This paper reviews some recent advances in mesh generation and assesses some issues and prospects for the future. Topics which will be covered are considered to be key issues in both structured and unstructured mesh generation. Mesh generation has progressed significantly in the last 10 years. The period from the mid 1980s has seen the development of a number of large multiblock structured grid generation codes. However, progress on the automatic block decomposition has been limited. This is a severe challenge for the future. Unstructured grids have been widely accepted and applied and generation times have been reduced and robustness and grid quality have been enhanced. A major challenge in the near future for unstructured grids is to ensure the suitability of high aspect ratio grids which are used, for example, in the simulation of high Reynolds number flows. The last 10 years has seen the extensive use of graphics user interfaces and the widescale availability of high performance computer platforms. These has provided the foundation for an integrated environment for pre- and post-processing. Presently, problems common to all mesh generation techniques are the geometry preparation, extended automation and the more effective use of mesh adaptation. The real challenge for the future is to reduce the time for the mesh generation cycle and to ensure enhanced grid quality and robustness.

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