diff --git a/lib/atc/FE_Element.cpp b/lib/atc/FE_Element.cpp
index d7c5769672..6bc9d390aa 100644
--- a/lib/atc/FE_Element.cpp
+++ b/lib/atc/FE_Element.cpp
@@ -178,26 +178,6 @@ static const double localCoordinatesTolerance = 1.e-09;
       xi(1) = J2/J;
       xi(2) = J3/J;
     }
-    else if (projectionGuess_ == TWOD_ANALYTIC) { 
-      // assume x-y planar and HEX8
-      double x0 = x(0), y0 = x(1);
-      double X[4] = {eltCoords(0,0),eltCoords(0,1),eltCoords(0,2),eltCoords(0,3)};
-      double Y[4] = {eltCoords(1,0),eltCoords(1,1),eltCoords(1,2),eltCoords(1,3)};
-      double c[3]={0,0,0};
-      c[0] = y0*X[1] - y0*X[2] - y0*X[3] + y0*X[4] - x0*Y[1] + (X[2]*Y[1])*0.5 + (X[3]*Y[1])*0.5 + x0*Y[2] - (X[1]*Y[2])*0.5 - (X[4]*Y[2])*0.5 + x0*Y[3] - (X[1]*Y[3])*0.5 - (X[4]*Y[3])*0.5 - x0*Y[4] + (X[2]*Y[4])*0.5 + (X[3]*Y[4])*0.5;
-      c[1] = -(y0*X[1]) + y0*X[2] - y0*X[3] + y0*X[4] + x0*Y[1] - X[2]*Y[1] - x0*Y[2] + X[1]*Y[2] + x0*Y[3] - X[4]*Y[3] - x0*Y[4] + X[3]*Y[4];
-      c[2] = (X[2]*Y[1])*0.5 - (X[3]*Y[1])*0.5 - (X[1]*Y[2])*0.5 + (X[4]*Y[2])*0.5 + (X[1]*Y[3])*0.5 - (X[4]*Y[3])*0.5 - (X[2]*Y[4])*0.5 + (X[3]*Y[4])*0.5;
-      double xi2[2]={0,0};
-      int nroots = solve_quadratic(c,xi2);
-      if (nroots == 0) throw ATC_Error("no real roots in 2D analytic projection guess");
-      double xi1[2]={0,0};
-      xi1[0] = (4*x0 - X[1] + xi2[0]*X[1] - X[2] + xi2[0]*X[2] - X[3] - xi2[0]*X[3] - X[4] - xi2[0]*X[4])/(-X[1] + xi2[0]*X[1] + X[2] - xi2[0]*X[2] + X[3] + xi2[0]*X[3] - X[4] - xi2[0]*X[4]);
-      xi1[1] = (4*x0 - X[1] + xi2[1]*X[1] - X[2] + xi2[1]*X[2] - X[3] - xi2[1]*X[3] - X[4] - xi2[1]*X[4])/(-X[1] + xi2[1]*X[1] + X[2] - xi2[1]*X[2] + X[3] + xi2[1]*X[3] - X[4] - xi2[1]*X[4]);
-      // choose which one gives back x
-      xi(0) = xi1[0]; 
-      xi(1) = xi2[0]; 
-      xi(2) = 0; 
-    }
   }
 
  
diff --git a/lib/atc/FE_Mesh.cpp b/lib/atc/FE_Mesh.cpp
index e97755bcf1..6e7036a0c9 100644
--- a/lib/atc/FE_Mesh.cpp
+++ b/lib/atc/FE_Mesh.cpp
@@ -359,19 +359,12 @@ namespace ATC {
   // -------------------------------------------------------------
   void FE_Mesh::initialize(void) 
   {
-
     bool aligned = is_aligned();
     if (!aligned) {
       feElement_->set_projection_guess(CENTROID_LINEARIZED);
       ATC::LammpsInterface::instance()->print_msg_once("WARNING: mesh is not aligned with the coordinate directions atom-to-element mapping will be expensive");
       // if HEX8 -> orient();
     }
-    bool twoD = is_two_dimensional(); 
-    if (twoD) {
-      feElement_->set_projection_guess(TWOD_ANALYTIC);
-      if (feElement_->order()< 3) hasPlanarFaces_ = true; 
-      ATC::LammpsInterface::instance()->print_msg_once(" mesh is two dimensional");
-    }
   }
   //-----------------------------------------------------------------