Overview
The Open CASCADE Express Mesh SDK delivers breakthrough performance for meshing surfaces represented with BRep shapes. This advanced algorithm generates high-quality triangular and quadrangular meshes for shapes containing Faces (Solids, Shells, or compounds of Faces) with exceptional speed and precision.
Unlike standard meshing algorithms, Express Mesh maintains perfect connectivity between elements built on connected faces, creating watertight meshes across shared edges. Through carefully tuned input parameters including element size, chordal deflection, and angular deviation, users gain unprecedented control over mesh quality and element count.
Advanced Features
Comprehensive Meshing Parameters
Express Mesh offers precise control through multiple input parameters:
- Mesh element type – Select between triangular or quadrangular mesh elements based on your application needs
- Minimal element size – Define the lower size limit for element sides to balance processing speed against surface detail preservation
- Maximal element size – Control the upper size limit to prevent oversized elements on flat areas or elongated elements on cylindrical surfaces
- Deflection – Specify the maximum allowable chordal deviation between mesh elements and the original surface
- Angular deviation – Manage the maximum angular deviation of element normals from surface normals, controlling mesh density on curved surfaces
To simplify parameter selection, Express Mesh includes an intelligent measurement system that analyzes shapes and suggests optimal meshing parameters for specific geometries.
Robust Discretization and Healing Technology
Express Mesh incorporates advanced healing operations that significantly improve mesh quality and stability:
- Specialized treatment for achieving well-spaced discrete segments along edges, even with poorly parameterized curves
- Sophisticated self-intersection detection and resolution on discrete curves, including small loop removal
- Seamless connection of adjacent discrete curves to create contiguous closed contours
- Intelligent detection and resolution of mutual intersections between wires on faces
- Parallel computation mode utilizing multi-core processors for maximum performance
Business Benefits
Express Mesh delivers substantial advantages for engineering and visualization applications:
- Superior Performance – Up to 10x faster than standard BRepMesh algorithms for complex models
- Enhanced Mesh Quality – Greater control over element size and quality for demanding applications
- Multi-Purpose Output – Generate meshes suitable for visualization, collision detection, and FEA analysis
- Optimized Resource Usage – Efficient memory management and multi-threading support
- Seamless Integration – Direct compatibility with all OCCT shape objects and data structures
See how this component was successfully implemented in SIMOPTIC software (by DBM Reflex) to drastically improve meshing performance in optical simulation workflows.
Technical Configuration
The Express Mesh SDK is built on the latest version of Open CASCADE Technology and requires no additional external software. It’s available across all platforms supported by the corresponding OCCT version.
The algorithm supports both sequential (standard for single-core systems) and parallel computation modes, allowing optimal utilization of available computing resources. For detailed technical specifications and performance metrics, please refer to the comprehensive documentation included with the component.
