I have developed nodal positions for a 2D model. I have fitted surfaces to the nodes to establish the pattern of the elements. I would like to save the file as an exodus file for use in an FEM study. I receive the following error when I try to save the mesh file: " The Exodus output format cannot output elements of type UNKNOWN_ELEMENT_TYPE"
I am at a loss for how to get this node/surface combination to work a mesh file. Please help. It took multiple days hours to construct this simple model. It is a benchmark geometry that I need in order to validate my FEM model.
Hello @tdoggwise ,
Do you have a journal file that you can share?
In your image it appears that while you’ve created partitioned geometry that you’ve not actually generated the mesh yet. If you wish to have a single element per surface then you should do the following:
merge all # Enforce contiguous mesh
surf all interval 1 # Specify number of mesh intervals on each surface
mesh surf all
history54.jou (74.7 KB)
I believe this is the latest one.
gvernon
August 11, 2025, 10:42pm
#4
I’ve extracted what I believe generates the view above (sans set assignments):
reset
create node location 0.0000 0.0000 0
create node location 0.1328 0.0000 0
create node location 0.2036 0.0000 0
create node location 0.2435 0.0000 0
create node location 0.2744 0.0000 0
create node location 0.3541 0.0000 0
create node location 0.4028 0.0000 0
create node location 0.4515 0.0000 0
create node location 0.5091 0.0000 0
create node location 0.5755 0.0000 0
create node location 0.7525 0.0000 0
create node location 0.8720 0.0000 0
create node location 1.0048 0.0000 0
create node location 1.3014 0.0000 0
create node location 1.5006 0.0000 0
create node location 1.8503 0.0000 0
create node location 2.2000 0.0000 0
create node location 0.0000 0.4117 0
create node location 0.1328 0.4117 0
create node location 0.2036 0.4117 0
create node location 0.2435 0.4117 0
create node location 0.2744 0.4117 0
create node location 0.3541 0.4117 0
create node location 0.4028 0.4117 0
create node location 0.4515 0.4117 0
create node location 0.5091 0.4117 0
create node location 0.5755 0.4117 0
create node location 0.7525 0.4117 0
create node location 0.8720 0.4117 0
create node location 1.0048 0.4117 0
create node location 1.3014 0.4117 0
create node location 1.5006 0.4117 0
create node location 1.8503 0.4117 0
create node location 2.2000 0.4117 0
create node location 0.0000 0.1284 0
create node location 0.0000 0.1992 0
create node location 0.0000 0.2700 0
create node location 0.1328 0.1284 0
create node location 0.1328 0.2700 0
create node location 0.1062 0.1992 0
create node location 0.1416 0.1992 0
create node location 0.1594 0.1992 0
create node location 0.2523 0.1992 0
create node location 0.2700 0.1992 0
create node location 0.2833 0.1992 0
create node location 0.3187 0.1992 0
create node location 0.3541 0.1992 0
create node location 0.4028 0.1992 0
create node location 0.4515 0.1992 0
create node location 0.5091 0.1992 0
create node location 0.5755 0.1992 0
create node location 0.6507 0.1992 0
create node location 0.7525 0.1992 0
create node location 0.8720 0.1992 0
create node location 1.0048 0.1992 0
create node location 1.1509 0.1992 0
create node location 1.3014 0.1992 0
create node location 1.5006 0.1992 0
create node location 1.8503 0.1992 0
create node location 2.2000 0.1992 0
create node location 0.2789 0.0797 0
create node location 0.3541 0.0797 0
create node location 0.4028 0.0797 0
create node location 0.4515 0.0841 0
create node location 0.5091 0.0885 0
create node location 0.5755 0.0885 0
create node location 0.6507 0.0885 0
create node location 0.3763 0.1328 0
create node location 0.4028 0.1328 0
create node location 0.4515 0.1328 0
create node location 0.5091 0.1328 0
create node location 0.5755 0.1328 0
