ETABS Tutorial 3: How to Create a Consistent Mesh for Slab and Wall Elements in ETABS Software?

[@Bright3d_Studio]

Does the meshing factor, in your case 0.25, have to be the same as that of the wall, and does it have to be the same among other walls as well? Whats the rule to taking a factor???

[@Eng.tarekyoussef]

In my case, using the auto rectangular option with a meshing factor of 0.25 effectively maintains a regular mesh pattern across walls and slab elements because their dimensions are divisible by 0.25. However, in scenarios where elements have varying dimensions that do not uniformly divide by a single factor like 0.25, opting for the general meshing option is preferable. This approach provides flexibility to adjust mesh sizes according to specific element sizes and structural requirements, thereby ensuring optimal mesh quality throughout the model.

[@anisrehman9353]

Outstanding 😊

[@Eng.tarekyoussef]

Thanks

[@Eleve_delavie]

Is necessary to do this if i only interested on structure analysis ?

[@Eng.tarekyoussef]

Yes, it is necessary to assign mesh to ensure correct analysis

[@Bright3d_Studio]

why do other engineers do an automatic wall mesh, is that wrong, if yes why?

[@Eng.tarekyoussef]

In older versions of ETABS, using the automatic wall mesh option often resulted in incorrect lumping of masses across story levels. In this case the manual meshing of walls is necessary, where walls are divided into smaller elements manually to ensure accurate structural analysis. However, in the newer version of ETABS, this issue has been successfully resolved. The software now handles automatic wall meshing more effectively, ensuring that masses are correctly distributed and calculated across each story level.