Stage Three: Removing Object Intersections
If there are any intersecting objects, a Validation Check will list them. You must eliminate object intersections before a mesh can be created.
In complicated models, before making changes, it is good practice to inspect the overlap visually:
- Duplicate both objects and place the copies outside the model.
- Perform Boolean Intersect on the copies.
- Delete the copies.
This will show you what causes the intersection and will help you decide how to remove it.
The easiest way to eliminate object overlap is to subtract one object from the other, in the order that leaves the desired material in the region of overlap. If the overlap is very small and you can choose the order of subtraction; choose one that does not create coincident true surfaces, if possible.
Caveat: if as a result of a subtraction the model has pairs of true surfaces that are coincident, that is, smooth curved surfaces that fit exactly one inside the other, you will make it harder for the mesh generator to create a mesh. This is because the geometry kernel will create segmentations on each of these surfaces, and these segmentations are not guaranteed to fit. Setting a small value for Surface Deviation under Mesh > Assign Mesh Operation > Surface Approximation increases your chance of success in such a case, but it's better to avoid such situations if you can.
A way to eliminate object intersections without subtraction is to split one object in parts, in such a way that some parts are completely enclosed in the other object, and some parts are completely outside the other object. Even for complicated objects, this is possible through a sequence of Boolean operations on the objects and copies of the objects.
At this point, the geometry has no geometry kernel errors, no non-manifold objects and no partial object intersections. A mesh can be created for the electromagnetic analysis.