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Specialized Techniques
for Postprocessing and
Visualization in
COMSOL Multiphysics
Contact Information
Further Resources
http://www.comsol.com/offers/Postprocessing-and-VisualizationHandbook-Part-1
VIDEOS
http://www.comsol.com/videos?workflow=workflowstep-results
BLOG ARTICLES
http://www.comsol.com/blogs/category/all/postprocessing/
DISCUSSION FORUM
www.comsol.com/community/forums/results-and-visualization/
www.comsol.com/support/knowledgebase/
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
PLOT EXPRESSIONS AND RESULTS INTERPRETATION
Creating Your Own Expressions 2
Using Derived Values to Verify Your Model 4
Mesh Plots 5
Deformations, Height Expressions, and Scaling 6
Operations for Results Interpretation 7
VISUALIZATION TOOLS
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INTRODUC TION
INTRODUCTION
Welcome back! If youre reading this, hopefully
that means you found the first part of this
handbook set, Essentials of Postprocessing and
Visualization in COMSOL Multiphysics, helpful
for understanding the postprocessing and
visualization techniques used in the COMSOL
Multiphysics software.
In the first handbook, we explored ways to
use data sets, derived values, and different
plot groups. At the very end, we investigated
some tips and tricks such as showing mesh
on surfaces, interactive positioning tools, and
shortcuts that can be used to manipulate the
View node and entity selections.
In this second part, we will forge ahead to a
more in-depth look at the flexible postprocessing
capabilities of COMSOL software that are
relevant for a more experienced user. In
particular, these techniques are meant to aid the
verification, understanding, and validation of
your model. These include performing operations
on data sets, creating deformations that can be
used to show realistic displacements, defining
your own expressions, and interpreting results.
Lastly, well dive briefly into some applicationspecific questions, such as when it might
(or might not) be appropriate to change
the resolution and smoothing on a plot,
demonstrate camera and lighting tools to
augment visualization, showcase some advanced
combinations used to create stunning visuals,
and discuss techniques for postprocessing on
entities with dimensions lower than that of the
model geometry.
We hope that the material that follows will offer
you new insight into your simulations and equip
you to more easily analyze, visualize, and share
your work.
HINT
NOTES
Expressions follow the naming pattern of interface.quantity. For example, ec.Jx*ec.Ex is the product of the x-components of
the current density and electric field vectors, as defined in the Electric Currents physics interface. Many other mathematical
operators and functions are built in to the COMSOL software, and a list is available in the Global and Local Definitions section
of the COMSOL Multiphysics Reference Manual available with the COMSOL documentation. You can also create your own
variables and operators and type them in manually, provided their definitions are accurate on the entity being plotted.
MESH PLOTS
REFERENCE
HINT
MESH PLOTS
Postprocessing quality, as well as solution
accuracy, depends greatly on the size and quality
of the elements in a mesh. Too coarse a mesh
will result in too few data points, and distorted
DEFORMATIONS, HEIGHT
EXPRESSIONS, AND SCALING
There are several ways to create results plots that
visually exaggerate changes such as displacement,
bending, or shrinking. This helps to visualize
deformations, especially in cases where theyre
not obvious when plotted on a 1:1 scale.
To demonstrate this, well use two models, a
piezoacoustic transducer and a micromirror.
Although you may not work with models of
this type yourself, these techniques may be
applied to any model dealing with many kinds of
physics (for example, showing displacement on
a structural mechanics plot is done in the same
way for nonlinear and piezoelectric materials as
it is for elastic materials).
If you have the MEMS Module installed,
navigate to File > Application Libraries > MEMS
Module > Actuators and open the micromirror
model. This model simulates an electrostaticallycontrolled micromirror. These optical
semiconductors often serve as reflection devices,
such as the optical redirectors used in digital
cinema production.
A 3D structural analysis determines the
deformations and stresses necessary to lift the
mirror by the correct amount. The analysis is
performed for a device with steel plates and for one
with aluminum plates, and the results will depict
the mirrors response to different levels of prestress.
HINT
REFERENCE
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HINT
FILTERS
REFERENCE
For a brief introduction to isosurfaces, see the Plot Types chapter in Essentials of
Postprocessing and Visualization in COMSOL Multiphysics.
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VISUALIZATION TOOLS
VIEW AND CAMERA CONTROL
The View node is one of the most powerful
tools available for orienting your object in the
Graphics window. Found under the Definitions
node, views can help you set up the exact
perspective and scene style that you want. This
is where lights are added, angled, and dimmed,
where color and position are arranged, and
where regions of a model can be hidden or
revealed. To draw a parallel to the world of
theater, the View node lets you set the stage
before the curtain rises and the show begins.
INFORMATION
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Right-click and drag. This first shortcut moves the visible frame left, right, up, or down on the
cameras viewfinder plane (the plane of the Graphics window). This changes the View Offset.
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Left-click and drag while holding the Alt key. This shortcut rotates the camera around an axis
perpendicular to the plane of the Graphics window:
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Center-click and drag. Another very simple action is zooming in on the area where the mouse
is located. While the zoom buttons in the Graphics tools are quick and easy, they zoom in on the
center of the visible window by specific increments and are not affected by the location of the mouse.
