# Mesh failed in 5 faces - how to Querry? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Questions\ **Created:** [December 19, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/mesh-failed-in-5-faces-how-to-querry/1350 "2023-12-19T22:43:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@JKnight](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/JKnight)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/mesh-failed-in-5-faces-how-to-querry/1350/1 "2023-12-19T22:43:38Z")
I’m struggling too get this file to mesh: > **[1601\_Nail2.pmx](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HVfiD36qgYyIIPhvowSU7YbX0MZAaDpV/view?usp=sharing)** > > Google Drive file. The output warning says this: > WARNING! NOT ALL FACES HAVE BEEN MESHED > SURFACE MESHING ERROR OCCURED IN 5 FACES: > Face 5 > Face 6 > Face 27 > Face 30 > Face 33 > > for more information open IGES/STEP Topology Explorer > Error creating Surface Mesh… Aborting!! I can’t find reference to a topology explorer built in to PrePoMax, is there one I should be using? I exported this model from Solidworks as a .STEP (AP214 if it matters). Visually, the surfaces seem ok, though some are rather small. I’m not sure what to do next, and searching the forums/videos hasn’t gotten me closer to a fix. ---
**Author:** ![FEAnalyst](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/prepomax.discourse.group/feanalyst/32/688_2.png) [@FEAnalyst](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/FEAnalyst)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 11:39pm UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/mesh-failed-in-5-faces-how-to-querry/1350/2 "2023-12-19T23:39:04Z")
It’s a very slender part with small details like cutouts, fillets and small faces so it’s tricky to mesh properly. If you can’t simplify the geometry, you should reduce the maximum element size significantly, at least around those details. You can try the Tetrahedral Gmsh algorithm too, perhaps it will work better. ---
**Author:** ![synt](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/prepomax.discourse.group/synt/32/4658_2.png) [@synt](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/synt)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/mesh-failed-in-5-faces-how-to-querry/1350/3 "2023-12-19T23:41:02Z")
it’s not a problem and still meshable here. ![2023-12-20 06_29_07-Edit Mesh Setup Item_ Meshing_Parameters-1](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/2/2decd3137efb72a075e12386e5bd14816914a6be.png) Netgen ![2023-12-20 06_37_15-PrePoMax v2.0.0 C__Users_user_Downloads_1601_Nail2.pmx](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/5/51559b8ec0d0ff2f0657ca966b552564851151dc.png) Gmsh ![2023-12-20 06_34_11-PrePoMax v2.0.0 C__Users_user_Downloads_1601_Nail2.pmx](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/a/a23a781d111b5143d39f02fb648bb9524003240d.png) ![2023-12-20 06_47_32-PrePoMax v2.0.0 C__Users_user_Downloads_1601_Nail2.pmx](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/c/c1a88fbf7700cf995570e7283c90606af5a8684f.png) ---
**Author:** ![JKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@JKnight](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/JKnight)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/mesh-failed-in-5-faces-how-to-querry/1350/4 "2023-12-20T13:29:31Z")
Thank you Synt, I just learned something. I’ve been using a smaller number for minimum element size. I copied your settings except for that - I used 0.1 instead of 0.3 and it still fails. When I bumped it up to 0.3 it meshes successfully. I don’t know how the mesher works enough to speculate why that is. Either way, I’m off to the races for now. Thank you again. ---
**Author:** ![synt](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/prepomax.discourse.group/synt/32/4658_2.png) [@synt](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/synt)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 8:49pm UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/mesh-failed-in-5-faces-how-to-querry/1350/5 "2023-12-20T20:49:06Z")
indeed, frst setting is best using default value pre-estmate and generate by PrePoMax, later t can be refined. > [@JKnight](#): > > I used 0.1 instead of 0.3 and it still fails is it usng Netgen or Gmsh mesher? it seems these value setting still meshable. ![2023-12-21 03_43_38-PrePoMax v2.0.0 C__Users_user_Downloads_1601_Nail2.pmx](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/e/e2bb30d9040d0d93ca622e5895f8398e5bbb787f.png) ![2023-12-21 03_41_27-PrePoMax v2.0.0 C__Users_user_Downloads_1601_Nail2.pmx](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/8/8707eb8e6094703e8900a09b4d73f3aaf1057f73.png) ---
**Author:** ![JKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@JKnight](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/JKnight)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 10:20pm UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/mesh-failed-in-5-faces-how-to-querry/1350/6 "2023-12-20T22:20:06Z")
I tired changing to 5 and 0.1 as you showed, and the mesh failed - I must have something else different. I’m not sure how to switch between Netgen or Gmsh - nor how I would decide which to use (rookie) ---
**Author:** ![synt](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/prepomax.discourse.group/synt/32/4658_2.png) [@synt](https://prepomax.discourse.group/u/synt)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://prepomax.discourse.group/t/mesh-failed-in-5-faces-how-to-querry/1350/7 "2023-12-20T23:09:24Z")
> [@JKnight](#): > > I tired changing to 5 and 0.1 as you showed, and the mesh failed - I must have something else different. i can confirm when using Netgen mesher, i tried to change value of Grading, Element per edge and curvature but still not succeed. ![2023-12-21 05_48_04-PrePoMax v2.0.0 C__Users_user_Downloads_1601_Nail2.pmx](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/2/2a3d9a7e188175941d60c13302c49acdf120ff12.png) > [@JKnight](#): > > I’m not sure how to switch between Netgen or Gmsh - nor how I would decide which to use (rookie) Gmsh mesher is fairly new implementation in PrePoMax, i’m also in learn by reading log output windows. Tetrahedral element mesh with Gmsh need to be adding, when there’s not defined then it will use Netgen as default. ![2023-12-21 05_43_27-Create Mesh Setup Item](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/8/862125e726f534ab0ad2f871ff2725554b7b0aa4.png) to switch back to Netgen mesher, it can be simply deactivated. ![2023-12-21 05_57_30-PrePoMax v2.0.0 C__Users_user_Downloads_1601_Nail2.pmx](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/prepomax/original/2X/9/965e6fcb15ad5591f8af967516bc66750cdca6d6.png)