Table of Contents

2D Program Guide ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................. 2
Component Check .................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Component Check ............................................................................................................................................................... 2
Manual Organization ................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Manual Organization ............................................................................................................................................................ 3
Manual Conventions ................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Manual Conventions ............................................................................................................................................................ 4
Symbols used in the manual .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Symbols used in the manual .............................................................................................................................................. 5
Product Support ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Product Support ................................................................................................................................................................... 6
PROGRAM Features ............................................................................................................................................................... 7
PROGRAM Features .......................................................................................................................................................... 7
Chapter 2 Program Setup .................................................................................................................................................... 8
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................... 8
PROGRAM Workspace .......................................................................................................................................................... 9
PROGRAM Workspace ...................................................................................................................................................... 9
Input Devices ........................................................................................................................................................................... 10
The Tool Bars ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10
The Mouse ......................................................................................................................................................................... 13
The Keyboard .................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Units Setup ............................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Units Setup ......................................................................................................................................................................... 15
View Setup ................................................................................................................................................................................ 16
View Setup ......................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Changing the Current Model View .................................................................................................................................... 17
Changing the Current Model View ................................................................................................................................. 17
On-Line Help ............................................................................................................................................................................ 20
On-Line Help ...................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Program Settings .................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Program Settings .............................................................................................................................................................. 21
Settings: Application Options .......................................................................................................................................... 22
Settings: Document Properties ....................................................................................................................................... 24
Chapter 3 Modeling the Geometry .............................................................................................................................. 26
The 2D Geometric Modeler ................................................................................................................................................. 26
The 2D Geometric Modeler ............................................................................................................................................. 26
Setting the Geometry Defaults ........................................................................................................................................... 27
Setting the Geometry Defaults ........................................................................................................................................ 27
Setting the Geometry Point Options .............................................................................................................................. 28
Setting the Edit Options ................................................................................................................................................... 29
Setting the Copy Attributes .............................................................................................................................................. 30
Entering Geometry Points .................................................................................................................................................... 31
Entering Geometry Points ................................................................................................................................................ 31
Using the mouse to enter points ..................................................................................................................................... 32
Using the keyboard to enter points ................................................................................................................................. 33
Entering points relative to existing points ...................................................................................................................... 34
Commands in the 2D Geometry Menu .......................................................................................................................... 35
Displaying Information about Geometry ........................................................................................................................ 39
 Healing Geometry Commands ........................................................................................................................................ 40
Display Object Number and Highlight Object ............................................................................................................... 42
Object .................................................................................................................................................................................. 43
The Modify Menu in 2D ........................................................................................................................................................ 44
The Modify Menu in 2D .................................................................................................................................................... 44
Delete/Undo/Redo Commands ....................................................................................................................................... 45
Moving and Resizing Commands ................................................................................................................................... 46
Parallel and Strip Creation Tools .................................................................................................................................... 48
�End of Segment� Modification Commands ............................................................................................................. 49
Miscellaneous Modify Tools ............................................................................................................................................. 50
Chapter 4 Importing from CAD ...................................................................................................................................... 52
CAD File Formats .................................................................................................................................................................. 52
CAD File Formats ............................................................................................................................................................. 52
DXF ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 53
IGS (or IGES) .................................................................................................................................................................... 54
SAT ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 56
STEP ................................................................................................................................................................................... 57
3DM ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 58
Direct Memory Import ........................................................................................................................................................... 59
Direct Memory Import ....................................................................................................................................................... 59
SolidEdge ........................................................................................................................................................................... 60
AutoDesk Inventor and SolidWorks ............................................................................................................................... 61
Pro-E ................................................................................................................................................................................... 62
I-DEAS ............................................................................................................................................................................... 63
Precision .................................................................................................................................................................................... 64
Precision ............................................................................................................................................................................. 64
Importing 3D Geometry into 2D ......................................................................................................................................... 65
Importing 3D Geometry into 2D ...................................................................................................................................... 65
Common CAD Geometry Problems for Analysis ......................................................................................................... 66
Common CAD Geometry Problems for Analysis ......................................................................................................... 66
Some Key Differences Between CAD and Simulation ............................................................................................... 67
Fixing CAD Imports .......................................................................................................................................................... 71
Chapter 5 Basic Physics and Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 72
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................... 72
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 72
Basic Physics ........................................................................................................................................................................... 73
Basic Physics ..................................................................................................................................................................... 73
Defining the Model Type ....................................................................................................................................................... 74
Defining the Model Type .................................................................................................................................................. 74
Setting the Type of Geometry ......................................................................................................................................... 75
Defining Symmetry conditions ............................................................................................................................................ 76
Defining Symmetry conditions ......................................................................................................................................... 76
Determining if your model has symmetry ...................................................................................................................... 77
Deciding between Symmetry and Anti-symmetry conditions ...................................................................................... 78
Defining a Symmetry Condition ...................................................................................................................................... 79
Defining Periodicity in a Model ........................................................................................................................................... 80
Angular Periodicity ............................................................................................................................................................ 80
Creating a periodic model ................................................................................................................................................ 81
Defining the Periodicity .................................................................................................................................................... 82
Linear Periodicity ............................................................................................................................................................... 83
Materials .................................................................................................................................................................................... 85
Materials ............................................................................................................................................................................. 85
Chapter 6 Managing Materials ....................................................................................................................................... 86
Overview .................................................................................................................................................................................... 86
 86
Overview .............................................................................................................................................................................
Model Materials ....................................................................................................................................................................... 87
Model Materials ................................................................................................................................................................. 87
Background Material ......................................................................................................................................................... 88
Materials Manager .................................................................................................................................................................. 89
Materials Manager ............................................................................................................................................................ 89
Material Editor .......................................................................................................................................................................... 91
Material Editor .................................................................................................................................................................... 91
Parameter Section ............................................................................................................................................................ 92
Data Table .......................................................................................................................................................................... 95
Graph .................................................................................................................................................................................. 97
Chapter 7 Solution and Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 99
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................... 99
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 99
Recommended Solver Use .............................................................................................................................................. 100
Recommended Solver Use ........................................................................................................................................... 100
Solver Setup .......................................................................................................................................................................... 101
Solver Setup ................................................................................................................................................................... 101
Solver Setup Dialog ....................................................................................................................................................... 102
Advanced Solver Setup ................................................................................................................................................. 104
Discretizing the Model with BEM ................................................................................................................................. 105
Discretizing the Model with FEM ................................................................................................................................. 107
Choosing between FEM, BEM and Hybrid ................................................................................................................ 108
Scale Solution ................................................................................................................................................................. 109
Hardware and OS Considerations ............................................................................................................................... 110
Basic Analysis ........................................................................................................................................................................ 111
Basic Analysis ................................................................................................................................................................. 111
Field Calculations ................................................................................................................................................................. 112
Field Calculations ........................................................................................................................................................... 112
Streamlines ............................................................................................................................................................................ 113
Streamlines ...................................................................................................................................................................... 113
Selecting Reference Colors .............................................................................................................................................. 114
Selecting Reference Colors .......................................................................................................................................... 114
The Color Dialog ............................................................................................................................................................. 115
The Method for Determining Intermediate Colors ..................................................................................................... 116
Other Model Results ........................................................................................................................................................... 118
Other Model Results ...................................................................................................................................................... 118
Define Outputs / Output Manager .................................................................................................................................. 119
Define Outputs / Output Manager ................................................................................................................................ 119
Define Outputs � [Plots] Tab ....................................................................................................................................... 120
Define Outputs � [Results] Tab .................................................................................................................................. 121
Define Outputs � [File] Tab ......................................................................................................................................... 122
Output Manager � [Plots] Tab ..................................................................................................................................... 123
Output Manager � [Results] Tab ................................................................................................................................ 124
Chapter 8 The Field Analysis Results Dialog ................................................................................................... 125
The Field Analysis Results Dialog Box ......................................................................................................................... 125
The Field Analysis Results Dialog Box ....................................................................................................................... 125
What is Available ................................................................................................................................................................. 126
What is Available ............................................................................................................................................................ 126
A Closer Look ................................................................................................................................................................. 127
Working With Graphs ......................................................................................................................................................... 129
Working With Graphs .................................................................................................................................................... 129
Graphing Data From a Solved Model ........................................................................................................................... 130
Graphing Data From a Solved Model ......................................................................................................................... 130
 Graphing Along Segment .............................................................................................................................................. 131
Graphing Along Line ...................................................................................................................................................... 132
Graphing Along a Surface ............................................................................................................................................. 133
When to Choose New Graph or Apply Settings ........................................................................................................ 134
Creating Contour Plots ...................................................................................................................................................... 135
Creating Contour Plots .................................................................................................................................................. 135
Values Menu ................................................................................................................................................................... 137
Options Menu .................................................................................................................................................................. 138
Underlay Menu ............................................................................................................................................................... 139
Integrate Menu ................................................................................................................................................................ 140
Creating Arrow Plots ........................................................................................................................................................... 141
Creating Arrow Plots ...................................................................................................................................................... 141
Options Menu .................................................................................................................................................................. 143
Underlay Menu ............................................................................................................................................................... 144
Creating Loci Plots .............................................................................................................................................................. 145
Creating Loci Plots ......................................................................................................................................................... 145
Options Menu .................................................................................................................................................................. 146
Underlay Menu ............................................................................................................................................................... 147
Creating Profile Plots .......................................................................................................................................................... 148
Creating Profile Plots ..................................................................................................................................................... 148
Field Calculations at Selected Points ............................................................................................................................ 149
Field Calculations at Selected Points ......................................................................................................................... 149
Calculating Field Values at a Geometry Point ........................................................................................................... 150
Calculating Field Values using File Input and Output .............................................................................................. 151
Chapter 9 Plotting with AutoGraph ........................................................................................................................... 152
Plotting with AutoGraph ..................................................................................................................................................... 152
Working Within AutoGraph ............................................................................................................................................... 153
Working Within AutoGraph ........................................................................................................................................... 153
General Plot Options ..................................................................................................................................................... 154
Working With a Specific Graph ................................................................................................................................... 155
Viewing Data ................................................................................................................................................................... 157
Exporting Data ................................................................................................................................................................ 158
Importing Data ................................................................................................................................................................ 159
Labels and Titles ............................................................................................................................................................ 160
Chapter 10 Parametrics and Batch .......................................................................................................................... 161
Parametrics and Batch Compared ................................................................................................................................. 161
Parametrics and Batch Compared .............................................................................................................................. 161
Parametric Analyses ........................................................................................................................................................... 162
Scope of Parametrics .................................................................................................................................................... 162
Setting Up Parametric Runs ......................................................................................................................................... 163
Parametric Setup Dialog Box ....................................................................................................................................... 164
Parameter Editor Dialog Box ........................................................................................................................................ 165
Parameter Types ............................................................................................................................................................ 166
Setting the Range of Parameter Values ..................................................................................................................... 167
Parametric Setup Mode Program Menu Bar ............................................................................................................. 168
Performing a Parametric Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 169
Running Unattended using the Batch Utility ............................................................................................................... 172
Running Unattended using the Batch Utility .............................................................................................................. 172
Batch-in-Batch ................................................................................................................................................................ 173
Chapter 11 Saving and Printing Results .............................................................................................................. 174
Saving and Printing Results ............................................................................................................................................. 174
Standard Tool Bar Commands ........................................................................................................................................ 175
Standard Tool Bar Commands ..................................................................................................................................... 175
New .................................................................................................................................................................................. 176
 Open ................................................................................................................................................................................. 177
Merge ............................................................................................................................................................................... 178
Save ................................................................................................................................................................................. 179
180
File Types ...............................................................................................................................................................................
File Types ........................................................................................................................................................................ 180
Adding Text to Graphics .................................................................................................................................................... 181
Adding Text to Graphics ................................................................................................................................................ 181
Printing and Saving Graphics and Data ....................................................................................................................... 182
Printing and Saving Graphics and Data ..................................................................................................................... 182
Export Data to File Dialog ............................................................................................................................................. 183
Saving Single Number Results .................................................................................................................................... 184
Adding extra information to graphics ........................................................................................................................... 185
Appendix ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 186
Simulation Overview ........................................................................................................................................................... 186
1. The Model ................................................................................................................................................................... 186
2. The Mesh .................................................................................................................................................................... 187
3. Solving ......................................................................................................................................................................... 188
4. Analysis ....................................................................................................................................................................... 189
5. Automatic Systematic Model Variation (Parametrics) .......................................................................................... 190
Determining How a Model is Constructed ................................................................................................................... 191
Geometry ......................................................................................................................................................................... 191
Units ................................................................................................................................................................................. 192
Measurements ................................................................................................................................................................ 193
2D Programs: 2D or RS Mode ..................................................................................................................................... 194
Hidden Pieces ................................................................................................................................................................. 195
Physics ............................................................................................................................................................................. 196
Physics Global Settings ................................................................................................................................................ 197
Symmetry and Periodicity ............................................................................................................................................. 198
Materials .......................................................................................................................................................................... 199
Type of Analysis .............................................................................................................................................................. 200
Numerical Solution Methods ............................................................................................................................................ 201
Physical Basis ................................................................................................................................................................. 201
Integral Field Equations ................................................................................................................................................ 202
Method of Weighted Residuals .................................................................................................................................... 203
Boundary Element Method ........................................................................................................................................... 205
Quasi-static Field Calculations .................................................................................................................................... 207
Fast Multipole Method (FMM) ...................................................................................................................................... 208
Suggested References .................................................................................................................................................. 209
SecurityKey ............................................................................................................................................................................ 210
SecurityKey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 210
Geometry Connection Problems .................................................................................................................................... 218
Geometry Connection Problems .................................................................................................................................. 218
v91 Updates .............................................................................................................................................................................. 222
v91 Updates .......................................................................................................................................................................... 222
2D Program Guide 2D Program Guide

INTEGRATED ENGINEERING SOFTWARE

2D Program Guide
Version 9.1

Users Guide and Technical Manual

*This document is your guide to the common aspects of IES 2D analysis programs. It is the companion to the specific
guides for individual analysis modules. These modules are either individual programs, or modes accessed in multiphysics
programs via the menu Utilities > Mode > {physics type}.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of
INTEGRATED ENGINEERING SOFTWARE SALES Inc. The software described in this document is furnished under a
license agreement or nondisclosure agreement. The software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the
agreement. It is against the law to copy any part of the software onto cassette tape, disk or any other medium for any purpose
other than the licensee’s use.
This document contains proprietary information that is protected by copyright. All rights are reserved.

Integrated Engineering Software Sales Inc.

220 – 1821 Wellington Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
R3H 0G4
Telephone: (204) 632-5636
Facsimile: (204) 633-7780
E-mail: info@[Link]
Home Page: [Link]

Copyright ENGINIA RESEARCH Inc., 2011

November 2011

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2D Program Guide Component Check

COMPONENT CHECK

Your package contains:

A Quick Start Guide (or Guides if more than one solver is included).
CD ROM containing the PROGRAM files and electronic manuals.
Security key.
If you are missing any of these components or if any have been damaged in shipping please contact Integrated Engineering
Software immediately.

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2D Program Guide Manual Organization

M ANUAL ORGANIZATION

The User’s Manual is a guide for using and understanding the PROGRAM. It is intended to be helpful for first time and
experienced users. If you are a first time user, we strongly recommended that you complete the Sample Sessions in the Quick
Start Guide before proceeding to your own designs or reading the bulk of this manual.
After completing the QuickStart Guide samples you should understand the interface, workflow and built-in aids of your
INTEGRATED program. This manual serves as a reference for when you are unsure about the available features and how to
use them.

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2D Program Guide Manual Conventions

M ANUAL CONVENTIONS
Periodically, the manual uses tips, notes or important messages to help you efficiently create and solve your models. These
messages have the following format:

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2D Program Guide Symbols used in the manual

SYMBOLS USED IN THE MANUAL

This manual uses a number of symbols to highlight specific parts of the text. The meaning of these symbols is as follows:

The pencil and paper marks a note about how a function

works, or explains a screen display.
The light bulb marks a tip about how to use the program
more efficiently. For example, a tip might give you a
keyboard shortcut for a commonly used command.
The exclamation mark marks an important comment about
using a function or creating the model. These instructions
are crucial for obtaining an accurate solution.

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2D Program Guide Product Support

PRODUCT SUPPORT
While evaluating a program, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Technical Support staff at (204)
632-5636 in Canada or by e-mail at support@[Link]
After purchasing a program you have one year of support automatically available. This can be renewed annually for ongoing
program updates and technical support.

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2D Program Guide PROGRAM Features

PROGRAM F EATURES

Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) plays a vital role in today's engineering workplace. Computers have brought the benefits
of CAE within the reach of most engineers and scientists. The best known methods used for simulating designs have been the
finite difference or finite element methods. The drawbacks of these methods include slow response time, the need for huge
amounts of input data, inaccurate calculation of derived functions of potential, and the inability to deal with open region
problems. Programs using these methods generally are not very easy to learn or use. They also require expensive computer
hardware in order to solve moderate to large problems.
Integrated Engineering Software provides you with a choice of solvers. We provide the Boundary Element Method with
a powerful user-interface to alleviate the shortcomings of older methods while offering advanced simulation features. We also
provide a Finite Element solver for those cases where it provides a better solution, or as a means of double-checking a result.
The PROGRAM is designed to help solve the specific problems inherent in the design and analysis of equipment. It
incorporates a number of important features which work together to provide a fast, easy-to-learn, efficient, and reliable working
tool.
TOOL BAR Interface:
Provides “Point and Click” operation of many functions.
Allows resizing, reshaping, “docking and undocking” of tool bars.
Movable and resizable Command bar.
Various Analysis tools allow you to obtain easily recognizable results and produce visually appealing documentation,
including:
Field values at any desired location throughout the entire model domain.
Field components displayed in the form of contour plots, profile plots and graphs.
Fields displayed in the form of arrow plots, and graphs.
Graphs obtained along any arbitrary line or segment(s).
Material Properties are stored in libraries that associate colors with materials. Materials from the table are assigned easily
to the appropriate regions.
Various Boundary Conditions are easily assigned.
A Batch utility is provided for unattended operation.
T he Geometry tool allows you to draw lines, arcs, circles, and free-form curves. It also allows you to re-shape, rotate,
displace, mirror, round, or scale to size the geometrical model.
File management utility allows you to save, list, open and delete files of different formats as well as forward data and
pictures image to a printer or text file.
Unit Setup dialog allows you to input values in various unit systems.
Inquiry commands display information about the current geometry, boundary conditions, and elements.
Numerous editing tools provide easy modification of geometry, boundary conditions, elements, or materials makes it
possible for a design to be entered at the conceptual stage and changed until optimum results are obtained.
Text utilities enable you to annotate or document displays and results.
On-line help with information about every procedure and command.
Output and displays are saved in formatted files for easy integration with other programs. Hard copies of all displays are
easily obtained for reference or documentation.
Analyzing a design with the PROGRAM requires the device’s physical description. To analyze the design, first draw the
boundaries, place the materials in the appropriate regions, and then assign the boundary conditions or other sources. Then
select the type and mode of analysis required and the field parameter to be displayed.

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2D Program Guide Introduction

I NTRODUCTION
The 2D PROGRAMS are designed to solve well-defined, two-dimensional or rotationally symmetric field systems. In order to
create and analyze a model of any system, the physical parameters describing the system are required. A complete model
description consists of the model’s geometry, material properties, and sources and boundary conditions.
The geometry, normally entered first, is a cross-sectional drawing of a model consisting only of outlines of geometric entities.
You use commands in the Geometry and Edit menus to create the geometry.
After entering all or part of the geometry, assign the materials, boundary elements, boundary conditions and sources (for field
analysis) using commands in the Physics menu.
Once these are in place, you can perform two-dimensional field analysis. You can change the model definition and re-analyze
the model at any time. The PROGRAM calls on the solver when it is needed.
You can easily annotate displays using commands in the Text sub-menus of the Utilities menu.
The File menu allows you to save the model you are working on and to retrieve previously entered models. Copies of the
screen image or related data can also be forwarded to a printer or file for further analysis and documentation.

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2D Program Guide PROGRAM Workspace

PROGRAM W ORKSPACE

The PROGRAM screen contains several main components:

Title Bar - displays the Program name, current database and path.
Menu Bar - is a standard "Windows" style pull down menu system.
Scroll Bar - allows you to scroll up or down in the Application Area.
Application Area – (also known as the workspace) is where your model is constructed, analyzed and displayed.
Message Area - is used by the PROGRAM to output information.
Command Line - where the user is prompted and inputs data.
Tool Bars - are standard "Windows" type dockable tool bars for "Point and Click" command operations.
Status Bar – displays information about what the PROGRAM is doing
Dialog Boxes – are used for various data input
Command Bar – is the collective term for the Command Line and Message Area together

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2D Program Guide The Tool Bars

The Tool Bars

The PROGRAM provides six Icon Tool Bars for "Point and Click" commands.
Choose the menu View>Tool Bars…

The Tool Bar selection box appears as below:

Select the tool bars that you would like displayed. Note that tool bars that are only available in 3D programs are displayed in
gray and cannot be activated.

Standard Tool Bar

The Standard Tool Bar contains icons representing the most common file and print options.

Geometry Creation Tool Bar

The Geometry Creation Tool Bar contains icons representing the most common geometry and drawing options. See the
Geometry section for more detail on each selection.

Sections:
Line Tools
Spline Tools
Arc Tools
Circle Tools
Rectangle Tool

Geometry Inquiry Tool Bar

The Geometry Inquiry Tool Bar contains icons to aid you in finding out information about your geometry.

Inquire:
Length
Area
Volume (RS models)
(x,y) point
Line parameters
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2D Program Guide The Tool Bars
Distance
Angle

Modify Tool Bar

The Geometry Edit Tool Bar contains icons for editing your geometry.

Delete Segment
Displace
Mirror
Rotate
Scale
Pull Point
Undo
Redo

View Tool Bar

The View Tool Bar contains icons for viewing your geometry.

Refresh View to Limits Zoom in About Center Stretch

View All Geometry Zoom Out About Center
View Interior Geometry Zoom in About Point
Zoom Window Zoom Out About Point
Zoom Dynamic All Pan
Zoom Subwindow
Zoom Dynamic
Subwindow
Previous Window

Utilities Tool Bar

The Utilities Tool Bar contains icons for setting up your Workspace.

Command Bar

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2D Program Guide The Tool Bars
The Command Bar displays output from the program and receives user input.

Moving and Docking the Tool Bars

As in most "Windows" style software interfaces, the Tool Bars and Command Bar are "Dockable." They can be moved and
placed in different positions on the screen.
To Move or Undock a Tool Bar:
Place the cursor on "The Gripper" on the Tool bar that you want to move.
Hold down the Left mouse button and "Drag" the Tool Bar into the position required.
Release the mouse button.

The “Gripper”

A window with all of the

Tool Bars "Docked".

A window with the

Utilities Tool
Bar
"Undocked".

A window with the

Command Bar
“Undocked".

When you exit the 2D software, the position of the Toolbars and Command Bar are retained.

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2D Program Guide The Mouse

The Mouse

The buttons of the mouse have specific functions.

Use the right mouse button to:
exit commands
display the last menu when you click in the application area
Use the left mouse button to:
select menu commands and objects
enter geometry points
The operation of the middle “scroll” button is inconsistent between computers, but may enable you to scoll or zoom by rolling it
or moving the mouse while depressing it.

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2D Program Guide The Keyboard

The Keyboard
Use the keyboard to enter numbers or characters. It can also be used as an alternate to the mouse for entering or selecting
coordinate points.
There are keyboard-shortcut keys that you can use to quickly access the functions and commands that you use the most.

You can display a list of keyboard shortcuts on the screen by

selecting the menu Help>Keyboard …. You can re-size this
dialog and leave it on the screen while you work.

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2D Program Guide Units Setup

UNITS SETUP
Though INTEGRATED 2D uses the
System International (SI) standard
units for all internal computation, users
have the freedom of selecting their own
preferred physical units for inputting
model parameters and obtaining results.
This is done through the dialog opened
from the menu Utilities>Units …
The Units Setup dialog box shown at
right has categorized quantities used in
various analysis modules. Each quantity
has a list of unit options in drop down list
boxes. These automatically open up
when you click on the current unit for a
quantity.
The various unit categories can be
opened and closed by clicking the [+]
and [-] controls to the left of the title.

In addition, all units can be quickly changed to

one of the common standard systems by
selecting the preferred system from the Options
menu.

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2D Program Guide View Setup

VIEW SETUP
Before entering the geometry, start with a workspace that allows you to view the entire model, including any area of interest
outside of the model. You can use commands in the View menu to zoom in on parts of the geometry, so you do not have to
worry about making the screen limits too large. Set the screen limits using the View Setup dialog, shown below.

Select the menu View>View Setup … to

enter the View Setup dialog box.
Set the working space limits in the Limits
section. Enter the Minimum and Maximum X
coordinates and the Minimum and Maximum
Y coordinates.

There is normally no benefit to creating View Limits

which are very close to the geometry limits. You can
safely round off your numbers to convenient values with
blank margin space.

The Grid and Snap options make entering geometry points easier:

Grid-On: Select this icon or switch to display a

reference grid in the application area. The size
of the grid depends on the number in the Grid
Size box.

Snap-On: Select this icon or switch if you want the

mouse only to select points on the grid or in
between grid points. The snap points depend
on the number in the Snap Size box. If the
Grid and Snap Sizes are the same, you can
only use the mouse to enter points that lie on
the grid.

Dot Size: Allows you to set the dot size (circle) used to
represent geometry point. Larger points are
easier to select with the mouse.
(decrease dot size and increase dot size)

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2D Program Guide Changing the Current Model View

CHANGING THE CURRENT M ODEL VIEW

The View tool bar and View menu contain commands for changing the view of a model. You can zoom in or out, pan the view
position or change the size of the window.

The View menu, shown at right, lists

keyboard shortcuts for several
commands. Use these shortcuts to
quickly access the commands that
you use most frequently

The View commands and their functions are as follows:

Toolbar Menu Name Description

Refresh Screen Select this tool if there is a display

problem where the screen hasn’t
updated.

View to Limits Adjust the zoom level so that the

whole View is displayed (zoom
level =1, no scroll bars).

