Mesh elements

Preferences window: Graphical -> Mesh elements
Quadratic elements

Draw quadratic elements: With this option you can specify how to visualize quadratic elements. Options are:

•  No: If this option is set, quadratic elements are drawn as if they were linear, i.e. nodes at the center of the edges or the element are discarded in the drawing process.
•  As lines: If this option is set, elements are drawn taking into account all quadratic nodes, but edges are drawn using straight lines between nodes, for instance a quadratic triangle will be drawn as four triangles, and a quadratic quadrilateral will be drawn as four quadrilaterals.
• As curves: If this option is set, elements are drawn taking into account all quadratic nodes, and edges are represented using quadratic curves. This option is more realistic, but it may make some visualization aspects slower when dealing with large models. Only the edges are drawn with curved lines, faces are still drawn using straight lines, i.e. a quadratic triangle will be drawn as four triangles, and a quadratic quadrilateral will be drawn as four quadrilaterals.