Application Brief

Creating and Deploying Vendor 3D Components in ANSYS HFSS

ANSYS Electronics Desktop provides the capability to utilize ready-made 3D component models that represent discrete parts or components of a simulation such as an antenna, an RF connector or a surface mount device like a chip capacitor. These components can come from internally generated designs, a user’s own internal model created for ease of design re-use or through collaboration with outside entities such as vendors or customers. For example, in ANSYS HFSS users can create 3D components and integrate them into larger assemblies. This modeling approach is particularly useful when dealing with increasingly complex systems. Simulation-ready 3D components are created and stored in libraries that can be added to larger system designs without the need to apply excitations, boundary conditions and material properties because these simulation properties are already encapsulated in the 3D components. This application note describes the installation and use of 3D Component libraries in ANSYS Electronics Desktop.

Preparing a 3D Component LibraryA representative folder structure of a 3D component library is shown in Figure 1. The folders can be organized by their product categories or series; it’s at the user’s discretion how this is set up. The 3D component files present in these folders have the extension *.a3dcomp and are saved accordingly into the folder structure’s organization.

Figure 1. Folder structure

When you obtain a 3D component library from a vendor, it is desirable to ensure that the library’s folder structure resembles Figure 1 to easily keep track of the components. If the vendor’s 3D component library is compressed, extract the files and verify the folder structure, assuming such a structure has been established by the vendor. This is important because the same folder structure and file names will appear within the Component Libraries window of ANSYS Electronics Desktop. The structure and the file names can be changed if required.

Otherwise, if you have a library containing only *.a3dcomp files, it is good practice to create a folder with the manufacturer’s or vendor’s name to store the *.a3dcomp files.

3D Component Library in ANSYS Electronics DesktopThe Component Libraries window within ANSYS Electronics Desktop displays all the 3D component libraries/folders. You can add 3D components to one of the library folders (userlib or PersonalLib) so that they appear in the Component Libraries window for quick and easy access. In ANSYS Electronics Desktop, go to the menu item View and select the Component Libraries option to activate this window.

Upon inserting a design type, this window automatically displays the corresponding 3D components. For example, when you insert an HFSS design type, the Component Libraries window displays the predefined folders for antennas, human body exteriors, Johanson surface mount antennas, rectangular waveguides and surface mount devices, as well as any vendor components. Similarly, when you insert an ANSYS Icepak design type, the window displays predefined folders for fan, heatsinks and packages, as well as any vendor components. Essentially, the window displays 3D component definitions appropriate for that design type.

The component folders are grouped into three libraries — Product (or System) Library, User Library and Personal Library which point to the syslib, userlib and PersonalLib folders respectively. The syslib and userlib folders are automatically created in the AnsysEM installation directory. The PersonalLib folder is created when the default project directory is set up at installation. Each of these libraries has a specific purpose — syslib is for pre-defined components provided by ANSYS so it is best to not place components here; userlib is for models that are shared with other users, so it is usually set to a central location for users who have permission to access it; PersonalLib is for models that are only accessed by a single user, so you can set it to a convenient location on your local machine.

On the View tab, if you click the General Options command, the Options window appears. Here you can define the paths for these library folders as shown in Figure 4.

Creating and Deploying Vendor 3D Components in ANSYS HFSS

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Figure 3. Component libraries

Place your vendor components in the 3DComponents folder under PersonalLib or userlib (if you have administrative privileges). Create the 3DComponents folder if it is not present so that the components you add here will appear in the Component Libraries window for easy access. You can reference the installation’s syslib folder to double-check the syntax and naming for this folder. However, when you create a 3D component in ANSYS HFSS and export it to one of these two libraries (PersonalLib or userlib), a 3DComponents folder is automatically generated.

Remember, you can access 3D components from anywhere on your machine. However, it is convenient to store your components in the 3DComponents folder under userlib or PersonalLib because you can readily access them from the Component Libraries window and place them in your target design.

Adding a 3D Component to a Target DesignOnce a 3D component is available in the Component Libraries window you can add it to the target design as follows: 1. Add the component using one of the following operations: • Double-click the 3D Component. • Drag and drop the 3D Component. • Right-click the 3D Component and select the Place Component option from the short-cut menu.

Creating and Deploying Vendor 3D Components in ANSYS HFSS

Figure 4. Options dialog

Figure 5. Placing a 3D component

The Insert 3D Component window appears.2. On the Insert 3D Component window, adjust or define the initial values of the parameters if required.

3. Finally, choose the appropriate coordinate system from the Target Coordinate System drop-down menu. The location and orientation of the component will depend on the current CS in the modeler window. However, this destination component CS can be changed component-by-component after placing them in the design.

