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A CAD interface for GEANT4

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Abstract

Often CAD models already exist for parts of a geometry being simulated using GEANT4. Direct import of these CAD models into GEANT4 however, may not be possible and complex components may be difficult to define via other means. Solutions that allow for users to work around the limited support in the GEANT4 toolkit for loading predefined CAD geometries have been presented by others, however these solutions require intermediate file format conversion using commercial software. Here within we describe a technique that allows for CAD models to be directly loaded as geometry without the need for commercial software and intermediate file format conversion. Robustness of the interface was tested using a set of CAD models of various complexity; for the models used in testing, no import errors were reported and all geometry was found to be navigable by GEANT4.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the Queensland Cancer Physics Collaborative, and Cancer Australia (Department of Health and Ageing) Research Grant 614217.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital, Herston, QLD, 4029, Australia

    C. M. Poole

  2. School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Science & Engineering Faculty, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia

    C. M. Poole, I. Cornelius, J. V. Trapp & C. M. Langton

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  1. C. M. Poole
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  2. I. Cornelius
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  3. J. V. Trapp
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  4. C. M. Langton
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Correspondence to C. M. Poole.

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Poole, C.M., Cornelius, I., Trapp, J.V. et al. A CAD interface for GEANT4. Australas Phys Eng Sci Med 35, 329–334 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13246-012-0159-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13246-012-0159-8

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