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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.
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.
Part Contacts Properties and Context Menus
The Contacts manager node and the part contact subnodes provide several properties and right-click actions that allow you to check and edit the connections between parts.

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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.
  - 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.
    - Part Contacts Properties and Context Menus
      The Contacts manager node and the part contact subnodes provide several properties and right-click actions that allow you to check and edit the connections between parts.
    - Creating Part Contacts
      Use mesh contacts to define a connection between two part surfaces.
    - In-Place Contact
      An in-place contact is a direct connection between two part surfaces.
    - Periodic Contact
      A periodic contact defines two part surfaces that are spatially detached, but a rotation and/or translation can make them coincident.
    - Baffle Contact
      A baffle contact is a zero-thickness surface that the meshers maintain in the surface and volume meshes.
  - 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.

Part Contacts Properties and Context Menus

The Contacts manager node and the part contact subnodes provide several properties and right-click actions that allow you to check and edit the connections between parts.

Contacts Manager

The following actions are available when you right-click the Contacts manager node:


Context Menu
Edit...	Opens the table editor, which combines the functionality of the simulation tree and Properties window. It displays the selected part, all of its child nodes, and their properties in a single dialog. See Using the Table Editor.
Find Part/Part Contacts...	Automatically finds part contacts between the selected parts (two or more parts) based on a specified tolerance value. This operation is useful in circumstances where several parts exist, some of which can be touching two or more other parts. See Finding Part Contacts Automatically.
Browse Part/Part Contacts...	Allows you to scan through the part contact data using the Part/Part Contact Browser dialog, and view the contacting parts in the Graphics window. This operation automatically updates the view to hide parts that are not part of a contact list. See Browsing Part Contact Data.
Create Part/Part Contact	Allows you to create part contacts manually between the selected parts (two or more parts). This operation is useful when the parts have surfaces that are in contact with one another and require an interface for the physical coupling once the mesh has been built. See Creating Part Contacts Manually.
Refresh	Updates the contacts node so that it reflects the latest changes to the simulation.

Part Contact Nodes

The following tables summarize the properties and right-click actions that are available for each part contact:


Properties
Part 1	The read-only names of the parts whose surfaces are in contact.
Part 2


Context Menu
Highlight	Highlights all part surface contacts in a scene. This option is only available if the scene is open. See Highlighting Objects.
Delete	Removes the selected part contact. See Deleting Objects.