Triangle: -a switch (original) (raw)

The -a switch

Imposes a maximum triangle area.
If a number follows the `a', no triangle will be generated whose area is larger than that number. For instance, -a2.5 specifies that no triangle should have area greater than 2.5.
If no number is specified after the `a', an.area file (if-r is used) or.poly file (if-r is not used) specifies a set of maximum area constraints.
An .area file contains a separate area constraint for each triangle, and is useful for refining a finite element mesh based on a posteriori error estimates.
A .poly file can optionally contain an area constraint for each segment-bounded region, thereby controlling triangle densities in a first triangulation of a PSLG.
You can impose both a fixed area constraint and a varying area constraint by invoking the -a switch twice, once with and once without a number following. Detailed information on quality meshing.