Geometric Objects
Objects are basic elements for building a geometric model of the computational domain and for defining other properties of the computational problem. Each object has its own visual representation in the View Window (e.g., points or curves). After selecting a particular object by a mouse click, it is possible to carry our usual edit operations such as Select, Delete, or Edit object. Objects are divided into several categories (e.g., Geometry, FE-mesh, or Auxiliary), with each category containing several fields of objects of the same type. This division is well visible in the Navigator Bar under the Data item. All existing objects are listed here and can also be edited (after double-clicking the object or clicking the right mouse button) or deleted (keyboard Delete) here.
Object Categories:
The shape (boundary) of the computational domain is defined using Geometric objects. Basic types of objects are:
Objects Mesh Refinement define a local density of the FE-Mesh in the vicinity of a particular object. Possible types of Mesh Refinement are:
Additional Auxiliary Objects facilitate orientation in more complex computational domains or serve other purposes
Object Numbering
Each object has its own number (index) that serves for unique identification of an object for operations such as Edit, Delete, or Find. Object numbering is fully controlled by the user (a user specifies the object index) and does not have to be continuous (indexes do not have to sequentially increase).
Relations among Objects
More complex objects are defined using simpler objects. For example, a surface is defined by indices of its boundary curves, and a boundary curve is defined by indices of its points. The curve, however, does not own its points, since these points can also be used to define other curves. This is especially true for points at the beginning and end of a curve, since these points are usually used also by neighboring curves. A relation „Parent – Descendant" exists among objects. In case of a curve, points are „Parent" objects and a Surface is its „Descendant".
References among Objects and Convention for Writing a List of Indices
Objects are referenced using a list of indices. A list of indices is written using a text format, where individual indices are separated by a comma and dash (-) between two indices indicates a range "from – to" (e.g., 1,5-10,35-30,8,11). After inserting new indices, the list is always reformatted to minimize the length of the text. Depending on circumstances, the list of indices respects/does not respect sequence, in which objects were defined.