Generating 3-D Tetrahedral Elements - HM-3210

For this tutorial it is recommended that you complete the introductory tutorial, Getting Started with
HyperMesh - HM-1000.

This tutorial demonstrates how to use the tetra mesh, tetra remesh and CFD mesh subpanels available
in the tetramesh panel.

The following exercises are included:

• Tetramesh a volume

• Tetra remesh a selected group of elements

• Tetramesh using the CFD algorithm

All files referenced in the HyperMesh tutorials are located in the <
install_directory>/tutorials/hm/ directory. For detailed instructions on how to locate the
installation directory <install_directory> at your site, see Finding the Installation Directory
<install_directory>, or contact your system administrator.

Tetramesh a Volume
The tetramesh panel allows you to fill an enclosed volume with first or second order tetrahedral
elements. A region is considered enclosed if it is entirely bounded by a mesh of tria elements where
each tria has material on one side and open space on the other.

You can specify trias as fixed and floatable. Under most circumstances, select only those trias that must
match up to another pre-existing mesh as fixed. You can also specify various growth options in order to
control the tradeoff between the number of tetras generated and the average and minimum element
qualities. Higher, more aggressive growth rates produce fewer elements, but they may be of poor quality.

To retrieve the file:

1. Retrieve the file tetmesh.hm file, located in the <install_directory>/tutorials/hm/

directory.

2. Click return to access the main menu.

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 tetmesh.hm model file.

To tetra mesh the enclosed volume:

1. Select the tetramesh panel on the 3-D page.

2. Select the tetra mesh subpanel.

3. Click the switch below floatable trias: and select comps from the pop-up menu.

4. Pick an element that belongs to the component.

or

Click the upper comps and select trias, then click select.

5. Click the upper right switch and select generate mesh normally from the pop-up menu.

6. Click the lower right switch and select the growth option standard from the pop-up menu.

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 7. Click tetmesh.

8. Click return to access the main menu.

Note: The header bar displays status messages as the elements are created.
Clicking and holding the right mouse button while in the graphics display area,
allows you to cancel the tetramesh operation.

Note: If the tetramesher fails, the last plate elements to be worked on are
highlighted and placed into a buffer for later retrieval.

Tetra Remesh Panel

The tetra remesh subpanel allows you to regenerate the mesh for a single volume of tetras. The tetras
you select form a single connected region. This command allows you to locally remesh an area where
poor quality tetras may exist. Look for a concentration of bad elements and use a combination of the
mask and find panels to locate a collection of neighboring tetras to remesh.

To retrieve the file:

1. Retrieve the file tetremesh.hm file, located in the <install_directory>/tutorials/hm/

directory.

2. Click return to access the main menu.

To identify tetra elements with poor quality:

1. Select the check elems panel on the Tool page.

2. Select the 3-D subpanel.

3. After tetra collapse, enter the value 0.10.

4. Click tetra collapse.

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 5. Once elements are highlighted, click save failed.

6. Click return to access the main menu.

NOTE The header bar relays the message that the minimum tetra collapse is 0.00, a
tetra element that does not occupy a volume. The save failed operation places
the bad elements that show a tetra collapse value less than what is specified
in a buffer, allowing the elements to be retrieved later.

tetremesh.hm model file.

To isolate the save failed elements:

1. Select the mask panel on the Tool page.

2. Select the mask subpanel.

3. Click the switch and select elems from the pop-up menu.

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 4. Click elems and select retrieve from the extended entity selection menu.

The save failed elements become highlighted.

5. Click elems and select reverse from the extended entity selection window.

All the elements excluding the save failed become highlighted.

6. Click mask.

Only the save failed elements should remain.

7. Click return to access the main menu.

To find elements attached to the displayed element:

1. Select the find panel on the Tool page.

2. Select the find attached subpanel.

3. Click the upper switch and select elems from the pop-up menu.

4. Click the lower switch and select elems from the pop-up menu.

5. Select the displayed element.

6. Click find.

7. Click return to access the main menu.

To tetra remesh the selected group of elements:

1. Select the tetramesh panel on the 3-D page.

2. Select the tetra remesh subpanel.

3. Click elems and select by window from the extended entity selection menu.

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 4. Draw a window around one of the three groups of elements, and click the select entities button.

