C o n t e n t s

Chapter 1: Release Notes

COMSOL Multiphysics 10
New Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
New General Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
New Functionality in the Model Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
New Functionality in the Model Manager Server . . . . . . . . . . . 13
New Functionality in the Application Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
New and Improved General Functionality in COMSOL Multiphysics . . . 17
New Geometry and Mesh Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
New Functionality in the Physics Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
New and Updated Operators, Functions, and Definitions . . . . . . . 23
New Functionality in Studies and Solvers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
New and Improved Results and Visualization Functionality . . . . . . . 27
®
New and Improved Java API Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
General Backward Compatibility Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

AC/DC Module 35
New and Improved Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . 35
New and Updated Models, Apps, and Add-Ins in Version 6.3 . . . . . . 43
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.2 and Earlier . . . . . . . . . 44

Acoustics Module 47
New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
New and Updated Models in 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Battery Design Module 55

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
New and Updated Models in Version 6.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

CONTENTS |3
 CAD Import Module, Design Module, and LiveLink™ Products
for CAD 59
New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
New Functionality in the Design Module in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . 59
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.2 and Earlier . . . . . . . . . 60
®
New Functionality in LiveLink™ for AutoCAD in Version 6.3 . . . . . 60
®
New Functionality in LiveLink™ for Inventor in Version 6.3 . . . . . . 60
New Functionality in LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™ in
Version 6.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
®
New Functionality in LiveLink™ for Revit in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . 60

CFD Module 61
New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
New Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.1 and Earlier . . . . . . . . . 63
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.0 and Earlier . . . . . . . . . 63

Chemical Reaction Engineering Module 65

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
New Models in 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Updated Models in 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Composite Materials Module 71

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
New Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Corrosion Module 73
New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
New and Updated Models in Version 6.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

ECAD Import Module 75

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.2 and Earlier . . . . . . . . . 76

Electrochemistry Module 77
New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
New and Updated Models in Version 6.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

4 | CONTENTS
Electrodeposition Module 79
New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Fatigue Module 81
New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Fuel Cell & Electrolyzer Module 82

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
New and Updated Models in Version 6.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Geomechanics Module 86
New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
New and Updated Models in Version 6.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Heat Transfer Module 88

New and Improved Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . 88
New Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Updated Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Liquid & Gas Properties Module 97

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

MEMS Module 98
New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
New and Updated Models in Version 6.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Metal Processing Module 101

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
New Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Microfluidics Module 103

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Updated Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.0. . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

CONTENTS |5
 Mixer Module 104
New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
New Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Multibody Dynamics Module 105

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
New Model in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Nonlinear Structural Materials Module 107

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
New Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Optimization Module 110

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.1. . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.0. . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Particle Tracing Module 112

New and Improved Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . 112
New Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.2 and Earlier . . . . . . . . 115

Pipe Flow Module 118

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Plasma Module 119

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
New and Updated Models in Version 6.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.2 and Earlier . . . . . . . . 120

Porous Media Flow Module 121

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
New and Updated Models and Applications in Version 6.3 . . . . . . 123

Polymer Flow Module 124

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
New Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

6 | CONTENTS
Ray Optics Module 126
New and Improved Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . 126
New and Updated Models in Version 6.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.2 and Earlier . . . . . . . . 128

RF Module 129
New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
New and Updated Models in Version 6.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Rotordynamics Module 135

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
New Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Semiconductor Module 137

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
New Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Structural Mechanics Module 139

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
New Models in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Subsurface Flow Module 147

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
New App in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Wave Optics Module 149

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
New and Updated Models in Version 6.3. . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Material Library 155

New and Updated Material Data in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . 155

LiveLink™ for Excel® 157

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

LiveLink™ for MATLAB® 158

New Functionality in Version 6.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Backward Compatibility with Version 6.0. . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

CONTENTS |7
 LiveLink™ for Simulink® 160
General Backward Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

The COMSOL API for Use with Java® 161

COMSOL 6.3 API Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
COMSOL 6.2 API Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
COMSOL 6.1 API Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
COMSOL 6.0 API Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Index 165

8 | CONTENTS
 1

Release Notes

COMSOL Multiphysics® version 6.3 includes a new product: the Electric

Discharge Module. It also provides new functionality and improvements across the
COMSOL products. These Release Notes provide information regarding new
functionality in version 6.3 for the entire COMSOL product suite.

