Voxels or tetrahedra: what casting AI needs from the mesh
Many casting simulation codes discretise the part on a structured cubic grid. That made sense on the hardware of the 1980s, and for many parts it still works. It is a weak base for two things foundries want now: simulating the free-form shapes that 3D-printed moulds and cores make possible, and training AI that proposes casting technology. Where the staircase hurts A cubic grid turns a curved or inclined surface into a staircase. On a plane inclined at 45°, the staircase overstates the wetted area by \(\sqrt{2} \approx 1.41\), and doubly curved surfaces are worse. The surface normal also points along a grid axis everywhere instead of following the real surface. ...