2.3. Customizing Workflows

By default, the guided workflows consist of several existing tasks that represent common operations for mesh preparation. In addition, you can add and remove certain tasks as needed, depending on where you are in the workflow, and the specific level of complexity for your own desired workflow. Each task requires certain inputs and provides certain outputs that other tasks may depend upon, so only certain task may be available to add to the workflow, depending on previous tasks.

The tasks available for the Watertight Geometry workflow are described in Using the Watertight Geometry Meshing Guided Workflows, whereas the tasks available for the Fault-tolerant Meshing workflow are described in Using the Fault-tolerant Meshing Workflow.

The following tasks can be added to a workflow multiple times:

Update Regions
Add Boundary Type
Update Boundaries
Run Custom Journal

Customized workflows can be saved and reused later. For more information, see Saving and Loading Workflows.

Standard journals (Creating and Reading Journal Files) are supported in the workflows as well. While using the workflows, only the values that you change are recorded in the journal, making them cleaner and easier to read. Any workflow-related commands use the workflow prefix. For example:

...
(%py-exec "workflow.InitializeWorkflow(WorkflowType=r'Watertight Geometry')")
(%py-exec "workflow.TaskObject['Import Geometry'].Arguments.set_state(
{r'FileName': r'D:/sample/elbow.scdoc',})")
(%py-exec "workflow.TaskObject['Import Geometry'].Execute()")
...
(%py-exec "workflow.TaskObject['Describe Geometry'].Execute()")
(cx-use-window-id 1)
(cx-set-camera-relative '(38.4549 14.9899 -8.62383) '(0 0 0) 
'(-0.0370945 -0.0108113 -0.141883) 0 0)
(cx-use-window-id 1)
(cx-set-camera-relative '(24.2404 9.77983 -16.4746) '(0 0 0) 
'(-0.0533986 -0.0213353 -0.0927949) 0 0)
(%py-exec "workflow.TaskObject['Create Regions'].Arguments.set_state(
{r'NumberOfFlowVolumes': 6,})")
...

Customized journal files can be created and added to either workflow (Running Custom Journal Commands), and must be created from scratch (that is, in a fresh, new Fluent Meshing session). The following example demonstrates a customized scoped prism control file for boundary layers. The example creates prism controls and sets various properties such as the name, type, first height, etc.

(
("fuselage-prisms" "last-ratio" 0.2 6 40 1.3 "fluid-1" "fluid-regions" "" 
"selected-face-zones" "*fuselage*")
("rest-prisms" "last-ratio" 0.1 8 40 1.1 "fluid-1" "fluid-regions" "" "selected-face-zones" 
"*fin* *pylon* *pod* *wing* ")
)

Custom journal scripts (or even another upstream task) may, occasionally, lead to zone name changes. These zone name changes make it potentially difficult to later correctly identify zones, and leads to potential problems with other zone-based tasks. Fluent alleviates this problem by using a zone's bounding box to identify a zone based on its location, rather than by its name.

2.3.1. Customizing Your Journal Files Using Python

More advanced customizations are available using a Python interface that can provide easier access to all meshing workflow commands and their values.

To access the Python console, enter the following in the Fluent Meshing console window:
```
Meshing> (%py-console)
```
This provides you with access to a Python interface where you can interact with Fluent Meshing workflow commands.

You can obtain specific information about a workflow task using the help() method for a specific TaskObject in the workflow, as in

workflow.TaskObject['<task-name>'].help()

where <task-name> refers to any named task in the workflows. For instance, the following is an example of the Import Geometry task:

>>> workflow.TaskObject['Import Geometry'].help()
NamedObject: TaskObject (Import Geometry)
  Currently active: True
  Members: 
  String: TaskType
    Currently active: True
    Allowed values: [Simple, Composite, Compound, Conditional, Compound Child]
  String: ObjectPath
    Currently active: True
  String: CommandName
    Currently active: True
  ListString: TaskList
    Currently active: False
    Default value: []
  ListString: InactiveTaskList
    Currently active: False
    Default value: []
  String: State
    Currently active: True
    Allowed values: [Out-of-date, Attention-required, Up-to-date, Forced-up-to-date]
  ListString: Errors
    Currently active: True
  ListString: Warnings
    Currently active: True
  Dict: Arguments
    Currently active: True
    Default value: {}

    A valid state template, derived from the corresponding ImportGeometry command, 
    which can be assigned to this Arguments object:
      {r'AppendMesh': False,r'CadImportOptions': {r'CreateCADAssemblies': False,
r'ExtractFeatures': True,r'FeatureAngle': 40,r'ImportCurvatureDataFromCAD': True,
r'ImportNamedSelections': True,r'ImportPartNames': False,r'OneObjectPer': r'Program-controlled',
r'OneZonePer': r'Body',r'OpenAllCadInSubdirectories': False,r'SavePMDBIntermediateFile': False,
r'UsePartOrBodyAsSuffix': False,},r'Directory': None,r'FileFormat': r'CAD',r'FileName': None,
r'ImportCadPreferences': {r'CIRefaceting': False,r'CISeparation': r'none',r'CISeparationAngle': 40,
r'CITolerence': 0,r'EdgeLabel': r'no',r'MaxFacetLength': 0,r'ShowImportCadPreferences': False,},
r'ImportType': r'Single File',r'LengthUnit': r'mm',r'MeshFileName': None,r'MeshUnit': r'm',
r'NumParts': None,r'Pattern': None,}

