This document summerizes new features, bug fixes and known issues for each
SIMTRA release.
version 2.2 (Dec. 18, 2018)
==============================
1. New features and/or changes
--------------------------------
- "Move group" under the menu "Object" allows the positioning of a group of
objects
- "Movement" under the menu "View" allows to define all kind of movements,
like translations and rotations or complex combinations, of the objects as
they
are moving in time.
A series of simulations will be generated to describe a time slab where this
movement
of the objects with a given resolution is simulated.
2. Known issues
-----------------
- SiMTra manual is not update since previous version
version 2.1.1 (Feb. 18, 2016)
==============================
1. New features and/or changes
--------------------------------
- added option to autosave data after every certain amount of particles
- the direction of particle incidence onto surfaces is saved in the
particledata.txt file when the box "save individual particles" is
checked. nvec_x, nvec_y and nvec_z are the vector components with
respect to the global reference frame. nvec_a, nvec_b, nvec_c are the
components with respect to the local surface reference frame.
- the output files of each surface are now saved in subfolders and are
ordened per object:
...\outputfolder\deposition<OBJECT_TYPE>\object_name\surface_name\
where <OBJECT_TYPE> is either "DummyObject", "Magnetron" or "Chamber"
- graphical change: surfaces and objects are now shown in a single list
using a treeview menu.
- updated user manual, but still work in (sloooow) progress... :-)
2. Critical bug fixes:
------------------------
- when trying to save an input file without a magnetron and/or
vacuum chamber, the program doesn't crash anymore, but will kindly
ask you to do define a chamber and/or a magnetron.
- when starting a simulation without explicitly giving an output
folder, simtra will ask you to browse to one, instead of crashing.
- fixed issue regarding setting the number of the target surface in
case of a cylindrical surface (see known issues of previous
release)
- fixed memory leak when simulating a large number of particles. The
number of particles that can be simulated should no longer limited
to 1e7
3. Minor bug fixes:
--------------------
- Vacuum Chamber Window:
o Default values are filled out when selecting a chamber shape
o Correct labels are shown when 'save deposition on walls' is
checked
o Added option to change the random number seed. Same seed with
same input will always give identical simulation results.
- Object Configuration Window:
o Added color to N1 and N2 labels for clarification
o (x,y,z) position of objects, pressure and temperature are now
automatically saved when pressing "start sim" button
- Object / Magnetron Design Window:
o Correct labels are shown when selecting a perforated plane
o Dimension check for perforated planes is now done correctly
o Default values are filled out for Transport description when
adding a magnetron
- General:
o Particle data is now only saved when it's specifically asked
o Removed byte order marker from output files. No longer
necessary to ignore first character when importing output files
in for example Matlab
4. Known issues
-----------------
None at the moment, but feel free to report any :)
version 2.1.1-beta (Oct. 6, 2015)
===================================
This is the first SIMTRA update since its release in 2009. The most
prominent change is the major overhaul of the graphical user interface
(GUI). This should allow the user to more easily configure his or her
experimental setup.
1. GUI Layout
---------------
The GUI consists of two parts:
1. The Main window, with three subwindows:
a) an Object Configuration window
b) an Overview window
c) a Setup visualisation window
2. The Designer window, with two or three subwindows:
a) Object Geometry
b) Object Visualisation
c) Target & Transport Settings (only visible when creating a
magnetron object)
More info on the different windows can be found in the user manual.
2. Camera control
-------------------
The camera in the Visualisation windows can be controlled as follows:
- ZOOM IN/OUT: either using the mousewheel, the numpad + and - keys or
the "page up" and "page down" keys
- ZQSD or WASD: move the camera up/left/down/right
- Left-click mouse, hold and drag: rotate the view
- Right-click mouse > reset view: resets the camera to the default
- Right-click mouse > Camera up > X,Y,Z: select which axis should point
upwards
3. Output data
----------------
- The concept of "Detector" from the previous release has been removed.
Each surface can now act as a "detector" by checking the box "save
individual particle data". For more info, check the user manual
- The names of the output files have been slightly altered: instead of
just containing the surface number, the object name and the surface
name are included as well. Again, check the manual for more info.
4. New option for defining racetracks
---------------------------------------
- a racetrack can now be defined using an (inverted) profilometry file.
The file should be an M x N matrix containing values >= 0. Resolution
along the columns and rows have to be given in the GUI. NOTE: THIS
FEATURE STILL NEEDS EXTENSIVE TESTING!
5. Known Issues
-----------------
- the program crashes when trying to save an inputfile without having
defined a vacuumchamber or a magnetron. Workaround: don't try to save
an input file without a vacuumchamber or a magnetron :)
- the program crashes when trying to run a new simulation without
explicitly giving an output folder. Possible workarounds:
a) save the file first using SAVE AS (not just SAVE, this will crash it
as well), then start the simulation
b) enter an output folder (you will still be prompted for a filename
when starting the simulation)
- When creating a magnetron, in the Target & Transport settings:
When setting the "Racetrack on surface number" value to a number which
corresponds to a cylindrical surface, an offset t0 is autoset to half
the length of the cylinder. This is not a bug, however, when changing
this value back to a different surface, the offset is not
reset to 0.
Workaround: immediately set the "Racetrack on surface number" to the
correct value. Or manually edit the input file and reload it into the
gui.