View All Geometry Adjust the zoom level and position

so that all geometry is displayed.

View Interior Adjust the zoom level and position

Geometry so that all geometry inside, but not
including, a surrounding boundary
is displayed.

Window All Changes the size of the current

window. You define the lower left
and upper right corners of the
new window. The maximum
window size depends on the
screen limits defined in the View
Setup dialog.

Dynamic Same as Window-All, except that

Window All you also define the center of the
new window.

Window Current Reduces the size of the current

window. You define the lower left
and upper right corners within the
current window. You cannot
increase the size of the window.

Dynamic Window Works the same as Window

Current Current, except that you can
select the center of the new
window.

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2D Program Guide Changing the Current Model View
Previous Window Returns to the Window zoom and
position prior to the last View
operation.

Zoom In About Press the Zoom In About Center

Center icon, to zoom in one step from the
center.

Zoom Out About Press the Zoom Out About Center

Center icon, to zoom out one step from
the center.

Zoom In About Select Zoom In About Point and

Point then use the mouse to select a
point on the window. Press the left
mouse button to zoom in to that
point.

Zoom Out About Select Zoom Out About Point and

Point then use the mouse to select a
point on the window. Press the left
mouse button to zoom out from
that point.

Previous View View the window as displayed

during the previous magnification
step.

View All Returns the view to full-screen

mode, based on the screen limits
set in the View Setup dialog.

Zoom-Factor Change the amount of

magnification performed by Zoom-
In and Zoom-Out.

Pan Left-click with the mouse and drag

the viewing location when scroll
bars are present.

Stretch Viewing Toggle on and off.

Mode
Frees the Aspect ratio of the view
so that the x- & y- direction zoom
levels can be different when
Windowing on an area.

Tool Tips On/Off Turn on or off the display of tool

tips when the mouse is selecting a
tool from the toolbars.

Tool Bars Selecting the Tool Bars command

opens the Tool Bar Selection
Dialog.

Check the Tool Bars to be

displayed.

Command Bar
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2D Program Guide Changing the Current Model View
Command Bar Check to display the command
bar.

Clear Command Clears the previous messages in

Messages the Command Bar.

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2D Program Guide On-Line Help

ON -L INE HELP

The PROGRAM includes on-line help, with information about every operation you can perform. To access the on-line help,
select Help>{Program} Help. The on-line help contains navigation capabilities that you commonly find in Windows help
systems.

Contents The Contents allows you to search the on-line help by

chapters and topics within each chapter. Click on a
book icon to display the topics available in that chapter.

Index The index includes keyword referencing every

procedure, command and menu. You can search under
‘commands’ or ‘menus’ for a complete list of all of the
commands.

Search The Search option allows you to search the entire help
database for every occurrence of a given word or
phrase. You can optimize the search to select portions
of words or similar phrases.

Favorites The Favorites tab enables you to make shortcuts to

help topics for easy return later.

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2D Program Guide Program Settings

PROGRAM SETTINGS

Most program settings are available in the Settings dialog box opened from the menu Utilities>Settings… There are two top
tabs in this dialog box. [Application Options] are those settings that are independent of the model. [Document Properties]
are those settings which apply only to the model that is open.

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2D Program Guide Settings: Application Options

Settings: Application Options

General:
“Open last used document at startup” – if selected, whenever you start the
program the last model you worked on will be opened.
“Recently used file list” – select how many recent files appear for quick
selection at the bottom of the File menu

“Default Font Setup” – opens the standard Windows font setup dialog box. The font selection will become the default for
much of the program (e.g. the “Put Scale” from the Field Analysis Results)
“Command Line and Message Area Settings” – opens a dialog box where fonts, background colors, and a prompt string can
be selected for the Command Line and Message Area.
“Autosave Database” – when selected, a model will automatically be saved when it finishes solving.

Files:
Locations to look for files. Choose the file type from the list, then click
[Browse…] to choose a default folder.

View:
Choose whether to display tooltips when the mouse is over a toolbar icon.
Choose whether to display the Parametric Results dialog while running the
parametric.

Background color:

choosing a Black background, geometry lines will be drawn in white

choosing a White background, geometry lines will be drawn in black
choosing a gradient background, geometry lines are drawn in black. You can choose identical or distinct color for the
top & bottom of the workspace. Your PROGRAM will display a continuous color gradient in between.
IES Logo: choose whether to display the logo in your workspace
Line Thickness: select whether to display geometry with thin or thick lines.

Log Files:
Choose which log files to accumulate while running the program.

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2D Program Guide Settings: Application Options
Numbers:
Choose the format for numbers displayed in the program (Message area, “Put”
scale, etc.) or output into files.

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2D Program Guide Settings: Document Properties

Settings: Document Properties

Many of the Document Properties are advanced features which will be discussed in detail in the appropriate section.

Comment:
Here you can write
notes about the model
for future reference.

Mesh:
Various advanced
options for controlling
the quality of the
element mesh.

Self-Adaptive:
Advanced settings for
controlling how the
Self-Adaptive solver
adds and refines
elements.

Geometry:
“Tesselation” is the
number of straight line
sections used for
display of curved
geometry. This is
purely a display issue,
it doesn’t affect the
solution. With higher
tesselation curves will
look smoother.

Solver, BEM Solver,

and FEM Solver:
Advanced settings for
the solvers.

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2D Program Guide Settings: Document Properties
Post-processing:
Advanced settings for
post-processing
(plotting, force,
calculations, etc.)

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2D Program Guide The 2D Geometric Modeler

T HE 2D GEOMETRIC M ODELER
The drawing commands available in your 2D PROGRAM allow you to create almost any shaped cross section of your model.
The drawing objects are listed below along with a description of how they work and where they can be found.
The PROGRAM geometric modeler makes it easy to enter and manipulate geometric elements. Using commands in the
Geometry and Modify tool bars and menus, you can:
Draw lines, arcs, circles, splines, conics and tangent lines
Select different types of geometry for modification
Change the position, shape and size of existing geometry.
Easily create complex repetitive structures from the existing geometry
Display information about the geometry
Verify the geometry to avoid analysis errors.
Name geometry for reference

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2D Program Guide Setting the Geometry Defaults

SETTING THE GEOMETRY DEFAULTS

Before you create geometry, define the Geometry Setup options. These defaults describe the coordinate system for the
geometry, how you select geometry for modification and the type of copy operations that you can perform on geometry and
associated physical properties. Make your selections from the drop down lists on the Utilities tool bar:

or select the menu Utilities>Geometry Setup… to display the dialog.

To quickly change these options without

opening the Geometry Setup dialog,
use the keyboard shortcut keys listed
beside each option.

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2D Program Guide Setting the Geometry Point Options

Setting the Geometry Point Options

In this section, you can set the following fields to choose how you enter geometry points.

Coordinate System Select X/Y or Polar as the coordinate system.

If you select Polar, the default center of the
coordinate system is the Cartesian location
(0,0). The keyboard shortcut to toggle the
coordinate system is <Ctrl + F4>.

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2D Program Guide Setting the Edit Options
Setting the Edit Options
The Edit Options section contains switches for defining how you can modify the geometry.

Selection Type Use this Pull down menu from the Utilities Tool
Bar to select geometry by segments, regions,
objects or by drawing a box around the
geometry. The keyboard shortcut for Selection
Type is <Ctrl + F1>.

Copy On Use this switch to indicate the copy mode. The

keyboard shortcut for Copy On is <Ctrl + F2>.
Copy Off modifies the selected geometry
without first making a copy. Copy On makes a
copy of the selected geometry and perform the
operation on this copy. Stretch modifies the
selected geometry while maintaining all existing
connections to other geometry. Segments
attached to the modified geometry stretch to the
new location.

Repeat Click in this check box to perform a geometry

Operation operation more than once with Copy On set this
way you can create multiple copies of selected
geometry at different positions, rotation angles,
etc.

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2D Program Guide Setting the Copy Attributes
Setting the Copy Attributes
Use the Copy Attributes section of the Geometry Setup dialog to specify the physical attributes that you want to copy with the
geometry when you perform a Displace, Rotate, or Mirror operation. Use Select All to enable all attributes and Deselect All to
disable all attributes.

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2D Program Guide Entering Geometry Points

ENTERING GEOMETRY POINTS

The PROGRAM geometry modeler contains several simple and intuitive ways to enter geometry points.

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2D Program Guide Using the mouse to enter points

Using the mouse to enter points

The simplest way to enter points is to simply use the mouse to move the cursor where you want the point and then press the
left mouse button. This point can be an existing geometry point. When you click in the circle representing a point, the
PROGRAM automatically snaps to that point. As you move the mouse, the status bar displays the current cursor position.
You can use the mouse to enter Rectangular or Polar Coordinates. The status bar displays x,y coordinates for a Rectangular
system and r,q a coordinates for a Polar system.

When using a Rectangular coordinate system, the geometry

point dialog appears on the screen when you enter points.

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2D Program Guide Using the keyboard to enter points

Using the keyboard to enter points

To enter points using the keyboard, simply type the x and y coordinates of the point (or r and q for the radius and angle in Polar
format). You can separate the coordinates with a space or a comma. After you enter the y-coordinate, press <Enter> to set the
point. For example, to enter the point (0,0) you can type any of the following:
0,0<Enter>
0 0<Enter>

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2D Program Guide Entering points relative to existing points
Entering points relative to existing points
When working in x/y coordinates, you can use mathematical functions to enter points relative to the last entered point. A
particular use of this is to enter a point relative to the last point by using x and y to specify the coordinates of the reference
point (e.g. x+3, y-4).
Using Mathematical functions to enter points
You can use mathematical functions of the last entered x,y geometry points in Rectangular coordinates.
You can use any of the following arithmetic operators or mathematical functions to enter points:
Arithmetic operators:

+ plus sign

- minus sign

* multiplication sign

\ division sign

^ raise to the exponent (e.g. 10^2 =

100)

Mathematical Functions:

sin sine function

cos cosine function

tan tangent function

asin inverse sine function

acos inverse cosine function

atan inverse tangent function

log base 10 logarithm function

ln natural logarithm function

exp exponential function

sqrt square root function

sinh hyperbolic sine function

cosh hyperbolic cosine function

tanh hyperbolic tangent function

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2D Program Guide Commands in the 2D Geometry Menu

Commands in the 2D Geometry Menu

Most of the commands in the geometry menu are also available in the geometry toolbar but there are some commands that will
only be accessible through the main Geometry menu.

Poly Lines
To draw a line, use the keyboard or the mouse to enter
the start and end points.

To draw a line:
1. Select the Poly Line icon from the Geometry Creation Tool Bar.
2. Enter the start point of the line.
3. Enter the end point of the line.
4. The end point of the first line becomes the first point for the next line. If you do not want to draw another line from this
point, press the right mouse button. If you don’t want to draw any more lines at all, press the right button again to
exit the Poly Line command.

Free Form Curves

Use free form curves to create segments of arbitrary

length and shape. Your PROGRAM creates a segment
from these based on a cubic spline connecting the points.

To create a free form curve:

1. Select the Free Form Curve icon from the Geometry Creation Tool Bar.
2. Using the keyboard, enter each of the points on the free form curve.
3. After you enter the last point, press the right mouse button. Your PROGRAM draws a free form curve based on these
points.

Arcs

There are three different methods for entering arcs. Each Icon or command requires different parameters, allowing you to
create these structures based on different equivalent parameters that might exist in engineering drawings. The commands and
their functions are as follows:

Arc (Start, End, Mid) Draw an arc by entering the start point,
the end point and any other point on the
arc.
Arc (Center, Radius, Draw an arc by entering the center,
Angle, Angle) radius and start and end angles (angles
are relative to the positive x-axis).

Arc (Start, End, Center) Draw an arc by entering the start point,
the end point and the center of curvature
of the arc.

Circles

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2D Program Guide Commands in the 2D Geometry Menu

There are five methods for entering circles. Each Icon or command requires different parameters, allowing you to create these
structures with whatever parameters exist in your engineering drawings. The commands and their functions are as follows:
Circle (Center, Radius)
Draw a circle by entering the center
coordinate first then the radius.
Circle (Radius, Center)
Draw a circle by entering the radius
first then the center coordinate.
Circle (3-Point)
Draw a circle by entering three
coordinates on the curve.
Circle (2-Point)
Draw a circle by entering the two
points that define the diameter of a
circle.
Circle Tangent to Segment
Draw a circle relative to a point on a
tangent line segment. You will be
prompted for the radius and for which
side of the segment to draw the circle.

Lines

The Lines commands allow you to modify or connect existing lines with various commands. There are a total of seven Lines
commands but only five of the more common ones are displayed in the Geometry Toolbar. The five on the toolbar are:
Tangent Line, Tangent Line For Two Arcs, Line Connecting Two Centers, Line From Point to Center, and Line At
Angle to Segment. The commands that are in the geometry menu but not on the toolbar are: Line Perpendicular to Line,
and Segment Angle Bisector. The commands are described in the table below.

Tangent Line Draws a straight line segment that is tangent

to the line chosen. User needs to select the
line segment, the end of the line to have the
tangent drawn from and the length of the
tangent line to be drawn. The chosen line can
be a straight line (that way effectively
extending the length of the line), an arc, or a
free form curve. Circles are not allowed as the
tangent a local creates an overlap condition.
Tangent Line For
Two Arcs Draws a line that connects two arcs if the
connecting line is tangent to the two arcs.
This command only executes if there are at
least two arcs drawn and if there can be a
single line segment drawn to connect the two
arcs where the line drawn is tangent to both
arcs.

Line Connecting Draws a line from the center of one selected

Two Centers line to the center of a second selected line. At
least two lines must be already defined for this
operation to execute. An option is given to
break the segment where the new segment
contacts the original one.

Line From Point to Draws a line from a point input by the user to
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2D Program Guide Commands in the 2D Geometry Menu
Line From Point to
Center the center of a chosen line segment. At least
one line must be already defined for this
operation to execute. An option is given to
break the segment where the new segment
contacts the original one.

Line At Angle to Draws a straight line at an angle to a chosen

Segment segment. The user must select a straight line
then select a point along that line and the
length of the line to be drawn along with the
angle as measured from the chosen line.
Once these are entered the PROGRAM will
draw two choices of line and allow the user to
select the one they want (current selection is
the blue colored one). The option is given to
break the segment where the new segment
contacts the original one.
Line Perpendicular
to Line Bisects a segment with another line segment.
The new segment has the same length as the
(Command available one being broken in half. This command
only from Geometry works for straight lines and arcs but not for
menu) free form curves or circles.

Segment Angle Bisects an angle created by the joining of two

Bisector segments by drawing a segment the length of
the average of the two original segments that
(Command available begins in the common corner and extends
only from Geometry outward such that it divides the angle in half.
menu) This command works with straight line
segments and arcs but not with free form
curves.

Rectangle

To draw a Rectangle enter any two opposite corners

(e.g. bottom left and top right).

Ellipse
The Ellipse command is only found on the Geometry menu.

Start the command by entering the

center point of the ellipse. You will be
prompted for the end coordinate of one
semi axis, then the end point of the
second semi axis. Finally, you will be
prompted for the start and finish angles
(as measured counter-clockwise). If a
full ellipse is desired then input a start
angle of 0 (zero) and a finish angle of
360 degrees. from the x axis in a counter

Parabola
The Parabola command is only found on the Geometry menu. The equation used to calculate the parabola is defined as
4py=x2 where p is input by the user and it defines the direction of opening for the parabola along with the focus and directrix of
the parabola. If p>0 then the parabola opens upward (in the positive y direction) and if p<0 then the parabola opens downward
(in the negative y direction.) The final prompt is for the radius of opening. This is defined as the distance along the x-axis that
the parabola goes to before stopping the line segment making up the parabola.

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2D Program Guide Commands in the 2D Geometry Menu
The parabola is always drawn
such that the vertex passes
through the origin. Any other
condition can be created through
displacement or rotation of the
original parabola.

Hyperbola

The Hyperbola command is only found on the Geometry menu. The equation used to calculate the
hyperbola is
y2/a2-x2/b2=1
where a and b are input by the user. The only other prompt defines where the hyperbola is truncated.
The height of the hyperbola is used to stop the curve. Hyperbolae are created opening upward,
relative to the y-axis, with no relative displacement from the origin. Any other condition can be created
through displacement or rotation of the original hyperbola.

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2D Program Guide Displaying Information about Geometry

Displaying Information about Geometry

The Geometry Inquire tool bar and Inquire sub-menu of the Geometry menu contain tools for displaying information in the
Message Area.
The following list describes the Inquire commands and their functions:

Length Displays the length of a selected segment.

Area Displays the area of a region.

Volume Displays the volume represented by a region in

Rotational Symmetry mode. The volume
calculated is that swept out by rotation of the area
by 360o around the RS axis.
Exact-XY Displays the exact coordinates of any geometry
point.

Parameters Displays the center and radius of a circle or the

center, radius and span angles of an arc.

Distance Displays the distance between any two geometry

points.

Segment-Angle Finds the angle between any two joined

segments.

Geometry Writes to the Message Area the total number of

Summary points, segments, regions, and groups. This
(Available only information is also displayed whenever certain
from Geometry geometry creation commands complete.
Inquire menu)

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2D Program Guide Healing Geometry Commands

Healing Geometry Commands

The Healing commands help to ensure valid geometry has been input. There are nine commands in the healing menu flyout
meant to fix common problems in 2D geometry.

Overlapping Segments Segments that share the same space cannot represent real objects. An example
would be two segments that sit on the x-axis with one starting at 0 and going to 1
while the second one also starts at 0 and goes to 2. To handle this correctly there
should be two lines to be here: one from 0 to 1 and the other from 1 to 2. The
overlapping segments command searches for segments that have this problem and
offers to correct them automatically if they are found.

Intersecting Segments Segments that cross each other cannot represent real objects. This command
scans through the entire model and looks for segments that cross each other without
being and offers to break them for the user so that the intersection point becomes
the endpoint of connecting segments.

Tangent Arcs Arcs meeting each other in a tangent fashion will generate analysis problems
because the tangent point becomes a local overlapping condition.
This command automatically detects and corrects these tangent arc problems.

Circles before and after healing

Merge at Tangent Point An arc meeting a straight line as a tangent also. The Merge at Tangent Point
command breaks an arc and straight line just before the tangent condition and
inserts a short straight line. The arc does not need to be touching the selected line
for this command to work.

Tangent Before Healing

Tangent After Healing

Merge Points DXF files will often have very small gaps between points that should be connected.
The Merge Points healing command merges points within a specified radius by
pulling both to the center. A limitation to this command is that the radius must be
smaller than the shortest segment in the model (or else the command would merge
the ends of straight lines into a zero length segment).

End Point on Segment This command extends a segment until it meets up with another existing segment. It
will break that met segment where it is met. The user inputs a radius and the
program searches all segments in the model by looking at the end points of
segments to see if it should attach one segment to another one. This command is
useful for closing regions in geometry generated in other CAD packages and
imported using a dxf import.

Small Segments This command is a filter which deletes segments shorter than a specified length.
For example, this tool deletes short segments imported from dxf files.

Zero Small Coordinates Sometimes geometry with x,y, or z =0 has very small values (e.g. 1.23456E-14)
instead (due to numerical precision). This should not present any analysis
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2D Program Guide Healing Geometry Commands
problems, but makes it difficult to interpret these coordinates when querying the
geometry. This tool that assesses the coordinates of each point in the geometry. If
any coordinate is smaller than the numerical zero then the coordinate is reset to
exactly zero. For example, like
(x, y) = (–1.23456E-14, 3.123456) would be set to (0, 3.123456).

Make Lines If Possible CAD programs tend to define all line segments from free form curves. This includes
straight lines. The extra blue dots in the geometry display within your PROGRAM
can be confusing. The general geometry definition will also cause slower and less
accurate analysis to be used. This command will analyze any free form curves in
the program and convert them to straight lines if appropriate.

Remove Unconnected Segments This command tidies up a model by removing segments that are not connected to
anything else.

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2D Program Guide Display Object Number and Highlight Object

Display Object Number and Highlight Object

All geometric objects, whether they be points, segments, regions or groups are referred to by number internally. It is
occasionally useful to know these numbers – for example, when editing a batch file or when interpreting an error message that
identifies the problem by geometry reference number.
The tools under the menu Geometry>Highlight enable you to select a type of geometry and highlight in the workspace which
geometry is referred to by a given number.
The tools under the menu Geometry>Display enable you to select geometry in the workspace and have its reference number
displayed in the message area.

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2D Program Guide Object

Object
Geometry>Objects … opens the Objects dialog box. This dialog is used to manage logical groupings of objects. It is
possible to define objects, name them, color them, and to assign geometry to them. The geometry being added must be
specified as segments, regions, or other objects because this logical connection is needed for various uses of the objects.

In the motor example shown to

the right, the rotor object will
contain the All Magnets object
and the core region. The All
Magnets object will contain
the Inward Magnets object
and the Outward Magnets
object. For varying purposes
different objects will be used
for selection.
Calculate Torque –
Rotor
Assign magnet material –
All Magnets
Assign direction as
outward – Outward
Magnets

If a new region is added to Inward Magnets it is then automatically added to All Magnets and Rotor.
The groupings are not required, they are simply available to save you time and effort in multiple selection.

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2D Program Guide The Modify Menu in 2D

T HE M ODIFY M ENU IN 2D

The Modify menu will only become active when there is geometry present to modify. This helps to maintain the left-to-right,
top-to-bottom flow of the program. Many of the Modify menu items are also duplicated as speed buttons but some are only
available from the drop down menu at the top of the PROGRAM.

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2D Program Guide Delete/Undo/Redo Commands

Delete/Undo/Redo Commands
The first four commands in the Modify menu involve deleting and recalling geometry.

Undo Geometry This will undo the most recent change that was
made in the geometry.
It is important to point out that this is a
GEOMETRY UNDO. It returns your model the
state it was in before the last GEOMETRY
command. All changes made since then in
Physics or solver aspects of the model will be lost
when you UNDO.
For speed and memory reasons, the files that
contain the UNDO/REDO history do not contain
the mesh or any solutions. Hence, these are
completely lost when UNDO or REDO are
invoked.

Redo This reverses the Undo Geometry command. All

element mesh and solutions are still lost if this
Geometry command is used.

Delete There are 2 options under the menu

Modify>Delete – Segment and Region. In both
cases you can select geometry to delete by
Region. However, the Delete>Region tool will
not delete segments which are on the boundary of
a Region which isn’t select. The
Delete>Segment tool will delete all selected
segments.
The tool which appears as as a red X on the tool
bar is the Delete>Segment tool.

Delete All This command deletes all of the geometry in the

model space. It differs from the New command in
that it does not reset the workspace size, units in
use, or material table.

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2D Program Guide Moving and Resizing Commands

Moving and Resizing Commands

The second grouping of commands in the Modify menu deals with moving geometry around or making size modifications to it.
You can choose from Displace, Displace Radially, Mirror, Rotate, Scale, and Scale Radially.
In Copy Off mode the command affects only the selected geometry.
In Copy On mode the command leaves the original geometry in place and creates a copy of it in the new
position/orientation/size.
In Stretch mode all connected geometry will stretch to remain attached.

Displace Select geometry to be displaced, then select a

reference and destination point. Because all
reference/destination points are relative, you are not
limited by the points on the geometry as reference
points. For example, to displace geometry 2 units to
the right and one unit upwards, these operations
selections are equivalent:
select (0,0) the reference point and (2, 1) as
the destination
click on any point as the reference and give
(x+2, y+1) as the destination
If you do not know the relative displacement, but are
lining up geometry, click a geometry point whose
destination is known as the reference point, then
click or enter the destination point.

Displace Displaces the geometry in a radial direction from a

Radially point of your choosing.
(menu only)

Mirror Select the geometry to be mirrored and two points

that define a reflecting line. The selected geometry
is reflected on the other side of the line. For
example, to reflect the geometry across the x-axis
choose the reflecting axis to be (0,0) and (1,0). The
entire geometry, regardless of size, will be reflected.

Rotate Select the geometry to be rotated then select a point

to rotate about. The point can be anywhere in the
model space and does not need to be on the
geometry. Rotation angles are a standard 2D
Cartesian format where a positive rotation is
measured counter-clockwise from the x-axis.

Scale The Scale command allows you to change the size

of the model in the x and/or y directions. After
selecting the Scale command select the desired
geometry, then right-click to end selection. Click on
a reference point. All selected geometry points will
move relative to this point. You will then be
prompted to input the scaling factor in both x- and y-
directions. To keep a dimension the same use a
scaling fact of 1. To make something twice as big
use a scaling factor of 2. To make it half the size,
make the scaling factor 0.5. For example, make the
model half the size in the x-direction and 1/3 the size
in the y-direction. To do this select your geometry
and suitable reference point (often a corner of the
geometry is ideal) and input the scaling factor
(0.5,1/3) and the model will be reduced in size
according to these factors.
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2D Program Guide Moving and Resizing Commands

Scale Radially The scale radially command allows you to change

the size of a model by changing the scale as
measured from one central point radially outward. It
is very useful for changing the diameter of partially
or fully cylindrical geometry without needing to
redraw everything.

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2D Program Guide Parallel and Strip Creation Tools

Parallel and Strip Creation Tools

The third grouping in the Modify menu has commands in it that are very useful for printed circuit board file translations.
Sometimes these files come in to IES programs with geometries that use single line segments to represent a strip or area of
some finite thickness. To redraw these models to have regions or surfaces would require a lot of work to do manually. So your
PROGRAM has tools to help do it automatically.

Create Parallel This command creates a duplicate line segment, or

Segments group of connected line segments, some inputted
distance away from the original line. The user is
prompted to select a segment or selection of
connected segments, then to move the mouse
pointer to a particular side of the geometry and
click to let the PROGRAM know the side to create
the parallel segment on. The user also needs to
input a distance from the original segment as a
width for the parallel segment to be created. It is
possible to create parallel segments from a closed
geometry of segments as well. To determine the
side in which the parallel segment is to be made
click either inside or outside the closed region and
the program will assume the parallel segments are
going to be either outside or inside the entire way
around the region. They will not change partway
around the loop.

Create Line This command allows the user to select a segment

Strip to turn into a strip with a width determined by the
user. If the segment is connected to a set of simply
connected segments the PROGRAM will
automatically apply the changes to those segments
as well.

