Description

In Fidelity Pointwise, connector, domain, and block creation proceed without regard for the eventual computational directions. This is due to the fact that the entire grid system’s computational directions can be set and aligned very easily via the Orient command.

Select grid entities to be oriented, then Edit, Orient.

For connectors, select the Reverse I command to change the orientation of the connector.

For 2D and 3D structured domains and blocks, the orientation can be changed with the commands in the Reverse and/or Swap frames. Note that the goal for orienting structured domains and blocks for most cases is to make them right-handed.

For unstructured domains, the Reverse Normal button will flip the domains’ normals in the opposite direction.

 

Note: Domains that are used as part of a baffle face in unstructured blocks cannot be reoriented.

Orient Panel
The Orient command allows users to quickly change I,J,K directions and orientations.

Within the Orient panel, the Color Key is used to color-code the I, J and K coordinate directions of a selected domain or block within the Display window. Once it has been specified, the Master domain/block of your grid is also color-coded within the Display window according to the Color Key.

The Selection frame only appears if left-handed blocks exist in the selected entities.

  • Select Left-handed Blocks allows you to select only the left handed blocks to make is easier to reorient them.
 

Tip: If you notice that your block appears to have all negative jacobians during examination, this is a sure sign that the computational orientation of your block is left-handed. Use the Edit, Orient command to correct the orientation and ensure that all of your blocks are right handed before exporting your mesh.

The Align frame provides commands by which you can align all the domains or blocks in your grid with the coordinate orientation of the Master domain/block.

  • Set Master allows you to, when multiple grids are selected for Orient, select the grid by which the others should be aligned.
  • Align allows you to, when more than one non-master grid is selected, align the selected grids with the Master’s coordinate orientation. They have to be connected to the Master directly or through other non-master grid.

Tools which control the change of the computational direction are available within the Reverse and Swap frames in the panel. In the Reverse frame:

  • I: Flips the orientation of the I direction.
  • J: Flips the orientation of the J direction.
  • K: Flips the orientation of the K direction.
  • Normal: Flips the domain or face normals in the opposite direction (unstructured only).

Within the Swap frame:

  • I-J: Switches the I and J coordinate directions.
  • J-K: Switches the J and K coordinate directions.
  • K-I: Switches the K and I coordinate directions.

Demonstration

Setting and Aligning a Grid's I,J,K Axis System

2D Domain Orientation

Orienting Structured Blocks