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User Interface
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides a Graphical User Interface generally known as the client workspace. This interface appears when you launch Simcenter STAR-CCM+ interactively.
Working with User Code
User code allows Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to be customized with functions written in a compiled language such as C, C++ or Fortran.

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User Interface
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides a Graphical User Interface generally known as the client workspace. This interface appears when you launch Simcenter STAR-CCM+ interactively.
- Using the Simcenter STAR-CCM+ Workspace
  This chapter shows you how to use the various components of Simcenter STAR-CCM+, with a focus on the user interface.
- What Are the Important Concepts?
  This section presents the key concepts you come across when using Simcenter STAR-CCM+.
- Working with Simulation Objects
  Objects are the key components of Simcenter STAR-CCM+. They represent various aspects of a simulation and have properties that you can set as required for your particular problem.
- Automation
  The Automation node provides easy access to a number of frequently used automated processes.
- Expressions
  In Simcenter STAR-CCM+, you can define property values using expressions, which you write using a function language that is a subset of the C programming language. Expressions can define mathematical expressions or perform other operations, such as interpolating tabular data from XY tables in the simulation.
- Global Parameters
  Global parameters include scalar and vector physical quantities (for example, 120.0 K or [0.0, 1.0, 0.0] m) that can be defined once and used in multiple objects. Another type of global parameter is a file, currently used for the Replace Parts operation in Geometry > Operations and in Design Manager.
- Field Functions
  Field functions allow you to access fields (scalar or vector data that are evaluated at cells, vertices, or boundary faces) in Simcenter STAR-CCM+. You can use field functions to visualize the computed fields, to specify boundary and region values, or to define initial conditions.
- Engineering Units
  Simcenter STAR-CCM+ has flexible and customizable support for engineering units. The standard SI and USCS systems are built in, and you can add new units as desired. Physical quantities can be specified and displayed in any of these units. Individual quantities can be specified with new units on the fly by simply typing something like “80 mph”.
- Simulation Operations
  Simulation operations allow you to automate the solution processes in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ without using Java macros. Condition and loop operations provide the basic logic control common to many programming languages.
- Staged Physics
  In Simcenter STAR-CCM+, staged physics allows you to store multiple configurations of physics settings and apply them in sequence during a simulation. Simulation operations provide the framework in which physics stages are applied.
- Working with Volume Shapes
  A volume shape is a closed geometric figure that can be shaped as a block, cone, cylinder, or sphere.
- Simulation Guide
  The simulation guide is a single embedded document that you can edit within a simulation file. This document can contain formatted text, tables, images, and hyperlinks to nodes in the Simcenter STAR-CCM+ object tree or external web resources.
- Template Simulation Files
  Template simulation files allow you to define pre-configured setups for use in new simulations. When used in conjunction with query-based selection, template files present a powerful technique for automating repeat analyses on similar geometries.
- Scripting the Application
  Scripting allows you to work more efficiently by automating repetitive tasks.
- Working with User Code
  User code allows Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to be customized with functions written in a compiled language such as C, C++ or Fortran.
  - What Are User Libraries?
    User libraries are shared-object libraries (files with the platform-dependent extension .so, .sl or .dll) containing one or more user functions and a library registration function.
  - Working With User Functions
    User functions are functions or subroutines that are written in a compiled language such as C, C++ or Fortran.
  - Creating a New User Library
    This section provides information about creating a user library on Linux or Windows.
  - Accessing a User Library
    This section describes how to load or reload a user library in a Simcenter STAR-CCM+ simulation.
  - User Function Interface Reference (C)
    This section introduces the interface between Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and C user functions.
  - Fortran User Interface Reference
    This section introduces the interface between Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and Fortran user functions.
  - Variables Available to User Functions
    This section introduces the variables that are available to user functions.
  - User Code Examples
    This section provides some examples of user functions.
  - Using User Code on Particles and Parcels
    This section gives examples of cases where user coding applies to particles and parcels in multiphase modeling.
- Working with the Plugins Manager
  The Plugins Manager makes it possible to install and manage NetBeans modules for Simcenter STAR-CCM+.
- Simulation Assistants
  A Simulation Assistant provides a visual workflow within the Simcenter STAR-CCM+ user interface (UI).
- Wizard Guide
  This part of the documentation illustrates how Simcenter STAR-CCM+ is used for special application tools and projects.

Working with User Code

User code allows Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to be customized with functions written in a compiled language such as C, C++ or Fortran.

User code takes the form of one or more user libraries that are attached to Simcenter STAR-CCM+, each of which contains one or more user functions and a library registration function. When a user library has been attached, its user functions are available for use and are provided in drop-down lists for any operation that needs them. You can use these functions to specify values on a region or a boundary, initialization, and visualization.

User functions can only be accessed on a part if the data used to define the user function exists on that part. For the data to exist, it must be allocated on the specific part and must have been initialized.

You can view the status of the user code where the currently attached user libraries are shown, under the Tools > User Code node.

The User Code node, which has a pop-up menu, is the manager object for all user code libraries that have been saved in the simulation.

The pop-up menu has the following option:

New User Library: Executes the create user library action and adds a user code library to the User Code node.

It exists even when empty to allow creation of the first user code library. The user code manager can hold any number of user code libraries up to the memory limits of the computer.

User functions and library registration functions can be coded in any language, as long as that language is able to bind like C functions or Fortran subroutines. For convenience, the C language interface and the Fortran language interface are documented separately, although conceptually they are identical. Functions in other languages should follow one of these interfaces. A list of the variables available from Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and some examples of user code are also provided.

FORTRAN is not supported on Windows.