This section explains basic concepts and terminology related to meshes and mesh generation. The following topics are covered:

• “Overview,” Section 17.7.1

• “Preserving the precision of nodal coordinates,” Section 17.7.2

• “Determining which regions are meshable,” Section 17.7.3

• “What should I do if a region fails to mesh?,” Section 17.7.4

• “What is a mesh transition?,” Section 17.7.5

• “What is the difference between the medial axis algorithm and the advancing front algorithm?,” Section 17.7.6

• “What kinds of meshes cannot be generated automatically?,” Section 17.7.7

• “When will Abaqus/CAE delete a mesh?,” Section 17.7.8

• “Do I have to mesh the entire model in one operation?,” Section 17.7.9

• “Can I change the geometric order of the elements in a mesh?,” Section 17.7.10