The CAD Editor tab is used to import, process, and categorize geometries before assigning physical and electromagnetic properties.
Import (.IGES, .STEP, and .DXF files) and assign the appropriate Geometry Type to all geometries you want to in the model. Click Apply to add them to their respective Geometry Groups.
General Settings
Scale – Defines the physical size units for the incoming geometry.
If importing multiple geometry files that were exported in different scales, you must update the Scale parameter to the correct unit prior to importing each respective file.
Translation and Rotation – A linear translation is applied first, followed by rotations around the x-, y-, and z-axes in sequence, using the specified angles.
Geometry Type – Categorizes solids that the user wants to pass to geometrical tabs, e.g., Core, Coil, Bobbin, Other. Solids with an assigned type are transferred to the corresponding GEOMETRY tabs for further setup. Geometries with the “None” type are ignored.
Configure (Gear Icon) – Becomes active once a Geometry Type is assigned. Click this icon to access additional processing options for the specific geometry type, such as defining planar cuts for core geometries.
Toolbar Functions
Create – Opens a library of built-in scripts to generate specific, predefined geometric shapes (e.g., Toroid core with multi-turn winding) directly within the editor.
Import – Loads external CAD geometry files (.IGES, .STEP, and .DXF files) into the project.
DXF Import: When importing .dxf files, a secondary dialogue window will appear requesting a vertical offset and thickness. Adjusting these parameters allows for the rapid construction of stacked 3D geometries, which is highly useful for modeling planar or integrated magnetics.
Group – Links multiple geometries together (e.g., individual winding turns or split core pieces) so that uniform settings can be applied to them simultaneously.
For 3-phase windings, all phase windings must be in the same group. The software later assigns phases by location. For example, a configuration with 6 coils (2 per phase) should be grouped into one or two groups in total, depending on whether coils share identical settings.
Explode – Deconstructs a selected 3D solid geometry into its constituent 2D faces.
Extrude – Creates a 3D solid object by extruding a selected 2D face. This tool is particularly useful for extending terminals out to the boundaries of the air domain box.
Execution
Apply – Clicking this button transfers all processed geometries that have an assigned Geometry Type out of the CAD Editor and into their respective dedicated setup tabs (Core, Coil, Bobbin, and Other).
Further Reading
For detailed tutorials and best practices on handling geometries, please refer to the Importing CAD Geometries User Guide.