FEM Element Types

Introduction

This description is based on the MED format as described in modele de donnes.

Segment element

Edges of Seg2 and Seg3

Edge	Node 1	Node 2	Middle node
E1	N1	N2	N3

Triangle element

Edges of Tria3 and Tria6

Edge	Node 1	Node 2	Middle node
E1	N1	N2	N4
E2	N2	N3	N5
E3	N3	N1	N6

Face by Edges of Tria3 and Tria6

Face	Edge 1	Edge 2	Edge 3
F1	E1	E2	E3

Face by Nodes of Tria3

Face	Node 1	Node 2	Node 3	Node 1
F1	N1	N2	N3	N1

Face by Nodes of Tria6

Face	Node 1	Node 2	Node 3	Node 4	Node 5	Node 6	Node 1
F1	N1	N4	N2	N5	N3	N6	N1

Quadrangle element

Edges of Quad4 and Quad8

Edge	Node 1	Node 2	Middle node
E1	N1	N2	N5
E2	N2	N3	N6
E3	N3	N4	N7
E4	N4	N1	N8

Face by Edges of Quad4 and Quad8

Face	Edge 1	Edge 2	Edge 3	Edge 4
F1	E1	E2	E3	E4

Face by Nodes of Quad4

Face	Node 1	Node 2	Node 3	Node 4	Node 1
F1	N1	N2	N3	N4	N1

Face by Nodes of Quad8

Face	Node 1	Node 2	Node 3	Node 4	Node 5	Node 6	Node 7	Node 8	Node 1
F1	N1	N5	N2	N6	N3	N7	N4	N8	N1

Tetrahedron element

Edges of Tetra4 and Tetra10

Edge	Node 1	Node 2	Middle node
E1	N1	N2	N5
E2	N2	N3	N6
E3	N3	N1	N7
E4	N1	N4	N8
E5	N2	N4	N9
E6	N3	N4	N10

Faces by Edges of Tetra4 and Tetra10

Face	Edge 1	Edge 2	Edge 3
F1	E1	E2	E3
F2	E4	-E5	-E1
F3	E5	-E6	-E2
F4	E6	-E4	-E3

Faces by Nodes of Tetra4

Face	Node 1	Node 2	Node 3	Node 1
F1	N1	N2	N3	N1
F2	N1	N4	N2	N1
F3	N2	N4	N3	N2
F4	N3	N4	N1	N3

Faces by Nodes of Tetra10

Face	Node 1	Node 2	Node 3	Node 4	Node 5	Node 6	Node 1
F1	N1	N5	N2	N6	N3	N7	N1
F2	N1	N8	N4	N9	N2	N5	N1
F3	N2	N9	N4	N10	N3	N6	N2
F4	N3	N10	N4	N8	N1	N7	N3

Hexahedron element

Edges of Hexa8 and Hexa20

Edge	Node 1	Node 2	Middle node
E1	N1	N2	N9
E2	N2	N3	N10
E3	N3	N4	N11
E4	N4	N1	N12
E5	N5	N6	N13
E6	N6	N7	N14
E7	N7	N8	N15
E8	N8	N5	N16
E9	N1	N5	N17
E10	N2	N6	N18
E11	N3	N7	N19
E12	N4	N8	N20

Faces by Edges of Hexa8 and Hexa20

Face	Edge 1	Edge 2	Edge 3	Edge 4
F1	E1	E2	E3	E4
F2	-E8	-E7	-E6	-E5
F3	E9	E5	-E10	-E1
F4	E10	E6	-E11	-E2
F5	E11	E7	-E12	-E3
F6	E12	E8	-E9	-E4

Faces by Nodes of Hexa8

Face	Node 1	Node 2	Node 3	Node 4	Node 1
F1	N1	N2	N3	N4	N1
F2	N5	N8	N7	N6	N5
F3	N1	N5	N6	N2	N1
F4	N2	N6	N7	N3	N2
F5	N3	N7	N8	N4	N3
F6	N4	N8	N5	N1	N4

Faces by Nodes of Hexa20

Face	Node 1	Node 2	Node 3	Node 4	Node 5	Node 6	Node 7	Node 8	Node 1
F1	N1	N9	N2	N10	N3	N11	N4	N12	N1
F2	N5	N16	N8	N15	N7	N14	N6	N13	N5
F3	N1	N17	N5	N13	N6	N18	N2	N9	N1
F4	N2	N18	N6	N14	N7	N19	N3	N10	N2
F5	N3	N19	N7	N15	N8	N20	N4	N11	N3
F6	N4	N20	N8	N16	N5	N17	N1	N12	N4

Pentahedron element (prism)

Edges of Penta6 and Penta15

Edge	Node 1	Node 2	Middle node
E1	N1	N2	N7
E2	N2	N3	N8
E3	N3	N1	N9
E4	N4	N5	N10
E5	N5	N6	N11
E6	N6	N4	N12
E7	N1	N4	N13
E8	N2	N5	N14
E9	N3	N6	N15

