Introduction

In the following sections a GUI is built based on a model of a cross section of a beam. Beam models are used within the field of structural mechanics, but the application area is not important to the given example. The example model itself solves a simple Poisson type of equation (heat transfer) to calculate the area and moment of inertia for the beam. These calculated values can then later be used as input parameters in a real beam model. A reference for the modeling method in this example can be found in Foundations of Solid Mechanics by Y.C. Fung.

The example includes:

•	Save a model file for Java from an existing COMSOL Multiphysics model

•	Integrate the Java file into a GUI built in Java®

•	How to handle graphics in your own application

•	How to handle progress information and, for example, stopping a solver

•	How to hook up inputs in the GUI to the simulation

•	How to show output from the simulation in the GUI

•	Additional details such as adding a menu and icon to the application window

The example is based on the model stored in the BeamModel.mph file. The windows includes a lot of detail. The goal of creating a user-defined GUI is to be able to reduce the amount of clutter on the screen by only allowing suitable settings to be viewed and changed. This allows users who are not experienced in modeling to benefit from models created by others.

The final user interface looks like this

In this window only the necessary settings are provided on the left side. These settings are used to change the dimensions of the geometry. After the model has been solved the results are shown in the right side and can be copied to another application or report for further use.