Merge Tolerance

Geometric correspondence between entities is judged according to a specified absolute numerical tolerance. The particular kind of spatial check depends on the type of entity. Vertices are compared by comparing their spatial position; curves are tested geometrically by testing points 1/3 and 2/3 down the curve in terms of parameter value; surfaces are tested at several pre-determined points on the surface. In all cases, spatial checks are done comparing a given position on one entity with the closest point on the other entity. This allows merging of entities which correspond spatially but which have different parameterizations.

The default absolute merge tolerance used in CUBIT is 5.0e-4. This means that points which are at least this close will pass the geometric correspondence test used for merging. The user may change this value using the following command:

Merge Tolerance <val>

If the user does not enter a value, the current merge tolerance value will be printed to the screen. There is no upper bound to the merge tolerance, although in experience there are few cases where the merge tolerance has needed to be adjusted upward. The lower bound on the tolerance, which is tied to the accuracy of the solid modeling engine in CUBIT, is 1e-6.

Finding Nearly Coincident Entities

These commands find vertex-vertex, vertex-curve and vertex-surface pairs whose separation is within the specified tolerance range. If a tolerance range isn't specified the default will be from merge tolerance to 10*merge tolerance. It is useful for determining if you need to expand merge tolerance to accomodate sloppy geometry.

Find Near Coincident Vertex Vertex {Body|Volume} <id_range> [low_tol <value>] [high_tol <value>]

Find Near Coincident Vertex Curve {Body|Volume} <id_range> [low_tol <value>] [high_tol <value>]

Find Near Coincident Vertex Surface {Body|Volume} <id_range> [low_tol <value>] [high_tol <value>]