Shell Mesh - Manual

Use the manual method of creating a shell mesh to set a custom element size and refine the mesh in selected regions. Mesh editing tools are available to improve the quality of the shell mesh.

A shell mesh is composed of triangular elements, and it requires less computational time than a solid mesh without compromising the results accuracy.

To open the Shell Mesh - Manual PropertyManager, do one of the following:

  • Click the down arrow on Solid Mesh (Automatic) (Plastics CommandManager), and select Shell Mesh (Manual).
  • In the PlasticsManager tree , double-click Shell and click Manual.

Step 1 of 4 - Select Model Type

Export Solid Data for Warp Analysis Transforms the shell mesh to a solid mesh with tetrahedral elements and saves the mesh data for warp analysis.
Type Available when you open a part that has a mesh containing both shell and solid elements. Select the type of elements (Shell or Solid) to proceed with meshing.

Step 2 of 4 - Set Domain Type

Identifies the part as either a cavity or cooling channel.

Cavity Identifies the selected part as a cavity.
Cooling Channel Identifies the selected part as a cooling channel.
Apply Applies the selection of cavity or cooling channel to the part.
Show / Hide Toggles the visibility of the selected part. No mesh is created for hidden parts.

Step 3 of 4 - Surface Mesh

Triangle Size Specifies the default edge length of the surface mesh over the active domain. A smaller triangle size creates more elements.
The units are defined in SOLIDWORKS Plastics > Help > Unit.
Number of Triangles Predicts the total number of shell elements in the surface mesh for the given triangle size.
Number of Tetrahedrons Predicts the total number of solid tetrahedron elements (for a solid mesh) to fill the volume of the part based on the given triangle size.
Local Refinement Refines the mesh by reducing the triangle size at critical regions of the model. You can set a fine mesh for small geometric features such as gates, and a coarse mesh for other regions. Refining the mesh in critical regions improves the accuracy of results.

None

The mesh element size is applied to the whole model without mesh refinement.

Set

Refines the mesh on selected surfaces, edges, or points. See Assign Size.

Auto

Refines the mesh automatically in regions with small features or high curvatures.
Gradation Sets the mesh transition between areas with refined mesh and the default mesh when you select Auto for Local Refinement.

Move the slider to the left (Smooth) for a smoother mesh size transition with more elements. Move the slider to the right (Sharp) to decrease the number of elements for a more "uneven" transition.
Mesh Creates the mesh based on the current settings.
Delete Deletes the current mesh.
Available when you select Set for Local Refinement. Assigns the local mesh refinement settings.
Surface, Edge, Point Select the geometric entities of your model to apply mesh refinement.
For example by selecting Surface, you can filter the selection of surfaces in your model. In the graphics area, highlight a surface and click Assign. The selected surface is listed in the PropertyManager. You can add multiple geometric entities where you can refine the mesh.
Radius Available when you select Point.

Creates a circle centered on the selected point and the given radius. Local mesh refinement applies to all points inside the circle.
Select Through Selects all entities cutting through the model.
Triangle Size Sets the edge length size for the selected geometric entity. You can assign different triangle sizes to different entities.
Assign Assigns the current triangle size to the highlighted geometric entity and adds the entity to the list.
Delete Deletes the selected geometric entity from the list.

To apply a local mesh refinement:

  1. Click to return to the Shell Mesh - Manual PropertyManager.
  2. Click Mesh to apply the local refinement settings and remesh the part.

    In the next step, the Summary PropertyManager lists mesh parameters that measure the quality of the shell mesh.