Modify Line This command works to change the width of

Strip Width existing strip paths. Select the strip path region
then input the new width desired. The
PROGRAM will change the width to the new
value.

Create Mean If there are already strips that you want to convert
Strip Path back to a simple single line segment then use this
command to select strips to convert back to single
lines. You will be prompted to either keep the old
strips along with the new line or to delete the old
strips leaving only the average line segment.

Create All Line There are three options to this command: For All
Strips Loops, For Closed Loops, and For Open Loops.
The command will automatically detect the chosen
option in the geometry and change the line
segments to strips of a width given by the user. A
loop is defined as any connected set of segments
that are simply connected. That is, there can be
no more than two segments meeting at any one
intersection.

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2D Program Guide �End of Segment� Modification Commands

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2D Program Guide Miscellaneous Modify Tools

Miscellaneous Modify Tools

The fifth grouping in the Modify menu includes a very often-used series of commands, the Break Segments commands.
Because of the frequency of use and number of options they have we will discuss them separately from the rest of the
Decloning and Grouping features in this section.
The Break Segments Command
Any addition of geometry that going to be part of the physical structure (as opposed to reference geometry) needs to connect
properly to other geometry. This includes segments that cross over or meet other segments - the segments must be broken at
these points. If they are not broken then the geometry is not valid and errors will occur in solving, the PROGRAM will not
allow the model to be solved at all. The tool Geometry>Healing>Intersecting Segments will take care of these problems if
they exist, but the problems can be avoided altogether as the geometry is drawn. The series of five break commands will help
to do this. They are described below.

Break By Select a line to be broken then select any point with

Point the mouse pointer or keyboard to break that line. If the
point is not on the chosen line then a line that is
perpendicular to the chosen line that goes through the
break point will determine where the line will be
broken. This command will only break one line at a
time.

Break By Select a segment then input the percentage of the total

Percentage length in which to break the line. Two dots will appear
on that line: a blue one and a black one. The blue dot
indicates where the break will occur if the right mouse
button is clicked. If the left mouse button is clicked
then the blue and black dots exchange places so then
the break would occur at the opposite end of the line.
This command will only break one line at a time.

Break By Select a segment then input the length from the end at
Length which the break is to occur. Two dots will appear on
that line: a blue one and a black one. The blue dot is
where the break will occur if the right mouse button is
clicked. If the left mouse button is clicked then the
blue and black dots exchange places so then the break
would occur at the opposite end of the line. This
command will only execute breaks one line at a time.

Break By This command will break a chosen segment or group

Number of chosen segments into an inputted number of new
smaller segments. As an example, it can be used to
find the center of circles by drawing the diameter and
breaking that diameter line into two segments. This
command can break more than one segment at a time,
but all chosen segments will be broken into the same
number of equal length parts.

Break This command breaks two segments that cross each

Intersection other at the point of crossing. The is similar to the
Healing command “Intersecting Segments” except
that in this command the two lines to be broken are
chosen by the user whereas the Healing command
searches out all intersecting segments itself. This
command will only execute for one pair of lines at a
time.

Clone, Declone and Declone All

Cloning allows for multiple geometry in 2D to be created from one master geometry and associated with it during future editing.
When changes are made to the master geometry all cloned geometries will be affected in exactly the same way. For example,
a circle is drawn that has a radius of 0.5 cm and three clones are made for a total of four circles. Selecting the Pull Point
command and clicking on one of the points on the master circle then pulling that point so the radius becomes 0.7 cm will result
in all four circles simultaneously changing to have a 0.7 cm radius as well. It is not possible to select any of the cloned
geometry to adjust them individually; all adjustments must be made to the master geometry. If one of the cloned geometries

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2D Program Guide Miscellaneous Modify Tools
needs to be adjusted independently then the Declone feature needs to be used to disconnect the cloned geometries so they
can be individually adjusted.

Clone Creates a copy of a master geometry that will be

Geometry modified whenever the master is modified. This
includes pulling points on the master, displacing the
master, and deleting from the master. To use the
Cloning feature click on the Clone speed button or
click on the menu Utilities>Geometry Setup.
There is a Clone On/Off checkbox in the Edit
Options section of the dialog box. Checking it will
turn the cloning feature on. Once this is set make a
copy of the geometry that is to be cloned by
displacing, mirroring, or rotating it with Copy On
set.

Declone Breaks the cloning of a group of geometry so the

individual geometries can be modified without
affecting others. Decloning removes all clones from
a group not just the one selected.

Declone All Breaks cloning of all geometries in the entire model

space.

Shift Geometry and Window

Especially when dealing with imported dxf files a model often needs to be shifted so that a particular part is at some reference
point like the origin for rotationally symmetric model. The Shift Geometry and Window command will automatically move the
geometry and the workspace limits so that window resizing is never needed to move a model. Click on the command in the
Modify menu then select any point on the model or in the model space and right-click. You will then be prompted to enter the
new coordinate value. All points in the model space and the view limits will be shifted to fit the new reference point.

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2D Program Guide CAD File Formats

CAD F ILE F ORMATS

INTEGRATED software is able to read 5 common CAD file formats from the Open Database dialog box (opened from the
menu File>Open):

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2D Program Guide DXF

DXF
Geometry data can be read or saved using AutoDesk’s DXF format. Since this format is a specific vendor format, it is generally
best to use an older format when using DXF files to transfer geometry from one program to another. From AutoCAD the DXF
version numbers are given in parentheses when you Save As. The R12 option is generally well supported by other software.

Supported entities include:

Arc
Circle
Line and 3DLine
Trace (converted to a Line in an IES program)
Solid
3DFace
Polyline (Polylines, Cubic Splines, 3d Meshes, Polyarcs)
Insert and Minsert
The program ignores all other entities and discards any entities in layers that are turned off or frozen (the entity must be visible
in AutoCAD to be read by an INTEGRATED program).
The DXF file format does not contain the length unit for the drawing. Hence, when opening a DXF file INTEGRATED 3D will
prompt you for the length unit.
When saving a file in DXF format, all entities appear in the DXF file as arc, circle, line or polyline.
In order to read or save a file in DXF format, set the file type in the Open or Save As dialog boxes to DXF File (*.DXF).

DXF files may be in either a 2D or 3D format. For reading a 3D format file into a 2D INTEGRATED program see the
instructions later in this chapter.

If an AutoCAD file contains a nested block, use the

Explode command in AutoCAD to disassemble block
references into component objects before exporting into a
DXF file.

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2D Program Guide IGS (or IGES)

IGS (or IGES)

Geometry data can be read or saved using the IGES standard. Supported entities for importing IGES data include:
Circular Arc (Type 100)
Composite Curve (Type 102)
Conic Arc (Type 104)
Copious Data (Type 106)
Line (Type 110)
Parametric Spline Curve (Type 112)
Parametric Spline Surface (Type 114)
Ruled Surface (Type 118)
Surface of Revolution (Type 120)
Tabulated Cylinder (Type 122)
Transformation Matrix (Type 124)
Rational B-Spline Curve (Type 126)
Rational B-Spline Surface (Type 128)
Curve on a Parametric Surface (Type 141)
Curve on a Parametric Surface (Type 142)
Bounded Surface (Type 143)
Trimmed (Parametric) Surface (Type 144)
Manifold Solid B-Rep Object (Type 186)
Subfigure Definition (Type 308)
INTEGRATED 3Dr Subfigure Instance (Type 408)
Supported entities for exporting IGES data include:
Circular Arc (Type 100)
Line (Type 110)
Parametric Spline Curve (Type 112)
Parametric Spline Surface (Type 114)
Transformation Matrix (Type 124)
In order to read or save a file in IGES format, set the file type in the Open or Save As dialog boxes to IGES File (*.IGS).

When opening an IGS database, INTEGRATED 3D reads all supported entities until the file is complete. Any previous
program data is lost, except for the Material Table entries.
IGES files may be in either a 2D or 3D format. For reading a 3D format file into a 2D INTEGRATED program see the
instructions later in this chapter.

2D formatted IGES files tends to be a good method for

exchanging geometric data between programs. 3D
formatted IGES files have a lot of variations between
different vendors. In recent years CAD vendors have
tried to accommodate each other better with settings for
the format used in IGES export. To make 3D IGES files
that import well into INTEGRATED software the options
to look for are:
NURBS surfaces
trimmed surfaces
Type 144 surfaces
Use Solid/Surface entities

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2D Program Guide IGS (or IGES)
Example: SolidWorks
The following settings have been found to work well from SolidWorks:

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2D Program Guide SAT

SAT
*.SAT files are in the native format used by the ACIS 3D geometry kernel.

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2D Program Guide STEP

STEP
*.STEP or *.STP files are in the “Standard for the Exchange of Product model data” format. It is the ISO 10303 format.

INTEGRATED has generally found the STEP format to

be the most reliable exchange format for 3D CAD data
between different programs.

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2D Program Guide 3DM

3DM
3DM is the “OpenNURBS” 3D geometry format native to Rhino and supported by some other CAD programs. It is an open
standard capable of representing all geometric aspects of a INTEGRATED 3D model. See [Link] for
more information.

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2D Program Guide Direct Memory Import

DIRECT M EMORY I MPORT

Exchange formats such as IGES and DXF have the problem that they are approximations to the original geometry.
INTEGRATED has partnered with some major CAD vendors to provide a direct link to their Solid Modeling product. The
various CAD partners appear on a fly-out menu when you select File>Import.

A new user might find it informative to open the Windows

Task Manager to monitor processes during an import. In
general there is a period of time where the CAD program
shows very high usage of the system while [Link] (the
INTEGRATED program) is showing very little usage while it
waits for information. Once the CAD program is done
processing the data it send the data over. Its own process
then dies down to very little system usage, and for a relatively
short period [Link] will be very active until the geometry
appears in the INTEGRATED program.

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2D Program Guide SolidEdge

SolidEdge
Clicking File>Import>SolidEdge opens up a Select File dialog box. This permits you to open a SolidEdge file using
INTEGRATED. You can then save it as a INTEGRATED 3D model. The import uses tools provided by SolidEdge, so
SolidEdge must be installed on the computer.

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2D Program Guide AutoDesk Inventor and SolidWorks

AutoDesk Inventor and SolidWorks

For AutoDesk Inventor and SolidWorks the import is through a direct memory link. The programs provide us with the ability
to read the data in their memory space, and hence import the exact geometry information. When you click on a program name
INTEGRATED will then query the model presently open in that program.

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2D Program Guide Pro-E

Pro-E

The import from PRO-E requires an environment variable to be setup. From your
desktop Start menu choose Control Panel, then click on the System icon. Choose
the [Environment Variables] tab (depending on your version of Windows this may
be under [Advanced] as shown to the right). You need to setup a new variable with
properties as shown below left. The variable value should be the full path (e.g.
c:\Program Files\...) pointing to the pro_comm_msg.exe file.

Version Setup:
To know which libraries to use, the menu File>Import>ProEngineer requires you to specify first whether your version of Pro-
E is from before or after 2001.
One this setup is done, the ProEngineer link will function the same as way as AutoDesk Inventor and SolidWorks.

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2D Program Guide I-DEAS

I-DEAS

The import from I-DEAS requires an intermediate program to be launched from the I-
DEAS “Additional Applications” launcher. The icon circled to the left will bring up the dialog
box shown. Type in the program name as shown, then within INTEGRATED 3D choose
File>Import> I-DEAS and select in I-DEAS the parts to import.

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2D Program Guide Precision

PRECISION
One of the biggest potential problems with exchanging geometry data between programs is the precision of the numbers.
Some formats (such as IGES files) contain a specification of the precision, in other cases your INTEGRATED program will
determine a reasonable number of decimal places to consider as valid.
Example 1
Two segments have end points of (1, 0, 0,) and (1.00003, 0, 0). Should this be two lines with a small gap, or two
connected lines? That depends on the precision.
Example 2
Two segments have end points of (1, 0, 0,) and (1.00003, 0, 0) and a third segment is drawn connecting these. Is this
short line real, or should it be eliminated and the lines connected? That depends on the precision.

When an imported model shows

small features (such as gaps) that
shouldn’t be there, the precision
is too small. When small features
are being missed, the precision is
too large. From
Utilities>Settings… you can
locate the setting shown to the
right. This provides a scale factor
relative to the existing precision
factor for the import. You can
increase or decrease the factor,
then import again to correct for
these problems.

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2D Program Guide Importing 3D Geometry into 2D

I MPORTING 3D GEOMETRY INTO 2D

3D geometry can be read into INTEGRATED 2D programs from:
INTEGRATED 3D files
3D versions of DXF, IGES or 3DM files
By direct memory import from some solid modeling software
After selecting the 3D model it is displayed using the workspace from INTEGRATED 3D, and the user is prompted to select 3
points to define the import plane. The first two points define the x-axis and the first and third points define the y-axis. In the
example shown below the import will be for the x=0 plane:

It is important to understand that the INTEGRATED 2D program will not attempt to rationalize the 3D geometry, but will simply
read in lines, arcs and curves that exist on the given plane. Hence, in the example above one might expect the cross-section of
a 3D structure to be a rectangle, but the only geometry that exists on the plane is two lines. Hence, here is what the import
looks like:

Prior to importing the model the user should ensure that an appropriate set of lines, arcs and curves exist on the plane that will
be used.

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2D Program Guide Common CAD Geometry Problems for Analysis

COMMON CAD GEOMETRY PROBLEMS FOR ANALYSIS

When you import CAD geometry there are a few things that you should consider. CAD and CAE (Computer Aided
Engineering) have similar but distinct goals. Models created by CAD programs may not be appropriate for analysis with
INTEGRATED until some aspects have been “healed”. The method used to import geometry from CAD is one potential
source of problems, but no matter what method is chosen the geometry must be constructed to be suitable for simulation.

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2D Program Guide Some Key Differences Between CAD and Simulation

Some Key Differences Between CAD and Simulation

In the most basic form, the goal of CAD is to make a drawing which represents shape, sizes, and other properties of a device.
Conceptually this sounds like the input for a simulation, but the conventions can be quite different than what provides useful
simulation geometry. Here are a few examples:

CAD Example 1: Projection Views.

A common type of engineering drawing presents projections onto a plane along with reference lines and labels to describe a
3D structure. As a simple example, here is a drawing of a simple part:

A person familiar with such drawings may

immediately visualize the 3D structure: a
cylinder with a “D” shaped hole extending
through part of the depth. Unfortunately, a
computer is not able to make the same
interpretation. With such a drawing it is up
to the user to now actually build the
model. The drawing may provide some
useful construction lines and a mental
reference for what the final model needs to
look like, but that is all.

CAD Example 2: Drawings Made for Visual Purposes.

CAD is not always for manufacturing or analysis, and drawing made for marketing, illustration of a design concept, etc. would
often be impossible to assemble if you were to make the parts and try to put them together according to the part files. Below is
a common type of example.

The solid model displays as two different material parts, a

cube and a cylinder in this case.

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2D Program Guide Some Key Differences Between CAD and Simulation
When the cube is made translucent the cube is seen to
extend partially into the cube.

However, when the cylinder is hidden, the cube is seen to be

solid with no hole which the cylinder would fit into.

Clearly this drawing was made for display only, the assembly could not actually be physically created. However,
simulation/analysis must be based on geometry that can be assembled. If the geometry is physically impossible it may be
impossible to analyze as well, but any analysis that run will almost certainly be substantially incorrect.
Here are some possibilities for what this geometry should represent:
1. The cylinder is too long:
Perhaps (by round-off type errors) the cylinder was drawn too long and should actually terminate at the cube
surface
2. The cylinder is positioned wrong:
Perhaps (by round-off type errors) the cylinder was positioned wrong and should start at the top cube surface
3. The cylinder does actually stick into the cube:
In this case there needs to be a hole drawn in the cube which will fit the cylinder

4. There is one cylindrical material inside the cube and another equal radius cylindrical material outside the
cube.
As for case 3, in this case there needs to be a hole drawn in the cube which will fit the cylinders, also the cylinder
needs to be draw as two volumes (one for each material).
If all possibilities are equally likely, any automatic fix your INTEGRATED program could make in order to analyze would only
have a 1 out of 4 chance of being correct. Hence, it must be the user’s responsibility to fix impossible geometry because only
the user is likely to make the correct resolution of impossible features.

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2D Program Guide Some Key Differences Between CAD and Simulation
In 2D an analogous
problem would display
as shown to the right.
The lack of dots where
the lines cross shows
that there are no valid
geometry connections
between two regions
shown here.

CAD Example 3: Solid Models for Verifying Fit and for Manufacturing
Even a model made for manufacturing might have a very subtle effect of the type shown in Example 2. The reason is that
manufacturing might involve force and/or temperature to squeeze together parts. In this case the manufactured parts do not
match until they are physically pushed. In this case the original model is not physical. Another solid model is needed
representing the actually geometry once it has deformed after being forced together.
In most CAD solid models the parts do fit together geometrically. However, that does not mean they are physically correct when
assembled.

In example 1 and 2 the block must

be drawn such that there are two
interfaces on the top surface. One
interface is block to air, the other
interface matches the bottom of
the cylinder to be a block to
cylinder interface in the assembled
structure.

In example 3 the cylinder must be

drawn with two vertical surfaces
so that when assembled it will
have a cylinder to air interface and
a cylinder to block interface.

For more information about this problem, see the section on “overlapping surfaces” in the Troubleshooting Appendix of this
manual.

In the case of planar overlapping surfaces, use the tool

found on the menu Geometry>Healing>Heal
Overlapping Planar Surfaces to automatically find and
fix problems.
The interface or “overlapping” problem is not unique to
INTEGRATED software. No analysis will be correct if
the interfaces are not correct. How it is resolved varies
with different programs, but it must be resolved to get
correct results.

CAD Example 4: Needless Detail

When CAD models are made for manufacturing, by necessity they show a very high level of detail. In many cases those
details are of little consequence to the operation of the device, but can greatly increase computation time, possibly making

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2D Program Guide Some Key Differences Between CAD and Simulation
analysis completely impractical. For example, consider the two nearly identical models of ¼ of an insulator shown below:

The model on the left requires approximately 8 MB to solve, while the model on the right requires approximately 130 MB to
solve. Since required memory is also indicative of the number of computations required, one can expect the model on the right
to take approximately 16x longer to solve than the model on the left. The difference can be seen by zooming in on a section:

One model has (in cross-section) 90 degree corners, the other has the corners rounded. Assuming the rounding was drawn for
manufacturing purposes (i.e. that is the real shape) the practical question for simulation is whether the effect on the outputs
required from the simulation will be significant enough to warrant the extra computation time.

Although in 3D the rounding

forces a large number of
local elements, in 2D the
effect is minimal. With the
BEM solver one extra
element per corner arc is the
only increase. This is an
example of how aspects that
make a model impractical
can vary between analysis
types.

Some other details that commonly create problems:

Screw holes (& other holes). Especially screw hole threads.
Surface pits/bumps
Small gaps
Springs, pins and other small parts
For a new user, or even an expert working on a new model type with which they have little experience to make such judgments
it is a good idea to begin by suppressing all such details initially, and importing the model for a quick basic analysis. These
details can then be selectively enabled in order to investigate their significance to the desired outputs.

Remember that the effect of small details is normally quite

local and the increase in computation complexity tends to
be quadratic. Hence even when a detail is important it
still only tends to be important for local results. So in a
large model of many full sheds (example above) it may be
necessary to model one in detail, but a lot of time is saved
by suppressing the rounding for sheds out of the area of
interest.

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2D Program Guide Fixing CAD Imports

Fixing CAD Imports

The tools under the menu Geometry>Healing have developed primarily to address common problems with CAD import.
It is worth reviewing the Troubleshooting appendix in this manual to better understand the various types of problems
these tools address.
The most common problem with imported CAD models is overlapping segments (2D) or surfaces (3D).
If an import into 2D is not showing regions, use the Intersecting healing tool to make sure that all segments connect
where they cross.
DXF files contain only segment information and IGES files contain only segment and surface information. In 3D you will
need to manually define surfaces and volumes as appropriate from these.
3D coils: these are a special case for geometry since the volume must not only show the boundary of the coil but direct
the current flow. CAD drawings of coils are usually not appropriate until the person drawing learns the requirements
for AMPERES and/or FARADAY. See the Volume Current section of the Physics chapters of those manuals.
Fixing a complex model imported in a DXF or IGES database can be very frustrating. Repairing problems within the original
CAD program should normally be the easiest method. Within INTEGRATED programs try one of the following solutions:
Rather than attempting to repair a full 3D model, import a two-dimensional cross-section of your model. If surfaces
are not defined, display the model on the appropriate 2D plane. While in 2D mode it is worth using the
Geometry>Healing tools to fix up geometry problems. When you return to 3D all closed regions will be recognized
as surfaces. In 3D mode use the Sweep Surface command to create the volumes from these surfaces, making the
model three-dimensional. This command automatically creates and defines volumes from your surfaces.
Import the geometry in small parts. Fix each part (adding the appropriate surfaces and volumes) and then save it in
a database. Once you fix all of the parts, use the Merge command to create the entire model from the individual
databases.
Use the 3D mode Geometry>Healing menu commands to fix the common problem of “Overlapping Surfaces” from
IGES imports.
Use the “make lines if possible” healing tool to simplify imported curves which are straight. This tool will convert
any of these to a mathematically simpler form.
Using these methods, you can greatly reduce the time and complexity of importing and fixing IGES and DXF databases for use
with any of the INTEGRATED 3D programs.
So long as you have current maintenance with INTEGRATED, send samples of any problems you are having to
support@[Link] to get advice.

After reading a model in from other software check the input

geometry for errors using the Geometry>Healing menu
commands.

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2D Program Guide Introduction

I NTRODUCTION
The Basic Physics section gives you a general idea about the physical attributes to be associated with the model. The
Specific Information for your Program is contained in the Product specific guide. (e.g. ELECTRO: 2D Electric
Analysis Guide, MAGNETO: 2D Magnetic Analysis Guide, etc.)

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2D Program Guide Basic Physics

BASIC PHYSICS
To completely define a model, the geometry must have physical properties that define how the various parts of the geometry
interact.
Using commands in the various submenus of the Physics menu, you can:
Define the interpretation of the geometry (two-dimensional or rotationally symmetric)
Truncate models by assigning periodicity or symmetry conditions that reduce the size of the model and time required for
the solution
Define materials and add these materials to closed regions of the geometry
Assign boundary conditions to the interfaces
Assign sources to the model.

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2D Program Guide Defining the Model Type

DEFINING THE M ODEL T YPE

There are several settings for the type of model.
Whether the geometry of a model is two-dimensional or rotationally symmetric.
Which material properties should be included in the analysis.
Whether the time dependence is Harmonic, Transient, or Static.
You can define all of these types of analysis using the Physics Global Setup dialog, shown below.

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2D Program Guide Setting the Type of Geometry

Setting the Type of Geometry

In the PROGRAM, you can represent a cross-section of two-dimensional or rotationally symmetric (RS) geometry. Both of
these types reduce a three-dimensional design into a two-dimensional geometry. In 2D mode the result applies to geometry that
is long enough in the third (perpendicular to the geometry drawn) direction that the fringing effects at the ends are not
significant. In RS mode, the cross section represents the 3D geometry obtained by rotation around a central axis. RS mode
then reproduces an exact 3D model if when this is appropriate.
The following table summarizes the three model types:

Type Effect on Solution

Two-D Assumes that the field quantity changes in the
(two dimensional) x-y plane but not in the third (z) direction. The
solution describes the variation of fields in the
x-y directions.
X Rotation The solution is independent of the angular
(symmetric about a coordinate. Field quantities vary only in the r-z
line parallel to the x- plane. The solution at one value of the
axis) angular coordinate describes the full three-
dimensional mode.
The RS (r=0) axis is parallel to the x-axis.
Create all of the geometry above the axis of
symmetry. The PROGRAM ignores any
geometry below the symmetry axis.
Y Rotation Same as X Rotation, except that the RS (r=0)
(symmetric about a axis is parallel to the y-axis and the geometry
line parallel to the y- must be to the right the axis of symmetry. The
axis) PROGRAM ignores any geometry to the left
of the axis.

You will have much less potential for problems in RS models if you always use either x=0 or y=0 as
the RS axis.

To set the type of model:

1. From the menu select Physics>Physics Global Setup to display the Physics Global Setup dialog.
2. In the first field of the Model Type section, select Two-D, X-Rotational Symmetric or Y-Rotational Symmetric as the
type.
3. For X or Y Rotation, enter the location of the rotation axis in the Y= or X= fields. For 2D enter the model length. This
is used to scale 3D computations such as force and torque. It does not affect the fundamental solution, which is
based on an infinitely long model.
4. Click [OK] to set the type and close the Physics Global Setup dialog.

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2D Program Guide Defining Symmetry conditions

DEFINING SYMMETRY CONDITIONS

If a model is symmetric about one or more planes, you can define symmetry conditions to reduce the size of the model and the
time and hard disk space required to obtain a solution. Before you create geometry, study the model for symmetry conditions so
that you can avoid entering geometry and parameters that is not required. This saves on solution time as well as geometry
drawing. The following sections describe how to determine if your model has symmetry, what kind of symmetry condition you
should assign and how to assign the condition.

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2D Program Guide Determining if your model has symmetry

Determining if your model has symmetry

The primary requirement for using a symmetry condition in a design is that the geometry and the materials should have mirror
symmetry about one or more of the principal planes.
If you want to use a symmetry or anti-symmetry condition, you must confine the model definition to a specific region, decided by
the principal planes of symmetry. Suppose X = 0 is the plane of symmetry. You cannot define the model in the region X < 0,
only in the region X ³ 0.

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2D Program Guide Deciding between Symmetry and Anti-symmetry conditions

Deciding between Symmetry and Anti-symmetry conditions

There are two types of symmetry conditions: symmetric and anti symmetric. Once you determine that the geometry and
materials have one or more symmetric planes, examine the direction or sign (positive or negative) of sources to decide if you
should classify the design as symmetric or anti-symmetric. The symmetry or anti-symmetry condition specifies how the images
of the sources relate to the drawn sources. You may not be able to assign a symmetry or anti-symmetry condition even if mirror
symmetry exists in the geometry and materials.
Symmetry in Sources
To decide if symmetry or anti symmetry exists due to sources, simply examine the sources on both sides of the symmetry
plane. To use either type, the sources must have the same magnitude on both sides of the symmetry plane. The direction of
the sources dictates what type of condition you should use.

