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Edge and Face Meshing

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Meshing - General

To reduce overall mesh size, confine small cells to areas where they are
needed (e.g., where high gradients are expected).
Controlling cell size distribution
z

Edges, Faces and Volumes can be directly meshed

Pre-meshing

A uniform mesh is generated unless pre-meshing or sizing functions are used.

Edge meshes can be graded (varying interval size on edge)
Graded edge mesh can be used to control distribution of cell size on face
mesh.
Controlling distribution of cell size on face mesh also controls distribution of
cell size in volume mesh.

Sizing Functions

Allow direct control of cell size distribution on edges, faces and volumes
directly for automatic meshing.

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Edge Meshing

Edge mesh distribution is controlled through

the spacing and grading parameters.
Using the Edge meshing form
z

Picking

z
z

Grading/Spacing
Special characteristics

Temporary graphics
Links, Directions

Apply and Defaults

Invert and Reverse

Options

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Picking Edges for Meshing

Picking
z

Temporarily meshed edges

When you pick an edge, the edge is

temporarily meshed using white nodes
Displayed edge mesh is based on current grading and spacing parameters
If you modify the scheme or spacing, the temporary mesh will be
immediately updated
When you Apply, the mesh nodes will turn blue

Sense

Sense is used to show direction of grading

Every picked edge will show its sense direction using an arrow
The sense can be reversed by a shift-middle click on the last edge picked
(this is in addition to the next functionality) or by clicking on the
Reverse button

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Soft Links

Picking and soft links

z

Pick with links

By enabling this option, Soft-linked edges can be selected in a single pick

Linked edges share the same information and can be picked in a single
pick

Modifying soft links

You can anytime:

V
V
V

Form links
Break links
Maintain links

By default, GAMBIT will form links between unmeshed edges that are
picked together
By default, GAMBIT will maintain links between meshed edges that are
picked together

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Grading

Controls mesh density distribution along an edge.

Grading can produce single-sided or double-sided
mesh
z

Doubled-sided mesh can be symmetric or asymmetric.

Symmetric schemes produce symmetric mesh about

edge center.
Asymmetric schemes can produce asymmetric mesh
about edge center.

Single-sided grading
Symmetric grading
Asymmetric grading

Single-sided grading:
z

Uses a multiplicative constant, R, to describe the ratio of

the length of two adjacent mesh elements, i.e.,

R = l(i+1) / li

R can be specified explicitly (Successive Ratio) or

determined indirectly
Gambit also uses edge length and spacing information to
determine R.
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Double Sided Grading

Symmetric grading schemes implicitly

generate double sided grading that is
symmetric.
Asymmetric schemes are accessible when
Double-Sided Option is used with:
z

Successive Ratio, First Length, Last Length,

First-Last Ratio, and Last-First Ratio

The mesh is symmetric if R1 and R2 are

equal.
The mesh is asymmetric if R1 and R2 are not
equal.
Edge center is determined automatically.
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Spacing

Spacing
z

In all meshing forms, the following spacing functions can be specified:

Interval count - recommended for edge meshing only

V

% of edge length - recommended for edge meshing only

V

A value of 5 creates 5 intervals on the edge (6 nodes, including ends)

An edge length of 10 and a value of 20 creates 5 intervals on the edge

Interval size - the default setting

V

V
V

Identifies the interval size relative to overall dimensions of geometry

Identifies average interval size if used with grading
An edge-length of 10 and a value of 2 creates 5 intervals on the edge
Average size of elements/grid is 2

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First Edge Settings

Use first edge settings enabled

z First edge selected in pick list updates form
z Useful to copy settings from one meshed
edge to other edges.
Use first edge settings disabled
z Any time you pick two or more meshed edges
where there is a difference in:

the Type
the Spacing

the local Apply button for that option will

be turned off
This allows you to maintain pre-existing grading and/or spacing settings for
each edge.
Enforce a change in grading and/or spacing by enabling Apply button.
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Mesh Options

Apply without meshing

z

This option is useful in cases where you

want to impose a scheme without fixing
the number of intervals
The higher level meshing scheme will decide
(and match) the intervals

Example
V
V

Remove Old Mesh

z

Specify fixed interval and no grading

Specify double sided grading and
Apply without Meshing on bottom edges
Face meshing will automatically match mesh

Deletes old mesh

Ignore Sizing Function

z

Sizing function has precedence on meshing

unless this option is enabled.

