Introduction
LiveLink™ for MATLAB® connects COMSOL Multiphysics® to the MATLAB® scripting environment. Using this functionality, you can do the following:
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Set up models from a script. LiveLink™ for MATLAB® includes the COMSOL® application programming interface (API), which has all the necessary functions and methods to implement models from scratch. For each operation performed in the COMSOL Desktop® there is a corresponding command that is entered at the MATLAB prompt. It is a simplified syntax based on the Java® programming language and does not require any Java knowledge.
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Use MATLAB functions in model settings. Use LiveLink™ to set model properties with a MATLAB function. For example, define material properties or boundary conditions as a MATLAB routine that is evaluated while the model is solved.
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Interactive modeling between the COMSOL Desktop and MATLAB sharing the same model. Every modification performed at the MATLAB prompt is simultaneously updated in the COMSOL Desktop.
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Leverage MATLAB functionality for program flow. Use the COMSOL API syntax together with MATLAB functionality to control the flow of your programs. For example, implement nested loops using for or while commands, implement conditional model settings with if or switch statements, or handle exceptions using try and catch.
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Analyze results in MATLAB. The API wrapper functions included make it easy to extract data at the command line. Functions are available to access results at node points or arbitrary locations. You can also get low-level information about the extended mesh, such as finite element mesh coordinates, and connection information between the elements and nodes. Extracted data are available as MATLAB variables ready to be used with any MATLAB function.
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Connect to a Model Manager database and load, save and search for model. Although most if the interactions with models stored in a Model Manager database still should be performed with the Model Manager user interface some tasks can be automated using the COMSOL API as well as some useful MATLAB function.
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Create custom interfaces for models. Use the MATLAB Guide or the App Designer functionality to create a user-defined graphical interface that is combined with a COMSOL model. Make your models available to others by creating graphical user interfaces tailored to expose the settings and parameters of your choice.
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LiveLink™ for MATLAB® can connect to COMSOL Server™ as well as COMSOL Multiphysics server. This means that MATLAB scripts and GUIs that utilize COMSOL functionality can be distributed to and used by any user that has access to COMSOL Server™.
The examples in this guide take you through the process of setting up a COMSOL model and explain how to use COMSOL Multiphysics within the MATLAB scripting environment.