If the sources … use this type of

condition
are in the same direction or have the symmetry condition
same sign on either side of the
symmetry plane
are in opposite directions or have anti-symmetry condition
opposite sign on either side of the
symmetry plane

The following figures illustrate symmetry and anti-symmetry in sources:

The symmetry is a reference to the actual source, not the

field resulting from the source. Some examples: voltage,
current flow direction, or equivalent surface current on a
magnet. It is possible for sources to be symmetric while
fields are anti-symmetric, and vice-versa.

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2D Program Guide Defining a Symmetry Condition

Defining a Symmetry Condition

Once you create the basic geometry unit and assign any required physical properties, you can define the model as symmetric
and then solve the model.

To define a symmetric or anti-symmetric model:

1. Select the menu Physics>Symmetry and
Periodicity Setup …
2. From the list of Symmetric and Periodic Conditions, select
Symmetric
3. Select at least one plane of symmetry or anti-symmetry
from the Symmetric Boundary selection boxes.

Perform the analysis for a symmetric model just as you would for a non-symmetric model. You can do post processing in any
part of the window space regardless of where truncations occur, although keeping field plots close to the defined geometry
regions makes it easier to reference the plots to the model.

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2D Program Guide Angular Periodicity
Angular Periodicity
In many devices, the geometry and
sources occur in a periodic pattern
around some point in the geometry.
Consider the structure below. One
quarter of the geometry repeats itself
in a periodic pattern about the center
and the sources also repeat in a similar
manner.
The polarity of the sources alternate between + and -. This is an “anti-periodic” condition. If all of the sources were the same,
the structure would illustrate a periodic condition. You can dramatically reduce the design and solution time for a periodic or
anti-periodic device if you create only the basic repeating unit, rather than the entire model. The PROGRAM can solve the
entire model using only this basic unit.

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2D Program Guide Creating a periodic model
Creating a periodic model
To create a periodic model, examine the device to determine the periodic sections. The only geometry that you require is the
basic repeating unit. The required geometry for the structure is:

The basic unit required to solve The basic unit required to solve
the model as 8x Angular Anti- the model as 4x Angular
Periodic Periodic.

The different periodic sections can take any rotation with respect to each other and still create valid geometry for the solution.
This is an important feature if you want to study effects of shifts in position using the PROGRAM Parametrics feature.

When using the Boundary Element solver it is

important that any segments on the boundary of
the basic unit do not require elements. For
example, the segment should not represent an
interface between materials. It is sometimes necessary to
draw the basic unit to divide the actual volumes. In the
example shown here, a 45 degree rotation of the “-” region
will coincide with the opposite edge of the “+” region. With
Anti-Periodicity the image is hence the same and the
segment does not then represent a real interface that could
require elements.

Once you have the required geometry, assign physical properties to this geometry.

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2D Program Guide Defining the Periodicity

Defining the Periodicity

Defining the periodicity specifies

how the basic unit repeats to form
the entire model. You define
periodicity using the Symmetry
and Periodicity Setup dialog,
shown to the right.

To define the periodicity for a model:

1. Select the menu Physics>Symmetry and Periodicity Setup…
2. Select the Symmetry and Periodicity type by selecting one of the “Radio” buttons.
3. Change the Periodicity setting to Non-Periodic, Periodic or Anti-Periodic, depending on the type of periodicity in the
model.
4. In the Sections field, enter the total number of sections in the model. The number of sections multiplied by the angular
span of each section should equal exactly 360 degrees.
5. Click the Select Periodic Geometry button. Next select segments which should not have 1D elements assigned by
the BEM solver. These are segments which do not represent real interfaces, but are only there to bound the
regions. In other words, these are segments that would not be present in a full drawing of the model.
6. Click [OK] to apply these settings and close the Symmetry and Periodicity Setup dialog.

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2D Program Guide Linear Periodicity
Linear Periodicity
The linear periodicity option allows you to truncate models containing a basic unit that repeats in a linear pattern. In the figure
below, a basic unit repeats linearly along the x-axis. The solution for a given unit does not deviate significantly from the solution
for any other unit, so you can use a small section to find the solution for the complete model. Rather than modeling the entire
design, create the basic unit and then define a linear periodicity condition.

The total number of periodic sections must be fairly large in

order to generate an accurate solution from the basic unit.
The examples in this section are for illustrative purposes,
they do not represent a sufficiently large number of periodic
sections.

There are two types of linear periodicity. You can define a periodic or anti-periodic condition. The type of condition depends on
the nature of the source. If the sources repeat with the geometry, as shown, define a linear periodic condition.

If the sources or boundary conditions alternate in each unit of the model, as shown, you can use an anti-periodic condition.
This condition reverses the source or boundary conditions direction, with every new unit.

For any linear periodic condition, you must model an odd number of units. The accuracy of the solution improves with the
number of units that you model. For linear periodicity, you do not need to model more than one unit. For an anti-periodic
condition, model a minimum of three units for an accurate solution.
Some models exhibit linear periodicity in the geometry, but you cannot define a periodic condition due to the nature of the
sources or boundary conditions. In the figure below, the geometry repeats along the x-axis, but there is no pattern in the
source. For this type of model, you must create the entire model.

Model exhibiting periodicity in the geometry but not in the sources.

These examples all exhibit periodicity along only the x-axis. You can define a periodic condition along the x-axis, y-axis, or both.
The condition on each axis can be periodic or anti-periodic, depending on the nature of the sources and boundary conditions
along that axis. You can also use a linear periodicity condition to break a very long structure into a shorter, more manageable
unit, as shown.

Using a linear periodic condition to model a small section of a large object

Once you determine the type of periodicity displayed by the model, truncate the model to the basic repeating unit and assign
the required physical properties.
Defining Linear Periodicity
Defining the periodicity specifies how the basic unit repeats to form the entire model. The basic unit is located in the center of
periodic axis and there are an equal number of images on each side (hence, the total number must be odd). Linear Periodicity
is defined using the Symmetry and Periodicity Setup dialog, shown below:

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2D Program Guide Linear Periodicity

To define a linear periodic model:

1. Select the menu Physics>Symmetry and Periodicity Setup…
2. Select the Linear Periodic radio button.
3. Select Periodic or Anti-Periodic from the list of periodic conditions.
4. In the Total Sections in Full Model box enter the number of multiples of the basic unit needed to make the full model.
5. Click the Select Periodic Geometry button. Next select segments which should not have 1D elements assigned by
the BEM solver. These are segments which do not represent real interfaces, but are only there to bound the
regions. In other words, these are segments that would not be present in a full drawing of the model.
6. Click OK to apply these settings and close the Symmetry and Periodicity Setup dialog.

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2D Program Guide Materials

M ATERIALS

The management of materials is such a large aspect of the program that is it a separate chapter from this Basic Physics
chapter. See that chapter (number 6) for details of defining, assigning and managing libraries of materials.

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2D Program Guide Overview

OVERVIEW
INTEGRATED software uses a “multiphysics” approach to materials. A material is specified by many physical properties.
Most of these are irrelevant to any given analysis module and can be left at default (normally vacuum) property values.
However, by taking this approach the same models can be used in other INTEGRATED software at any time that it may be
appropriate. Also, in the case where you have coupled analysis modules these properties may be linked to each other (e.g.
temperature dependent material properties).
Working with materials mainly involves the following three dialog boxes:
Model Materials
This dialog displays a list of materials which are available within the model. It displays a summary of their properties and
gives the ability to assign materials to volumes in the model, or to inquire what materials have already been assigned. It
also links to the Material Manager.
Material Manager
This dialog manages materials across many sources: the materials available within the model, the INTEGRATED
standard library of materials, and the user’s own custom libraries of materials. Materials can be copied between these
sources (e.g. to bring a material into the model) and created or edited by a link to the Material Editor.
Material Editor
This dialog is used to modify the properties of materials.

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2D Program Guide Model Materials

M ODEL M ATERIALS
When you create new geometry, by default it is assigned the “Background” material (see the end of this section for more
details). The Model Materials dialog is the interface for swapping this for other materials that are available within the model,
or for getting to the Materials Manager to add materials to the model.

The Model Materials

dialog has three
sections:
1. The
Materials
selection list
showing all
materials
available
within the
model.
The Properties box showing a summary of properties for the currently highlighted material. The most relevant properties
for the current solver mode (electric, magnetic, thermal) are shown at the top (highlighted with a red box above) and other
properties are shown below. The Properties box can be toggled between hidden or displayed using the arrow beside
the [Delete] button:
A set of buttons for specific operations. These buttons are:
[Assign]
Click the [Assign] button to change the material assigned to volumes within the model. You will be prompted on the Command
Line to select volumes by the method of Volume, Box, or Group, then right-click to end.
[Inquire]
After clicking this button the Command Line with prompt you to select volumes (regions in 2D). Each click on a volume will
update the currently selected material in the list to whatever is presently assigned to that volume.
[Delete]
After clicking this button the Command Line with prompt you to select volumes by the method of Volume, Box, or Group. The
volumes selected will be reassigned as having the “Background” material.
or
Toggles the Properties box to hide or display.
[Edit]
Opens the Material Editor for the selected material.
[Material Manager]
Clicking this button the Material Manager dialog.
[Close]
Clicking this button closes the Model Materials dialog.

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2D Program Guide Background Material

Background Material
The “Background” material is a special case material. It can be renamed and be reassigned linear properties, but cannot
change color, be deleted or moved from the top of the materials list. This material provides the default properties for anything
that is unassigned. That includes volumes not assigned a material and the space surrounding the model. The default
properties are typically those of vacuum for electromagnetics (which is for all practical purposes the same as air). It may be
reassigned to represent situations where the entire model is immersed in a large ambient of significantly different properties.
For example, silicon oil which fills the surrounding space and all gaps and voids in a transformer.

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2D Program Guide Materials Manager

M ATERIALS M ANAGER
The Material Manager dialog has
two sections:
1. The Libraries section shows
a list of open materials
libraries. This section also
has buttons to:
[Create] a new library
[Open] an existing library
– this opens a dialog
box to select a *.mlib
file
[Close] an open library –
this does not affect the
*.mlib file. The
Material Manager
simply does not display
the library in the list
once it is closed.
[Delete] a library – this
will delete the *.mlib
file, all data in the
library will be
permanently lost.

The Material Operations section contains a listing of the materials in each open library and has buttons underneath
for performing specific operations with the libraries.
Note that the Model materials, Default (as appropriate to your solver) and IES Materials Library show up in this list without
being included in the Libraries list. These are automatically included. The model materials are those materials which are
available in the Model Materials dialog box.
The IES Materials Library is a read-only file provided for some standard material properties. These can be copied into the Model
and into other libraries to save user-edited versions.
The Default libraries for each solver are use-editable. This library provides the materials in the Materials dialog when starting a new
model. In multiphysics programs all appropriate default libraries are merged when a new model is created.

Use the symbol at the left of a library or double-

click on the name to open up the list of materials.
This list is divided in to various classifications
shown to the right. Each classification containing
materials is indicated with a . Click this symbol or
double-click the classification name to see the list
of materials.

The Background classification only contains one material (named “Background” by default). This is a special material
providing properties for any unassigned volumes and the empty surrounding space. By nature there are some restrictions on
appropriate properties, and there can only be one material in this classification.

Right-clicking on items in the Material

Operations list will pop up a menu of
options for the selected library, classification,
or material as shown to the right. This is
presently the only method for moving a
material from one classification to another.
The other operations are duplicated in the
buttons at the bottom.
[Add New]
Left-click this button to add a new
material to the selected classification.
[Delete]

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2D Program Guide Materials Manager
Left-click this button to delete a material
from a library.

[Rename]
Left-click this button to change the name of a material.
[Copy]
Left-click this button to copy the selected material’s data to the clipboard.
[Paste]
Left-click this button to paste a material from the clipboard into the current library classification.
[Import]
Left-click this button to select a *.MT L file to import into the current library classification.
[View/Edit]
Left-click this button to open the Material Editor dialog box for the selected material.
[Add to the Model]
Left-click this button to add a copy of the selected material to the open model Materials library.
[Close]
Left-click this button to close the Material Manager dialog and return to the Materials dialog.

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2D Program Guide Material Editor

M ATERIAL EDITOR
The Material Editor, shown below, is used to display or change the properties of materials.

The top of this dialog provides summary information telling you the material’s Name, Classification, and what Library it is in.

There is also a Color switch showing the current

material color. Clicking the down arrow to the
right of the word “Color” opens up a color
selection list as shown to the right. Underneath
the list of standard colors is a [Custom Color]
button to open the Select color dialog box for
more general specification of the color.
The Select color dialog, shown to the
right presents many different methods for
displaying color maps and change the
colors by the methods of
Red/Green/Blue, Cyan/Magenta/Yellow,
or Hue/Saturation/Value. Use the list in
the selection box labeled Colors to
change the interface for these choices.

The main part of the dialog has three

sections shown in colored boxes to the
right:
1. Red:
The “Parameter” section
(left) specifies the nature of
the data being edited. This
includes the property,
whether it is linear or
nonlinear, and
“multiphysics” aspects such
as temperature or frequency
dependence.

Blue:
The middle section is a data table for displaying nonlinear properties. This is edited by the user if the Table option is
selected in the Parameter section. If the Formula option is selected the table is filled in by the options in the Parameter
section.
Green:
The right section is a graph displaying the data in the table.

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2D Program Guide Parameter Section

Parameter Section

There are many parameters that can be

used to describe a material. For maximum
flexibility and uniform interface on all
INTEGRATED products, the full list is
available in every program. Only some of
these will be applicable to any given
program, but in case a model needs to be
solved with multiple Physics types, the full
set of properties can be setup in any
INTEGRATED program.

Every selected Parameter has a set of appropriate Types associated with it. These are shown below:

This interface and the underlying data structure is

designed to make it easy to include new data types (e.g.
anisotropic, hysteresis) in upcoming versions.

Types:

Linear
When the data type is set as “linear” a single
number is used to express the relationship
between two numbers. For example, to the
right a relative permittivity of 2.7 means:
D = 2.7 *εo * E

In Phasor mode of electromagnetic problems

the linear property may have real and
imaginary parts. This is enabled by checking
the Complex switch. This displays the two
parts of the complex property using two
methods: real&imaginary and real& tangent.
When the Real or Imag numbers are
changed the tangent is updated by:
Tangent = Imag / Real

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2D Program Guide Parameter Section

When the Loss Tangent is changed, the Imag number is changed by:
Imag = Real * Loss Tangent
In the case of permittivity the tangent is known as Loss Tangent because it is related to power loss.

NonLinear
When the Type is set as “nonlinear”
a formula or data table expresses the
relationship between two numbers.
The box previously used to express a
linear value is now used to display
the initial value in the data. For
example, to the right the “Initial
permeability” is the same value as the
permeability displayed in the table for
H=0.

Permeability is a special case because magnetization data is commonly provided in different formats. The format can be
selected for filling in the data table, but whichever entry format is selected the data is converted to B,H for storage.
The Formula option opens up display options underneath the radio buttons. In the example below, Hmax and the number of
values is selected, then [Apply] is pressed. The H,Mu table is then filled in (note the gray background indicating the data
cannot be edited) and a plot produced from the data. In this way the shape of the relation produced by the formula can be
visually confirmed.

Special Case: Permanent Magnets

The permeability parameter has two
special types for permanent magnets.

The first type applies to many magnets where only two data points are needed, the value for B when H=0 and the value to H
when B=0. These are known as Br (“residual induction”) and Hc (“coercive force”).

Manufactures often report two values for coercitivity – the

“normal” and “intrinsic” values. These are labeled as Hc
and Hci respectively. The data entered in the table must
be Hc.

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2D Program Guide Parameter Section
Nonlinear Permanent Magnets
For magnets which require a
nonlinear data, the data is entered in
the middle column, and the values of
Br and Hc are displayed in the
Parameter section for quick
reference.
As with two-point (linear) magnets,
make sure the data entered is the
“normal” rather than the “instrinsic”
data.

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2D Program Guide Data Table

Data Table

The data table displays 3 columns:

Row Number “x” “y”
In the case to the right “x” is H and “y” is
B. x & y Data cells which have a white
background may be directly edited by
clicking inside with the mouse, or by
navigating from cell to cell with the
keyboard arrow keys, then pressing
<Enter> to edit a highlighted value.
As data is added or modified the order will
be automatically adjusted as necessary
so the data is sorted by ascending “x”
values. The interface will prevent entry of
two cells with the same “x” value, as
shown below.

Rows may be added by entering “x” & “y”

values in the two text entry boxes at the
bottom, then pressing <Enter> or clicking
the [Insert Row] button.

The function of the bottom button can be

changed by clicking the down arrow
beside the button, then selecting a new
function from the pull down list.
The bottom 3 options enable copying of
data two and from the windows clipboard.
The intent is to exchange data with
another program that uses a spreadsheet
type of format (e.g. Excel).
“Copy All Data to Clipboard”
if you go to another program and
Ctrl-v or Edit>Paste, the data will
be pasted in as two columnes.

“Paste From Clipboard (Reset)”

Highlight two columns of data in a spreadsheet, or two tab-delimited
columns from a text document, copy it to the clipboard (Edit>Copy,
or Ctrl-c) then select this option. The existing data will be deleted
and the copied data will be pasted in.
“Paste From Clipboard (Add)”
Highlight two columns of data in a spreadsheet, or two tab-delimited
columns from a text document, copy it to the clipboard (Edit>Copy,
or Ctrl-c) then select this option. The existing data will be be retained
and the copied data will be added to it.

Whenever you attempt to exit from editing

parameter data, either by changing the
Parameter or clicking [OK] some validity
checks will run and you will be warned if
the check fails. You will not be able to
exit with data that fails for the currently
selected Type.

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2D Program Guide Data Table
After the warning message, the program
will display options to attempt to help you
fix the data. The “Restore” option will
return you to the editor with the original
data. The “Cancel” option will restore the
original data and exit the editor. “Autofix”
is able to fix some simple errors.

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2D Program Guide Graph

Graph

The graph on the right side of the

Material Editor provides a quick view of
the data in the center table. It
automatically updates with any change to
this data.
When you move your mouse over the the
graph, the position of the mouse tipe is
shown in a “status area” in the top right
corner.

When the mouse tip is placed over a data

point, a yellow box appears displayinging
the “x,y” values of the data. Note that
due to the point size, this will not be
exactly the same as the value shown in
the status area for the location of the
mouse tip.

By right-clicking on the graph a Trace

function can be toggled on and off.

When Trace is turned on, the

mouse moves a cross-hair along the
curve. The status area then the
differential slope of the curve and
the slope relative to the origin.

For the example shown to

the right, the green dotted
line correlates to the
differential slope dB/dH, the
blue dotted line correlates to
the effective slope B/H. The
values shown in the status
area are scaled so that these
represent the differential and
effective permeability at the
crosshair position.
Likewise on a J-E plot the
slopes would represent
differential and effective
conductivity, and on a D-E
plot they would represent
differential and effective
permittivity.

The [Display in
AutoGraph] button is used
to show the praph in a pop-
up window with more
controls than the built in
graph (zoom, pan, axis
limits). This is purely for
display purposes,
AutoGraph is unable to edit
the data.

Due to lack of real magnetization data from the manufacturer, users sometimes fabricate a magnetization

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2D Program Guide Graph
curve to match a known initial permeability and saturation value. It is important to remember that the B-H
relationship will approach {saturation value + the free space curve}. Hence, a real curve should approach
a differential slope of 1 as H becomes large. The tool provided in the Engineering Tools section of
Support at [Link] may be helpful for generating a plausible curve for the given
data.

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2D Program Guide Introduction

I NTRODUCTION
The Solution and Analysis section gives you a general idea about the solver and Post Processing options available on the
Solution and Analysis menus respectively.
The specific information for your Program is contained in the Product specific guide. i.e. (ELECTRO: 2D Electric
Analysis Guide, MAGNETO: 2D Magnetic Analysis Guide, etc.)

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2D Program Guide Recommended Solver Use

RECOMMENDED SOLVER USE

Your program is setup with solver defaults that will solve most problems within a few percent of the correct answer simply by
choosing the menu selection Solution>Solve … This invokes a self-adaptive solver which assigns trial elements, solves the
model, then compares boundary conditions obtained from the solution with the accuracy setting (1% by default). If the average
error is higher than the set cut-off the elements with the highest error are subdivided and the solver is run again. This repeats
until the average error is less than the set cut-off. The Self-Adaptive solver performs multiple solutions. This it takes longer
than a good manual solution. However, solver time is not usually significant in 2D programs. Compared to the time, effort, and
expertise required to get a comparable or better solution manually the self-adaptive solver is generally considered the most
practical method.
Since version 9.0 it is possible to predefine the outputs (last major section of this chapter) you want from an analysis.
Combined with the option Solution>Refine Solution this provides a powerful verification for results. If you define your
outputs before solving, then they are automatically run. You can then refine the solution and automatically have all the same
outputs for easy comparison. The process enables you to easily determine conditions which produce stable results for your
simulation. Likewise you can experiment with a model setup and obtain all the same results for comparison for every
configuration you solve. Systematic studies of model configurations are still best run with Parametrics (which are now on the
Solution menu).

A new feature in version 9.1, Element Weighting, makes

the default solution much better still near geometry that
you assign as high priority.

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2D Program Guide Solver Setup

SOLVER SETUP
This section explains the solver setup options available to you in those cases where you wish to run with something besides
the default settings.

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2D Program Guide Solver Setup Dialog

Solver Setup Dialog

The fundamental solver settings are found in the Solver Setup

dialog box, shown to the right, opened from the menu
Solution>Solver Setup …
The various parameters are explained below.

Method of solution The solution methods available (depending on the program and the Physics
Global Setup) are:
1. Boundary Element Method (BEM)
2. Finite Element Method (FEM)
3. Auto – program chooses FEM or BEM for you based on general
guidelines.

Matrix Solver Type The solver must accumulate a matrix then use it in a linear algebra equation to
solve for the unknowns. For small matrices the linear algebra can be solved
precisely using by the Direct method. However, this method increases in time
proportionally to the cube of the matrix size. An iterative approach to solving
the linear algebra problem only increases in time proportionally to the square
of the matrix size. Hence, for large enough problems it is worth switching the
type of solution.
You can set the solver to use a Direct or Iterative method. By default, the
setting is Auto, in which case the solver itself will determine which would be
the fastest method.

Iterative Accuracy When the iterative solver is being used a trial solution is put into the linear
algebraic equation, and an assessment is performed on how well the equation
is satisfied. If the overall deviation is lower than the number given here, the
problem is considered solved. If it is higher than the number given here, the
trial solution is adjusted and another iteration is performed.

Manual/Self-adaptive In Manual mode the user assigns elements to the model. In Self-adaptive
mode the solver chooses and refines the elements.

Self-Adaptive Accuracy The self-adaptive solver starts by assigning elements to model and solving. It
then assesses the average error in the solution. If this error is higher than the
specified number, the elements with the highest error as subdivided, then
model is solved again. The process is repeated until the target number has
been achieved.
** this assessment is heuristic, the convergence number may not represent
the accuracy of the particular parameter you are interested in except that
when one aspect of the solution is improved all others will tend to be
improved.

Accuracy / Speed Factor With BEM this factor will change the nature of integrations performed to make
calculations from the equivalent sources. With higher integers than one the
integral calculations will improve, however, they will take longer. This number
should normally be left as 1, but can be increased when the other approaches
fail. The most common usage is to be able to achieve a smaller target Self-
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2D Program Guide Solvertarget
fail. The most common usage is to be able to achieve a smaller Setup Dialog
Self-
adaptive Exit Criteria than is possible with a value of one.

Material Non-linear Convergence Factor When nonlinear material properties need to be considered, the solver begins
by solving the linear problem based on the material properties near the origin.
The solution is then adjusted iteratively until the change in the assessed error
in the nonlinear aspect of the problem is smaller than the number given here.

Finite Element Type Two options are given here: Linear and Quadratic. For the same element
distribution Linear FEM will solve faster, however, Quadratic FEM will give
much less noise in the field sampled in a given area.

Transient When the Physics Global Setup is set to Transient, this section of the
dialog determines the total time and the time steps used by the simulation.
The user can specify either the size of the time steps or the total number of
steps to use.

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2D Program Guide Advanced Solver Setup

Advanced Solver Setup

Various advanced settings for solving and post-

processing can be found from Utilities>Settings
… in the [Document Properties] tab.

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2D Program Guide Discretizing the Model with BEM

Discretizing the Model with BEM

The Boundary Element Method (BEM) uses equivalent sources to satisfy the assigned boundary conditions. According to
the Uniqueness Theorem, this solution can be used to solve anything in the model. For example, in a linear material electric
model BEM will solve for free and bound charge densities on the surfaces of the materials. From this charge distribution you
can integrate to find the field anywhere. The equivalent sources on the boundaries are obtained at the nodes of 1D elements
distributed along the boundary. The BEM solver ignores any segments that do not contain 1D elements.
When to use 1D Elements
A model requires boundary elements on all segments that form material interfaces or that are assigned boundary conditions.
For rotationally symmetric models, do not assign boundary elements to segments on the rotationally symmetric axis or on the
non-defined side of this axis.
When to use 2D Elements
When volume sources are present (e.g. a volume charge distribution, volume current flow) 2D elements must be assigned to
the region. When nonlinear material properties need to be taken into account, those correspond to an equivalent volume
source contribution. Thus, nonlinear materials should be assigned 2D elements.
The 1D Element SubMenu
The submenu options available from Solution>1D Elements are summarized in the table below:

Command Function
Automatic All The PROGRAM will prompt you for a “seed” number
of elements. From that number it will assign elements
to segments which require them and will make some
judgments about where the most elements are needed
based on proximity to other segments.
To obtain the fewest number of elements possible
give a seed value of 1.
Assign Assigns elements to all segments you select
regardless of whether they are presently required.
This command also prompts you for a seed number.
Insert Node Adds elements by breaking single elements into
smaller elements. You can create elements of different
lengths on the same segment. This is useful if you
need more accuracy on one part of a segment.
Remove Removes single elements from a segment by
Node removing the node between two elements, creating a
single element. Thus you can create elements of
different lengths on the same segment.
Delete Local Deletes elements on segments of your choosing
Delete All Deletes all of the elements on the model.
Inquire Shows in the Message Area the number of elements
Number on selected segments.
Problem Size Shows in the Message Area the number of
unknowns and how big each scratch file could
become during the solving.

