Originally, Molflow+ was intended to be used as a simulator, not a CAD editor - the source of the geometry always had to be an STL file.

Over the years, editing options were added to perform quick fixes on the geometry - such as plugging holes, rotating facets, etc. These functions cumulated, and - whereas Molflow won't ever be able to compete with a dedicated editor - now the user has a handful of editing options.

Starting from scratch

Molflow now starts with an empty geometry by default, and it is possible to start drawing accelerator shapes from scratch:

Designing geometries is now possible thanks to a few new, handy functions:

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Creating shapes

You can now draw squares, rectangles, circles and racetrack profiles. The plane and the size of the shapes can be defined through a dedicated dialog.

Extrusion, sweep

Once a shape (or a custom cross-section) is drawn, you can make a 3D body out of it with the extrusion and sweep commands:

Build intersections

You can now move from linear geometries by creating two shapes and letting Molflow intersect the two, allowing molecules to move in-between:

Create transition (loft)

You can now connect consecutive cross-sections by letting Molflow "patch" the sides between two facets. The algorithm is not straightforward - it's been extensively tested for various convex shapes, nevertheless if you find a shape combination for which it struggles, feel free to leave a report.

Smart select

Molflow can now identify features of your geometry, delimited by sharp turns on the surface. You can set the tolerance to autmatically find edges:

The feature is especially handy when trying to strip a geometry from the outer shell (if the file originates from a CAD drawing).

Apart from the above, new functions have been added to many dialogs. You can now, for example, move a facet in a predefined direction (for example, towards the normal of a facet), or fix non-planar facets by projecting all their vertices on the same plane:

Feel free to discover the new options, and maybe all together they allow to build a simple geometry without external tools. Good luck!