Prepare geometry for simulation

Geometry preparation should preserve the features that determine the response you care about. A small fillet may matter for local stress, while a logo may add mesh cost without affecting a global stiffness estimate.

Define what must survive

Identify the source revision, length units, analysis type, material regions, and quantities of interest. Name contact surfaces, load areas, supports, inlets, outlets, or thermal interfaces that must remain identifiable. Work on an analysis copy. Record any suppressed feature, repaired gap, merged body, or idealization so the study can be traced back to the design.

Prepare a housing for a stiffness study

Inspect this housing for a structural stiffness study. Preserve the mounting pads, load introduction surfaces, wall thicknesses, and rib junctions. Identify cosmetic features that could be removed and geometry defects that could prevent meshing. Propose the simplifications before changing an analysis copy. Record the source revision and each change.

Choose the physical domain

Study	Geometry decision
Solid structural	Preserve the load path and relevant contact regions
Shell or beam idealization	Define thickness, section properties, offsets, and orientation
Internal flow	Extract the enclosed fluid region and identify openings
External flow	Create the surrounding fluid domain and justify its extent
Conjugate heat transfer	Preserve both fluid and solid regions and their interfaces

Check the prepared geometry

Verify the analysis copy

Compare the prepared geometry with the source. Confirm units, envelope, body count, and the named regions used for supports and loads. Report removed features and any changes to volume or boundary area that could affect the study. Flag gaps, overlaps, or ambiguous contacts before meshing.

For CFD, verify that the region to be meshed is fluid space. For structural assemblies, verify how loads transfer between bodies; simply touching surfaces does not establish the intended contact behavior.

Deliver the preparation record

Keep the source model, prepared geometry, simplification list, and named-region map. If the geometry changes later, recheck the boundary map before reusing it. Continue with Study setup and Meshing. Use Native CAE setup when preparation must happen in a connected application.

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Prepare geometry for simulation

Define what must survive

Choose the physical domain

Check the prepared geometry

Deliver the preparation record

​Define what must survive

​Choose the physical domain

​Check the prepared geometry

​Deliver the preparation record

Define what must survive

Choose the physical domain

Check the prepared geometry

Deliver the preparation record