[Gmsh] importing .step files with multiple parts whose surfaces touch

[Vandevender, Brent A]

I have looked through the mailing list archives and found that a couple of years ago some people were actively developing the capability to "sew" together the common surfaces of parts that touch each other (i.e., have a common surface).  I have also seen more recently that those same people have declared that effort a failure.  I wonder what is the current status of this capability in gmsh in case I have missed something.

I am trying to import the attached .step file made by our MEs so that I can do finite-element electric field modeling.  In the attached model there are 2 pieces, one should be a conductor and the other a press-fit insulator.  GMSH makes a beautiful 2D surface mesh, but the common surface consists of two meshes.  I think what I really need is for there to be just one mesh at the interface for subsequent 3D meshing and solving with getDP.  I have tried some options, Geometry.OCCSewFaces = 1 and Geometry.OCCConnectFaces = 1, with no success.  OCCConnect Faces at least recognizes the common surfaces in my model, but rather than merge them into one, it removes them both.  I am sure this has come up for others on the list, and I wonder what solutions people have figured out, if any.


--
Brent A VanDevender, PhD
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Radiation Detection and Nuclear Sciences Group

email:brent.vandevender at pnl.gov
phone:509-371-7982

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