What is CST Studio Suite?

CST Studio Suite is one of several software available in the SIMULIA software suite. SIMULIA makes virtual testing a standard business practice the improves product performance, reduces physical prototyping, and drives innovation. Unlike its competitors, CST Studio Suite is a complete technology using a single user interface to give access to multiple solvers, crucially including the robust and multifunctional Time Domain Solver, as detailed below.

What is CST Studio Suite Used For?

CST Studio Suite’s electromagnetic and multiphysics solvers provide for a broad range of industry applications: from 5G MIMO antenna array design, to MRI and implant safety in life sciences. CST Studio Suite is vital to understanding the ways in which electromagnetic components will behave when your products are out in the real world – before you even consider costly, physical prototyping.

CST Studio Suite users have access to the most robust simulation solvers applying methods such as Time Domain Solver and Frequency Solver. CST Electromagnetic solvers are divided into disciplines: High Frequency, Low Frequency, Multiphysics, Particles, and EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) & EDA (Electronic Design Automation).

Which Solvers Are Included in CST Studio Suite?

CST Studio Suite includes a comprehensive range of electromagnetic and multiphysics solvers. Below you’ll find a list of the most frequently used solvers, including their most common applications.

High Frequency

Time Domain

• Powerful and versatile 3D full-wave solver with both FIT (Finite Integration Technique) and TLM (Transition Line Matrix) implementations. Capable of performing broadband simulations in a single run. Suitable for extremely large, complex and detailed simulations.
• Applications include general high-frequency, transient effects, and 3D electronics.

Frequency Domain

• Powerful multi-purpose 3D full-wave solver based on the FEM (Finite Element Method). Capable of simulating many component types simultaneously and includes an MOR (Model-Order Reduction) feature for accelerating the simulation of resonant structures.
• Applications include general high-frequency simulation in small-to-medium sized models, resonant structures, multi-port systems and 3D electronics.

Hybrid Solver Task

• Enables linking of Time Domain, Frequency Domain, Integral Equation, and Asymptotic Solvers for hybrid simulation. Capable of processing projects with very wide frequency bands, or electrically large structures with very fine details. Includes bidirectional links between solvers for more accurate simulation.
• Applications include small antennas on very large structures, EMC simulation, and human body simulation in complex environments.

Asymptotic

• Ray-tracing solver based on the SBR (Shooting Bouncing Ray) method. Capable of handling simulations with an electric size of many thousands of wavelengths.
• Applications include electrically very large structures, installed performance of antennas scattering analysis.

Eigenmode

• 3D solver based on the AKS (Advanced Krylov Subspace) method and the JDM (Jacob-Davidson) method. For use with highly resonant filter structures, high-Q particle accelerator cavities and slow wave structures.
• Applications include filters, cavities, metamaterials and periodic structures.

Filter Designer 3D

• Synthesis tool for designing bandpass and diplexer filters which enables the realization of the 3D filter through Assembly Modeling.
• Applications include cross-coupled filters for various electromagnetic technologies, and assistive tuning for filter hardware.

Integral Equation

• 3D full-wave solver based on the MOM (Methods of Movement) technique with MLFMM (Multilevel Fast Multipole Method). Capable of simulating large models with lots of empty space highly efficiently and includes a CMA (Characteristic Mode Analysis) feature which calculates the modes supported by a structure.
• Applications include electrically large models, installed performance, and characteristic mode analysis.

Multilayer

• 3D full-wave solver based on the MOM (Methods of Movement) technique. Capable of simulating planar microwave structures.
• Applications include MMIC, feeding networks and planar antennas.

Low Frequency

Electrostatic

• 3D Solver for simulating static electronic fields. Suitable for applications where electric charge of capacitance is important.
• Applications include sensors and touchscreens, power equipment, charged particle devices, and x-ray tubes.

Stationary Current

• 3D Solver for simulating the flow of DC currents through a device. Especially with lossy components.
• Applications include high-power equipment, electrical machines, and PCB power distribution networks.

Magnetostatic

• 3D Solver for simulating static magnetic fields. Capable of simulating magnets, sensors and electrical machines where the transient effects and eddy currents are not critical.
• Applications include sensors, motors, generators, and particle beam focusing magnets.

Low Frequency – Frequency Domain

• 3D Solver for simulating time-harmonic behavior in low frequency systems. Capable of performing in MQS (Magneto-Quasistatic), EQS (Electro-Quasistatic) and Fullwave implementations.
• Applications include sensors and NDS (Non-Destructive Testing), RFID and wireless power transfer, and power engineering.

Low Frequency – Time Domain

• 3D Solver for simulating transient behavior in low frequency systems. Capable of performing in MQS (Magneto-Quasistatic) and EQS (Electro-Quasistatic) implementations.
• Applications include electrical machines and transformers, electromechanical, and power engineering.

Multiphysics

Thermal Steady State Solver

• Capable of predicting temperature distribution in a steady-state system and the resulting impact on electromagnetic performance. Links seamlessly with electromagnetic solvers.
• Applications include high-power electronics components and devices, medical devices and bio-heating.

Thermal Transient Solver

• Capable of predicting time-varying temperature response of a system and the resulting impact on electromagnetic performance.
• Applications include high-power electronics components and devices, medical devices and bio-heating.

Conjugate Heat Transfer Solver

• Capable of predicting fluid flow and temperature distribution in a system using CFD (Computation Fluid Dynamics).
• Applications include electronics cooling.

