Hexa is a 3D object-based, semi-automatic, multi-block structured and unstructured, surface and volume mesher. Hexa represents a new approach to hexahedral mesh generation. The block topology model is generated directly on the underlying CAD geometry. Within an easy-to-use interface, those operations most often performed by experts are readily accessible through automated features.
There is access to two types of entities during the mesh generation process in Hexa: block topology and geometry. After interactively creating a 3D block topology model equivalent to the geometry, the block topology may be further refined through the splitting of edges, faces and blocks. In addition, there are tools for moving the block vertices, either individually or in groups, onto associated curves or CAD surfaces. You may also associate specific block edges with important CAD curves to capture important geometric features in the mesh.
Moreover, for models where you can take advantage of symmetry conditions, topology transformations such as translate, rotate, mirror and scaling are available. The simplified block topology concept allows rapid generation and manipulation of the block structure and, ultimately, rapid generation of the hexahedral meshes.
Hexa provides a projection-based mesh generation environment where, by default, all block faces between different materials are projected to the closest CAD surfaces. Block faces within the same material can also be associated to specific CAD surfaces to allow for definition of internal walls. In general, there is no need to perform any individual face associations to underlying CAD geometry, which further reduces the difficulty of mesh generation.
Features of Hexa
Some of the more advanced features of Hexa include:
- Ogrids
For very complex geometry, Hexa automatically generates body-fitted internal and external Ogrids to parametrically fit the block topology to curved geometry to ensure good quality meshes.
- Edge-Meshing Parameters
Hexa's edge-meshing parameters offer unlimited flexibility in applying user-specified bunching requirements.
- Time-Saving Methods
Hexa provides time-saving surface-smoothing and volume-relaxation algorithms on the generated mesh.
- Mesh Quality Checking
With a set of tools for mesh quality checking, elements with undesirable skewness or angles can be displayed to highlight the block topology region where the individual blocks need to be adjusted.
- Mesh Refinement/Coarsening
Refinement or coarsening of the mesh can be specified for any block region to allow a finer or coarser mesh definition in areas of high or low gradients, respectively.
- Replay Option
Replay file functionality enables parametric block topology generation linked to parametric changes in geometry.
- Periodicity
Applicable when analyzing rotating machinery applications, for example, Hexa allows you to define the periodic behavior of a section of the system and mesh only that section, thereby minimizing the model size. Translational periodicity is also supported.
- Link Shape
This enables you to link the edge shape to existing deforming edge. This gives better control over the grid specifically in the case of parametric studies.
- Adjustability
Options to generate 3D surface meshes from the 3D volume mesh and 2D to 3D block topology transformation.