Tips for Creating a 1D Element Distribution

When you manually create or edit an element distribution, use the following tips:
For areas of interest, especially segments near where you will be plotting, or on boundaries that will be used in
force/torque etc. calculations – assign a higher Element Weight. The default is 1. Higher numbers will give more
priority when the solver assigns elements. Begin by trying numbers like 5 or 20 to see how much difference it
makes.
Segments that represent material interfaces, or sources should have at least one element. (Note that in symmetric
or periodic models segments which exist only to create a region, not to create a real physical interface should not
have elements.)
If two segments are close together, the length of elements on the segments should not be more than ten times the
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2D Program Guide Discretizing the Model with BEM
distance between the segments.
Add more elements to sections of a segment where the field varies rapidly or if you need particularly accurate
results in that section.
Do not add more elements than you need. Extra elements increase the amount of time required for the solution.
Important information about using Automatic:
Depending on your model, Automatic may not produce a distribution that follows all of the element placement tips.
It can create a good starting point, but you can more effectively discretize a complex model using the manual
element commands.
Before using Automatic, make sure that the model contains all of the necessary physical properties. Automatic
bases the distribution on this properties, so the best element distribution results when the model is as complete as
possible.
The element distribution created by Automatic overrides any existing distribution. Once you create an automatic
distribution, you can edit the distribution to increase the accuracy of the solution. Use the Insert Node, Remove
Node and Delete Local commands to add and remove elements.
The 2D Element SubMenu
The submenu options available from Solution>2D Elements are given in the table below.

Command Function
Automatic All The PROGRAM will prompt you for a “seed” number
of elements. From that number it will assign elements
to regions which require them and will make some
judgments about where the most elements are
needed.
To obtain the fewest number of elements possible
give a seed value of 1.
Assign Assigns elements to all regions you select regardless
of whether they are presently required. This
command also prompts you for a seed number.
Refine Prompts you to select a region containing 2D
Elements, then to select a part of that region to refine,
then to provide a seed number of elements to put in
that region.
Delete Local Deletes 2D elements on regions of your choosing
Delete All Deletes all of the 2D elements in the model.
Inquire Shows in the Message Area the number of elements
Number in selected regions.

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2D Program Guide Discretizing the Model with FEM

Discretizing the Model with FEM

The Finite Element Method (FEM) uses 2D elements to discretize your model and possibly some space around it to
numerically determine the potential distribution. From the potential distribution physical results can be calculated. For
example, fields are computed from the derivative of the potential.
FEM only uses 2D elements, and has the same options as BEM 2D elements. With FEM the mesh is much more important
than with BEM, it is highly recommended that the Self-Adaptive mesh is used. Possibly once a Self-Adaptive solution is
obtained a better solution in some region of interest could be obtained by switching to manual and then refining the 2D
elements in that area.
In order to solve for potential in a region of space, it is necessary to put some boundary condition on that region. Hence, FEM
requires an artificially determined bounding box. If you have not drawn one on yourself, the self-adaptive solver will create a
box and put a potential condition on it for you. If the solver creates this box, it will also delete it if you switch solvers again.
The more flux reaches the bounding box, the more it will affect the analysis. Hence, if you get bad results from the FEM solver
you should try increasing the bounding box size.

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2D Program Guide Choosing between FEM, BEM and Hybrid

Choosing between FEM, BEM and Hybrid

Integrated Engineering Software provides 4 solvers because there are situations in which any of them can have very
significant advantages over the others.
The Automatic Hybrid solver makes a simple determination that if a region contains linear material it will be solved with BEM,
and if contains nonlinear material it will be solved with FEM. At the extremes this is a good judgment - BEM is a far superior
method for linear materials and FEM is a far superior method for highly saturating materials. However, suppose for example
that a model contains a nonlinear material, but in one region the fields are low enough that there is not much deviation from the
linear property. That region should be solved with BEM, not FEM. Another complication is that the Hybrid solver has to
perform extra work to match the two different solvers at the boundary. The simpler the interface between the regions is, the
less time it will take for the solver to do so. Hence, it is often a good idea to include linear materials in the FEM part in order to
have a much simpler FEM/BEM boundary. These are all considerations for using the User Defined Hybrid option. One
option that is often quite useful is to solve the whole of the model itself using FEM, but to use the Hybrid to get a better
bounding box. In this case, draw a circle or rectangle around the whole model, and select everything as FEM in the Hybrid
selection. The boundary will become an interface to the outside and will be solved to get the correct conditions rather than
being assigned some presumed conditions.

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2D Program Guide Scale Solution

Scale Solution
Your program has an option for avoiding re-solving a linear model when all you wish to do is scale the sources. When
possible, the menu will show Scale Solution at the bottom. When this is present you can enter a scaling factor and the
program will scale the solution appropriately without having to re-solve.

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2D Program Guide Hardware and OS Considerations

Hardware and OS Considerations

In general upgrading any of the specifications for a computer will aid in the speed of analysis, but which specifications are
important will depend on what is the rate limiting aspect for the solver for a given problem. Here are some common
considerations:
When a problem requires very little memory to solve, the solution time is approximately proportional to the speed of
the CPU
A 64 bit OS and processor is effectively faster than a same-speed 32 bit OS due to performing more calculations
per step.
When a problem requires so much memory that some information is stored to the hard disk, then hard disk I/O
becomes the rate limiting step. When this is the case, assign the scratch files to the fastest hard disk available. A
RAID array optimized for speed is one common configuration.
With 32 bit processing the maximum RAM that your IES program can address is approximately 1.6 GB. For large
problems there is thus no advantaget to adding RAM. With 64 bit processing your program can address as much
RAM as Windows makes available. Hence you could reduce hard disk I/O to become negligible with sufficient
RAM.
Some newer parts of the code make use of multiple processors, however, that is not yet a significant consideration
in the time taken to solve in 2D. In a future version some of the core functions will be rewritten to make use of
multiple processors, and there will then be significant benefit.
The “Advanced Direct Solver” for FEM can be very fast and accurate, but must fit all calculations into RAM.
Hence, for significant size problems this requires Windows 64 with enough RAM added to the system.

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2D Program Guide Basic Analysis

BASIC ANALYSIS
The PROGRAM provides several options for solving a model, performing calculations and displaying results for a device.
Using commands in the Analysis menu, you can:
1. Determine the field in specific parts of the model.
2. Check the accuracy of a solution.
3. View field calculations using graphs and plots, or at a specific point in the geometry.
4. Use file input and output to perform calculations outside of the PROGRAM.
5. Use parametrics to analyze systematic variations within a model.
6. Analyze models overnight using the batch utility.
7. Review

For more detailed information, refer to the separate guide

for your specific program.

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2D Program Guide Field Calculations

F IELD CALCULATIONS
The PROGRAM provides several
options for displaying field results from
the menu Analysis>Field Results …
This invokes the Field Analysis Result
dialog box. This is a very large and
general purpose part of the program,
hence Chapter 7 is devoted to use of
this dialog. Refer to this chapter for
more information about plotting and
querying field values.

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2D Program Guide Streamlines

STREAMLINES
In Fields modes of electromagnetic programs there is a Streamlines option to visualize the field magnitude and path of
individual flux lines. This is distinguished as streamlines rather than “Field Lines” because pass through determined positions,
rather than spacing according to the local field strength. However, as with “Field Lines”, each individual line drawn represents
a line of flux.

Specific options are described in the User’s Guide for the individual programs.

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2D Program Guide Selecting Reference Colors

SELECTING REFERENCE COLORS

Many plots produced from the
Field Analysis Results and
Streamlines dialog boxes can
use color as a reference for
the value of the plotted
quantity. By default these
colors are based on a Blue
(minimum value) to Red Default Color Scale
(highest value) spanning a
variety of rainbow colors in
between.

Within a model users are also

able to define their own
custom color scale, such as
the Pink to Red scale shown
to make the same plot on the
right. Different definitions of
the color scale will tend to
emphasize different aspects of User Defined Color Scale
plot. Users also have
individual aesthetic
preferences for plot color.

Due to the method chosen, in

some cases virtually the same
end colors may be used to
produce quite different color
scales. This requires
understanding in detail how
the interpolation between the
end reference colors works Different User Defined Color Scale
(below).

The setting for the

plot colors used in a
model is found in
the Settings dialog
(click
Utilities>Settings),
under Document
Properties>Post-
processing. When
the Custom radio
button is selected
the Max and Min
color buttons are
activated. Clicking
on them opens up a
dialog used to pick
the selected color.

As with other user preferences, you can save your

favorite color scale(s) in template files for easy
access when beginning a new model.

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2D Program Guide The Color Dialog

The Color Dialog

INTEGRATED uses a standard

Color dialog box to select the
plotting colors. This dialog may
be familiar to you already from
other software. The key features
of the dialog are:
1. Basic colors:
This is a clickable list
of common colors.

Custom colors:
used to define colors you like to use but which aren’t in the Basic colors list.
Color and Brightness Maps:
The clickable square color map varies color on the horizontal scale and degree of grayness on the vertical scale. The
vertical brightness map let you select how bright to make the color.
Display and Numeric Definitions:
The color is shown in a rectangle labeled Color/Solid along with two numeric ways of deriving the color: Hue/Sat./Lum.
and Red/Green/Blue.

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2D Program Guide The Method for Determining Intermediate Colors

The Method for Determining Intermediate Colors

The intermediate colors are best

predicted by considering the
layout of the color maps as shown
to the right. The marker position
specifies the Hue (position on a
color scale going from red to red
through all the rainbow colors),
Saturation (degree of grayness).
The Luminescence slider provides
the brightness.

With the Max color set as the

green value on the right, and the
min color set as the purple value
(this is a combined screenshot,
you cannot show both
simultaneously in your
INTEGRATED program), the
intermediate colors will be those
along the dotted red line. The
resulting plot is shown below.

If the Lum. slider is then used to make the

purple color darker, the result will be the
same except that the transition colors will
also become progressively darker. This is
shown below.

The full rainbow user defined scale shown at the beginning was made by selecting the two standard colors shown below for
Min and Max, with the resulting gradient shown on the Hue/Sat map.

For an alternative gradient with the same apparent end colors, consider the three colors shown below:

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2D Program Guide The Method for Determining Intermediate Colors

Low Hue Red High Hue Red

The two red are very little difference in appearance, but one is low Hue, the other is high hue. Hence the color gradient
connecting them will be quite different:

Low Hue Red High Hue Red

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2D Program Guide Other Model Results

OTHER M ODEL RESULTS

Besides field results, the Analysis menu will list a variety of other physical results of the solution. Depending on the solution
module being used these can include: force, torque, charge, energy, flux linkage, etc. In 2D mode, these will generally be
scaled to produce the result appropriate for a model with the Length given in the Physics Global Setup.

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2D Program Guide Define Outputs / Output Manager

DEFINE OUTPUTS / OUTPUT M ANAGER

All Analysis that can be generated for an existing solution can be predefined via the dialog Solution>Define Outputs … and
analyzed via the dialog Analysis>Output Manager…
Using these options is very useful for transient analysis, to generate consistent analysis at each time step rather than having to
query individual times. However, it is also useful with static and phasor analysis. Any time you may want to provide the same
analysis more than once (e.g. to study the effects of various solver configurations, or to manually experiment with different
model configurations) it is a good idea to predefine the output. This is not only more convenient but ensures that exactly the
same analysis is done each time.
The Define Outputs/Output Manager dialogs also provide the benefit that you can name your results and turn plots on and
off for simultaneous or individual display, as in the example below:

Both dialogs have divided output categories into two tabs:

[Plots]: output providing a graphical display from a large number of computations – e.g. arrow plots, contour plots, streamlines,
graphs, etc
[Results]: outputs displaying numbers – e.g. force, torque, field at a point, etc.
Although the Define Plot and Plot Manager dialogs
affect the main program display, the main program cannot
be accessed while these dialogs are open. To rotate,
zoom etc. it is necessary to close these dialogs.

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2D Program Guide Define Outputs � [Plots] Tab

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2D Program Guide Define Outputs � [Results] Tab

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2D Program Guide Define Outputs � [File] Tab

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2D Program Guide Output Manager � [Plots] Tab

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2D Program Guide Output Manager � [Results] Tab

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2D Program Guide The Field Analysis Results Dialog Box

T HE F IELD ANALYSIS RESULTS DIALOG BOX

The previous chapter

explained the use of
predefined analysis and
the Output Manager.
Alternatively, the Field
Analysis Results (FAR)
dialog is method of
generating current plots for
the present model solution
in INTEGRATED 2D.
What can be displayed
varies from program to The FAR dialog. To expand, click on
program but how the
the small arrow in the bottom right
information is chosen and
displayed is common corner
throughout the suite of
programs.

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2D Program Guide What is Available

W HAT IS AVAILABLE
The FAR will also change depending on what options are being chosen.
For example, if you are asking for a graph then the number of contours box will not be displayed. Instead it will be replaced
with a number of intervals that allows you to graph more or less points along your graph.

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2D Program Guide A Closer Look
A Closer Look

View Type—Allows you to select a field that you want to analyze. The available fields, depending on the specific analysis
module being used are:
Voltage
Equivalent Charge
E Field (Electric Field)
D Field (Electric Flux Density)
P Field (Electric dipole moment)
B Field (Magnetic Flux Density)
H Field (Magnetic Field)
M Field (Magnetization)
A Field (Vector Potential)
Energy Density
Power
Permeability
Differential Permeability
Relative Permeability
Relative Differential Permeability
Surface Current
Q Field (Heat Flux)
Temperature
Gradient of Temperature
Jd Field (Displacement current) – permittivity mode only
Jc Field (Conduction current) – conductivity mode only
Jt Field (combined Conduction and Displacement currents)
Surface Force Density
Volume Force Density
Linear Charge Density
Surface Charge Density
Volume Charge Density
Energy Density
Display Form—Allows you to select how you want to display information. The choices are graphs, contours and profile plots
for scalars, and with arrows (or vectors) and loci being made available for vector quantities
Component—Allows a selection of x,y,z components along with the magnitude, normal, normal cross field, and tangential
directions. The normal cross field is defined by the equation |n X {field value}|. This box will only be active if a contour plot or
a graph of a vector quantity is being displayed.

Complex—This box is only

active when a phasor calculation
is being done. It allows you to
display the real, imaginary,
magnitude, phase and
instantaneous values. It is very
useful to display phase shift in
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2D Program Guide A Closer Look
higher frequency models. If you
are looking for a maximum value
then it is probably the Magnitude
that you are looking for. If you
know the exact phase angle then
choose Instantaneous. When
you do this the bottom half of the
FAR dialog box will change to
display a Time Angle box. You
can input the phase angle desired FAR displaying the
into this box to see what the Instantaneous setting and Time
results are at that time. Using the Angle box
Apply Settings after changing
the Time Angle will allow for
very fast updates to the existing
display.

The Complex Selection field will be grayed out for all of

the plot types unless you are solving in phasor mode in
INTEGRATED 2D.

Location—This box only shows up when plotting a graph. It allows you to choose between Graphing Along a Line,
Graphing on a Segment, and, Graphing on a Surface.
Graphing on a line requires two points to be inputted using either the keyboard or the mouse pointer. It is possible to
draw a line segment, or series of line segments either before or after solving to use as reference lines. It is important to
note that this will not affect the solution regardless of when it is drawn.
Graphing on a segment allows you to choose one or many segments as long as they are connected. The default
direction the graph is displayed is opposite top the direction that the line was drawn. For example, if you drew a straight
line from (0, 0) to (0,1) then the graph would be displayed starting at (0, 1) and go to (0, 0). Before creating the graph
INTEGRATED 2D will draw arrows along the segment in the direction of the plot and prompt you to confirm or change
the direction. If you are ever unsure of the direction of your existing graph the best thing you can do is display the
auxiliary axes by right clicking on a graph data point and selecting the “Show Auxiliary Axis” option that is near the
bottom of the menu that shows up.
Grid Density—The grid density box only displays when a contour, arrow or loci plot is being done. It also displays if a profile
plot is being done in 2D. The grid density settings, Coarse, Medium, Fine, Very Fine, or User Defined Grid define the
number of calculating points that are going into a contour, arrow, or loci plot. The numbers vary depending on the size and
shape of the plot being done but in general a Very Fine level of grid is quite high quality.
The User Defined Grid will prompt for an input as a Rows X Columns format. The program will highlight a side of the
desired surface and ask for a number of rows then it will switch to another side and for a number of columns.
Selection—This box only appears when doing a contour, arrow or loci plot. In the 2D programs a contour plot On Plane and
On Region are the only choices available. Plotting “On Plane” samples points on the displayed section of the plane and use
the results at the sampled points to create the chosen plot type. Plotting “On Region” samples points in selected regions
regardless of whethere they are entirely in the active view of the model.

The Pull Down Menus

The FAR has four pull down menus, three of which are dependent menus and one is independent, across the top of the
window. The independent menu is Values while the dependent menus Options, Underlay, and Integrate, only show up if a
plot, such as a contour plot, is on the screen.

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2D Program Guide Working With Graphs

W ORKING W ITH GRAPHS

All graphs are displayed in AutoGraph, a graphing utility that comes standard with all IES products. Its job is to display
numerical data in the form of a graph and make export of that data to text files or to the Windows clipboard easy to do.

There is an AutoGraph Chapter in this manual which more fully describes the features of this utility.

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2D Program Guide Graphing Data From a Solved Model

GRAPHING DATA F ROM A SOLVED M ODEL

The main program when asked to produce a graph via the Field Analysis dialog box will call AutoGraph. The graph can be
generated along an existing segment (Graph Along Segment) or between two points designated at the time of analysis
(Graph Along Line). The points can be inputted using the keyboard or by selecting existing points on a model or clicking on
points in empty space in 2D using the mouse pointer. In either case AutoGraph will display a connected line/data graph
generated by calculating the requested field value at certain positions along the path chosen. The fully enlarged dialog box
includes the field “Number of Intervals”. The default value in that field is 50. This means that the path the graph will be
done along will have the field sampled in 50 locations along that path and the results will be displayed in AutoGraph. This
value can be changed to as many as 10000 intervals and as few as 2.

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2D Program Guide Graphing Along Segment
Graphing Along Segment
To graph along a segment simply set the options to Graph Along Segment and click the [New Graph] button. The program
will prompt for a segment to plot along. More than one segment can be chosen but if this is done then all the segments must
be continually connected. Because directionality is not obvious it is better to simply ask AutoGraph to display the actual x,y,z
coordinates when the result is not self-explanatory.

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2D Program Guide Graphing Along Line
Graphing Along Line
To graph along a line simply input two coordinates using either the keyboard or the mouse pointer. The resulting straight line
will be used as a basis for the graph. Because of this, it is often a good idea to draw reference lines to be used to plot along or
to have convenient points to select. These reference lines can be drawn before or after the model is solved without affecting
the solution.

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2D Program Guide Graphing Along a Surface
Graphing Along a Surface
The program will prompt for a surface to be chosen. Once this is done the program will prompt for the starting and ending
points of a line on that surface. It is possible to input the coordinates using the keyboard but care must be taken to assure the
coordinate given is actually on the surface. Normally, the mouse pointer is used to pick two points and a line following the
general shape of the surface is chosen.

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2D Program Guide When to Choose New Graph or Apply Settings
When to Choose New Graph or Apply Settings
Choosing [New Graph] will always require new coordinates to be put into the program to define where the data will be taken
from. Choosing [Apply Settings] will graph the current settings on the line or segments that are already stored in memory. If
there are no lines or segments stored in memory then the program will prompt you for these. Applying settings is an excellent
way to create multiple graphs of x,y components along the same lines or voltage and E field values along the same points.
To create a graph:
1. set View Type to the desired field quantity.
2. Select Graphs as the Display Form.
3. In the Component section, specify either the x,y, magnitude, normal cross field, or tangential field.
4. You may need to define the Complex setting depending on whether you are solving a phasor problem or a static one.
If it is a phasor problem then set the complex setting to Real, Imaginary, Magnitude, Instantaneous, or Phase
depending on what you want to view.
5. In the Location section, choose the geometry region where you want to display the selected field quantity (Graph
Along Line, Graph Along Segments or Graph Along Surfaces).
6. Press the [New Graph] button if you want to define new coordinates or the [Apply Settings] button if you want to
update the graph using existing coordinates.
Enter the reference points for the graph. These points depend on the setting in the Location section. Enter two end points of a
line for Graph Along Line; one or more geometry segments for Graph Along Segments. Once you enter the reference
points, INTEGRATED 2D calculates and displays the graph

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2D Program Guide Creating Contour Plots
Creating Contour Plots

Use a contour plot for displaying values of scalar quantities. INTEGRATED 2D calculates the plot at several points based on
a selected plane or region and uses contours to join points with the same field value. When you request a solid contour, colors
identify regions with the same range of the values.
When you set the Display Form to Contours, the Field Analysis Results appears as follows:
To create a contour plot:
1. In View Type, select the
desired field quantity.
2. Select Contours as the
Display Form.
3. In Component, specify the
component of the field you
want to view.
4. Select the desired Grid
Density for the plot.
5. Select On Region or On
Plane to display the plot on
a geometry region or on the
displayed plane across the
geometry.
6. Click the [New Plot]
button.

FAR with Contour settings

For “On Region” select the region(s) on which to plot, then Right-Click to end selection.

Component Selection

This box has four settings, which correspond to geometric components of the field quantity. Select the component that you
want to view on the contour:
X Component The x component of the selected vector
quantity
Y Component The y component of the selected vector
quantity
Magnitude The magnitude of the selected vector or scalar
quantity. When the quantity is a scalar, this is
the default setting.
Normal The normal component of the selected vector
quantity. You can plot the normal component of
a vector along an existing geometry surface.
Tangential Calculates the tangential component of the field
requested.

View Range (Min, Max)

Use the View Range fields to change the minimum and maximum values for the contours. The maximum and minimum are
normally chosen to display the fields within values of interest. The Default icon sets the View Range to the Default values set
by INTEGRATED 2D. You can activate this feature by selecting the check box. Once this is done the minimum and maximum
boxes will become active allowing you to change the low and high values to be displayed.

Log Scale

Checking this box switches from a linear scaling of the color divisions to a log scaling. This includes negative numbers in
which case the size of the division is based on the magnitude of the numbers. However, it is not easy to define how close to
approach zero when both negative and positive numbers are present in a plot.
The Log Scale option enables you to see more detail
than a linear scale when a plot spans orders of magnitude
from the minimum to the maximum values.

Number of Contours

Change the number of contours displayed. For all contours (solid or line) the maximum number of contours is 32. The minimum
number is 2. This number is set in the extended Field Analysis Results dialog box.

Presentation
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2D Program Guide Creating Contour Plots

This switch changes the presentation of the contour with options of:
Black lines
Gray lines
Colored lines
Solid colors filling between the contour lines
Gradient colors filling between the contour lines

Grid Density

Use this box to set the number of points in the grid used to calculate and display the contour. You can choose between
Coarse, Medium, Fine, Very Fine and User Defined Grid. The user defined grid allows you to define the number of points
in an “m X n” fashion and prompts you to give it the number of points on a side that has a segment highlighted in red.

Plot Location

Choose one of the following options for the location of the contour on the geometry:
On SurfacePlot the contour on a defined geometry surface
On Plane Plot the contour on a plane that you can define
using three points

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2D Program Guide Values Menu
Values Menu
The Values menu contains four commands: Values at Point, Values on Surface, Values From File and Close. The Close
command simply closes the FAR dialog.

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2D Program Guide Options Menu
Options Menu
The Options menu contains the following commands for working with contours.

Put Scale Displays the legend for the color level of

the contours on the screen. This only
works if the Presentation switch is set to
show colors. Position the scale with the
mouse.
Move Scale Move the location of the reference scale.
Delete Plot Deletes contour plots. Select this
command and then select a surface where
you want to delete an existing contour
plot.
Delete All Plots Deletes all contour plots.

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2D Program Guide Underlay Menu
Underlay Menu
Use the Underlay menu options to change the display underneath or on top of a contour plot. You can choose from one of the
following options:

None Nothing displayed

Outline Outline of the geometry (the default setting)
1D Elements The 1D element structure
Boundary The boundary conditions
Media The materials in the model
Geometry The geometry of the model including
locations of points
2D Elements The 2D element structure
Surface Sources The surface sources on the model
Volume Sources The volume sources in the model

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2D Program Guide Integrate Menu
Integrate Menu
The integrate menu allows you to integrate the value of an existing contour plot. There are three options:
Integration commands and formulae for contour plots

Command Function Formula

I(G)dS Integrate the graphed function

over the entire contour plot
selected.

I(|G|)dS Integrate the absolute value

over the entire contour plot
selected.

Area RMS(G) Calculate the root mean

squared value over the entire
contour plot selected.

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2D Program Guide Creating Arrow Plots

CREATING ARROW PLOTS

Use an Arrow plot to display the magnitude and direction of vector quantities on surfaces, planes, boxes or volumes of the
geometry.
When you set the Display Form to Arrows, the Field Analysis Results dialog box appears as shown below.

To create an arrow plot:

1. Set View Type
selection to the
desired field
quantity.
2. Select Arrows as the
Display Form.
3. Select the desired
Grid Density for
the plot.
4. Select On Plane, or
On Region to
display the plot.
5. Click on the [New
Plot] button.
FAR with Arrows settings
6. For “On Region”
select the region(s)
where you want to
see arrows plotted.

INTEGRATED 2D calculates and displays the plot on this region or plane.

Component Selection
This selection is not available for an arrow plot because an arrow plot displays both the magnitude and direction.
View Range (Min, Max)
Change the minimum and maximum values for the arrow plot. Choose the minimum and maximum values to view the field
between values of significance, such as the field greater than some tolerance. The default icon resets the View Range back
to the default settings.
Log Scale
Checking this box switches from a linear scaling of the color divisions to a log scaling. This includes negative numbers in
which case the size of the division is based on the magnitude of the numbers. However, it is not easy to define how close to
approach zero when both negative and positive numbers are present in a plot.

