Mesh consolidation

If you created a mesh of finite elements for a selected panel, it is possible to change it easily:

You can create a new mesh of finite elements for the contour (each new mesh removes the previous mesh, unless the Mesh freeze option is activated).
You can use either the Refinement or Consolidation option to edit the existing mesh.

To open the Mesh Consolidation dialog, use either of the following ways:

Click Analysis menu > Meshing > Mesh consolidation
Click .

Use this option to define the parameters of transforming the triangular finite elements into rectangular ones. Such transformation reduces the number of elements. It is recommended that you apply the Consolidation option after creating a mesh of finite elements by means of the Delaunay triangulation method. By transforming triangular elements into rectangular ones, you can receive more precise calculation results. Before running the Consolidation option, you must define:

The conversion coefficient, which is a parameter adopting values in the range of [-1, +1]
A list of elements for which to perfom the consolidation.

If you use +1 as a coefficient, rectangles are created from triangles in all possible places within the indicated area. This, however, can generate rectangles with incorrect shapes resulting in the ill-conditioning of a set of equations. If you use -1 as the coefficient, only those triangular elements that form a rectangle are changed.

At the bottom of the dialog is the FE mesh freeze for the modified panels option:

Select this option to freeze the FE mesh after consolidating the mesh for the selected panels. This means that the mesh will not be changed during the preparation of a structure for calculations (generation of a calculation model for the structure).
If this option is not selected, during the preparation of a structure for calculations, the FE mesh may be changed for the panel on which the mesh has been consolidated. In such a case, Robot assumes the mesh generation parameters defined in the Meshing Options dialog.