1. Workshop 13 Quad Meshing of a Stamped Part

2. Create a Project Choose “Open Project“ Icon
Browse to the desired working directory
Enter the project name
Type in the File name as: StampedPart.prj
Tips:
The pull down next to the file name can be used to quickly locate recently used projects.
In Windows, The File browser is a standard Windows file browser offering all the functionality of windows explorer.
In Unix or Linux, similar functionality is also available.
The Project file will contains information about project settings, the working folder and file associations.
Once the geometry, mesh, boundary conditions, parameter files etc. are saved with the project file, simply loading the project file will also load these associated files.

3. Import Geometry Stamped Part Variable thickness Import The Geometry:
File -> Import Geometry -> Parasolid
Select Stamped_VariableThickness.x_t
Open
Geometry is initially displayed with only curves
Use the triad in the lower right corner to reorient the model to isometric view
Stamped Part
Variable thickness

4. Display Tree Display Geometry Display the Geometry:
Geometry display is controlled by the model tree on the left
Expand the ”Geometry“ Branch with a left click on the + sign
Display: Surfaces by left mouse click on icon
Display: Solid & Wire mode by right mouse click on Surfaces in Display Tree
Display: Transparent mode by right mouse click on Surfaces in Display Tree
Display Tree

5. Import Geometry Scale the Geometry:#1 #2
Scale the Geometry:
Geometry => Transform Geometry => Scale Geometry
Select: Surfaces with window drag box or “a” hotkey
Set: Scale Geometry X, Y and Z factors to 1000
Apply
Measuring the model reveals that its units are in meters, a side effect of Parasolid translation, lets scale to millimeters.
The geometry may appear to disappear, it has simply grown off the screen. Use the “x” hotkey or zoom extents utility icon.
Now the models units are in mm and we can use whole numbers instead of decimals

6. Build Topology BUILD TOPOLOGY:#1
BUILD TOPOLOGY:
Geometry -> Repair Geometry -> Build Diagnostic Topology
Default: Tolerance is auto-calculated as 0.2
Default: New Part Name is set to Inherited
Accept all defaults and press Apply
Observe: Because the New Part Name is set to Inherited Curves & Points will be in the Part of the associated surfaces
Set: Surface display to wire frame using the display tree or Wire frame Icon #2 #3 #4
Note: Yellow lines would indicate (single edges) a hole.
Tips:
set a reasonable tolerance based on model size
By default, tolerance is set to 1/1000th the size of the model bounding box diagonal, rounded
Use Part by part option if you are working with an assembly #5 #6

7. Midsurface MID SURFACE:#1
MID SURFACE:
use the “Measure Distance” Tool to determine the thickness of the part. At its widest point, it should show approximately 6.0 depending on how actually you place the measure points
We will want to set a “Search distance” greater than this distance, 6, to cover tolerances and measurement inaccuracies #2
1.0 thick
6.0 thick #3
Geometry -> Create/Modify Surface -> Midsurface
Search Distance = 7
To quickly midsurface based on the Search distance, set “How” to Quiet
default selection method; “By Parts”, use the Select Parts Popup to select PS and Accept
Press Apply #4 #5 #6 #7
New Mid-surfaces displayed with original curves.
Build Diagnostic Topology will remove unattached curves #8

8. Build Topology #1 #2
Initially after midsurfacing, the original curves remain, but unattached to any surfaces.
Build Diagnostic Topology removes unattached curves and establishes connectivity between new surfaces #3
BUILD TOPOLOGY:
To clean up the unattached curves and reestablish connectivity…
Geometry -> Repair Geometry -> Build Diagnostic Topology
Tolerance value = 0.2 and press Apply #4
Build Topology
Red curves indicate 2 edges meet within the tolerance.
Yellow curves indicate a single edge, the perimeter and hole curves are yellow #5

9. Part Mangement Note: if you accidentally deleted everything, UNDO!
The original surfaces in the PS part have all been deleted. The new mid surfaces are in the SURFS part.
New to 5.1, we now have the option to delete a Part directly from the tree, even if it still contains entities.
Manage Parts:
In the model tree, RMB on the specific Part to be deleted. From the pull-down, select Delete
If entities still exists in that part, you are prompted to delete them.
You must delete or move the entities to another part before that part can be deleted.
Other options, such as renaming parts, are also available by right clicking on each part
You can still delete all the empty parts after right clicking on “Parts”. #3 #1 #2
Note: if you accidentally deleted everything, UNDO!