create node location 0.6507 0.1328 0
create node location 0.4028 0.1726 0
create node location 0.4515 0.1726 0
create node location 0.5091 0.1726 0
create node location 0.5755 0.1726 0
create node location 0.6507 0.1726 0
create node location 0.4028 0.2302 0
create node location 0.4515 0.2302 0
create node location 0.5091 0.2302 0
create node location 0.5755 0.2302 0
create node location 0.6507 0.2302 0
create node location 0.4028 0.2656 0
create node location 0.4515 0.2700 0
create node location 0.5091 0.2700 0
create node location 0.5755 0.2700 0
create node location 0.6507 0.2700 0
create node location 0.4028 0.3187 0
create node location 0.4515 0.3143 0
create node location 0.5091 0.3099 0
create node location 0.5755 0.3099 0
create node location 0.6507 0.3099 0
create node location 0.7525 0.0974 0
create node location 0.7525 0.1505 0
create node location 0.7525 0.2479 0
create node location 0.7525 0.2966 0
create node location 0.8720 0.0753 0
create node location 1.0048 0.0753 0
create node location 1.1509 0.0753 0
create node location 0.8720 0.1328 0
create node location 1.0048 0.1328 0
create node location 1.1509 0.1328 0
create node location 0.8720 0.2656 0
create node location 1.0048 0.2656 0
create node location 1.1509 0.2656 0
create node location 0.8720 0.3320 0
create node location 1.0048 0.3320 0
create node location 1.1509 0.3320 0
create node location 1.3014 0.1018 0
create node location 1.5006 0.1018 0
create node location 1.8503 0.1018 0
create node location 2.2000 0.1018 0
create node location 1.3014 0.3010 0
create node location 1.5006 0.3010 0
create node location 1.8503 0.3010 0
create node location 2.2000 0.3010 0
create node location 0.1726 0.2346 0
create node location 0.1549 0.2479 0
create node location 0.2036 0.2479 0
create node location 0.2036 0.2700 0
create node location 0.2036 0.3010 0
create node location 0.2258 0.2479 0
create node location 0.2302 0.2700 0
create node location 0.2435 0.2922 0
create node location 0.2390 0.2346 0
create node location 0.2567 0.2479 0
create node location 0.2744 0.2700 0
create node location 0.2523 0.2213 0
create node location 0.2700 0.2302 0
create node location 0.2877 0.2390 0
create node location 0.2479 0.1771 0
create node location 0.2656 0.1682 0
create node location 0.2877 0.1594 0
create node location 0.2258 0.1549 0
create node location 0.2302 0.1328 0
create node location 0.2435 0.1107 0
create node location 0.2080 0.1505 0
create node location 0.2036 0.1328 0
create node location 0.2036 0.1018 0
create node location 0.1726 0.1682 0
create node location 0.1594 0.1505 0
create node location 0.2744 0.3187 0
create node location 0.3054 0.2877 0
create node location 0.3187 0.2390 0
create node location 0.3187 0.1594 0
create node location 0.3054 0.1107 0
create node location 0.3541 0.3187 0
create node location 0.3364 0.2877 0
create node location 0.3541 0.2435 0
create node location 0.3541 0.1594 0
create node location 0.3364 0.1107 0
create node location 0.2390 0.1638 0
create node location 0.2523 0.1505 0
create node location 0.2744 0.1328 0
create node location 0.3763 0.2700 0
create surface node 18 19 39 37
create surface node 19 20 122 39
create surface node 20 21 125 122
create surface node 21 22 143 125
create surface node 22 23 148 143
create surface node 23 24 89 148
create surface node 24 25 90 89
create surface node 25 26 91 90
create surface node 26 27 92 91
create surface node 27 28 93 92
create surface node 93 28 97 88
create surface node 28 29 107 97
create surface node 29 30 108 107
create surface node 30 31 109 108
create surface node 109 31 114 106
create surface node 31 32 115 114
create surface node 32 33 116 115
create surface node 33 34 117 116
create surface node 116 117 60 59
create surface node 59 60 113 112
create surface node 112 113 17 16
