Cubit 16.10 User Documentation
As a result of translation errors between CAD representations, errors or differences in the way the geometry is interpreted may occur. Depending on the severity of the problem, sometimes a mesh can be generated even with a less-than perfect geometric representation, however, in most cases, these should be resolved before meshing.
In most cases, bad or invalid topology or geometry definition comes from problems which arise in the CAD translation process. CUBIT’s main geometry kernel, ACIS is used to represent the model if it has been imported using an IGES or STEP format. Translation to and from these neutral formats is frequently the cause of bad geometry. ITEM will use the geometry validation procedures built into the ACIS kernel to detect if there is any bad geometry and will list the entities that may be causing a problem.
Since the validation procedures are specific to ACIS, models that may have been imported from another native format such as Pro/E will not provide this diagnostic. Although this may seem like a severe limitation, importing native formats rarely have bad geometry, since no translation process is necessary.
It is good practice to always check your model for bad geometry before proceeding to other geometry or meshing operations. In some cases, if a webcut or meshing operation fails, the cause is an invalid geometric definition that has not been adequately healed. Resolving bad geometry problems up front, in most cases is essential to obtaining a mesh. On the other hand, if the location of the bad geometry in the model is such that it will not effect subsequent Boolean or decomposition operations, there may be a chance that completely resolving bad geometry is not necessary. Simply ignoring bad geometry that cannot be easily repaired with automatic procedures may be a reasonable solution, provided the user is aware of the potential limitations.
To resolve invalid geometry, ITEM uses the heal procedure built into the ACIS geometry kernel. In almost all cases, this is a fully automatic procedure. Simply selecting the automatic repair button will make the appropriate adjustments to the geometry. This can be done one volume at a time by healing the owning volume, or by healing the full model all at once. If healing was successful, No problems detected should be displayed.
If auto repair does not successfully repair the geometry, you may want to try additional options available in Cubit for healing. See the Cubit documentation for a complete description of additional healing options.