30.5 Projected Surface Area Calculations

You can use the Projected Surface Areas dialog box (Figure  30.5.1) to compute an estimated area of the projection of selected surfaces along the $x$, $y$, or $z$ axis (i.e., onto the $yz$, $xz$, or $xy$ plane).

Reports Projected Areas Set Up...

Figure 30.5.1: The Projected Surface Areas Dialog Box

The steps for calculating the projected area are as follows:

1.   Select the Projection Direction ( X, Y, or Z).

2.   Choose the surface(s) for which the projected area is to be calculated in the Surfaces list.

3.   Set the Min Feature Size to the length of the smallest feature in the geometry that you want to resolve in the area calculation. (You can just use the default value to start with, if you are not sure of the size of the smallest geometrical feature.)

4.   Click on Compute. The area will be displayed in the Area box and in the console window.

5.   To improve the accuracy of the area calculation, reduce the Min Feature Size by half and recompute the area. Repeat this step until the computed Area stops changing (or you reach memory capacity).

This feature is available only for 3D domains.