Table of Contents

Table of Contents

  • Part I: The Modelica Language

    • 1. Introduction

    This chapter describes what the Modelica languages is, why it was developed and what it can be used for.

    2. Differential Equations

    This chapter shows how simple models can be developed as systems of ordinary differential equations. The basic capabilities are demonstrated using mechanical, electrical and hydraulic examples.

    3. Building and Connecting Components

    Building on Modelica's basic capabilities, this chapter shows how reusable component models can be created and connected.

    4. Enabling Reuse

    This chapter highlights the features in the Modelica language which promote reuse in large-scale modeling and simulation projects.

    5. Functions

    It is possible to define algorithmic behavior in Modelica and this chapter shows several examples of how this is accomplished.

    6. Using Arrays

    Arrays are an important part of many modeling domains. This chapter shows Modelica's wide range of array oriented capabilities.

    7. Hybrid Models

    For most sophisticated modeling problems, it is not sufficient to only consider continuous behavior. This chapter introduces features used to model discrete behavior. In particular, many of the examples in this chapter help illustrate the important differences between continuous sensor models and discrete sensor models. These differences can result in significantly different performance in control systems.

    8. Exploring Nonlinear Behavior

    Non-linearities can introduce many modeling difficulties. This chapter shows many common non-linearities and demonstrates the various Modelica features that can be used to deal with them.

    9. Miscellaneous

    In order to support large scale modeling projects, Modelica includes many features that are not directly related to describing model behavior. Instead, these features focus on making models easily understood and maintained. Chapter 9 discusses some of these features in detail.

  • Part II: Effective Modelica

    • 10. Multi-Domain Modeling

    This chapter presents several examples, included in the companion CD-ROM, which include models from several engineering domains.

    11. Block Diagrams vs. Acausal Modeling

    Block modeling is a common and popular approach to modeling. This chapter highlights some of the important differences between block diagrams and acausal models.

    12. Building Libraries

    This chapter explains how component libraries can be created so that models can be organized and shared with other modelers.

    13. Initial Conditions

    Finding the desired initial conditions for a model can be challenging. This chapter discusses what can be done at the model level to make finding initial conditions easier.

    14. Efficiency

    Once models are running, the next step is trying to improve simulation time. This chapter discusses some of the ways model efficiency can be improved.