Element Type
The user can choose between 4 different finite Element Types in the Mesh Setup dialog:
- 3 noded triangle
- 6 noded triangle
- 4 noded quadrilateral
- 8 noded quadrilateral
3-noded triangle, 4-noded quadrilateral
6-noded triangle, 8-noded quadrilateral
If you are using elements with midside nodes (i.e. 6 noded triangles or 8 noded quadrilaterals), the midside nodes will be displayed on the mesh as small circular dots at the midpoint of each finite element edge. The display of the midside nodes can be turned on or off at any time, in the Display Options dialog.
The user should be aware that using elements with midside nodes will greatly increase the size of the matrices used to solve the problem, and will therefore increase solution time and memory requirements.