I’m generating zones from geometry (zone generate from-geometry) and would like to control the zone size in different regions of the model. For example, in the attached image, I have a cylinder inside a prism, and I would like the mesh to be finer inside the cylinder and coarser outside (e.g., about twice as large). I found the max-edge keyword, but it seems to control the maximum size for the entire mesh. Is there any way to apply face- (polygon-) specific refinement, similar to what is available in Rhino for individual surfaces? I need this because my models must remain parametric with respect to geometry.
Hi Gian,
3D unstructured meshing logic in FLAC3D is currently somewhat limited as FLAC3D mostly relies on Griddle to generate unstructured meshes (so it has only overall discretization / edge size controls).
However, this relatively simple model can be quickly created in Sketch, and here you can control the size of elements, gradation, and so on. You can also parametrize almost anything through the use of Fish in Sketch.
To do this, first draw a base geometry in Sketch, mesh it and then extrude it. You can control model edges discretizations and set specific parameters for meshing (e.g., to use structured or unstructured meshes). After that, extrude the geometry as needed (linear or non-linear). Record the code generated in the Console or StateRecord windows and create a datafile form it. Now you can substitute necessary parameters with custom Fish variables to parametrize the geometry creation.
Let us know if you need further help in creating this model via Sketch.
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Thank you for the detailed explanation. The actual geometry I’m working with is much more complex than the simple cylinder–prism example I shared, but your guidance on using Sketch with Fish for parametrization is still very helpful. I appreciate your support!