Creating and Deploying Vendor 3D Components in ANSYS HFSS

Figure 6. Insert 3D component dialog

Figure 7. Coordinate system selection

4. Press Enter to add the component to the target design.

You can perform Arrange or Duplicate operations on a 3D Component model as a whole. The objects that make up the 3D Component are not editable.

When you select the 3D Component model from the Project Manager window, relevant editing commands such as Arrange, Duplicate, etc., become active on the Draw tab of the ribbon in ANSYS HFSS or ANSYS Icepak.

Creating and Deploying Vendor 3D Components in ANSYS HFSS

Figure 8. 3D Component added to the target design

Figure 9. Editing 3D components

Creating and Deploying Vendor 3D Components in ANSYS HFSS

Changing Component Reference CS Post PlacementIf you insert a component at the wrong coordinate system you can easily correct the placement. To illustrate, suppose you place a 3D component at the relative CS shown in Figures 10 and 11.

Figure 10. Component being prepared to be placed

Figure 11. Component placed at wrong CS

To fix the coordinate system associated with the connector, select the 3D component from the model tree and choose the desired CS from the Properties window as shown in Figure 12.

Creating and Deploying Vendor 3D Components in ANSYS HFSS

The coordinate system associated with the connector is updated and the connector gets automatically placed at the desired location as shown in Figure 13.

Figure 12. Select the correct CS.

Figure 13. Component placed in the correct desired location

Alternative Approach to Add a 3D ComponentTo add components that are not placed in the standard library locations, perform the following steps in ANSYS HFSS or ANSYS Icepak:

1. On the Model tab, press the Browse 3D Components option. This command opens the Browse 3D Components window.

2. Navigate to the desired folder, select the component and press Open.

3. Adjust the parameter values and select the desired coordinate system on the Insert 3D Component window and press Enter to add the component to the target design.

Features of 3D Component Library ModelsThis section briefly describes some of the basic features of 3D Components.

Version Compatibility3D Component models are forward- or upward-compatible, allowing seamless integration with newer versions of ANSYS as well as the version in which the 3D components were created.

Product-Specific3D component models cannot be shared among different ANSYS products. For example, if you create a 3D component in ANSYS HFSS, you can use it only for a target design in ANSYS HFSS but not in ANSYS Icepak, and vice versa.

Solution Type CompatibilityA target design should have the same solution type as the 3D component model. So if a 3D component model includes excitations or boundary conditions that depend upon a specific solution type, you need to select the same solution type to load the model. For example, if an HFSS 3D Component model has wave port excitations, the target design should employ the Modal solution type. Similarly, if the 3D component model has lumped port excitations, the target design should use the Terminal solution type.

Encrypted ModelsANSYS HFSS supports creation of 3D components with encryption, passwords and hidden contents. Together, these capabilities control how the user of a component will access and view its internal details. • 3D components use industry-standard 256-bit AES encryption and password-based key derivation.• The main encryption process includes a combination of internal key, random key, passwords and cryptographic salt.• Passwords are saved only in encrypted form and cannot be decoded by ANSYS.• The component header encryption uses only an internal key, in order to support display of component info and preview before the component is opened.• When encrypted components are used, the project and other files may be encrypted using only the internal key, even when the components include passwords. This allows access to the project without repeated password entry.• When the Hide Contents option is used, the Electronics Desktop will decode all component contents in order to allow the component to be used and simulated, but it will prevent the hidden contents from being displayed or otherwise accessed by the user.

Creating and Deploying Vendor 3D Components in ANSYS HFSS

If you’ve ever seen a rocket launch, flown on an airplane, driven a car, used a computer, touched a mobile device, crossed a bridge or put on wearable technology, chances are you’ve used a product where ANSYS software played a critical role in its creation. ANSYS is the global leader in engineering simulation. We help the world’s most innovative companies deliver radically better products to their customers. By offering the best and broadest portfolio of engineering simulation software, we help them solve the most complex design challenges and engineer products limited only by imagination. Visit www.ansys.com for more information.

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Creating and Deploying Vendor 3D Components in ANSYS HFSS

Using the encryption functionality of 3D components, you can share the component without exposing your intellectual property. For encrypted models, to protect the component vendors’ intellectual property, the component creator can apply the following restrictions to the component’s definition:• Show hidden objects.• View constant values in the material properties of hidden objects.• Display meshes and plot fields of hidden objects.

Contact InformationIf you have questions about using 3D Component Libraries, contact Technical Support at: https://www.ansys.com/Support

Consult with the manufacturer for actual specifications of the products provided in the 3D Component libraries.

AuthorsManohar Raju, James Cosentino and Dr. Matthew Commens.