Developing Finite Element Meshes
Introduction to I-DEAS
SYSNOISE has poor mesh creation abilities and the BYU Physics Department needed a way to develop meshes for use in the SYSNOISE package. I-DEAS, by SDRC, is well suited to the task of mesh creation. I-DEAS stands for Integrated Design Engineering Analysis Software and is a graphical modeling package with capabilities to create models and analyze them internally or export them for analysis in another program.
Once we define a part in I-DEAS it can be used to generate a mesh. A mesh consists of an ordered grid laid out on a part. We call these points nodes. Connecting the nodes are lines that, in geometric groups, form "elements." Common shapes for elements are triangles and rectangles. These shapes may either be flat with straight lines between nodes, or curved. The notation for the element type often reflects the shape and number of nodes. A quad4 element is a rectangle with straight lines connecting four nodes at the corners. A quad8 element has nodes at the corners of a rectangle and also at the midpoint of each line segment.
Outline
- Starting I-DEAS
- Visuals
- Graphics window
- Viewpoints
- Workplane
- Viewing tools
- Function Keys
- F1=Translate
- F2=Zoom
- F3=Rotate
- Viewpoints
- Tool bar
- Task tools
- Application tools
- Universal tools
- Output window
- Input window
- Graphics window
- Tool bars
- Geometry
- Points
- Lines
- Curves
- Creating 3D
- Extrude
- Rotate
- Simple shapes library
- Geometry
- Simulation Application
- Create model
- Define mesh parameters
- Element Length
- Curve based element length
- Meshing method
- Parameter space
- Maximum area plane
- Mesh
- Beam
- 2D elements
- 3D elements
- Exporting a mesh
- Example=Swamp Boat
- Base
- Lines
- Points --> spline
- Extrude
- Engine attachment
- Move workplane or sketch on plane
- Extrude
- Blade path
- Move workplane
- Draw rectangle
- Revolve
- Meshing
- Base
