Creating a Geometry Sequence
There are a variety of ways to add and build geometry nodes: use the buttons on the toolbars, right-click the Geometry node to add items from the context menu, copy and paste geometry features, insert an existing geometry sequence from another MPH file, or import a geometry.
The Introduction to COMSOL Multiphysics includes a tutorial to learn how to build the busbar geometry. See Appendix A — Building a Geometry in that book or the printed copy included with COMSOL Multiphysics.
Using the Toolbars and Context Menus
Use the buttons in The Geometry Toolbar. You have buttons for geometric primitives as well as operations and conversions acting on geometry objects. See also The Sketch Toolbar.
You can also select objects or geometric entities in the Graphics window and then click a button or choose a context menu item. The selected objects or entities are then an input to the created geometry operation feature. To access all the features from the context menu, right-click The Geometry Node in the Model Builder and then select one of the available options.
However the geometry is added to the sequence, define the node properties in the Settings window. In numerical fields you can enter expressions that contain parameters defined in Parameters under Global Definitions in the model tree to parameterize the geometry. Click the Build Selected button () in the Settings window to see the geometry objects that result.
Copying and Pasting Geometry Objects
When using the copy/paste functionality, the copy initially contains the same data as the copied node, but there is no future connection between the two nodes. For example, if the original node is changed, it has no effect on the second node that was copied. To keep a link between nodes, use the Transforms Copy feature instead.
With the standard copy and paste method, a copy of the geometry object (a rectangle or sphere, for example) is inserted into the same geometry sequence, or another geometry sequence in the same Component, and is added after the current feature of the selected geometry sequence. The copy feature can also be used for Work Plane geometry sequences.
The copied object must be pasted under a Component with the same space dimension. For example, a Sphere can only be pasted into a 3D Component model.
Copying, Pasting, and Duplicating Nodes
Inserting a Sequence
To insert a geometry sequence from an MPH-file:
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In the Geometry toolbar, click Insert Sequence (), or
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Right-click the Geometry node and select Insert Sequence () from the context menu.
Then browse to a filename and click Open. The file is scanned for geometry sequences having the right space dimension. If there is just one such sequence, its nodes are inserted into the geometry sequence after the current node. If the file contains more than one such sequence, a dialog box opens. Select the geometry sequence from the list of available sequences. Finally click OK. The nodes in the selected sequence are inserted into the geometry sequence after the current node.
If the geometry sequence contains references to user-defined functions or parameters, those functions and parameters are also inserted in the model under Global Definitions, or in case of nonglobal functions, under Definitions in the same Component the geometry sequence is located.
Functions and parameters are inserted even if a function or parameter with the same name already exists in the model. You have to manually resolve any conflicts before the geometry sequence can be built.
Importing a Geometry
To import an existing geometry:
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In the Geometry toolbar, click Import (), or
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Right-click the Geometry node and select Import () from the context menu.
Then in the Settings window for Import click Browse. Navigate to the geometry file and double-click it. Then click Import.
If the geometry import fails to analyze the face topology (for a geometry based on mesh, for example), Error nodes () appear under the Import node. If the Error node contains details with coordinates for the location where it failed to analyze the topology, the Graphics window indicates that location using red circles. Click the Center at Coordinates button to center the camera so that you can zoom into that location by clicking the Zoom In button () one or more times.
You could also export an existing geometry from another model and then import it. See Exporting a Geometry for information.
For example, in the COMSOL installation directory navigate to the folder applications/COMSOL_Multiphysics/Tutorials and double-click virtualgeom_demo_2.mphbin.
The location of the file varies based on the installation. For example, if the installation is on your hard drive, the file path might be similar to C:\Program Files\COMSOL\COMSOL55\Multiphysics\applications (in Windows).
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Import
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Exporting a Geometry