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doc/FAQ

-$Id: FAQ,v 1.2 2001-03-06 21:31:17 geuzaine Exp $
 
-Q. Gmsh complains about missing libraries.
-A. Try 'ldd gmsh' to check if all required shared libraries are
-installed on your system.
+GMSH FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 
 
-Q. Gmsh does not work under HP-UX.
-A. the HP version is reported not to work with native OpenGL. You
-should install Mesa instead.
+($Id: FAQ,v 1.3 2001-09-05 12:22:38 geuzaine Exp $)
 
-Q. When moving the mouse over the graphic window, everything that is
-drawn on it disappears, and each item is visible only when the cursor
-is directly over it.
-A. You should start Gmsh with the '-noov' command line option.
 
-Q. The graphics display very slowly.
-A. Are you are executing Gmsh from a remote host (via the network)
-without GLX? You should turn double buffering off (with the -nodb
-command line option).
+1. GENERAL
+==========
 
-Q. Big post-processing scenes are slow to display.
-A. Try display lists (-dl command line option).
+1.1) What is Gmsh?
+
+Gmsh is an automatic three-dimensional finite element mesh generator,
+primarily Delaunay, with built-in pre- and post-processing facilities. Its
+primal goal is to provide a simple meshing tool for academic test cases with
+parametric input and up to date visualization capabilities.  One of the
+strengths of Gmsh is its ability to respect a characteristic length field
+for the generation of adapted meshes on lines, surfaces and volumes.
+
+1.2) What does 'Gmsh' mean?
+
+Nothing ;-)
+
+1.3) Where can I find more information?
+
+<http://www.geuz.org/gmsh/> is the primary site to obtain information about
+Gmsh. You will e.g. find a searchable archive of the Gmsh mailing list.
+Please: Before posting to the list, read this FAQ and the available
+documentation. This way you help people focus on topics that have not yet
+been resolved.
+
+
+2. INSTALLATION
+===============
+
+2.1) Which OSes does Gmsh run on?
+
+Windows 95/98/NT/2000, Linux (with glibc > 2.1), Compaq Tru 64 Unix,
+Sun OS, IBM AIX, SGI IRIX, HP-UX.
+
+2.2) Are there additional requirements to run Gmsh?
+
+You must have OpenGL (or Mesa) libraries installed on your system.
+
+
+3. GENERAL PROBLEMS
+===================
+
+3.1) Gmsh complains about missing libraries.
+
+Try 'ldd gmsh' to check if all required shared libraries are installed on
+your system. If not, install them.
+
+3.2) Gmsh does not work under HP-UX.
+
+The HP version is reported not to work with native OpenGL. You should
+install Mesa instead.
+
+3.3) Gmsh keeps re-displaying its graphics when other windows partially hide
+the graphical window.
+
+Disable opaque move in your window manager.
+
+
+4. GEOMETRY PROBLEMS
+====================
+
+4.1) Does Gmsh support NURBS curves/surfaces?
+
+Not yet.
+
+
+5. MESH PROBLEMS
+================
+
+5.1) What should I do when the 2D unstructured algorithm fails?
+
+Try the new algorithm:
+- on the command line: gmsh -algo tri
+- in the interface: Options->Mesh->Algorithm->Isotropic (Triangle)
+- in input files: Mesh.Algorithm = 3
+The old 2D algorithm will disappear once all the features of the old one are
+integrated, so please don't send bug reports for the old algorithm anymore.
+
+5.2) What should I do when the 3D unstructured algorithm fails?
+
+The 3D algorithm is still very experimental. Try to change some
+characteristic lengths in your input file to generate meshes that suit the
+geometrical details better.
+
+5.3) I changed the characteristic lenghts, but the 3D algorithm still does
+not work. What should I do?
+
+Buy a professional mesh generator ;-)
+
+5.4) The quality of the elements generated by the 3D algorithm is very bad.
+
+Yes, this is normal. At the time of this writing, we do not post-process the
+delaunay mesh, so that some badly shaped tetrahedra will likely subsist in
+any unstructured 3D mesh. This will be fixed in the future.
+
+5.5) Non-recombined 3D extruded meshes sometimes fail.
+
+The swapping algorithm is not very clever at the moment. Try to change the
+surface mesh a bit.
+
+
+6. SOLVER PROBLEMS
+==================
+
+
+7. POST-PROCESSING PROBLEMS
+===========================
+
+7.1) The graphics display very slowly.
+
+Are you are executing Gmsh from a remote host (via the network) without GLX?
+You should turn double buffering off (with the -nodb command line option).
+
+7.2) Big post-processing scenes are slow to display.
+
+Try display lists (-dl command line option).
 
-Q. Gmsh keeps re-displaying its graphics when other windows partially
-hide the graphical window. 
-A. Disable opaque move in your window manager.
 
-Q. What does Gmsh mean?
-A. Nothing ;-)