Contents

• Accessing Support Center content
• Application pages
• Tutorials
• Intros to Electromechanics
• Solved issues in past versions
• Simcenter TV broadcasts
• General
• Interface
• Geometry
• Materials
• Coils
• Circuits
• Boundaries
• Meshing
• Solving
• Adaption
• Motion
• Results
• Parameters
• Scripting

 

Application pages

• Motors
  • Brushless DC - IPM
  • Brushless DC - SPM
  • Induction
  • Switched reluctance
  • Stepper
  • Axial flux
• Claw-pole alternators
• Transformers
• Actuators
• Loudspeakers
• Induction heating
• Sensors
• Others

 

Tutorials

• Induction motor
• Brushless DC motor
• MAGNET/MAGNET Thermal: Brushless DC motor
• MAGNET Suite: Power and drive transformers

 

Intros to electromechanics

• Electromechanics
• Electric Machines

 

Solved issues in past versions

• Infolytica MagNet 7.9
• Simcenter MAGNET 2019.1
• Simcenter MAGNET 2020.1
• Simcenter MAGNET 2020.2
• Simcenter MAGNET 2021.1
• Simcenter MAGNET 2021.2
• Simcenter MAGNET 2022.1
• Simcenter MAGNET 2212
• Simcenter MAGNET 2212.0001

 

Simcenter TV broadcasts

• Accurate Modeling & Simulation of Laminated Cores
• 2D and 3D Hysteresis
• Multiple Motion Components

 

General

• Tips
  • Infolytica MagNet/ElecNet/ThermNet/OptiNet rebranded under the Simcenter MAGNET Suite
  • Change to version format after 2022.1
  • Modeling process
  • Application-based help
  • How to check licensed options
  • Software Crash: The software silently closes itself without error or displays the error "Simcenter MAGNET has stopped working"
  • Blank error message after solving a model for a long time
  • "Tips and tricks" guide for HPC use
  • Installation
    • Installing Simcenter MAGNET in silent mode
    • Installing the Extensions
    • Possible installation problems
    • Microsoft Visual C++ 2019 Redistributable Package (x64) cannot be found
  • Startup
    • Possible startup problems
    • "msmpi.dll cannot be found..." on startup
• Possible issues
  • Not clear how to get help on error codes
  • Some error codes don't give their meanings
  • Old solutions with foreign characters are incompatible
• Tools

 

Interface

• Reference
  • Interface
  • Manipulating the model view
  • Selection in the View window
  • View window drop-down menu
  • View Properties
  • Single object properties
  • Multiple object properties
  • No-parameter properties
  • The object tree
  • Model's drop-down menu
  • Component's drop-down menu
  • Miscellaneous interface commands
  • Modeling Toolbox -- Non-default settings
  • Window management
• Tips
  • Preferred versus Default units
  • Toolbar customization
  • The Object page
  • The use of numbered pens in the View area
  • Mouse operations in the View window
  • Directories
  • Startup options
  • Multi-core option
• Possible issues
  • 4K displays causing issues with MAGNET's interface
• Tools
  • Scripts and event handlers

 

Geometry

• 2D reference
  • Cartesian models
  • Axisymmetric models
  • Field restrictions
  • Air boxes
  • Before making components
  • Drawing
  • Operations on edges
  • Healing bad edges
• 3D reference
• Tips
  • Import-export
    • Could not find Infolytica CAD Translator program
    • 3D CAD import of zero-thickness surfaces is not supported
    • Active link paths of imports in old model files may not appear
    • Modifying a model exported from a Motorsolve design
  • Other
    • Geometrically invalid components
    • Shelling a component
    • Swept components with synchronized start and end faces
    • Best geometric practices for 2D simulation
    • How to display the center vertex of an arc and select it
    • Moving component vertices without moving arc centers
    • Coordinate systems
    • Sheet thickening
• Examples
  • Drawing
    • General
    • C-core with a coil
    • Induction motor
    • Parallel oblique line
    • Detect and Heal
  • Extrusion
    • 2D translational
    • 2D rotational
    • 3D
    • Multi-sweep
    • Multi-sweep - I
    • Multi-sweep - II
    • C-core with a coil - 2D
    • C-core with a coil - 3D
    • Multi-surface face
    • Adjacent components
    • Adjacent components 1
    • Adjacent components 2
    • Adjacent components 3
    • Parameters
    • Distortion
  • Components
    • Component copy
    • Component reshaping
    • Boolean operations
• Possible issues
  • Deleting imported components should probably not be allowed
  • Validation against conflicting references can be bypassed by importing
  • Error occurs when invalid objects are selected before exporting
• Tools
  • Extensions
  • Other tools