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Face Meshing

Face Meshing form

z

Upon picking a face

GAMBIT automatically chooses Quad elements

GAMBIT chooses the Type based on the

Solver/face vertex types

z

Available element/scheme type combinations

Quad
V
V
V
V

Quad/Tri
V
V
V

Map
Pave
Wedge

Tri
V

Map
Submap
Tri-Primitive
Pave

Pave

Gambit also has quad-to-tri conversion utility.

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Face Meshing - Quad Examples

Quad: Map

Quad: Submap

Quad: Tri-Primitive

Quad: Pave

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Face Meshing - Quad/Tri and Tri Examples

Quad/Tri: Map

Quad/Tri: Pave

Quad/Tri: Wedge

Tri: Pave

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Deleting Old Mesh

Existing mesh must be removed before remeshing.

z

Mesh can be deleted using

delete mesh form.
Lower topology mesh can also be deleted (default)

Existing mesh can also be removed in all Create

mesh forms without the need for Delete mesh
z

Remove mesh

Remove mesh + lower mesh

Leaves all lower topology mesh

Removes all lower mesh that is not shared
with another entity

Undo after meshing operation also works!

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Hard Linking

Mesh Links (Hard Links)

z

Mesh linked entities have identical mesh

Applicable to Edge, Face, and Volume entities

Best to use soft links for edge meshing

To link volume meshes, all faces must be hard
linked first.

Setting up Hard Links for Faces

z

Select faces and reference vertices

Edge sense will appear

Reverse orientation on by default for sense
Periodic option should be used for periodic
boundary conditions, which creates a matched
mesh even if the edges are split differently.

Mesh one face before or after hard link is defined

created for periodic boundary conditions

mesh on second face generated automatically

Multiple pairs of hard links can be created.

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Mesh Smoothing

Face and Volume meshes can be smoothed by moving interior nodes to obtain
incremental improvement in quality.
z
z

The mesh at the boundary is not altered.

Face and volume meshes are smoothed using a default scheme.

Different schemes can be selected and applied after meshing.

z

Face mesh smoothing

Length-weighted Laplacian: Uses the average edge length of
the elements surrounding each node to adjust the nodes.
Centroid Area: Adjust node locations to equalize areas
of adjacent elements.
Winslow(for quad meshes only) : Optimizes element shapes
with respect to perpendicularity.
Volume mesh smoothing
Length-weighted Laplacian: same as for face mesh smoothing
Equipotential: Adjusts node locations to equalize the volumes
of the mesh elements surrounding each node.
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Face Vertex Types

All vertices that are connected to a face are

assigned initial face vertex types based on
default angle criteria between the edges
connected to the vertex.
Combination of vertex types describes the
face shape or topology.
Face vertex types are used automatically to determine
all quad face meshing schemes except the quad-pave scheme.
z

The tri meshing scheme also does not use face vertex types.

Changing vertex types can help you create a structured mesh or

help facilitate generating a hex mesh.
z

For the Cooper to work, the side faces must be either mappable or
submapple and changing the vertex types may be required.

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Vertex Type Characteristics

End (E)
z
z

120 < Default Angle < 216

one internal grid line

Corner (C)
z
z

Side (S)
z

0 < Default Angle < 120

zero internal grid lines

216 < Default Angle < 309

two internal grid lines

Reverse (R)
z
z

309 < Default Angle < 360

three internal grid lines

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Modifying Face Vertex Types

Face Vertex Types can be changed from

default setting:
z

Automatically, by enforcing certain meshing

schemes in face and volume meshing.

Can sometimes result in undesirable mesh.

Manually, by direct modification in

the Face Vertex Type form.

Select Face
V

symbols appear in graphics window

Select New Vertex Type

S
Select Vertices to be affected
Vertex Types can be applied to just Boundary Layers as option.

