Our premium 3D and 2D multi-platform parallel capacitance field solver
FasterCap is a powerful three- and two-dimensional capactiance extraction program.Build upon state-of-the-art technology, overcoming the limitations of FastCap2, and able to handle lossy dielectrics, with automatic mesh refinement, error control, and out-of-core capabilities, FasterCap can handle huge geometrical models without resorting to any windowing technique, and therefore preserving the far-away interactions for maximum accuracy.
Out-of-Core capabilities are also greatly enhanced by the recent widespread availability of the new solid-state Hard-Disks with fast access times. Combined with the smart FasterCap algorithms that efficiently serialize the data for sequencial access, big amounts of fast virtual RAM are available for supporting huge simulations.
FasterCap improves the capabilities of the premium 'golden reference' FastCap2 software, while preserving the accuracy for which FastCap2 is renowed. For large simulations FasterCap is faster, requires less memory, and provides additional capabilities with respect to FastCap2.
FasterCap is available for MS Windows as well as for Linux 32 and 64bits operating systems, in binary and source formats, in our download section.
The following table shows a summary of FasterCap capabilities with respect to FastCap2:
| Software features | FastCap2 | FasterCap |
|---|---|---|
| 3D and 2D native simulation engine | No | Yes |
| Support of lossy dielectric mediums | No | Yes |
| Automatic mesh refinement | No | Yes |
| Handling of very large models (nulling FastCap2 64k panels limit) | No | Yes |
| Out-of-core capability | No | Yes |
| Speed-independency from non-uniform geometries in space | No | Yes |
| Hierarchical input files support | No | Yes |
| Charge density output for visualization in FasterModel | No | Yes |
| Multi-core parallel execution | No | Yes |
| Linear solution time with respect to the number of panels N | Yes | Yes |
| Support for arbitraty shaped dielectric interfaces | Yes | Yes |
| Support for triangular and quadrilateral input elements | Yes | Yes |
| Full Automation support, for solver control by remote programs | Yes | Yes |
| Input file syntax compatible with FastCap2 | N/A | Yes |
| Refined model output in FastCap2 compatible format | N/A | Yes |
In detail:
3D and 2D native simulation engine: FasterCap is able to handle 3D models as well as native 2D models for faster simulation where only the cross-section of the structure is of interest (e.g. transmission lines).
Support of lossy dielectric mediums: Specifying complex permittivity values, you can simulate the presence of lossy dielectrics.
Automatic mesh refinement : FasterCap can automatically refine the input geometry mesh until result convergence is reached, within a preset error threshold. Therefore, the user is free from the burden to provide more and more refined version of the input geometry to reach the requested accuracy of the results.
Handling of very large models, with improved speed and reduced memory requirements : FasterCap is able handle very large, non-homogeneous geometries, easily breaking the barrier of one million panels in the mesh. This is thanks to the capability to achieve the solution in a shorter time and with smaller memory requirements with respect to FastCap2.
Out-of-core capability : Memory requirement, more than solution time, is the bottleneck of modern field simulations, limiting the maximum addressable system dimension. To overcame the RAM memory limits, imposed by the cost / GB, FasterCap is able to go out-of-core, that is, to resort to the much larger storage capacity of the hard disk. Using smart algorithms for streamlining the data structure organization on the hard disk, FasterCap is able to efficiently make use of the mass memory support to run huge simulations in a convenient time tradeoff.
Speed-independency from non-uniform geometries in space : Thanks to the underlying data structures not requiring a uniform 3D partition of the model building box, as in most tree codes, the geometry can be highly non-uniform in space (the 'teapot in stadium' problem), without hampering the speed, the accuracy or the memory required to handle the model.
Hierarchical input files support : FasterCap extends the flexibility of the FastCap2 input files, to handle hierarchical input files. This capability allows to overcome the limit of two levels of hierarchy imposed by FastCap2. You can therefore define your geometry in a very structured way, with maximum reuse of the different items definition.
Charge density output for visualization in FastModel : The charge densities calculated for the set of conductors at each capacitance matrix column sweep can be output to a file, that can be loaded into FastModel for easy visualization.
Multi-core parallel execution: FasterCap leverages multi-core parallel execution capabilities of modern machines to run time-critical funcitons over multiple processor, for maximum speed gain.
Linear solution time with respect to the number of panels: The time needed to compute the self and mutual capacitances between the input set of conductors increases only linearly with the overall number of panels N. This feature is guaranteed by the O(N) complexity of the underlying algoritm, no matter the shape, orientation and size of the input geometries
Support for arbitraty shaped dielectric interfaces: FasterCap supports Dielectric regions composed of any number of constant-permittivity regions of any shape and size
Support for triangular and quadrilateral input elements: FasterCap supports the definition of the input geometry using either triangular or quadrilateral input elements, for maximum flexibility.
Full Automation support, for solver control by remote programs : Full automation support allows to fully control FasterCap from other programs, either in foreground or in background, using a standard interface. Thanks to this capability, FasterCap can be used as an embedded engine in your application, in a fast and smart way.
Input file syntax compatible with FastCap2 : FasterCap is 100% compatible with FastCap2 generic file format, thus preserving your existing import/export interfaces.
Refined model output in FastCap2 compatible format : FasterCap optionally can dump in FastCap2-compatible file a copy of the final refined mesh, thus enabling you to use FasterCap as a tool to refine the input geometry, and to run the same simulation in FastCap2. This allows a straightforward benchmarking between the two solvers.