Glossary of EM.Cube's Simulation-Related Operations

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Adaptive Yee Mesh

MODULE: EM.Tempo

FUNCTION: Generates a Yee brick mesh that adapts to the fine geometric details and material composition of the physical structure

PYTHON COMMAND: emtempo_mesh_settings(cells_per_lambda,ratio_contour,ratio_thin,ratio_abs)

ADAPTIVE YEE MESH PARAMETERS

Parameter Name	Value Type	Units	Default Value	Notes
minimum mesh density	real numeric	cells/lambda_eff	20	effective wavelength in the material medium
minimum grid spacing for geometric contours	real numeric	-	0.4	as a fraction of maximum grid spacing in free space
minimum grid spacing at thin or narrow regions	real numeric	-	0.4	as a fraction of maximum grid spacing in free space
absolute minimum grid spacing	real numeric	-	0.15	as a fraction of maximum grid spacing in free space
maximum adjacent cell size ratio	real numeric	-	1.3	controls gradual grid transitions
curved edge angle tolerance	real numeric	degrees	15	controls the initial tessellation of the physical structure

EM.Tempo's mesh settings dialog.

Boundary Conditions

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Computational Domain → Boundary Conditions...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: None

FUNCTION: Sets the type of boundary conditions on the faces of the computational domain in EM.Tempo & EM.Ferma

PYTHON COMMAND: set_boundary_conditions(xn_type,xp_type,yn_type,yp_type,zn_type,zp_type)

Custom Output

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Cutom Output...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+K

FUNCTION: Opens the list of the currently available user-defined custom Outputs

PYTHON COMMAND: None

EM.Cube's Custom Output dialog.

Data Manager

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Data Manager...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+D

FUNCTION: Opens EM.Cube's Data Manager

PYTHON COMMAND: None

EM.Cube's data manager dialog.

Delete All Data Files

ICON: None

MENU: Simulate → Delete All Data Files

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: None

FUNCTION: Deletes all the data files in the current project folder

PYTHON COMMAND: None

Discard All Visualization Data

ICON: None

MENU: Simulate → Discard All Visualization Data

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: None

FUNCTION: Deletes all the visualization data under the "Observables" section of the navigation tree

PYTHON COMMAND: None

Domain Settings

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Computational Domain → Domain Settings...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+A

FUNCTION: Sets the type & parameters of the computational domain

PYTHON COMMAND:

set_domain_offset(dxn_offset,dxp_offset,dyn_offset,dyp_offset,dzn_offset,dzp_offset)

set_domain_offset_lambda(dxn_offset,dxp_offset,dyn_offset,dyp_offset,dzn_offset,dzp_offset)

CubeCAD's domain dialog.

EM.Grid

ICON: None

MENU: Simulate → EM.Grid...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+Shift+G

FUNCTION: Opens EM.Grid for plotting data files

PYTHON COMMAND: plot_file(filename)

EM.Grid showing a 2D radiation pattern plot.

Facet Mesh

MODULE: EM.Terrano

FUNCTION: Generates a triangular surface mesh based on a specified edge length

PYTHON COMMAND: emterrano_mesh_settings(edge_length,angle_tol)

FACET MESH PARAMETERS

Parameter Name	Value Type	Units	Default Value	Notes
cell edge length	real numeric	project units	100	determines the mesh resolution
curved edge angle tolerance	real numeric	degrees	45	controls the initial tessellation of the physical structure
chord height	real numeric	project units	0	controls the initial tessellation of the physical structure
maximum edge segment length	real numeric	project units	0	controls the initial tessellation of the physical structure

The facet mesh settings dialog.

Fixed-Cell Brick Mesh

MODULE: EM.Tempo, EM.Ferma

FUNCTION: Generates a uniform 3D brick mesh with specified cell dimensions along the three principal axes to which the physical structure is adapted

PYTHON COMMAND: emferma_mesh_settings(cell_size_x,cell_size_y,cell_size_z)

FIXED-CELL BRICK MESH PARAMETERS

Parameter Name	Value Type	Units	Default Value	Notes
cell_size_x	real numeric	project units	1	-
cell_size_y	real numeric	project units	1	-
cell_size_z	real numeric	project units	1	-

Generate Input Files

ICON: None

MENU: Simulate → Generate Input Files...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: None

FUNCTION: Generates all the necessary input files to run a simulation in one of EM.Cube's computational modules

PYTHON COMMAND: None

Frequency Settings

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Frequency Settings...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+F

FUNCTION: Sets the center frequency and bandwidth of the project

NOTES, SPECIAL CASES OR EXCEPTIONS: You can also access the Frequency Settings dialog by double-clicking on the frequency box in the Status Bar. The default units of frequency and bandwidth are GHz. The other available options are Hz, kHz, MHz and THz. "fc" is a reserved project variable for its center frequency and "bw" is a a reserved project variable for its bandwidth. Both fc and bw must be expressed in Hz.

