Overview of Ansoft HFSS 9

Legacy Project Migration

Optimetrics™
Scripting Language

Ansoft Corporation Written by

Four Station Square, Suite 200 Yianni Antoniadis
Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Shu Li
Brian Gray
Legacy Project Migration
 Legacy Project Migration

w Migration or re-classification of HFSS v8.5 projects to HFSS v9.0 is

easily done using the Ansoft Legacy EM .cls file.
w When migrating a legacy HFSS project - a project created in Ansoft
HFSS version 8.5 or earlier - virtually all of the project’s pre-
processing data is migrated.
w Solution results are not migrated directly; however, HFSSv8.5
solution data will be available for plotting and tabular purposes.
w Optimetrics setup data are not migrated; however, the nominal
model created for Optimetrics will be available in HFSSv9.
 Migrating a Legacy HFSS
Project
w On the File menu, click Open.
w Browse to the HFSS 8.5 projects’
directory, and open the *.pjt folder of a
specific project.
w Select Ansoft Legacy EM Projects
(*.cls) from the files of type pull-down
list.
w Select the *.cls file in the project
directory and click Open.
w The project appears in the HFSS v9.0
interface.

w NOTE: The HFSS v9.0 project is saved

as a *.hfss file, and it is located in the
user’s chosen project directory.
 What is Migrated?
w Geometry
w All geometry is migrated
w Geometry history is not
migrated

w Materials w Boundaries
w All Materials are migrated
w Most Boundaries are
w User defined materials
are migrated. migrated
w Functional material w Boundaries assigned to
properties are migrated. named interface
w Nonlinear materials with selections or rectangle
magnetic saturation selections are not
values greater than zero migrated.
are migrated as ferrite
materials.
 What is Migrated con’t?
w Solution Types/Setup
w Sources
w All Sources are migrated
w Impedance Lines and
Terminal lines are migrated.
– Impedance lines will be
ignored for Driven Terminal
solutions, terminal lines will
be ignored for Driven
Modal solution.
w Calibration lines are not
migrated
w Projects that contain terminal lines
are migrated to Driven Terminal
solution projects
w Current meshes are not migrated,
only initial mesh is.
w Impedance-only and emissions-
only solutions are not migrated.
w Saving dominant-only or higher-
order-only mode S-matrix entries
are not migrated
w For frequency sweeps, the
Number of Steps value is migrated
to the corresponding Step Size
value
w The total number of requested
adaptive passes in the legacy
project is migrated as the
Maximum Number of Passes
 Legacy Solutions
w Solution data is not translated directly; HFSS projects must be resolved in
v9.0.
w HFSS v9.0 simulation results are located in the user’s chosen project directory, in a
folder called <project_name>.hfssresults.
w However, HFSS v9.0 will be able to import various types of file formats such
as:
w *.szg files (HFSS v8.5 native file which contains all information about S-Z-Y-
gamma-Zo solution data) which is located in the project’s directory, or
w *.flp files (Serenade/Ansoft Designer), or
w *.sNp, *.yNp,*.zNp, *.tou files (Touchstone), or
w *.tab file (tabular file that can be exported from v8.5 Post Process > Matrix Data
module).
w After importation data can be plotted using the Results Post-processor
 Importing data from HFSS
v8.5
w Right-click on Analysis in Project tree, select ‘Import Data’ or ‘Import Table’
w From the Imported Data window, select either Import Solution to Load File
w Browse to the specific format file

w After the ‘Load File’ step, select the type of ‘Available Solutions’ desired (e.g. adaptive1,…, sweep1),
and click ‘OK’.
w The selected solution data is placed in the ‘Imported Data’ window under ‘Current Imports’. Click ‘OK’
again to end the importation process.
w
w The user will be able to view or plot this imported data in the 2D Report editor.
 TM
Optimetrics
Ansoft HFSS 9 OptimetricsTM
Overview

w Optimetrics is now fully integrated into the

HFSSv9 Graphical User Interface
w Optimetrics now contains 4 functionalities
w Parameterization
w Optimization
w Quasi Newton
w Pattern Search
w Sensitivity (improved)
w Statistical Analysis (NEW)
Fully Integrated Optimetrics
w All Optimetrics functionality is now
available from within the UI
w Parametric Sweeps.
w Optimization
w Sensitivity Analysis
w Statistical analysis

