Curvature-based Meshing
In curvature-based meshing, mesh density is dictated by the body's boundary (edge and face) curvatures. By giving a maximum allowed geometric discretization error (how much a boundary mesh edge can deviate from the body edge or face), it is possible to have the mesh follow the contours of the body as accurately as desired. This methodology gives excellent results when dealing with smooth highly curved surfaces.
Remarks
Image Gallery
The following images show some meshes obtained when specifying curvature-based refinement.
Figure 1 Academic example
Figure 2 Jet nacelle
The following example shows how the mesh density is automatically adjusted in near-planar areas near highly subdivided faces.
Figure 3 Revolver cylinder
See also the following meshing methods in ADINA: