Discussion Forum

Hi Jan,
Yes, "LiveLink™ enables synchronization of geometry from Inventor® to COMSOL.
The synchronized geometry in the COMSOL model stays associative with the
geometry in Inventor, which means that settings you have applied to the
geometry, for example physics interface or mesh settings, are retained after
subsequent synchronizations. In addition, you gain control of the Inventor
geometry dimensions from within the COMSOL model. This functionality allows
for automatic parametric sweeps, or automatic shape optimization available with
the Optimization Module.".

See the first few pages of the "Introduction to LiveLink for Inventor" manual for detailed instructions.
Best,
Jeff

Hi Jeff,

thanks for replying!
Somehow I'm struggling with the connection between COMSOL and Inventor.
The LiveLink button in COMSOL is not active so could it be that my license does not contain the LiveLink™ module (Picture 2)? I put some pictures in this thread.
Maybe I do something wrong. To get more detailed what I do now is the following:

1. 2D-Sketch in Inventor with definings (parameters)
2. Right-click Sketch and choosing COMSOL Parameter Selection (Picture 1)
3. Enable "Add to COMSOL Model" for all Parameters
4. Export sketch as a .dxf file
5. Import .dxf file in COMSOL at geometry node

My parameters are not there. So I wanted to try out LiveLink™ but I came to the problems above.

In the manual of LiveLink™ there is nowhere spoken of a .dxf file maybe that's why it does not work. For some reason I cannot find any possibility to save it as one of the data types listed there. If I save it as Parasolid or IGES I cannot import it into COMSOL and I can't find a way to save it as the other data types listed in the manual. Maybe my inventor file has to be 3D? or do I need to start the LiveLink™ through Inventor first? If so, how?

Hope that was not to complicated.

Thanks a lot !

Jan

Hi Jan,
Sorry, but I do not speak German.
You can check what products you have access to on your license by going to (in the English language GUI) File>Licensed and Used Products.
Best regards,
Jeff

Hi Jan,

I wanted to add to my colleagues answers that using the LiveLink interface you can synchronize 3D geometry objects from Inventor to a 3D COMSOL geometry sequence.
Since you would like to define your simulation in 2D you will need to create some 3D objects in Inventor based on your sketch (for example solids or surfaces) and synchronize those to a 3D component in COMSOL.
Next, in the COMSOL model you can add a work plane after the LiveLink node in the geometry sequence to define the location of the cross section where you would like to create the simulation. Then add a 2D component to the same model, where you can add the Cross Section geometry operation. The Cross Section operation will default its input to the work plane that you have created earlier, and generates the 2D cross section of the 3D objects.
Now you can set up the simulation on the 2D geometry and drive the parameters in the Inventor model from COMSOL (assuming that you have selected to add those to the COMSOL model in Inventor).

Best,
Lorant

Hi Jeff, Hi Lorant,

thanks for your replies again. When I tried out your suggestions I came to some problems again.
I converted the geometry in Inventor to 3D then imported it into COMSOL. I added a LiveLink node and a Working Plane node to the geometry node to get to my 2D cross section.

Relating to the COMSOL License settings I have the required license for LiveLink (Picture 1).
Somehow if I want to synchronize between COMSOL and Inventor the error on picture 2 is displayed.

The 2nd problem is that if I convert my geometry from 2D to 3D in Inventor and import it into COMSOL the domains that were once circles become angular and the smaller the circle the more it looks like a rectangle after converting to 3D.

Isn't there any other more easy way to get my Parameters from Inventor to COMSOL without the necessity to convert my geometry into 3D?

Thanks a lot!

Jan

Hi Jan,
I am afraid I don't know the answer to the first part of your message, regarding licensing. I'd suggest contacting the support team.
Regarding the second part (circles looking angular), see www.comsol.com/community/forums/general/thread/129432 .

Best,
Jeff

Hi Jeff,

the problem with the circles is solved now, thanks for that, I'm working on the license problem now.

Another thing I recognized is that in my 3D geometry the 2D cross section, which I imported as my "work plane geometry" in the "work plane node" of the also imported 3D geometry, is now only ONE domain.

Before extruding it to 3D every circle of this geometry was one single domain. Now if I want to select one of those domains it just highlights the entire cross section as one domain. Maybe as I extruded all domains in one step Inventor made ONE big domain of them because they were all connected if that makes sense?

Thank you !

Jan