A vertex can have multiple Types; one per each associated face.
For a given set of face vertex types, Gambit will choose which meshing
scheme to use based on predefined "formulas".

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Example: Using Vertex Types to make a

Face Submappable

A face can be made submappable

z

By manually changing vertex types

Consider which vertex should be

changed to "Side"
In Set Face Vertex Type form,
change vertex (default type) to
Side

R
E

E
R

Submap: 4*End + Side

+ (2*End + Reverse)

In the Face Mesh form, change

the scheme from default to
"Submap" and "Apply"
(GAMBIT will try to change the
vertex types so the scheme is
honored)
User has less control - resulting
mesh may be undesirable

By enforcing the Submap scheme

E
E

default

R
E
E

S
E

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Formula for Map Scheme

Map Scheme: 4*End + N*Side

S
+

E
E

E
E

Periodic Map Scheme: N*Side

z

Project intervals can be specified for

more mesh control.

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How to Make a Face Mappable

E

By manually changing vertex types

z

In Set Face Vertex Type form, change

vertices (default) to "Side" (example)
Open the Face Mesh form and pick the face

(GAMBIT should automatically select the

map scheme)

Default
E

By enforcing the Map scheme

z

In Face Mesh form, change the scheme

from default to "Map" and "Apply"

E E

E
S
E

Map: 4*End + 4*Side

(GAMBIT will try to change the vertex

types so the scheme is honored)

default

E
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Formula for Submap Scheme

Submap Scheme: 4*End + L*Side + M*(End + Corner) + N*(2*End +

Reverse)
additional terms when interior loops exist

E E

C
C

C
C

E
E

C C

Periodic Submap Scheme: N*Side + M*(End + Corner) where M >2

z

additional terms when interior loops exist

+S

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Tri-Primitive Scheme

Tri-Primitive Scheme: 3*End + N*Side

E
S
E

To mesh a face with the tri-primitive scheme:

z
z

Manually, change one of the vertex types to "Side" in this example

The Tri Primitive scheme can not be enforced
E

default

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Meshing Faces with Hybrid Quad/Tri Schemes

Quad/Tri: Tri-Map formula: 2*Triangle

z

T
T

Quad/Tri: Pave
z

z
z

The face vertex types need to be manually

changed to Triangle (T) and the Tri-Map
scheme must be selected.
All vertex types are ignored except Trielement
(T) and Notrielement (N)
Trielement (T) will enforce a triangle
Notrielement (N) will avoid a triangle

Quad/Tri: Wedge
z
z

Used for creating cylindrical/polar type meshes

The Vertex marked (T) is where rectangular
elements are collapsed into triangles

T
E

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Assessing Mesh Quality

Default measure of quality is based on EquiAngle Skew.

Definition of EquiAngle Skew:
max e e min
max
,

e
180

where:
z max = largest angle in face or cell
z min = smallest angle in face or cell
z e = angle for equiangular face or cell

max
min

e.g., 60 for triangle, 90 for square

Range of skewness:
0
best

1
worst
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Examining the Mesh

Examine Mesh Form
z

Display Type

Plane/Sphere
V

Range
V
V
V

View mesh elements that fall in plane or sphere.

View mesh elements within quality range.
Histogram shows quality distribution.
Show worst element automatically zooms into
worst element

Select 2D/3D and Element Type

Select Quality Type

Display Mode

Change cell display attributes.

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Striving for Quality

A poor quality grid will cause inaccurate solutions and/or slow convergence.
Minimize EquiAngle Skew:
z

Hex, Tris and Quad Cells

Tets

Skewness for all/most cells should be less than 0.9.

Minimize local variations in cell size:

z

Skewness should not exceed 0.85.

e.g., large jumps in size between adjacent cells

If Examine Mesh shows such violations:

z

Determine the reason(s) for the violations

z
z

Eg: Differences in spacing and grading on adjacent edges, geometry with small
features or other defects, geometric complexity and size, mesh that grows too
rapidly etc.

Delete mesh completely or partially.

Clean and/or decompose geometry, pre-mesh edges and faces or adjust meshing
parameters
Remesh Geometry.
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