 

Materials

• Tips
  • Guidelines for the nonlinear B-H curve of permeable materials (soft magnetic materials)
  • 2D capability for conical magnetization
  • Modeling of anisotropy
  • Orienting anisotropic materials
  • Ideal Halbach structures and uniform fields
  • Resources on hysteresis and demagnetization features
  • The role of temperature in Simcenter MAGNET
  • Interpolation of Conductivity and Resistivity between temperatures
  • Temperature-dependent PM materials and the General material direction type
  • Approximating the Magnetizing Ratio curve from the B-H curve
  • When updating the Iron Loss Equation yields Ke = 0
  • Modeling superconductivity in MAGNET
  • Property linearization
  • First-order approximations for laminated cores
  • Accurate modeling of laminated cores
  • Modeling powdered core materials
  • The 3D Jiles-Atherton hysteresis model: tips for success
  • Choosing the Weak or Strong PM material type
  • Possible pitfalls of complex permeability
  • UserDefinedMaterials.xml version updated from 1.8 to 2
• Examples
  • Nonlinear isotropic
  • Permanent magnets
    • General
    • Assignment
    • Component transformations
    • C-core with a coil
    • General magnetization - I
    • General magnetization - II
    • General magnetization - Rotation
    • Irreversible demagnetization in a motion simulation
    • Simulating the effect of the magnetization of a permanent magnet on device performance
• Possible issues
  • "Select All Components" of a given material fails expectations
  • 2D solver validation allows off-diagonal tensor terms
  • How does the Material X axis default?
  • Confusing Hysteresis property page
  • Interpolation of Weak-type demagnetization curves (not linearized)
  • Weak PM materials should not be linearized by default
  • Superconductivity
    • Perfect Electric Conductor should be called Superconducting
    • Perfect Electric Conductor has conductivity of copper
    • Net currents in PEC conductors may not be as expected
    • Error codes with superconducting coils
    • 3D coil errors with PEC components
    • PEC components cannot be Current Flow Volumes
• Tools
  • Extensions
  • Scripts and event handlers

 

Coils

• Tips
  • Summary of 2D coils
  • Conductor treatment in 2D analysis
  • Coil errors
    • Coil errors 145008 and 149075
    • Coil error 149081
    • Coil error 156011
    • Coil error 156019
  • The new coil capability in Simcenter MAGNET 2020.1
  • Connecting solid conductors to multi-turn stranded coils
  • Foil-type coil capability
  • Virtual stator
  • Litz wire modeling
  • Symmetric coils
  • Coil field generation
  • Transient response
  • Shielding coil
  • Litz coil
  • Nonlinear inductor
  • SolverComputesFluxLinkageOfSolidCoils
• Examples
  • Source waveforms
  • Output characteristics
  • Making 2D coils
    • Translational
    • C-core with a coil
    • Induction machine
    • Axisymmetric
    • Helical
  • Making 3D coils
    • Two-terminal
    • C-core with a coil
    • Multiple terminals
    • Four-terminal
  • Symmetric coils
  • Verifying complete circuit relations in coils
• Possible issues
  • Coils prevent 3D solvers from simulating some slab models
  • SI boundary condition can cause Coil error 154024
  • Several-terminal coil with Current Flow Volumes may fail
  • 2D solvers tolerate partial list of Current Flow Volumes
• Tools
  • Extensions
  • Scripts and event handlers

