What are mesh settings and how do they affect simulation accuracy?
Before the electromagnetic calculations can be performed, the simulation model needs to be translated into a representation that the solver can use. The simulation volume is discretized, subdivided into small parts – mesh elements or mesh cells on which Maxwell’s equations are to be solved. This space discretization is the mesh setup. The mesh needs to be detailed enough to correctly represent the geometry of the simulation model. However, the mesh also needs to be detailed enough to correctly represent the electromagnetic field variations in the simulation model.
Using more mesh elements increases the computational time as well as the memory usage. In a time domain simulation with a hexahedral mesh, typically, the memory usage increases linearly with the number of mesh cells. For a frequency domain simulation with a tetrahedral mesh, typically, the memory usage increases quadratically with the number of mesh cells.
The challenge is to achieve simulation results that are accurate enough for your application without exceeding the amount of RAM in your computer in the shortest amount of time.