The elements to be remeshed become highlighted.

5. Click remesh.

6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 for the two remaining element groups.

7. Click return to access the main menu.

To unmask previously masked elements:

1. Select the mask panel on the Tool page.

2. Select the mask subpanel.

3. Click unmask all.

4. Click return to access the main menu.

To review the newly created elements:

1. Select the check elems panel on the Tool page.

2. Select the 3-D subpanel.

3. Click tetra collapse.

The minimum tetra collapse is now 0.20.

4. Continue to tetra remesh until element quality is satisfactory.

5. Click return to access the main menu

CFD Mesh
The accuracy with which a solution is resolved is directly related to the number of elements in regions of

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 high solution gradient. In most CFD applications, this is near the surface of the flow and is called
boundary layer behavior. Consequently, the mesh is generated so that it clusters many elements near
the surface. The CFD mesh subpanel utilizes floatable trias which allow you to pack many layers of high
aspect ratio tetras against a surface in order to resolve boundary layer behavior in the solution.

Using the normal algorithm, if you pack many elements against the surface, many of the elements will
have some very obtuse face angles, which often cause problems for solvers. For the prism layer
algorithm, the tetra elements are generated in prism-shaped groups of three or more in such a way to
prevent large angles from appearing. Arbitrarily, many of these high aspect ratio tetras can be layered
against the surface as needed in order to resolve the boundary layer behavior. They are generated with
very thin initial layers, growing in thickness with an accelerating growth rate until the layer thickness is the
same as the width of the prism, at which point the tetramesher switches to its normal algorithm to
efficiently fill the remaining volume.

To retrieve the file:

1. Retrieve the file sphere.hm file, located in the <install_directory>/tutorials/hm/

directory.

2. Click return to access the main menu.

To switch to performance graphics and display a model in hidden line mode:

1. Select the options panel on the permanent menu.

2. Select the graphics subpanel.

3. Click the toggle after engine: and select performance.

4. Click return to access the main menu.

5. Select the vis panel on the permanent menu.

6. Click the hidden line with mesh lines icon, , the third icon from the left below the all button.

7. Click all.

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 8. Click mesh color and select Black from the pop-up menu.

9. Click return to access the main menu.

To create a new component for the tetra elements:

1. Select the collectors panel on any main menu page.

2. Select the create subpanel.

3. Click name = and enter tetras.

4. Click color and select a color for the new collector from the pop-up window.

5. Click create.

6. Select return to access the main menu.

NOTE For this exercise we have created a component collector that does not
reference a solver template. For more information on how to associate a
solver to a collector, see the HyperMesh on-line Help.

To tetramesh using the CFD meshing subpanel:

1. Select the tetramesh panel on the 3-D page.

2. Select the CFD mesh subpanel.

3. Click the switch below fixed prism trias/quads and select comps from the pop-up menu.

4. Pick an element that belongs to the sphere.

or

Click the upper comps, select trias from the list of components, and click select.

5. Click the toggle and select boundary layer prisms.

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 6. Click the lower right switch and select generate mesh normally from the pop-up menu.

7. Click init thickness = and enter the value 0.5.

8. Scroll through the other options using the TAB key and assign the following values:

init growth rate = 1.100

acceleration = 1.100

growth rate = 1.250

initial layers = 0.750

9. Click tetmesh.

10. Select return to access the main menu.

Volume enclosed tria mesh.

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 To use the mask panel to view the interior of the tetramesh model:

1. Select the view panel on the permanent menu.

2. Select top.

3. Select the mask panel on the Tool page.

4. Select the mask subpanel.

5. Click the switch and select elems from the pop-up menu.

6. Click elems and select by window from the extended entity selection menu.

7. Click interior.

8. Using the left mouse button to define the corners of your window, select elements from the right half
of the model.

9. Click select entities.

10. Click mask.

11. Select the vis panel on the permanent menu.

12. Click the hidden line with mesh lines icon, , the third icon from the left below the all button.

13. Click all.

14. Select the view panel on the permanent menu.

15. Select rear.

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 Section cut of tetra mesh volume using CFD mesh.

See HyperMesh Tutorials for a complete list of tutorials.

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