On Halloween, COMSOL released the newest version of its popular software, COMSOL Multiphysics 5.0, as well as an Application Builder product. Thanks to the addition of the Application Builder, COMSOL users can now design specialized applications to provide researchers, designers and manufacturers with access to multiphysics simulation.
COMSOL Version 5.0 also features extensive product updates and three new add-on products. With the Application Builder, COMSOL users can now build applications for use by engineering and manufacturing departments, expanding accessibility to their expertise.
The Application Builder
The Application Builder enables engineers to create an application based on their COMSOL Multiphyics model. The Windows version of the Application Builder provides all the tools needed to build and run simulation apps. Any COMSOL model can be turned into an application with its own interface using the tools provided with the Application Builder desktop environment.
Using the Form Editor, the user interface layout can be designed, while the Methods Editor is used for implementing customized commands. Based on the project at hand, engineers can now easily build a specialized application to share with colleagues and customers that includes only the parameters relevant to the design of a specific device or product.
Three new add-on modules released
These add-ons include: Ray Optics Module, the Design Module, and LiveLink for Revit.
Ray Optics Module. For engineers working in application areas, such as building science, solar energy, and interferometers, the Ray Optics Module can be used to analyze systems in which electromagnetic wavelength is much smaller than the smallest geometric detail in the model.
Key features include the ability to compute the trajectory of rays in graded and ungraded media, and the modeling of polychromatic, unpoloarized, and partially coherent light.
Design Module. Expands the available toolset of CAD functions to include the following 3D CAD operations: loft, fillet, chamfer, mid surface, and thicken in addition to CAD import and geometry repair functionality.
LiveLink for Revit. Allows COMSOL users to interface with Autodesk’s building information management (BMI) software. With LiveLink for Revit, users can seamlessly synchronize a geometry between Revit Architecture and COMSOL, enabling multiphysics simulation in architectural design.
New features in COMSOL
* Multiphysics. Predefined multiphysics couplings now include: Joule heating with thermal expansion; induction, microwave, and laser heating; thermal stress; thermoelectric and piezoelectric effect; non-isothermal flow; optoelectronics; plasma heat source; acoustic-structure interaction; thermoacoustic-structure and aeroacoustic-structure interaction; and acoustic-porous and porous-structure interaction.
* Geometry and Mesh. Create geometry from an imported mesh and call geometry subsequences using a linked subsequence. Also now includes faster handling of large arrays and CAD assemblies.
* Optimization and Multipurpose. The Particle Tracing Module now includes the accumulation of particles, erosion, and etch features. Multi-analysis optimization has also been added.
* Studies and Solvers. Improved simulation of CAD assemblies, support for extra dimensions, and the ability to sweep over sets of materials and user-defined functions. Improved probe-while-soloving, unit support for parametric seeps and the ability to search for eigenfrequencies within a given interval have also been added.
*Materials and Functions. Materials can now be copied, pasted, duplicated, dragged and dropped. Link to Global Materials using a Material link when the same material is used in multiple components.
*Mechanical. Model geometrically nonlinear beams, nonlinear elastic materials, and elasticity in joints using the products for modeling structural mechanics. In the Heat Transfer Module, thin layer, film, fracture and rod as well as cryogenic damage and parallelized radiation has been added. The Acoustics Module has two new methods for modeling high frequency or geometrical acoustics: Ray Acoustics and Acoustic Diffusion.
* Fluid. Create automatic pipe connections to 3D flow domains in the Pipe Flow Module. The CFD Module is expanded with two new algebraic turbulence models, as well as turbulent fans and grilles.
* Electrical. The AC/DC Module, RF Module, and Wave Optics Module now contain a frequency- and material-controlled auto mesh suggestion that offers the easy one-click meshing of infinite elements and periodic conditions. The Plasma Module now contains interfaces for modeling equilibrium discharges.
* Chemical. The Chemical Reaction Module now contains a new Chemistry interface that can be used as a Material node for chemical reactions.
For a deeper dive into all the new functionality included in COMSOL Multiphyics 5.0 and the Application Builder, check out the COMSOL web site here.
