2D Meshes can be created 3 different ways in SMS: using an automatic meshing technique, manually entering the node locations and triangulating, or converting a different SMS data type to a 2D Mesh.
This method converts a conceptual model to a mesh using the Map -> 2D Mesh command. This is the preferred method for mesh generation in SMS.
In order to create a 2D Mesh in SMS you must have a set of 2D Mesh nodes. Elements can be created by using one of the create_mesh_element tools and then selecting the mesh nodes to create elements. A 2D Mesh can also be created by triangulating the nodes. The triangulation algorithm assumes that each of the vertices being triangulated is unique in the xy plane, i.e. no two points have the same xy location. Duplicate points can be removed by selecting Select/Delete Duplicate Nodes command from the Node menu.
A 2D Mesh can be created manually from the following steps:
Select the Create Nodes tool from the Tool Palette.
Create the nodes by clicking inside the Graphics Window at the xy coordinates where you want the vertex located. (To change the node location see Editing Node Coordinates)
Select the Create Linear Triangle Element tool from the Tool Palette.
TINs, 2D grids, 2D scatter points, and 3D meshes can all be converted to a 2D Mesh. This is accomplished by using the following commands:
After using the Scatter Points -> Mesh Nodes command you must triangulate the nodes to create the 2D Mesh.
A finite element mesh is defined as a network of triangular and quadrilateral elements constructed from nodes. SMS includes advanced tools to create finite element meshes from underlying bathymetry, meshing parameters and mesh domain limits.
Digitized or survey points can be imported to provide the bathymetry. This type of data is generally not appropriate for use as mesh nodes due to random location and distribution. In this case the data should be converted to scatter points. If the bathymetric points are to be directly used as nodes, the triangulate command can generate elements from the points.
The Map Module provides tools for defining the study area boundaries and features from which a finite element mesh can be created. SMS then interpolates the bathymetry data onto the mesh. This process is also described in Lesson 2 of the tutorials. The Mesh Module provides various Tools for manually editing the finite element mesh.
Related Links:
2D Mesh Module
Interp Nodes