Software generates mesh in three mouse clicks.
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Able to process two million cells per minute, Harpoon turns CAD files into finished mesh via proprietary meshing algorithms. With HEX-dominant structure, software automatically checks generated mesh for inconsistencies and repairs sub-par cells. Product tolerates gaps and overlaps of surface data and allows users to specify level of detail resolution without modifying original surface definition. Harpoon uses tetrahedral, prism, and pyramid cells.Original Press Release:
CEI's Harpoon Extreme Mesher Sets New Standards for Simplicity, Speed
New software generates mesh in three mouse clicks; processes two million cells per minute on standard hardware
APEX, N.C., March 27, 2003 - CEI has released Harpoon, new software that simplifies and speeds the process of generating high-quality meshes from standard CAD packages.
Harpoon turns a CAD file into a finished mesh with three clicks of a mouse. Proprietary meshing algorithms enable the software to process up to two million cells per minute on standard hardware. A HEX-dominant structure within Harpoon ensures better quality cells, even if CAD data is poor. And, Harpoon automatically checks the generated mesh for inconsistencies and repairs any sub-par cells.
Surface geometry is brought into Harpoon through STL (surface triangulation) files that can be created in any CAD package or in CEI's EnSight visualization software. Model surfaces need not be watertight for processing; Harpoon tolerates gaps and overlaps of surface data that would require manual clean-up in most mesh generators.
Users can specify a level of detail resolution without having to modify the original surface definition, and multiple model files can be imported to permit model assembly from different data sources. Harpoon uses tetrahedral, prism and pyramid cells to ensure high mesh fidelity near model surfaces. Purely tetrahedral cells can also be generated. Finished meshes can be exported to all major CFD and FEA programs.
Harpoon can be used to create surface-only meshes for boundary-element-based solvers such as panel methods. These meshes can be generated in only a few seconds for even the most complex geometry. An option is also provided to quickly generate a purely cartesian mesh for those not requiring boundary-fitted grids.
The Harpoon methodologies are the result of more than two years of research and development by CEI and SHARC, CEI's U.K. distributor.
Breaking up the bottleneck
"We call this an extreme mesher, because it provides quality, simplicity, speed, flexibility and reliability that are unprecedented," says Kent Misegades, CEI's president. "We think Harpoon will revolutionize computational simulation by breaking up the current bottleneck of pre-processing."
Rob Smith, research engineer in the modeling group of ThermoAnalytics, agrees with Misegades.
"The thing we like about Harpoon is its simplicity," says Smith. "Most meshing programs are too elaborate. We also like the fact that you can remesh existing geometry. The meshes we deal with often do not contain a high-quality quad mesh, but rather long thin triangles. Harpoon fixes much of this in three or four button pushes."
Daniel Cler, a mechanical engineer at Benet Labs, says that Harpoon provides an ability to handle bad geometry that typically comes out of CAD/CAM software.
"We needed a tool that could mesh bad CAD geometry quickly. Our former meshing tool could not do this," says Cler.
Available immediately
Harpoon is available immediately through CEI and its worldwide distributors. Free evaluations are available on the CEI web site (www.ensight.com) to those who qualify, and sample models meshed with Harpoon are displayed on the site.
CEI offers a complete suite of tools for engineering and scientific visualization, from meshing to plotting to animations that can be run on the most advanced VR displays. The company has corporate headquarters in Apex, N.C., and authorized distributors around the world. In addition to EnSight and related products, CEI provides consulting services to engineers and scientists from organizations that need to visualize computational results for research, product design or product refinement.
