How to export a geometry mesh from CADFEKO using a LUA script

Ricardo Sendrea
Ricardo Sendrea Altair Community Member
edited October 2021 in Community Q&A

Hello,

I'd like to use FEKO to create the mesh of my geometry. Then, through the CADFEKO Scripting API, export the mesh in a custom format. I am familiar with how to do this through POSTFEKO, but I do not want to run the FEKO solver. I would like to simply run the mesher and export the mesh. I need all the X, Y, and Z values of the mesh points, and the connectivity matrix. Can someone help me with this?

Thanks,

Ricardo

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Answers

  • Mel
    Mel Altair Community Member
    edited October 2021

    Have you tried script recording?

    For example, recording the export of a Nastran mesh gives:

    -- CADFEKO v2021.2.1-10137 (x64) app = cf.GetApplication() project = app.Project  --- Mesh export --- project.Exporter.Mesh.ExportFileFormat = cf.Enums.ExportFileFormatEnum.NASTRAN  project.Exporter.Mesh.ExportMeshType = cf.Enums.ExportMeshTypeEnum.SimulationMesh  project.Exporter.Mesh.ExportOnlyBoundingFacesEnabled = false  project.Exporter.Mesh.ScaleToMetreEnabled = true  Union1 = project.Geometry["Union1"] geometryTargets = { Union1 }  meshTargets = {  }  project.Exporter.Mesh:ExportParts("C:/Temp/mesh_Export_nastran.nas",geometryTargets,meshTargets)

    The Nastran mesh file contents:

    $ NASTRAN file exported by CADFEKO version 2021.2.1-10137 (x64) $ $ Filename: C:/Temp/mesh_Export_nastran.nas $ Date:     Tue Oct 12 2021 $ $ Number of segments:             0 $           triangles:        33808 $           cuboids:              0 $           tetrahedra:           0 GRID*                  1                 2.331719118E-04 0.000000000E+00       1 *      1 0.000000000E+00 GRID*                  2                 2.331719118E-04 2.331719118E-04       2 *      2 0.000000000E+00 GRID*                  3                 1.888222675E-04 1.319775054E-04       3 *      3-1.368038441E-04 GRID*                  4                 1.634252528E-04 2.862700521E-04       4 *      4-1.663169480E-04
  • Ricardo Sendrea
    Ricardo Sendrea Altair Community Member
    edited October 2021
    mel_21333 said:

    Have you tried script recording?

    For example, recording the export of a Nastran mesh gives:

    -- CADFEKO v2021.2.1-10137 (x64) app = cf.GetApplication() project = app.Project  --- Mesh export --- project.Exporter.Mesh.ExportFileFormat = cf.Enums.ExportFileFormatEnum.NASTRAN  project.Exporter.Mesh.ExportMeshType = cf.Enums.ExportMeshTypeEnum.SimulationMesh  project.Exporter.Mesh.ExportOnlyBoundingFacesEnabled = false  project.Exporter.Mesh.ScaleToMetreEnabled = true  Union1 = project.Geometry["Union1"] geometryTargets = { Union1 }  meshTargets = {  }  project.Exporter.Mesh:ExportParts("C:/Temp/mesh_Export_nastran.nas",geometryTargets,meshTargets)

    The Nastran mesh file contents:

    $ NASTRAN file exported by CADFEKO version 2021.2.1-10137 (x64) $ $ Filename: C:/Temp/mesh_Export_nastran.nas $ Date:     Tue Oct 12 2021 $ $ Number of segments:             0 $           triangles:        33808 $           cuboids:              0 $           tetrahedra:           0 GRID*                  1                 2.331719118E-04 0.000000000E+00       1 *      1 0.000000000E+00 GRID*                  2                 2.331719118E-04 2.331719118E-04       2 *      2 0.000000000E+00 GRID*                  3                 1.888222675E-04 1.319775054E-04       3 *      3-1.368038441E-04 GRID*                  4                 1.634252528E-04 2.862700521E-04       4 *      4-1.663169480E-04

    Hi,

     

    I tried this approach, but I would have liked to be able to export that same mesh information in a custom '.txt' format. In any case, I appreciate the insight, as I am able to use this approach in my project.

     

    Thanks!

  • Mel
    Mel Altair Community Member
    edited October 2021

    Another option is to export the mesh to the *.out file and use the "check-geometry" mode of the solver which runs very quickly. 

    Check the box below.

    image

    Then check the box "Only check the geomery" below:

    image

    When you run Feko, it will only check the geometry but nothing will be solved. The geometry will be written to the ASCII out file:

                             DATA OF THE METALLIC TRIANGLES   no.       label     x1 in m     y1 in m     z1 in m       edges            medium     x2 in m     y2 in m     z2 in m           medium     x3 in m     y3 in m     z3 in m                        nx          ny          nz          area in m*m         1 Cuboid   8.4049E-01  5.0000E-01  1.0000E+00            1         2         3            Free s   1.0000E+00  4.0000E-01  1.0000E+00           Free s   1.0000E+00  6.0000E-01  1.0000E+00                    0.0000E+00  0.0000E+00  1.0000E+00      1.5951E-02         2 Cuboid   8.2683E-01  6.9206E-01  1.0000E+00            4         5         6            Free s   1.0000E+00  6.0000E-01  1.0000E+00           Free s   1.0000E+00  8.0000E-01  1.0000E+00                    0.0000E+00  0.0000E+00  1.0000E+00      1.7317E-02         3 Cuboid   1.4440E-01  1.2741E-01  1.0000E+00            7         8         9            Free s   1.7399E-01  3.0388E-01  1.0000E+00           Free s   0.0000E+00  2.0000E-01  1.0000E+00

    and

      DATA OF THE METALLIC EDGES (with MoM)                                              triangle no.   points of tr.     information on symmetry     no.  type      length/m        media     KORP   KORM   POIP   POIM      yz     xz     xy  status         1   1    1.8827E-01  Free s     -1      1     19      2      1       0      0      0  unknown           2   1    1.8827E-01  Free s     -1      1     26      3      1       0      0      0  unknown           3   1    2.0000E-01  Free s     -1      1    370      1      1       0      0      0  unknown           4   1    1.9612E-01  Free s     -1      2     19      3      2       0      0      0  unknown

    Data for segments:

     DATA OF THE SEGMENTS   no.       label     x1 in m     y1 in m     z1 in m      nodes            medium     x2 in m     y2 in m     z2 in m    length in m  radius in m                      x3 in m     y3 in m     z3 in m         1 Line1.   2.0000E+00  0.0000E+00  0.0000E+00           1                                          Free s   2.0000E+00  2.0000E-01  0.0000E+00   2.0000E-01   1.0000E-03                    2.0000E+00  1.0000E-01  0.0000E+00         2 Line1.   2.0000E+00  2.0000E-01  0.0000E+00          -1         2                                Free s   2.0000E+00  4.0000E-01  0.0000E+00   2.0000E-01   1.0000E-03                    2.0000E+00  3.0000E-01  0.0000E+00

    See the Altair_Feko_User_Guide.pdf for more information.

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