[Gmsh] "healing" STEP files using netgen

[Zenker, Dr. Matthias]

Hi,

I have had a problem with STEP geometries having double surfaces at the interface between adjacent bodies, resulting in a non-conformal mesh. The consequence is that e.g. no current or heat can flow across the interface.
A workaround I have found is to load the STEP file into Joachim Schöberl's netgen software, execute "Heal geometry" in the "IGES/STEP Topology Explorer/Doctor" and export the "healed" geometry as STEP. When I open that one with gmsh, the duplicate surfaces are gone, and I get a nice conformal mesh. 
I could of course generate the mesh in netgen, but I did not succeed to generate a grid which was fine or coarse where I wanted it to be, since I did not find a functionality equivalent to gmsh's setting of the characteristic length. So I still prefer to generate the mesh with gmsh.

Now comes my question: since at least a part of the netgen functionality seems to be included in gmsh, is it possible that this is also the case for the "geometry healing"? It would be most comfortable to be able to launch that one from within gmsh. So: Is this already possible, or can it be done?

Thank you,

Matthias

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ERBE Elektromedizin GmbH
Dr.rer.nat. Matthias Zenker
Dipl. Phys.
Grundlagenentwicklung / Fundamental Development
Waldhoernlestrasse 17
72072 Tuebingen
Germany
Phone + 49 (0) 7071 755 - 226
Fax + 49 (0) 7071 755 - 5226
E-Mail: <mailto:Matthias.Zenker at erbe-med.com>
URL: http://www.ERBE-med.com
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