Patent ID: 7098912

Claim:
A method for modifying a hexahedral volume mesh, comprising: generating a sheet of hexahedral elements from a hexahedral volume mesh, wherein said mesh includes a plurality of three-dimensional (3D) hexahedrons each having six quadrilateral faces, wherein the six quadrilateral faces for each 3D hexahedron include three sets of opposing faces, and eight nodes, each node formed at three intersecting edges, and wherein said sheet includes a subset of the plurality of 3D hexahedrons, wherein generating a sheet includes: a) selecting a first hexahedron, the selected hexahedron having a first set of opposing faces, the first set including a first opposing face and a second opposing face; b) determining a first neighboring hexahedron, the first neighboring hexahedron sharing the first opposing face with the selected hexahedron; c) selecting the first neighboring hexahedron, the first neighboring hexahedron having another face opposite the shared first opposing face; d) repeating steps b) and c) until a predetermined sheet edge threshold being satisfied; e) determining a second neighboring hexahedron, the second neighboring hexahedron sharing the second opposing face with the selected hexahedron; f) selecting the second neighboring hexahedron, the second neighboring hexahedron having another face opposite the shared second opposing face; g) repeating steps e) and f) until the sheet edge threshold being satisfied; h) grouping all selected hexahedrons into a first column of hexahedrons; i) selecting the first hexahedron, the selected hexahedron having a second set of opposing faces, the second set including a third opposing face and a fourth opposing face; j) determining a third neighboring hexahedron, the third neighboring hexahedron sharing the third opposing face with the selected hexahedron; k) selecting the third neighboring hexahedron; l) repeating steps a) through h) until a second column of hexahedron is grouped; m) selecting the first hexahedron; n) determining a fourth neighboring hexahedron, the fourth neighboring hexahedron sharing the fourth opposing face with the selected hexahedron; o) selecting the fourth neighboring hexahedron; p) repeating steps a) through h) until a third column of hexahedrons is grouped; q) repeating steps a) through p) until the sheet edge threshold being satisfied; and r) grouping all columns of hexahedrons into the sheet; determining a group of hexahedrons within said sheet to refine; shrinking said group; and inserting a new sheet of hexahedrons into the hexahedral volume mesh.