PYTHON COMMAND:

set_frequency(value)

set_bandwidth(value)

EM.Cube's Frequency Dialog.

Functions

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Functions...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+I

FUNCTION: Opens the list of standard, preloaded and EM.Cube Python functions

PYTHON COMMAND: None

EM.Cube's functions list.

Hybrid Planar Mesh

MODULE: EM.Picasso

FUNCTION: Generates a surface mesh of planar structures containing mixed rectangular and triangular cells

PYTHON COMMAND: empicasso_mesh_settings(cells_per_lambda)

HYBRID PLANAR MESH PARAMETERS

Parameter Name	Value Type	Units	Default Value	Notes
mesh density	real numeric	cells/lambda_eff	20	determines the mesh resolution as a function of operating frequency
maximum angle for defective cell removal	real numeric	degrees	5	eliminates narrow cells with angles smaller than this value

The planar hybrid mesh settings dialog.

Materials

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Materials...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+T

FUNCTION: Opens EM.Cube's materials list

PYTHON COMMAND: None

EM.Cube provides a preloaded database of popular and widely used materials. You can view the various material entries and their constitutive parameter values. You can also type in the first letter of a material to find it. For example, typing V selects Vacuum in the list.

EM.Cube's Materials List.

Mesh Generator

ICON:

MENU:

Simulate → Discretization → Show Mesh

Simulate → Discretization → Regenerate Mesh

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+M

FUNCTION: Generates and displays the mesh of the physical structure in the current EM.Cube module

TO GENERATE AND VIEW A MESH:

1. Click the Show Mesh button of the Simulate Toolbar.
2. EM.Cube's "Mesh View" mode is enabled, and a mesh of your physical structure in the currently active EM.Cube module appears in the project workspace.
3. In the "Mesh View" mode, you can perform view operations like rotate view, pan or zoom, but you cannot create new objects or edit existing ones.
4. To exit the mesh view mode, press the keyboard's Esc key or click the Show Mesh button once again.

PYTHON COMMAND: mesh()

NOTES, SPECIAL CASES OR EXCEPTIONS: Once a mesh is generated, it stays in the memory until the structure is changed or the mesh density or other settings are modified. Every time you view mesh, the one in the memory is displayed. You can force EM.Cube to create a new mesh from the ground up by selecting the menu item Simulate → Discretization → Regenerate Mesh or by right clicking on the Mesh item in the "Discretization" section of the navigation tree and selecting Regenerate from the contextual menu.

Generated mesh of a physical structure in CubeCAD.

Mesh Settings

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Discretization → Mesh Settings...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+G

FUNCTION: Sets the density or resolution of the mesh and other related parameters

TO CUSTOMIZE A MESH:

1. Click the Mesh Settings button of the Simulate Toolbar.
2. The Mesh Settings dialog of the currently c=active EM.Cube module opens up.
3. From the Host drop-down list, select a line object. Note that only line parallel to one of the three principal axes are listed.
4. By default, the lumped source is placed at the midpoint of the host line object. You can modify the Offset parameter, which is measured from the start point of the line and is always positive.
5. Click the OK button of the dialog to return to the project workspace.

You can change the mesh algorithm from the dropdown list labeled Mesh Type if there is more than one option. You can also enter a different value for Mesh Density in cells per effective wavelength (λ_eff). For each value of mesh density, the dialog also shows the average "Cell Edge Length" in the free space.

PYTHON COMMAND: mesh()

cubecad_mesh_settings(cell_size,angle_tol)

emtempo_mesh_settings(cells_per_lambda,ratio_contour,ratio_thin,ratio_abs)

emterrano_mesh_settings(edge_length,angle_tol)

emillumina_mesh_settings(cells_per_lambda)

emferma_mesh_settings(cell_size_x,cell_size_y,cell_size_z)

empicasso_mesh_settings(cells_per_lambda)

emlibera_mesh_settings(cells_per_lambda)

CubeCAD's mesh settings dialog.

Models

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Python Models & Scripts...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+L

FUNCTION: Opens the list of the preloaded and currently available user-defined Python models and scripts

PYTHON COMMAND: None

EM.Cube's models dialog.

Objectives

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Objective...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+J

FUNCTION: Opens the list of the currently available user-defined design objectives

PYTHON COMMAND: None

EM.Cube's Objectives dialog.

Project Units

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Project Units...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+U

FUNCTION: Sets the geometrical units of the project

NOTES, SPECIAL CASES OR EXCEPTIONS: You can also access the Units dialog by double-clicking on the units box in the Status Bar. The default unit of a new project is millimeters. The other available options are microns, centimeters, meters, kilometers, mils, inches, feet and miles.

