A common way to simplify a 3-dimensional geometry is to cut, or partition, the geometry in a specific plane and remove the objects on either side of the plane. A typical example is when the geometry is symmetric with respect to one or several planes, and you would like to remove symmetric parts from your geometry. This can be done manually but requires adding multiple steps to the geometry sequence. This add-in simplifies the task by automatically adding such steps to the sequence of a 3-dimensional geometry. You just have to specify the plane (xy-, xz-, or yz-plane), the side to remove, and the coordinate for the cut; see Figure 1

Figure 2 shows the 3-dimensional geometry of a check valve, where a planar cut has been performed in the xz-plane at the midpoint coordinate to remove the symmetry half on the downside of the plane.

Once the add-in has been imported from the COMSOL Multiphysics Add-in Library, it can be added to the model from the Add-ins menu on the Developer tab.

Use the toolbar at the top of the Settings window to perform, undo, or reset planar cuts. Click Create Cut to add steps to the geometry sequence for creating a planar cut based on the settings specified in the Plane Definition section. Click Undo Last to remove the steps added by the last performed cut from the geometry sequence. Click Reset to remove added steps for all cuts created with the add-in from the geometry sequence.

In the Plane list, choose between the options xy-plane, xz-plane, and yz-plane. Specify which side to remove in the Remove side list — either Downside or Upside from the plane. In the Coordinate list you can choose between Midpoint and User defined. The midpoint coordinate is defined as the midpoint between the maximum and minimum coordinates on the axis perpendicular to the specified plane.

For example, when selecting an xy-plane, the upside is defined as the side where all points have a z-coordinate greater than the specified cut coordinate, and the midpoint coordinate is the midpoint between the maximum and minimum z-coordinates of all parts of the geometry.

The image in the sketch section illustrates the orientation of the selected plane: the xy-, xz-, or yz-plane.

This section displays information and warning messages. A warning is shown if the model does not contain any 3D component or if the selected component is not 3-dimensional. In the latter case, selecting a 3D component in the Model Builder window or on the Home tab and then selecting the Planar Cut node again will allow you to perform the cut.