Platform material for an installed antenna

When the installedAntenna object is created and a platform is added using an stl file, is the platform taken to be a metal structure? I was not sure of this as using show() indicates 'metal' and 'platform' separately. If not, how do we add arbitrary backing structures for an antenna array? (For example, a cavity enclosure -especially if needs to be custom)

Answer 1

[Shashank Kulkarni]

Yes, the platform is always treated as PEC (perfect electric conductor). The skill states at line 67:

The show() legend distinguishes "PEC" (antenna element metal), "feed" (feed points), and "platform" (loaded geometry) for visual clarity only — in the EM simulation, the platform is a metal conductor just like the antenna.

For a custom cavity enclosure backing an array:

You can model the cavity as an STL file and load it as the platform:

The cavity walls, backing plate, and any other geometry in the STL are all treated as PEC conducting surfaces.

If you need a dielectric cavity (non-metal), installedAntenna can't do that — it only supports metal platforms. You'd need conformalArray with shape objects that have a .Dielectric property for non-conducting structures.