Comsol Trial Version
Vaniria Setser
COMSOL is a software platform for multiphysics simulation that allows you to create physics-based models and applications of real-world designs, devices, and processes. With COMSOL, you can combine multiple physics in any order, use user-friendly tools for building and deploying simulation apps, and interface directly with CAD and other third-party software.
If you want to try out COMSOL before purchasing a license, you can request a free software trial from your sales representative. In this article, we will show you how to download and install COMSOL trial version on your computer.
To download COMSOL trial version, you need to have a COMSOL Access account with an on-subscription COMSOL license attached or a software trial provided by your sales representative. If you do not have a COMSOL Access account yet, you can create one for free at Once you have an account, log in with your email and password.
After logging in, go to the product download page at -download. Here you will see the latest version of COMSOL Multiphysics and COMSOL Server available for download. You can also choose to download previous versions if you need to.
On the product download page, select your operating system from the drop-down menu. You can choose between Windows, Linux, and macOS. Then click on the "Download" button next to the product you want to install. The installer file will start downloading to your computer.
Once the download is complete, locate the installer file on your computer and double-click on it to run it. You may need to grant permission for the installer to make changes to your system. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation process. You will need to enter your COMSOL Access credentials and agree to the license terms.
After the installation is finished, you can launch COMSOL from your desktop or start menu. You will see a welcome screen with some options to get started. You can open an existing model, create a new model, browse the Model Library, or explore the Application Library. You can also access tutorials, documentation, and support resources from the Help menu.
Congratulations! You have successfully downloaded and installed COMSOL trial version on your computer. You can now use it for a limited time period to evaluate its features and capabilities. If you have any questions or issues, please contact your sales representative or visit
Dr. Spann earned a B.S. in Mathematics and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Computational and Mathematical Engineering from Stanford University,
A 14-day free trial version of COMSOL Multiphysics will be made available for installation prior to the start of class. If you wish to receive this trial license, please check the appropriate box in the registration form below.
Veryst reserves the right to reject registrations and to cancel a training class based on class size. A full refund will be made if a class is canceled. If a participant cancels a registration more than 5 days before the class then an 80% refund will be given. There is no refund for cancellations during the last 5 days before the class.
The Comsol Group provides software solutions for simulation and modeling of real world multiphysics systems. By using Comsol Multiphysics software modeling of almost any physics based system is possible. Main modules give the possibility to perform electric and magnetic field calculations, flow calculations, optics and photonics calculations and many more.
Optek provides both local sales and technical support for Comsol users. In case you would want to have a trial version of Comsol Multiphysics or need some additional comments on the software capabilities, please, contact us at info[at]optek.lv. For more information visit www.comsol.com.
I would say it is not necessarily importanat which of the softwares that you develop your skills in as it is is importnat is to have an understanding of optical design principles for the applications which interest you. Zemax, Code-V, and VirtualLab fusion are all commerical packages for which you need a liscence but there are some trial versions and tutorials where you can learn the basics. A part from that i would take a look at the differences between each software and see which softwares the companies that interest you are using.
Synopsys-CODE V specialises in imaging systems design. With the capability to perform accurate and comprehensive optical design simulations, it allowing engineers to simulate and evaluate the performance of complex optical systems, such as lenses, telescopes, and imaging systems. They have tools like: Ray tracing, wavefront analysis, aberration analysis, beam propagation analysis, tolerancing, non-sequential modelling.
Meanwhile ZEEMAX is a optical design software with analysis, optimization, and simulation tools including lens design & optimization, ray tracing, optical analysis, stray light analysis, tolerancing, manufacturing data management. Its use spans a broader phonics field from optical design, imaging optics, lighting and illumination, lasers and fibers.
Finally VirtualLabFusion also offers ray tracing and physical optics field tracing methods. The software is useful in many applications, including diffractive optics, metasurfaces, gratings, diffusers, AR/VR glasses, advanced modeling of lens systems, fiber coupling, ultrashort laser physics, scattering and interferometry.
Synopsys Software like CodeV and Lighttools is the most expensive of all. Zemax comes second (or recently maybe first?). These are only available as subscription.
FRED is very good for non-sequential and coherent laser stuff. Quadoa is new, but very easy to use. Both of these have permanent digital or USB licenses.
COMSOL: COMSOL is great because of its multiphysics engine, allowing for complicated multi-stage devices. For very complex projects, this is a great combination of capabilities. For simple geometries and examples, it is possible to get reliable results rather fast. Nonetheless, as geometries and dimensions scale, it requires to have a deeper understanding of the underlying physics. As an example: Finding the modes of a waveguide is relatively easy and making a basic directional coupler is well documented. Nonetheless, for custom solutions (Custom materials, custom geometries) that slightly fall out of the base examples, it takes some time to understand the error messages. Support from COMSOL is great, but available information from Forums is severely outdated (down to a lot of information dating version 4, while it is currently at version 10).
In the end I think that which software you specialize in does not matter too much, because for example if you have worked with MEEP or Lumerical or COMSOL, in the end the process to achieve simulations will mostly be defined by the company you end up working with, and what changes from Software to Software is: Setup, GUI and processes. If you have advantage for knowing a Software it may be good to start a new job (or if you absolutely require it due to Senior/Higher level technical positions), but as long as you know the standing principles behind each type of simulation, swapping between software suites does not matter too much at the end of the day.
As an analogy related to electronics design software (which I have more working experience with), I have 3 years 10 months experience with Cadence PCB Design Software. Whenever I applied for jobs, I put it as part of my experience, and when I had to use a different software (Namely Eagle or Altium) mostly I noticed that menus were in different locations, but the workflow is rather similar and is mostly defined by the companies you work for, including setting up libraries, leveraging older designs, company guidelines for documentation, etc.
Hi @Dane_Austin , many of these software packages are excellent choices. I have been using Zemax (Ansys Zemax OpticStudio) for many years. I have written a new book that shows how to use this software and perform some optical system designs with it. You can find out more info about this book here: Modern Classical Optical System Design - Book - IOPscience
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Lots of online lectures are available on youtube including university courses and commercial software tutorials (in most cases you can download trial versions of the commercial software). Below, you will find some of the best examples of these resources. As we strive to provide the best opportunities for you, we welcome your feedback on which of these resources you did and did not like, or if there is anything you think we should add.
This hands-on webinar will use COMSOL Multiphysics to prepare and explore simulations of the four basic modes of electrophoresis: zone electrophoresis, moving-boundary electrophoresis, isotachophoresis, and isoelectric focusing. Within these four modes, there are many different variations that can be used to optimize electrokinetic separations, but the underlying physics of new electrophoretic methods can almost always be related back to this seminal set of methods. We will begin the webinar by putting together a program that simulates isocratic "zone" electrophoresis and then switch to a completed program that illustrates how the four basic modes share a common "physics" but differ primarily in their boundary and initial conditions.
This webinar is geared toward attendees who have little to no experience with COMSOL Multiphysics who would like a hands-on introduction to the software. It is also appropriate for those who are interested in learning how to set up computer simulations for problems in electrophoresis using this commercial package. Attendees should have the latest version of the COMSOL software installed on their computer and should download the sample COMSOL files so they can more easily follow the webinar in real time. A trial version of the software will be made available free of charge to all registrants.
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