Geometry Errors are critical issues that will prevent the generation of a mesh. These are fundamental problems with the CAD geometry that must be resolved before proceeding.

What to Do: When errors are detected, you will see the message: "The following errors were identified in your CAD file. Please fix the errors and check the geometry again." All errors must be resolved before you can continue with meshing and simulation.

Geometry Warnings are non-critical issues that may affect mesh quality but don't prevent execution. These indicate potential problems that could impact simulation accuracy or robustness.

Impact: Warnings can cause:

What to Do: When warnings are detected, you will see the message: "The following warnings were found in your CAD file, which may introduce undesirably small or poor quality cells in your computational mesh, potentially affecting the solver's robustness and accuracy. Please check the quality of your mesh before running a simulation." While you can proceed with simulation, it's recommended to review and address warnings when possible to ensure optimal results.

Error Name: "Duplicate vertices"

Description: The space between specified vertices is too small, causing them to be considered duplicates. This occurs when vertices fall below the geometric tolerance threshold. This error can cause meshing failures or poor mesh quality, as the meshing algorithms cannot properly distinguish between the vertices. To resolve this issue, merge the duplicate vertices in your CAD software.

Error Name: "Surface-surface intersections"

Description: Two surfaces intersect each other in a way that creates non-manifold topology, which is geometrically invalid for volume meshing. This creates invalid geometry that cannot be properly meshed, preventing successful mesh generation. The intersection violates the fundamental requirement that surfaces should form valid solid boundaries. To resolve this, modify the surface definitions in CAD to avoid intersection, or use boolean operations to properly combine the surfaces.

Error Name: "Surface self-intersections"

Description: A surface intersects with itself, creating invalid topology where the surface folds back on itself. This creates invalid geometry that cannot be meshed, as the meshing engine cannot determine which side of the surface is interior or exterior. Self-intersecting surfaces violate the basic principles of solid modeling. To resolve this, replace the surface definition in CAD to eliminate self-intersection.

Error Name: "Open volumes"

Description: The volume is not watertight, containing open edges (edges that belong to only one face) that indicate the volume boundary is not closed. Open volumes cannot be volume meshed, completely preventing simulation since the meshing engine cannot determine the interior of the volume. This is a fundamental requirement for CFD simulations which need closed fluid domains. To resolve this, close the volume by adding missing surfaces or fixing gaps in the geometry.

Error Name: "Non-manifold volumes"

Description: The volume contains non-manifold edges (edges shared by more than two faces), violating the manifold property required for solid modeling. This creates ambiguous geometry that cannot be properly processed, as the meshing engine cannot determine the correct topology around these edges. Non-manifold geometry can lead to mesh generation failures or invalid results. To resolve this, modify the geometry to ensure each edge is shared by exactly two faces, or split the volume into separate manifold volumes.

Error Name: "Unmeshable volumes"

Description: An unknown error was encountered with the volume geometry that could not be processed by the meshing engine due to unspecified geometric issues. This prevents mesh generation for the affected volume, making simulation impossible. This is typically caused by complex geometric issues that cannot be automatically resolved. To resolve this, reach out to Support for assistance, as this may require specialized geometry repair techniques.

Error Name: "Unmeshable edges"

Description: The underlying geometry of the edge could not be robustly interpreted by the meshing algorithms due to geometric issues that prevent robust processing. This may prevent successful meshing of adjacent surfaces, potentially causing mesh generation to fail in regions around the problematic edge. This often occurs with degenerate or poorly defined edge geometry. To resolve this, replace the edge definition in CAD, potentially by recreating the adjacent surfaces.

Error Name: "Unmeshable surfaces"

Description: The underlying geometry of the surface could not be robustly interpreted due to issues such as incorrect face definition, optimization artifacts, or tiny edges that prevent meshing. This prevents mesh generation for the affected surface, making it impossible to create a complete mesh for simulation. Surface geometry problems can stem from CAD translation issues or overly complex surface definitions. To resolve this, replace the surface definition in CAD, ensuring proper geometric construction.