The Log Scale option enables you to see more detail

than a linear scale when a plot spans orders of magnitude
from the minimum to the maximum values.

Number of Colors
Changes the number of colors displayed on the arrow plot. Each color represents a different range for the vector magnitude.
The maximum number of levels is 32.
Grid Density
Set the number of points in the grid used to calculate and display the arrow plot. You can choose from Coarse, Medium,
Fine, Very Fine or User Defined grids.
Plot Location
Define the geometry where you want to create the arrow plot. Choose from one of the following settings:

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2D Program Guide Creating Arrow Plots
On Plane Create the arrow plot on the displayed portion of
the model plane
On Region Creates a 2D plot in an existing region
In Box Creates a 3D plot in a box defined by three points to
describe the base plus a fourth point to describe the
height.

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2D Program Guide Options Menu
Options Menu
The Options menu contains the following commands for arrow plots:

Put Scale Displays the legend for the color level of the
arrows on the screen. Put Scale only works if
the plot contains more than one arrow color.
Move Scale Move the location of the reference scale.
Scaled Select Scaled if you want the length of the
arrows to represent the magnitude of the vector.
If you do not select this option, the arrows all
have the same length.

Delete Plot Deletes contour plots. Select this command and

then select a surface where you want to delete
an existing contour plot.

Delete All Plots Deletes all contour plots.

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2D Program Guide Underlay Menu
Underlay Menu
Use the Underlay options to change the display under an arrow plot. You can choose from one of the following options:
None Nothing displayed
Outline Outline of the geometry (the default setting)
1D Elements The boundary element structure
Boundary The boundary conditions
Media The materials in the model
Geometry The geometry of the model, including locations
of points
2D Elements The volume element structure (triangles)
Surface The surface sources on the model
Sources
Volume The volume sources in the model
Sources

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2D Program Guide Creating Loci Plots

CREATING L OCI PLOTS

Use a Loci plot to display the magnitude and direction of vector quantities on surfaces, planes, boxes or volumes of the
geometry. Loci plots will display polarization information by displaying the zero time angle in pink and 90 degree time angle in
green and the path that the heads of the vectors sweep out over a full cycle. From this information you should be able to tell
how a field is polarized: circularly or elliptically; right or left.
When you set the Display Form to Loci, the Field Analysis Result dialog box appears as shown below.

To create a loci plot:

1. Set View Type to
the desired field
quantity.
2. Select Loci as the
Display Form.
3. Select the desired
Grid Density for
the plot.
4. Select On Surface,
On Plane, In
Box, or In
Volume to
display the plot FAR with Loci settings
on a surface,
plane, box, or
volume of the
geometry.
5. Click on the [New
Plot] button.

Select the surface, enter three points to define the plane where you want to display the plot, select the volume or define
the box where you want to see arrows plotted. INTEGRATED 3D calculates and displays the plot on this surface, plane,
box, or volume.

Component Selection
This selection is not available for a Loci plot because Loci plots display phase angle and magnitude information.
View Range (Min, Max)
This section is not available when using Loci plots and is greyed out.
Grid Density
Set the number of points in the grid used to calculate and display the loci plot. You can choose from Coarse, Medium, Fine,
Very Fine or User Defined grids.
Plot Location
Define the geometry where you want to create the loci plot. Choose from one of the following settings:
On Plane Create the loci plot on a plane that you can define
using three points.
On Region Creates a 2D plot in an existing region

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2D Program Guide Options Menu
Options Menu
The Options menu contains the following commands for loci plots:

Delete Plot Deletes chosen loci plot. Select this command

then select a plot to delete.

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2D Program Guide Underlay Menu
Underlay Menu
Use the Underlay options to change the display under a loci plot. You can choose from one of the following options:
None Nothing displayed
Outline Outline of the geometry (the default setting)
1D Elements The 1D element structure
Boundary The boundary conditions
Media The materials in the model
Geometry The geometry of the model, including locations
of points
2D Elements The volume element structure
Surface The surface sources on the model
Sources
Volume The volume sources in the model
Sources

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2D Program Guide Creating Profile Plots

CREATING PROFILE PLOTS

A profile plot is a specific presentation of

a contour plot in which the contours show
not only color, but also height to
represent the value at a point.
INTEGRATED 2D enables profile plots
to be plotted with the On Plane option.
Otherwise the options are the same as
for Contour plots. For added clarity a
colored line representation of the
equivalent contour plot is also shown on
the plane of the geometry.

To create a profile plot:

1. Set the View Type selection to the desired field quantity.
2. In the Display Form box, select Profiles.
3. In the Grid Density section, select the density of the grid that you want to use to calculate and display the plot.
4. Click [New Plot] to calculate and display the plot with the current settings.
To manipulate the viewing of the plot:
Pan: Shift+Arrow Keys, or Shift+Left Mouse (then drag with mouse)
Zoom: Alt+Arrow Keys or Alt_Left Mouse (then move mouse to zoom)
Rotate: Arrow Keys, or Alt+Right Mouse (then move mouse to rotate)

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2D Program Guide Field Calculations at Selected Points

F IELD CALCULATIONS AT SELECTED POINTS

The Values menu in the FAR dialog contains commands for calculating field values at points within the geometry limits. There
are three commands located in this menu: Values at Point, Values on Surface and Values from File. The first two
commands allow you to enter a point and display the calculated field value in the Message Area. The third command (Values
from File) enables you to input the points from a file and write the calculated field values to another file.

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2D Program Guide Calculating Field Values at a Geometry Point
Calculating Field Values at a Geometry Point
The Values at Point and Values on Surface commands enable you to find a field value at a specific point in the geometry.
Use the Values at Point command unless the point falls on a surface. Use Values on Surface for points that fall on a
surface.
To calculate the field values at a geometry point that does not lie on a surface:
1. Select the Values at Point command from the Values menu of the FAR dialog.
2. Using the mouse or keyboard, enter the point where you want to calculate the field (if you use the mouse,
INTEGRATED 2D snaps to the nearest defined geometry point).
3. The field values at the entered point are displayed in the Message Area.
4. Continue to enter points or press the right mouse button to exit the Values at Point command.
Calculating field values at a point that lies on a surface is a special case. A surface often represents an interface of materials
with different permittivities. Field calculations depend on the permittivity of materials, so it is important to know which side of the
surface you need to calculate the field. The Values on Surface command allows you to calculate the field values on a
specified side of the surface.
To calculate the field values at a point that lies on a surface:
1. Select Values>Values on Surface from the menu of the FAR dialog.
2. Select the surface that you want to use for calculation of fields.
3. Use <Ctrl>+Right-click to select which side of the surface the calculation will be performed on. INTEGRATED 3D
will display a double-headed conical arrow. Left clicking will select the green side while holding the <Ctrl> button
and left-click will toggle the side to select.
4. Enter a point on the selected surface using the mouse or keyboard. The Message Area displays the field values at
the point.
Once you display the field values at a point, you can:
Enter another point to see the field value at that point.
Press the right mouse button to deselect the current side, then select the next side using the left button.
Press the right mouse button twice to deselect the side and the surface, then select another surface using the left
mouse button.
Press the right mouse button three times to exit the command.

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2D Program Guide Calculating Field Values using File Input and Output
Calculating Field Values using File Input and Output
Another way to analyze components of the field vectors is to read the point coordinates in from a file and then output the results
of the field calculations to another file. The Values from File command enables you to do this. You need two files:
an input file that contains the coordinates of the geometry points
an output file where you can write the results. This output file should have a unique name, as INTEGRATED 2D
overwrites the data in any existing file with the same name.
Both the input and output files should be in ASCII format. The output file is simply a blank file. The input file should have
several rows, each row corresponding to a single geometry point. Enter the rows in the following format:

X(real number) Y(real number)

Enter the coordinates in the length units that you defined for the current model. The amount of space between each entry is
not important.
Once you have both the input and output files, use the Values from File command to read in the point coordinates from the
input file, calculate the field results and write the results to the output file.

The type of field that INTEGERATED 2D calculates and

outputs depends on the setting of the View Type selection
box. To change the type of field, exit the Values from File
command, change the View Type Setting and re-select
Values from File

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2D Program Guide Plotting with AutoGraph

CHAPTER 9

PLOTTING WITH AUTOGRAPH

AutoGraph is a graphing utility that comes standard with all IES products. Its job is to display numerical data in the form of a
graph and make export of that data to text files or to the Windows clipboard easy to do.

Creation of graphs comes from various parts of different INTEGRATED programs:

1. the Field Analysis Results dialog box
2. The Parametric Results table
3. Plotting Emission Current in LORENTZ
4. Plotting Ray parameters in LORENTZ
5. Making beam Scatter Plots in LORENTZ
6. The Material Editor (for additional display of nonlinear data)
The focus of this chapter is the manipulation of the graphs produced once the parent program has sent the data to
AutoGraph.

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2D Program Guide Working Within AutoGraph

W ORKING W ITHIN AUTO GRAPH

AutoGraph is laid out as a standard Windows program with drop down menus and toolbars across the top of the workspace.

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2D Program Guide General Plot Options

General Plot Options

AutoGraph is able to display multiple graphs using four different y-axes and one x-axis. If the data given to AutoGraph is the
same component and units as an existing axis then it will be displayed on that existing axis and not on a new one. It is not
possible to relabel the x- or y-axes as they are taken from the type of plot instructed by the main program.

Right-click on an empty part of the

AutoGraph window to pop up a menu of
general options that apply to all plots
displayed.

Axis
Selecting Axis from the pop-
up menu displays the
Property Sheet dialog
shown to the right. Here you
can choose Maxima and
Minima for all axes as well as
the appearance of the ticks
along the axis and the
position of the axis titles.

The Axis Property Sheet DOES NOT include a selection for the number of ticks. This is determined automatically by the
Font Size.

Gridlines
Selecting Gridlines from the pop-
up menu displays the Property
Sheet dialog shown to the right.
Here you select the appearance
of the Line and which axis ticks to
draw gridlines from.

Fonts
Text in AutoGraph is scaled with the window size. When you make the AutoGraph window larger the fonts become larger.

The selection list shown to the right

determines the relative size of the fonts,
hence the number of tick marks shown along
the axes. The smaller the font relative to the
window size, the more ticks that are able to
be used.

Background Color
Selecting Background Color from the pop-up
menu displays the Color dialog shown to the right.
This is a standard windows dialog that you may be
familiar with from other software. You can select a
graph background color from the Basic Colors list,
or define your own custom color to use with the
[Define Custom Colors>>>] button.

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2D Program Guide Working With a Specific Graph

Working With a Specific Graph

By moving the mouse pointer over top of a data point on a graph AutoGraph will display
the ordered pair (“x,y” data) of the coordinate in a yellow box under the mouse as shown to
the right.

Right-clicking with the mouse over a data point brings up the menu shown to the right with
options specific to the graph containing the data point.
Trace
Selecting the Trace option displays a cross-hair to show the mouse location. The Status
Bar is dynamically updated as you move the cross-hair showing graph parameters at the
current location.

Curve Attributes
Selecting the Curve Attributes option displays a Property
Sheet dialog in which you can change:
1. the Style, Foreground and Background Colors,
and size of data points
2. Color, Style, and thickness of the curve line

The smaller you make the marker with the Size attribute the more difficult it will be to select with the
mouse-tip.

Interpolation
Selecting the Interpolation option displays a Property Sheet
dialog in which you can select the type of curve drawn through the
data points. The three options are demonstrated below.

Linear – Connects the points with straight lines

Spline – Connects the points with a polynomial curve
NURBS – Connects the points with a rational function. Tends to have less overshoot than Splines, but may miss data points.
Hide
Hides the particular graph from the display area but holds on to the data. Hidden graphs can be redisplayed by pressing the
[Show All] speed button on the AutoGraph toolbar (the rightmost button on the toolbars.)
Differentiation
Differentiates the chosen graph. The resultant graph is displayed in its own window with a different background color.
Clicking on the Window menu will allow the user to change back, tile, or cascade the original and differentiated windows.

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2D Program Guide Working With a Specific Graph
Integration
Integrates the chosen graph and displays the results in its own window with the value of the definite integral displayed to the
right of the graph area. Allows the user to choose from a list of different integrations to do. Often the basic integration I(G) will
give the user what they want but there are features such as I(xG) and I(yG) to allow users to do integrations of flux through a
rotationally symmetric surface. The choice depends on the coordinate that defines the radius of the model: I(xG) for a model
with a radius in the x direction (i.e. axially symmetric about the y-axis) and I(yG) for a model with a radius in the y direction (i.e.
axially symmetric about the x-axis.)
Logarithm
Takes logarithm of y-axis and displays the results in its own window similar to Differentiation and Integration. This is grayed
out on graphs which could have negative y-values.
FFT
Calculates a Fast Fourier Transform of the graph and displays the results in its own window similar to Differentiation and
Integration.
Delete Curve
Deletes the chosen curve and its accompanying data.

Show Auxiliary Axis

Displays, underneath the x-axis, the appropriate x,y,z coordinates for the chosen graph.
Hide Auxiliary Axis
Removes the coordinate axis displayed with the Show Auxiliary Axis command.
Show, Flip and Hide Geometry are currently not available in AutoGraph and will be re-implemented in a future version.
Some other options may appear grayed out. These were used in previous version when AutoGraph was used to edit nonlinear
material data.

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2D Program Guide Viewing Data

Viewing Data

Most of the time a graph can give enough information

to explain what is going on in a model but sometimes
you want to see the actual data that went into the
graph. When this occurs you have two options:
1. you can hover the mouse pointer over a
data point and get the information displayed
on an individual point basis

you can click on the Data menu and select Show Data. When you do this the AutoGraph screen will split and the right
hand side will become columns of numbers. The numbers will be the D (length along path) and field values for all of the
graphs displayed.
You can stretch the window to a more suitable size by grabbing the windowpane (left click when the mouse pointer is hovering
over the edge of the window) and drag to the left.

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2D Program Guide Exporting Data

Exporting Data
While AutoGraph does not have spreadsheet capabilities it does allow for easy export into other software such as
spreadsheets.
Method 1: Using the Windows Clipboard

You can choose a column of

numbers by simply clicking on
the label box at the top of the
column. The column will then
change color and the Copy
button (left-most on the
toolbars across the top of
AutoGraph) will become
active.

Clicking on the Copy button or the menu

Edit>Copy will copy the selected information
into the Windows Clipboard and allow you
to paste it into a spreadsheet or some other
text based document form (for example,
Notepad, WordPad, or Word.)

You can select multiple columns for copying by selecting while holding down the <CTRL> button in typical multiple selection
Windows fashion. You can also click on the Empty label box in the top left corner of the data area (the top of the line number
column) to select all of the data columns.
Method 2: Exporting to CSV or AGD Files
Another sometimes more practical way of exporting the data is to simply click on the File menu and choosing Save Data As.
You have to make sure that the Show Data option in the Data menu is deselected to be able to print the data to a file. This
will allow you to name the file and type of file. There are two options:
CSV (Comma Separated Values)
CSV is a generic text format used by spreadsheets consisting of numbers separated by commas. Saving the plotted data in
this format means it will open easily in programs such as Excel, and it can be replotted within another session of AutoGraph
by importing.
AGD (AutoGraph Data)
AGD files are a method of exporting all data into a text file. There are several header lines describing the data, then columns
of all available data such as x,y,z coordinates etc. If you save it as a .txt file and you’ll be able to load it into any spreadsheet or
other post-processing program but will likely need to use parsing options to break the data up into convenient columns.
Method 3: Exporting an Image
Select File>Save Image As to save an image of AutoGraph plots. The dialog for saving will let you select BMP, GIF, JPG
or PNG for the image file type.

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2D Program Guide Importing Data

Importing Data
Data in CSV format can be imported into the current plot from the command File>Import Data. For example, this can be used
to plot your model results versus theory, measurements, other software, or results exported to CSV from another AutoGraph
session.

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2D Program Guide Labels and Titles

Labels and Titles

While AutoGraph is very good for displaying

data to help understand a problem it is also
useful for presentation purposes. You can add
a title to AutoGraph by clicking on the Edit
menu and then choosing Title. A small dialog
box will pop up allowing you to enter a name for
the graph that will be placed at the top of the
AutoGraph window. A practical limit would be
70-80 characters (using the default font size) but
this would depend on the font size chosen, the
AutoGraph window size and the number of y-
axes being used. The y-axes labels tend to
take up space where the title might be placed as
you reach 70+ title characters.

On the right side of the AutoGraph window a graph legend is displayed. There is a very basic label supplied by default by
AutoGraph to tell you which graph belongs to which data set but if you were to use AutoGraph in a presentation then you
would probably want to have a better label here. Move the mouse pointer over top of the existing label and right click. This will
pull up a labeling dialog box similar to the Title dialog box that allows you to edit the existing graph label. A practical limit of
about 20 characters should allow you to rename the graph with greater detail. This limit will vary greatly depending on
AutoGraph window size and font size selected.

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2D Program Guide Parametrics and Batch Compared

PARAMETRICS AND BATCH COMPARED

Both Parametric and Batch runs are similar in that both involve the automated solution of multiple models. However there are
several key differences:
Parametric runs create and solve a series of models which are variations of a single basic design. The model
variations are created during the course of the run according to the range of parameters defined.
Batch runs are normally used to solve a set of predefined models. The individual models are built prior to the run,
and they can be completely unrelated.
Since models solved in a Batch run can be completely unrelated, the postprocessing options performed on the
individual models during the run are normally unrelated.
Every model variation created during a Parametric will have the same postprocessing options. Usually the intention
is to compare results from the individual models to determine peak and/or optimum conditions.
Batch files can be created that run a series of separate Parametrics. Batch-in-Batch files can be used to run a
series of batch files.

The techniques for using Parametrics are more complex than for using Batch, so most of this chapter will be devoted to
Parametrics.

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2D Program Guide Scope of Parametrics

Scope of Parametrics
In general terms, Parametrics provides a convenient way of simulating model performance under variations of geometrical and
physical properties. Before attempting to set up a parametric, you must know the range of values that are appropriate for each
parameter you will define.
The simplest Parametrics studies are those which are used to simulate the performance of designs over their normal range of
operation. For example, the variation of force produced by an actuator over its range of motion can be easily modeled using
parametrics. In this case the movement of the actuator would be defined as the variable parameter used to create the
individual model variations. The key desired result of the parametric study is the force produced for each actuator position.
The force is obtained by specifying it as a postprocessing setting to be calculated for each step of the parametric run.
More advanced Parametrics involve modifications of designs to improve performance characteristics. Using the previous
actuator example, Parametrics can be used to try different materials and/or model dimensions in order to find the optimal
design.
Parametrics cannot be used to create or delete geometry from a model. Nor can it be used to change symmetry or periodicity
settings.

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2D Program Guide Setting Up Parametric Runs

Setting Up Parametric Runs

To create a parametric, you first

select Solution>Define
Parametrics>Parametric Setup
from the program menu to enter
Parametric Setup mode.

In this mode the Parametric Setup and Parameter Editor dialog boxes enable you to define the parametric variations and
post-processing. Closing the Parametric Setup dialog box returns the program back to normal mode. You then select
Solution>Run Parametrics to run the parametric. When the run has completed, selecting Analysis>Parametric Results
will open the Final Parametric Table, which contains a summary of the run. In addition, the individual model variations are
stored in database files.

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2D Program Guide Parametric Setup Dialog Box

Parametric Setup Dialog Box

The Parametric Setup dialog opens whenever you switch to

Parametric Setup mode. The box is divided into three parts:
The
Parameters
Defined
section
The Loop
pane
The Table
pane

The Parameters
Defined section is
always open. The
other two sections
are opened/closed
using the toggle
switches
highlighted.

The Parameters Defined Area

At the bottom of the Parameters Defined section are four named buttons:

Create Opens the Parameter Editor dialog for a new

parameter which you can define.

Modify Opens the Parameter Editor dialog for an existing

parameter to allow you to modify it.

Delete Allows you to delete existing parameters or post-

processing.

Close Closes the Parametric Setup dialog and returns the

program to normal mode.

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2D Program Guide Parameter Editor Dialog Box
Parameter Editor Dialog Box
The Parameter Editor dialog box is used to completely define (or modify) the properties for each individual parameter.

At right we show an
example where the
Parameter Editor
contains all the settings
required to define a new
Geometry:Displacement
parameter which has been
named Size. Note that the
[Apply Create] button is
active (not grayed-out).

When the Parameter Editor is used to modify a previously created parameter, the [Apply Create] button is replaced by an
[Apply Modification] button. In both cases the buttons will be inactive (grayed-out) until all the settings required for the
particular type of parameter have been made.
Because of the structure of the parametric interface, there are certain settings which are common to all parameters. All
parameters – regardless of type – must be assigned to a specific Loop number, and each Loop must have at least 2 Steps.
Also they must have a Parameter Name that begins with a unique letter, and contains no spaces.
Other settings options will vary according to the types of parameter. These will be discussed in the next sections.

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2D Program Guide Parameter Types

Parameter Types
There are basically two types of parameters:
1. Parameters that vary the geometric or physical properties of a specific part or parts of a model. These are related to
the types of commands in the Modify and Physics menu.
2. Parameters that apply globally to the entire simulation. These are physical properties such as impressed fields,
ambient temperatures or frequencies (as in the case of time harmonic/phasor simulations).

When the first type of parameter

is selected, the Parameter
Editor dialog box will display a
[Select Geometry] button as
shown at right.

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2D Program Guide Setting the Range of Parameter Values

Setting the Range of Parameter Values

Before setting up a parametric you must know the range of values that are appropriate for each parameter you will define. The
Parameter Editor dialog box provides a convenient method to construct a table of parameter values for each step of the
parametric run.
Virtually all parameters can take on a continuous range of values. The only exception is the special case of Media Material
parameters which are limited to the list contained in the Material Table.

At right we show the options that

are available for defining
parameter values. These options
are available for most types of
parameters, with the exception
again of Media Materials (you
can only use Non-linear Steps
for materials parameters).

The options are explained below:

Linear Steps The difference between the parameter “start”

and “end” values is divided by the number of
steps in the loop, and this incremental change is
added at the end of each step.

Non-linear Steps Allows you to specify the value for each step
independently

Functions Allows you to create algebraic formulas to define

the parameter value at each step.

Input From File Allows you to input the table from a previously
created text file.

When using the Function method, you can use previously created parameters as variables in your algebraic expressions. The
first letter of the parameter name is used to represent its value (this is why each parameter name must begin with a unique
letter). Also you can use the step number in formulas by using the “number sign” ( # ). In parametrics with multiple nested
loop, the “dollar sign” ( $ ) can be used to represent the step number within a loop.

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2D Program Guide Parametric Setup Mode Program Menu Bar
Parametric Setup Mode Program Menu Bar
In parametric setup mode, many of the program menu bars will be
inactive as shown below.

Of key importance is the Analysis menu, since this functions in parametric setup mode exactly as it does for solved models in
normal mode. This allows you to define the postprocessing settings for each parametric step.

Solution>Define Parametrics Submenu

The Define Parametrics

submenu contains:
Parametric Setup (opens
the dialog box), Parameter
Validate (shows a preview
of the run), Open Final
Parametric Table, and an
on/off switch to Create
Animation files from plots
created.

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2D Program Guide Performing a Parametric Analysis
Performing a Parametric Analysis
To set up a parametric analysis:
1. Create a basic model. Normally, this is the base design where you want to see the effect of different variables. As an
example we will vary the gap between the plates of a capacitor. The top plate is assigned 1 Volt and the bottom is
grounded.

2. Select the menu Solution>Define Parametrics> Parametric Setup. This switches the program to parametric setup
mode, and open the Parametric Setup dialog box.

3. Click the Create button on to open the Parameter Editor dialog.

4. In this box, first select the Parameter Type; in this case a geometry Displacement.
5. Every parameter must have a name.
6. Specify a Loop number. In this case, there will only be one loop, so leave it at the default setting (1).
7. Enter the number of steps (the number of different values assigned to the variable under examination).
8. Make sure that the geometry selection type is set to regions. Then, using the mouse, select the top plate of the
capacitor as the region that is to be displaced.
9. You can have parameters vary linearly (equally spaced intervals) or non linearly, or by a Function, or from a File. In this
case, use the default Linear Steps.
10. The Reference (start) and Target (end) points for the displacement can be entered directly into the dialog, or can be
selected using the mouse. To use the mouse, press the “Pick” button and select the points.
11. Click the [Apply Create] button. The Parameter Editor will close.
12. The Parametric Setup dialog will be updated with the information on the parameter.
13. Before continuing, click the two arrow buttons to open the Loop View and Parameter Value Table.
14. From the Analysis menu, select Force>Region and select the bottom plate of the capacitor when prompted. Right
click to end the selection.
15. From the Analysis menu, select Charge and then select the top plate when prompted. Right-Click to end the
selection.
16. The Loop View section of the dialog box will show the post processing you have defined.

Selecting Parameters or Post Processing items in the

Loop View causes the corresponding geometry to become
highlighted in the main program window.

17. At this point the parametric and post processing can be modified if desired.
18. To verify that the top plate will be displaced during the parametric run, select the menu Solution>Define
Parametrics>Parameter Validate. This should cause the top plate to become highlighted and then move
vertically up to the maximum displacement and back again to the start position.
Now the parametric setup is complete. Click the [Close] button on the Parametric Setup dialog box to exit Parametric setup
mode.
To run the parametric analysis:
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2D Program Guide Performing a Parametric Analysis
1. From the program main menu Solution>Run Parametrics.
2. A save dialog box will open to allow you to specify a database that will contain a table of the post processing results.
You will need to specify a new name (in this case “Results”) in order to not overwrite your base model.

3. Once you click the Save button, the parametric run will start. During the run, the current step number will be displayed.

4. When the parametric run is completed the Final Parametric Table will open.

After the solution is complete, you can find the results for each parametric step in the same directory as the original model. The
results filename (8 characters in length) starts with P followed by the step number, e.g. [Link] for the first step.

