PADDER overview --------------- PADDER is an algorithm that creates a set of particules called a "discrete mesh". The particules are characterized by a location in space and a weight that can be considered as the radius of a sphere whose center is the location of the particule. Discrete meshes are typically used to modelize civil components in rapid dynamic computation problems (seisms, chocs). These components consists in concrete parts embedding steal bares for reinforcement. These parts are input to the algorithm as standard finite elements meshes. The cells of theses meshes drive the location and sizing of particules. In the med representation, a discrete mesh is described as MED_BALL elements. A MED_BALL element is defined by a location and a radius. PADDER plugin ------------- This directory provides SMESH with a SALOME plugin that can be used to define and then run a PADDER execution. The inputs are the FE meshes that describe the concrete parts and steal bares parts. The output is a discrete mesh containing MED_BALL elements. A graphical interface is used to drive the user for data input and computation supervision (the algorithm may last more than an hour long), and finally the publication of the resulting mesh (when succeed) in the SALOME study. Technically speaking, the PADDER plugin consists in: * a SALOME component MESHJOB that do the computation job (wrapper to the padder executable program) * a graphical interface composed of two dialog windows * a configuration mechanism (data file and read function), to define the computation resource (a SALOME resource + the software configuration of the padder executable program on this resource) * an integration file (salomeplugin.py)