    Valid dict elements, derived from the corresponding ImportGeometry command:
      String: FileFormat
        Display text: File Format
        Currently active: True
        Default value: CAD
        Allowed values: [CAD, Mesh]
      String: LengthUnit
        Display text: Units
        Currently active: True
        Default value: mm
        Allowed values: [m, cm, mm, in, ft, um, nm]
      String: MeshUnit
        Display text: File Units
        Currently active: False
        Default value: m
        Allowed values: [m, cm, mm, in, ft, um, nm]
      String: FileName
        Display text: File Name
        Currently active: True
      String: MeshFileName
        Display text: File Name
        Currently active: False
      Real: NumParts
        Display text: Number of Parts
        Currently active: True
      String: ImportType
        Display text: Import Type
        Currently active: True
        Default value: Single File
        Allowed values: [Single File, Directory Pattern]
      Bool: AppendMesh
        Display text: Append Mesh
        Currently active: True
        Default value: False
      String: Directory
        Display text: Directory
        Currently active: True
      String: Pattern
        Display text: Pattern
        Currently active: True
      Struct: ImportCadPreferences
        Display text: Import Geometry Preferences
        Currently active: True
        Members: 
        Bool: ShowImportCadPreferences
          Display text: Advanced Options
          Currently active: True
          Default value: False
        String: CISeparation
          Display text: Separate Zone By
          Currently active: False
          Default value: none
          Allowed values: [none, region, region & angle]
        Real: CISeparationAngle
          Display text: Separation Angle [deg]
          Currently active: False
          Default value: 40
          Minumum value: 0
        Real: CITolerence
          Display text: Tolerance
          Currently active: False
          Default value: 0
          Minumum value: 0
        Real: MaxFacetLength
          Display text: Max Facet Length
          Currently active: False
          Default value: 0
          Minumum value: 0
        Bool: CIRefaceting
          Display text: Use custom faceting
          Currently active: False
          Default value: False
      Struct: CadImportOptions
        Currently active: True
        Members: 
        String: OneObjectPer
          Display text: One Object Per
          Currently active: True
          Default value: Program-controlled
          Allowed values: [Body, Part, File, Selection, Program-controlled]

To print all available commands, use the following:
```
>>> dir(meshing)
```
Note that commands use a similar naming convention that reflects the names of the actual tasks in the workflow (for example, CreateRegions or ModifyMeshRefinement).

To print all arguments for a command, use its help() method, for instance:

>>>meshing.ImportGeometry.help()

When viewing the listing of a command's arguments, you will notice that the command's arguments are named similarly to the actual fields for the corresponding task in the workflow. In addition, for each argument, there are allowed values, default values, display text, and so forth.

Each object also contains its own help text, containing usage examples that can be easily copied and pasted into your journal files.

The following is an example using the help() method for the ImportGeometry object:

>>> meshing.ImportGeometry.help()
Command: ImportGeometry
Supported keyword arguments:
  String: FileFormat
    Display text: File Format
    Currently active: True
    Default value: CAD
    Allowed values: [CAD, Mesh]
  String: LengthUnit
    Display text: Units
    Currently active: True
    Default value: mm
    Allowed values: [m, cm, mm, in, ft, um, nm]
  String: MeshUnit
    Display text: File Units
    Currently active: False
    Default value: m
    Allowed values: [m, cm, mm, in, ft, um, nm]
  String: FileName
    Display text: File Name
    Currently active: True
  String: MeshFileName
    Display text: File Name
    Currently active: False
  Struct: ImportCadPreferences
    Display text: Import Geometry Preferences
    Currently active: True
    Members: 
    Bool: ShowImportCadPreferences
      Display text: Advanced Options
      Currently active: True
      Default value: False
    String: CISeparation
      Display text: Separate Zone By
      Currently active: False
      Default value: none
      Allowed values: [none, region, region & angle]
    Real: CISeparationAngle
      Display text: Separation Angle [deg]
      Currently active: False
      Default value: 40
      Minumum value: 0
    Real: CITolerence
      Display text: Tolerance
      Currently active: False
      Default value: 0
      Minumum value: 0
    Real: MaxFacetLength
      Display text: Max Facet Length
      Currently active: False
      Default value: 0
      Minumum value: 0
    Bool: CIRefaceting
      Display text: Use custom faceting
      Currently active: False
      Default value: False
  Struct: CadImportOptions
    Currently active: True
    Members: 
    String: OneObjectPer
      Display text: One Object Per
      Currently active: True
      Default value: Program-controlled
      Allowed values: [Body, Part, File, Selection, Program-controlled]
  
Example usage: 
  ImportGeometry(CadImportOptions={r'OneObjectPer': r'Program-controlled',}, 
FileFormat=r'CAD', FileName=None, ImportCadPreferences={r'ShowImportCadPreferences': False,}, 
LengthUnit=r'mm')