Femap Meshing Toolbox Tutorial SM

Femap 12
FEMAP TUTORIAL
Meshing Toolbox
www.ata-plmsoftware.com
844-756-7638 (844-PLM-SOFT)
ATA Engineering FEMAP 12
Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap
Overview
This tutorial walks through importing

geometry, creating a midsurface
Software:
and preparing it for meshing, and
Femap 12
interactively controlling mesh sizing
Difficulty Level:
Beginner to achieve a high-quality mesh in
Preceding Tutorial:
None
Femap, with a focus on methods
Input files required: using the Meshing Toolbox. The
FemapMeshingToolbox_Panel.x_t
sample model is a thin panel with
various stiffeners and pockets.
This tutorial is part of a series of free Siemens PLM

Software training resources provided by ATA.
For more tutorials, whitepapers, videos, and
macros, visit ATA’s PLM Software website:
http://www.ata-plmsoftware.com/resources.
Content subject to change without notice. © 2019 ATA Engineering, Inc. Femap is a trademark of Siemens PLM Software, Inc.
Concepts
• Importing and simplifying geometry
• Editing 3D features
• Creating 2D surfaces from 3D geometry
• Preparing surfaces and meshing with quad elements
• Checking and refining mesh quality
Content subject to change without notice. © 2019 ATA Engineering, Inc. Femap is a trademark of Siemens PLM Software, Inc.
Contents
Tutorial 2
1. Introduction 2
1.1. Input Files Required 2
1.2. Output Files Created 2
2. Import Geometry and Set UI Preferences 3

2.1. Import the Geometry into Femap 3
2.2. Change Background to White 3
2.3. Set Zoom and Rotate about Cursor (Optional but Recommended) 3
2.4. Save the Model 3
3. Fix Problem Areas and Clean Up Geometry 4

3.1. Clean Up Geometry 4
3.2. Mesh the Part to Help Identify Problematic Areas 4
3.3. Locate and Resolve Sliver Surfaces 6
3.4. Locate and Resolve Short Edges 7
3.5. Locate and Resolve a Knife Edge 8
3.6. Edit Hole Features 11
4. Create Surfaces from Solid Geometry 14

4.1. Create 2D Surfaces Using the Offset Tool 14
4.2. Extend Large 2D Surface to Match the 3D Geometry 15
4.3. Extend the Ribs 16
5. Prepare Surfaces for Meshing 18

5.1. Project Curves to Surface 18
5.2. Subdivide Surfaces 19
6. Mesh Surfaces and Evaluate Mesh Quality 21

6.1. Mesh the Surface 21
6.2. Evaluate Mesh Quality 21
6.3. Interactively Control Mesh Size 22
1 Content subject to change without notice. © 2019 ATA Engineering, Inc. Femap is a trademark of Siemens PLM Software, Inc.
Tutorial
1. Introduction
This tutorial introduces the Femap meshing toolbox by demonstrating
the process of importing solid geometry, preparing it for shell meshing,
reviewing mesh quality, and interactively adjusting mesh sizing.
Figure 1-1: ▶
Thin panel with various stiffeners and
pockets for use in Meshing Toolbox tutorial.
1.1. Input Files Required

The following file is provided:
FemapMeshingToolbox_Panel.x_t
1.2. Output Files Created

The following file will be created during this demonstration:
FemapMeshingToolbox_Panel.modfem
2. Import Geometry and Set User Interface (UI) Preferences
The Parasolid geometry will be imported into Femap, and UI elements

will be adjusted.
2.1. Import the Geometry into Femap
1. Use File → Import → Geometry and browse to

FemapMeshingToolbox_Panel.x_t to import the geometry.
2. Set the title to FemapMeshingToolbox_Panel.
3. Set the Geometry scale factor to 39.37. This allows a part that was
modeled in inches in CAD software to continue to work in inches
without the part being manually scaled.
4. Click OK.
2.2. Change Background to White
1. Use Custom tools → Views → View color swap to change the

background to white and update titles to black text.
2.3. Set Zoom and Rotate about Cursor (Optional but Recommended)
1. Under File → Preferences → User Interface → Mouse Interface, check