w Any created variables can be

used in an Optimetrics solution
w Dimension
w Material Property
w Frequency
Parameterization Example
Coax Line

r_outer = .7mm

r_inner = .1 to .3mm

copper

Teflon
Parameter Sweep: Port Z0
w Fix outer radius to .7mm
w Vary inner radius .1 to
.3mm
parameter
list
 Parameter Sweep Results

f = 1 GHz

Z0
(goal)

r_inner
 Optimization I:
Desire |(re(Z0))| ~= 50 Ohms
Variables:
.1 <= r_inner <= .3
r_inner(initial) = .11mm

Goal:
abs(re(Z0))-50<=.01
 Optimization I: Cost VS Iteration

Quasi-Newton
initial r_inner = .11mm
abs(re(Z0))-50 optimized r_inner ~= .21mm
 Optimization II:
|S11|<=.01 at 20 GHz
.7mm(rad)
.1mm(rad)

|S12|
L2=5mm
(initial)
1mm initial L2 freq. performance

.21mm(rad) |S11|

tune frequency
 Optimization II
|S11|<=.01 at 20 GHz

|S11| @ 20GHz
optimized L2~=5.3mm
 Optimization II
Frequency Response
.7mm(rad)
.1mm(rad)

|S12|
L2=5.3mm
1mm (final)
.21mm(rad)
optimized L2~=5.3mm

|S11|

optimized frequency response

Sensitivity of Design to L2
Starting point

|S12|
Sensitivity of S21 for
design at 20 GHz for
various Len2 dimensions

Sensitivity allows performance of design to be predicted with

few sample points near user-specified starting point
Statistical Analysis of L2 Dependence

|S12| Distribution of Results

for randomly varying
design parameter(s)

Statistical analysis generates random sampling of design variables, predicting

performance of design due to random variation in design parameters
Scripting Language
 Scripting language
in HFSS v9
w The Ansoft-specific script “Macro language” is replaced by broad
support for standard scripting languages and all their power and
generality.
w Visual Basic scripts are recorded within the HFSS design environment.
w JavaScript support is also available.

w The old “Macros” are not supported in HFSS v9. Those features (setting
PML, defining variables, Optimization and Parametric analyzing…)
which relied on “Macros” are now included within the new interface.

w Any behavior completed in the HFSS GUI can be recorded to an HFSS

.vbs script and can be reproduced by running the recorded scripts.
Retaining the power of Scripting
w The new HFSS interface can do almost everything which relied on
Macros in the past, but scripting is being retained so that:

w Frequently used geometries can be recorded as “library parts”

that can be generated repeatedly by running a script.

w Advanced VB Script users can make full use of the capabilities

and build-in functions of standard VB Scripts.
Ex-Macro based functions now
incorporated into HFSSv9
Dimensional Changes

PML Setup

SAR Calculation

Variable declaration

Goal Functions

Sophisticated Post-Processing plus others

 How to get started?
w Started from recording scripts

w You don’t have to know VB Script before you get started with HFSS scripting. We recommend you
start by recording scripts within the HFSS interface.

w The format of the commands in HFSS scripts is very strict and long since comprehensive
information about the HFSS modules are included. It is not recommended to write the complete
HFSS scripts without the aid of the automated scripting interface. You can edit or add VB Script
commands in the recorded scripts.

w Documentation for all HFSS script commands will be available with the official HFSS release.

w If you are interested in what is VB Script, Microsoft MSDN (Microsoft developer network) website
http://msdn.microsoft.com provides a basic introduction.
 Hierarchy of HFSS scripts
oHfssApp

oDesktop

oProject

oDesign

oEditor

oModule

w Before you can do anything with the Automation object (.exe files, .com files and .dll files),
a reference to that object must be defined to represent that object in scripts.
w The names in the above hierarchy tree are object references to HFSS Automation object.
w The process of creating object references is done automatically after starting to record
scripts in HFSS.