computer science

Simcenter Amesim

Simcenter Amesim is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Simcenter Amesim rather than just read about it. In short: Simcenter Amesim is a commercial simulation software for the modeling and analysis of multi-domain systems. It is part of systems engineering domain and falls into the mechatronic engineering field.

Key takeaways

Simcenter Amesim belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Simcenter Amesim to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Simcenter Amesim from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Simcenter Amesim is a commercial simulation software for the modeling and analysis of multi-domain systems. It is part of systems engineering domain and falls into the mechatronic engineering field. The software package is a suite of tools used to model, analyze and predict the performance of mechatronics systems. Models are described using nonlinear time-dependent analytical equations that represent the system's hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, electric or mechanical behavior. Compared to 3D CAE modeling this approach gives the capability to simulate the behavior of systems before detailed CAD geometry is available, hence it is used earlier in the system design cycle or V-Model. To create a simulation model for a system, a set of libraries is used. These contain pre-defined components for different physical domains. The icons in the system have to be connected and for this purpose each icon has ports, which have several inputs and outputs. Causality is enforced by linking the inputs of one icon to the outputs of another icon (and vice versa). Simcenter Amesim libraries are written in C language, Python and also support Modelica, which is a non-proprietary, object-oriented, equation based language to model complex physical systems containing, e.g., mechanical, electrical, electronic, hydraulic, thermal, control, electric power or process-oriented subcomponents. The software runs on Linux and on Windows platforms. Simcenter Amesim is a part of the Siemens Digital Industries Software Simcenter portfolio. This combines 1D simulation, 3D CAE and physical testing with intelligent reporting and data analytics. This portfolio is intended for development of complex products that include smart systems, through implementing a Predictive Engineering Analytics approach.

History The Simcenter Amesim software was developed by Imagine S.A., a company which was acquired in June 2007 by LMS International, which itself was acquired in November 2012 by Siemens AG. The Imagine S.A. company was created in 1987 by Dr Michel Lebrun from the University Claude Bernard in France, to control complex dynamic systems coupling hydraulic servo-actuators with finite-elements mechanical structures. The initial engineering project involved the deck elevation of the sinking Ekofisk North Sea petroleum platforms. In the early 1990s the association with Pr C. W. Richards, coming from the University of Bath in England, led to the first commercial release of Simcenter Amesim in 1995 which was then dedicated to fluid control systems. Simcenter Amesim is used by companies in the automotive, aerospace and other advanced manufacturing industries.

Usage Simcenter Amesim is a multi-domain software that supports modeling a variety of physics domains (hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanic, electrical, thermal, electromechanical). It is based on the Bond graph theory. Under the Windows platform, Simcenter Amesim works with the free Gcc compiler, which is provided with the software. It also works with the Microsoft Visual C++ compiler and its free Express edition. Since the version 4.3.0 Simcenter Amesim uses the Intel compiler on all platforms.

Platform facilities Simcenter Amesim features:

Platform Facilities graphical user interface, interactive help, supercomponents, post-processed variables, experiments management, meta-data, statechart designer Analysis Tools table editor, plots, dashboard, 3D animation, replay of results, linear analysis (eigenvalues, modal shapes, transfer functions, root locus), activity index, power and energy computation Optimization, Robustness, DOE Design Of Experiments, optimization, Monte-Carlo Solvers and Numerics LSODA, DASSL, DASKR, fixed-step solvers, discrete partitioning, parallel processing, Simcenter Amesim/Simcenter Amesim cosimulations Software Interfaces generic co-simulation (to be used to co-simulate with any software coupled to Simcenter Amesim), functional mock-up interface (export) MIL/SIL/HIL and Real-Time plant/control, various real-time targets Simulator Scripting scripting functions to pilot the simulations from Microsoft Excel, MATLAB, Scilab, Python, and support for C and Python development and reverse-engineering script generation from a model Customization own customized pre and post-processing tools with python, script caller assistant, editor of parameters group, app designer Modelica Platform support of the Modelica modeling language 1D/3D CAE CAD Import, CFD software co-simulation, FEA import of reduced modal basis with pre-defined frontier nodes, MBS software cosimulation and import/export Development Users can develop submodels from different standard submodels (supercomponent) using Component Customization functionality or by programming them in C or in Fortran with the Submodel Editor.

Physical libraries Physical libraries from which models can be built include control, electrical networks, mechanical, fluid, thermodynamic, IC engine, and aerospace and defense libraries.

Education and research Simcenter Amesim is used by engineering schools and universities. It is also the reference framework for various research projects in Europe.

Release history

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Simcenter Amesim

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Simcenter Amesim claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Simcenter Amesim before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Simcenter Amesim ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Simcenter Amesim

In research: Simcenter Amesim appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Simcenter Amesim in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Simcenter Amesim is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer-aided engineering, Fortran, Numerical software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Simcenter Amesim outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Simcenter Amesim in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Simcenter Amesim means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Simcenter Amesim out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Simcenter Amesim in simple terms?

Simcenter Amesim is a commercial simulation software for the modeling and analysis of multi-domain systems. It is part of systems engineering domain and falls into the mechatronic engineering field.

Why does Simcenter Amesim matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Simcenter Amesim?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Simcenter Amesim.