The Cubit® Geometry and Mesh Generation Toolkit

Cubit® is a full-featured software toolkit for robust generation of two-dimensional and three-dimensional finite element meshes (grids) and geometry preparation. Its main goal is to reduce the time required to generate meshes, particularly large hex meshes of complicated, interlocking assemblies. 

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Workflow for Rapid Geometry Preparation and Automated Meshing

Cubit® is a solid-modeler-based preprocessor with the ability to import CAD files in neutral formats, clean up and prepare geometry for meshing, generate surface and volume finite element meshes, perform post-meshing operations such as refinement and smoothing, improve mesh quality, perform model attribution, and export mesh for analysis. Cubit® also contains advanced machine learning capabilities to enable rapid design-to-simulation workflows.

Machine Learning for Rapid Part Classification and Simplification

Cubit® uses machine learning to classify parts and suggest defeaturing tools. In the geometry power tool, machine learning can predict poor tet-mesh quality and classify parts. For bolts and springs, the reduce commands can rapidly simplify these parts for analysis. Machine learning also gives suggested solutions for poor tet-mesh quality.

Robust, High-Quality Tet and Hex Meshing of CAD Assemblies

Cubit® supplies a comprehensive set of features for surface and solid meshing. It provides a wide variety of element types and methods for automating and streamlining mesh generation. Cubit® also delivers an extensive suite of tools for geometry decomposition and mesh generation.

Geometry- and Physics-based Adaptive Meshing

Cubit® has the capability to automatically generate geometry-adaptive tetrahedral (tet) meshes based on geometric characteristics such as small curves, high curvature regions, thin walls, etc. It also provides a mesh sizing framework for building mesh sizing functions based on sizing sources. The mesh sizing framework also has the ability to build mesh sizing functions based on physics-based analysis results imported via Exodus meshes. The mesh sizing function can be built using either nodal or element variables.

Large-scale Parallel Meshing on HPC

Cubit® provides parallel meshing algorithms for both tet and hex meshing.   Sculpt is a MPI-based parallel all-hex meshing algorithm with various advanced options for defeaturing, adaptive meshing, and respecting multiple materials.  Cubit® also provides a lightweight parallel tool for Uniform Mesh Refinement (UMR), which has the ability to generate billions of elements in minutes.

Accelerated Geometry & Meshing Workflows via Python Scripting

Cubit® implements a Python scripting capability that allows users to run the commands with or without the GUI. Python-Cubit enhancement scripts are now distributed with Cubit® for powerful ID-less geometry and meshing operations. These Python scripts are a collection of functions to enhance geometry selection, geometry manipulation, meshing, mesh smoothing, and other Cubit® operations.

These scripts are located in the cubit bin directory or can be downloaded from https://cee-gitlab.sandia.gov/meshing-users/cubit-python-enhancements (Sandia users only). These functions have been added to nightly tests to assure compatibility with the latest Cubit® code. 

Cubit® Licensing

Cubit® is used free of cost in a wide range of applications for US government purposes by many government agencies, contractors, and subcontractors.  Currently, there are about 2,000 Cubit® users at more than 165 sites across the US.  See Cubit® Licensing for information on obtaining the Government Use Notice (GUN) licenses. Licensed users may download the current release from this website.