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Pre-Processing
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ solves physics problems on a computational mesh. To provide this mesh, you first define geometry using internal or external tools, and then create a mesh pipeline whose operations generate the mesh in repeatable steps.
Modeling Geometry
This part of the User Guide describes how to use 3D-CAD, the parametric solid modeler available within Simcenter STAR-CCM+. It also describes the features and tools available for further preparation of the geometry model and its surfaces.
Manipulating Parts
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows leaf-level parts to be manipulated in several different ways once they have been imported or created.
Manipulating Part Surfaces
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows leaf-level part surfaces to be manipulated in several different ways.
Splitting a Part Surface by Contacts
You can split one or more part surfaces by the contacts that the part surfaces make.

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Pre-Processing
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ solves physics problems on a computational mesh. To provide this mesh, you first define geometry using internal or external tools, and then create a mesh pipeline whose operations generate the mesh in repeatable steps.
- 3D-CAD
  3D-CAD is a feature-based parametric modeler within Simcenter STAR-CCM+ that allows you to build geometries from scratch. The geometries that you create with 3D-CAD are stored as 3D-CAD models, which you can then convert to geometry parts for integration with the meshing and simulation process.
- Modeling Geometry
  This part of the User Guide describes how to use 3D-CAD, the parametric solid modeler available within Simcenter STAR-CCM+. It also describes the features and tools available for further preparation of the geometry model and its surfaces.
  - Preparing the Geometry
    In general, a Simcenter STAR-CCM+ analysis requires one or more geometry parts from which you define the spatial construction of the regions. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows you to create geometry parts directly using the built-in 3D-CAD modeler, or import geometry from a wide range of source formats.
  - Importing Geometry
    One of the possible starting points for the meshing process is to import surface data.
  - Understanding Geometry Parts
    You can use the geometry parts manager node to control what parts are meshed and included in the simulation downstream.
  - Manipulating Parts
    Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows leaf-level parts to be manipulated in several different ways once they have been imported or created.
    - Retessellating a Part
      The surfaces of a geometry part are represented using triangles which come from a process that is known as tessellation.
    - Transforming a Part
      Five different types of transformations are provided to transform parts.
    - Duplicating a Part
      You can duplicate a part in instances where only a half, quarter, or some fraction of a symmetrical or axis-symmetric model has been imported and the full geometry is desired instead.
    - Combining Parts
      Two or more parts can be combined to create a single mesh part.
    - Performing Boolean Operations
      This section describes the basic Boolean operations that can be performed on geometry parts.
    - Splitting Non-Contiguous Parts
      A non-contiguous mesh part (that is, a mesh part that has faces that are not connected to other faces in the part) can be split into its individual component parts if necessary.
    - Splitting a Part by Surface Topology
      The split by surface topology method can be used to split and combine parts that can be defined as distinct geometrical regions.
    - Replacing a Part
      You can replace a single CAD or mesh part at any time. Replacing a part lets you provide new geometrical input for the meshing pipeline without affecting any of the other data input required to generate a mesh.
    - Manipulating Part Surfaces
      Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows leaf-level part surfaces to be manipulated in several different ways.
      - Creating a New Part from a Part Surface
        Leaf-level parts can have one or more of the surfaces describing the part geometry be moved into a new part if necessary.
      - Creating an Empty Part Surface
        In Simcenter STAR-CCM+, you can create empty part surfaces for an existing part. When using surface repair features, you can then assign faces to the empty part surfaces.
      - Combining Part Surfaces
        Two or more leaf-level part surfaces can be combined into a single part surface if necessary.
      - Splitting Non Contiguous Part Surfaces
        A part can have one or more of its faces split based on the non-contiguous nature of the surface.
      - Splitting a Part Surface by Part Curves
        A part can have one or more of its surfaces split based on the part curves corresponding to the parent part.
      - Splitting a Part Surface by Angle
        A part can have one or more of its surfaces split based on an angle.
      - Splitting a Part Surface by Patch
        You can split one or more surface nodes of a leaf-level part using the underlying patch information that is stored as part of the geometry.
      - Splitting a Part Surface by Contacts
        You can split one or more part surfaces by the contacts that the part surfaces make.
      - Selecting Patches for Part Surfaces
        The Patch Selection Control tools include grow and shrink tools which facilitate the selection of patches for splitting.
    - Deleting Empty Entities
      This option allows you to delete empty part surfaces and part curves. Empty part surfaces do not have face definitions in any of the descriptions in the simulation. Similarly, empty part curves do not have any feature edges in any of the descriptions in the simulation.
    - Manipulating Part Curves
      Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows leaf-level part curves to be manipulated in several different ways.
    - Manipulating Part Points
      In addition to part surfaces and part curves, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows you to create part points. Part points are intended for specific applications that allow you to set quantities at point locations. For example, in solid stress simulations you can define loads and constraints at specific points.
    - Repairing Part Surfaces and Curves
      Repairs can be made to leaf-level parts at any time before surface initialization. They can be required to close a surface or fix some other non-valid entity that the translation process created.
    - Exporting Parts
      This section describes how to export the data that is contained in the geometry parts tree.
    - Getting the Face Count of a Part
      This section describes how to obtain the number of faces of a geometry part.
    - Editing Imported Parts in 3D CAD
      This section describes how to modify your imported geometry parts using 3D-CAD.
    - Part Operations Reference Page
      This section contains a list of available operations that appear when right-clicking a part.
  - Part Contacts
    Part contacts define the connection between two part surfaces. The meshers aim to generate a conformal mesh at the contact, which then becomes an interface in the physics region.
  - Repairing CAD Geometry
    The Geometry Repair tool provides diagnostic checks for assessing the validity of geometry and the means to repair the geometry automatically.
  - Displaying the Geometry
- The Surface Repair Tool
  The Surface Repair tool diagnoses errors in, and provides repair tools for, tessellated surfaces and part curves. The same tool allows you to reorganize discretized geometry by searching for face-based features and attributes then assigning the results to new or existing part surfaces or curves.
- Defining the Regions Layout
  An essential part of the process in setting up your simulation is to define the relationship between geometry parts and regions, boundaries, and interfaces.
- Meshing
  A mesh is a discretized representation of a geometric domain. This domain can include real-world geometry, its content, and its surrounding environment.