 

Circuits

• Tips
  • Summary of circuits
  • Current and voltage sign conventions
  • The Diode circuit component
  • Capacitor charging and discharging
  • Basics of switches
  • Basics of current- and voltage-controlled switches
  • Basics of position-controlled switches
  • Voltage-limiting a current source
  • The Commutator circuit component
  • Circuit errors
  • Circuit file
  • Simulink
• Examples
  • C-core with a coil
  • Multi-terminal coil circuit
• Possible issues
  • Placed subcircuit does not update after child model is modified
• Tools
  • Scripts and event handlers

 

Boundaries

• Tips
  • Symmetry and mirror images
  • Global vector forces on partial versus full models
  • Body forces versus component forces in partial models
  • Example of 3D coil manipulations in a partial motor model
  • Static solving of all static positions of an odd-periodic model
  • The non-linear Surface Impedance approximation
  • Integrated losses on Surface Impedance boundaries
  • The PEI boundary for segmented magnets in a BLDC motor
  • Insulating Surface Impedance (SI) components from touching conductors
  • Coils and circuits
  • Uniform field
  • Open boundary tool
• Examples
  • Symmetry
  • Periodicity
  • Displacement - BLDC
  • Displacement - SRM
  • Activity: Airbox size and shape
  • Activity: Airbox boundary condition
• Possible issues
  • Periodicity
    • Error 156011 when binaries meet on stranded coil
  • Surface Impedance
    • Issues of field viewing on SI and TP boundaries
    • Error 149085 when SI references disabled component
• Tools

 

Meshing

• Tips
  • Structured meshing
  • Error codes 155006 and 145009
  • Properties of the mesh view layer
  • Meshing tolerance
  • Noise removal in sensor problems
  • Mesh log file
  • Skin depth
  • 2D meshing
    • Error code 145000: Unable to create element on segment
    • Removing random hot spots in 2D meshes
    • Speeding up triangulation in 2D meshing
  • 3D meshing
    • Rules of per-component extrusion meshing
    • Meshing thin round wires in 3D
    • Per-component extrusion meshing for quasi-2D devices
    • Minimizing 3D volume meshing time for complex structures
    • Workarounds for missing mesh layers
    • Efficient Transient 3D simulation of small skin depths in linear conductors
    • Internal meshing error 145501
    • Stop code 145559: Could not correct self intersection
    • Error code 145560: Surface meshing failure
    • Using the STEP format to overcome error code 145560
  • References
• Examples
  • Manual controls
  • Anisotropic 3D mesh
• Possible issues
  • Improving 2D mesh around a vertex
  • 2D mesh density does not propagate along model boundary
• Tools
  • Extensions
  • Scripts and event handlers

 

Solving

• Tips
  • Solving accuracy
  • Solving accuracy: example
  • How to refine a 2D model
  • Solver options
  • Solver Progress dialog
  • When the (relative) Newton tolerance is not sufficient
  • Nonlinear material treatment in time-harmonic solves
  • Material B-H AC options compared
  • Reducing the start-up transient of a voltage-driven single-phase system
  • Reducing the start-up transient of a voltage-driven three-phase system: the Flux method
  • Reducing the start-up transient of a voltage-driven three-phase system: the Time-Harmonic method
  • Checking 2D and 3D models against each other
  • Magnetic/electric fields at corners
  • SolverIgnoresEddyCurrents
  • Static solving of AC problems
  • Boundary relations
  • Solver log file
  • Parameters
  • Solver errors
• Possible issues
  • Issues with re-solving
  • Static solvers and AC problems
  • Solvers silently override model setups
  • Models with CSG components and a cached mesh will not run in the HPC solver
• Tools
  • Extensions
  • Other tools

 