Faces by Edges of Penta6 and Penta15

Face	Edge 1	Edge 2	Edge 3	Edge 4
F1	E1	E2	E3	_
F2	-E6	-E5	-E4	_
F3	E7	E4	-E8	-E1
F4	E8	E5	-E9	-E2
F5	E9	E6	-E7	-E3

Faces by Nodes of Penta6

Face	Node 1	Node 2	Node 3	Node 4	Node 1
F1	N1	N2	N3	_	N1
F2	N4	N6	N5	_	N4
F3	N1	N4	N5	N2	N1
F4	N2	N5	N6	N3	N2
F5	N3	N6	N4	N1	N3

Faces by Nodes of Penta15

Face	Node 1	Node 2	Node 3	Node 4	Node 5	Node 6	Node 7	Node 8	Node 1
F1	N1	N7	N2	N8	N3	N9	_	_	N1
F2	N4	N12	N6	N11	N5	N10	_	_	N4
F3	N1	N13	N4	N10	N5	N14	N2	N7	N1
F4	N2	N14	N5	N11	N6	N15	N3	N8	N2
F5	N3	N15	N6	N12	N4	N13	N1	N9	N3

Pyramid element

Edges of Pyra5 and Pyra13

Edge	Node 1	Node 2	Middle node
E1	N1	N2	N6
E2	N2	N3	N7
E3	N3	N4	N8
E4	N4	N1	N9
E5	N1	N5	N10
E6	N2	N5	N11
E7	N3	N5	N12
E8	N4	N5	N13

Faces by Edges of Pyra5 and Pyra13

Face	Edge 1	Edge 2	Edge 3	Edge 4
F1	E1	E2	E3	E4
F2	E5	-E6	-E1	_
F3	E6	-E7	-E2	_
F4	E7	-E8	-E3	_
F5	E8	E5	-E4	_

Faces by Nodes of Pyra5

Face	Node 1	Node 2	Node 3	Node 4	Node 1
F1	N1	N2	N3	N4	N1
F2	N1	N5	N2	_	N1
F3	N2	N5	N3	_	N2
F4	N3	N5	N4	_	N3
F5	N4	N5	N1	_	N4

Faces by Nodes of Pyra13

Face	Node 1	Node 2	Node 3	Node4	Node 5	Node 6	Node 7	Node 8	Node 1
F1	N1	N6	N2	N7	N3	N8	N4	N9	N1
F2	N1	N10	N5	N11	N2	N6	_	_	N1
F3	N2	N11	N5	N12	N13	N7	_	_	N2
F4	N3	N12	N5	N13	N4	N8	_	_	N3
F5	N4	N13	N5	N10	N1	N9	_	_	N4

FEM

• FEM Analysis

• Materials: Solid, Fluid, Nonlinear mechanical, Reinforced (concrete); Material editor

• Element geometry: Beam (1D), Beam rotation (1D), Shell (2D), Fluid flow (1D)

---

Constraints

• Electromagnetic: Electrostatic potential, Current density, Magnetization

• Fluid: Initial flow velocity, Initial pressure, Flow velocity

• Geometrical: Plane rotation, Section print, Transform

• Mechanical: Fixed, Displacement, Contact, Tie, Spring, Force, Pressure, Centrif, Self weight

• Thermal: Initial temperature, Heat flux, Temperature, Body heat source

• Overwrite Constants: Constant vacuum permittivity

---

• Mesh: Mesh Netgen, Mesh GMSH, Mesh boundary layer, Mesh region, Mesh group, Nodes set, Mesh to mesh

• Solve: CalculiX Standard, Elmer, Mystran, Z88; Equations: Deformation, Elasticity, Electrostatic, Electricforce, Magnetodynamic, Magnetodynamic 2D, Flow, Flux, Heat; Solver: Solver control, Solver run

• Results: Purge, Show; Postprocessing: Apply changes, Pipeline from result, Warp filter, Scalar clip filter, Function cut filter, Region clip filter, Contours filter, Line clip filter, Stress linearization plot, Data at point clip filter, Filter function plane, Filter function sphere, Filter function cylinder, Filter function box

• Utilities: Clipping plane, Remove clipping planes, Open FEM examples; Mesh clear, Mesh display info

---

• Additional: Preferences; FEM Install, FEM Mesh, FEM Solver, FEM CalculiX, FEM Concrete; FEM Element Types

User documentation

• Getting started
• Installation: Download, Windows, Linux, Mac, Additional components, Docker, AppImage, Ubuntu Snap
• Basics: About FreeCAD, Interface, Mouse navigation, Selection methods, Object name, Preferences, Workbenches, Document structure, Properties, Help FreeCAD, Donate

---

• Help: Tutorials, Video tutorials
• Workbenches: Std Base, Assembly, BIM, CAM, Draft, FEM, Inspection, Material, Mesh, OpenSCAD, Part, PartDesign, Points, Reverse Engineering, Robot, Sketcher, Spreadsheet, Surface, TechDraw, Test Framework

---

• Addons: Addon Manager, External workbenches, Scripting and macros

---

• Hubs: User hub, Power users hub, Developer hub