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Assumptions and limitations for exporting a model
The following section describes the Thermal Model Exchanger assumptions and limitations when you export a Thermal Desktop model to a Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal XML file.
Exporting primitives
You can use Thermal Model Exchanger to export primitives from Thermal Desktop into Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal.

User documentation
- Introduction
  Thermal Model Exchanger is a Windows application that allows you to transfer thermal models between Ansys Thermal Desktop^TM and Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal. The application supports the transfer of meshes, material and optical properties, and boundary conditions of your model.
- Thermal Model Exchanger user interface
  The Thermal Model Exchanger user interface consists of a top border bar and an information window.
- How to use Thermal Model Exchanger
  The following section describes how to use Thermal Model Exchanger to transfer thermal models between Thermal Desktop and Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal.
- Simcenter 3D entities supported by Thermal Model Exchanger
  This page summarizes the Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal entities supported by the Thermal Model Exchanger during the import.
- Thermal Desktop entities supported by Thermal Model Exchanger
  This page summarizes the Thermal Desktop entities supported by the Thermal Model Exchanger during the export.
- Assumptions and limitations for importing a model
  The following section describes the Thermal Model Exchanger assumptions and limitations when you import a Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal model into Thermal Desktop.
- Assumptions and limitations for exporting a model
  The following section describes the Thermal Model Exchanger assumptions and limitations when you export a Thermal Desktop model to a Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal XML file.
  - Exporting meshes
    You can use Thermal Model Exchanger to export meshes from Thermal Desktop into Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal.
  - Exporting primitives
    You can use Thermal Model Exchanger to export primitives from Thermal Desktop into Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal.
  - Exporting domain tag sets
    You can use Thermal Model Exchanger to export Domain Tag Sets from Thermal Desktop into Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal as Groups.
  - Exporting symbols
    You can use Thermal Model Exchanger to export symbol values from Thermal Desktop into Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal.
  - Exporting thermo-physical properties
    You can use Thermal Model Exchanger to export thermo-physical properties from Thermal Desktop into Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal.
  - Exporting heat loads
    Thermal Model Exchanger supports the Total Load and Flux types of Thermal Desktop Heat Load. It converts these entities into the Heat Load and Heat Flux types of Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal Thermal Loads respectively.
  - Exporting heaters
    You can use Thermal Model Exchanger to export Heaters from Thermal Desktop to Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal.
  - Exporting boundary nodes
    You can use Thermal Model Exchanger to export boundary nodes from Thermal Desktop into Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal.
  - Exporting contactors
    Thermal Model Exchanger exports Thermal Desktop Contactors as a Thermal Coupling type of Thermal Coupling simulation objects in Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal.
  - Exporting radiation
    You can use the Thermal Model Exchanger to export radiation from Thermal Desktop to Simcenter 3D. The surface selection varies depending on the settings in Thermal Desktop.
  - Exporting orbits and space environment
    You can use Thermal Model Exchanger to export External Heating Environment boundary conditions from Thermal Desktop into Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal.
  - Exporting a case set
    You can use Thermal Model Exchanger to export case sets from Thermal Desktop into Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal.
- Legal notice

Exporting primitives

You can use Thermal Model Exchanger to export primitives from Thermal Desktop into Simcenter 3D Space Systems Thermal.

In Thermal Desktop, you can use finite difference primitives to create your thermal model. They are specific geometric shapes that have internal conductances calculated using finite difference conduction methods. Thermal Model Exchanger (TMX) supports the following Thermal Desktop 2D and 3D primitives:

Cylinder (2D)
Disk (2D)
Rectangle (2D)
Elliptic Cylinder (2D)
Elliptic Cone (2D)
Polygon (2D)
Solid Sphere (3D)
Solid Ellipsoid (3D)
Solid Brick (3D)
Solid Cone (3D)
Solid Cylinder (3D)
Box (3D)

TMX supports Thermal Desktop 2D primitives with centered and edge nodes illustrated in the following table.


Rectangle Primitive with Centered Nodes	Rectangle Primitive with Edge Nodes

During the export to Simcenter 3D, TMX converts the Thermal Desktop 2D and 3D primitives into 2D and 3D meshes respectively. 3D primitives included in Radiation Analysis Groups are exported as 3D meshes surface coated with 2D null shell elements.

Primitive subdivision

In TMX, you can use Help Menu > Options > Primitive export subdivision box to globally set the primitive angular subdivision value, allowing you to control the level of detail in the exported primitives. By default, the Primitive export subdivision value is 3 and cannot be set lower than 3. This value overrides the primitive angular subdivision value defined in Thermal Desktop during the export.