L-4 Cleanup Tools PDF

Fluent User Services Center Introductory GAMBIT Training
www.fluentusers.com GAMBIT 2.3 June 2006
Semi-Automated Cleanup Tools
4-1 2006 Fluent Inc.


Clean up on models containing a large
number of faces can be tedious.
Cleanup Tools can semi-automate this

process using virtual and real operations.
z Locate problem areas
z Suggest repair method
z Perform repair operation
The Cleanup tools are available from the

Tools menu in GAMBIT.


Quickly identify, zoom in, highlight areas that cause connectivity and mesh
quality problems.
z Appropriate tools to fix problems are given.
z Graphics color coding set to connectivity based coloring.
z Graphics window pivot set to mouse.
Available Cleanup tools:

z Clean up Short Edges
z Clean up Holes
z Clean up Cracks
z Clean up Sharp Angles
z Clean up Large Angles
z Clean up Small Faces
z Clean up Hard Edges
z Clean up Fillets
z Clean up Duplicate Geometry
z Select cleanup Domain

Clean Up Short Edges

Why clean up short edges?
z Short edges can cause meshing difficulties such as large
cell size change, highly skewed cells.
Tools to identify and highlight the problem spot

z Cleanup domain
Select whole model or group
z Maximum length: upper limit
Default: 10 shortest edge in the Cleanup Domain
z Items List: candidates for cleanup operation based on
Cleanup domain and Maximum length
z Current length: length of currently picked edge
z Update: updates the Items list
Required when Maximum length is modified
z Zoom
In/Out: quick auto zoom in on or from the picked items
z Auto: automatically zooms in on selected item


z Local: current item + all faces connected to it
Visible: make everything else invisible
Shade: shade the local objects
Options to Apply Cleanup Tool
z Apply: applies appropriate fix to selected item
z A/N: (Apply/Next) applies appropriate fix to selected
item and automatically picks the next item in the list.
The view is changed.
z Auto: entire list is processes automatically (only
works for the Method: Edge merge)
z Ignore: removes selected item from list and selects
next item
z Restore: the list is restored


Methods to fix the problem spot
z Vertex connect (least common)
Average location
Preserve location: first vertex
Preserve location: second vertex
z Edge merge
Merge with (select edge)
z Face merge
Faces to merge (select faces)
Edge merge pre-selected when at least one
vertex has only one other connected edge.
Appropriate methods and applicable entities are
often pre-selected, however users may edit them.

edge.5 v_edge.5
edge.6
v_vertex.7
edge.2 v_edge.7
Before Cleanup, Face Virtual Face Created

Contains a Short Edge After Cleanup by Edge
Merge

Clean Up Holes
Why clean up holes?
z Volumes must be air-tight. Holes in faces must
be repaired in order to properly define volumes.
Holes in the model are internal edge loops that do
not constitute external boundaries of a face (or
faces)

and Options to Apply Cleanup Tool
z Similar to those for Cleanup Short edge
Method to fix the problem spot

z Create Face from Wireframe
z Real and Virtual options available

Clean Up Holes
Before Cleanup, Face Virtual Face Created

Contains a Hole After Cleanup by Create
Face from Wireframe

Clean Up Cracks
Why clean up cracks in faces?
z Cracks in faces cause meshing difficulties as well
as disconnects which do not permit volume
definition.
z Maximum angle between edges defining the crack
(default is 20)
z Other tools similar to those for Cleanup Short edge
Options to Apply Cleanup Tool
z Connect edges
Tolerance: maximum distance between edges to
be connected

Clean Up Cracks
The edges that define the crack The edges that define the crack
share one vertex share two vertices
edge.4 edge.8 v_edge.9 edge.4 edge.8 v_edge.9
face.1 face.2 v_face.1 v_face.2 face.1 face.2 v_face.1 v_face.2
vertex.5
Before Cleanup, Faces are Virtual Face Created Before Cleanup, Face Virtual Face Created
Disconnected at Vertices After Cleanup by Contains a Crack After Cleanup by Edge
with a Gap Edge/Vertex Connect Connect

Clean Up Sharp Angles

Why clean up sharp angles?
z Sharp angles cause meshing problems
such as highly skewed cells and possible
failure of meshing algorithms.
Tools to identify and highlight the problem
spot
z Maximum angle: default is 20
z Other tools similar to those for Cleanup
Short edge
Options to Apply Cleanup Tool faceface angle: 180
z Similar to those for Cleanup Short edge is the angle between the
Methods to fix the problem spot normals of the two faces
determined by face-face angle (shaded in grey)
z If face-face angle > 135: Merge faces
z If face-face angle < 135: Chop one face
and merge truncated face with neighboring
face.
Distance: length of shortest boundary
edge of truncated face

Clean Up Sharp Angles (Without Chop)
Before Cleanup
3 faces (real or virtual)
Virtual Virtual
After Cleanup After Cleanup

Merge with left face Merge with right face

Clean Up Sharp Angles (With Chop)

Truncated
face
Merged
Distance face
Chop option
face - face
angle < 135
Tri-primitive
Mesh: Cooper
1 of 8 Sharp Angles
Merge
edges

Clean Up Large Angles

Why clean up large angles?
z Cleaning up large angles may help generate map
mesh.
z Maximum angle: default is 5 degrees
Options to apply the Cleanup Tool
z Merge faces