This action gives you more precise control over the zoom angle:
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Left-click and drag while holding the CTRL key. The following shortcut changes the pan and tilt of
the camera. This effect changes the position and angle from which the camera sees the component
geometry (in contrast to the first shortcut, where the visible frame moves within the cameras
viewfinder plane). The orange icon indicates the direction of the camera. Since this shortcut moves
and rotates the camera with respect to the component geometry, the model will appear to move in
the opposite direction of the mouse.
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Right-click and drag while holding the CTRL key. This shortcut moves the camera up, down, left,
and right, but keeps it facing the same direction. The camera moves with respect to the components
geometry, so the geometry will appear to move in the opposite direction as the camera (but the same
direction as the mouse).
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Center-click and drag while holding the Alt key. This last shortcut keeps the component geometry
in the center of the camera view and dollies the camera in and out (forward and back). Unlike
zooming, it is not affected by the location of the mouse, nor does this action change the zoom angle
of the lens.
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HINT
When editing lighting after setting up a model, it can be especially helpful to keep only
one light enabled at a time. This lets you see exactly which effect is caused by which
light as you add each one into the scene. You can also expand the Light tab in the main
View node settings to change the ambient lighting and the overall scene light intensity.
When youre working in the View node, arrows are displayed for each light, but only
the light being edited is surrounded by a box.
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FAR-FIELD PLOTS
FAR-FIELD PLOTS
Radio-frequency (RF) applications deal with
electromagnetic waves being radiated and
absorbed at radio frequencies. Simulation can
be used to design a multitude of RF devices,
and one of the most common figures of merit
considered by engineers is the radiation pattern.
RF and microwave applications include devices
such as antennas.
Well now take a look at an example of an
RF device where you might want to know its
radiation pattern.
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PARTICLE TR ACING
ACOUSTICS MODELING
PARTICLE TRACING
The Particle Tracing Module is used to solve a set
of ordinary differential equations for the motion of
distinct particles. As the particles move, they can
be affected by external fields through a wide variety
of forces, such as electric, magnetic, drag, and
dielectrophoretic forces. There are many options for
including particle-boundary, particle-particle, and
particle-field interactions. The physics interfaces
are usable for a range of simulation topics, such as
ion transport in electromagnetic fields, large-scale
planetary movement, and separation of biological
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PARTICLE TR ACING
CUT PLANES
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REFERENCE
See the Data Sets, Derived Values, and Tables chapter in Essentials of Postprocessing
and Visualization in COMSOL Multiphysics for an introduction to cut points and,
by extension, cut lines and cut planes.
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ARROW PLOTS
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WIREFRAME RENDERING
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ANIMATIONS
ANIMATIONS
One of the final capabilities of COMSOL that
well touch on here is exporting results. This can
take the form of plots, tables, animations, and
reports. Some techniques for exporting data and
generating results are discussed in the Exporting
Results chapter in Essentials of Postprocessing
and Visualization in COMSOL Multiphysics. In
this section, we will focus on animations.
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REFINEMENT
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RECOVERY
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TERMINOLOGY
LOWER-DIMENSION POSTPROCESSING
When postprocessing a simulation that contains
thin walls modeled as surfaces or layers with an
assigned mathematical thickness (rather than
a geometric thickness), you will occasionally
see different results when plotting on different
types of entities. This means its important to be
careful in cases that we refer to as lower-dimension
postprocessing.
TERMINOLOGY REFRESHER
First lets do a quick refresher of some
terminology. The COMSOL software uses
the following conventions when referring to
geometric entities:
Edges refer to curves (including straight
lines) in the geometry.
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REFERENCE
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DISCONTINUITIES
We can easily see apparent discontinuities if we
plot the temperature on all the boundaries of
the heat exchangers geometry, which is a default
plot in the solved model. The temperature
appears to change abruptly at the interfaces
between certain walls, and the inlet and outlet
areas where the hot water enters appear to
have noticeably higher temperatures than the
adjacent boundaries near the airflow.
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ENTITY INDICES
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The slice plot once again matches the data from the
surface plot, but were now examining the other
side of the wall.
REFERENCE
The slice plot (right) has been translated using a rigid deformation so that we
can see both plots at once. For information on using deformations, turn to
the Deformations, Height Expressions, and Scaling section. For information on
creating a slice plot, see the Plot Types chapter in Essentials of Postprocessing
and Visualization in COMSOL Multiphysics.
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SUMMARY
SUMMARY
We have now discussed several different uses of
thin-layer modeling and distinguished between
operators that can be used when postprocessing
results on a single side. To recap:
HEAT EXCHANGER
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CONCLUDING REMARKS
CONCLUDING REMARKS
This concludes our guide to the advanced
postprocessing tools in COMSOL. This was by no
means an exhaustive walk-through, nor did we
name every operation or type of plot available.
However, we hope that this guide was a good read
for you and will enable you to better comprehend,
refine, and share your results.
Being able to easily verify, interpret, validate,
and implement design changes from your
model makes the engineering process more
straightforward and also more enjoyable.
Ultimately these tools are meant to aid you
in making design decisions, showcasing your
findings, and addressing changes to your product.
As you delve further into the flexible and powerful
postprocessing tools of COMSOL Multiphysics,
we hope you will find that your device designs,
your research, and your ability to meet customers
needs reach new horizons.
HELMHOLTZ COIL
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