Splitting a Part Surface by Contacts

You can split one or more part surfaces by the contacts that the part surfaces make.

The Split by Contact function only works with strong contacts that are created in the Root Description. For example, parts that are imprinted in 3D-CAD have strong contacts. If contacts are created in any other downstream description, Split by Contact will not work.

When parts are imprinted, the contacts that are created exist between the whole part surfaces that contain the contacting faces. However, when the part surface contact is selected, only the contacting faces are highlighted in the Graphics window:

Splitting part surfaces by contacts recognizes the contacting faces on coincident surfaces and specifies these collections of faces as independent part surfaces.

To split part surfaces using contacts:

Select at least one part surface node to split by contact.
Right-click the part surface node and select Split By Contact.
In the Split By Contact Options dialog, select an option for Create One Part Surface Per Contacting: as follows:
- Patch
  A separate part surface is created from faces that belong to each patch within the contacting part surfaces.
  
  For example, if there are six patches contacting a part surface:
  
  the part surface is split to create six corresponding part surfaces:
- Part Surface
  A separate part surface is created from faces that belong to each contacting part surface.
  
  For example, if a part contains three part surfaces:
  
  the contacting part surface is split to create three corresponding part surfaces:
- Part
  A separate part surface is created from faces that belong to each part within the contacting part surfaces.
  
  For example, if one part surface is contacted by one part:
  
  the part surface is split to create one corresponding part surface:
In each example, specific contacting part surfaces are created that contain the exact faces that are in contact from each original patch, part surface, or part. The Geometry > Contacts update to show the specific part surfaces that form the contacts.