Dynamic Zoom Around Cursor Location and Dynamic Rotate Around
Cursor Location to zoom and rotate about the cursor rather than the
center of the screen.
2.4. Save the Model
1. Use File → Save to save the part. Remember to periodically save the
model throughout the tutorial.
3. Fix Problem Areas and Clean Up Geometry
Geometry features that might otherwise result in a poor mesh, including

sliver surfaces and short edges, are removed using the meshing toolbox.
3.1. Clean Up Geometry
1. Use Geometry → Solid → Cleanup, select the solid, and click OK to

clean up the solid and remove redundant points and curves.
2. You will now see the Solid Validation and Cleanup window.
Depending on your geometry, you may change the settings as
needed; however, for the purposes of this tutorial, click OK to accept
the defaults.
Figure 3-1: ▶
Geometry cleanup options.
3. You will see the edits that Femap makes in the messages window on
the bottom.
Figure 3-2: ▶
Geometry Cleanup removes redundant
points and curves.
3.2. Mesh the Part to Help Identify Problematic Areas
1. Right-click on geometry in the model info pane and select Tet Mesh
to quickly mesh the solid part.
2. In the Define Material dialog box that automatically opens, click
Load.
3. Since the model is in inches, select Choose Library and browse to the
mat_eng_in-lbf-psi-degF-BTU.esp material library if is not the default
in your Femap Preferences. It should be in a location similar to C:\
Siemens\Femapv1200\.
4. In the text filter in the bottom left of the Select from Library dialog
box, type 6061 to quickly show only materials with 6061 in their title.
Select Aluminum 6061 Annealed Wrought and click OK.
Figure 3-3: ▶
Aluminum 6061 material properties are
loaded from the Femap material library.
5. Select OK in the Define Material dialog box and then OK in the

Automesh Solids dialog box to accept the defaults and generate a tet
mesh on the solid.
6. Once the model is meshed, deselect the nodes toggle on the Entity
Display toolbar for better visibility.
Figure 3-4: ▶
A tet mesh is quickly generated for the solid
geometry.
7. Identify the lowest-quality element with Custom Tools → Meshing

→ ShowWorstElem. Note that the highlighted element is on a sliver
surface.
3.3. Locate and Resolve Sliver Surfaces
1. Click on the “Toggle Entity Locator” button in the meshing toolbox.

Inside the Locator tab, set Search For to Surfaces and check the
Slivers box. Inspect the identified sliver surfaces.
Figure 3-5: ▶
Use the Meshing Toolbox’s Locator
command to identify sliver surfaces.
2. Create a group of the sliver surfaces by expanding the entity location

option and selecting Create Group. Name it “Sliver Surfaces.”
3. The sliver surfaces can be removed using one of two methods:
feature suppression and feature removal. With feature suppression,
the features are retained but ignored by the mesh. Feature removal
eliminates the surfaces from the model, and this is the method used
in this tutorial.
4. In the Meshing Toolbox, go to the Feature Removal tab, set Search

For to Surfaces, and check the Aggressive Removal box.
5. Click Dialog Select at the top of the Meshing toolbox, and in the
entity selection window, select the newly created group in the
dropdown before clicking OK.
Figure 3-6: ▶
The Dialog Select button is located near the
top of the Meshing Toolbox.
Figure 3-7: ▶
Use group select to choose the Sliver
Surfaces group.
6. Since we have auto-remesh selected, Femap will update the mesh

whenever geometry is edited.
3.4. Locate and Resolve Short Edges
1. Back on the Locator tab, set Search For to Curves. Under Show
Options, select Auto Rotate and Auto Zoom, and use the Next button
to toggle through the short edges.
Figure 3-8: ▶
Use the Meshing Toolbox’s Locator tab to
identify short edges.
2. Create a new group consisting of curves, and label it “Short Edges.”