Viewing the Parametric Results

The results of the parametric run can be viewed in table or graph format by performing the following steps.
1. If it is not already open, select the menu Analysis>Parametric Results to open the Final Parametric table.

2. There is a button at the bottom of the table that allows you to copy the data to the Windows Clipboard for use by other
applications.
3. Clicking the [Graph Plot] button will open the Plot Graph dialog box.

4. Using the drop down list, select a dependent variable to plot and click the [Plot Graph] button to produce a graph
using the Autograph utility. Do this for each variable you wish to plot.
5. The following graph shows that the charge on the top plate decreases (approximately) inversely with the gap while the
force on the bottom plate decreases (approximately) according to the inverse square of the gap. This is in close
agreement with simple analytic formulas (discrepancies are due to the fact that the analytic formulas do not consider
fringing effects).

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2D Program Guide Performing a Parametric Analysis

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2D Program Guide Running Unattended using the Batch Utility

RUNNING UNATTENDED USING THE BATCH UTILITY

You may often find it convenient to set up a number of models in your working day, and then leave them to run during the night
or weekend. If the models are not related to each other, a parametric analysis is not possible. However, the PROGRAM
contains a utility for setting up a batch file to retrieve database files and work on them automatically. Using batch optimizes your
working time, eliminating the need to wait for one analysis to finish processing before starting another. The batch file stores all
operations you want to be executed in your absence. The general method for setting up a batch is as follows:
1. Create several (two or more) models that you wish to be analyzed during your absence, saving each as a database file.
2. Select the menu Utilities>Batch On/Off to enter batch recording mode.
3. Enter a name for your batch file in the Batch File dialog, it is a convention to use the extensions .bat for clarity, or .txt
for advanced users who open the file in a text editor for minor editing.
4. Select the file containing the first model to be analyzed.
5. Perform any modification that you want on the file, including an analysis with post processing. The PROGRAM will
write all of the actions taken into the batch file.
6. It is a good idea to save the solved model. The PROGRAM will force you to use a new filename so that you don’t
corrupt any original files.
7. When you are finished with the first model, select the next file that you want to operate on during your absence and
repeat the steps above.
8. When you have finished setting up all the operations and file saving that you require, select Utilities>Batch On/Off
again to return to normal mode.
9. To start the batch file running, select Utilities>Run Batch then select the batch file that you want to run.
10. If you use single value commands (force, torque etc.),you can turn on the record on/off switch to On before you run the
batch (Utilities>Record On). The output of these commands will be recorded in the record file that you named.

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2D Program Guide Batch-in-Batch

Batch-in-Batch
To perform a multiplicity of analyses it is often convenient to use Batch-in-Batch. In this case, use a text editor such as
Notepad to create a file such as shown below which lists the batch files that you wish to run:

Filename: [Link]

File Contents: [Link]

[Link]
[Link]
[Link]

The .bib extension distinguishes this file as a batch-in-batch for your PROGRAM. Batch-in-batch enables you to define the
batch files as you create the models to be analysed and set them up to run in a convenient to edit fashion. This way you can
decide at any time which batch files to run and in which order. In the event that the whole set is not done when you return, you
can Esc out of the batch, delete from the .bib file those which did run, then set it running again when you leave.

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2D Program Guide Saving and Printing Results

CHAPTER 11

SAVING & PRINTING RESULTS

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2D Program Guide Standard Tool Bar Commands

STANDARD T OOL BAR COMMANDS

Using either the Tool Bar or the File Menu system you can quickly and easily store your model and analysis results so that
you can work on other tasks or create a string of problems to solve using a batch run.
The first four Icons on the Standard tool bar help you to open, save, and merge files. The next three Icons enable you to
select the print options and the Stamp On/Off option.

The first six File menu commands, help you to create, open, merge, close and
save files.
Save uses the current model name, Save As prompts you to enter a new name.
The next three options are for different type so of data export.
Export Data to File … saves specific data rather than the whole model. This is
context sensitive. “Picture Data” refers to the data making up the current picture.
Most commonly this is used to save active plot data.

Export Image to File … saves a screenshot of the workspace to a graphics file. *.BMP,JPG,GIF or PNG types are
supported.
Export Animation to File … is a utility for pasting BMP files together to make an AVI animation. These BMP files could have
been created anywhere, but in particular they can be generated from you program workspace with Export Image to File …
The Template commands are useful for storing templates to be used for restoring preferred setting when creating new models.
The next four commands allow you to setup the print options.
The CAD Import option enables you to read models from the memory of various CAD programs.
The most-recently-used file list is a convenient way to open the last files you have worked on by clicking the file that you want
to open. The number of files in the list can be changed in from Utilities>Settings.

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2D Program Guide New

New

Selecting the New Icon in the Standard Tool Bar or the New
command in the File menu clears all of the geometry and resets the
Material Table. New does not alter the unit settings in the Unit
Setup dialog. The New command has the same effect as exiting
and restarting.

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2D Program Guide Open

Open

Open loads a previously saved file. The dialog box possesses

the same characteristics found in any other application that
complies with Microsoft standard.

Select the appropriate file type in the Files of Type box. Then
use the File name: box to browse through the directories in your
local machine or over the entire network of your organization.
After choosing the right directory, you can either click on a
specific file, or alternatively, you can type the name of the file in
the File name box. After specifying a file, click on [Open] to load
the database.

See the Tips for Importing IGES and DXF Files section for
information on importing files from other applications.

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2D Program Guide Merge

Merge

To Merge databases select Merge and then select the file that
contains the data that you want inserted into the current model.

Before performing a merge, save the model you are working on.
This way, if the merge does not produce what you expected you
can simply open the saved file and restore the data as it was before
the merge.

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2D Program Guide Save

Save

Once you perform significant work on a model or you

complete a long analysis, you should save the data in a
database file. This protects you from losing your work in
the case of a power interruption or other technical problem.
To save a database, select the Save icon or Save from
the File menu.

If you have never saved the current database or if you

want to save it under a different name, select Save As….
This command displays a dialog box where you can specify
the file name and the format that you want to use.

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2D Program Guide File Types

F ILE T YPES
In addition to standard *.dbs files, the PROGRAM can read and write databases in several other formats. Each of these file
formats and their usage is as follows:

*.DBS This is the IES default database format. .DBS mode

stores all of the information in binary format. This is the
most efficient way to store the data with respect to disk
space and the precision of the stored numbers. The only
drawback of this format is that, due to its binary nature,
the file is platform dependent. For example, you cannot
load a .DBS file created in a Windows environment into
the PROGRAM running under a UNIX operating system.

*.IXF This is an old Integrated Engineering Software exchange

format. It used to be necessary to use .IXF to open
databases in different IES software packages than they
were created. This is no longer a restriction.

*.IGS, *.DXF, You can read or save geometry data using many
*.STP, *.SAT, CAD standard formats. For more details on the
*.3DM various formats see the chapter Importing CAD
Geometry.

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2D Program Guide Adding Text to Graphics

ADDING T EXT TO GRAPHIC S

The PROGRAM allows
you to annotate your
model with text of 3
different types:
Vector: this is
geometrically
defined – it has an
x,y position, a
direction, and a
physical height in
model length units.

Label: this text has an x,y position, is horizontal, and gets its height from the font setup in Utilities>Settings …
Annotation: this is screen text. The position is a screen coordinate and the height is in “points”.
The display of text is toggled ed on and off with the switch at Utilities>Text On/Off. All text can be edited (content, height,
color…) once it is entered.

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2D Program Guide Printing and Saving Graphics and Data

PRINTING AND SAVING GRAPHICS AND DATA

You can print and
save the image on
the screen or the
numerical data
used to create a
screen image.
Print allows you to
print and save this
information.

Print Preview
allows you to view
in advance the
information you
have selected to
print.

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2D Program Guide Export Data to File Dialog

Export Data to File Dialog

Exports all of the numerical data produced as a result of the post processing, such as
values and positions used to make a plot, or circuit parameter data. You can use any
standard text editor to view the contents of the generated ASCII file.

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2D Program Guide Saving Single Number Results

Saving Single Number Results

You can save one or more individual output values in a text file. This includes any result that displays in the dialog area, such
as field values or force values.
To save individual results:
1. Select the menu Utilities>Record On/Off to enter record mode.
2. Perform the calculations that you want to save. The PROGRAM saves all data that is printed to the Message Area.
3. When you finish all of the calculations that you want to perform, select Utilities>Record On/Off to close the output
file and exit record mode.
The output file is an ASCII file. You may need to edit the record file before importing it into a spreadsheet, as each calculation
produces a different header and a different number of columns.

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2D Program Guide Adding extra information to graphics
Adding extra information to graphics
You can use Stamp On/Off to add extra information when printing or saving a picture image. When you set
Stamp On, the name of the database, the creation date and creation time appears on the printed or saved
picture. You can also enter a short comment to accompany the output.

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2D Program Guide 1. The Model

1. The Model
The simulation software can perform many kinds of calculations, but first it needs you to build a model with which to work.

A model is composed of:

a. Geometry – A diagram is constructed by drawing each piece of the model. These can be drawn in Integrated
Engineering Software (IES) using a Cartesian or Polar coordinate system. To create the drawing you will be
using tools such as arc, line, sphere, which require you to have determined reference coordinates relative to
an origin.

Geometry can also be imported from other programs such as CAD or Solid Modeling software.
b. Physical properties – The geometry must be assigned some physical characteristics before anything can be
simulated. For example, is the material a magnet, a conductor or an insulator? Is there any current or voltage
inside? If it is a magnet, what is the direction of magnetization?
Note: If a diagram is imported into IES the software can examine the geometry for problems and make corrections using
various “healing” tools.
For 2 dimensional drawings…

In 2D programs the drawing is a

cross-section of a 3D geometry.
You will choose to this to
represent either a “semi-infinite”
or “rotationally symmetric” 3D
geometry.

The drawing above may represent either of these cases:

“semi-infinite” mode “rotational symmetric” mode

The model represents long 3D The model represents 3D objects formed by
objects. The software will solve rotation around an axis of your specification.
the model as if it were infinitely
long in the 3rd dimension. Length
dependent analysis such as force
& torque will then be scaled by a
model length that you specify.

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2D Program Guide 2. The Mesh

2. The Mesh

After the model is

constructed (the geometry is
drawn and physical
properties assigned), it must
be discretized by assigning
“elements” for calculation Example: 2D triangular elements which
purposes. The elements may be assigned to closed regions in a 2D
assigned to a model are program, or to surfaces in a 3D program.
collectively referred to as the
“mesh”.

Depending upon the program, physical structure and the method used to solve the model (i.e. Boundary Element, Finite
Element or Hybrid Method), the elements may be 1D, 2D or 3D.

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2D Program Guide 3. Solving

3. Solving
Now the program is ready to solve the model. The “Field Solver” finds a fundamental solution from which analysis can be
made. For example, with the Boundary Element Method in an electric program the fundamental solution consists of finding the
bound and free surface charge densities on the elements which are located on the surfaces of materials. From this solution
any specific analysis can be performed by integration. For example, to find the electric field at some location the program
would sum up the E fields computed at that point from the charge on each element.

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2D Program Guide 4. Analysis

4. Analysis

The simulation results can be

displayed in various plots. Arrow
plots and contour plots can be
displayed on the diagram to give a
picture of the shape and density of
fields, voltages, charge distribution
etc.

Data can also be graphed using

IES’s Autograph program. The
graph produced can be further
analyzed with operations such as
differentiation and integration, or
they can be plotted on different
scales.

Bulk values such as force, torque and energy, to name just a few, can be calculated and displayed in the message area.

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2D Program Guide 5. Automatic Systematic Model Variation (Parametrics)

5. Automatic Systematic Model Variation (Parametrics)

Having successfully built a model, obtained a solution and analyzed its performance, one can automatically obtain variants of
the model parameters.
a. By switching to “Parametric Setup Mode”, one can predefine a number of systematic variations, which run
automatically.
b. First setup which parameters will be varied. For example, two magnets could be shifted closer to one another,
disrupting their magnetic fields.
c. Before actually spending time solving the parametric variations, IES can display an animation of the parametric
steps to confirm whether the parameter was specified correctly.
d. Specify post-processing calculations to be performed for every variant produced. Forces and energy levels, for
example, can be automatically calculated at each stage of the solution and tabulated for analysis. Also, plots can be
produced at every step and animations can be automatically produced to dynamically show fields etc. versus the
parametric variation.
e. Having prepared the parametric model, the parametric mode can be turned off, the solution run and the results
displayed via data table, graphs and animation.

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2D Program Guide Geometry

Geometry
When given a model with which to work the first thing a designer might ask is, “Which program was used to build it?” Unless someone has
told the designer there is no way of knowing until it has been opened. A good place to start is to open the model in a 3 dimensional program;
this will display it as a 2 or 3 dimensional geometry. Opening the model will also display the original program in the message area.

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2D Program Guide Units
Units

A useful thing to look at when trying to determine how a model has been constructed is the units. The model might be constructed on the
scale of inches, meters or even kilometers. This is useful information because it can tell the user if the results of the simulation are
reasonable.

By choosing Utilities>Units Setup… one is able to view all the units of measure used to construct the model. They are saved with each
individual *.dbs (model) file.

Knowing the units will not give the size per se. A measurement of some geometry should be taken to get a full perspective.

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2D Program Guide Measurements
Measurements

One may need to know the volume, area, length, etc. of a part of the diagram. This can be done easily with the “ Geometry Inquire”
toolbar by left clicking on the “Inquire Volume”, “Inquire Area” or “Inquire Length” icon and selecting the appropriate part of the
diagram. The message area will display the desired measurement.

Note: To select a part of the model that is covered by another geometrical object press the Ctrl button on the keyboard and click on the
piece. All possible selections highlight as green or red. The current selection is green. Continue Ctrl-Clicking until the correct one is green,
the click without Ctrl.

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2D Program Guide 2D Programs: 2D or RS Mode
2D Programs: 2D or RS Mode

Some 2D drawings are very obvious whether they represent rotational symmetric or semi-infinite geometry. Others are not as obvious. A
circle could represent a wire (2D semi-infinite mode) or a ring (RS mode).

To determine if a flat 2 dimensional drawing represent rotationally symmetric geometry enter the Physics Global Setup and check the
Geometry Model Type.

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2D Program Guide Hidden Pieces
Hidden Pieces

In 3D programs pieces of the model can be selected and made invisible. This is accomplished by using icons on the “ Visibility” toolbar.

By left clicking on the “Unhide All” icon hidden parts of the model will appear and a summary of the number of invisible and visible parts
will be reported in the command line.

The “Standard View” toolbar may expose more pieces of the puzzle. Left-clicking on the “ Wireframe view” icon may expose segments
and left-clicking on “Translucent view” may provide a better perspective of a 3 dimensional drawing, i.e. which segments are in front and
which are behind.

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2D Program Guide Physics

Physics
To find physical characteristics assigned to the model scroll through the menus and watch for highlighted objects in the model.

For example, scroll to Physics>Surface Current. If any objects in the model become highlighted then they have been assigned a surface
current.

Select Physics>Surface Current>Display and click on the object. The Message Area will display the assigned current.

Note: Surface currents are not available in all Integrated Engineering Software programs but the principle is the same for other property
assignments from the Physics menu.

Other characteristics can be found by scrolling through other menus such as the Geometry and Solution menus.

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2D Program Guide Physics Global Settings
Physics Global Settings

The Physics Global Setup can provide different pieces of information, depending upon which Integrated Engineering Software program is
used:

a. Solver Type – Is the model calculating the Fields or performing Circuit Analysis? If so, at what frequency?
b. Operation Mode – Is the model stationary or does it have moving parts?
c. Material Default – Are the materials assigned conductive and/or do they have a permittivity?
d. Balance Charge – How do assigned voltages relate to the surroundings that are not included in the model?

The Global Setup is found from the menu Physics>Physics Global Settings…

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2D Program Guide Symmetry and Periodicity
Symmetry and Periodicity

The Symmetry and Periodicity Setup will describe any symmetry or periodicity in the model and around which axes or planes. This will
show you whether you see the whole model, or if there are virtual parts which are images of the drawn geoemetry.

The Setup is listed under Physics>Symmetry and Periodicity Setup…

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2D Program Guide Materials
Materials

Materials assigned to the model can be revealed using the Material Table. Click on Physics>Material Table… and click on “Inquire
Material”. Then hover the cursor over parts of the model until a region (2D) or volume (3D) is highlighted. Click on the object and a brief
summary of the material will appear in the message area. That material will also become the current selection in the Material List.

For more detailed information, such as nonlinear data curves, you need to press Display/Modify for the selected material and find its
properties in the material editor.

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2D Program Guide Type of Analysis

Type of Analysis
To determine the method used to solve
the model look under Solution>Solver
Setup.

The simulation used to solve the model

may be the Boundary or Finite Element
Method, or a Hybrid thereof.

The Solution menu can also be used to highlight elements placed on the model by scrolling down the menu and watching for highlighted
parts on the diagram.

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2D Program Guide Physical Basis

P HYSICAL BASIS
Two distinct approaches exist for the solution of boundary value problems: domain-type and boundary-type.
Domain-type formulation is the direct solution of the governing dif ferential equation for the potential. The finite difference and finite
element methods are the two most commonly used direct methods.
In the Finite Difference approach, the differential operator is discretized using a truncated Taylor series expansion in each coordinate
direction and applied at each point of a rectilinear grid placed on the problem region. The method usually involves an iterative process.
The disadvantages are, among others, the crude modelling of problem geometry and the large number of unknowns in open field problems.
The finite element method uses a variational technique in which the potential is approximated by a sequence of functions defined over the
entire domain of the problem. Relating these approximations to the operator equation through minimizing a functional that is proportional to
the energy of the system yields the values of the solution at the nodes.
In many practical applications, the large amount of input data required, the derivative discontinuities in the geometrical model, calculation of
potential by interpolation and its derivatives through dif ferentiation, localized large errors, no simple means of checking the accuracy of the
solution, and the inability to model infinitely extending regions exactly constitute the major shortcomings of the Finite Element Method.
Both methods have been researched extensively and are widely documented in the literature.
The second approach to the solution of boundary value problems is the boundary integral equation formulation. This is the basis of the
Boundary Element Method employed by INT EGRAT ED 3D v6.3.
In the integral equation formulation, rather than solving for a potential which must be differentiated to find fields, but an equivalent source is
found satisfying the prescribed boundary conditions under a function which relates the location and effect of the source to any point on the
boundary. This function, called the Green or influence function, effectively eliminates the need of a finite element mesh or a finite differ
ence grid.
Once the source is determined, the potential or derivatives of the potential can be calculated at any point. As well, parameters such as
capacitance and inductance are readily calculated. Provided the problem is piecewise homogeneous, the equivalent source is located only on
the boundaries and interfaces of different media.
The main advantages of this method over the direct approach are the reduction of one in problem dimensionality, accurate modelling of
geometry, elimination of differentiation and interpolation to calculate potential or its derivatives, precise results due to the smoothness of the
integral operator, and sound means for checking the accuracy of the solution.

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2D Program Guide Integral Field Equations
Integral Field Equations
The following description was written for IES’s magnetic program AMPERES, which is identical to COULfcOMB other than the
details of the Physics and Analyis menus. COULOMB’s implementation of the BEM is analogous to that of AMPERES except that
instead of solving for source currents we solve for surface charge to sastisfy the boundary conditions and instead of solving for A, B etc.
we solve for V, E, etc.
For the magnetic field, we seek the solution of the vector potential due to source currents such that

(8-1)
The magnetic vector potential due to an arbitrarily oriented surface current density is

(8-2)
The calculation of the magnetic vector potential in free space requires the integration over all current sources.
If regions of different permeability are present, their effects can be accounted for by an equivalent current or magnetization. That is, the
vector potential due to a homogeneous magnetized body is identical to the surface currents whose density is

(8-3)
The contribution to the magnetic vector potential due to an equivalent magnetization current on the boundary is

(8-4)
To determine K , the interface equation for the continuity of the tangential component of the field intensity is enforced

(8-5)1
or

(8-6)
Substituting (8.1) into (8.6) for yields a second kind Fredholm integral equation in terms of K. This equation can be solved for K and
subsequently A can be calculated anywhere by addition of (8.2) and (8.4).

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2D Program Guide Method of Weighted Residuals
Method of Weighted Residuals
Consider the operator equation

(8-7)

where L is assumed to be a linear operator which maps to g uniquely. Normally L and g are known and we have the deterministic
problem of finding . That is, we are required to solve

(8-8)

where L -1 is assumed to exist and that the solution for is unique.

Let the solution be expanded by the series of functions in the domain of the operator and let a 1, a2, a3... be coefficients such that

(8-9)
For an exact solution the basis or expansion functions must form a complete set which is usually infinite in number. Rewriting (8.7) as

(8-10)
and substituting the expansion functions to approximate the potential, the residual is

(8-11)
and is equal to zero only if the coefficients and expansion functions can be found such that they are the exact solution. In the method of
weighted residuals the coefficients are found in such a way that the residual is forced to be zero - giving the best approximation.
A suitable inner product is taken with the residual and some prescribed functions over the range of the operator. These functions are called
weighting functions, or, more descriptively, testing functions. The inner product is defined by

m=1, 2, 3…
(8-12)
where w1, w2, w3... are the testing functions. The inner product is set to zero, forcing the residual to be orthogonal to the testing functions

(8-13)
Substituting the right-hand side of (8.11) into (8.13) and rearranging yields

(8-14)
For a solution of (8.14) we approximate (8.9) by a finite sum. Equation (8.14) is then a finite set of linear equations which can be put in
standard matrix form as

(8-15)
where

(8-16)
Assuming the matrix is not singular it may be inverted, yielding the coefficients. These coefficients may then be substituted into (8.9) giving
an approximate (on rare occasion an exact) solution for the charge.
The approximation of the solution to the exact solution will obviously depend upon the choice of the basis and testing functions, and the
number of them used. One requirement is that expansion and testing functions be linearly independent as linear dependence will result in a
singular S matrix.
The particular choice of the basis functions being the same as the testing functions is called Galerkin's method . This is the method used by
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2D Program Guide Method of Weighted Residuals
INT EGRAT ED 3D.

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2D Program Guide Boundary Element Method
Boundary Element Method
The boundary element method arises from discretization of the boundary into individual sections that are referred to as elements. The
expansion and testing functions, as well as the geometry, are then specified on an element-by-element basis. Coefficients of the expansion
functions are normally defined at nodes on the element. Each node is then associated with a particular expansion function. AMP ERES uses
linear shape functions defined parametrically over each element. They are simply expressed as

(8-17)2
The current density over each element is expressed as

(8-18)
where m=4 as linear elements are used.
AMP ERES currently models the geometry by fitting Lagrange quadratic shape functions on the specified segment. These quadratic
functions are defined by

(8-19)
over the bi-variate simplex domain [0,1]x[0,1].
Global positions in cartesian coordinates are specified parametrically over each element as

(8-20)
From the method of weighted residuals we wish to determine

(8-21)
which can be put in vector notation as

(8-22)

The operator K is dependent upon the boundary conditions where the inner product is being calculated. This scheme is implemented in
AMP ERES on the interface equation that would result by using equations (8.1) to (8.6).
One of the major difficulties in the integral equation approach is the integration of the Green function singularity, which occurs when the
observation and source points coincide.
AMP ERES caters to this problem by dividing out the singularity and using a scheme that enables very accurate integrations of the singular
integrand.
The values calculated from each integration are stored in the matrix according to their node numbers. The matrix equation is solved to find
the values of the coefficients at the nodes. The magnetic vector potential and the magnetic field density can then be calculated at any
specified point.

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2D Program Guide Boundary Element Method
Inductances can be calculated from the energy definition.

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2D Program Guide Quasi-static Field Calculations
Quasi-static Field Calculations
For static fields the magnetic field can be represented by a constant vector at each position in space. This differs from steady-state
sinusoidal fields that require a phasor along each space component to describe the field. It should be noted that each space component is a
phasor and not a vector. Phasors have time angles while vectors have space angles.
The instantaneous quasi-static sinusoidal magnetic field can be expressed in Cartesian coordinate system as

(8-23)
where

(8-24)

and similarly for B y and B z. The magnitude, phase, and time dependent angle are given by B xo, and , respectively. In phasor
notation the magnetic field is given by

(8-25)

where B x, B y, and B z are the magnitude of the magnetic field and , and are the associated time angles.

A useful method for characterizing quasi-static magnetic fields is a vector rotating in a plane where it traces out an ellipse whose semi-major
axis represents the magnitude and direction of the maximum value, and whose semi-minor axis represents the field a quarter cycle later.
The plane of the ellipse is determined by the real and imaginary components of the B x, B y, and B z. The three dimensional real compo
nents form the real vector, while the three dimensional imaginary components form the imaginary vector. These two vectors define the
plane of the ellipse. By transforming the B x, B y, and B z components to an arbitrary Cartesian coordinate system defined on the plane of
the ellipse, the problem reduces to two dimensional case. In INT EGRAT ED 3D the method presented in Deno's paper [8] is employed
for calculating the axes of the ellipse.
INT EGRAT ED 3D employs a complex form of the boundary element method to solve for the real and imaginary equivalent charge from
which the complex potentials and fields can be calculated.

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2D Program Guide Fast Multipole Method (FMM)
Fast Multipole Method (FMM)
To speed up the BEM calculations the Fast Multipole Method can be used. This will only reduce computation time for very large
problems. Great care must be used with this option as the results can degrade significantly when this option is chosen. Currently this is
more of an experimental option than a practical one. However, for some classes of problems this method can be compared with the normal
BEM solution. If the results are adequate then the method can be used to reduce time for further simulations.

The standard BEM solution will take a time proportional to N 2, where N is the number of unknowns. This is because the effect of every
node on every other node must be computed. FMM divides a problem into regions and creates multipole equivalents to the sources.
Hence rather than getting the contribution from all other nodes, the contribution is computed as a group effect. The expectation is thus that
the time taken will be proportional to N*ln(N) to solve. For example, increasing the number of unknowns from 10,000 to 50,000 would be
expected increase the solution time by a factor of 25 for BEM and a factor of 5.87 for FMM. The more elements (hence the more nodes
& unknowns) there are in a model, the faster FMM is expected to be compared to normal BEM.

