Graphical Mode vs Console Mode: Calculation Types

When you are using Thermo‑Calc and the Add-on Modules, you generally first set up a system, select the databases to use, and then define various parameters related to the simulation you want to conduct. Once this is set up you decide what Calculation Type to perform, choose a Plot type (or a table for single equilibrium, for example) to use and then eventually get a result.

How Thermo‑Calc handles the calculation behind the scenes is the same whether you use Graphical Mode (GM) or Console Mode (CM). However, there are differences with the workflow and for historical reasons some calculation types are named differently based on whether you are in one mode or another.

Calculation Types in Graphical Mode and Graphical Mode vs Console Mode: Calculation Types

In addition, the plot types (diagrams) you choose to output the information are also different based on whether you are in Graphical or Console Mode. These plot types are often based on the type of calculation being done, where in some cases you can only do it in one mode and not the other. For example, precipitation calculations are only available with the Precipitation Calculator, GM only, but you can do diffusion calculations in both modes.

Comparison of Calculation Types in Graphical Mode vs Console Mode

The table lists most of the calculation types that you will want to perform. The first column is primarily based on the calculation types you can select when working in GM and when using the various calculators as indicated in the second column. The third column is the module or command in CM that you would use to perform the same, or similar, type of calculation.

Calculation Type	Graphical (GM)	Console (CM)	Definition
Equilibrium calculations	Equilibrium Calculator	POLY3 module	An equilibrium defines the amount(s) and composition(s) of one or several phases that have the minimum Gibbs energy at a given temperature and pressure. A prerequisite for a successful equilibrium calculation is that the number of degrees of freedom according to Gibb's phase rule must be zero. This means that the right number of independent conditions must be set in order to successfully be able to calculate an equilibrium.
Single equilibrium	Property Model Calculator (Equilibrium model), Equilibrium Calculator, and Material to Material Calculator	POLY3 module	To calculate a single equilibrium. The results from this calculation are displayed as follows: Graphical Mode: In the Visualizations window for a Table Renderer or in the Event Log window (for the Property Model Calculator) Console Mode: With the LIST_EQUILIBRIUM command.
Single (no axes)	Property Model Calculator and Process Metallurgy Calculator	POLY3 module	To calculate a single point. The results from this calculation are displayed as follows: Graphical Mode: In the Visualizations window for a Table Renderer or in the Event Log window. Console Mode: With the LIST_EQUILIBRIUM command.
One Axis	Property Model Calculator, Equilibrium Calculator, Material to Material Calculator, and Process Metallurgy Calculator	POLY3 module	To vary a quantity on the X-axis.
Property diagrams	One Axis: available with Equilibrium Calculator, Material to Material Calculator, and Property Model Calculator	POLY3 module, STEP command	A property diagram is calculated by stepping one of the conditions that were defined for the equilibrium calculation and plotting some other property against this variable. For example stepping through temperature and plotting equilibrium composition of a certain phase, or stepping through composition and plotting equilibrium phase fractions, and so forth.
Phase diagrams	Equilibrium Calculator, Binary Calculator, Material to Material Calculator, and Ternary Calculator	POLY3 module, MAP command, BINARY module, and TERNARY module The Material to Material Calculator is not available in Console Mode	A phase diagram is mapped within a specific space constructed by two (or more) independent mapping variables. These are mostly temperature and composition, but can be many other, such as temperature and pressure, activity of oxygen and activity of sulfur, and so forth.
Scheil calculations	Scheil Calculator	Scheil module	Simulate a non-equilibrium transformation or partial-equilibrium transformation, also called a Scheil-Gulliver solidification.
Gibbs energy curves	Binary Calculator	BINARY module	To calculate at a constant temperature over the whole composition range.
Activity curves	Binary Calculator	BINARY module	To calculate at a constant temperature over the whole composition range.
Phase fractions	Binary Calculator	BINARY module	To calculate as a function of temperature at a constant composition.
