Table 3: System Coupling Capabilities by Context lists the key coupling capabilities available for System Coupling's graphical user interface (GUI), System Coupling's command-line interface (CLI), and System Coupling in Workbench (WB).
Capabilities are divided into the following categories:
Table 3: System Coupling Capabilities by Context
| Category | Capabilities | GUI | CLI | WB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
User Interface |
Graphical user interface |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Optimized, scriptable command-line interface |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Interactive solve commands |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Command-line arguments for:
|
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Built-in solution and region variables |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Participant APIs for connecting to System Coupling: 1
|
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Expressions |
Vector and scalar expressions |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Named expressions |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
External Python functions in expression definitions |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Settings with immutable real or integer single values |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Settings with mutable single values (currently only time step size) |
✓ |
✓ | |||
| Settings with mutable field values (currently only source-side data transfer variables) |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Supported Participants |
Ansys External Data file |
✓ | |||
| Electronics Desktop |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
CFX |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Fluent |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Forte |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Mechanical |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Mechanical Server5 |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
CFD Server5 |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Co-simulation Functional Mock-up Unit (FMU) participants |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
SCDT Server |
✓ |
✓ | |||
| Participant Dimension |
2D6 |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
3D |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Participant Setup |
Check for changes to participant input file3 |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Update participant after input file modifications3 |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Participant instancing3 |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Execution Controls |
Customizable solver input files |
✓ |
✓ | ||
| Automated definition of participant working directories relative to the co-simulation directory |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Additional command-line arguments for participant executable |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Region Topologies |
Surfaces |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Volumes |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Variable Properties |
Extensive and intensive variables |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Scalar and vector tensor types |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Real numbers |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Complex numbers |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Real and integer attributes |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Dimensionality |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Number of Participants |
Up to two participants in a single co-simulation |
✓ | |||
|
Up to 25 participants in a single co-simulation |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Analysis Types |
Steady coupled analyses |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Transient coupled analyses |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Mixed steady-transient coupled analyses |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Analysis Setup |
Step-based analyses with multiple iterations per coupling step (for implicit couplings) |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Set minimum and maximum number of iterations per step |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Iteration-based analyses3 |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Data model optimization for one-way workflows |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Export coupling setup from Workbench |
✓ | ||||
|
Interfaces |
Multiple regions per interface side3 |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Automatic detection of same interface sides for thin bodies3 |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Automatic rigid-body interface alignment for surface-to-surface mapping |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Geometry transformations for models with different orientations per interface side |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Cylindrical geometry instancing per interface side |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Data Transfers |
Suppression of data transfers |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Creation of data transfer groups |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Transfer Topologies |
Surface ⇔ Surface transfers |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Volume ⇔ Volume transfers |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Volume ⇔ 2D Surface transfers |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Single Scalar Value ⇔ Surface / Volume transfers (for FMU participants) |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Single Scalar Value ⇔ Single Scalar Value transfers (for FMU participants) |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Transfer Quantities 4 |
Convection Reference Temperature |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Electrical Conductivity |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Force |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Heat Rate |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Heat Transfer Coefficient |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Incremental Displacement |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Mode Shape |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Temperature |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Mapping |
Profile-preserving mapping algorithms |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Locally and globally conservative mapping algorithms |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Mapping controls per interface |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Supplemental Processing |
Convergence control per transfer, per interface |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Ramping per transfer, per interface |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Under-relaxation per transfer, per interface |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Quasi-Newton solution stabilization |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Participant Execution |
Automated startup/shutdown (including error handling) |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Participant solution sequence control3 |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Simultaneous participant solutions |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Participant update frequency controls3 |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Participant timeout connection interval |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
System Coupling Execution |
Creation/restoration of snapshots of the coupled analysis state |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Interactive solution commands |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Reconnection to running System Coupling session |
✓ | ||||
|
Execution of System Coupling setup exported from Workbench |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Project and design point updates via RSM |
✓ | ||||
|
Solve mode |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Mapping mode5 |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Restarts |
Coordinated restart point creation |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Restart points written per coupling step |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Restart points written per coupling iteration3 |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Coordinated restart point selection and automated restarts |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Parallel Processing |
Configurable, script-based submission to clusters |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
System Coupling run as distributed processes |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
System-defined and custom resource partitioning across participants running in parallel |
✓ |
✓ | |||
| Solver-specific HPC parallel arguments | ✓ | ✓ | |||
|
Charting |
Chart views:
|
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Data transfer convergence chart, per simulation |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Data transfer diagnostics chart, per quantity type |
✓ | ||||
|
Export charting data to .csv files, per coupling interface |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Collated participant convergence and monitors |
✓ | ||||
|
Transcripts & Log Files |
Dynamically generated coupled analysis Transcript and Log file |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | |
|
Runtime debug output |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Initial mesh, data transfer, and mapping diagnostics |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
System Coupling and participant wall-clock time summary |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Participant transcript output available for viewing |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
Postprocessing |
Surface and volume coupling output in EnSight Gold format |
✓ |
✓ | ||
|
Live EnSight postprocessing visualization during co-simulation |
✓ |
✓ | |||
|
1: For more information about Participant Library APIs, see the Multiphysics section of the Ansys API Documentation site. 2: This is a beta-level capability. For more information about beta functionality, see the System Coupling Beta Features documentation. 3: Use of this capability depends on support by coupling participants. For information on which participants support this feature, see Participant Support of System Coupling Capabilities. 4: For more information about supported data transfer quantities, see Participant Variables and Quantity Types Supported by System Coupling. 5: Mapping mode and server participants can be used only for one-way transfers of modal data between a Mechanical Server participant and a CFD Server participant in an aerodamping co-simulation. 6: The 2D participant defines x, y, plane coordinates and x, y, vector variables. However, System Coupling uses 3D coordinates internally. | |||||
For details about the System Coupling capabilities listed here, see the subsequent sections of this guide.