Selecting an Element Shape and Order

The Element shape determines the mesh type for the selected bodies or faces. In addition to shape, the Element order is used to determine the element type that will be used for Mechanical simulation. For Fluids simulations the Element order is always linear, and this option is not shown.

For sheet models, it is generally recommended to set Element shape to Quadrilateral Dominant or All Quadrilateral elements to improve solution accuracy. Setting the Element order to Linear is generally sufficient, but in some nonlinear cases you may prefer to use Quadratic shell or 2D axisymmetric elements. The default for Mechanical physics preference is Quadratic, however, you may want to change this default.

For solid models, you should consider whether you want a more regular or uniform mesh or if the geometry is stretched (anisotropic). If yes for either and the model is sweepable, it is generally recommended to use a hexahedral mesh, otherwise a tetrahedral mesh is recommended. You can also use a combination of element shapes. For example, a hybrid mesh that contains hexahedrons in anisotropic or critical areas and tetrahedrons in other areas is often ideal. For Mechanical simulations, generally a Linear hex mesh is sufficient, but a Linear tet mesh is not recommended. For this reason you may want to decide upfront whether a part will be meshed with all hex elements (in which case set Element order to Linear instead of the default Quadratic), or meshed as a hybrid hex/tet or with all tet elements (in which case use the default Element order of Quadratic).

You can change the default global settings for Element Order and Default Free Mesh Type under Mesh Options.