Impact of solid modelers on electromagnetic device design
B.T. Chia, J.-L. Coulomb, J.C. Vèrité · Journal of Applied Physics · 1990
The many methods and formulations available in field computation have made possible a wide range of applications. However, this success is partially limited by the absence of suitable preprocessors in field packages. This discrepancy is particularly acute in three-dimensional (3D) field analysis where processed objects may take on very complicated shapes. The lack of efficient interactive user interfaces and design environments renders the manipulation of 3D geometry and meshes very tedious. This is all the more surprising because computer support in 3D geometry design and mesh generation is an established engineering science. Indeed, it will be interesting to create and mesh 3D electromagnetic devices using standard solid modeling and mesh generation systems and then couple the output to a field package. This paper explores the plausibility of integrating solid modelers in an electromagnetic device design environment and describes the experience gained in interfacing a commercial solid modeler with established field codes. A brief overview of solid modeling techniques will be presented, followed by discussions on the pros and cons of using a separate solid modeler. The paper will be amply illustrated with examples.