9
 COMSOL Multiphysics
New Product

ELECTRIC DISCHARGE MODULE

The Electric Discharge Module provides comprehensive simulation capabilities
spanning a wide spectrum of electric discharge scenarios, encompassing atmospheric
pressure gas discharges, breakdown phenomena in liquids such as transformer oil, and
solid materials like insulating polymers. It provides specialized interfaces for simulating
breakdown thresholds, surface charge dynamics, and discharge processes in various
environments, from atmospheric gases to microscale events in MEMS devices.

The Electric Discharge Module enables you to predict the impact of electric discharges
on system performance, ensuring that designs are optimized for reliability and
compliance with regulatory standards, particularly in EMC/EMI design for electronic
devices. Engineers and scientists can simulate and analyze lightning-induced
electromagnetic pulses, electrostatic discharges, and other discharge events, making it
a valuable tool for advancing product development and reducing the costs associated
with experimental testing and prototyping.

The module’s built-in transport models and customizable electric discharge

chemistries provide the flexibility needed to conduct accurate and innovative analyses.
You can easily implement these customizations within the COMSOL Desktop®
without having extensive scripting or programming knowledge. The Electric
Discharge Module can be used with products throughout the COMSOL product
suite, including those for electromagnetics, structural mechanics, and fluid dynamics,
to explore the multiphysics effects that often accompany electric discharges.

New General Functionality

LMADMIN LICENSE SERVER MANAGER

The lmadmin license server manager for version 11.19.5 is now included in the
COMSOL installation. It is available in licenses/<platform>/lmadmin. Note that
it is not supported on ARM64 Linux. Further, note that lmgrd is the preferred license
server manager for COMSOL Multiphysics.

10 | CHAPTER 1: RELEASE NOTES

New Functionality in the Model Manager
Also see the Model Manager Reference Manual for more information.

DATABASE INTEGRATION WITH BATCH MODE

The command for solving COMSOL models in batch mode from a command-line
interface now supports using model versions stored in a Model Manager database —
both as input and output. This, together with the Model Manager API for use with
Java®, enables you to set up powerful simulation pipelines in which input and output
can be managed via a database. You can also combine a version of a model in a database
as the input with an MPH-file on the file system as the output, and vice versa.

COPY AND PASTE OF MODEL CONTENTS

Support has been added for copying model nodes in the Contents tree of a model
version and pasting those nodes into the model tree in the COMSOL Desktop. This
enables you to quickly reuse modeling and results evaluation setups from your existing
models when building new models. Not all nodes in the Contents tree can be copied
and not all nodes in the COMSOL Desktop can be the target of a paste. The model
tree being copied from and the model tree being pasted to can, however, belong to
different COMSOL Multiphysics program sessions.

SEARCH AUTOCOMPLETION
Autocompletion assistance has been added for the Model Manager search syntax. You
can easily find and complete the names of search filters, the available values for a
specific search filter, and the various symbols used to express and combine such filters.
The new autocompletion functionality is available in all windows in the COMSOL
Desktop where version-controlled models and data files can be searched.

IMPROVED INTEGRATION BETWEEN WORKSPACE WINDOWS

The overall integration between the various windows of the Model Manager
workspace has been improved. Selected results in the Commits, Versions, and References
windows will now be automatically displayed in the Settings window, thereby making
it simpler to browse the database. You will also find it easier to perform various
database tasks, as buttons in the workspace toolbars now target these windows when
the windows are in focus.

COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS | 11
 REDUCED MEMORY USAGE WHEN SAVING LARGE MODELS
Earlier versions of COMSOL Multiphysics could sometimes run out of available heap
space memory when trying to save large models to a Model Manager server database.
This issue has now been addressed.