3. In the feature removal tool, select “Curves,” and set Curve Options to
“Aggressive.”
4. Click Dialog Select, choose the newly created Short Edges group and
click OK.
3.5. Locate and Resolve a Knife Edge
1. Rerun the Show Worst Element command: Custom Tools → Meshing

→ ShowWorstElem. A knife edge can be seen.
Figure 3-9: ▶
The Show Worst Element command calls
attention to a knife edge in the model.
2. Delete the mesh using Delete → Model → Mesh. Click Select All, press
OK, and click No when asked if it is “OK to Delete Unused Properties,
Materials, and Meshing Attributes?”
3. Next, use Geometry → Solid → Embed Face, select the face
highlighted in Figure 3-10, and click OK.
Figure 3-10: ▶
Surface to use in Embed Face command.
4. Choose Specify Offset and enter an Offset Value of 1.
Figure 3-11: ▶
The Embed Face command splits the knife
edge into a separate solid body.
5. The knife edge is split into a second solid body. Right-click on the
new geometry in the Model Info pane and select Delete.
Figure 3-12: ▶
Right-click on the new geometry and select
Delete to remove the knife edge.
6. When you zoom in closer to the edge, you will be able to see some
unnecessary curves. These can be combined using the feature
removal tool in the Meshing Toolbox. Select “Curves” under Feature
Removal and set the Curve Options to “Combine Surfaces.”
Figure 3-13: ▶
Use Feature Removal to eliminate the
leftover curves.
7. Enable the select toggle (adjacent to Dialog Select) and pick the
curve(s) to be merged.
Figure 3-14: ▶
Use Feature Removal to combine the
surfaces.
8. In the Feature Removal tab of the Meshing Toolbox, set Feature Type
to Point and select the point that remains to combine the two edges.
3.6. Edit Hole Features
1. Since the mesh has been deleted, the remaining points on the model
are mesh controls. These can be hidden through the view options at
F6 → Labels, Entities and Color → Curve – Mesh Size → Uncheck Draw
Entity, or by unchecking Mesh Size/Location under the View Style
dropdown on the View - Simple toolbar.
2. Zoom in so the holes can be seen. In the Feature Editing tool, set
Selection Method to “Feature Edges” and Operation to “Resize Hole.”
The hole diameter can be measured with the tool highlighted in
Figure 3-15.
Figure 3-15: ▶
The Measure command on the Hole
Diameter line will automatically populate
the field with the measured value.
3. Inside the Measure dialog box, set the method to On Point and select
points on the circle to measure the current diameter.
4. Change the diameter to 0.5, press the Select button, and click on one
curve from each hole to resize all three.
Figure 3-16: ▶
The Meshing Toolbox can resize and
translate holes in solid geometry.
5. The meshing toolbox can also be used to translate the holes. First,
set Operation to Translate Surface(s) and click the Select Vector icon
in the “Vector to Move Along” line, highlighted in Figure 3-17.
Figure 3-17: ▶
Specify a direction and magnitude using the
Select Vector button.
6. In the dialog box, enter the vector (0,0,0) to (0,0,0.1) and press OK.
Figure 3-18: ▶
Specify a vector to translate the holes.
7. Select the holes to translate them in them 0.1 in the Z direction.
4. Create Surfaces from Solid Geometry
A midsurface will be created from the solid geometry.

4.1. Create 2D Surfaces Using the Offset Tool
1. Since this part is thin, it makes sense to model it with 2D elements

along the midsurface. Use Geometry → Surface → Offset and
select the main bottom surface, highlighted in Figure 4-1. Femap
automatically selects the appropriate offset value. Tip: Use Pick Front
to help in selecting the correct surface.
Figure 4-1: ▶
Offset the highlighted face to create a
midsurface.
2. Repeat the Offset command for the three ribs on the other side of the
model. Select one face on the side of each rib.
3. Once the offset has been performed on all the parts, hide the solid
geometry in the Model Info pane.
Figure 4-2: ▶
Midsurfaces are created with the Offset
Surface command.
4.2. Extend Large 2D Surface to Match the 3D Geometry
1. Turn the solid geometry back on, right-click on its visibility checkbox,
and select Hide Surfaces. Note that the midsurface does not extend
to the limits of the solid geometry, as shown in Figure 4-3. Turn the
solid surfaces back on.
Figure 4-3: ▶
The midsurface does not extend to the limits
of the solid geometry.
2. Use the Meshing Toolbox to extend the surface. On the Geometry