Warning Name: "Sliver surfaces"

Description: The surface is narrow with adjacent edges that are very close to each other. This is detected when the ratio of surface area to perimeter-squared is below 0.001. Sliver surfaces may generate tiny cells or cause boundary layer mesh collapse, affecting simulation accuracy and potentially leading to convergence issues. Aspect ratio information may be provided to quantify the severity. These surfaces are sometimes unavoidable in complex geometries but should be monitored for mesh quality issues. To address this, merge these sliver surfaces in CAD or modify the geometry to increase the surface width.

Warning Name: "Tiny edges"

Description: The surface contains edges that are significantly smaller than the overall geometry scale, often left in the geometry after processing. These tiny edges may generate tiny cells or cause boundary layer mesh collapse, leading to poor mesh quality and potential solver stability issues. The presence of tiny edges can cause the meshing algorithm to create extremely small elements that violate mesh quality criteria. To address this, merge the tiny edge in CAD or modify the geometry to eliminate small features.

Warning Name: "Edges not smooth"

Description: A discontinuity was detected in the edge geometry, meaning the edge is not smooth or contains sudden changes in curvature or direction. This may affect mesh quality around the edge, potentially creating distorted elements or requiring very fine meshing to capture the discontinuity properly. Edge discontinuities can cause meshing difficulties and may lead to poor solution accuracy near these regions. If the mesh becomes too fine around these edges, replace the edge definition in CAD to ensure smooth geometry, or verify that the discontinuity is intentional.

Warning Name: "Edges with large tolerance"

Description: A large geometric tolerance was detected in the edge, indicating potential precision issues where the edge geometry has tolerance values that exceed recommended thresholds. This may affect mesh accuracy and quality, as the meshing engine may not be able to precisely determine the edge location within the specified tolerance. Large tolerances can lead to inconsistent mesh generation and reduced simulation accuracy. If the mesh quality is poor, replace the edge definition in CAD with tighter tolerances, or verify that the tolerance is acceptable for your simulation requirements.

Warning Name: "Surfaces not smooth"

Description: A discontinuity was detected in the surface geometry, meaning the surface contains sudden changes in curvature, orientation, or other geometric properties that affect smoothness. This may affect mesh quality on the surface, potentially creating distorted elements or requiring very fine meshing to properly capture the surface geometry. Surface discontinuities can cause meshing difficulties and may impact solution accuracy. If the mesh becomes too fine around these surfaces, replace the surface definition in CAD to ensure smooth geometry, or verify that the discontinuity is intentional for your design.

Warning Name: "Surfaces with large tolerance"

Description: A large geometric tolerance was detected in the surface, where the surface has tolerance values that exceed recommended thresholds for robust meshing. This may affect mesh accuracy and quality, as the meshing engine may not be able to precisely determine the surface location within the specified tolerance. Large surface tolerances can lead to inconsistent mesh generation, gaps between adjacent surfaces, and reduced simulation accuracy. If the mesh quality is poor, recreate the surface with tighter tolerances in CAD, or verify that the tolerance is acceptable for your simulation requirements.

Warning Name: "Surfaces with crossing edges"

Description: The surface has boundary edges that intersect with each other in an invalid way, where two edges that should not intersect cross each other within the surface boundary. This may cause meshing difficulties and poor mesh quality, as the meshing algorithm may not be able to properly interpret the surface topology around the crossing edges. Edge crossings can lead to invalid mesh elements and potential simulation failures. If the mesh quality is poor, modify the surface definition in CAD to eliminate edge crossings.

Warning Name: "Surfaces with poor approximation"

Description: The surface could not be robustly approximated by the geometric engine, meaning the mathematical representation of the surface may not accurately capture its intended shape. If mesh quality is poor, this may indicate underlying geometric issues that could affect simulation accuracy. An approximation score from -1 (bad) to 1 (good) may be provided. Poor surface approximation can lead to inaccurate geometry representation in the mesh and potential solution errors. If the mesh quality is poor, replace the surface definition in CAD with a more robust construction, or verify that the approximation quality is acceptable for your simulation.