Visualization and pre-processing of independent finite-element meshes for car crash simulations

The recent transition frommeshing the whole model to the independent meshing of the assembly parts introduced new challenges in the task of visualizing and pre-processing the finite-element meshes. One part of our work is the visualization and removal of mesh penetrations and perforations, a frequently encountered problem when assembly parts are meshed independently. Furthermore, we focus on the visualization and the interactive definition of mesh-independent connections between car components represented by finite-element meshes. We present methods to automatize the flange recognition, as connections are usually placed along flanges. There are basically three types of connections to visualize and edit: point links, line links and surface links.