Built-in vs. CAD-based Meshing Capabilities

Built-in Capabilities

CAD-based Capabilities (based on Rhinoceros 3D CAD software)

-Pros-

-Pros-

  • No additional cost
  • Very precise control on zones edge length and zone size gradation in the whole model
  • Can result in 100 % nicely shaped regular hexahedral elements (required for some problems)
  • Mesh can be parametrized (>>if the geometry needs to be modified, the user does not have to start the meshing process from the beginning)
  • he FLAC3D building block facility offers structured meshing and basic unstructured meshing capabilities.
  • The FLAC3D extrusion tool (v 5.0 and up) is an interactive mesher that is easy to use to build linearly extruded geometries (e.g., tunnels)
  • The FLAC3D extrusion tool and FLAC3D building block tools are interactive
  • 3DEC built-in blocking capabilities allow for easy creation of extruded polygons and tunnels of any shape
  • Tetrahedral meshing of convex blocks is done automatically in 3DEC
  • 3D geometries can be created in 3DEC by specifying coordinates defining each face
  • 3DEC can automatically convert tetrahedral zones into blocks for bonded-block modeling
  • Build very complex 3D geometries in a few hours
  • Flexibility and convenience of a fully interactive 3D-CAD system (Rhino) to build and modify the model’s geometry
  • Parameterized mesh creation possible (Rhino VB or Python scripting knowledge required)
  • Rhino CAD-system is intuitive and very easy to use

Griddle

  • Unstructured tetrahedral and hexahedral-dominant* meshing capabilities
  • All-hexahedral, structured meshing capability
  • Griddle auto-meshing only requires surfaces of model as input (almost any volume shape is allowed)
  • Excellent control over element sizes
  • A must, if you are dealing with complex geometries

-Cons-

-Cons-

  • Usually more time consuming
  • Requires experience to build complex meshes
  • Usually requires subdividing the volumes to mesh into primitive shapes (can be very difficult for complex 3D geometries, sometimes leading to poor quality zones)
  • The Building Block facility has limited CAD-system capabilities
  • Cost associated with the purchase of an additional tool

Note: *A hex-dominant mesh is a mesh composed mostly of hexahedral elements but also wedge, pyramid, and tetrahedral elements where necessary to conform to the geometry.


Latest News
  • Newsletter October 2023 ...
    Read More
  • Newsletter August 2023 ...
    Read More
  • New General Manager for ITASCA Sweden We have appointed a new GM in Sweden!...
    Read More

Upcoming Events
23 Sep
Getting Started with FLAC2D/FLAC3D
This training is an introduction to continuous modeling with FLAC2D and FLAC3D. At the end of the course, participants will master the ... Read More
14 Oct
Getting Started with 3DEC
Live Online Introductory Training Course. October 14-15, 2025... Read More