Editing tab, set Operation to Extend, Extend Shape to Continuous
Curvature, and Extend To to Surface. Click on the […] button on the
Surfaces to Extend To line and select a single surface from the leading
edge. Use Pick → Add Tangent Surfaces to select the entire boundary
and click OK.
Figure 4-4: ▶
Select the surfaces to extend to.
3. Hide the solid geometry, and back in the Meshing Toolbox with the
Extend To surfaces selected, click the Dialog Select icon to choose
the edges to extend. Take care to select every edge along the
boundary. Note that in Femap 12, the new Add Connected Tangent
Curves option under Pick can aid selection.
Figure 4-5: ▶
Select the edges to extend.
4.3. Extend the Ribs
1. Next, the ribs need to be extended to the main surface. Still in the
Meshing Toolbox’s Geometry Editing tab, set Extend Shape to linear
and Extend To to distance. Choose a distance of 1, which will extend
the ribs through the main sheet.
2. Using the selection dialog, choose the curves along the bottom of
the ribs. Ensure that all curves along the bottom edges are selected.
Figure 4-6: ▶
Extend the ribs along their bottom edges.
3. Connect the ribs with the main surface using the non-manifold add
tool at Geometry → Surface → Non-manifold add. Hold the Shift key
and drag a box to select the four sheet bodies. Click OK and accept
the default tolerance.
4. Trim the ribs where they extend through the main sheet by using
Delete → Geometry → Surface and deleting those three faces.
Figure 4-7: ▶
The midsurface geometry is complete.
5. Prepare Surfaces for Meshing
The midsurface will be split to aid with mapped meshing.

5.1. Project Curves to Surface
1. Additional curves from the 3D geometry need to be projected onto

the main surface. Turn the solid geometry back on, right-click on its
View checkbox, and Hide Surfaces.
Figure 5-1: ▶
Additional curves will be projected onto the
midsurface.
2. Open the Meshing Toolbox to the Geometry Editing tab and set
operation to Project Curve and Imprint Options to Imprint. Use the
select button to select the main surface.
3. Use Dialog Select to choose the edges of the two pockets identified
in Figure 5-2. You can select a single curve and use “add connected
tangent curves” to quickly pick the curves in Femap 12.
Figure 5-2: ▶
Project the pockets along the +Y edge.
4. Repeat the procedure for the remaining pockets, resulting in Figure

5-3.
Figure 5-3: ▶
Pockets have been projected onto the
midsurface.
5.2. Subdivide Surfaces
1. Pads and washers around features can lead to better-quality

elements that integrate well with the rest of the mesh, and these
can be easily created using the Geometry Editing tab of the Meshing
Toolbox. Set Operation to Pad or Washer and experiment with
adding these features around the holes. You can create pads or
washers individually, or washers with pads, and the offset can
be specified by a factor of the hole diameter or by a distance.
Experiment using the three holes. Tip: Align pads to the top edge of
the rib using the Tangent to Curve option.
Figure 5-4: ▶
Pads and washers are easily created around
holes.
2. Rectangular divisions on a surface can also help create nicely