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2D Program Guide Suggested References
Suggested References
This is a brief introduction to the theoretical basis of INT EGRAT ED software. If you would like to learn more about the boundary
element method or calculation of parameters, we suggest you read the following publications:
Stratton, J.A. Electromagnetic Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1941.
Harrington, R.F. Field Computation by Moment Methods. Reprinted by R.F. Harrington, R.D.2, West Lake Road, Cazenovia, N.Y.,
1968.
Mikhlin, S.G. Integral Equations. New York: Pergamon Press, 1964.
Jaswon, M.A. and Symm, G.T. Integral Equation Methods In Potential Theory and Elastostatics. New York: Academic Press, 1977.
Yildir, Y.B. A Boundary Element Method for the Solution of Laplace's Equation in Three-Dimensional Space. Ph.D. Dissertation,
University of Manitoba, 1985.
Lean, M.H. Electromagnetic Field Solution with the Boundary Element Method. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Manitoba, 1981.
Klimpke, B.W. A Two-dimensional Multi-media Boundary Element Method. [Link]. Dissertation, University of Manitoba, 1983.
Deno, D.W. "Transmission Line Fields," IEEE Trans. Power Apparatus and Systems, Vol. PAS-95, No.5, September/ October 1976.
Lean, M.H. and Bloomberg, D.S. "Nonlinear boundary element method for two-dimensional fields," Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 55,
No.6, March 1984.
Other technical papers may be found on our website at [Link]

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Security Key
Each IES program comes with one of three security keys depending on your license requirements. Each key we shipped has
a serial number written on the key. The first two letters identify the type of security key you have. The following is a brief
description of the security keys currently in use.

Single User Security Key (SK Series)

The SK series security key comes in either parallel or USB format. In order for the security key to work with the operating
system, you must install the Sentinel Driver. Please refer to the section “Installing and Verifying Sentinel Driver” for
instructions to install the Sentinel Driver.

Network Security Key (NC Series)

The NC series security key comes in only parallel format. In order for the security key to work, you must have the following:

Machine designated as the license server. It can be any machine on your network. It does not necessary be the network
file server on your network.
Sentinel Driver. The Sentinel Driver must be installed on the machine designated as the license server. See section
“Installing and Verifying Sentinel Driver” for instructions to install the Sentinel Driver.
NetSentinel Server. This is the license management program that administrate license on the license server. See section
“Installing and Verifying NC Network Security Key” for instructions to install NetSentinel Server.

Network Security Key (NP Series)

The NP series security key comes in either parallel or USB format. In order for the security key work with the operating
system, you must install the Sentinel Driver. Please refer to the section “Installing and Verifying Sentinel Driver” for
instructions to install the Sentinel Driver. A license server service called Sentinel Protection Server is automatically installed
when you install the Sentinel Driver. This service is necessary to manage network licensing of the network key.

Installing and Verifying Sentinel Driver

The Sentinel Driver is a critical component of our software. It serves as a bridge between the security key and the operating
system. The installation of the Sentinel Driver is very straightforward. The Sentinel Driver is typically distributed as a self-
contained executable. NOTE: if your security key is in USB format, you must unplug the USB key before installing the
Sentinel Driver. To install the Sentinel Driver, you simply double-click on the Sentinel Driver executable file and follow the
instructions on screen. IMPORTANT: you must login as administrator in order to install the Sentinel Driver. Once the
Sentinel Driver is installed, you can verify the presence of the Sentinel Driver by running a utility called C:\Program
Files\Common Files\SafeNet Sentinel\Sentinel System Driver\ [Link].

The Sentinel Driver version is shown in the utility program. You can use this utility program to add, repair and remove
Sentinel Driver.

The Configuration Driver button allows you to manually configure the Sentinel Driver. In most cases, you do not need to
manually configure the Sentinel Driver.

For more information, please see Sentinel Driver\SysAdminHelp\[Link] locate in the program CD.

The latest version of Sentinel Driver is available for download from our web site at [Link].
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TheProgram Guide
latest version of Sentinel Driver is available for download from our web site at [Link]. SecurityKey

Installing and Verifying Security Key

Before you install and verify the security key, please refer to the section “Installing and Verifying Sentinel Driver”. The Sentinel
Driver must be installed in order for the security key to work.

For parallel format key, please locate the 25-pin parallel female port on your computer. Attach the parallel security key firmly to
the parallel port of your computer. Tighten the thumbs screws to secure the key to the computer.

Depending on your system, you may attach as many as five parallel keys to your parallel port. All our SK and NP series
parallel port keys are stackable. The NC series key is not stackable.

For USB format key, attach the USB key to any of the USB port on your computer. IMPORTANT: USB key is only supported
by Windows operating system that supports plug & play feature.

To verify the security key, please install and run the utility called [Link]. This utility can be found on the program
CD under the Sentinel Driver directory. It is also available for download from our web site at [Link]. This
utility will work with any SK or NP series keys. NOTE: for NC series key, please refer to section “Installing and Verifying NC
Series Network Key”. The SuperproMedic utility will not detect NC series keys.

Once you have installed and started SuperproMedic, you should verify that you have a Sentinel Driver version number. When
you need to contact our technical support with security key issue, you may be asked to provide the Sentinel Driver version
installed on your system.

If you have the SK series security key, select “Standalone” in the Server Name/IP or Mode dialog. If you have the NP series
security key, select “Network” in the Server Name/IP or Mode dialog.

Click the “Find SuperPro” button. If the security key is installed correctly and your system is functioning properly, the
SuperproMedic program will report the number of key found.

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For more information, please see Sentinel Driver\SysAdminHelp\[Link] located in the program CD.

License Monitoring for NP Series Network Key

When you installed the Sentinel Driver, a license server called Sentinel Protection Server is automatically installed as a service
on your system. You do not need to install separate license server software. There are two license monitor programs
available: [Link] and Sentinel License Monitor.

The license monitor program [Link] is located in the program CD under Sentinel Driver\Monitoring Tool directory.
This program allows you to monitor all hardware keys installed on your network. It shows the license limit of each key as well
as “In Use” status.

An alternative way to monitor license usage is to use the Sentinel License Monitor. Sentinel License Monitor shows detailed
information of the Sentinel keys attached to a system and the clients accessing them via a Web browser. You need to install
Java Runtime Environment 1.4.1 or higher as well as Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher or Netscape Navigator 4.6 or higher.

If desired, a system administrator can cancel the licenses issued to the clients from a key. This situation might arise the
software terminated without releasing its license.

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For more information on how to setup Sentinel License Monitor, please see Sentinel Driver\SysAdminHelp\[Link] locate in
the program CD.

Update License Code for NP Series Key

For users with time-limited licenses, the security key can be updated remotely to extend the time limits. IMPORTANT: Please
make sure you only attach the security key you want to update to your computer.

In order to receive a new license code, you must run [Link] program to generate a locking code. [Link] is
located on the program CD under Sentinel Driver\Field Exchange Utility directory.

Run [Link] program and click on "Get Locking Code" button. Use "Copy to Clipboard" button in the upper right
corner of the Field Exchange Utility Box (the second button from the left) to copy locking or "Save Locking Code to File"
button to save locking code to a file. Please attach this locking code to an email and send to support@[Link]

NOTE: Please do not close the program, as we will send you a license code for you to update your key.

If the license code update process is successful, you should see the following dialog box.

Installing and Verifying NC Series Network Key

In order for the NC series network security key to work, you must have the following:
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Machine designated as the license server. It can be any machine on your network. It does not necessary be the network
file server on your network.
Sentinel Driver. The Sentinel Driver must be installed on the machine designated as the license server. See section
“Installing and Verifying Sentinel Driver” for instructions to install the Sentinel Driver.
NetSentinel Server. This is the license management program that manage license on the license server.
The Sentinel Driver must be installed on the machine designated as the license server. You must login as administrator in
order to install the Sentinel Driver.
For license management, the NetSentinel Server program must be installed on the license server. There are two license
server programs available on the program CD under NetSentinel\servers\WIN32 directory: [Link] and
[Link]. You must choose one to run on the license server machine.
[Link] is a Windows application and it must be run in the foreground to administrate license for our software. This
means the user of the license server cannot logout if another person on the network has checked out a license.
[Link] is a Windows service. It is designed to run in the background. This means users can logout of the server
machine even if another person on the network has checked out a license. The installation instruction to install
[Link] can be found in [Link] located on the program CD under NetSentinel\servers\WIN32 directory.
Sometimes for testing purposes, it is easier to use [Link] until you have verified that your network clients can check
out license from the license server. Once everything is working, you can install [Link] as your license server
program.
After you have started the NetSentinel Server program on the license server, you can install and run the IES software on the
network client machines. Please note that Sentinel Driver and NetSentinel Server are only required on the license server.
You do not need to install Sentinel Driver and NetSentinel Server on the network client machines.

With the NetSentinel Server running on the license server, you can verify the key by running [Link] on the license
server. This program is available on the program CD under NetSentinel\NetSentinel Medic folder. Click on the Find button.
[Link] shows the current Sentinel Driver version as well as the port address (typically 378 for LPT1) where the key is
attached to the computer.

You can verify the key and NetSentinel Server are running properly on the license server by running [Link]. This
program is available on the program CD under NetSentinel\NetSentinel Medic folder. Enter "50CD" in the "Algo ID in Hex"
box and select "1" in the "Max Server" box. Click "Run Diagnostic" button.

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Your diagnostic results may look different from the above because your network may support different network protocol.
However, you should see "SUCCESS" in local mode and at least in one other mode. In the example above, the network key is
functioning properly under TCP/IP and IPX/SPX mode.
Troubleshooting Network Key
There are two common problems running network program. If your license server is on a different subnet from your clients or if
your program is taking excessive time to start, there is a workaround. There is a program argument that you can add when you
start our software.
You can create a shortcut for the program and edit the "Target" box in the shortcut. Add the following program argument after
our software’s executable name:

-s [Link]

where [Link] is the IP address of the license server.

A second common problem happens in a busy network. Our network program periodically contacts the license server to let the
license server know that it is still “alive”. If your network is busy, you may find your network program loosing its license
because it is unable to contact the license server in time. You can control the amount of time the license server is expected to
hear from the client before declaring the client as “dead”. The default period is 10 minutes. If the license server has not heard
from the client during this period, the license is returned to the license server. You can create a shortcut for the program and
edit the "Target" box in the shortcut. Add the following program argument after our software’s executable name:

-t n

where n is a positive integer in multiple of 10 minutes. For example, n=6 is equal to 60 minutes.

License Monitoring for NC Series Network Key

The NetSentinel Windows Monitor program, WINMON, allows you and view the status of all NetSentinel servers and their

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keys, products, and users. You can view the last access time per user and release licenses from users. The [Link]
program is located in your program CD under "NetSentinel\tools\win" directory.

You can customize the "user license" display in [Link] by editing the file "[Link]". You can customize your mapfile
from within [Link] or manually edit "[Link]" using any text editor. The following is a sample [Link] file that is
included in the CD along with [Link].

TRANSPORT TCP
SERVER NETINEL0 1

KEY PROGRAM 000050CD

PRODUCT PROGRAM 0

USER DAVID 00A0CCE01202

USER ADMIN02 00A0D204847E

TRANSPORT is your network protocol. If you check only TCP in WINMON, then only TCP will be shown in mapfile.

SERVER name "NETINEL0" is the name of the license server. It is the default name. When you start the NetSentinel Server
[Link], you can set the server name with command line option /DN:<name> during the start up of the server. The "1"
indicates how many servers to search for on your network.

KEY PROGRAM 000050CD is the program name and key's ID. The name PROGRAM is arbitrary and you may choose any
name you like (typically you will use the name of the IES program that you are using). The number 000050CD is fixed.

PRODUCT PROGRAM 0 is the name of the product and ID number. You can set these to any name or number. Our
program does not use them.

USER NAME Network_Address associate a name with a network address (MAC Address or physical address). You can
display your machine’s physical address by entering “ipconfig/all” on a Command Prompt.

The following is a picture of WINMON using the [Link] above. The user name instead of the machine MAC address is
displayed in the user license area. This is possible because in the mapfile, the user name has been associated with the MAC
address of the user’s machine. Please note that the information shown in WINMON needs to be updated manually using
"Update Display" button.

You can release any user license using WINMON Delete User License button. This is useful to recover the license from
license server after a program crash.

Troubleshooting Security Key Problems

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The most common security key problem is missing Sentinel Driver. The Sentinel Driver must be installed in order for the
security key to work. Please refer to the section “Installing and Verifying Sentinel Driver” for instructions to install the Sentinel
Driver. You must login as administrator before you install the Sentinel Driver. The latest version of Sentinel Driver is available
for download from our web site at [Link].

After you have installed the Sentinel Driver, you can run SuperproMedic (for SK and NP Series) or FINDNET (for NC Series)
program to verify the presence of the security key. If no key is detected, then the problem may be hardware related.

For the 25-pin parallel port keys to work, you must make sure your parallel port is enabled in the BIOS. Most BIOS allows you
to configure the parallel port mode. If there is no other parallel port communication occurring (i.e. printing, scanning, etc) to the
port, we recommend SPP, ECP_SSP, or extended parallel port modes. Please note: SPP is also known as Unidirectional or
IBM XT/AT modes. If there are other devices attached behind the key, we recommend ECP mode with or without DMA. The
typical parallel port settings are IRQ=7, Port Address 378.

Check your port mode settings in the Device Manager to make sure you have no conflicts. Your Device Manager should not
show any error or warning for the parallel port. If available, attach a printer to the port and test to see if your parallel port is
functional.

If the Sentinel Driver is detected but the hardware key is not, test the key on a different computer, if possible. If the key is
found on a different computer, then gather detailed information about the computer with problems and contact us at
support@[Link].

If the hardware key is not detected on multiple computers and you have verified that there is a good communication with the
port and the Sentinel Driver is installed, then you may have a defective key. Please contact our technical support.

For the USB keys to work, the operating system must support plug & play feature. You must also ensure that both USB and
plug & play feature are enabled in the BIOS. When you insert the USB key to your computer, your Device Manager should
detect a new device as shown.

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2D Program Guide Geometry Connection Problems

Geometry Connection Problems

The most common geometry problems have to do with how geometry connects. What is often the most natural way to draw
geometry connections actually leads to models that on closer inspection cannot be physically real. Here are some specific
cases.
No Intersection
Where geometry intersects there must be breaks in segments and surfaces to remove any ambiguity about what each region
represents. For example, consider the following example of a 2D program RS model and the equivalent 3D program model.

2D/RS problem 3D – same problem

The grey shaded region is not a The lack of any intersection curve
distinct region. Rather, it is common where the side of the small cylinder
to both of the other regions. This meets the top of the large cylinder
shows up by the lack of any dot shows that the same problem exists
showing the intersecting segments in this 3D model
break at the intersection point.

The fixed versions look like this:

In 2D programs or 2D mode this This intersection was fixed by the

intersection is fixed using the menu menu Geometry > Intersection >
Geometry > Healing> Intersection of Volumes
Intersecting Segments

For convenience you may want to

make further edits to the geometry.
For example, by removing the
segment (surface) created by fixing
the intersection you can have a
single region (volume) for the central
cylinder. This is more convenient
later when assigning materials etc.

Overlapping
Overlapping surfaces or segments are probably the most common geometric problem, especially for imported models. To find it
visually usually requires some probing such as seen below for a 2D program or mode geometry :

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Inquiring the length of the segment The problem has been solved by the
at the top of the blue region shows it menu Geometry > Healing >
overlaps the segment at the bottom Overlapping Segments
of the green region.

On the left the top block has simply been placed on the bottom block without modification that makes the geometry physically
correct. Here there is a boundary of {blue block : air } that extends from one side to the other, and in the middle of it there is an
overlapping segment with the boundary of {green block : air }. Not only does this present a lot of problems with the elements,
but this physical description is incorrect – in fact, it is contradictory along the middle.
On the right the problem has been fixed. The top segment of the blue block has been broken. Now the software will recognize
that these block connect and that there is a single interface between then. Now there are three segments along the top of the
blue block. From left to right they are: {blue block : air }, {blue block : green block } and {blue block : air }
Other Symptoms to Spot Overlap
If a query gives you what you expect to see highlight at one position of the mouse:

…but something else at a slightly different position:

…and shows up spotty under slightly different conditions:

This is all symptomatic of overlap. What is happening in the case above is that there are two segments under the mouse and it
is a random matter which one will be selected. Furthermore, the display can be random (last picture) regarding which segment
shows up as being in front at any given position. Hence the display will come out appearing spotty.
This same symptom can show up in surface highlighting. For example, below is the 3D geometry in solid view, with the top
surface of the smaller block made invisible when querying the top of the other block:

In the region of overlap it is random which of the shading facets will show up as being in front, hence there is a spotted
grey/orange appearance which will vary with orientation and zoom level.
Planar overlapping surfaces such as the case shown above can be detected and/or healed with options in the menu
Geometry > Healing. It is generally preferred to draw the model without the overlap in the first place. In a case such as this,
by starting with the 2D cross-section having no overlapping segments the 3D model generated by sweeing will have no
overlapping surfaces.
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overlapping Guide Geometry Connection Problems

Tangency
Many geometries seem to a very high approximation to be composed of tangent parts. For example:

In actual fact, at some scale the geometry will not be exactly tangent. There may be effects such as these (exagerrated here
for illustrative purposes):

So, what appears to be tangency is, at a small enough scale, a small gap, a dab of glue, or a dent in one of the pieces. At an
even smaller scale atomic geometry will prevent the intersection from being exactly tangent. Hence, the answer obtained by
the geometry being exactly tangent may be of interest compared with some known analytic result, but cannot represent the real
problem.
If you know one of the cases shown above to be the true meeting of the geometry, it is best to draw that way. If not, it is still
worth eliminating tangency by any method that seems appropriate for two reasons:
1. in 2D programs or 2D mode, where regions meet with a tangent condition the program may not be able to properly
recognize the various regions
2. Tangency represents an extreme singularity which may skew such desired results as “maximum field in this region”
and which makes it impossible to get good element distributions.
To explain #2, consider the following two examples:

Here the elements are the blue lines joining red dots on tangent segments. To perform accurate calculations the length of any
element needs to be comparable to the distance to the nearest elements on another segment. With a tangent intersection, as
you get closer to the point of intersection the elements thus need to be length zero. Hence, to get good computations the
number of elements near this point grows without bound. You need to either get a bad answer at this point, or have an
unreasonable number of elements.
The other example is 2D elements coming in to a tangent point:

Here the elements are the pink triangles. There elements cannot give good answers if they contain small angles on one
corner. So, to keep reasonable element shapes the mesh routine will make smaller elements approaching smaller parts of a
surface or region. However, if the small part contains a tangent condition, then ultimately there will be an unlimited number of
elements or an element with a zero angle in one corner which will give a bad answer.
The Solution
In 2D mode and 2D programs there are tools under the menu Geometry > Healing to automatically fix tangent problems. The
fix will be sufficient for most cases, but you may want to do your own fixing according to the real geometry (as explained earlier)
if the nature of this intersection is important.
In 3D geometry there is no such automatic healing. You can use other tools to fix case by case. For example, displace two
volumes to slightly overlap, then use the menu Geometry > Intersection > Intersection of Volumes. Whenever possible
the geometry should be drawn in a way that avoid 3D tangency in the first place. For example, by healing in 2D mode then
creating the 3D geometry by sweeping.
Small Gaps
Analyzing a model is often made difficult by the presence of small gaps between parts (gaps very much smaller than the part
sizes). This is especially true with a FEM solver, which must put a mesh in the small gap. If the gap is significant to the
solution then this aspect of the model is unavoidable. However, such gaps are often either due to sloppiness in the drawing or

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as a quick “fix” to the matters of tangency or overlapping. In those cases it is highly advisable to take the extra time to draw a
correct intersection of the parts.

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2D Program Guide v91 Updates

V 91 UPDATES
Tutorial Videos
Along with version 9.1 is presenting a new website featuring many new videos. These videos include tutorials on some of the
major new features in version 9.1. See [Link]
Scripting/Programming with the INTEGRATED API
Version 9.1 presents the initial release of the INTEGRATED API. This provides another way to control the interface (besides
the interactive, parametric and batch modes). Users with programming and/or scripting skill will find this very powerful. The
API has its own Users Guide. Samples written as Excel Macros and Visual Studio solutions/projects are included with the
program.
CAD
1. New *.STEP/STP & *.SAT file import options
These CAD exchange formats are more uniformly implemented across multiple CAD programs than the existing
*.DXF and *.IGS/IGES options and are used by more CAD vendors than the existing *.3DM option.
2. New geometry tools for healing common 3D CAD problems
See the Geometry section, especially Merge and Join functions for fixing interface issues.
Geometry
1. Naming
Geometry can now be named. The naming supersedes the old Group definitions. More than just enabling
convenient names, the named object model beginning with version 9.1 overcomes many of the deficiencies in the
old Group feature. For example, objects can be connected and composed of other objects. So objects like
“Magnets” and “Core” can be created for readily assigning materials, then “Rotor” created as Magnet+Core for the
purpose of easy selection for rotation and torque calculation. Using names is very useful for referencing parts when
discussing a model, and especially for programming or scripting the new INTEGRATED API.
2. Selection by “Block”
The new “block” option for selection enables a user to often pick groups of objects which they perceive as
connected with a single click.
2D Geometry
1. Healing Tool – Delete Unconnected Segments
Provides a quick clean-up of many remnant sections that can clutter a model after the geometry is finished.
3D Geometry
The 3D geometry menu has been significantly changed to allow for new and improved features, especially for finding and fixing
problems.
1. New Simpler “Define Surface” Command
In many cases now even if there are not 3 or four segments INTEGRATED 3D programs will be able to determine
surfaces from the boundary without prompting the user for information.
2. Lofted Surface Command
This command enables the creation of surfaces conforming smoothly to curves.
3. Path Sweep
Like the Prism sweep, this command enables a volume to be created by sweeping a surface along a specified
path. However, Prism sweep keeps the same normal direction for the surface along the entire path, whereas Path
sweep changes the normal in the same sense as the path itself.
4. Merge Commands
The merge commands enable connected segments/surfaces/volumes to be combined into a single
segment/surface/volume. In the process this will also fix problems such as overlap and intersection. This enables
simpler versions on of composite objects compared to how they typically import from CAD assemblies.
5. Join
The join command fixes common interface problems between two contacting volumes. Interface issues are the most
common problem with CAD imports. This tool enables the interfaces to be converted to physically correct forms
with minimal work for the user.
6. Healing
The Healing submenu has been cleaned up so that only automated tools are now considered healing. Others
have been reclassified into other parts of the geometry menus.
a. Surface Edge Mismatches

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This new tool fixes problems where surfaces and edges don’t quite meet. This is a common numeric
precision problem with CAD import.
7. Clean up
This is a new set of tools for getting rid of geometry that is problematic or which clutters the model for no useful
purpose (e.g. construction lines used while building the model).
a. Delete Unconnected Points/Segments/Surfaces/Volumes
These three tools geometry all instances of the selected geometry type which are not connected to other
geometry of the same type.
b. Delete Small Features
Removes features smaller than a specified size.

c. Delete Invalid Geometry / Clean up NURBS Data

These tools will find and fix/delete numeric problems with geometry definition that are difficult for a user to
determine.
d. All
Runs all clean up tools automatically.
8. 3D Shift Geometry and Window
This handy tool from 2D has now been put in 3D. It is most commonly used to shift all geometry and window
settings to reassign a selected point as the new origin.

Physics
1. Quasi-transient mode for LORENTZ
Rebuilds the field at different times for arbitrary time dependences, but is much faster than doing a full transient
solution.
2. Mixed Mode in OERSTED
In OERSTED there is now a provision for “Mixed Mode” analysis allowing a DC source to establish the effective
permeability in nonlinear materials. This permeability can then be used in AC analysis.
3. INDUCTO Power Source Editing
In INDUCTO the Heat/Power Sources calculated by the OERSTED Phasor mode can be modified in the Kelvin
transient mode.
4. Surface Radiation in KELVIN and CELSIUS
The model boundary condition in KELVIN and CELSIUS now include surface radiation settings.
5. CHRONOS: Plane Wave
Plane wave scattering problems and radar cross section (RCS) calculations are added in this version: Different
kinds of plane wave polarizations are also included now.
Solution
1. Weighting Factors
Factors can be used to tell the solver what areas are of special interest so it will produce especially good results
(fine element mesh) locally.
2. Auto Solver
The auto solver setting will make the choice of FEM or BEM for you based on the general nature of the model.
You can still manually force one or the other.
3. 2D Solver is now Multithreading
The 2D BEM solver will now make use of multiple cores on your system.
4. Parametrics can now use loop step number
Functions written in parametrics can now use loop step number as well as total step number.
5. Suppression of Solver Messages
In some cases solver messages slow down the solving. There is now a switch to turn messages off while solving.
6. Predefined Outputs now Include File Outputs
You can now choose input and output files in the Field at Point definition section to automatically export results at
points of your choosing. You can also right-click on a defined plot and set an output file to receive the data
calculated to produce the file.
7. Faster Mesh Generation
The time taken to generate an element mesh is now substantially reduced for many cases.

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8. Coulomb Circuit Parameters with FEM
The FEM solver is now available for COULOMB Circuit Parameter calculations.
9. CHRONOS is Parallelized
The FDTD calculations are performed using all processors cores on the computer. This implementation has
improved the speed to be many times faster (depending on the number of processor cores) than the execution of
the same simulation using previous version.
10. Much Greater Parallelization
Besides parallelizing the 2D BEM solver, there is now much more and more efficient use of parallel processing for
the FEM solver and in general for post-processing operations.

Analysis
1. Files Tab in Define Outputs:
Predefined solver outputs can now include some data output to files.
2. Line width in plots:
Contours can now use thin or thick lines.
Viewing
1. View Setup
This dialog is now located at the top of the View menu, where users have intuitively looked for it.
2. Segment Display Weight
Segments can now be displayed with thin or thick lines.
3. Selection Viewing
Colors, line weighting etc. have now been more fully standardized so that selection visual cues will be consistent
between commands.
Utilities
1. Text:
The text utility has been upgraded to make it easier to manage text in the workspace.

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