The Geometries element contains information about any geometries that are in the simulation. You can import a file, or create your own with CSG using the primitive shapes described below.
Be sure to assign a Material to a geometry object before it will appear elsewhere in the simulation (i.e. as an option for a boundary condition, particle emitter, particle absorber, etc.).
Constructive Solid Geometry can be used to build your own complex geometry. To construct a CSG, left click on the “+” sign next to Geometries and right click on the now revealed CSG tab. Choose “Add Primitive” and select your shape.
The size of triangles used to construct the shape. This is a unitless number that is the maximum deviation of a facet from the curved surface divided by the diameter of the facet.
Sphere
- kind (not editable)
- Sphere
- material
- The material to use for the shape. Chosen from a list of imported materials in your simulation.
- radius
- The radius of the sphere.
- x position
- The location of the center of the sphere in the x direction.
- y position
- The location of the center of the sphere in the y direction.
- z position
- The location of the center of the sphere in the z direction.
Box
- kind (not editable)
- Box
- material
- The material to use for the shape. Chosen from a list of imported materials in your simulation.
- length
- The length of the box.
- height
- The height of the box.
- width
- The width of the box.
- x position
- The location of the center of the box base in the x direction.
- y position
- The location of the center of the box base in the y direction.
- z position
- The location of the center of the box base in the z direction.
- width direction x
- Set to 1 to make the width parameter of the box correspond to the x direction.
- width direction y
- Set to 1 to make the width parameter of the box correspond to the y direction.
- width direction z
- Set to 1 to make the width parameter of the box correspond to the z direction.
- angle
- The angle of the box.
Cylinder
- kind (not editable)
- Cylinder
- material
- The material to use for the shape. Chosen from a list of imported materials in your simulation.
- length
- The length of the cylinder.
- radius
- The radius of the cylinder.
- x position
- The location of the base of the cylinder in the x direction.
- y position
- The location of the base of the cylinder in the y direction.
- z position
- The location of the base of the cylinder in the z direction.
- axis direction x
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the cylinder x; if set to -1, the length parameter will extend in the negative direction.
- axis direction y
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the cylinder y; if set to -1, the length parameter will extend in the negative direction.
- axis direction z
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the cylinder z; if set to -1, the length parameter will extend in the negative direction.
Cone
- kind (not editable)
- Cone
- material
- The material to use for the shape. Chosen from a list of imported materials in your simulation.
- height
- The height of the cone.
- radius
- The radius of the base of the cone.
- x position
- The location of the center of the cone base in the x direction.
- y position
- The location of the center of the cone base in the y direction.
- z position
- The location of the center of the cone base in the z direction.
- axis direction x
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the cone x.
- axis direction y
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the cone y.
- axis direction z
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the cone z.
Torus
- kind (not editable)
- Torus
- material
- The material to use for the shape. Chosen from a list of imported materials in your simulation.
- major radius
- The radius to the center of the torus.
- minor radius
- The radius from the center of the torus to the outside of the torus.
- x position
- The location of the center of the torus in the x direction.
- y position
- The location of the center of the torus in the y direction.
- z position
- The location of the center of the torus in the z direction.
- axis direction x
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the torus x.
- axis direction y
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the torus y.
- axis direction z
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the torus z.
Pipe
- kind (not editable)
- Pipe
- material
- The material to use for the shape. Chosen from a list of imported materials in your simulation.
- length
- The length of the pipe.
- inner radius
- The inner radius of the pipe.
- outer radius
- The outer radius of the pipe.
- x position
- The location of the base of the pipe in the x direction.
- y position
- The location of the base of the pipe in the y direction.
- z position
- The location of the base of the pipe in the z direction.
- axis direction x
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the pipe x; if set to -1, the length parameter will extend in the negative direction.
- axis direction y
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the pipe y; if set to -1, the length parameter will extend in the negative direction.
- axis direction z
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the pipe z; if set to -1, the length parameter will extend in the negative direction.
TruncCone
- kind (not editable)
- TruncCone (Truncated Cone)
- material
- The material to use for the shape. Chosen from a list of imported materials in your simulation.
- height
- The height of the cone.
- radius1
- The radius of the base of the cone.
- radius2
- The radius of the top of the cone.
- x position
- The location of the center of the cone base in the x direction.
- y position
- The location of the center of the cone base in the y direction.
- z position
- The location of the center of the cone base in the z direction.
- axis direction x
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the cone x.
- axis direction y
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the cone y.
- axis direction z
- Set to 1 to make the axial direction of the cone z.
Wedge
- kind (not editable)
- Wedge
- material
- The material to use for the shape. Chosen from a list of imported materials in your simulation.
- length1
- One length of the wedge.
- length2
- The second length of the wedge.
- height
- The height of the wedge.
- width
- The width of the wedge. Extrudes the wedge from a two dimensional to three dimensional object.
- x position
- The location of the base of the wedge in the x direction.
- y position
- The location of the base of the wedge in the y direction.
- z position
- The location of the base of the wedge in the z direction.
- width direction x
- Set to 1 to apply the width parameter in the x direction.
- width direction y
- Set to 1 to apply the width parameter in the y direction.
- width direction z
- Set to 1 to apply the width parameter in the z direction.
CSG Primitives may be combined in three different ways:
- Subtract
- This will subtract the second selected primitive from the first selected primitive. Denoted by \(-\).
- Union
- This will combine the two primitives into a single object. For use if the combined object is set to be a particle sink. Denoted by \(\cup\).
- Intersect
- This will leave only the volume of the two primitives that intersect as an object. Denoted by \(\cap\).
Boolean operations may be nested, for example two primitives may be combined in a union, and then with a third primitive in a second union. To combine primitive shapes, you must first add two or more shapes to your simulation. Once your primitive shapes are added, highlight the two shapes you wish to combine and right-click and select Boolean Operation then the operation you wish to perform.
You can import a geometry of type .stl, .ply, .vtk, .stp, .step, or .p12 by right-clicking the Geometries element and selecting Import Geometries.
kind (not editable)
- TriangSolid
- OceStepFromFile
- filename
- The name and location of the imported file.
- scale
- A factor to scale the imported geometry by. (Not available in 8.0.)
- tessellation
- The size of triangles used to construct the shape. This is a unitless number that is the maximum deviation of a facet from the curved surface divided by the diameter of the facet.
Once a shape has been created using a primative or imported, the shape will appear under the “CSG” tab if you created the shape or “CAD” tab if you imported the shape. If you want to view the mesh that is used to represent that shape in the simulation, then right click on the shape and click on create surface mesh. The mesh will be added under the “Meshes” tab. If you uncheck the box next to the shape under the “Geometries” tab, this will hide the solid shape, revealing the surface meshing used in the simulation. If the mesh is not revealed, check the box next to the shape under the “Meshes” tab. The resolution of the surface mesh depends on the resolution of the grid, which is determined under the “Grids” tab. Increasing “xCells” makes both the grid and surface mesh finer in the x-direction.