Clean Up Large Angles
170
Before cleanup After cleanup

Two connected faces; face One virtual face results from
normals nearly parallel large angle cleanup operation

Clean Up Small Faces

Why clean up small faces?
z Small faces can cause meshing problems (similar to
short edges)
z Maximum area: default value is 100 times the area of
the smallest face in the Cleanup domain
z Items in the list contains all faces with areas less the
maximum area
Methods to fix the problem spot:
z Merge face
z Collapse face
Candidate Faces to merge: all bounding faces with a
face-face angle > 135 pre-picked

Clean Up Small Faces

Small face causes meshing One virtual face results from
problems virtual merge operation

Clean Up Hard Edges

Why clean up hard edges?
z Cleaning up hard edges will simplify meshing by
removing excess constraints
Hard edges are also known as dangling edges.

Creation occurs:
z as a result of a face split when the split tool only
partially intersects target face
z from STL or mesh import
and options to apply the cleanup tool
z similar to those for Cleanup Short edge
z Remove all hard edges

Clean Up Hard Edges

Face is split by a dangling Virtual face with edge split
(hard) edge

Clean Up Fillets
Why clean up fillets?
z Cleaning fillets will relieve meshing difficulties by simplifying
faces. This can facilitate generating map/submap meshes.
z Maximum angle: specifies the maximum deviation from 90o
for outward-pointing normals computed at the boundaries of
the fillet face.
Methods to fix the problem spot
z Merge face
z Collapse face
Candidate Faces
z Faces to merge: all bounding faces with a face-face angle >
135 pre-picked
z to collapse between: two opposite faces along the longest
edges prepicked

Clean Up Fillets
Before cleanup After cleanup by face merge After cleanup by face collapse
Fillet face can cause meshing One virtual face results from virtual Fillet face is divided; each part is merged
difficulty face merge with its adjoining face (suitable for
volume map mesh)

Cleanup Duplicate Edges

Why clean up duplicate edges?
z Duplicate geometry can cause discontinuities in the
mesh and unintentional non-conformal interfaces.
Clean Up Duplicate Edges
z Includes edges which are coincident in part (T-junction
connect).

Cleanup Duplicate Faces

Clean Up Duplicate Faces
z Two search options
Topology-based
V All lower entities (edges or vertices) to be identical
between the two faces.
Centroid-based
V The centroids of the two faces should be within
tolerance.
V Less accurate, but helpful in detecting duplicate faces
with different lower topology.
Method
z Connect faces
z Delete faces

Cleanup Duplicate Volumes

Clean Up Duplicate Volumes
Method
z Connect duplicate volumes
z Delete duplicate volumes
Before cleanup Duplicate Volumes After cleanup

(Four volumes) (Three volumes)
Select Cleanup Domain
Specifies the domain to which the geometry cleanup operations apply.

z Whole Model (default)
z Predefined geometry group
The Cleanup Domain

is group2

Cleanup Demo
Where are the Problem Areas?
Fillet Short edge

Faces can
be merged
Sliver face

Cleanup Steps
Import the .iges file using the default settings (Make tolerant).
Change color coding to connectivity.

z Blue edges (2 connections) indicate connected geometry.
Apply Cleanup Tools (Virtual Geometry Created) Source faces

z Short Edges
z Holes
z Large Angles
z Fillets
Mesh using the Cooper Tool

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Fluent User Services Center Introductory GAMBIT Training

www.fluentusers.com GAMBIT 2.3 June 2006

Semi-Automated Cleanup Tools

4-1 2006 Fluent Inc.

Semi-Automated Cleanup Tools

Cleanup Tools can semi-automate this

The Cleanup tools are available from the

4-2 2006 Fluent Inc.

Semi-Automated Cleanup Tools

Available Cleanup tools:

4-3 2006 Fluent Inc.

Clean Up Short Edges

Tools to identify and highlight the problem spot

4-4 2006 Fluent Inc.

Clean Up Short Edges

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Clean Up Short Edges

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Clean Up Short Edges

Before Cleanup, Face Virtual Face Created

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Tools to identify and highlight the problem spot

Method to fix the problem spot

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Before Cleanup, Face Virtual Face Created

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edge.4 edge.8 v_edge.9 edge.4 edge.8 v_edge.9

face.1 face.2 v_face.1 v_face.2 face.1 face.2 v_face.1 v_face.2

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Clean Up Sharp Angles

4-12 2006 Fluent Inc.

Clean Up Sharp Angles (Without Chop)

After Cleanup After Cleanup

4-13 2006 Fluent Inc.

Clean Up Sharp Angles (With Chop)

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Clean Up Large Angles

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Clean Up Large Angles

Before cleanup After cleanup

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Clean Up Small Faces

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Clean Up Small Faces

Before cleanup After cleanup

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Clean Up Hard Edges

Hard edges are also known as dangling edges.

4-19 2006 Fluent Inc.

Clean Up Hard Edges

Before cleanup After cleanup

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Cleanup Duplicate Edges

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Cleanup Duplicate Faces

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Cleanup Duplicate Volumes

Before cleanup Duplicate Volumes After cleanup

Select Cleanup Domain

Specifies the domain to which the geometry cleanup operations apply.