Tips & Tricks

Surface facet selection tool in CFD-VisCART

CFD-VisCART has always allowed surface selection where any surface can be selected by clicking on the graphics area or in the explorer window. Additionally, there is Facet Selection tool that allows the user to select individual facets or triangles of a surface (each surface is composed of triangulated faces called facets).

Integer Cell Size Specification in CFD-VisCART

As it was explained in a previous tip called Understanding cell-splitting in CFD-VisCART and its effect on cell count, a small change in a specified cell size could lead to drastic changes in the cell count due to the cell-splitting rules used by CFD-VisCART.

Fit to View in CFD-VisCART

In CFD-VisCART, the 'Fit to View' function was improved in V2007. It now checks the blanking status before setting the view. In this tip, a car model will be used to demonstrate the Fit to View capability.

Coloring Surfaces in CFD-VisCART for Better Model Visualization

A typical model imported into CFD-VisCART may contain a number of parts and surfaces. By default, all surfaces come in with the default color (set under Edit → Preferences → Colors → Geometry Colors → Surfaces). Representing these surfaces with different colors would improve the appearance of the model and make it easier for the user to distinguish one surface (or part) from the other.

CFD-VisCART 'Save Image' feature

As in CFD-VIEW, CFD-VisCART has a 'Save image' feature that allows you to save snapshots of you model. If you are interested in this tip, please read on.

Making it Easy to Add a Box Source in CFD-VisCART

Sources are used in CFD-VisCART to refine the grid in localized regions of the domain. One of the many types of sources available is the Box Source where the user specifies a cuboid box around the region a finer grid is required. In the earlier versions, the user would have to add a Box Source and then specify its X, Y and Z extents to position the box in the desired location.

Hole Detection Feature in CFD-VisCART

CFD-VisCART can handle geometries with small gaps, cracks and overlapping parts, but what if there is a big hole or opening in one of the parts that the user is not aware of? The grid will flow through this opening and the result will be a mesh that has cells both inside and outside the model. This leaves the user with the near impossible task of finding this opening. In CFD-VisCART, a Hole Detection feature has been introduced that performs this task for the user.

Distance Measuring Tool in CFD-VisCART

CFD-VisCART has a simple and easy-to-use tool for measuring the distance between two points in a geometry. This tool can be found under the Geom tab.

Understanding cell-splitting in CFD-VisCART and its effect on cell count

A grid created in CFD-VisCART will have a high percentage of Cartesian cells (100% for Stair-Step Mesh; as high as 90-95% for Projected Mesh). Since these form the bulk of the grid, it helps to make sure that these cells are built in an efficient manner.

Using CFD-VisCART in Batch Mode

CFD-VisCART allows you to handle extremely complex geometries with lots of details. Often, you may have a geometry that you only modify slightly, but would like to use the mesh parameters that you used previously. In order to make this very simple, a batch mode was implemented for CFD-VisCART v2006.