create surface node 115 116 59 58
create surface node 58 59 112 111
create surface node 111 112 16 15
create surface node 114 115 58 57
create surface node 57 58 111 110
create surface node 110 111 15 14
create surface node 106 114 57 56
create surface node 56 57 110 103
create surface node 103 110 14 100
create surface node 99 100 14 13
create surface node 108 109 106 105
create surface node 105 106 56 55
create surface node 55 56 103 102
create surface node 102 103 100 99
create surface node 98 99 13 12
create surface node 101 102 99 98
create surface node 54 55 102 101
create surface node 104 105 55 54
create surface node 107 108 105 104
create surface node 94 98 12 11
create surface node 95 101 98 94
create surface node 53 54 101 95
create surface node 96 104 54 53
create surface node 97 107 104 96
create surface node 66 67 11 10
create surface node 73 94 11 67
create surface node 78 95 94 73
create surface node 52 53 95 78
create surface node 83 96 53 52
create surface node 88 97 96 83
create surface node 72 73 67 66
create surface node 77 78 73 72
create surface node 51 52 78 77
create surface node 82 83 52 51
create surface node 87 88 83 82
create surface node 92 93 88 87
create surface node 65 66 10 9
create surface node 64 65 9 8
create surface node 63 64 8 7
create surface node 62 63 7 6
create surface node 61 62 6 5
create surface node 137 61 5 4
create surface node 140 137 4 3
create surface node 38 140 3 2
create surface node 35 38 2 1
create surface node 36 40 38 35
create surface node 37 39 40 36
create surface node 39 119 41 40
create surface node 39 122 121 119
create surface node 122 125 124 121
create surface node 125 128 127 124
create surface node 125 143 144 128
create surface node 143 148 149 144
create surface node 149 148 156 150
create surface node 151 68 62 152
create surface node 156 84 79 150
create surface node 151 74 69 68
create surface node 47 48 74 151
create surface node 150 79 48 47
create surface node 145 150 47 46
create surface node 46 47 151 146
create surface node 131 145 46 45
create surface node 45 46 146 134
create surface node 127 128 131 130
create surface node 130 131 45 44
create surface node 44 45 134 133
create surface node 40 41 142 38
create surface node 142 139 140 38
create surface node 139 136 137 140
create surface node 136 154 155 137
create surface node 154 133 134 155
create surface node 41 119 118 42
create surface node 119 121 120 118
create surface node 121 124 123 120
create surface node 124 127 126 123
create surface node 126 127 130 129
create surface node 129 130 44 43
create surface node 43 44 133 132
create surface node 153 132 133 154
create surface node 135 153 154 136
create surface node 138 135 136 139
create surface node 142 141 138 139
create surface node 41 42 141 142
create surface node 128 144 145 131
create surface node 144 149 150 145
create surface node 134 146 147 155
create surface node 137 155 147 61
create surface node 147 152 62 61
create surface node 146 151 152 147
create surface node 68 69 63 62
create surface node 148 89 84 156
create surface node 89 90 85 84
create surface node 84 85 80 79
create surface node 79 80 49 48
create surface node 48 49 75 74
create surface node 74 75 70 69
create surface node 69 70 64 63
create surface node 90 91 86 85
create surface node 91 92 87 86
create surface node 85 86 81 80
create surface node 86 87 82 81
create surface node 80 81 50 49
create surface node 81 82 51 50
create surface node 49 50 76 75
create surface node 50 51 77 76
create surface node 75 76 71 70
create surface node 76 77 72 71
create surface node 70 71 65 64
create surface node 71 72 66 65
To build a conforming mesh you should then do the following:
delete mesh
merge all
surface all scheme map
surface all interval 1
mesh surface all