10. Set Mesh Sizes Assign Element Size:#1 #2
Assign Element Size:
Use the new Mesh Parameters option to:
Mesh -> Set Curve Mesh Size
Using the By Selected Curves Method, and the curves select picker, select all the curves with the “a” hotkey
Set; Maximum Element size to 4
Defaults; accept all the other defaults
press Apply. #3 #4
NEW: Increment/Decrement element count on a particular curve by mouse clicking.
With this new feature, the user selects a curve and then left or right clicks the mouse on that curve to adjust the number of nodes. #5

11. Display Mesh Sizes Display Element Size: Right Click on Curves
Turn on Curve node Spacing and/or Curve Element Count
Curve Node Spacing is displayed as tick marks along the curves. These indicate points of node seeding for patch based meshing.
Curve Element Count displays the number of elements on each individual curve
RMB on Curves
Curve Element Count
Note: These curve mesh size indicators can be used together or separately
Curve Node Spacing

12. Set Mesh Sizes Advanced Curve Mesh Sizes:#1 #2
Advanced Curve Mesh Sizes:
Mesh -> Set Curve Mesh Size
Using the By Selected Curves Method, and the curves select picker, select just the bolt hole curves (2 per)
Change the Method to Element Count
Set; Number to 6
Number of elements per curve segment
Set; Height to 3
Height of first quad ring normal to curve
Set; Width to 1
Number of quad rings
press Apply. #3 #4 #5 #6

13. Surface Meshing SHELL MESHING: Click on Mesh => Mesh Shell icon#1 #2
SHELL MESHING:
Click on Mesh => Mesh Shell icon
Use the Patch Dependent sub-icon
Default; Mesh Type Quad dominant
Default; Method From Surfaces
Select all Surfaces with “a” hotkey
Make sure that Project to Surfaces is checked
Set Ignore Size = 1
Features below 1 units will be suppressed
Accept other defaults
Apply #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9

14. Dormant Curves #1 #2
The previous mesh had too many patches, although ignore feature size fixed the worst issues, it is often helpful to have greater patch independence. #3
BUILD TOPOLOGY, w/ Filter:
Geometry -> Repair Geometry -> Build Diagnostic Topology
Tolerance value = 0.2
Default; Feature Angle 30
Turn on Filter Points and Filter Curves
press Apply
Build Topology w/ Filter Curves
Display Dormant Curves #4 #5
Yellow curves indicate a single edge. Red curves that met at less than 30 degrees were removed.
Grey Curves (NEW) are dormant curves, used to sew together otherwise separate patches.
Activate dormant curves display through RMB on curves

15. Mesh From Surfaces Regenerate Mesh: File => Mesh => Close mesh
To remove previous
Mesh => Mesh Shell => Patch dependent
Keep all previous settings and Apply
This is now using all the surfaces as one large patch. Mesh walks across the internal surface boundaries.
Lets bring back, “Restore”, some of these dormant entities to better control our patches.

16. Restore Dormant Curves#1 #2 #3
Re-establish patch dependence by restoring some/all of these dormant entities #5
Restore Dormant Entity:
Geometry -> Restore Dormant Entities
Select the appropriate Curves
Selecting individual curves captures the nodes along those curves
Restoring a complete loop of curves results in patch dependence within the loop
Apply
Select these feature curves and they will turn red #4
Red curves are now captured.
Grey curves are still ignored by the mesh
Mesh Shell with previous settings
Don’t forget to select these tiny curves to completely separate the Patch

17. Make Curves Dormant #1 #2 #3
To make an active curve “dormant”, use delete curve.
Delete Curve:
Geometry -> Delete Curve
Select the appropriate Curves
Removing the curves on one side of each fillet effectively joins the fillet and adjacent surface patches into one patch
Apply #5 #4
Deleted curves become dormant (Grey) and are ignored by the mesh
Mesh Shell with previous settings

18. Free Style #1
Use a combination of Topology filters, restoring dormant entities and delete curves to control patch dependence
Take a few minutes to try different things. #2 #3
Active curves within a patch are also captured
Behind the scenes.
Surfaces sharing dormant curves are grouped and meshed with the from surfaces option, while surfaces surrounded by active curves are meshed with the from each surface option. Active curves within a surface or group of surfaces are treated like collapsed internal loops.
Closed loops of Red Curves or from surface edge to surface edge separate out a patch.

19. Calculate and display surface thickness#1 #2
The surface thickness was automatically established during midsurfacing. This thickness needs to be transferred to the new shell mesh #3
Adjust Mesh Thickness:
Edit Mesh -> Adjust Mesh Thickness
Set the method to Calculate
This determines the element thickness on a node by node basis from the surface thickness at each node’s location.
Apply #4
Display Mesh Thickness:
RMB on Shells in the model tree
Activate Shell Thickness #5
Thickness is calculated at each node and displayed normal to the surface in both directions
Varying thickness is auto applied to shell element properties for generic output