Selecting a proper resolution is an important part of finite element analysis.

Often when analyzing a part, there are stress concentrations that occur at sharp changes in the geometry of the model. These concentrations are often the areas of highest stress in an object, so it is important to capture their behavior accurately.

In order to do this, the resolution must be chosen to be large enough to fit enough elements into the region of stress concentration.

The following example shows a Scan&Solve simulation of a plate with several holes in it. The Show Grid option has been enabled, so that the element distribution can be seen.

In the first image, a high resolution was chosen. There is a reasonable number of elements distributed around each of the holes, and the stress solution shown is a fairly smooth one that captures the expected behavior.

Next, the resolution is decreased to the following distribution. Several holes are now totally enclosed by an element. This low resolution means that Scan&Solve will be unable to capture the details of the stress concentration.

The results are shown below. While the solution results show the stress concentration, the orientation of maximum stress is incorrect.

In general, there must be enough elements in an area to properly capture a stress concentration. The first image above shows a resolution sufficient to capture the effect of the holes.