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COMSOL Multiphysics® 6.0 Release Highlights

LiveLink™ for Inventor® Updates

For users of LiveLink™ for Inventor®, COMSOL Multiphysics® version 6.0 brings a new Offline synchronization feature, improvements to the Detect Interferences tool, and updated CAD file import to support the most recent CAD file versions. Read more about these updates below.

Offline Synchronization

The new Offline synchronization functionality enables synchronization between COMSOL Multiphysics® and LiveLink™ for Inventor® when they are installed on different computers. This is useful in organizations where the two different software packages are used by different individuals. Using the LiveLink™ add-in inside LiveLink™ for Inventor®, you can save a synchronization file, which can contain one or several versions of the geometry. You can then load this synchronization file with the LiveLink™ feature in a COMSOL model, such as to compute parametric sweeps as illustrated in the clip below.

Offline synchronization is available on all operating systems supported by the COMSOL Multiphysics® software. In addition to being installed by the COMSOL Multiphysics® installer, the LiveLink™ add-in is also installed by the free COMSOL Client installer, available for download here. Installing the LiveLink™ add-in with the COMSOL Client installer enables the functionality for preparing designs for synchronization, saving files for offline synchronization, and running simulation apps that synchronize geometry.


The above clip shows how to turn on offline synchronization for a previously synchronized geometry, then save a request for synchronization file for the parametric sweep in the model. Inside Inventor®, the request file is read and a synchronization file, which contains the geometry for all parameter tuples, is saved. The file is loaded into COMSOL Multiphysics® where the study with the parametric sweep is computed.

Projection Feature

The new Projection feature, found under the Geometry tab in 2D or the Work Plane tab for work planes in 3D, can be used to project 3D objects and entities, such as faces, edges, and vertices, to work planes and 2D geometries. You can leverage the curve object that results from the projection in further geometry operations, for example, as a construction object that helps with creating other geometry objects, or to convert it into a solid object for setting up a simulation.

The COMSOL Multiphysics UI showing the Model Builder with the Projection node highlighted, the corresponding Settings window, and a permanent magnet motor model in the Graphics window.
The Projection 1 feature, highlighted in the geometry sequence above, projects the highlighted objects onto the work plane, so that they can be used when creating the sketch for the cooling channels in this geometry of a permanent magnet motor.

Improved Visualization for Detect Interferences Tool

The Detect Interferences tool has been improved to better present and visualize the interferences between geometry objects. You can now use the Group by object check box to sort the detected interferences by object. Previously, the list was sorted by the type of interference. As you select an interference from the list, the new default is to visualize only the objects that take part in the interference in the Graphics window; the other objects are hidden automatically. Other options for visualization are also available, for example, to show only the interfering faces.


The Detect Interferences tool is used here to detect and visualize the intersections and touches between the imported geometry objects of a high-voltage circuit breaker chamber.

Updated CAD File Import and Export

The CAD file import and export functionality has been extended to support the most recent versions of the supported file formats. To see a current list of supported CAD file formats, please refer to the Read from File, CAD and Write to File sections on the CAD specification chart.

New Tutorial Model

COMSOL Multiphysics® version 6.0 brings one new tutorial model to LiveLink™ for Inventor®.

Stress Analysis of a Pipe Fitting from a CAD File

The COMSOL Multiphysics UI showing the Model Builder with the Projection node highlighted, the corresponding Settings window, and a permanent magnet motor model in the Graphics window.
This tutorial model shows the setup of a 2D axisymmetric stress analysis, through contact, of a 3D threaded pipe fitting. The simulation is performed on the 2D geometry that is the cross section of the synchronized 3D design of the pipe fitting. Selections defined on the geometry inside Inventor® are automatically carried over to the 3D component by the synchronization and from there to the 2D component by the Cross Section operation. The von Mises stress distribution is shown in 3D on a revolved plot.

Application Library Title:
pipe_fitting_llinventor
Download from the Application Gallery

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