TOC

FEM Surface Preface Getting Started Basic Tasks Glossary Index

Dassault Systmes 1994-99. All rights reserved.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsugtoc.htm [09/26/2000 15:20:39]

Preface

Preface
CATIA - FEM Surface Version 5 Release 5 product allows you to rapidly generate a finite element model for complex surface parts. It provides users with automatic detail simplification without modifying the reference geometry. Using This Guide More Information

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsugpr01.htm [09/26/2000 15:20:42]

Using This Guide

Using This Guide

This book is intended for the user who needs to quickly become familiar with CATIA - FEM Surface Version 5 Release 5. The user should be familiar with basic CATIA Version 5 concepts such as document windows, standard and view toolbars. To get the most out of this guide, we suggest you start reading and performing the step-by-step tutorial "Getting Started". This tutorial will show you how to analyse a part from scratch. The "Basic Tasks" section presents the main capabilities of the product. Each individual task is carefully defined and explained in detail. It may also be a good idea to take a look at the "Workbench Description" section, presenting the menus and toolbars. Finally, a "Glossary" has been provided to familiarise you with the terminology used in this guide.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsugpr02.htm [09/26/2000 15:20:44]

More Information

Where to Find More Information

Prior to reading this book, we recommend that you read the CATIA Version 5 Infrastructure User's Guide. CATIA - Part Design User's Guide may also prove useful. And you should view the Conventions used in this guide.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsugpr03.htm [09/26/2000 15:20:45]

Getting Started

Getting Started
The aim of the following tutorial is to give you an idea of what you can do with CATIA - FEM Surface. It provides a step-by-step scenario demonstrating how to use key capabilities. The main tasks proposed in this section are: Entering the Workbench Defining a New Mesh Setting Constraints Analysing Quality Re-meshing a Domain

Altogether, this scenario should take about 15 minutes to complete.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsuggs01.htm [09/26/2000 15:20:50]

Entering the Workbench

Entering the FEM Surface Workbench

This task demonstrates how to open a part and enter the FEM Surface Workbench. Before starting this scenario, you should be familiar with the basic commands common to all workbenches. You can use the Sample01.CATPart document from the samples directory for this task. 1. Select File -> Open, and select the desired .CATPart file. This opens a Part Design document containing the selected part. 2. Select Start -> Analysis & Simulation -> Advanced Meshing Tools. The New Analysis Case dialog box is displayed. 3. Select an Analysis Case type (Static or Frequency). Optionally, you can activate the "Keep as default starting analysis case" switch. Click OK to enter the workbench.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsuggs02.htm [09/26/2000 15:20:52]

Defining a New Mesh

Defining a New Mesh

This task demonstrates how to define a new mesh and it's global parameters on a single part. 1. Click the Surface Mesh icon 2. 3. . Select the geometry to be meshed by clicking on the part. In the Global parameters dialog box, we define the mesh parameters. In this example we: set the Mesh size to 5 mm set the Sag value to 1 mm activate the Details simplification set the Minimum size to 2 mm We leave the global method to quadrangle.

4.

Click the OK button. A new Smart Surfacic Mesh entity is created in the tree.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsuggs03.htm [09/26/2000 15:20:53]

Setting Constraints

Setting Constraints
This task demonstrates how to define constraints on nodes distributions. 1. Click the Add/remove constraints icon

2.

Select the edge to be constrained.

3.

Click the Ok button in the Add/Remove dialog box to end the constraints definition. At this stage, constraints are kept in the mesh definition.

4.

Click the Nodes distributions icon .

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsuggs04.htm (1 of 3) [09/26/2000 15:20:55]

Setting Constraints

5.

Select the edge on which a new distribution will be set.

6.

In the Edit node distribution dialog box we define the parameters of the new distribution. Select the uniform distribution type and set the number of nodes to 10. Click the Ok button. The nodes distribution is created on the selected edge.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsuggs04.htm (2 of 3) [09/26/2000 15:20:55]

Setting Constraints

7.

In the Node distributions dialog box, click the Ok button to end the distributions definition.

At this stage, distributions are kept in the mesh definition.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsuggs04.htm (3 of 3) [09/26/2000 15:20:55]

Analysing Quality

Meshing and Analysing Quality

This task demonstrates how to generate the mesh and use some basic quality analysis functionalities. 1. Click the Mesh icon . The mesh is generated on the part and a little summary is provided in the Mesh update dialog box. The visualization is switched to quality mode so the user can see the quality of the generated mesh. 2. Click the Quality Analysis icon . The Quality Analysis dialog box lists the available quality specifications for visualizing the mesh. By selecting particular specifications, the user can decide how he wants to view the mesh. It also provides a set of functionalities for deeper analysis. Quality Analysis functionalities are available at all steps of the meshing process. See Quality Analysis for more detailed information.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsuggs05.htm (1 of 3) [09/26/2000 15:21:14]

Analysing Quality

3.

