[blockMesh] blockMesh being killed automatically

jessicabp · September 16, 2015, 14:52

Hello. I have been trying to create a simulation of semi-submersible platform but as it has 62 blocks, I decided to start trying to simulate just the bottom part first, which has 24 blocks. The problem is that when I use the command blockMesh, my mesh starts being generated and right after the 24 blocks get created it shoes a message saying "killed" and it stops. I thought it was a problem with my computer, so I tried to run it in other two computers, the same problem occurred. Anyone knows what the problem can be?

Thanks.

t.oliveira · August 11, 2016, 16:24

Insufficient memory may be the reason why blockMesh is being killed, as explained on this post.

I needed to generate a mesh for a rectangular cuboidal domain divided into smaller identical rectangular cuboids. For this specific type of mesh, I have written a C++ program that creates the same files that would be created by blockMesh.
It is available here in case it can be useful to other people.

Using this code, I was able to generate a 500x500x500 mesh that I couldn't generate using blockMesh on my computer with 64 GB RAM. It takes 70% more time than the OpenFOAM's blockMesh, but requires 40% less memory.

[EDIT: a new version is available on the same link. Now it takes 24% more time than the OpenFOAM's blockMesh, but requires at most 80 MB, independently of the mesh size.]

Best wishes,
Thomas

KMM080 · April 5, 2018, 22:06

Dear Thomas, How I can get the file, it seems the link does not work for me, Thanks in advance

t.oliveira · April 9, 2018, 06:31

Dear Kawa,

I am sorry for the broken link. I had renamed the file. It is called boxMesh.C and can be found here.

Best wishes,
Thomas

deb_uon · November 23, 2023, 09:53

Hi,
Is there any other way to create polyMesh file outside openFOAM from the bolckMeshDict information? The bolckMeshDict has multiple blocks, not a single regular cubic domain. Does anyone have any comment on this? I want to make it outside openFOAM because my machine can not handle the large meshes.

Thank you,
Debabrata

Yann · November 23, 2023, 10:27

Hello,

There are several utilities in OpenFOAM to import mesh from other software (gmsh, Salome, ANSYS, ...)
http://www.wolfdynamics.com/wiki/mesh_conversion.pdf

But if your problem is your machine not being able handle such a large mesh, I doubt this will solve your problem. You will still end up with a mesh too large for your machine to handle, unless you change your meshing strategy.

Regards,
Yann

September 16, 2015, 14:52	blockMesh being killed automatically	#1
jessicabp New Member Jess Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 9 Rep Power: 11	Hello. I have been trying to create a simulation of semi-submersible platform but as it has 62 blocks, I decided to start trying to simulate just the bottom part first, which has 24 blocks. The problem is that when I use the command blockMesh, my mesh starts being generated and right after the 24 blocks get created it shoes a message saying "killed" and it stops. I thought it was a problem with my computer, so I tried to run it in other two computers, the same problem occurred. Anyone knows what the problem can be? Thanks.

August 11, 2016, 16:24		#2
t.oliveira Senior Member Thomas Oliveira Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 114 Rep Power: 12	Insufficient memory may be the reason why blockMesh is being killed, as explained on this post. I needed to generate a mesh for a rectangular cuboidal domain divided into smaller identical rectangular cuboids. For this specific type of mesh, I have written a C++ program that creates the same files that would be created by blockMesh. It is available here in case it can be useful to other people. Using this code, I was able to generate a 500x500x500 mesh that I couldn't generate using blockMesh on my computer with 64 GB RAM. It takes 70% more time than the OpenFOAM's blockMesh, but requires 40% less memory. [EDIT: a new version is available on the same link. Now it takes 24% more time than the OpenFOAM's blockMesh, but requires at most 80 MB, independently of the mesh size.] Best wishes, Thomas KMM080, Rakkiran and anoldfriend like this. Last edited by t.oliveira; August 12, 2016 at 14:17.

April 9, 2018, 06:31		#4
t.oliveira Senior Member Thomas Oliveira Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 114 Rep Power: 12	Dear Kawa, I am sorry for the broken link. I had renamed the file. It is called boxMesh.C and can be found here. Best wishes, Thomas randolph likes this.

November 23, 2023, 09:53	How to create polymesh file from bolckMeshdict outside openFoam?	#5
deb_uon New Member Debabrata Adhikari Join Date: Oct 2019 Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0	Hi, Is there any other way to create polyMesh file outside openFOAM from the bolckMeshDict information? The bolckMeshDict has multiple blocks, not a single regular cubic domain. Does anyone have any comment on this? I want to make it outside openFOAM because my machine can not handle the large meshes. Thank you, Debabrata

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Yann Senior Member Yann Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: France Posts: 1,236 Rep Power: 29	Hello, There are several utilities in OpenFOAM to import mesh from other software (gmsh, Salome, ANSYS, ...) http://www.wolfdynamics.com/wiki/mesh_conversion.pdf But if your problem is your machine not being able handle such a large mesh, I doubt this will solve your problem. You will still end up with a mesh too large for your machine to handle, unless you change your meshing strategy. Regards, Yann