Changes

[[Image:fermbc.png|thumb|200px|Boundary Condition Dialog]]

In EM.Ferma, the Poisson or Laplace equations are solved subject to boundary conditions using the Finite Difference technique. As a result, you need to specify a finite computational domain and then specify the domain boundary conditions. EM.Ferma's computational domain defines where the domain boundary condition will be specified. A default domain box is always placed in the project workspace as soon as you draw your first object. The domain can be seen as a blue cubic wireframe that surrounds all of the CAD objects in the project workspace.

To modify the domain settings, click the Domain button of the Simulate Toolbar or right-click on "3D Static Domain" entry in the Navigation Tree and select "Domain Settings..." from the contextual menu. In the Domain Settings Dialog, the computational domain can be defined in two different ways: Default and Custom. The default type places an enclosing box with a specified offset from the largest bounding box of your project's CAD objects. The default offset value is 20 project units, but you can change this value arbitrarily. The custom type defines a fixed domain box by specifying the coordinates of its two opposite corners labeled Min and Max in the world coordinate system.

EM.Ferma allows you to specify the electric potential boundary conditions on the domain box. Two options are available. The Dirichlet boundary condition is the default option and is specified as a fixed potential value on the surface of the domain walls. By default, this value is 0 Volts. The Neumann boundary condition specifies the normal derivative of the electric scalar potential on the surface of the domain walls. This is equivalent to the normal electric field component on the domain walls and its value is specified in V/m. The magnetostatic simulation engine always assumes Dirichlet domain boundary conditions and sets the values of the magnetic vector potential to zero on all the domain walls. To modify the boundary conditions, right-click on "Boundary Conditions" in the Navigation Tree, and select "Boundary Conditions..." from the contextual menu to open the Boundary Conditions Dialog.

The Finite Difference technique discretizes the computational domain using a 3D rectangular grid. EM.Ferma generates a fixed-cell mesh. This means that the extents of the mesh cells along the principal axes are fixed: Δx, Δy, Δz. By default, the mesh cell size is set to one unit project along all the three directions (with Δx = Δy = Δz). To modify the cell size, click the Mesh Settings button of the Simulate Toolbar or right-click on "Static Mesh" in the Navigation Tree, and select "Mesh Settings..." from the contextual menu to open the Mesh Settings Dialog.