Customizing Ply Stack Plots

You can customize the display of a ply stack plot by selecting from a range of options. The options you select can help you analyze information contained in large models by increasing the readability of the elements.

Before you begin: You must have an active ply stack plot.
See Also
About Ply Stack Plots
Displaying Ply Stack Plots
  1. In the Ply Stack Plot Viewer, click Options .
  2. Customize your view by selecting the general options in the table below:
    OptionDescription
    Material labels Identifies the materials in each ply.
    Ply labels Identifies the name and location of each ply.
    Section points Identifies the section points (integration points) distributed throughout each ply.
    Thickness labels Calculates the thickness of each ply. Plies are displayed proportionately.
    Shell reference plane Shows the shell reference plane, indicating the actual shell element adjacent to the plies. In the absence of shell offsets, the shell element is centered between the top and bottom plies. With shell offsets, the shell can be located anywhere but typically is located at either the top or the bottom.
    Thickness scale Changes the thickness with respect to the shell element. The default value of 1 is the actual thickness with respect to the shell element as shown by the shell reference plane. Scale factors greater than 1 exaggerate the thickness, while scale factors less than 1 minimize the thickness in the display.
    Fiber spacing Changes the line density for fiber orientation display. The default value is 0.10. As the fiber spacing value increases, the line density decreases.
    Ply color Change the color of your plies by selecting one of the following:
    • Color code by ply: Each ply displays in a separate color (default).
    • Color code by material: Each material displays as a separate color.
    • Black and White: All plies are displayed in grayscale.
    Plies to show In larger models, you might want to hide some of the plies and only show a subset. Select one of the following:
    • All: All plies present in your selected region are shown.
    • Based on ply number: Show only the plies you assign (default). You can enter a single ply number or a range delimited with a dash.
    • Based on ply material: Show only the plies composed of a given material.
    • Based on ply angle: Show only the plies which have the selected angle of orientation.
  3. Customize your view of the stiffness or compliance matrix values:
    OptionDescription
    Format Select a format for expressing the matrix values:

    • Automatic: Expresses very large and very small values in scientific format, and expresses all other values with no exponent and using the specified number of significant digits.

    • Scientific: Expresses all values as a number between 1 and 10 that is multiplied by an appropriate power of 10.
    • Decimal: Expresses all values with no exponent and using the specified number of significant digits.
    Decimal Places Specifies the number of decimal places displayed in the matrix values.

The Ply Stack Plot Viewer updates immediately according to the options you selected.