MPH to FTS Converter

MPH to FTS Conversion Explained

Converting .MPH (COMSOL Multiphysics simulation models) to .FTS (Flexible Image Transport System or FastTrack Schedule files) changes a complex, interactive physics model into either a static scientific image or a project timeline. People perform this conversion to export visual simulation results—like heatmaps, wave propagation, or electromagnetic fields—into a standard format for astronomical or medical analysis.

By converting to the image variant of .FTS, users gain a highly portable, uncompressed data array with rich metadata. However, they lose the entire 3D geometry, mesh data, boundary conditions, and solver settings. The main trade-off is sacrificing a fully editable mathematical model for a flat, rasterized snapshot. Converting to the schedule variant of .FTS is almost always a bad idea, as mapping physics data to a project management timeline requires custom scripting and yields no visual benefit.

Typical Tasks and Users

• Scientific Researchers: Exporting optical or electromagnetic simulation results from COMSOL into .FTS images to compare against real-world telescope or sensor data.
• Medical Physicists: Taking MRI or X-ray simulation models and exporting the resulting cross-sections as .FTS files for use in medical imaging software.
• Project Managers: Extracting solver run times or simulation milestones from an .MPH file to populate a FastTrack Schedule .FTS file for team tracking. This workflow is rare and requires manual data extraction.

Software & Tool Support

• COMSOL Multiphysics: The native software required to open, solve, and export data from .MPH files.
• Astropy: A Python library used to programmatically read exported COMSOL data arrays and write them into .FTS image files.
• SAOImageDS9: An open-source application to view and analyze the resulting .FTS scientific images.
• FastTrack Schedule: Legacy project management software used to open the schedule variant of .FTS files.

Pros and Cons of the Conversion

• Fidelity: The image variant of .FTS preserves uncompressed, high-dynamic-range pixel data, which is critical for scientific analysis.
• Metadata: .FTS headers store custom ASCII metadata. You can embed COMSOL solver parameters directly into the image file.
• Total Feature Loss: The 3D mesh, physics interfaces, and interactive properties of the .MPH file are permanently destroyed during conversion.
• Format Confusion: The .FTS extension is shared by Flexible Image Transport System, FastTrack Schedule, and Windows Help. Opening the file in the wrong software causes immediate errors.
• No Editability: You cannot re-simulate or tweak physics parameters in an .FTS file.
• File Size: Uncompressed high-resolution .FTS images scale poorly and consume significant disk space compared to the mathematical representation in an .MPH file.

Conversion Difficulties & Why Convert.Guru

COMSOL does not offer a native "Export to FTS" button. The actual conversion pipeline requires rendering the simulation result, exporting it as a raw data array (like CSV) or a high-depth image (like a 16-bit TIFF), and then re-encoding it into the .FTS format. This multi-step process risks losing dynamic range, color mapping, and spatial coordinates if the rasterizing or layout mapping is handled poorly. Furthermore, font handling for plot labels often breaks during re-encoding, and mapping simulation metadata to the strict 80-character ASCII header blocks of an .FTS file requires precise formatting.

Convert.Guru simplifies this exact pipeline. Instead of writing custom Python scripts to extract and re-encode the data, Convert.Guru handles the rasterization and format translation accurately. It preserves the visual fidelity and dynamic range of the simulation output without exaggerated claims, bypassing the annoying edge cases of manual format mapping.

MPH vs. FTS: What is the better choice?

Which format should you choose?

Choose .MPH when you are actively building, solving, or modifying a physics simulation. It is the only format that retains the mathematical model. Choose .FTS when the simulation is complete and you need to share a specific 2D slice, heatmap, or optical result with a colleague using scientific imaging software. Avoid this conversion if you just need to put a picture of your model in a report; standard formats like .PNG are much better suited for general use. Also, avoid converting to the schedule variant of .FTS unless you have a strict legacy requirement for FastTrack Schedule.

Conclusion

Converting .MPH to .FTS makes sense only when bridging the gap between COMSOL multiphysics simulations and scientific image analysis. The biggest limitation to watch for is the complete and irreversible loss of the underlying 3D physics model, as the output is strictly a rasterized snapshot or a flat data table. Convert.Guru provides a reliable, straightforward way to handle this exact conversion, ensuring that the high-dynamic-range visual data from your simulation is accurately translated into the .FTS format without the need for complex scripting or manual data extraction.