CAD Import Module

and LiveLink™ for CAD V4.3a

LiveLink™ for AutoCAD®, LiveLink™ for Creo™ Parametric,

LiveLink™ for Inventor®, LiveLink™ for Pro/ENGINEER®,

LiveLink™ for Solid Edge®, LiveLink™ for SolidWorks®,

LiveLink™ for SpaceClaim®

Contents

• Feature Guide

• LiveLink Interface

• One Window Interface

• File Import

• CAD Import Module Kernel

• Defeaturing and Repair

• Virtual Geometry and Mesh Control

Operations

*LiveLink for AutoCAD, LiveLink for Creo Parametric, LiveLink for Inventor, LiveLink for Pro/ENGINEER, LiveLink for Solid Edge,

LiveLink for SolidWorks, and LiveLink for SpaceClaim **LiveLink for SolidWorks

COMSOL Multiphysics

CAD Import Module

LiveLink for CAD*

LiveLink interface X

One Window interface X**

CAD File Import X X

CAD dedicated geometry kernel

X X

Defeaturing and Repair X X

Export to Parasolid X X

Virtual geometry and mesh control operations

X

Feature Guide

LiveLink Interface

Benefits

• Set up your COMSOL model only once for multiple CAD design configurations

• Optimize the CAD design by automatically sweeping over, and solving the model,

for a range of design variations

• No need to keep track of several CAD files with variations of the same design

• Transferred geometry can be defeatured and modified in COMSOL

• Leverage COMSOL’s capability of server and cluster computing

• Integrate with LiveLink for MATLAB® for even greater flexibility

CAD Software and Version

LiveLink for AutoCAD AutoCAD 2012, 2013

LiveLink for Creo Parametric Creo Parametric 1.0, 2.0

LiveLink for Inventor Inventor 2012, 2013

LiveLink for Pro/ENGINEER Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0, 5.0 Creo Elements/Pro 5.0

LiveLink for Solid Edge Solid Edge ST5

LiveLink for SolidWorks SolidWorks 2011, 2012

LiveLink for SpaceClaim SpaceClaim 2011+, 2012

LiveLink for CAD: Supported Software

New

CAD program

active CAD file

COMSOL Multiphysics

Updated geometry

Parameters

A bidirectional Interface

• Transfer parameters to CAD program

• Transfer geometry to COMSOL

CAD program

active CAD file

COMSOL Multiphysics

Updated geometry

Parameters

Automatic Parametric Sweep

• Physics settings retained in COMSOL

model

• Automatic mesh

• Automatic solve

• Automatic result plots

Top CAD assembly file

Part 1

Part 2

Part 1

Sub-assembly 1

Part 2

Geometry Parameters

COMSOL Multiphysics

* Available with LiveLink for Creo Parametric, LiveLink for Inventor,

LiveLink for Pro/ENGINEER, LiveLink for SolidWorks

Parameter Update

• Update, in both CAD assemblies and

CAD parts, parameters that are

- User defined, or

- Model generated

• Interactively link parameters in the CAD

program to COMSOL*

• Available with LiveLink for SolidWorks

• Create multiphysics models inside the SolidWorks user interface

One Window Interface

* Needs license for File Import for CATIA V5

Format Extension Version

Parasolid® .x_t, .x_b up to V25

SAT® (ACIS®) .sat, .sab up to R22

STEP .step, .stp AP203, AP214

IGES .igs, .iges up to 5.3

Autodesk Inventor part .ipt 6 – 11, 2008 – 2012

Autodesk Inventor

assembly

.iam 11, 2008 – 2012

Pro/ENGINEER .prt, .asm 16 to Wildfire 5.0

Creo Parametric .prt, .asm 1.0

SolidWorks .sldprt, .sldasm 98-2012

CATIA V5* .CATPart, .CATProduct R6 to R22

File Import: Supported Formats

• Import solids, surfaces, curves, and

points

- Form solids from

surfaces

• Length unit from CAD file or from

COMSOL geometry

• Automatic repair during import

- Healing gaps, removing

spikes, short edges,

slivers, etc.

• Location and type of errors in geometry

reported after import

File Import

• Integration of the Parasolid kernel,

which is one of the leading 3D

modeling kernels

• Used by default with a license for the

CAD Import Module or a LiveLink for

CAD Product

• Enables defeaturing and repair of

imported CAD geometry

• Enables combining imported

geometry with geometry generated in

COMSOL

Dedicated Geometry Kernel

• Click on a node in the Model Builder to

access and modify the settings for the

geometry operations

• Enable or disable geometry operations in the

sequence

• Delete operations or insert new ones

• Fully parameterized geometries

Geometry Sequence

Defeaturing and Repair

Heal gap and

create solid

CAD Repair

• Perform after import of CAD files - Repair – similar to the automatic repair during import

- Knit to solid – heals gaps to create closed surfaces or solids

Delete

Fillets

Defeaturing tools

• Interactively search for and remove

- Fillets

- Small faces

- Sliver faces

- Spikes

- Short edges

Remove face and

extend other faces

to fill gap

Delete Sliver Faces

Faces are deleted and the wound is

healed by growing surrounding faces

Delete Faces

• Select faces to be deleted

• Use to remove holes

• Use to remove larger features from the geometry

Faces are detached into separate

objects. New faces are created by

growing surrounding faces.

Detach Faces

• Select faces to be detached into a new solid object

• Use to create a solid for fluid calculation in a channel or hole

• Use to create a domain to apply different materials

Cap Faces

• Select edges to form new faces on solid or surface objects

• Use to create a domain for fluid calculation in a channel or hole

• Use to create a domain to apply different materials

• Use to close a surface object and create a solid

Virtual Geometry and

Mesh Control Operations

Virtual Geometry Operations

• Complements defeaturing and repair operations

• “Hides” geometry features from the mesher

• Use to get rid of – Sliver faces

– Short edges

– Small faces

– Undesired surface partitioning

– Small domains due to overlapping solids

• Difference from defeaturing – Works on the finalized geometry that is seen by the mesher

– Keeps the underlying surface curvature

• Gain precise control over mesh layout and density in regions of known rapid changes

or steep gradients, which may occur for example in CFD simulations

• Selected geometry features are available exclusively to control local mesh properties

and do not affect the subdivision of edges, faces, or domains when applying physics

settings

Domain for mesh control in benchmark model of turbulent flow field around a car-like object

Mesh Control Operations