Quality Metrics

The Display Mesh Quality feature runs a diagnostic check of individual element quality and displays the mesh quality as a histogram. The x-axis measures the quality, with 0 representing poor quality and 1 representing high quality. The y-axis measures the number of elements that belong within each quality sub-range. Click a bar in the histogram to identify all the cells within that quality sub-range, in the graphics display.

For descriptions of all the quality metrics, refer to Display Mesh Quality in the Ansys ICEM CFD Help Manual.

You can modify the display of the histogram by adjusting the values of Min, Max, Height, and Bars. Right-click the histogram to access the following features for modifying its display attributes.

  • The Replot feature opens a small window that enables you to change the following parameters. Clicking Accept replots the histogram to the newly set values.

    Min X Value

    This minimum value, which is located on the left-most side of the histogram's x-axis, represents the worst quality elements.

    Max X Value

    This maximum value, which is located on the right-most side of the histogram's x-axis, represents the highest quality that elements can achieve.

    Max Y height

    You can adjust the number of elements that will be represented on the histogram's y-axis. Usually a value of 20 is sufficient. If there are too many elements displayed, it is difficult to discern the effects of smoothing.

    Num bars

    This represents the number of subdivisions within the range between the Min X and Max X values. The default Bars have widths of 0.05. Increasing the number of displayed bars will decrease their width.

  • The Reset feature will return all of the values back to their original settings.

  • Show: Click the left mouse button on any of the bars in the histogram to select elements that fall within that selected Quality range. If Show is enabled, the selected elements on the model will become visible in the main viewing window. The following features control how the selected elements are displayed.

  • Solid: Enabling this feature will display the elements as solid, rather than the default grid representation. (Show must be enabled.)

  • Color by Quality: If available, enabling this feature will display the elements in the same color as the selected Quality bar in the histogram. (Show must be enabled.)

  • Highlight: If available, this feature enables you to display one or two additional layers adjacent to the selected elements. (Show must be enabled.)

  • Subset: Allows you to create a Subset containing only the elements chosen from the Quality histogram. The visibility of this subset is controlled by Subset in the Display Tree. The Add select feature enables you to add elements to an already established subset.