Tutorials > Meshing

SL-V210: Quick Imprinted Meshing for Parasolid Assemblies

SL-V2210 > SL-V7o10

 In the following tutorial, the user will learn how create an assembled surface mesh with imprinted solid bodies
from a Parasolid geometry.

In this lesson you will learn how to:

 Generate an assembled surface/shell mesh from a Parasolid file.

 Generate an assembled volume/solid mesh.
 Transfer groups to the meshed assembly.

Step1: Import a CAD model.

1. Go to File|Import|CAD to open a CAD file.

2. Navigate to the Tutorial-folder and open the file V_control_arm.xmt_txt.
3. Once the Import Parasolid window appears, activate the options Import groups and Imprint solid bodies
and click on OK.

While importing, SimLab will actually create and import an imprinted version of the Parasolid geometry – named
v_control_arm_imprint.xmt_txt - in the original location.
Step2: Generate a surface mesh

1. Click on the Mesh ribbon, and open the Surface Mesh menu.

2. Enter the meshing parameters according to the image below.

3. Select both bodies.

4. Click on Advanced Options.
5. Activate the Identify features and mesh and Imprint meshing options and click on OK.

6. Click on OK once more to begin the meshing process.

Step3: Generate a solid mesh

1. Click on the Volume Mesh icon.

2. Select TET4 as the Element Type.

3. Set an Average element size of 7 and an Internal grading of 1.5.
4. Click on Advanced Options and make sure that the Surface mesh is preserved on All surfaces.

5. Select both shell bodies and click on OK.

Step4: Check for shared faces

1. After the meshing process is complete, go to the Assembly ribbon and click on the Shared icon.

2. Select both bodies.

3. In the Shared Entities window select Faces and click on OK.
 4. A message with the number of shared faces will be displayed, simply click on OK.

All shared faces between the selected bodies will be shown. Additionally, a group with the shared faces will be
created and listed in the Groups tree of the Model Browser.
5. To view all bodies once more, right click on the graphics area and click on the option Redisplay Body.

Step5: Transfer groups from CAD to solid bodies

1. Click on the Groups tab of the Model Browser.

2. Right click on Group to display the right mouse button (RMB) menu.
3. Click on Transfer.

4. Head to the Assembly tab and select the CAD bodies as the Source and the Solid bodies as the Target
bodies.
Hint: Click on the model icon to hide/make visible all bodies in a model or submodel. You cannot select
bodies that are hidden.
 5. Click on OK.
6. Hide the CAD bodies.
Three additional groups will be listed in the Groups tree.

Step6: Save your model

1. Go to the icon named Files and click on the Save icon (Floppy Disk). Alternatively, you can go to File|Save.

2. Navigate to the folder of your preference and save the file with a different name. The file will be saved with
the .slb extension (SimLab file).

Next Steps
You can now use this model to:
 Set up and run a Topology Optimization with OptiStruct: SL-V7o10.