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Interacting with CAE Software
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ can interact with a wide range of other computer-aided engineering (CAE) software. This interaction includes import/export of mesh and solution data as well as coupling capabilities for multiphysics simulations.
Simcenter Amesim Co-Simulation
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows for two-way co-simulation with Simcenter Amesim, which is used for modeling dynamic systems.
Specifying Co-Simulation Settings in Simcenter Amesim
To couple Simcenter Amesim with Simcenter STAR-CCM+, you add a TCP element to the Simcenter Amesim system and you configure it to act as a server.

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Interacting with CAE Software
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ can interact with a wide range of other computer-aided engineering (CAE) software. This interaction includes import/export of mesh and solution data as well as coupling capabilities for multiphysics simulations.
- File Import and Export
  Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows you to import mesh and solution data from other CAE packages using files. You can also export such data from Simcenter STAR-CCM+ for use in external software.
- File-Based Coupling (through Imported CAE Model)
  File-based coupling is a method used to couple Simcenter STAR-CCM+ with another CAE code via external files stored in the computer memory.
- Rotor Blade Aeroelasticity
  Rotor Blade Aeroelasticity (RBA) simulations model the aerodynamic performance of elastic rotor blades using displacement and twist data from external files. You can create these data files in multi-body dynamics software such as RCAS, CAMRAD-II, DYMORE, and FLIGHTLAB. Typical RBA applications include urban air vehicle rotors, wind turbines, and helicopter rotors.
- Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to Simcenter STAR-CCM+ Co-Simulation
  Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows you to couple two running simulations together in a co-simulation analysis. The Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to Simcenter STAR-CCM+ co-simulation capability targets analyses involving conjugate heat transfer (CHT), fluid-structure interaction (FSI), and exchange of any scalar or vector fields across the coupled boundaries or regions.
- Simcenter Nastran Co-Simulation
  For fluid-structure interaction (FSI) analyses, you can couple Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and Simcenter Nastran in a co-simulation analysis.
- Simcenter Amesim Co-Simulation
  Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows for two-way co-simulation with Simcenter Amesim, which is used for modeling dynamic systems.
  - Specifying Co-Simulation Settings in Simcenter Amesim
    To couple Simcenter Amesim with Simcenter STAR-CCM+, you add a TCP element to the Simcenter Amesim system and you configure it to act as a server.
  - Specifying Co-Simulation Settings in Simcenter STAR-CCM+
    Set up the Simcenter STAR-CCM+ simulation for co-simulation with Simcenter Amesim.
  - Coupling Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to Simcenter Amesim
    Couple Simcenter STAR-CCM+ with Simcenter Amesim and run the co-simulation.
  - Simcenter Amesim Co-Simulation Model Reference
    The Simcenter Amesim Explicit Coupling model allows you to couple Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and Simcenter Amesim in a two-way co-simulation analysis.
- FMU Co-Simulation
  Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows you to import Functional Mock-up Unit (FMU) models for co-simulation. An FMU is a time-dependent model, typically representing a dynamic network, that is written according to the Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) standard. The FMI standard is a software-independent standard that provides an interface for coupling simulation software.
- Abaqus Co-Simulation
  The co-simulation technique can be used to solve complex fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems by coupling Abaqus and Simcenter STAR-CCM+. Mechanical and/or thermal fields can be exchanged across the fluid-structure interface.
- GT-SUITE Co-Simulation
  Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows for two-way co-simulation with GT-SUITE, a multiphysics simulation tool from Gamma Technologies. GT-SUITE provides a modeling framework for the design and analysis of engineering systems, such as engines, vehicles, and thermal-hydraulic networks.
- Reacting Channel Coupling
  The Reacting Channel Coupling feature provides the ability for exchange of data between three-dimensional Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and the one-dimensional Plug Flow Reactor which uses the CVODE solver. You can use the Reacting Channel co-simulation model in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to solve reacting flow simulations in tubular heat exchangers with channels that are long and thin.
- Generic Launcher
  Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides a generic launcher for external applications that allows you to launch any application or file at a specified time interval during a simulation.
- Co-Simulation API
  Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides an Application Programming Interface (API) that allows you to write partner code that exchanges data with a running Simcenter STAR-CCM+ simulation. As the partner code can be part of any other application that supports linking to a flat C library, the co-simulation API extends the range of co-simulation scenarios possible with Simcenter STAR-CCM+.
- Data Mappers
  In Simcenter STAR-CCM+, data mappers allow you to interpolate field data available either on a source mesh or on a source table to a target mesh representation, so that the mapped fields can be used for applying boundary or volume conditions on the target mesh.
- Coordinate Cell Clustering
  Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows you to group mesh cells into clusters, based on their position with respect to a specified coordinate system, and provides a field index for querying values based on cluster. You can create threshold reports based on these clusters of cells.

Specifying Co-Simulation Settings in Simcenter Amesim

To couple Simcenter Amesim with Simcenter STAR-CCM+, you add a TCP element to the Simcenter Amesim system and you configure it to act as a server.

Add a TCP element (the dynamic_cosim_socket element) to the Simcenter Amesim system, with the required number of input and output ports:

The number of ports at left option specifies the number of ports that export data to Simcenter STAR-CCM+. The number of ports at right option specifies the number of ports that import data from Simcenter STAR-CCM+. For example, if you want to transfer two scalar values from Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to Simcenter Amesim, and transfer three scalar values from Simcenter Amesim to Simcenter STAR-CCM+, you require a total of five ports on the TCP element: three ports on the left side and two ports on the right side.

Set the TCP element to act as a server. When the TCP element is set as a server, you can set the time-step for the Simcenter Amesim solver.

Click the PARAMETER tab.

The appropriate license for your Simcenter Amesim system is checked out.
Double-click the dynamic_cosim_socket element.
The Change Parameters dialog appears.
Set mode to server.
A new property, sample time, appears in the dialog.
Set sample time to the desired time-step for your case.
Click Close.

After configuring the TCP element to act as a server, you can modify the run parameters for the Simcenter Amesim solver. You can adjust the time-step and total time of the simulation. It is good practice to set the total run time of the Simcenter Amesim solver to a larger value than the total run time set in Simcenter STAR-CCM+. When coupled to Simcenter Amesim, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ keeps two steps of Simcenter Amesim data and interpolates between them.

Click the SIMULATION tab.

To set the run parameters:

Click Run Parameters.

In the Run Parameters dialog:
Set Start time to 0.
Set Final time to a value greater than the total simulation time in Simcenter STAR-CCM+.
This action is required to make sure that Simcenter Amesim does not finish solving before Simcenter STAR-CCM+, due to numerical precision issues.
Set Print interval to match the sample time-step that you set in the TCP element.
This property is used for post-processing in Simcenter Amesim.
Click OK.