The COMSOL Multiphysics 3.4 modeling tool adds support for multicore processors and will use as many processor cores as are available in a computer to cut the speed of running a model. COMSOL Multiphysics is a software package that uses Finite-Element Analysis to model designs in a myriad of engineering disciplines that include RF and EMI.

COMSOL 3.4 has several modeling modules that you can use separately or together. For example, you can model the heating of an electronic component based on its power dissipation. The RF module lets you model RF systems. New models include lumped-port boundary conditions and specific absorption rate (SAR) of the human head when subjected to electromagnetic radiation from an antenna.

The AC/DC module now lets you build circuit models in COMSOL Multiphysics and run them in SPICE-based circuit simulators. You can also use the AC/DC module to model electric motors. Version 3.4 also adds processing tools that let you compute geometric properties such as area, volume, center of gravity, and moment of inertia.

Base price: $7995. COMSOL, www.comsol.com.