Import and Render a 3-D Mesh with Fibers

Description

• This example reads the nodal parameters and element connectivity of a rabbit ventricular mesh and renders the elements, surfaces and fibers.
• The nodal coordinates and element connectivities are read from tab-delimited spreadsheets.

• The steps below are saved in a script that can be found in the examples directory on your Continuity client .../continuity/pcty/examples/mesh07/renderFibers.py.py which can be executed automatically with File→Read→Python script

Start Continuity

• Launch the Continuity Client

• On the About Continuity startup screen

  • leave the mesh checkbox checked under Use Modules:

• Click OK

Set up coordinate system and basis functions

• Mesh→Edit→Coordinates…

  • Select rectangular cartesian in the Global Coordinates: pop-up menu

  • Click OK to submit Coordinate Form

• Mesh→Edit→Basis…

  • Choose Hermite Basis Function→3D→Cubic-Cubic-Cubic

  • Click Add Cubic-Cubic-Cubic

  • Verify that the list of basis functions now contains:
    • Cubic-Cubic-Cubic Hermite 3*3*3
    • Cubic-Cubic Hermite 3*3

  • Click OK to submit Basis Form

Read nodal parameters and elements

• Mesh→Edit→Nodes…

  • Click Import/Export/Graph button to open Continuity Table Manager

    • Continuity Table Manager→File→Open…

      • Select tab-delimited nodes file (nodes.xls)

      • Continuity Table Manager→File→Close and update form

  • You should now have nodes numbered 1-100

  • Click OK to submit Node Form

• Mesh→Edit→Elements…

  • Click Import/Export button to open Continuity Table Manager

    • Continuity Table Manager→File→Open…

      • Select tab-delimited elements file (elems.xls)

      • Continuity Table Manager→File→Close and update form

  • You should now have 48 elements

  • Click OK to submit Element Form

Calculate and render mesh

• Mesh→Render→Nodes…

• View→Show Open Mesh…

  • Click on nodes1 in the list on the left

  • Click on the Properties tab

  • For Size, enter 0.1 and hit Enter

  • Close the Open Mesh Controls form

  • The mesh should look similar to the image below.

• Mesh→Render→Elements…

  • Click the lines radio button

  • Click Render to display mesh wireframe

  • The mesh should now look similar to the image below.

• Mesh→Render→Elements…

  • Click the surfaces radio button

  • Click Render to display mesh surfaces

  • The mesh should now look similar to the image below.

• Mesh→Edit→Material Coordinates…

  • Click on the OK Button

• File→Send

• Mesh→Render→Fibers…

  • Click OK to render fiber vectors

  • You can change the size of the fiber vectors from View→Show Open Mesh→material axes3→Properties tab→Size
  • The mesh should now look similar to these last screenshots, viewed from different angles.

 

Pre-built model

This cont6 file contains all data and parameters for this problem: mesh4.cont6