Geometry Cleanup
Introduction
Geometry Cleanup is a tool for both automatic removal and a guided process of removing small details in geometries.
Small Details
Small details, such as the ones listed below, can often lead to a dense mesh in the regions closest to the small details, which in turn leads to higher memory consumption. Small details may also influence the quality of the mesh elements, which may affect the possibility to reach a converged solution. To be in control of where finer mesh is created, remove small details that are not needed for the simulations. Then, set finer mesh size settings only in regions of importance for the accuracy of the solution.
The details detected by the Geometry Cleanup:
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Gaps
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Thin domains
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Narrow domain regions
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Narrow face regions
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Sliver faces
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Small faces
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Short edges
Importing and Meshing a PCB Geometry from an ODB++ Archive: Application Library path ECAD_Import_Module/Tutorials/pcb_import.
preferences and Settings for the Component
The automatic detection of small details in geometries is on by default, but can be turned off in the Preferences dialog. The Automatic detection of small details checkbox in the Settings window of the Geometry node makes it possible to control this behavior for each Component in a model. See also The Geometry Node.
When the Geometry Cleanup dialog appears, seen in Figure 7-16, you can use the checkbox Remember my choice to remember the option you make. This will change a preference setting, which can be changed back at any time. In the dialog, choose either of the three options Clean up Automatically, Open Wizard, or Cancel.
The Cleanup Process
Whenever you leave the Geometry sequence, an analysis of the geometry is performed. This Detail Detection will report any geometric details that are considered small. The Automatic Cleanup will perform all cleanup in a fully automated process to remove the reported details. Use The Cleanup Wizard to inspect the small details that were found and to modify the tolerance and to select the steps taken by the cleanup process. For more complex cases, a Mesh-Based Cleanup node can be added where mesh operations will be used to do the cleanup. After the cleanup is finished, you will find all modifications presented in The Cleanup Log.
The geometry cleanup is built-in functionality in the COMSOL Multiphysics product and can add nodes, like Remove Details, to the Model Builder, but it can also modify the repair tolerance to bridge gaps and match misaligned faces. If you have access to the CAD Import Module, the Design Module, or any of the LiveLinks for CAD, then functionality in those modules can be used as well.