Adaption

• Tips
• Example of mesh adaption
• Possible issues
  • Number of adaptive steps is off by one
  • Transient problem stopped during adaption cannot be re-started
• Tools

 

Motion

• Tips
  • Motion model types
  • 3D motion meshing guidelines
  • Multiple degrees of freedom
• Examples
  • Modeling features
  • TEAM problem 30 - 2D
  • TEAM problem 30 - 3D
  • 2D example of multiple degrees of freedom
  • 3D example of multiple degrees of freedom
• Possible issues
  • 3D Type B Motion Limitation
  • Last point of motion-related PWL is not graphed if Value is Periodic
  • Motion solver confused by start position outside bumper limits
  • Case of zero bumper restitution appears unreliable
• Tools
  • Scripts and event handlers

 

Results

• Tips
  • Available time-harmonic fields
  • Post-processing of JxB in time-harmonic solutions
  • Verifying power balance in a solution
  • VBScript code to probe a field
  • VBScript code to integrate a field
  • Using the Field Extractor extension to probe a field
  • Validation of the Global FFT tool
  • Difficulties in sampling fields
  • Sampling the radial B field in a motor air gap
  • The difference between Seamless and Assembled interface types
  • Monitoring force accuracy via force balance
  • Normal and tangential fields
  • Customization
  • Magnetic moments
  • Non-ambiguous arrow plots of nodal force magnitudes
  • The Permeance coefficient field
  • E fields in Simcenter MAGNET
• Examples
  • Field results
  • Global results
• Possible issues
  • Logarithmic scaling of Y axis also erroneously done to the X axis
  • Fields
    • Surface force arrows erased when updating solution (error 100018)
    • Logarithmic and exponential color scales can be hard to read
    • Logarithmic and exponential color scales disagree with Field probe
    • JxB at Angle is not as expected
    • Misleading E field in stranded coil with strand area
    • Cannot display fields after installing a new version of Simcenter MAGNET
  • Forces
    • Model has two bodies but the Force tab reports only one
    • Body Force page and Solver Log differ - Case 1
• Tools
  • Extensions
  • Other tools

 

Parameters

• Tips
  • Summary of parameters
  • Predefined functions for parametric expressions
  • Rules of parameter inheritance
  • Setting a parameter value on multiple objects
  • Setting a range of parameter values
  • Tracking trends cleanly by parameterization
  • Transformed component copies do not retain parameter expressions
  • Avoiding the loss of parameterization
  • Imported models
  • Reference
  • Temperature
  • Non-standard profiles
  • System parameter lists
    • Model
    • Component
    • Component face
    • Component edge
    • Component vertex
    • Coil
    • Winding
    • Sources
    • RLC
    • Diode
    • Switch
    • Current-controlled switch
    • Voltage-controlled switch
    • Position-controlled switch
    • Commutator
    • Boundary condition
    • Motion component
• Examples
  • Problem sequence
  • Geometrical parameterization
  • User parameters
• Possible issues
  • Change to ProblemGenerationMode should not influence re-solve decisions
  • Inheritance suppression does not work for some parameters
  • Two component parameter tooltips mistaken on default values
  • Parameterization can be unexpectedly wiped out
• Tools
  • Extensions
  • Scripts and event handlers

 

Scripting

• Tips
  • Scripting in Simcenter MAGNET
  • Internal scripting
    • How to record, run and edit a script
    • Automatic session log
    • Event handlers
      • How to find and edit the user-specific EventHandlers.vbs file
  • Interoperability
  • External scripting with third-party programs
    • External scripting with stand-alone programs / scripts
    • External scripting with Excel
      • How to start MAGNET as a COM Automation Server from Excel
    • External scripting with MATLAB
    • External scripting with Python
  • Don't guess component names
  • General tips for shortening script execution time
  • Minimizing overhead in iterative situations
• Possible issues
  • getFieldInElement() and getFieldInFieldElement() don't check validity of element index
• Tools
  • Scripts and event handlers