Connectivity problems in the mesh

Some imported models (particularly STL models) include sections which are not connected to the rest of the model.

This produces disconnected mesh elements that need to be either connected or removed before running an analysis. Another common connectivity problem occurs when creating a runner system. Both of these examples can be diagnosed with the Mesh Connectivity Diagnostic.

In the Mesh Connectivity Diagnostic highlight report, all elements connected to the selected element are displayed in red, and disconnected elements are displayed in blue. As shown in Figure A below, one half of the elements are not connected to the other half. At the intersection where the elements are not connected, there will also be a free edge (Figure B). The Free Edge diagnostic can be used to locate the free edge. Beam elements can also be disconnected, for instance, when the runners are disconnected from the part.



In the Mesh Connectivity Diagnostic text report, the following statistics are reported (see Figure below):



A: Free Edges, B: Manifold Edges, C: Non-Manifold Edges.