Chapter 2 provides an overview of simulation in the NI AWRDE with information about simulation basics. Chapters 3
through 8 describe individual simulators and provide details and tips on their use. Appendix A contains advanced analysis
topics.
1.1.1. Additional Documentation
The NI AWRDE includes the following additional documentation:
•
What's New in NI AWRDE 12? presents the new features, user interface, elements, system blocks, and measurements
for this release.
•
The AWR Design Environment Installation Guide (available on your Program Disk as install.pdf or downloadable
from the NI AWR website at www.ni.com/awr under Support) describes how to install the software and congure it
for locked or oating licensing options. It also provides licensing conguration troubleshooting tips.
•
The Getting Started Guide familiarizes you with the NI AWRDE through MWO, VSS, AO, Analyst, and Monolithic
Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) examples.
Microwave Ofce example projects show how to design and analyze simple linear, nonlinear, and EM circuits, and
how to create layouts. Visual System Simulator examples show how to design systems and perform simulations using
predened or customized transmitters and receivers. Analog Ofce examples show how to design circuits composed
of schematics and electromagnetic (EM) structures from an extensive electrical model set, and then generate physical
layouts of the designs. Analyst examples show how to create and simulate 3D EM structures from Microwave Ofce,
and MMIC examples show MMIC features and designs.
You can perform simulations using a number of simulators, and then display the output in a wide variety of graphical
forms based on your analysis needs. You can also tune or optimize the designs, and your changes are automatically
and immediately reected in the layout.
• The User Guide provides an overview of the NI AWRDE including chapters on the program user interface; using
schematics/system diagrams; data les; netlists; graphs, measurements, and output les; and variables and equations
in projects.
• The Dialog Box Reference provides a comprehensive reference of all NI AWRDE dialog boxes with dialog box
graphics, overviews, option details, and information on how to navigate to each dialog box.
• The Microwave Ofce Layout Guide contains information on creating and viewing layouts for schematics and EM
structures, including use of the Layout Manager, Layout Process File, artwork cell creation/editing/properties, Design
Rule Checking, and other topics.
• The Microwave Ofce Element Catalog provides complete reference information on the electrical element model
database that you use to build schematics.
• The VSS System Block Catalog provides complete reference information on all of the system blocks that you use to
build systems.
• The Microwave Ofce Measurement Catalog provides complete reference information on the "measurements"
(computed data such as gain, noise, power, or voltage) that you can choose as output for your simulations.
• The VSS Measurement Catalog provides complete reference information on the measurements you can choose as
output for your simulations.
• The VSS Modeling Guide contains information on simulation basics, RF modeling capabilities, and noise modeling.
• The API Scripting Guide explains the basic concepts of NI AWRDE scripting and provides coding examples. It also
provides information on the most useful objects, properties, and methods for creating scripts in the AWR Script
Development Environment (AWR SDE). In addition, this guide contains the NI AWRDE Component API list.
Simulation and Analysis Guide 1–3
About This Book