IE3D vs Microwave Office

Hello team,

I would like to know the feature differences between Microwave Office of AWR and IE3D. Could someone please throw some light on the same.
Also, how are Visual System Simulator (VSS), Analog Office, AXIEM, and APLAC of AWR different from IE3D?

Thanks and regards,
Ravi

Framework with schematic, layout, model based circuit simulation and a choice of different planar EM simulators

EM simulation only. No schematic, no layout, no circuit model based simulation

VSS is the system level simution tool inside the MWO framework. APLAC is another circuit model based simulation engine from AWR (it used to be a stand alone tool from a company called APLAC). AXIEM is a planar 3D EM simulator inside the MWO framework, and has some similarities with IE3D and Agilent Momentum (Method of Moments, open boundary, gridless).

All these are very different tools for different applications.

Is IE3D a free-space simulator, or stil layered one?

Does it support microstrip normalized/non-normalized input ports? (it's a problem in HFSS)

Any support of ferrites, anisotropic μ (or even ε)? (HFSS can, but still can't solve magnetostatic modes, it's OK, actually, but lower mode EM simulation in magnetics is essential)

You seem to misunderstand some important EM concepts.

What problem are you trying to solve?

planar structures/antennas with some surface mounted elements, holes and dielectric/ferrite inclusions in substrate (so they come to be not so planar after all)
Basically two-port based, for attachment to microstrip circuits.

So, I need ferrite-enabled detailed 3D EM field distribution simulation, port transfer parameters simulation. I use HFSS now, but there are some complicities with parameters extraction and port setup/matching (due to rectangular WG-port model).
So, I thought that there could be more appropriate software than HFSS. I don't need equivalent/lumped element circuit builders and simulations. I better import my own CAD meshes.

Interesting - your requirement has a little bit of everything, and I am not sure which solver would be best.
With the dielectric/ferrite inclusion, it sounds like 3D volume meshing might be the best choice indeed.

To my knowledge, the only "planar" solvers that can handle dielectric/ferrite inclusion is Sonnet. IE3D can do metal with non-planar orientation, but AFAIK it cannot do dielectric/ferrite inclusion.

As for the port issue, I agree that the planar solvers ports are more intuitive, but I would not give up on HFSS yet. The wave ports are more difficult to use than planar solver ports, but you should be able to get some useful results from HFSS, too.

Great thanks for answer :)