To create a user surface, select Insert > User Defined > Surface from the main menu.
Choose one of the available methods for defining a user surface:
From FileSelect the
From Filealternative when you are not able to create the required surface using the Boundary Intersection method. This more versatile option reads data describing the surface from a file. The points may have path variables (variables that are only defined on the surface) associated with them. For details on the required format for a surface data file, see Surface Data Format. Click the browse icon to open an Import dialog box and browse to the surface data file. Alternatively, you can type the path and filename into the Input File box.Boundary IntersectionBoundary Intersectionforms a user surface where a given locator intersects a specified list of boundaries. The Domains setting specifies the domains in which this user surface exists. To select multiple boundaries for the Boundary List, click
and hold
Ctrl as you select each boundary. Set
Location to one of the existing graphic
objects.The user surface consists of mesh element faces on the specified boundaries, for the mesh elements that are intersected by the locator. The user surface is usually narrow with a varying width. The fluctuation in width is more noticeable in a coarser mesh.
When the From File method is selected, an external
file must exist that defines the surface. A set of surfaces can be defined
in a simple text file with the following format.
## Comment line - optional. ## List of path variables # <varName1> # <varName2> # ... ## List of point locations with path variable values ## Each line in the following list is numbered 0,1,2... <X> <Y> <Z> <Var1Value> <Var2Value> ... <X> <Y> <Z> <Var1Value> <Var2Value> ... ... ## Next line is a keyword that starts the definition of faces # Faces ## List of 3 - 6 point numbers to define faces. <Point0> <Point1> <Point2> <Point1> <Point2> <Point3> <Point4> <Point5> <Point6> ...
Comments in the file are preceded by ##
and can appear anywhere in the file. A single #
does not indicate a comment; words appearing after a
single # are keywords such as
Faces.
The start of the file should begin with a list of path variables (up to 256 characters, spaces allowed). These are variables that are only defined on the user surface. Ensure that the names of these variables do not conflict with the names of existing variables. There is no need to define any path variables (if you just want to define the location of a user surface), in which case the file begins with the point location values.
The point location list in X Y Z format
follows the optional path variable list. You must also include a value for
each path variable that you have defined at the start of the file (if any).
Surfaces are defined by typing # Faces followed by
lists of 3 (triangle) to 6 (hexagon) points to define each surface. Each
surface is automatically closed by connecting the last point to the first
point. The list of point locations are numbered 0,1,2....n-1 where n is the
number of points in the list. When defining faces, use these numbers to
reference the points in the point location list. The faces specification is
not optional.
Blank lines are ignored and can appear anywhere in the file.
The following example defines one quadrilateral face with two path variables at each point of the face:
# Time # MyVar 1 1 1 1.2 500 1 2 1 2.1 200 2 2 1 3.4 300 2 1 1 4.65 400 # Faces 0 1 2 3
See Color Tab for details.
See Render Tab for details.
Surface groups are produced automatically when a mesh is generated. They are
found in the 3D Mesh branch of the object selector. Each
surface group shows a surface of the mesh. The available surface groups vary
according to the number of blades, the types of leading and trailing edges,
and a user preference. A
representative list follows:
HUB,SHROUDOne of the following two sets of surface groups, depending on user preference Enable regions based on high and low blade geometry, which is found under Edit > Options >
TurboGrid:With the preference selected:
[blade name] LOWBLADE GEO LOW,[blade name] LOWBLADE GEO HIGH,[blade name] HIGHBLADE GEO LOW,[blade name] HIGHBLADE GEO HIGHWith the preference not selected:
[blade name] HIGHBLADE,[blade name] LOWBLADE
If the blade set contains more than one blade, the blade name is included in each surface group name.
LOWBLADEandHIGHBLADErefer to sides of the blade, as divided according to the mesh topology. For example, the superset of allLOWBLADEsurface groups for a particular blade forms a surface that is mainly on the low-theta side of the blade.GEO LOWandGEO HIGHrefer to sides of the blade, as divided by the leading and trailing edges, considering the centroid of each mesh element face on the blade surface. For example, the superset of allGEO LOWsurface groups for a particular blade forms a surface, the face centroids of which are all on the low-theta side of the blade between the leading and trailing edges.[blade name] BLADE LE,[blade name] BLADE TEIf there is one blade in the blade set, then the surface groups
BLADE TEandBLADE LEwill be available, as applicable, after generating a mesh. These surface groups are applicable only for cut-off or square leading/trailing edges. If there are two or more blades in the blade set, the surface group names start with the blade name. For example, if there are two blades namedMainandSplitter, and the trailing edge ofMainis cut-off, and the leading and trailing edges ofSplitterare cut-off, then surface groupsMain BLADE TE,Splitter BLADE LEandSplitter BLADE TEwill be available after generating a mesh.LOWPERIODIC,HIGHPERIODICINLET,OUTLET
"LOW" refers to low Theta value and "HIGH" refers to high Theta value.
A visibility check box next to each surface group enables you to control which are displayed.
Besides the visibility, you may also change the color and render properties for each surface group.
You may view the Domains and Locations information on the Definition tab.
See Color Tab for details.
See Render Tab for details.