[[Image:PMOM11.png|thumb|250px|EM.Picasso's Navigation Tree.]]
[[Image:PMOM8(1).png|thumb|600px|EM.Picasso's Layer Stack-up Settings dialogwith the initial default values.]][[Image:PMOM12.png|thumb|600px|EM.Picasso's Layer Stack-up Settings dialog showing a multilayer substrate configuration.]]
In EM.Picasso, the background structure is usually a layered planar structure that consists of one or more laterally infinite material layers always stacked along the Z-axis. In other words, the dimensions of the layers are infinite along the X and Y axes. Metallic traces are placed at the boundaries between the substrate or superstrate layers. These are modeled by perfect electric conductor (PEC) traces or conductive sheet traces of finite thickness and finite conductivity. Some layers might be separated by infinite perfectly conducting ground planes. The two sides of a ground plane can be electromagnetically coupled through one or more slots (apertures). Such slots are modeled by magnetic surface currents. Furthermore, the metallic traces can be interconnected or connected to ground planes using embedded objects. Such objects can be used to model circuit vias, plated-through holes or dielectric inserts. These are modeled as volume polarization currents.
You couple two or more sources using the '''Port Definition Dialog'''. To do so, you need to change the default port assignments. First, delete all the ports that are to be coupled from the Port List of the dialog. Then, define a new port by clicking the '''Add''' button of the dialog. This opens up the Add Port dialog, which consists of two tables: '''Available''' sources on the left and '''Associated''' sources on the right. A right arrow ('''-->''') button and a left arrow ('''<--''') button let you move the sources freely between these two tables. You will see in the "Available" table a list of all the sources that you deleted earlier. You may even see more available sources. Select all the sources that you want to couple and move them to the "Associated" table on the right. You can make multiple selections using the keyboard's '''Shift''' and '''Ctrl''' keys. Closing the Add Port dialog returns you to the Port Definition dialog, where you will now see the names of all the coupled sources next to the name of the newly added port.
{{Note|It is your responsibility to set up coupled ports and coupled [[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|[[Transmission Lines|transmission lines]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] properly. For example, to excite the desirable odd mode of a coplanar waveguide (CPW), you need to create two rectangular slots parallel to and aligned with each other and place two gap sources on them with the same offsets and opposite polarities. To excite the even mode of the CPW, you use the same polarity for the two collocated gap sources. Whether you define a coupled port for the CPW or not, the right definition of sources will excite the proper mode. The couple ports are needed only for correct calculation of the port characteristics.}}
[[File:PMOM51(2).png|800px]]