SEMIAUTOMATIC COMPUTER CONSTRUCTION OF 3-DIMENSIONAL SHAPES FOR THE FINITE-ELEMENT METHOD

Precise estimation of spatio-temporal distribution of ions (or other c onstitutives) in three-dimensional geometrical configuration plays a m ajor role in biology. Since a direct experimental information regardin g the free intracellular Ca2+ spatio-temporal distribution is not avai lable to date, mathematical models have been developed. Most of the ex isting models are based on the classical numerical method of finite-di fference (FD). Using this method one is limited when dealing with comp licated geometry, general boundary conditions and variable or non-line ar material properties. These difficulties are easily solved when the finite-element-method (FEM) is employed. The first step in the impleme ntation of the FEM procedure is the mesh generation which is the singl e most tedious, time consuming task and vulnerable to mistake. In orde r to overcome these limitations we developed a new interface called AU TOMESH. This tool is used as a preprocessor program which generates tw o- and three-dimensional meshes for some known and often-used shapes i n neurobiology. AUTOMESH creates an appropriate mesh by using the mesh generator commercial tool of FIDAP.