Click the Report icon

The Quality Report dialog box presents statistics for the selected quality specifications. Select the Mesh tab page to view mesh composition statistics.

4. Click the Single Analysis icon . You can select an element of the mesh and obtain a detailed view of it's quality in the Analyze Single pane. This allows you to check if any of your specifications have not been implemented.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsuggs05.htm (2 of 3) [09/26/2000 15:21:14]

Analysing Quality

5.

Click OK in the Quality Analysis dialog box to exit the Quality Analysis environment.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsuggs05.htm (3 of 3) [09/26/2000 15:21:14]

Re-meshing a Domain

Re-meshing a Domain
This task demonstrates how to re-mesh a domain with local specifications. 1. Click the re-mesh icon

2.

Select the domain to be re-meshed, as shown in the picture. We will try to remove the triangles by locally altering the mesh method.

3.

Set the parameters for the selected domain. To do this, you specify the: mesh method local size impact to neighbour domains. For this example, we will specify a mapped mesh and a size of 5 mm. And we specify that these domain specifications can affect neighbour domains. See Local Re-meshing for more detailed information.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsuggs06.htm (1 of 2) [09/26/2000 15:21:21]

Re-meshing a Domain

4.

Click OK to re-mesh the domain. The mesh is updated. The domain is now meshed with quadrangles only.

5.

To exit the meshing environment, click the exit icon

This completes the FEM Surface tutorial. Now, let's take a closer look at the application.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsuggs06.htm (2 of 2) [09/26/2000 15:21:21]

Basic Tasks

Basic Tasks
This section describes the basic tasks that allow you to complete the mesh of a part using CATIA - FEM Surface. These tasks include: Cleaning Geometry

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsugbt0000.htm [09/26/2000 15:21:30]

Cleaning Geometry

Cleaning Geometry
Geometrical parts often present small holes or defects that should be ignored during the is intended to let the user specify which of these analysis. The clean geometry command details will be ignored by the mesher. It deals with three types of geometric problems:

Holes in the geometry.

Button hole - like gaps.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsugbt0200.htm [09/26/2000 15:21:32]

Removing Holes

Removing Holes
This first task shows you how to ignore holes in the geometry. You can use the Sample03.CATPart document from the samples directory for this task. 1. 2. Create a new Mesh on the part. Click the Remove Holes icon The diameter parameter is used to ignore all holes that are smaller than the given value.

3.

Set the diameter value to 10 mm and click Apply. See how the ignored holes are turned blue.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsugbt0201.htm (1 of 2) [09/26/2000 15:21:34]

Removing Holes

4.

Click a green hole. It is turned blue and will then be ignored by the mesher.

5.

Click a blue hole. It is reactivated and will be taken into account by the mesher.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsugbt0201.htm (2 of 2) [09/26/2000 15:21:34]

Removing Button Hole Gaps

Removing Button Hole Gaps

This task demonstrates how to configure the mesher to ignore button hole gaps. You can use the Sample02.CATPart document from the samples directory for this task. 1. Create a new Mesh on the part. Button hole gaps are automatically detected by the program and are displayed in magenta on the part.

2.

Click the Remove Holes . icon You can configure the mesher to ignore button hole gaps by simply clicking on the magenta contours. Now, they will be ignored by the mesher. In fact, the facing edges of the gap will be merged and the

3.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsugbt0202.htm (1 of 2) [09/26/2000 15:21:38]

Removing Button Hole Gaps

result will be considered as a standard edge.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsugbt0202.htm (2 of 2) [09/26/2000 15:21:38]

Glossary

Glossary C
crack A geometry defect that occurs when two adjacent faces, near the free edges, are not topologically linked.

G
global size The target size for element edges.

M
minimum size Minimum size of an edge of an element. When the detail elimination option is active, the mesher does not generate elements with edges shorter than the minimum size.

P
part A 3D entity obtained by combining different features in the Part Design workbench. Please see CATIA - Part Design User's Guide for further information.

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsuggl.htm [09/26/2000 15:21:46]

Index

Index C
cleaning geometry

R
removing holes button hole gaps

file:////Moyenne/users/cma/FMSDocCXR5/FmsEnglish/fmsug.doc/src/fmsugix.htm [09/26/2000 15:21:50]