Introduction to Graphic Tools in Fluent Meshing
In this video, we provide a brief introduction to some graphic tools in Fluent Meshing, focusing on tools typically used to prepare a model for surface meshing. We will cover:
- Different ways of viewing and visually examining the model
- Typical cleanup operations, such as removing small parts and patching holes
Model Examination
The wheel suspension model consists of approximately 200 to 300 bodies or parts. To better understand the complexity and details of the CAD, use the Explode option. Clicking it a second time returns the model to the normal view. Alternatively, you can hide bodies to look inside the model. Select a body and use the Hide option. Shortcuts are also available, such as pressing the Control key when selecting bodies to immediately execute the previous operation. The Undo button restores all hidden bodies.
Selection Options
Change the selection option from Zones to Objects. By selecting the wheel object and making it transparent, you can see inside the model. Toggle it back to return to the normal view.
Meshing Preparation Operations
Removing Small Parts
One common step is the removal of small parts, like nuts and bolts:
- Pick a few small parts.
- Use the option to view all parts of a similar area.
- If all viewed parts can be deleted, select Select All Visible Zones.
- Delete the selected parts.
- Click the Show All icon to redisplay all hidden parts.
Using Clipping Planes
Clipping planes help investigate the model to find locations needing patching, such as gaps or misalignments. At the wheel disc, several empty and bolted holes can be patched in a single operation:
- Change to Face selection.
- Pick a triangle next to the holes.
- Use the Repair option to patch all holes.
Working on Model Subsets
To work on a subset of your model:
- Use the Selection Helper.
- Type a prefix or keyword and use Object Selection.
- Hit Select to highlight all objects with the assigned prefix in the tree.
- Use the context menu to draw the selected object.
Isolating Parts
To isolate parts:
- Change the selection filter to Zones.
- Pick one body and use the Isolate icon to hide all other parts.
- Clear the current selection and change the filter back to Faces or Triangles.
- Select one triangle on each side of the body and hit Select.
- Use the Repair tool to close the holes.
- Use the Show All icon to bring the suspension section back.
Zone Projection Operation
For more complex openings:
- Select one triangle and use the Separation operation to separate a surface or zone from the original body.
- Change the selection filter to Zones.
- Pick the body on the opposite side of the opening and set it as a target for projection.
- Select the previously selected face and use the Project to Target icon to close the opening.
Closing Planar Holes
To close individual planar holes:
- Turn on the faceting or mesh using the Edge Visibility icon.
- Change the selection filter to Pick Edges.
- Select one edge of the face.
- Change the edge of the rim of each hole and create two patches by clicking the plus sign.
Handling Non-Planar Holes
For non-planar holes:
- Use the Loop Tracing tool to trace a loop around the rim of the hole.
- Pick nodes along the rim. By default, the loop traces using the shortest distance.
- Use the options exposed below to change to a feature-based trace instead.
- Create open or closed loops.
- Patch the loop once created.
By using a combination of these tools, the suspension section can be simplified within a few minutes.
Title: ANSYS Fluent Meshing 16.0: Graphical User Interface GUI Manipulation Hello. In this video, we will give a brief introduction of some graphic tools in Fluent Meshing. We will focus on tools that you would typically use to prepare the model for surface meshing.
We start by showing the different ways of viewing and visually examining the model. Then we will look at typical cleanup operations, like removing small parts and various techniques to patch holes. This wheel suspension model consists of about 200 to 300 bodies or parts.
You use the Explode option to get a better feeling for the complexity and the details of the CAD. By clicking a second time, it returns to the normal view. Another way of looking inside the model is simply by hiding bodies. We select a body and use the Hide option. You can also use shortcuts.
One that comes in handy is pressing the Control key when you select bodies. This way, the previous operation will be immediately executed. The Undo button brings all the hidden bodies back again. We now change the selection option from Zones to Objects.
By selecting the wheel object and making it transparent, we can also see inside the model. Simply toggle it back again to get back to normal view. Now, let's turn to some typical meshing preparation operations. One common step is the removal of small parts, like nuts and bolts.
You start by picking a few of these small parts, and then you use the option of viewing all parts of similar area. If you feel that all viewed parts can be deleted, use one of the selection options. Select All Visible Zones to select all the small parts.
After they are selected, you can simply delete them. To redisplay all hidden parts again, click on this Show All icon. Using Clipping Planes, we can further investigate the model and find not only locations where we need to patch holes but also gaps, misalignments, or other issues.
Here at the disc of the wheel, we find several both empty and bolted holes. We can patch all of these in a single operation. Simply start by changing to the Face selection. Pick a single triangle next to the holes, and use the Repair option to patch all the holes.
Sometimes we want to work on a subset of your model. One way of viewing that subset is to use the Selection helper. We type in a prefix or a keyword, use the Object Selection, and hit Select. This will highlight all objects with the assigned prefix in the tree.
From the tree, we can now use the context menu to draw the selected object. We have plenty of holes to close in this section. Sometimes it's easier to look at one or just a few parts in isolation.
By changing the Selection filter to Zones and picking one body, we can use the Isolate icon to hide all other parts. These are all planar openings, so we can close these in one operation.
We start by clearing the current selection, change the filter back to Faces or Triangles, select one triangle on each side of the body, and hit Select. Then hit the Repair tool to close out the holes. Using the Show All icon brings the suspension section back again.
Here we have a more complex opening to close, and in this case, we will choose a Zone Projection operation to close it. Select one triangle. Among the icons below, we find the Separation operation, and clicking on it will separate out a surface or zone from the original body.
Change the Selection filter to Zones. Pick the body on the opposite side of the opening, and set it as a target for projection. Now, simply pick the previous selected face and use the Project to Target icon to close the opening.
We can close individual planar holes by picking edges, but to see edges better, we can turn on the faceting, or the mesh, using this Edge Visibility icon. Then we change the Selection filter to Pick Edges. Simply select one edge of the face.
We can also change the edge of the rim of each hole, and create two patches by clicking on the plus sign. So what if the hole or opening is not planar, like at this location? In that case, we use a Loop Tracing tool to trace a loop around the rim of the hole. We start by picking nodes along the rim.
By default, the loop will trace using the shortest distance. In this case, we use the options exposed below to change to a feature-based trace instead. You can create open or closed loops. Finally, when the loop is created, you have the option to patch the loop.
Using a combination of the tools described, this suspension section can be simplified within a few minutes.
