In Mechanical APDL terminology, model generation usually takes on the narrower meaning of generating the nodes and elements that represent the spatial volume and connectivity of the actual system. Thus, model generation in this discussion means the process of defining the geometric configuration of the model's nodes and elements. The Mechanical APDL program offers the following approaches to model generation:
Creating a solid model within Mechanical APDL.
Using direct generation.
Importing a model created in a computer-aided design (CAD) system.