finemesh

Finemesh is a term used in computational modeling and computer graphics to describe a mesh with small, closely spaced elements that discretize a geometric domain for numerical simulation. It does not refer to a single software package or standard, but rather to a class of meshes that are finer than typical baseline meshes in order to achieve higher resolution in computed fields or geometry representation. Finemeshes can be two- or three-dimensional and may be structured or unstructured, depending on the application and meshing algorithm.

Generation and refinement: Finemesh construction usually starts from an initial mesh and employs refinement strategies such as uniform refinement (reducing element size across the domain) or adaptive mesh refinement, where elements are refined selectively based on error indicators or a posteriori estimates. hp-refinement combines changes in element size (h) with increased polynomial order (p) in some methods. Mesh quality matters: poorly shaped elements (low quality metrics like extreme aspect ratio or small dihedral angles) can degrade accuracy and solver performance.

Applications: Finemeshes are widely used in finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, structural and thermal simulations, electromagnetics, and geometric modeling. In graphics, fine meshes support detailed surface representation and smooth shading. In engineering, they enable convergence studies and high-fidelity simulations, albeit at higher computational cost.

Software and frameworks: Many mesh generation tools support finemesh creation, including open-source packages such as Gmsh, Triangle, TetGen, and CGAL-based workflows, as well as commercial suites. Users typically balance mesh fineness against available computational resources and required accuracy, guided by error estimates and convergence checks.

See also: mesh generation, finite element method, adaptive mesh refinement, isogeometric analysis.