mapped mesh regions. This can be accomplished with the Point to
Point, Point to Edge, and Edge to Edge operations inside the Meshing
Toolbox. Create sections on your own similar to those shown in
Figure 5-5.
Figure 5-5: ▶
Rectangular sections help create high-
quality mapped meshes.
6. Mesh Surfaces and Evaluate Mesh Quality
The Meshing Toolbox will be used to mesh the midsurface, and element
quality will be evaluated.
6.1. Mesh the Surface
1. Create a mesh using the Mesh Surface tab of the Meshing Toolbox.
Click Dialog Select and draw a box around the midsurface to mesh
the structure, accepting the defaults for now.
2. Turn off nodes and surfaces to help with visibility.
6.2. Evaluate Mesh Quality
1. Toggle the Surface Mesh Quality button in the toolbar above the
meshing toolbox, and open the Surface Mesh Quality tab. Contour
plots will show elements whose characteristics exceed certain values.
2. Set Nastran as the quality source. After flipping through the various
evaluation options, set Quality Type to Taper.
3. Manually move nodes with the Mesh Locate tab. Press the […] button
on the Select Mesh to Edit line and choose a surface containing
an element that exceeds the taper limits. Uncheck Locate Multiple
and click the Select button. Nodes can be individually selected and
translated across the surface to improve element quality until the
elements no longer fail the quality check.
4. Some areas, such as the face highlighted in Figure 6-1, are not ideal
candidates for mapped meshes. We can fix this by going back to the
Mesh Surface tab, opening the Mapped Meshing Options, unchecking
Advanced Mapped Meshing, and remeshing the face.
Figure 6-1: ▶
This face results in a poorly mapped mesh
by default.
5. The mesh size can also be controlled from the Mesh Surface tab.
Decrease the Mesh Size to 0.25 and select all surfaces again to refine
the mesh.
6.3. Interactively Control Mesh Size
1. In View Options (F6), select the Labels, Entities and Color category
and choose the Curve - Mesh Size options. Highlight Symbols and
Count under Show As, check the Draw Entity box, and click OK.
There are now annotations showing the number of elements along
each edge.
Figure 6-2: ▶
View Options menu selections to annotate
the number of elements along edges.
2. In the Mesh Sizing tab, set Sizing Option to Size Curve. Options allow
the element count to be increased or decreased by a set number
or an edge to be specifically set to an exact number of elements.
Experiment with changing the mesh size on various edges to create
better-mapped meshes. The mesh will automatically update after
each change.
3. Press Save to save your model.
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Femap 12

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

This tutorial walks through importing

This tutorial is part of a series of free Siemens PLM

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

2. Import Geometry and Set UI Preferences 3

3. Fix Problem Areas and Clean Up Geometry 4

4. Create Surfaces from Solid Geometry 14

5. Prepare Surfaces for Meshing 18

6. Mesh Surfaces and Evaluate Mesh Quality 21

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

1.1. Input Files Required

1.2. Output Files Created

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

2. Import Geometry and Set User Interface (UI) Preferences

The Parasolid geometry will be imported into Femap, and UI elements

2.1. Import the Geometry into Femap

1. Use File → Import → Geometry and browse to

2.2. Change Background to White

1. Use Custom tools → Views → View color swap to change the

1. Under File → Preferences → User Interface → Mouse Interface, check

2.4. Save the Model

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

3. Fix Problem Areas and Clean Up Geometry

Geometry features that might otherwise result in a poor mesh, including

1. Use Geometry → Solid → Cleanup, select the solid, and click OK to

3.2. Mesh the Part to Help Identify Problematic Areas

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

5. Select OK in the Define Material dialog box and then OK in the

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

7. Identify the lowest-quality element with Custom Tools → Meshing

1. Click on the “Toggle Entity Locator” button in the meshing toolbox.

2. Create a group of the sliver surfaces by expanding the entity location

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

4. In the Meshing Toolbox, go to the Feature Removal tab, set Search

6. Since we have auto-remesh selected, Femap will update the mesh

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

2. Create a new group consisting of curves, and label it “Short Edges.”

1. Rerun the Show Worst Element command: Custom Tools → Meshing

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

4. Choose Specify Offset and enter an Offset Value of 1.

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

7. Select the holes to translate them in them 0.1 in the Z direction.

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

4. Create Surfaces from Solid Geometry

A midsurface will be created from the solid geometry.

1. Since this part is thin, it makes sense to model it with 2D elements

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

4.2. Extend Large 2D Surface to Match the 3D Geometry

2. Use the Meshing Toolbox to extend the surface. On the Geometry

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

4.3. Extend the Ribs

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

5. Prepare Surfaces for Meshing

The midsurface will be split to aid with mapped meshing.

1. Additional curves from the 3D geometry need to be projected onto

Meshing Toolbox Tutorial in Femap

4. Repeat the procedure for the remaining pockets, resulting in Figure

2. Import Geometry and Set UI Preferences 3

3. Fix Problem Areas and Clean Up Geometry 4

4. Create Surfaces from Solid Geometry 14

5. Prepare Surfaces for Meshing 18

6. Mesh Surfaces and Evaluate Mesh Quality 21