Generation of three-dimensional unstructured grids by the advancing-front method

Abstract

The generation of three-dimensional unstructured grids using the advancing-front technique is described. This technique has been shown to be effective for the generation of unstructured grids in two dimensions.1,2 However, its extension to three-dimensional regions required algorithms to define the surface and suitable data structures that avoid excessive CPU-time overheads for the search operations involved. After obtaining an initial triangulation of the surfaces, tetrahedra are generated by successively deleting faces from the generation front. Details of the grid generation algorithm are given, together with examples and timings.