Meshing Updates in ANSYS 2019 R2

Joe Woodward, Senior Mechanical Engineer & Lead Trainer, PADT, Inc.

1 © 2017 ANSYS, Inc. May 23, 2019 ANSYS Confidential

 PHOENIX ANALYSIS & DESIGN TECHNOLOGIES
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 TRAINING MENTORING SIMULATION CONSULTING

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Introducing ANSYS Cloud

ANSYS Cloud
Easy access to on-demand HPC directly
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Supported Applications:
2019 R1: Mechanical & Fluent
2019 R2: Electronics

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2019 R2 Release Highlights
WB Meshing SpaceClaim Meshing
• Batch Connections • Mesh Ribbon
• Axisymmetric Sweep • Direct Modeling/Meshing
• Layered Tetrahedron Enhancements • Hex Meshing
• Local Sizing Enhancements • Block Decomposition
• Sculpting on CAD or Facets
• Pull/Move/Bend tools
• Mechanical Connection
• Parameter Management
• Template Modeling
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Batch Connections
First release of Mesh based connections

Our patent pending Batch Connections

technology provides a fast, fully automated,
high fidelity way to connect large beams and
shells structures.

This combined with a brand new blazingly fast

quad mesher provides an industry leading
solution for Offshore and ship building
applications.

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Batch Connections Highlights
Ability to connect beams & shell
• No share-topology required
• No CAD imprints required
• Intersections are resolved at mesh level
Mesh associativity to CAD
• Mesh association to CAD faces and edges
Fine grain control on connections
• Ability to control connection order using worksheet
• Connection options available to limit scope
• Differentiation between connection size and mesh size
Support for local size
• Local face and edge sizes are supported
Ease of use features
• Unconnected edges are reported
• Model walk is available for traversing selection

More information about batch connections can be found here.

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Batch Connections Performance

Number of Manual effort Connections and mesh time Number of

Model type
parts (time) (seconds) elements

~ 800 Only sheets ~ 1 hour 19 ~ 70k

~ 900 Sheets + beams < 30 mins 120 ~ 171k
~ 8100 Only sheets < 30 mins 160 ~ 280k
~ 15600 Sheets + beams < 30 mins 370 ~ 971k

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Axisymmetric Sweep
First release of Axisymmetric sweep

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Axisymmetric Sweep

• Global defeaturing option does not affect defeaturing with this mesh method. Mesh based
defeaturing must be turned on the local method control for defeaturing to take effect.
• Entities below the defined defeaturing tolerance are not captured in the mesh.

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Axisymmetric Sweep
The limitations for Axisymmetric sweep are as follows:
• Topology Protection is not supported in Axisymmetric algorithm.
• A warning message appears, when the nodes are off the mesh. You can click
the warning message to locate that area on the model and can redefine
mesh using Mesh Based Defeaturing for the particular area.
• Axisymmetric body with less than 360 degree revolution is not supported by
this algorithm.
• Axisymmetric algorithm does not support models with share-topology.

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Layered Tetrahedron Enhancements
“Aggressive Tetrahedrons Improvement” option has been introduced to remove thin
elements left behind because of the defined layer height.

Thin layer of elements left

behind because of the
defined layer height

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Layered Tetrahedron Enhancements
• A new option to “Generate Layers Using Facets” has been introduced
• Allows users to skip initial remeshing and generate layers directly on input CAD facets
• A new option to “Repair Facets” has been introduced
• When turned on mesher tries to repair small intersections, zero area triangles etc. in
input facets to facilitate successful mesh generation

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Local Sizing Enhancement Affected distance

Face with
local sizing

“Influence Volume” option has been introduced on a face sizing control. This option
allows user to use face size to influence the volume mesh up to a defines offset distance.

Mesh without influence

volume option

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Introducing:
SpaceClaim Meshing
2019 R2
Introduction to SpaceClaim Meshing:
• SpaceClaim Meshing was designed to provide interactive
geometry and meshing tools to enable high fidelity hex
meshing
• Leverages the MultiZone mesh method (from Workbench
Mechanical/Meshing) integrated w/SpaceClaim’s direct
modeling tools to reduce the turn-around time to construct
hex meshes
• Designed for advanced users with powerful capabilities
yet automates repetitive tasks

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SpaceClaim Meshing: Who is it for?
• SpaceClaim Meshing provides targeted capabilities for
power users who spend a significant amount of time
to generate a detailed mesh
• For example:
− Improved workflow for users who spend a significant amount of
time in SpaceClaim splitting up geometry for hex meshing
− Provides ease of use and less hands-on time versus traditional
block-structured meshing tools

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SpaceClaim Meshing: Accessing Mesh Ribbon
• Within SpaceClaim, you need to go to SpaceClaim
Options->Customize->Ribbon Tabs->Mesh:

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SpaceClaim Meshing: Overview of Mesh Ribbon
• The mesh ribbon provides meshing functionality integrated
with SpaceClaim’s toolkit (same user experience, etc)

Same Orient Tools

Block (Mesh Topology)
as in other Mesh Controls
Editing Tools
Ribbons

Tools controlling the meshing behavior and

how the mesh responds to geometry changes. Common Tools to edit the geometry and or Display Tools to view or
• Add/Edit/Delete Tools define what parts blocking (mesh topology) interrogate the mesh
should be in the meshing queue.
• Play/Pause controls whether to update the
mesh after every change or whether user
wants to control that manually.

