Geometry Cleanup for Contact Modeling
Introduction
The new 3D contact algorithm in MotionSolve14.0 requires good quality geometry (represented
by a triangulated mesh). Following are the requirements for good quality geometry for a
robust simulation:
- Each component mesh should form a closed volume. This means that the given mesh should not contain any open edges (edge which is part of only one element) or T- connections (two elements join at the common edge in form of a T).
- Mesh should be of uniform size.
- Element surface normal should point in the direction of expected contact.
See the Best Practices for Running 3D Contact Models in MotionSolve topic in the MotionSolve User's Guide to learn more about best modeling practices for a 3D contact simulation.
It is possible that certain CAD component surfaces might lead to faulty geometries such as open edges and T connections. Also, legacy models (MotionView models created prior to version 14.0) might have faulty geometries since the old contact algorithm did not impose any mesh quality requirements.
MotionView along with HyperView provide certain simple mesh manipulation tools to fix such faulty geometries.