Release Notes: Altair Feko 2020.0.2

Altair Feko 2020.0.2 is available with new features, corrections and improvements. This version (2020.0.2) is a patch release that should be applied to an existing 2020 installation.

Feko is a powerful and comprehensive 3D simulation package intended for the analysis of a wide range of electromagnetic radiation and scattering problems. Applications include antenna design, antenna placement, microstrip antennas and circuits, dielectric media, scattering analysis, electromagnetic compatibility studies including cable harness modelling and many more.

WinProp is the most complete suite of tools in the domain of wireless propagation and radio network planning. With applications ranging from satellite to terrestrial, from rural via urban to indoor radio links, WinProp’s innovative wave propagation models combine accuracy with short computation times.

Feko 2020.0.2 Release Notes

The most notable extensions and improvements to Feko are listed by component.

CADFEKO

Features

  • Extended I-DEAS universal format (.unv file) export to include:
    • Groups for nodes which lie on symmetry planes.
    • Groups for junctions between triangles and segments. This ensures segment-triangle mesh connectivity.

Resolved Issues

  • Resolved a defect where configuration-specific looped plane waves were not written out to the .pre file correctly for all configurations.
  • Added airboxes to some FEM antenna variants in the component library.

POSTFEKO

Features

  • Improved the performance of the DRE namespace DiscoverHierarchy method when traversing HDF5 files in DRE format with many nested links. The method is extended to return the link type and link target.
  • Extended the API with the ImportSettings namespace that is nested under the DRE namespace. For dataset import and storing custom data from DRE file, this provides support for dBm units and also for dB units with a custom reference level (dBRef).

Resolved Issues

  • Resolved an issue where the error Data block not found while parsing *.bof file was given when opening a .bof file without the .fek file present.

Solver

Features

  • Changed the default iterative solver for MLFMM problems from Bi-CGSTAB to RBi-CGSTAB. This generally leads to improvements in the number of iterations as well as a lower residuum than when the Bi-CGSTAB method is used.
  • Improved the robustness of the RBi-CGSTAB iterative solver for many ill-conditioned MLFMM models where convergence was not previously achieved.
  • Fixed a bug that sets the impressed spherical modes to zero in the cut-off region for the inward propagation direction.
  • Improved the initialization of the Green's function phase by avoiding the redundant calculation of interpolation tables if the radiating sources are the same for multiple configurations.
  • Extended the error/warning feedback for overlapping cable path sections and unconnected floating point terminals for SPICE circuit elements.

Resolved Issues

  • Fixed a bug that resulted in a floating point exception for models with incident fields and a near field request solved with MLFMM.
  • Fixed a bug that resulted in an error state for some models with multiple cable probes defined along different cable paths within the same harness.

Support Components

Feature

  • Improved the Feko Scripting and API Reference Guide by displaying method and function input parameters next to the method or function name and adding method-specific and function-specific examples. The input parameters were already displayed next to names in the Method List and Function List sections, but this is now also the case for the Method Details and Function Details sections.

WinProp 2020.0.2 Release Notes

The most notable extensions and improvements to WinProp are listed by component.

General

Feature

  • The WinProp plug-in for Forsk Atoll is now available with HyperWorks Units licensing. The plug-in is used by Atoll customers who favor WinProp's propagation simulations.

ProMan

Features

  • Added an option to visualise the contour of all buildings in 2D view for an indoor project with a topography database.
  • Added full support for the ITU-R P.1411 propagation model.
  • Electromagnetic exposure zones (occupational and public) are now available for display in the result tree.

Resolved Issues

  • Fixed a bug that resulted in the effects of the direct rays being neglected in urban projects, with topography, simulated with IRT in trajectory or point modes.
  • Fixed a bug that resulted in a simulation error in a rural project, with topography defined in geodesic coordinates, where the prediction area is defined to be larger than the extents of the topography.
  • Fixed a bug that resulted in an error during network planning due to a mismatch between LOS and power results for projects simulated in trajectory or point modes as well as projects with results on arbitrary prediction planes.
  • Fixed the display of the Greek character μ in the legend on computers with Windows in a language with non-Latin characters.

Application Programming Interface

Features

  • Added support for the simulation of time-variant projects with the WinProp API.
  • Added support for the simulation of projects with time-variant prediction points with the WinProp API.