MODEL MANAGER API IMPROVEMENTS

The COMSOL Model Manager API for use with the Java® programming language
now supports Java 11 in the Application Builder’s Method Editor and in the new Java
Shell window.

The following new methods and types have been added to the API:

Preset Item and Version Keys when Saving

The identifying keys of items and their versions can now be preset when saving to the
database. Knowing these keys beforehand enables you, for example, to more easily
reference your saved items and versions in other parts of your code.

You can generate unique keys via the following new methods:

ItemKey.generate(<item-type>);
ItemVersionKey.generate(<item-type>);

and then apply the generated keys as input parameters when saving. For example,

SaveModelItemParam param = DatabaseApiUtil.param()

.forSaveModel()
.withItemKey(<generated-item-key>)
.withItemVersionKey(<generated-item-version-key>)
// Set additional input parameters...

DatabaseApiUtil.api()
.databaseByAlias(<database-alias>)
.defaultRepository()
.defaultBranch()
.saveModel(param, "Saved a new model.");

Write Options when Exporting Versions

You can now specify what should happen when an existing file is found on the file
system when exporting a model or file version from a database. To replace an existing
MPH file, for example, write

ExportModelItemVersionParam param = DatabaseApiUtil.param()

.forExportModelVersion()
.withTargetWriteOptions(
ExportModelItemVersionTargetWriteOption.REPLACE_EXISTING)
// Set additional input parameters...

12 | CHAPTER 1: RELEASE NOTES

 DatabaseApiUtil.api()
.modelVersionByLocationUri(<model-version-location>)
.export(param);

GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS
• A Refresh Connection button has been added to the Settings windows of local and
server databases. Clicking the button refreshes the connection to the database using
the window’s current configuration settings.
• The Settings window for a server database now displays the version number of the
Model Manager server.
• The Import to Database button in the Auxiliary Data window now supports output
files. Previously, only input files were supported.
• When attempting to open the most recently saved version available in the Versions
window, Model Manager will perform a preliminary check if there is an even later
version found in the database — possibly saved by another user. If one is found, you
will be given the option to open that version instead.

COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN VERSIONS

Local Databases
Local databases can be shared between COMSOL Multiphysics versions 6.0–6.3, as
the database format is designed for both backward and forward compatibility. Models
saved to a database from a specific COMSOL Multiphysics version can, however, only
be opened in that and later versions.

Older Versions of Model Manager Server

COMSOL Multiphysics version 6.3 supports connecting to all previous versions of a
Model Manager server, although some new Model Manager functionality is disabled
in the COMSOL Desktop when connected to an older server version.

New Functionality in the Model Manager Server

Also see the Model Manager Server Manual for more information.

IMPROVED CONTROL OVER DATABASE SETUP

In previous versions of the Model Manager server, the server automatically created a
new database using managed server components with default configuration settings.
Administrators may now skip this automatic creation, instead manually performing the
database setup from the server’s web interface on first login. This is especially useful

COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS | 13
 when the desired setup involves placing data directories and backup directories in
locations with more available disk space than those of the default locations.

STREAMLINED CUSTOMIZATION OF THE ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Customizing the asset management system has become a lot easier by removing the
need for otherwise repetitive steps. You can create new attributes when adding or
updating asset types, as well as preview the Asset page for a corresponding asset. It is
also possible to start out from existing asset types when creating asset types via a new
duplication shortcut.

NEW PAGE FOR VIEWING ASSET CHANGES

A new Asset Comparison page that enables you to compare two versions of the same
asset has been added to the asset management system. This makes it easier, for
example, to see all changes made to an asset when going from one version to the next.
The comparison includes both built-in fields and any attributes added via
customization.

ATTRIBUTE FILTER IMPROVEMENTS

Finding assets by applying filters to attribute values from the Filters menu has been
improved with the following updates:

• It is now possible to apply filters on table-valued attributes by combining subfilters

on cell values found in table rows. Such composite attribute filters were previously
only available via the Model Manager search syntax.
• New fields have been added to filter assets on their uploaded attachments, linked
model and file versions, and web links.
• The list of available attribute filters in the menu is now based on the current
selection of asset type filters, thereby hiding attributes already known to not be
present in the search result.

