=== Planar Object & Trace Types ===
EM.Picasso groups objects by their trace type and their hierarchical location in the substrate layer stack-up. A trace is a group of finite-sized planar objects that have the same material properties, same color and same Z-coordinate. All the planar objects belonging to the same metal or slot trace group are located on the same substrate layer horizontal boundary and have plane in the same colorlayer stack-up. All the embedded objects belonging to the same embedded set lie inside the same substrate layer and have the same color and same material composition.
EM.Picasso provides the following types of objects for building a planar layered structure:
# '''[[Defining_Materials_in_EM.Cube#Perfect_Electric_Conductors_.26_Metal_Traces | PEC Traces]]''': These represent infinitesimally thin metallic planar objects that are deposited or metallized on or between substrate layers. PEC objects are modeled by surface electric currents.# '''Slot [[Defining_Materials_in_EM.Cube#Impedance_Surfaces_.26_Conductive_Sheet_Traces | Conductive Sheet Traces]]''': These are used to model slots and apertures in PEC ground planes. Slot objects are always assumed to lie on an infinite horizontal PEC ground plane with zero thickness (which is not explicitly displayed in the project workspace). They are modeled by surface magnetic currents.# '''Conductive Sheet [[Defining_Materials_in_EM.Cube#Perfect_Magnetic_Conductors_.26_Slot_Traces | Slot Traces:]]''' These represent imperfect metals. They have a finite conductivity and a very small thickness. A surface impedance boundary condition is enforced on the surface of such traces.
# '''PEC Via Sets:''' These are metallic objects such as shorting pins, interconnect vias, plated-through holes, etc. that are grouped together as prismatic object sets. The embedded objects are modeled as vertical volume conduction currents.
# '''Embedded Dielectric Sets:''' These are prismatic dielectric objects inserted inside a substrate layer. You can define a finite permittivity and conductivity for such objects, but their height is always the same as the height of their host layer. The embedded dielectric objects are modeled as vertical volume polarization currents.
A trace is a group You can define two types of finite-sized metallic traces in EM.Picasso: PEC traces and conductive sheet traces. PEC traces represent infinitesimally thin (zero thickness) planar metal objects that have the same conductive properties and same Z-coordinate. In other words, they are located deposited or metallized on the same horizontal plane, or at the same vertical level between substrate layers. PEC objects are modeled by surface electric currents. Conductive sheet traces, on the layer stack-upother hand, represent imperfect metals. You can define two types of metallic traces They have a finite conductivity and a very small thickness expressed in project units. A surface impedance boundary condition is enforced on the [[Planar Module]]:surface of conductive sheet objects.
# '''{{Note|Two or more PEC Traces:''' These represent perfect conductor objects that have zero thickness and no editable material properties.# '''Conductive Sheet Traces:''' These represent imperfect metal objectsor conductive sheet traces can coexist at the same Z-coordinate. They have a very small finite thickness t In this case, the Layer Stack-up Settings dialog shows these trace rows stacked up on top of each other between their common top and a finite conductivity sbottom substrate layers.}}
{{Note|Two or more PEC and conductive sheet Slot traces can coexist at the same Z-coordinate. In this case, the Layer Stack-up Settings dialog shows these trace rows stacked up on top of each other between their common top and bottom substrate layers.}}Â Slots and apertures are used to model cut-out slots and removed metal apertures in PEC ground planes. Slot objects are always assumed to lie on an infinite perfectly conducting (horizontal PEC) ground planewith zero thickness, which is not explicitly displayed in the project workspace and its presence is implied. They are modeled by surface magnetic currents. When a slot is excited, tangential electric fields are formed on the aperture, which can be modeled as finite magnetic surface currents confined to the area of the slot. ThereforeIn other words, instead of modeling the electric surface currents on the an infinite PEC ground around the slot, one can alternatively model the finite-extent magnetic surface currents on a perfect magnetic conductor (PMC traces. In [[EM.Cube]]'s [[Planar Module]], you define slot objects under PMC traces. A PMC ) trace at a certain Z-plane implies the presence of an infinite PEC plane at that Z-coordinate. Therefore, you do not need to define an additional PEC plane at that location on the layer stack-up. The slot Slot (PMC) objects provide the electromagnetic coupling between the two sides of this infinite ground plane. By the same token, you cannot place a PEC trace and a PMC trace at the same Z-level, as the latter's ground will short the former. However, you can define two or more PMC traces at the same Z-plane. In this case, all the slot objects lie on the same an infinite PEC ground plane. <br />
=== Defining Traces & Embedded Object Sets ===