Mechanical Solver

• Capable of predicting mechanical stress and deformation of structures caused by electromagnetic forces and thermal expression. Design for use with EM and Thermal solvers.
• Applications include filter detuning, PCB deformation, and Lorentz forces on particle accelerators.

Particles

Particle-in-Cell

• Particle tracking simulation method for calculating both trajectory and electromagnetic fields in the time-domain.
• Applications include accelerator components, slow-wave devices, and multipaction.

Particle Tracking

• 3D Solver for simulating particle trajectories through electromagnetic fields. Includes several emission models: fixed, space charge limited, thermionic, and field emission.
• Applications include particle sources, focusing and beam steering magnets, and accelerator components.

Wakefield

• The Wakefield solver is used for calculating fields around a particle beam.
• Applications include cavities, collimators, and beam position monitors.

EMC & EDA

PCB Solvers

• PCBs and Packages module for SI (Signal Integrity), PI (Power Integrity), and EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) analysis on PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards).
• Integrates easily with EDA design flow using popular layout tools from Cadence, Zuken, and Altium.
• CST Studio Suite includes three solver types for PCB Solvers:
  • 2D Transmission Line method
  • 3D PEEC (Partial Element Equivalent Circuit)
  • 3D FEFD (Finite-Element Frequency-Domain)
• Applications include high-speed PCBs, packages, and power electronics.

Rule Check

• EMC, (Electromagnetic Compatibility), SI (Signal Integrity), and PI (Power Integrity) design rule checking tool for automating EMC and SI design rule examination.
• Applications include EMC, SI and PI design rule checking.

Cable Harness Solver

• 3D analysis of SI (Signal Integrity), CE (Conducted Emission), RE (Radiated Emission), and EMS (Electromagnetic Susceptibility of complex cable structures in electrically large systems.
• Applications include general SI (Systems Integrity) and EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility), cable harness layout in vehicles and aircraft, and hybrid cables in consumer electronics.

What Data Exchange Options Are Available in CST Studio Suite?

CST Studio Suite’s workflow integration provides dependable data exchange solutions that help decrease your team’s workload.

The CAD and EDA data import capabilities of CST Studio Suite are well-known. The advanced healing processes that restore the integrity of flawed or non-compliant data are especially significant since even a single corrupted element might block the entire component from being used.

Due to the bidirectional interface between CAD and simulation, fully parametrized models can be imported, and design changes are quickly reflected in the simulation model. This ensures that optimization and parametric design study findings can easily be imported back into the master model. This increases workflow integration and cuts down on design optimization time and effort.

Supported CAD formats: CATIA, Solidworks, STEP, ACIS SAT/SAB, PTC Creo, Siemens NX, Parasolid, Solid Edge, Inventor, Keysight ADS, Conventor Ware, Sonnet, IGES, VDAFS, STL, Object File, Voxel Data, Mecadtron, Microstripes, NASTRAN, ANSYS HFSS, DXF, GDSII, GERBER (single, multilayer)

Supported EDA formats: Keysight ADS, Altium, ODB++, CADENCE Allegro, Mentor Graphics, SimLab, Zuken

What Optimization Options Are Available in CST Studio Suite?

CST Studio Suite’s automatic optimization routines enables users to study the behavior of electromagnetic systems and devices as properties undergo changes. With both local and global automatic optimization algorithms, CST Studio Suite can provide fast convergence with a risk to converging on a local minimum (local). Or search an entire problem space (global), requiring many more calculations but providing a comprehensive analysis.

CST Studio Suite Optimizers include:

CMA-ES (Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolutionary)

• The most advanced global optimizer with fast convergence. Capable of “remembering” previous iterations, improving algorithmic performance while avoiding local optimums.
• Suitable for general optimization, especially complex problem domains.

TRF (Trust Region Framework)

• The most robust optimization algorithm, and a powerful local optimizer which builds a linear model on primary data in a “trust” region around the starting point.
• Suitable for general optimization, especially on models with sensitivity information.

Genetic Algorithm

• Uses random parameter generation to refine optimizations through iterative, “natural selection.”
• Suitable for complex problem domains and models with many parameters.

Particle Swarm Optimization

• A global optimizer which treats points in parameter space as moving particles. It refines positioning according to best known position as well as the entire swarm position.
• Suitable for models with many parameters.

Nelder Mead Simplex Algorithm

• A local optimizer using multiple points distributed across parameter space. This optimizer is less dependent on the starting point than most other local optimizers.
• Suitable for complex problem domains with few parameters, and systems without a good initial model.

Interpolated Quasi Newton

• A fast-converging, local optimizer using interpolation to approximate the gradient of the parameter space.
• Suitable for computationally demanding models.

Classic Powell

• A simple, robust local optimizer for single-parameter problems which is generally slower than Quasi-Newton but can yield more accurate results.
• Suitable for single-variable optimization.

Decap Optimization

• A specialized optimizer for PCB (Printed Circuit Board) design which calculates the most effective placing of decoupling capacitors using the Pareto front method. Used to minimize the number of capacitors while maintaining the required impedance curve.
• Suitable for PCD layout design.

In Our Experience…

If you need to enhance computing efficiency for certain complicated, multi-component systems, or to account for structural and thermal constraints, certain assemblies may require numerous solvers. CST Studio Suite is capable of performing co-simulations (multiple complex simulations) and running analyses at once.

CST Studio Suite offers a single user interface for multisolver and multiphysics simulation using System Assembly and Modeling (SAM). Engineers can quickly acquire a deeper understanding of component performance by testing designs in complicated scenarios at optimal solver speed, incorporating numerous parameters, before components enter the manufacturing phase of development.