdMeshers.xml
file does (sets of hypotheses are enclosed between
tags).
\image html hypo_sets.png
List of sets of hypotheses. Tag [custom] is
automatically added to the sets defined by the user
Consider trying a sample script for construction of a mesh from our
\ref tui_creating_meshes_page "TUI Scripts" section.
\anchor evaluate_anchor
Evaluating mesh size
After the mesh object is created and all hypotheses are assigned and
before \ref compute_anchor "Compute" operation, it is possible to
calculate the eventual mesh size. For this, select the mesh in
the Object Browser and from the \b Mesh menu select \b
Evaluate. The result of evaluation will be displayed in the following
information box:
\image html mesh_evaluation_succeed.png
\anchor preview_anchor
Previewing the mesh
Before \ref compute_anchor "the mesh computation", it is also possible
to see the mesh preview.
For this, select the mesh in the Object Browser. From the \b Mesh menu
select \b Preview or click "Preview" button in the toolbar or activate
"Preview" item from the pop-up menu.
\image html mesh_precompute.png
"Preview" button
Select 1D mesh or 2D mesh preview mode in the Preview dialog.
\image html preview_mesh_1D.png "1D mesh preview shows nodes computed on geometry edges"
\image html preview_mesh_2D.png "2D mesh preview shows edge mesh elements, computed on geometry faces"
Compute button computes the whole mesh.
When the Preview dialog is closed, the question about the storage of temporarily
created mesh elements appears:
\image html preview_tmp_data.png
These elements can be kept in the mesh.
\anchor submesh_order_anchor
Changing sub-mesh priority
If the mesh contains concurrent \ref constructing_submeshes_page "sub-meshes",
it is possible to change the priority of their computation, i.e. to
change the priority of applying algorithms to the shared sub-shapes of
the Mesh shape.
To change submesh priority:
Choose "Change submesh priority" from the Mesh menu or a pop-up
menu. The opened dialog shows a list of submeshes in the order of
their priority.
There is an example of submesh order modifications taking a Mesh created on a Box
shape. The main Mesh object:
- 1D Wire discretisation with Number of Segments=20
- 2D Triangle (Mefisto) with HypothesisMax Element Area
The first submesh object Submesh_1 created on Face_1 is:
- 1D Wire discretisation with Number of Segments=4
- 2D Triangle (Mefisto) with Hypothesis MaxElementArea=1200
The second submesh object Submesh_2 created on Face_2 is:
- 1D Wire discretisation with Number of Segments=8
- 2D Triangle (Mefisto) with Hypothesis MaxElementArea=1200
And the last submesh object Submesh_3 created on Face_3 is:
- 1D Wire discretisation with Number of Segments=12
- 2D Triangle (Mefisto) with Hypothesis MaxElementArea=1200
The sub-meshes become concurrent if they share sub-shapes that can be
meshed with different algorithms (or different hypotheses). In the
example, we have three submeshes with concurrent algorithms, because
they have different hypotheses.
The first mesh computation is made with:
\image html mesh_order_123.png
"Mesh order SubMesh_1, SubMesh_2, SubMesh_3"
\image html mesh_order_123_res.png
"Result mesh with order SubMesh_1, SubMesh_2, SubMesh_3 "
The next mesh computation is made with:
\image html mesh_order_213.png
"Mesh order SubMesh_2, SubMesh_1, SubMesh_3"
\image html mesh_order_213_res.png
"Result mesh with order SubMesh_2, SubMesh_1, SubMesh_3 "
And the last mesh computation is made with:
\image html mesh_order_321.png
"Mesh order SubMesh_3, SubMesh_2, SubMesh_1"
\image html mesh_order_321_res.png
"Result mesh with order SubMesh_3, SubMesh_2, SubMesh_1 "
As we can see, each mesh computation has a different number of result
elements and a different mesh discretization on the shared edges (the edges
that are shared between Face_1, Face_2 and Face_3)
Additionally, submesh priority (the order of applied algorithms) can
be modified not only in a separate dialog box, but also in
the Preview. This helps to preview different mesh results,
modifying the order of submeshes.
\image html mesh_order_preview.png
"Preview with submesh priority list box"
If there are no concurrent submeshes under the Mesh object, the user
will see the following information.
\image html mesh_order_no_concurrent.png
"No concurrent submeshes detected"
\anchor compute_anchor
Computing the mesh
It is equally possible to skip \ref evaluate_anchor "the Evaluation"
and \ref preview_anchor "the Preview" and to \b Compute the mesh after
the hypotheses are assigned. For this, select your mesh in
the Object Browser. From the \b Mesh menu select \b Compute or
click "Compute" button of the toolbar.
\image html image28.png
"Compute" button
After the mesh computation finishes, the Mesh Computation information
box appears. In case of a success, the box shows
information on number of entities of different types in the mesh.
\image html meshcomputationsucceed.png
If the mesh computation failed, the information about the cause of the
failure is provided in \b Errors table.
\image html meshcomputationfail.png
After you select the error, Show Sub-shape button allows
visualizing in magenta the geometrical entity that causes the error.
\image html failed_computation.png
3D algorithm failed to compute mesh on a box shown using Show
Sub-shape button
Publish Sub-shape button publishes the sub-shape, whose meshing
has failed, in GEOM component as a child of the mesh geometry, which
allows analyzing the problem geometry and creating a submesh on it in
order to locally tune the hypotheses.
If the failure is caused by an invalid input mesh and the algorithm has
found which mesh entities are bad, Show bad Mesh
button appears in the dialog. Clicked, it shows the bad mesh entities in
the Viewer in magenta. Sometimes the shown mesh entities are too small
or/and hidden by other mesh elements. They can be seen after
switching the mesh to Wireframe visualization mode or switching off
the visualization of faces and volumes (if any).
Bad Mesh to Group button creates groups of bad mesh entities
to facilitate their analysis.
\image html show_bad_mesh.png
Edges bounding a hole in the surface are shown in magenta using Show
bad Mesh button
\note Mesh Computation Information box does not appear if you set
"Mesh computation/Show a computation result notification" preference
to the "Never" value. This option gives the possibility to control mesh
computation reporting. There are the following possibilities: always
show the information box, show only if an error occurs or never.
By default, the information box is always shown after mesh computation operation.
\anchor use_existing_anchor
"Use existing edges" and "Use existing faces" algorithms
It is possible to create a 1D or a 2D mesh in a python script
(using AddNode, AddEdge and AddFace commands) and
then use such sub-meshes in the construction of a 2D or a 3D mesh. For
this, there exist two algorithms: Use existing edges and Use
existing faces.
For example, you want to use standard algorithms to generate 1D and 3D
meshes and to create 2D mesh by your python code. Then you
- create a mesh object, assign a 1D algorithm,
- invoke \b Compute command, which computes a 1D mesh,
- assign Use existing faces and a 3D algorithm,
- run your python code, which creates a 2D mesh,
- invoke \b Compute command, which computes a 3D mesh.
Consider trying a sample script demonstrating the usage of
\ref tui_use_existing_faces "Use existing faces" algorithm for
construction of a 2D mesh using Python commands.
\image html use_existing_face_sample_mesh.png
Mesh computed by \ref tui_use_existing_faces "the sample script"
shown in a Shrink mode.
*/