Octree-based automatic mesh generation for non-manifold domains

Automatic mesh generation within the context of non-manifold geometric models is far from a commercial reality. While manifold objects are the most commonly encountered domains in many applications, other applications such as those requiring multiple material models and mixedmodel representations (combination of 1-D, 2-D and 3-D domains) fall beyond the realm of the existing automatic meshing procedures as they require a non-conventional modeling enviroment, namely the non-manifold topology (NMT) based environment. This paper focuses on automatic mesh generation issues in the context of two such applications: (i) finite element modeling for multiple material models and (ii) geometric abstractions requiring a mixed-model representation. Specifically, the paper describes a geometry utility system, built around an NMT data structure and geometry-based meshing algorithms that ensure the validity of the mesh for non-manifold domains.GE Consulting Services.