Isothermal section	Ternary Calculator	TERNARY module	To calculate the ternary system for the whole composition range at a constant temperature.
Monovariant lines	Ternary Calculator	TERNARY module	To calculate the variation of the liquid compositions with temperature.
Liquidus projection	Ternary Calculator	TERNARY module	The projection liquid surface and the monovariant lines are calculated over the given temperature range.
Potential diagrams	not available	Potential Diagram module and POLY3 module	A potential diagram uses the activities of two major species in the gaseous mixture phase as mapping variables. For example, use this for a metal-oxide/sulphide-gas interaction system to calculate a diagram based on a specific temperature and pressure .
T0 temperature simulations	This is available as the T-Zero Temperature Property Model using the Property Model Calculator	POLY3 module	The T0-temperature is the temperature at which two phases have the same Gibbs energy for a certain composition for a certain alloy composition.
Paraequilibrium	not available	POLY3 module	A paraequilibrium is a partial equilibrium where one interstitial component, such as carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), in a multicomponent alloy can diffuse much faster than the other components (the substitutional elements, including the matrix element and alloying elements).
Grid	Property Model Calculator, Equilibrium Calculator, Process Metallurgy Calculator, and AM Calculator	not available	With the Equilibrium Calculator, it computes the equilibrium of each grid point in a two-dimensional grid. With the Property Model Calculator and Process Metallurgy Calculator, it evaluates two axis variables of the selected quantities in the specified range and number of steps. For the AM Calculator it is available with the Additive Manufacturing (AM) Module and a Steady-state simulation. It evaluates two axis variables of power and scanning speeds in the specified range and number of steps.
Batch	Property Model Calculator and AM Calculator	not available	With the Property Model Calculator, it allows for high throughput calculations and reads data from a file, such as a spreadsheet, rather than, for example, having a fixed grid or random values. Results from these batch calculations can then be compared to experimental values (as long as this data is included). For the AM Calculator it is available with the Additive Manufacturing (AM) Module and a Steady-state simulation.It is to include power and scan speed data, which is read from a file such as a spreadsheet. You can optionally include experimental melt pool width and depth (if there is data), and compare this to the calculated results.
Min/Max	Property Model Calculator	not available	Evaluates the Property Model(s) for all variations of the selected quantities at the given limits.
Uncertainty	Property Model Calculator and Process Metallurgy Calculator	not available	Evaluates the Property Model(s) where the values of the quantities are sampled from Gaussian distributions.
Aqueous solutions, Pourbaix diagram	Equilibrium Calculator	Pourbaix Diagram module, POLY module	A Pourbaix diagram is a kind of phase diagram that shows the stability boundaries for a metal-aqueous interaction system. The phase boundaries are shown as a function of pH (acidity) and Eh (standard hydrogen electronic potential).
Tabulation reaction	not available	TAB module	To tabulate thermodynamic functions of any type of substance, stoichiometric phase or solution phase, or reaction.
Diffusion simulation	Diffusion Calculator	DICTRA monitor	Detailed simulation of diffusion controlled reactions in multicomponent systems.
Isothermal	See below	POLY3, DICTRA monitor	Isothermal calculations in general can be done in all Console Mode modules, for example an Isothermal diffusion in DICTRA monitor and an isothermal calculation in POLY3 using the STEP command.
Isothermal and non-isothermal	Precipitation Calculator	See above	You can calculate nucleation, growth/dissolution and coarsening of particles size classes under these conditions: isothermic (precipitation simulation at constant temperature) or non-isothermic (precipitation simulation with user-defined temperature profile).
TTT and CCT	Precipitation Calculator	not available	The TTT (Time-Temperature-Transformation) and CCT (Continuous Cooling Transformation) diagram can be simulated for one or more particles.
Heat source calibration	AM Calculator	not available	This is available for the Additive Manufacturing (AM) Module for Steady-state simulations, import parameters for a range of experimental melt pool data then store the calibrated heat source for further use.