Surface Mesh and Finite Volume Mesh
As described in the Chapter 'Computational Mesh and Model Simplification', two types of meshes are used for the simulation. The simplified model is “shrink-wrapped” by a mesh of the boundaries which again provides the basis of the 3D volume mesh around it. The former represents the so-called Surface Mesh, the latter the Volume Mesh.
When the calculation of results is started (see the Chapter 'Calculation'), the mesh is created automatically.
Note
To create the mesh separately, however, select Generate Mesh on the Simulation menu.
The Edit Bar - Simulation panel provides specific options to display the two types of meshes.
Select this option to check whether the Mesh Density set in the 'Simulation Parameters' dialog box gives an adequate representation of the original model. Furthermore, the Level of Detail set in the 'Edit Model' dialog box strongly influences the quality of the surface mesh. If the simplified model appears too coarse or extremely fine, you should modify the level of detail.
In the View navigator, you can control the display of Mesh Faces (the filled mesh surfaces) and Mesh Edges (separation lines between mesh elements) – see Image 4.1.
The volume mesh can be displayed in a so-called Slicer plane. It gives a section through the wind tunnel which is parallel to one of the global planes (XY, YZ, XZ). For more information on handling the tool, see the Chapter 'Slicer'. You can distinguish between the refined volume mesh at the model boundaries and the wider mesh at distant locations.