This project is a collaborative effort with contributions by Jen A. Bright, Eva C. Herbst, Stephan Lautenschlager, and Andrew R. Cuff.
This project contains three files designed to help beginners get started with (palaeo)biological meshing in the software HyperMesh (Altair). The HyperMesh software is not free, but there is a free student version for models under a certain size.
"HyperMesh Fun Sheet 2021.pdf" contains a detailed guide for mesh editing written by Jen, Eva, and Stephan. It does not advocate best practice or explain the finite element method, rather, it should be seen as a practical 'how to' to help folks get started
"HyperMesh Fun Guide.pptx" contains a pictoral guide to the processes in the pdf, written by Andrew. Note that the images are based on v11.0 of HyperMesh, so are slightly out of date, and some menu organisation has changed compared to the pdf and what you will see in the latest editions of HyperMesh.
"PigModel.hm" is a HyperMesh model of a pig skull that can used for practice. This model is too big to host on github, so you can download it via google drive here. This model is a version of the geometry used in various models made by Jen, in Emily Rayfield's lab at the University of Bristol. The model has been deliberately 'broken' to illustrate some of the most common meshing errors users are most likely to encounter. The following publications use higher quality meshes (with various alterations to the boundary conditions to test validity, sensitivity, and convergence of the models) of the same geometry:
Bright, J.A. and Rayfield, E.J. (2011), Sensitivity and ex vivo validation of finite element models of the domestic pig cranium. Journal of Anatomy, 219: 456-471. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2011.01408.x
Bright, J.A. and Rayfield, E.J. (2011), The Response of Cranial Biomechanical Finite Element Models to Variations in Mesh Density. Anat Rec, 294: 610-620. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.21358
Bright, J.A. and Gröning, F. (2011), Strain accommodation in the zygomatic arch of the pig: A validation study using digital speckle pattern interferometry and finite element analysis. J. Morphol., 272: 1388-1398. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10991
Bright J.A. (2012) The Importance of Craniofacial Sutures in Biomechanical Finite Element Models of the Domestic Pig. PLoS ONE 7(2): e31769. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0031769
- To get coordinates of nodes, select them by nodes: by ID (if you don't know IDs of constraints etc, can export nastran file of model, open in text editor, and get coords)
- Save this .tcl script (https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=287667)
- Follow the instructions here, using the .tcl script you saved above (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pcMz58CHEM&ab_channel=HyperworksTclmacros)