COMSOL Documentation and Help
About the Documentation Set
The full documentation set that ships with COMSOL Multiphysics consists of the following titles:
Introduction to COMSOL Multiphysics — information about version 5.3 and how to build models using the desktop environment, including quick references to keyboard shortcuts and common commands and functions.
COMSOL Multiphysics Installation Guide — besides covering various installation options, it describes system requirements and how to configure and run the COMSOL software on different platforms, including client-server architectures as well as shared-memory and distributed (cluster) parallel versions.
COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual — this book, which covers the functionality of COMSOL Multiphysics across its entire range from geometry modeling to results evaluation and visualization, including the physics interfaces for physics and equation-based modeling. It serves as a tutorial and a reference guide to use COMSOL Multiphysics. This book reviews geometry, mesh, solver, and results functionality and provides detailed information about the settings and options. Additionally, it describes some advanced functionality and settings in COMSOL Multiphysics and provides background material and references.
COMSOL Multiphysics Programming Reference Manual — this book provides details about features and techniques that help you control COMSOL Multiphysics using its application programming interface (API). The COMSOL API can be used from the Application Builder, in a standalone Java® application, and from MATLAB® using the LiveLink™ for MATLAB® interface. For the Application Builder, the Application Programming Guide provides information about using the COMSOL API and the API of the Application Builder components to create methods for custom applications.
The Introduction to the Application Builder and the Application Builder Reference Manual provide documentation related to the Application Builder. See also the COMSOL Server Manual for configure a server and clients for COMSOL applications.
COMSOL Server Manual — information about setting up, configuring, and running a COMSOL Server for running and deploying applications within an organization.
The Physics Builder Manual provides documentation related to the Physics Builder.
The Essentials of Postprocessing and Visualization provides tips and information that help you get the most out of the postprocessing and visualization tools in COMSOL.
COMSOL Multiphysics Release Notes — information about new functionality and changes in the 5.3 release and about compatibility with earlier versions of COMSOL Multiphysics.
In addition, each of the optional modules includes a manual as described in The COMSOL Multiphysics Modules and Interfacing Options. The documentation for the optional CAD Import Module and LiveLinks to CAD packages is available in separate manuals, and the documentation for the optional Material Library in the Material Library User’s Guide.
The COMSOL LiveLinkfor MATLAB® User’s Guide shows how to access the capabilities of COMSOL from the MATLAB programming environment.
Different Instructions for Different Operating Systems
The Windows® platform uses a ribbon layout, a style familiar to Microsoft® Office users and integrated into many other Windows software designs. The ribbon-style layout is intuitive and makes it easy to locate similar and frequently used features. For the Linux® and Mac platforms, there are extended toolbars that provide almost identical single-click access to most functionality in the software.
The use of the ribbon for Windows users means that there are slightly different instructions about how to access some features compared to Mac or Linux users. When specific instructions are included about where to find a particular feature, the instructions distinguish between the operating systems using different icons.
In general, instructions for all platforms imply that the feature is available from a named toolbar. For example, the Home toolbar, Physics toolbar, Mesh toolbar, or Geometry toolbar. See Toolbars and Keyboard Shortcuts for information about each toolbar.
A ribbon tab, ribbon group, or modal ribbon tab, are available in the Windows version. See Figure 2-1 for an example of the Windows Home toolbar.
The Model Toolbar and Contextual Toolbar are available in the cross-platform version, primarily for Mac and Linux users. See Figure 2-10 for an example of these toolbars.
About the Screenshots Used in this Manual
The screenshots used throughout this reference manual are captured using the Windows platform except when there are clear differences other than fonts or cosmetic appearance.
Additional Internet Resources
A number of internet resources have more information about COMSOL, including licensing and technical information. The electronic documentation, topic-based (or context-based) help, and the application libraries are all accessed through the COMSOL Desktop.
If you are reading the documentation as a PDF file on your computer, the blue links do not work to open an application or content referenced in a different guide. However, if you are using the Help system in COMSOL Multiphysics, these links work to open other modules (as long as you have a license), application examples, and documentation sets.
Contacting COMSOL by Email
For general product information, contact COMSOL at info@comsol.com.
To receive technical support from COMSOL for the COMSOL products, please contact your local COMSOL representative or send your questions to support@comsol.com. An automatic notification and a case number are sent to you by email.
COMSOL Online Resources