Export Mesh of Multiple Objects

[ptrem]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on a project where I’d like to export the mesh for multiple objects in an HFSS design — ideally in a way that allows me to separate them afterward.

The goal is to extract the nodes, vertices, and other mesh data for each object individually so that I can reconstruct the geometry independently and assign additional properties (such as materials) to each node.

To illustrate what I mean, here’s a workaround I implemented. It iterates through all 3D objects, hides everything except one at a time, generates a mesh for that single object, and exports it separately.

from ansys.aedt.core import Hfss
hfss = Hfss(new_desktop_session=True, specified_version="2025.2")

cube1 = hfss.modeler.create_box([0, 0, 0], [10, 10, 10], name="Cube1", material="copper")
cube2 = hfss.modeler.create_box([15, 0, 0], [10, 10, 10], name="Cube2", material="copper")

setup = hfss.create_setup("Setup1")
setup.props["Frequency"] = "1GHz"

setup_name = hfss.setup_names[0]  # e.g. “Setup1”
all_objs = hfss.modeler.solid_names

for obj in all_objs:
    print(f"Exporting mesh for object: {obj}")
    # Hide others
    for o in all_objs:
        hfss.modeler[o].model = (o == obj)
    # Remesh
    hfss.mesh.generate_mesh(setup_name)
    # Export mesh
    mesh_file = hfss.post.export_mesh_obj(setup=f"{setup_name} : LastAdaptive")
    # Rename / store mesh with object name
    desired_file = rf"...\Ansoft\temp\mesh_{obj}.aedtplt"
    import shutil
    shutil.move(mesh_file, desired_file)
    print(f"Saved mesh for {obj} to {desired_file}")

# Restore all objects visible
for o in all_objs:
    hfss.modeler[o].model = True

After exporting, I parse the mesh data using the internal pyvista._parse_aedtplt function to extract vertices and faces for visualization.

from ansys.aedt.core.visualization.plot import pyvista

# Path to your .aedtplt file
filename1 = r"...Ánsoft\temp\mesh_Cube1.aedtplt"
filename2 = r"...\Ansoft\temp\mesh_Cube2.aedtplt"


# Parse mesh data directly using pyvista._parse_aedtplt
vertices1, faces1, scalars1, log1 = pyvista._parse_aedtplt(filename1)
vertices2, faces2, scalars2, log2 = pyvista._parse_aedtplt(filename2)

# Use the first mesh (if multiple)
mesh1 = pv.PolyData(vertices1[0], faces1[0])
mesh2 = pv.PolyData(vertices2[0], faces2[0])

# Visualize the mesh
plotter = pv.Plotter()
plotter.add_mesh(mesh1, show_edges=True, color="lightblue")
plotter.add_mesh(mesh2, show_edges=True, color="lightgreen")
plotter.add_axes()
plotter.show_bounds(grid='front', location='outer', all_edges=True)
plotter.show()

This approach works, but it’s quite inefficient since it requires re-meshing and exporting for each object separately.

Is there a PyAEDT or PyAnsys function that can directly export the mesh for multiple objects (or provide per-object mesh data) without having to isolate and re-mesh each one individually?

Any pointers or best practices for achieving this more efficiently would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[gmalinve]

Hi @ptrem ,

Thanks for opening this issue.
We think that this request goes far beyond PyAEDT but rather an enhancement request for our dev. team for the native API.
May I ask if you can open a Service Request in our customer portal and put me in CC?
I don't know if you know but you could also explore the PyEnsight library: https://ensight.docs.pyansys.com/.

Thanks,

Giulia

[gmalinve]

@ptrem or another thing I could also suggest is to use the plot_field() method instead.
This method has an argument plot_as_separate_objects which actually does what you are looking for: it is exporting an obj for each object and a field plot for the plot itself and then is using pyvista to visualize. If you want, you can use pyensight to visualize but the source data should be what you are looking for.

[gmalinve]

Hi @ptrem,

We were thinking of a couple of workarounds while there's no solution available, although they require a certain amount of effort:

You can keep exporting a .case file x object and then merge them with PyVista and load them individually and visualize together in a PyVista Plotter. The add_mesh method accepts a label argument which can be used as an identifier of the object (ID). Something like:
files = ["part1.case", "part2.case", "part3.case"]
meshes = [pv.read(f) for f in files]

p = pv.Plotter()
for i, m in enumerate(meshes):
p.add_mesh(m, label=f"Part {i+1}")
You could rely on PyVista and intersect the case field data with the objs and get mesh obj x obj.
Hope this helps,

Kind regards,

Giulia

[ptrem]

Hi Giulia,
Thanks for your answer. This seems to be a practical workaround.
For the .case file export, the plot_field function
is used?

[gmalinve]

@ptrem you could use both the export_field_plot or the plot_field method to export the initial .case file and then try one of the workarounds I suggested.