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LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™

Run COMSOL® Simulations with PTC Creo Parametric™ Designs

The LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™ add-on product delivers connectivity between the COMSOL Multiphysics® software and the PTC Creo Parametric™ software to efficiently integrate simulation into the design workflow. PTC Creo Parametric™ is a premier CAD solution for 3D design and product data management. When used together with multiphysics simulation, it provides a powerful solution for product design, evaluation, and optimization. With LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™, the functionality of COMSOL Multiphysics® can be leveraged to better understand how a PTC Creo Parametric™ design performs in its intended operating environment and evaluate the impact of essentially any physical effect and its interactions.

There are multiple ways to use LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™ to match a design workflow, starting with simply running both programs at once, side by side. Alternatively, for teams that have a design engineer using PTC Creo Parametric™ and a simulation engineer using COMSOL Multiphysics®, the Offline Synchronization feature can be used to facilitate collaboration between the two.

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The COMSOL Multiphysics UI overlaid on a Creo Parametric UI with a bracket model in both Graphics windows.

Features and Functionality with LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™

The link between PTC Creo Parametric™ and COMSOL Multiphysics® provides flexibility for modeling and design workflow needs.

A close-up view of the Model Builder with the LiveLink for PTC Creo Parametric node highlighted and a busbar model in the Graphics window.

Synchronize CAD Geometries in PTC Creo Parametric™ and COMSOL Multiphysics®

LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™ enables associative synchronization between a COMSOL model's geometry and the corresponding PTC Creo Parametric™ CAD file. LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™ ensures that design changes are propagated automatically, eliminating the need to import and export designs each time they are updated. When synchronizing the geometry between the two programs, material and physics definitions as well as boundary conditions remain associated with their respective CAD entities, even when a design has changed. LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™ also keeps track of the synchronized file's name and path, as well as the instance and simplified representation, to prevent synchronizing an incorrect document.

The LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™ functionality includes several options for importing a geometry into COMSOL Multiphysics® from PTC Creo Parametric™. The length unit can be taken from the CAD document (the default option) or COMSOL®. The object that is imported from PTC Creo Parametric™ will include solids, surfaces, curves, and points, but any of these can be excluded if it is not applicable to the simulation.

A close-up view of the LiveLink for PTC Creo Parametric settings and a pacemaker model in the Graphics window.

Offline Synchronization

Syncing files between the two programs is possible, even when the programs are installed on different computers. The LiveLink™ add-in included in LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™ can be used to save a synchronization file that may contain one or several versions of the geometry. This synchronization file can be loaded into a COMSOL Multiphysics® model to compute parametric sweeps. This is especially useful in organizations where the two different software packages are used by different team members.

The LiveLink™ add-in can be installed with the COMSOL Multiphysics® installer or with the COMSOL Client installer for running simulation apps. The COMSOL Client installation option enables the same process for apps: preparing designs, saving offline synchronization files, and loading the files into simulation apps for analysis.

A close-up view of the LiveLink for PTC Creo Parametric settings and a bracket model in the Graphics window.

Synchronize Parameters, Materials, and Selections

The LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™ synchronization capabilities include design parameters, materials, and selections created in PTC Creo Parametric™. The COMSOL Multiphysics tab installed into the PTC Creo Parametric™ user interface provides the tools for configuring which parameters to synchronize over and setting up the selections on the CAD design. The user interface in COMSOL Multiphysics® provides an informative settings window to keep track of the names of the synchronized parameters and selections, which then become available for use when setting up the simulation in COMSOL Multiphysics®.

PTC Creo Parametric™ design parameters can be iteratively accessed and updated by COMSOL Multiphysics®, facilitating design parameter optimization studies and parametric sweeps to evaluate the effect of properties such as the diameter of a hole or thickness of a component in a design. Design parameters that are controlled by relations in the PTC Creo Parametric™ design can still be accessed in a read-only way and used when setting up a simulation, such as when defining boundary conditions or mesh element size settings.

