MSHAPE
MSHAPE, KEY, Dimension
For elements that support multiple shapes, specifies the element
shape to be used for meshing.
KEYKey indicating the element shape to be used:
0
—
Mesh with quadrilateral-shaped elements when
Dimension= 2D mesh with hexahedral-shaped elements whenDimension= 3D.1
—
Mesh with triangle-shaped elements when
Dimension= 2D mesh with tetrahedral-shaped elements whenDimension= 3D.DimensionSpecifies the dimension of the model to be meshed:
2D
—
2D model (area mesh).
3D
—
3D model (volume mesh).
Command Default
Since specification of element shape (MSHAPE) and meshing type (MSHKEY) are so closely related, the element shape that Mechanical APDL meshes with depends on the combination of the values that are set for the two commands. The table below explains what happens when you fail to specify values for these settings.
| Your action... | How it affects the mesh... |
|---|---|
| You issue the MSHAPE command with no arguments. | The program uses quadrilateral-shaped or hexahedral-shaped elements to mesh the model, depending on whether you are meshing an area or a volume. |
| You do not specify an element shape, but you do specify the type of meshing to be used (MSHKEY). | The program uses the default shape of the element to mesh the model. It uses the type of meshing that you specified. |
| You specify neither an element shape nor the type of meshing to be used. | The program uses the default shape of the element to mesh the model. It uses whichever type of meshing is the default for that shape. |
Notes
If no value is specified for Dimension the
value of KEY determines the element shape that
will be used for both 2D and 3D meshing. In other words, if you specify MSHAPE,0,
quadrilateral-shaped and hexahedral-shaped elements will be used. If you
specify MSHAPE,1, triangle-shaped and tetrahedral-shaped
elements will be used.
This command is also valid for rezoning.