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SpaceClaim Meshing: Play/Pause Direct modeling/meshing

• SpaceClaim Meshing keeps the mesh up to date

with direct modeling changes. As the geometry
changes, the blocking/mesh is updated.
• Depending on the operation this can be time-
consuming. Use pause to delay mesh updates
until the user wants the mesh to be updated.

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SpaceClaim Meshing: Hex Meshing Approaches
Geometry Decomposition: Block Decomposition: Bounding Box Blocking or
1. Use SpaceClaim tools 1. Generate Mesh Sculpting approach:
to split up the 2. Edit Blocking to split up 1. Generate Blocking
geometry free regions and 2. Split and associate
2. Share Topology convert to mapped or blocking to geometry
3. Generate Mesh swept blocks

Each approach has some advantages, some are model specific, can also mix & match

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SpaceClaim Meshing: Block Decomposition Approach
• MultiZone mesh method w/tools to fix problems
• After initial mesh is generated, user has tools to edit
the blocking (mesh topology) to construct swept
mesh w/out having to go back to the geometry

Step 1) Step 2)

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SpaceClaim Meshing: Block Decomposition Approach
• Splits are non-manifold (no need for shared
topology)
• Splits are editable, boundaries can be modified
w/Move Tool

Create shared interface Slice model to make

and move as desired sweepable with flexible
using control points topology to fix quality

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SpaceClaim Meshing: Sculpting approach on CAD or Facets
• Bounding box approach can also work well w/faceted models
• Use Pull/Move/Blend Tools to sculpt out a hex mesh

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SpaceClaim Meshing: Use Pull/Move/Blend
tools to build up mesh
• Quickly stretch & align mesh along complex profiles
• Use pull & move together to quickly construct mesh topology

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SpaceClaim Meshing:

• Mechanical/Meshing tools are presented to the user in a

similar fashion as in WB Mechanical/Meshing
• In addition, if the meshing fails or the controls can’t be
respected a user can fix the blocking topology to quickly fix
problems that are some times difficult to fix in CAD
• Most meshing controls are supported. Most notable
exception is the body/sphere of influence.
• Most ICEM CFD controls are also supported. Most notable
exception is advanced biasing laws for edge sizing.

12 28 © 2017 ANSYS, Inc. May 23, 2019 ANSYS Confidential

SpaceClaim Meshing:

• Having interactive geometry and meshing tools provide

tremendous value in getting the desired mesh without having
to jump between applications
• SpaceClaim simplifies CAD through simple concepts like
Select/Move/Pull/Blend, leveraging these simple concepts for
meshing/blocking significantly reduces the learning curve for
complex meshing problems
• Workflow of automating the decomposition of the
geometry/blocking into sweepable regions and then allowing
the user to do further manual decomposition as necessary
shortens the overall meshing time

13 29 © 2017 ANSYS, Inc. May 23, 2019 ANSYS Confidential

SpaceClaim Meshing:

• Block-based editing tools available to

manually fix any problems
• Alternatively, user can start from a free (tet)
block and use manual blocking to
decompose the model rather than
decomposing the geometry
• Decomposition is saved in the blocking and
persists to geometry through associations
so when the geometry is modified user
does not need to re-do decomposition
steps.
• Association-based persistence
instead of history-based persistence
• Template modeling can further
improve automation

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SpaceClaim Meshing 2019 R2: Mechanical Notes:
• When parts are meshed in

connection • meshed
SpaceClaim the CAD body gets
Workflow similar, but some/all parts can be suppressed
in SpaceClaim rather than Mechanical • Parts that are unmeshed can be
meshed in Mechanical

Unmeshed
Unmeshed
parts
parts
Meshed Meshed
parts parts

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SpaceClaim Meshing 2019 R2: Mechanical connection
• Block faces are used as geometry:
 Contact is done on those faces
 Loading can be done on those faces

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SpaceClaim Meshing 2019 R2: Parameter management
• Geometry parameters, and sizing parameters can be defined and used as in
other workbench applications:

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 SpaceClaim Meshing 2019 R2: Template Modeling
• Use basic case to model complex case:
1. Define key CAD topology in 2. Associate block topology to 3. Associate block topology to
CAD or in SpaceClaim: CAD topology: Vertices CAD topology: Edges

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SpaceClaim Meshing 2019 R2: Template Modeling This approach can be
used as a starting point
• Now template can be re-used on similar topology (~90% of work and
based on tags defined in CAD/SpaceClaim: user finishes the rest)
or to do the full
modeling in batch

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SpaceClaim Meshing 2019 R2: Template Modeling
• Template model should work for full set of cases where topology is similar:
− Similar decomposition
− Similar vertices
− Similar edge groups:
 Supports multiple edges
 Edges do not have to be connected,
can overlap (only used for projection)
 If projection between vertices is linear, and straight-forward,
edge definitions not needed
− Similar face groups:
 Supports multiple faces
 Faces do not have to be connected,
can overlap (only used for projection)
 If block faces have clear projection,
face definitions are not needed

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SpaceClaim Meshing 2019 R2:
• Released for Mechanical workflows:
 Meshing ribbon is available in SpaceClaim, but off by default
 Models with geometry/mesh are transferred to Mechanical systems in
natural way
 Training material available
• SpaceClaim Meshing for Fluids:
 2019 R2 release is not targeted for fluids applications, but meshes can be
created as a
beta capability and manually transferred to Fluent using “Save as 
Fluent.msh”
 Missing some of advanced spacing controls that may be needed for
some fluids applications (as available in ICEM CFD)

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 Please submit questions now
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 Thanks for attending this webinar!
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