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LiveLink™ for Solid Edge®

Run COMSOL® Simulations with Solid Edge® Designs

The LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® add-on product enables connectivity between the COMSOL Multiphysics® software and Solid Edge® to efficiently integrate simulation into design workflows. Solid Edge® is a premier CAD solution for 3D design and product data management. When used together with multiphysics simulation, it provides a powerful solution for product design, evaluation, and optimization. With LiveLink™ for Solid Edge®, the functionality of COMSOL Multiphysics® can be leveraged to better understand how a Solid Edge® design performs in its intended operating environment and to evaluate the impact of essentially any physical effect and its interactions.

There are multiple ways to use LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® to match a design workflow, starting with simply running both programs at once, side by side. Alternatively, for teams that have a design engineer using Solid Edge® and a simulation engineer using COMSOL Multiphysics®, the Offline Synchronization feature can be used to facilitate collaboration between the two.

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The COMSOL Multiphysics UI overlaid on a Solid Edge UI with a bracket model in both Graphics windows.

Features and Functionality with LiveLink™ for Solid Edge®

The link between Solid Edge® and COMSOL Multiphysics® is flexible for modeling and design workflow needs.

A close-up view of the Model Builder with the LiveLink for Solid Edge node highlighted and a busbar model in the Graphics window.

Synchronize CAD Geometries in Solid Edge® and COMSOL Multiphysics®

LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® enables synchronization between a COMSOL model's geometry and the corresponding Solid Edge® CAD file. LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® ensures that any design changes are automatically updated, eliminating the need for manual import and export each time changes are made. During the geometry synchronization process between the two programs, material and physics definitions as well as boundary conditions remain associated with their respective CAD entities, even through design alterations. LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® also keeps track of the synchronized file’s name and path to prevent synchronizing an incorrect document.

The LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® functionality includes several options for importing a geometry into COMSOL Multiphysics® from Solid Edge®. The length unit can be taken from the CAD document (the default option) or COMSOL®. The objects that are imported from Solid Edge® will include solids, surfaces, curves, and points, but any of these can be excluded if it is not applicable to the simulation.

A close-up view of the LiveLink for Solid Edge settings and a pacemaker model in the Graphics window.

Offline Synchronization

Files can be synced between Solid Edge® and COMSOL Multiphysics®, even when the programs are installed on different computers. Using the LiveLink™ add-in inside LiveLink™ for Solid Edge®, it is possible to save a synchronization file that may contain one or several versions of the geometry. This synchronization file can be loaded into a COMSOL Multiphysics® model to compute parametric sweeps. This is especially useful in organizations where the two different software packages are used by different team members.

The LiveLink™ add-in can be installed with the COMSOL Multiphysics® installer or with the COMSOL Client installer for running simulation apps. The COMSOL Client installation option enables the same process for apps: preparing designs, saving offline synchronization files, and loading the files into simulation apps for analysis.

A close-up view of the LiveLink for Solid Edge settings and a bracket model in the Graphics window.

Synchronize Parameters, Materials, and Selections

The LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® synchronization capabilities include design parameters, materials, and selections originated within Solid Edge®. Through the COMSOL Multiphysics tab that is integrated into the Solid Edge® user interface, users can select which parameters to synchronize as well as configure selections directly on the CAD design. Additionally, the COMSOL Multiphysics® user interface features a detailed settings window to keep track of the synchronized parameters and selections. These parameters and selections then become available for use when setting up the simulation in COMSOL Multiphysics®.

Solid Edge® design parameters can be iteratively accessed and updated by COMSOL Multiphysics®, facilitating design parameter optimization studies and parametric sweeps to evaluate the effect of properties such as the diameter of a hole or thickness of a component in a design. Even design parameters that are controlled by relationships within the Solid Edge® design remain accessible in a read-only mode within COMSOL Multiphysics®. This accessibility is useful when setting up simulations, for example, when defining boundary conditions or mesh element size settings.

Selections, which are defined on the CAD design inside Solid Edge®, can be used to greatly reduce the time it takes to set up the simulation, e.g., by automatically collecting all domains with the same material properties into one easily accessible selection. Selections can also be used to ensure that the physics settings remain attached to the correct domains and boundaries as the topology of the geometry changes while running a parametric sweep or optimization study.

Streamline Geometries for Simulation

COMSOL model geometries created from an imported CAD geometry often require some manipulation to reduce the complexity of the mesh and improve the efficiency of the simulation in COMSOL Multiphysics®. To ensure that geometries can be reliably modified and combined with geometry created in COMSOL Multiphysics® after import, LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® provides the Parasolid® geometry engine with functionality for geometry simplification, including automatic repair and defeaturing. Its functionality is detailed on the CAD Import Module page.

Virtual geometry operations are also available with COMSOL Multiphysics® to provide yet another method for preventing fine design details from creating regions with unnecessarily dense meshes. With this functionality, a virtual geometry for meshing is created that excludes selected features of the CAD design. A distinct advantage is that the original curvature of the design is maintained, which may improve simulation accuracy for certain applications, such as analyzing stresses in structural contact.

A close-up view of a sliver CAD geometry showing the results of the mesh before and after repairing it.
A close-up view of a CAD geometry shown in a side-by-side comparison with and without a groove and hole.
A close-up view of a CAD geometry shown in a side-by-side comparison with and without fillets.
A close-up view of a CAD geometry shown in a side-by-side comparison with and without capped faces.
An infographic showing the connection between four different networks.

Simulation Applications

LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® includes capabilities for creating simulation apps that analyze Solid Edge® designs. These apps can be shared with Solid Edge® design teams either as standalone, compiled applications or in a managed fashion, deployed on the COMSOL Server™ application management product. All that is needed to run simulation apps is the COMSOL Client for Windows®, which can be downloaded and installed for free. This also installs the COMSOL Multiphysics tab in the Solid Edge® user interface. Compiled apps can either be launched directly from this tab or from COMSOL Server™.

Supported Formats for File Import and Export

Note that not all file formats are supported on all operating systems; for details, see the system requirements. The STL, PLY, and 3MP surface mesh formats are supported by COMSOL Multiphysics® without add-on products.

File Format Extension Version Import Export
ACIS® .sat, .sab, .asat, .asab Up to 2024 1.0 (import),
R4, R7, 2016 1.0 (export)
AutoCAD® .dwg 2.5–2024
AutoCAD® DXF™ .dxf 2.5–2024
IGES .igs, .iges Up to 5.3
Inventor® assemblies .iam 11–2024
Inventor® parts .ipt 6–2024
NX™ .prt Up to 2306
Parasolid® .x_t, .xmt_txt, .x_b, .xmt_bin Up to V36.0
PTC Creo Parametric™ .prt, .asm 1.0–10.0
PTC Pro/ENGINEER® .prt, .asm 16 to Wildfire® 5.0
SOLIDWORKS® .sldprt, .sldasm 98–2024
STEP .step AP203, AP214, AP242 (import),
AP203 (export)

Solid Edge and Parasolid are registered trademarks of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For a list of such trademark owners, see the Trademarks page. COMSOL AB and its subsidiaries and products are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or supported by these trademark owners.

Every business and every simulation need is different.

In order to fully evaluate whether or not the COMSOL Multiphysics® software will meet your requirements, you need to contact us. By talking to one of our sales representatives, you will get personalized recommendations and fully documented examples to help you get the most out of your evaluation and guide you to choose the best license option to suit your needs.

Just click on the "Contact COMSOL" button, fill in your contact details and any specific comments or questions, and submit. You will receive a response from a sales representative within one business day.

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