As a 3D mesh is constructed within GMS, the nodes and elements in the mesh are numbered arbitrarily. If any nodes or elements are deleted, gaps are created in the numbering sequence. Such gaps can be removed and an optimal numbering sequence can be achieved by selecting the Renumber command in the Mesh menu.
Prior to selecting the Renumber command, the user should select a series of boundary faces of the 3D mesh. These faces represent the location where the numbering process is to begin. In most cases, it is best to select all of the faces on an entire side of the mesh. This can be accomplished using the Select Face tool with the Control key held down.
The renumbering process renumbers the nodes and elements in a logical order that tends to minimize the node and element bandwidth (which leads to more efficient solutions with some finite element solvers). The process begins by ordering the nodes and faces of the selected group of faces. This is essentially a 2D renumbering process. The longitudinal and lateral directions of the region of selected faces are determined and the numbering proceeds by sweeping along rows oriented in the lateral direction while progressing from row to row in the longitudinal direction. Once the nodes and faces of the selected region are renumbered, the layer of elements adjacent to the faces are numbered in a similar sequence. This process is repeated by sweeping outward from the selected region, one layer of elements at a time, until the entire mesh is renumbered.
The results of the renumbering process can be reviewed by turning on the display of node and/or element numbers in the Display Options dialog. The results can also be viewed by right-clicking on the 3D Mesh Data Folder in the Project Explorer and selecting the Properties command. The node and element bandwidths are listed in the dialog that comes up.
If the objective of renumbering the mesh is minimizing the node and element bandwidths, the best results are generally achieved by selecting a side of the mesh corresponding to one of the two "ends" of the major or longitudinal axis of the mesh.
Related Links:
Creating and Editing 3D Meshes