Tutorials
12 books in PDF and Flash-videos
The PDF based tutorials cover topics from beginner to advanced to quickly bring you up to speed with using the latest features of GridPro. The Flash based video tutorials follow along with the PDF based tutorials.
Tutorial 1: Getting Started
GridPro is an innovative, automatic grid generator which is easy to use when the user understands the basics of topology design. The technology is unlike any other grid generator on the market so we will begin our tutorial by starting out with a 2-D case that will emphasize the basic concepts and speed up the learning process. All of the concepts learned in 2-D will be used in 3-D grid generation that will be introduced in Part 2.
- Tutorial 1. Part 1. Basic concepts 2-D case
- Tutorial 1. Part 2. 3-D flow simulation around the model. Video
Tutorial 2: Idealized Wing-Body
Many cases will arise when you must mesh intersecting surfaces. The advantage of using GridPro is that the code is not restricted to meshing only one solid volume. If two solid models or surfaces intersect the user can choose to mesh one, the other or both. The point of intersection will remain clearly defined. In Part I of this tutorial we will mesh two intersecting surfaces in 2D. In Part II we will apply the same principles to mesh a 3D model of a simple airplane fuselage and wing.
- Tutorial 2. Part 1. Mesh two intersecting surfaces in 2D. Video
- Tutorial 2. Part 2. Mesh a 3D model of a simple airplane fuselage and wing
Tutorial 3: Creating a Grid Between Two Intersecting Surfaces
Creating an internal mesh on a surface intersecting another surface is important for design analysis. At times, only one part of the geometry will be analyzed while the other parts will not be meshed. In Part I we will learn how to make an internal mesh on a 2D surface while the curvature of the intersecting surface will be used as a boundary. In Part II, we will mesh a similar geometry in 3D and will introduce the function of the Cut- Plane which will be extremely useful in designing topology for complex shapes.
- Tutorial 3. Part 1. Internal mesh on a 2D surface. Video
- Tutorial 3. Part 2. Using the Cut-Plane for designing topology for complex shapes. Video
Tutorial 4: Gridding Two Intersecting Ellipsoids
Many cases involving grid generation require the user to create an internal surface that defines the grid angles between two intersecting tubes or joints. Examples include tubing used for cooling, flow distribution, piping inside of an automobile or aircraft, or blood vessels attached to a heart. In this tutorial we learn how to mesh such geometry that often includes sharp angles or convex corners. In Part I we will learn the basic concepts of how to mesh an idealized geometry (a mushroom shaped region formed by two intersecting ellipsoids) and will use the same principles in Part II where we will create the mesh in 3D. In Tutorial 5 we will apply what we have learned in Tutorial 4 to create a grid on an example that is more likely to appear in practice.
- Tutorial 4. Part 1. Mushroom shaped region formed by two intersecting ellipsoids. Video
- Tutorial 4. Part 2. 3D mesh of two intersecting ellipsoids. Video
Tutorial 5: T-Joint
In this tutorial we will apply the lessons learned in Tutorial 4 to grid a T-joint. T-joints have many applications including medical, heating and ventilation, and the aerospace and automobile industries. We will focus on how to make a grid on the intersection of the two tubes.
Tutorial 6: MiniCAD
Triangular files sometimes contain deformities or errors which must be corrected before gridding. GridPro® contains a number of effective tools and utilities that can be used to correct surfaces for grid generation. These tools involve both automatic grid smoothing and techniques in the form of program utilities, and manual tools to segment and merge surfaces, surface filling and moving nodes.
Tutorial 7: Property Setter
The GridPro® Property Setter allows the user to set volume or boundary condition labels to be exported into a commercial CFD package or into an in-house developed code.
- Tutorial 7. Part 1. Setting Boundary and Volume Labels Automatically
- Tutorial 7. Part 2. Setting Boundary and Volume Labels Manually
- Tutorial 7. Part 3. Setting Properties for a User Defined Code
Tutorial 8: Creating Superblocks
It is important to know how to merge blocks into superblock format for CFD codes that the user is developing in a research or design department. GridPro® allows the user to convert the grid into superblock data by using the “Save: Grid as” command that randomly merges blocks of a similar property. If the user wants to control the merge process, a merge block utility is available that controls the merging routine based on the block properties, face properties, patch definitions and surfaces created in the topology builder.
- Tutorial 8. Part 1. Merging Blocks using “Save: Grid as”
- Tutorial 8. Part 2. Using the Merge Block Utility
- Tutorial 8. Part 3. Merge Block file Descriptions
Tutorial 9: Grids with Periodic Surfaces
Some geometries involving grid generation are translationally or rotationally recurrent to their furthest extent. A common and important example is the axial turbine. When the geometry is recurrent, rather than computing the whole grid about the object at once, GridPro® can grid a periodic section of the object and then duplicate that section to easily construct the grid about the whole object. This process saves you time and effort, and allows you to construct the topology for only a fraction of the region you want gridded.
This tutorial deals with meshing such symmetric geometries. In Part I, we will grid a 2-D cascade of turbine blades. In Part II, we will generate a 3-D grid for a rotationally symmetric turbine.
- Tutorial 9. Part 1. A Translation Periodic Cascade of Turbine. Video
- Tutorial 9. Part 2. A Rotationally Periodic Turbine
Tutorial 10: Compact Enrichment
Sometimes we want a certain area of a grid to be more detailed than others. In GridPro®, we use a technique called compact enrichment to make areas of a grid more refined than others.
Tutorial 11: Using Macros
In many cases, macros provide the user with a quicker implementation of topology. Macros TIL files, and like TIL files contain topology and surfaces. Any TIL file can be a macro. Macros can be loaded into the topology builder at any time, and you have the option of transforming to any location, scale to any size, and rotate by any axis you want. Macros are a powerful tool.
Macros are very useful if you have a topology section already built and you want to replicate it with some transformations. That’s exactly what macros do. Using macros makes your work much simpler and faster. For example, if you have a pipe intersecting a surface, and you want to add more pipes in a similar way, using macros speeds the process. In general, if you think your topology might be divided into similar smaller components, then, you can probably import those smaller components as macros and link them together. This way, you have to create that component only once. This can save you a considerable amount of time in complex cases.
Tutorial 12: Topology Design for a Curved Test Section
In this tutorial, you will be dealing with a case which is closer to a real world case. Practical cases usually have more complex geometries, and when using GridPro for such cases, you need to be armed with some techniques to solve these tougher problems. This tutorial will teach you some of the techniques.
Many times, when creating topologies for practical cases, you come across singularities. You will have to ensure that you handle these singularities appropriately to get the high quality grid you desire. Sometimes, the topology may be such that it leads to a high amount of streching in the grids. You will learn that you can alter your topology design to avoid such bad qualities. And finally, to realize the higher purpose of grid generation, you might want to take the flow physics into consideration. For example, you might like a higher concentration of points near the trailing edge of the blade. A very good and powerful method to accomplish this is by adding an internal surface near the trailing edge of the blade. Adding internal surfaces can help you control grid concentrations in different regions.
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