Selections, which are defined on the CAD design inside PTC Creo Parametric™, can greatly reduce the time it takes to set up a simulation, e.g., by automatically collecting all domains with the same material properties into one easily accessible selection. Selections can also be used to ensure that the physics settings remain attached to the correct domains and boundaries as the topology of the geometry changes while running a parametric sweep or optimization study.

Streamline Geometries for Simulation

COMSOL model geometries created from an imported CAD geometry often require some manipulation to reduce the complexity of the mesh and improve the efficiency of the simulation in COMSOL Multiphysics®. To ensure that geometries can be reliably modified and combined with geometry created in COMSOL Multiphysics® after import, LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™ provides the Parasolid® geometry engine with functionality for geometry simplification, including automatic repair and defeaturing. Its functionality is detailed on the CAD Import Module page.

Virtual geometry operations are also available with COMSOL Multiphysics® to provide yet another method for preventing fine design details from creating regions with unnecessarily dense meshes. With this functionality, a virtual geometry for meshing is created that excludes selected features of the CAD design. A distinct advantage is that the original curvature of the design is maintained, which can improve simulation accuracy for certain applications, such as analyzing stresses in structural contact.

A close-up view of a sliver CAD geometry showing the results of the mesh before and after repairing it.
A close-up view of a CAD geometry shown in a side-by-side comparison with and without a groove and hole.
A close-up view of a CAD geometry shown in a side-by-side comparison with and without fillets.
A close-up view of a CAD geometry shown in a side-by-side comparison with and without capped faces.
An infographic showing the connection between four different networks.

Simulation Applications

LiveLink™ for PTC Creo Parametric™ includes capabilities for creating simulation apps that analyze PTC Creo Parametric™ designs. These apps can then be shared with PTC Creo Parametric™ design teams either as standalone, compiled applications or in a managed fashion, deployed on the COMSOL Server™ application management product. All that is needed to run simulation apps is the COMSOL Client for Windows®, which can be downloaded and installed for free. This also installs the COMSOL Multiphysics tab in the PTC Creo Parametric™ user interface. Compiled apps can either be launched directly from this tab or from COMSOL Server™.

Supported Formats for File Import and Export

Note that not all file formats are supported on all operating systems; for details, see the system requirements. The STL, PLY, and 3MP surface mesh formats are supported by COMSOL Multiphysics® without add-on products.

File Format Extension Version Import Export
ACIS® .sat, .sab, .asat, .asab Up to 2024 1.0 (import),
R4, R7, 2016 1.0 (export)
AutoCAD® .dwg 2.5–2024
AutoCAD® DXF™ .dxf 2.5–2024
IGES .igs, .iges Up to 5.3
Inventor® assemblies .iam 11–2024
Inventor® parts .ipt 6–2024
NX™ .prt Up to 2306
Parasolid® .x_t, .xmt_txt, .x_b, .xmt_bin Up to V36.0
PTC Creo Parametric™ .prt, .asm 1.0–10.0
PTC Pro/ENGINEER® .prt, .asm 16 to Wildfire® 5.0
SOLIDWORKS® .sldprt, .sldasm 98–2024
STEP .step AP203, AP214, AP242 (import),
AP203 (export)

PTC, Creo, and Creo Parametric are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and in other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For a list of such trademark owners, see the Trademarks page. COMSOL AB and its subsidiaries and products are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or supported by these trademark owners.

Every business and every simulation need is different.

In order to fully evaluate whether or not the COMSOL Multiphysics® software will meet your requirements, you need to contact us. By talking to one of our sales representatives, you will get personalized recommendations and fully documented examples to help you get the most out of your evaluation and guide you to choose the best license option to suit your needs.

Just click on the "Contact COMSOL" button, fill in your contact details and any specific comments or questions, and submit. You will receive a response from a sales representative within one business day.

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