Automatic Hexahedral Sweep Mesh Generation of Open Volumes

Open volumes with partial surface geometry are often encountered in the industry while modifying or morphing legacy meshes or while creating meshes in structural recesses or void regions. The paper describes an algorithm for auto-generating hexahedral meshes on these open volumes without the need for laborious CAD repairs. Based on the available input, the open volumes are first topologically categorized into five classes. From the free edges and vertices of the open volume, a new, temporary, mesher-native and lightweight void-topology is first created. The void-topological network is supplemented by an underlying void-geometry which is also an abstract, lightweight, mesher-native discrete dataset. With the help of these void vertices and edges the open or void-volume is topologically and geometrically sealed. The source mesh is first morphed on the target if the latter is present. Transfinite meshing is done on the wall faces. A 21⁄2D sweep meshing approach is used to complete the hex mesh. Thus, during the mesh generation process, facetted geometry is automatically created that can be handed over to the CAD engine.