PYTHON COMMAND: set_units(units)

EM.Cube's Units Dialog.

Save Data As

ICON: None

MENU: Simulate → Save Data As...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: None

FUNCTION: Saves a project's data files in a specified subfolder other than the current project folder

NOTES, SPECIAL CASES OR EXCEPTIONS: This operation opens up the "Save Data" dialog with the default file path set to a subfolder named "Simulation Data" under your current project folder. You can choose the default subfolder name and location or change the name or browse to another location on your hard drive. it is important to keep in mind that before every simulation, EM.Cube deletes all the data files in the current project folder. In order to preserve your simulation data, you have to save them in a different folder other than the project folder.

PYTHON COMMAND: None

Saving a project's simulation data into a subfolder.

Simulation Engine Settings

ICON: None

MENU: Simulate → Simulation Engine Settings...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+Shift+N

FUNCTION: Sets the numerical user-accessible simulation parameters in one of EM.Cube's computational modules

PYTHON COMMAND:

emtempo_engine_settings(engine,power_threshhold,max_timesteps)

emterrano_engine_settings(bounce_count,do_edge_diffraction,angular_resolution,ray_threshhold)

emillumina_engine_settings(engine,is_fixed_iteration,error_tol,max_iterations)

emferma_engine_settings(matrix_solver,error_tol,max_iterations)

empicasso_engine_settings(matrix_solver,error_tol,max_iterations)

emlibera_engine_settings_smom(matrix_solver,error_tol,max_iterations,ncpus,formulation,alpha)

emlibera_engine_settings_wmom(matrix_solver,error_tol,max_iterations)

Simulation Run

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Run...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+R

FUNCTION: Opens the Simulation Run dialog where you can set the simulation engine type & simulation mode and run a new simulation in one of EM.Cube's computational modules

PYTHON COMMAND: run_analysis()

EM.Tempo's simulation run dialog.

Triangular Surface Mesh

MODULE: EM.Illumina, EM.Libera, EM.Picasso

FUNCTION: Generates a highly regular triangular surface mesh based on a mesh density expressed in cells per effective wavelength

PYTHON COMMAND(S):

emillumina_mesh_settings(cells_per_lambda)

emlibera_mesh_settings(cells_per_lambda)

TRIANGULAR SURFACE MESH PARAMETERS

Parameter Name	Value Type	Units	Default Value	Notes
density	real numeric	cells/lambda_eff	10	determines the mesh resolution as a function of operating frequency
curved edge angle tolerance	real numeric	degrees	15	controls the initial tessellation of the physical structure
chord height	real numeric	project units	0	controls the initial tessellation of the physical structure
maximum edge segment length	real numeric	project units	0	controls the initial tessellation of the physical structure

The surface MoM triangular mesh settings dialog.

The physical optics triangular surface mesh settings dialog.

Update All Visualization Data

ICON: None

MENU: Simulate → Update All Visualization Data

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: None

FUNCTION: Reloads all the visualization data under the "Observables" section of the navigation tree from the respective 3D data files in the current project file

NOTES, SPECIAL CASES OR EXCEPTIONS: This operation is particularly useful when the simulation engine resides on another computer (e.g. on a Linux machine) and is run from the command line. At the end of the simulation, you can transfer all the output simulation data files including the 3D data files like ".RAD", ".SEN", ".CUR", "RCS", etc. to your Windows computer for data visualization.

PYTHON COMMAND: None

Variables

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Variables...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: Ctrl+B

FUNCTION: Opens the list of constants, default project variables and available user-defined variables

PYTHON COMMAND: None

EM.Cube's variables dialog.

Windows Calculator

ICON:

MENU: Simulate → Windows Calculator...

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT: None

FUNCTION: Opens Windows calculator

PYTHON COMMAND: None

Windows scientific calculator.

Wireframe Mesh

MODULE: EM.Libera

FUNCTION: Generates a polygonized mesh of curve objects and a regular triangular mesh of surface and solid objects

PYTHON COMMAND: emlibera_mesh_settings(cells_per_lambda)

WIREFRAME MESH PARAMETERS

Parameter Name	Value Type	Units	Default Value	Notes
density	real numeric	cells/lambda_eff	10	determines the mesh resolution as a function of operating frequency
curved edge angle tolerance	real numeric	degrees	15	controls the initial tessellation of the physical structure
chord height	real numeric	project units	0	controls the initial tessellation of the physical structure
maximum edge segment length	real numeric	project units	0	controls the initial tessellation of the physical structure

The wire MoM mesh settings dialog.

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