Adding a Q3D State Space Coupling Component

Follow this procedure to add a Q3D State Space coupling component to a Twin Builder design.

On the Twin Builder main menu, select Subcircuit > Q3D Dynamic Component > Add State Space. The Q3D State Space Dynamic Coupling dialog box appears.

On the Link Description tab, specify a Name for the component. See Names of Components and Variables for naming conventions.
In the Source Project & Design panel, enter the project File. Click to find and select Q3D file (*.q3dx or *.aedt) . The selected project loads into its application.
Based on the Source file and the chosen Link Type (Q3D State Space Link – S Parameters / Q3D State Space Link – RLGC Parameters), Twin Builder communicates with Q3D, retrieves the applicable Design, Solution, and Reduced Matrix information, and populates the corresponding menus with the information.

The Information tab updates to show the Number of Conservative Pins and various other Quantities present in the selected design.

Note:

You can create two types of state-space link for both 2D and 3D designs.

Uses S Parameters (default) – A Q3D design produces S Parameters data, which is used to create the equivalent model.
Uses RLGC Parameters – A Q3D design produces RLGC Parameters data, which is used to create the equivalent model.
The RLGC dynamic link is based on a simple lumped circuit model. The RL elements are between the source and the sink terminals; the GC elements are between the sink terminals and ground.

After you select the Source file, select the design you want to use in the coupled design from the Design drop-down list.
Select the Solution and Reduced Matrix to use from the selected Design.

For 2D designs, a Depth field displays. Enter a positive number for the design length in this field. The default unit of length is the meter. You can change this to any valid unit of length ("ft" or "cm," for example). If you omit the unit of length, the component uses the default unit of length set in the Default Units tab of the General Options dialog box.
Note:
Depth is controlled based on the COMPONENT_DEPTH design quantity of the component instance, so changes will propagate only by changing this property either on the Quantities tab in the component's Properties dialog box or in the Depth field in the coupling component dialog box. However, in designs created or saved in Twin Builder, the quantity will be shown as DEPTH_FROM_SIMPLORER.

In the Options tab, choose to show either the Pin Name or Pin Description on the new component. Pin names display by default.
Note:
Pin description properties are always added to the component regardless of whether they are selected to be shown with pins.

If you chose Pin Description when adding the component, you can subsequently enable individual pin names. Open the component symbol in the symbol editor, delete a pin’s description, and double-click the pin and enable ShowName in the pin properties dialog box.
If you chose Pin Name when adding the component, you can subsequently hide individual pin names. Open the component symbol in the symbol editor, double-click a pin and disable ShowName in the pin properties dialog box. You can then add descriptive text to the pin using the editor’s Draw > Text tool.

You can select the following additional options on the Options tab:

Save project after use – Q3D saves any solutions data after the Twin Builder simulation, overwriting any previously saved data.
Unload project after use – Q3D closes the project and shuts down after the Twin Builder simulation is complete. This will release the Q3D license.
Create static link – Twin Builder loads the data currently available from the project and maintains it internally. Additional calls to Q3D will not be performed unless the properties of the component change. This option can result in faster run times by minimizing the number of calls to Q3D for data sharing.
Clear Static Cache – Twin Builder removes the cached data and acquired new data from Q3D.
Enforce Passivity – Choose this option if you want a state space model that is better for a stable transient simulation. Error Tolerance sets the error tolerance for S-Matrix fitting. The Maximum Order value specifies the highest order state space system that you can choose while fitting to represent the system behavior; a lower order may lead to less accuracy but faster simulation. Z(ref) sets the value of the Z(ref) in ohms sent from the Twin Builder side for S-parameter creation.

When finished click OK to accept the values and close the dialog box.
Place the component on the schematic sheet.
After placing the component on a sheet, its Properties dialog box may be opened for configuration of the component.

The dynamic coupling model configuration is saved with the schematic sheet. Twin Builder must establish a link to the associated application each time a simulation is run.