ACCOUNT LANGUAGE
You can now set the language to be used in the Model Manager server’s web interface.
The languages to choose from are the same as those that are available for the server’s
default language.

GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• Search results are now automatically updated when you modify a filter in the Filters
menu on the Home page.
• You can now search assets by their identifiers in the search field on the Home page.

14 | CHAPTER 1: RELEASE NOTES

• Modifying the list of related assets on the Asset page has been moved to a separate
Related Assets page for better overview.
• You can now add links to any model or file version in the database on the Asset page,
not just the latest version in a branch.
• The description of a composite attribute now shows up as a tooltip to the attribute’s
label on the Asset page.

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION IMPROVEMENTS

• Required fields are now indicated by a red asterisk symbol on edit pages. The Save
button remains disabled as long all required fields are empty.
• Additional columns have been added to the result tables on various list pages for
better data overview.
• A new Logs page has been added to the System administration area. The page enables
administrators to download log files generated by the Model Manager server as a
compressed zip archive.
• A Test Connection button has been added to the pages for adding and editing
database configurations. Previously, such a button was only available on the details
page.
• New database configuration settings for Microsoft SQL Server® regarding
encryption and server certificates have been added.
• The parent directories to data directories no longer need to exist on the file system
beforehand when creating new managed server components set to start
automatically.
• Upon pressing Ctrl+C, the Model Manager server will emit a message when it has
begun stopping, as long as the server has been launched from a command-line
interface.

COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN VERSIONS

Older Versions of COMSOL Multiphysics

COMSOL Model Manager server version 6.3 supports client connections from
COMSOL Multiphysics version 6.0 and newer.

Primitive Attribute Filter Syntax

Primitive attribute filter expressions of the form @<identifier>:<value> now only
applies to attributes appearing as top-level fields on the Asset page. To filter primitive
attributes inside composite attributes, write @<composite-
identifier>{@<primitive-identifier>:<value>}.

COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS | 15
 Terminology Change
The widget types for checkboxes and checkbox lists have been renamed to Checkbox
and Checkbox list.

New Functionality in the Application Builder

Also see the Introduction to the Application Builder, Application Builder Reference
Manual, and Application Programming Guide for more information.

GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS AND CHANGES

Running Compiled Apps Across Minor Versions

Users of compiled apps can now run on an older runtime version than it was compiled
for, as long as the major versions are the same. The runtime installer now checks for
updates and can update the version directly after installation.

IMPROVEMENTS TO THE FORM EDITOR

New Form Toolbar Object

The Form Toolbar is a new form object, which you can add to each form. It is a toolbar
that shows up in a manner that depends on how the form is being used, such as the
main toolbar of a window, as a section header, or as a view header. The view header
option is useful in settings forms, where it prevents the toolbar from scrolling out of
view.

IMPROVEMENTS AND CHANGES TO THE METHOD EDITOR AND

APPLICATION LANGUAGE

Java Support
Java 11 is now supported in the Method Editor.

Java Shell and Chatbot

You can use the new Java Shell and Chatbot windows to test, debug, and improve
methods in the Application Builder (see below for more information).

Data Viewer
The Variables window in previous versions of the Application Builder has been
renamed the Data Viewer window. The Data Viewer window is now also available in the
Model Builder and Model Manager workspaces and always show the relevant content
in the model. The Data Viewer window shows global model parameters, primitive

16 | CHAPTER 1: RELEASE NOTES

declarations, and Java Shell variables. When stopped at a breakpoint, it also shows local
variables in methods.

Delimiter Improvements
There is a new readCSVFile(file, delimiters) syntax that enables users to decide
which delimiter to use. It reads a string matrix from a CSV file with the specified
delimiter. If there is more than one delimiter provided, this method will try selecting
the most probable delimiter from the supplied candidates.

