Tool Coupling scenario with result file

When the Tool coupling scenario with result file checkbox is selected at the first step of the Export Assistant, the exported FMU behaves according to the “Tool coupling scenario”, and the Simcenter Amesim model result file is created during co-simulation in the importing environment.

It is then possible to:

• follow the progress of co-simulation in Simcenter Amesim during a long co-simulation, for example when importing the FMU into a CFD simulation software;

• post-process all the variables of the original model directly in Simcenter Amesim. All the usual post-processing tools of Simcenter Amesim are available: plots, animations, dashboards (no interactive mode).

To enable this feature, certain conditions must be respected:

• This feature is only available when co-simulation is selected;

• This feature is not compatible with the “FMU for real-time” option. Only FMUs targeting the native platforms (Windows or Linux, 64-bit) can create a result file;

• The original Simcenter Amesim model must be present and open in order to simulate the FMU in the importing environment.

If the Simcenter Amesim model used to create the FMU is not present and open in its original directory, the result file cannot be created, and an error message is displayed in the FMI importing environment (“tool coupling is required but directory does not contain an opened model”).

However, it is possible to move the model and to open it in a different directory, for example if the FMU and the model are moved from one computer to another. A parameter called

run_parameters.amemodelpath

is present and visible in the FMU model description, and thus it can be changed by the FMI importing tool to set the absolute path to the directory containing the opened

Simcenter Amesim

model. This parameter must be set during the FMI initialization phase, if the importing tool makes it possible to change the value of parameters.

Warning

As described above, this tool coupling scenario is interesting for fine-tuning and/or debugging purposes, as it allows you to check that everything runs correctly via the

Simcenter Amesim

graphical user interface (GUI), through the generation of a

Simcenter Amesim

result file. This is particularly helpful if the FMI importing tool has limited post-processing capabilities. However due to the design of the FMI C API:

• The only way to change an FMU's exposed parameters is through the importing tool's interface. Moreover, if you change a parameter that is not exposed by the FMU through the Simcenter Amesim GUI, this change is not reflected in the FMI interface unless the FMU is regenerated and re-imported (“refreshed”).

• This option assumes that Simcenter Amesim or Simcenter Amesim Run and a suitable runtime license are installed and available on the execution machine. If this is not the case, you should use installation-free or even standalone FMUs.