December 1, 2021: The content below helps navigate the features in this release. A full list of updates is available in the Reference Manual's Appendix.
XFdtd 7.10.0 upgrades several third-party libraries, adding support for Linux RHEL7.5 and dropping support for Windows 7 and 8.
Schematic Editor
This release adds a schematic editor and frequency-domain circuit solver to XF. Users can analyze both matching and corporate feed networks, and then apply them to steady-state full-wave FDTD results during post-processing.
The following support site pages provide additional information about the editor and its functionality:
- Schematic editor: user interface for defining schematics and running the circuit solver.
- Basic components: available source, RLC, transmission line, etc. circuit elements.
- Operating modes: facilitate simulation of multi-state and variable components within a single schematic design.
- Hotkeys: a list of shortcuts in the schematic editor.
- Schematic results: explanation and equations of available results.
- Apply circuit simulation: view full-wave results with the schematic applied.
Plot Far Zone Statistics
The Plot Far Zone Statistics macro is available for download on the support site, and allows users to plot the data displayed in the statistics tab of the far zone visualization controls. This enables convenient analysis of the results when multiple steady-state frequencies are specified.
Additional Capabilities
There are over 30 usability, performance, scripting, and other updates in this version.
Here is a select list of modifications:
- Added ability to save CEO tuner states and goals.
- Application preferences store default line thickness and data indicator size for newly created plots.
- Smith chart markers can display frequency only.
- Improved performance when selecting many parts.
- Improved performance when opening right-click menu when many parts are selected.
- Improved performance when selecting shortcut targets.
- Included part count in a tool tip for assemblies.
- CEO Efficiency goal displays a tool tip explaining why no bands are available.
- Added ability to monitor when non-linear project elements are simulated and warns when used in a Fourier transform.
- Import and Export script dialogs save window sizes.
- Batch file provided to run FDTD solver from command line on Windows platform.
- CAD import detects assembly information in part name and provides an option to regenerate hierarchy.
- STEP files import a better representation of shell-based surfaces that imports as a single part.
- Spice netlist reader allows some non-standard files without a header or end lines.
- Removed inaccurate xfsolver instability message when nonlinear netlist components fail to converge to a solution.
- Fixed bug causing part's material shortcut to not update properly.
- Fixed a bug causing the staircase mesh's cpu-side memory usage in XStream runs to be underestimated in the simulation memory estimate.
- Fixed a bug causing XACT cpu-side memory usage to be underestimated in the simulation memory estimate.
- Fixed crash when importing some STEP files on Linux.
- Fixed phase shift of discrete frequency results.
- Fixed tool tip visibility on Linux platforms to ensure visible text regardless of theme.
- Fixed crash in both volume and SAR sensors when playing field animation and editing scale bar.
- Fixed crash when meshing near-field sensor.
- Fixed crash when defining CEO goal without a response matrix.
- Fixed bug in coordinate system when orienting directions.
- Delete key can delete selected edges.
- Changed the Crashpad_handler.exe executable name to RemcomQAService.exe
- Fixed keyboard focus when first entering sketcher.
- [Scripting API] Fixed Gaussian and Gaussian derivative scripting documentation to give a correct waveform center time.
- [Scripting API] Added interface for accessing suppressed attribute of the grid.