Similar syntax is now also available as readMatrixFromFile(file, delimiter),

which reads a double matrix from the given file with the specified delimiter, and as
readStringMatrixFromFile(file, delimiter), which reads a string matrix
stored in a file with the specified delimiter.

Saving Application Copy

The new saveApplicationCopyAs method saves a copy of the application. When
running this method, users are presented with a file browser dialog where they can
select where to save the copy. The method returns a boolean value where a true value
indicates that the save was successful.

boolean saveApplicationCopyAs()

This command is also available in command sequences under GUI Commands > File
Commands.

New and Improved General Functionality in COMSOL Multiphysics

CHATBOT WINDOW

The Chatbot window functionality connects to an external AI system. A

subscription agreement with the AI system host is needed to obtain an API
key. COMSOL is not a party in this agreement, and use of the external AI
system may be subject to additional fees.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your use of the AI system is in

accordance with laws and policies that may apply. It is also your responsibility
to review the suitability of any suggestions made by the AI system.

In the Windows® version of the COMSOL Desktop, a new Chatbot window is

available for chatting with the OpenAI GPT-4 model, which can assist with generating
and correcting COMSOL API for Java® code from within COMSOL Multiphysics®

COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS | 17
 and answering modeling questions related to the COMSOL Multiphysics® software.
Doing so can help out with programming using the COMSOL API for Java® as well
as with general COMSOL modeling using the COMSOL Desktop. The Chatbot
window appears both in the Model Builder workspace and in the Application Builder
workspace. The chatbot functionality requires configuration of an OpenAI API key. It
can be turned off in the installer or via a preference setting, if desired. Note that by
default, the CHATBOT license feature is not included in the installation; to include it,
you need to select to install Chatbot components in the installer.

JAVA SHELL WINDOW

®
In the Windows version of the COMSOL Desktop, a new Java Shell window is
available for interacting with the current model in the Model Builder using the
COMSOL API for Java® and in the Application Builder when working with methods.
You get completion suggestions when typing commands, and suggested COMSOL
API code from the Chatbot window can be sent to the Java Shell window to run there.

DATA VIEWER WINDOW

The Data Viewer window (see also the Application Builder section above) is available in
the Model Builder and provides a convenient way to inspect and change values for
global parameters, for example. You can also open it from the Java Shell window to
inspect session variables.

DISPLAYING COMMENTS IN SETTINGS WINDOWS

Comments made in the Properties window are now displayed in the corresponding
Settings window. If you do not want to display comments there, clear the Comments >
Display Comments in Settings checkbox in the Show More Options dialog.

UPDATED RIBBON TOOLBARS AND DESKTOP USER INTERFACE

The ribbon component has been updated, as well as the general look and feel of the
COMSOL Desktop on Windows®. The new ribbon component supports keytips on
all levels. To activate keytips, press the Alt key. The keytips appear next to the buttons.
Keytips appear for all buttons, menus, and items (including the Quick Access Toolbar
and the File menu).

AUXILIARY SLIT FEATURE

For all physics interfaces, a new Auxiliary Slit feature is available when you have enabled
Equation-Based Contributions in the Show More Options dialog. You can then add
Auxiliary Slit features to interior boundaries to create slits that decouple the fields on
either sides of the boundaries.

18 | CHAPTER 1: RELEASE NOTES

LISTS WITH SEARCH FILTER AND TREE STRUCTURES
Lists in the COMSOL Desktop are now available with a more advanced design that
includes a search filter and trees.

Such lists are available in the following cases:

• Named selections in the Selection List window

• Color tables in results
• Icon selectors in the Application Builder
• Lists of times in results

LIGHTER COLOR THEMES AND OTHER GRAPHICS COLOR THEME

IMPROVEMENTS
The Default, Light, and Dark graphics color themes have been updated with lighter
colors. There is also a new RYBDark theme that makes it possible to use the RYB color
theme together with dark background colors. In addition, the Classic and ClassicDark
themes have been added to enable access the colors in previous versions.

It is now possible to change graphics color theme from the Graphics window toolbar’s
Colors menu, and you can now see the theme colors directly in the Color list also in the
cross-platform version.

