Solving Inside or on the Surface
When you assign a material to an object, you can specify whether to generate a field solution inside the object or on the surface of the object. If you elect to generate a solution inside the object, a mesh is created inside the object and generate a solution from the mesh. If you elect to generate a solution on the surface of the object, only a surface mesh is created for the object.
If you want a solution to be generated inside an object, select Solve Inside in the Properties window. Conversely, if you want a solution to only be generated on the surface of an object, clear the Solve Inside option in the Properties window.
By default, Solve Inside is selected for all objects with a bulk conductivity less than 105 siemens/meter and for perfect insulators. By default, the Solve Inside option in the Properties window is clear for perfect conductors.
To change the threshold for solving inside objects, do the following:
- Click Tools>Options> General Options.
- In the left pane, select
- Enter a new value in the Solve Inside threshold text box.
A finite conductivity boundary condition is placed on the surfaces of an object that should not be solved inside based on the material properties of that object. You can also incorporate a DC Thickness for the implicit boundary condition by setting an appropriate thickness value as described in Assigning DC Thickness.