RESET LABELS TO DEFAULT

You can now choose Reset Labels to Default from the Model Tree Node Text menu in the
Model Builder window. It will reset all Model Builder node labels to their default values
in the current language.

FILTER OUT INAPPLICABLE SELECTIONS

All Settings windows with an Override or Override and Contribution section (which
includes physics features, multiphysics features, and materials, for example) now
includes an Only Show Applicable button in the selection section (Boundary Selection, for
example). When you click this button, all geometric entities that are either overridden
or not applicable no longer appears in the selection section’s list of geometric entities.

NEW GEOMETRIC VARIABLES

• The arc length parameters edgparal and edgparnal are available on edges in 2D
and 3D. The parameter edgparnal is the normalized arc length, that is edgparal

COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS | 19
 divided by the edge length, and goes from 0 to 1. The new variables can be useful
for defining distributed loads and constraints such as a parabolic velocity profile.
• A new concompid variable evaluates to an integer value that is unique for each
connected component of geometric entities, domains, boundaries, edges, and
points.

SELECTIONS
Logical Expression supports using Boolean expressions to select all entities belonging to
certain components or certain packages from an ECAD import.

ADD-IN LIBRARY UPDATE

Support for adding new add-ins to the COMSOL Add-in Libraries and updating
existing ones between product updates is now available, complementing the
Application Library Update and Part Library Update services.

FILTERING OF AND FLEXIBLE NUMBER OF RECENT FILES

In the Open full-screen window, there is now a text field at the top of the list of recent
files where you can type a text to filter the list to find some specific model files.

There is also a new Maximum number of recent files setting on the Files > Recent page
in the Preferences window. The default value is 150 files.

RESETTING LABELS TO THE DEFAULT LABEL TEXT

On the Model Tree Node Text menu in the Model Builder toolbar, you can now choose
Reset Labels to Default to reset all node labels to their default label text.

MAXIMIZE AND RESTORE BUTTONS

Maximize and Restore buttons have been added to the Windows version of the
COMSOL Desktop. They provide the same behavior as double-clicking the window
header.

IMPORT TO DATABASE IN THE AUXILIARY DATA WINDOW

You can now also use Import to Database for output files displayed in the Auxiliary Data
window.

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT FOR REVERT TO SAVED

You can now use Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows and Linux) or Command+Shift+R (macOS)
as a keyboard shortcut for the Revert to Saved command on the File menu.

20 | CHAPTER 1: RELEASE NOTES

New Geometry and Mesh Functionality

GEOMETRY FUNCTIONALITY
• Use the new Geometry Cleanup feature to prepare your geometry for meshing. It
automatically detects small details and gaps in the geometry. You can either select to
run an automatic cleanup, open the Cleanup Wizard, or cancel a cleanup.
• There is a new virtual operation, Merge Faces, that can be used to merge faces to
collapse the gap or region between them.
• Plane Geometry and Geometry Part sequences now support adding Form Union and
Form Assembly nodes as well as virtual operations and, in 3D, Remove Details. Form
Union/Assembly nodes are added automatically if you select to add a virtual operation
or a Remove Details node.
• The Extrude and Revolve operations now support edges and vertices as input. It is
also possible to extrude and revolve selections on any 2D objects into 3D.
• You can now create selections for layers in primitives. This simplifies setting up
physics and material settings. This concerns the Block, Cone, Cylinder, Sphere,
Ellipsoid, Circle, Ellipse, Rectangle, and Square primitives.
• The Logical Expression Selection feature supports using Boolean expressions to select
all entities belonging to certain components or certain packages from an ECAD
import.
• It is now possible to visualize several work planes in the Graphics window. For
example, it is now possible to see both the Coordinate System for Objects and
Coordinate System to Match work planes in the Rigid Transform operation.
• The Settings window of the Import node has been redesigned with new sections for
increased usability.
• When importing a DXF file in 2D, the options Knit curves and Do not knit now
import closed curves as solids.
• The 2D DXF export comes with new settings to specify if the curve representation
will be exact or approximated.
• Geometry parts now support Local Functions for use inside the parts only. These
functions are not accessible in instances of the part.
• Boolean operations built with the COMSOL kernel can now detect surface
intersections where no adjacent edge intersects the other face.

COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS | 21
 MESHING FUNCTIONALITY
• For physics-controlled meshing, a new geometry analysis has been added to let small
details and curved faces in the geometry be better resolved while still allowing for
the mesh size to grow in other regions. Control this with the Geometric Analysis,
Detail Size contributor.
• It is now possible to generate a physics-controlled mesh when remeshing imported
meshes.
• The Swept operation now supports sweeping a mesh through shell-like domains that
are bounded by two face components. It also has a new default source face meshing
option: Automatic (prefer hexahedra). With this option selected, the algorithm tries
to mesh the boundaries with a quad mesh but switches to triangles for the
boundaries where the quad mesher fails.
• For the Create Edges operation, it is now possible to select to create Resulting small
faces/domains (3D/2D) and Complement faces/domains (3D/2D) selections. There
is also a new Group by continuous tangent setting that will propagate an edge element
selection by including subsequent elements of similar direction.
• Selections including mesh control entities are now handled correctly when meshing.
• The operations Partition with Ball/Box/Cylinder and Partition by Expression now
support selections on resulting entities.
• When importing a mesh from a geometry sequence, the setting Resolve geometric
details will ensure that the mesh becomes fine enough to close to resolve small
details and curved surfaces.
• When exporting meshes on the NASTRAN format, the Large field format is now
used by default. For export to the Sectionwise format, the Settings window now has
radio buttons for the selection of data to export.

New Functionality in the Physics Interfaces

• The predefined multiphysics handling in the Model Wizard can now make use of
existing participating physics interfaces.
• It is now possible to copy physics features between COMSOL sessions.
• The new Explicit Event List node in the Events interface defines multiple explicit
events using a list of times and corresponding variable values for a common state
variable. The input is in the form of a table, which in turn allows of defining the list
of events from a text file.

22 | CHAPTER 1: RELEASE NOTES

• In the Flux/Source and Interior Source boundary conditions, available in the Wave
Form PDE interface, there is a new load factor setting. The load factor l (default: 1)
is multiplied with the flux term g to form a flux term g l. The use of the load factor
is optional (the default of 1 means that it then has no effect), and it can be used for
performance reasons.
• Matrix inputs in physics interfaces now include buttons to show the coordinate
labels and to show all components when the input normally only shows the in-plane
components.

New and Updated Operators, Functions, and Definitions

• For the Deep Neural Network function, support for training the DNN using a GPU
has been added. Select the Train on GPU checkbox to train the DNN on a GPU, if
your system includes a supported GPU. On the Computing > GPU Acceleration page
in the Preferences window, you can also select the Train Deep Neural Networks on GPU
by default checkbox. During installation, CUDA DNN Support must be selected on the
Products page, and a NVIDIA® CUDA® Toolkit must also be available (it can be
downloaded from the NVIDIA® website).
• A new Geometry Sampling method is available by choosing Surrogate Model Sampling
> Geometry Sampling from the Definition node’s context menu for model
components. In its settings, you can select a sample method and set its properties to
specify the desired geometry sampling method for sampling quantities of interest for
a specific model component. This functionality makes generating spatial-, time-, and
frequency-dependent data for use with deep neural network (DNN) surrogate
models significantly easier.
• The Interpolation function has been updated and improved. When you import data
using the Spreadsheet format, a new Data Column Settings section appears, where you
can choose, for each column, if it contains an Argument or Function values. You can
also choose Ignored column to ignore its content. There are now also Include left
extrapolation and Include right extrapolation checkboxes in the Plot Parameters
section so that you can choose whether to include extrapolations in the plot.
• You can now specify the location of the transition zone for smoothing of a step in
Step functions. You can choose Beginning of step, Middle of step, or End of step from
the new Location definition list, which can make it easier to use a smoothed step for
initialization of time-dependent simulations.
• For Least-Squares Fit functions, you can now add lower and upper parameter
bounds.

COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS | 23
 • For Waveform functions, you can now use Gaussian amplitude modulation. There is
also a new Equation section in the Settings window that shows that equation for the
waveform with the selected settings.
• You can now use mTorr to express a pressure in millitorr. Other SI prefixes are also
available for the Torr unit.
• °F and °C are now available as Fahrenheit and Celsius units for temperature,
respectively.
• There is a new type of pair feature: Sector Symmetry Pair. You can use it on a pair
between two domains when modeling a sector of a geometry where one of the
domains is rotating around the sector center. If a Sector Symmetry feature in a
physics interface uses sector symmetry pairs instead of identity pairs, the sector
settings in the physics feature are no longer needed because they are set in the pair.
In this way, you do not have to provide the same settings in several physics features.
• For identity pairs and contact pairs, there are new options to select All pairs, All
contact pairs, or All identity pairs.
• The Partial Fractional Fit function has been improved with the addition of an
iteration-based stop condition and an option to automatically detect and remove
Froissart doubles.
• Two new operators, cubeint(r,<expr>) and cubeavg(r,<expr>), are available
for evaluating the integral or average of an expression on the specified shape with
radius or side r.
• For probes of Maximum and Minimum type, you can now specify the point type and
integration order in the Integration Settings section of the settings.
• The new built-in operator atlintotalpeak(<expr1>,<expr2>) evaluates
<expr2> at the phase angle that maximizes lintotal(<expr1>).
• For the Piecewise function, a text area with syntax highlighting has been added.

New Functionality in Studies and Solvers

GPU ACCELERATION FOR TIME-DEPENDENT SIMULATIONS USING THE

DISCONTINUOUS GALERKIN METHOD
For time-dependent simulations using the discontinuous Galerkin (dG-FEM) method,
such as transient acoustics, you can use a GPU to accelerate the time-dependent solver.
To do so, right-click the Time-Dependent Solver node and choose to add the new
Hardware Acceleration subnode, where you select the Accelerated solver for
discontinuous Galerkin checkbox. A CUDA® Toolkit must be available, and its path can

24 | CHAPTER 1: RELEASE NOTES

be specified during installation. That path can be changed on the Computing > GPU
Acceleration page in the Preferences window, where you can also verify the CUDA
installation.

FILTERING AND SORTING OF EIGENVALUE-TYPE SOLUTIONS

A new Filtering and Sorting section is available in the Settings windows for the
Eigenvalue, Eigenfrequency, and Boundary Mode Analysis study steps. You can add filter
expressions (such as real(freq)+1e-6>0) and sort the eigensolutions. Sorting
options include sorting in ascending or descending order and sorting based on the real
part, imaginary part, real part magnitude, imaginary part magnitude, or the absolute
value.

Sorting of eigensolutions is also available in the Eigenvalue Solver node’s settings and
in the settings for the Combine Solutions node when combining solutions of eigenvalue
type.

IMPROVED CONCATENATION OF COMBINED SOLUTIONS

In the Combine Solutions node’s settings, you can now, for concatenation of solutions,
choose a concatenation method: to let the first solution have precedence, which
excludes solution numbers from the second solution that are also in the first solution,
or to include all solutions. There is also an automatic or manual interpolation and
sorting of solutions.

PARAMETER ESTIMATION
The Parameter Estimation node is now available in the base package, without any
additional license requirements.

IMPROVED PHYSICS AND VARIABLES SELECTION

In the Physics and Variables Selection section, you can now select physics in a tree table
and also select and disable physics to solve for on the component level.

NEW BACKTRACKING GLOBALIZATION METHOD

A new Backtracking (Newton) globalization method is now available for the Fully
Coupled and Segregated solvers. This method uses information about the nonlinear
residual as well as the system matrix to estimate the damping that minimizes the
residual. This way, a faster convergence can be achieved as compared with using a
constant damping factor.

COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS | 25