Defining Envelope Data

You can define envelope data to establish a range of data used as input when creating plots.

  1. From the Post-processing section of the action bar, click Envelope .
    The Envelope dialog box appears.
  2. Optional: Enter a Name for the envelope.
    The name appears as the Envelope Name in the Feature Manager, in the tree, and in the Envelope list in the Create Plot dialog boxes.
  3. In the Frame Selector list, select All frames or select a specific frame or frame set in which to measure the output results.

    Note: Click to select new frame ranges. The Frame Selector dialog box allows you to define a custom range with unique combinations of time, mode, or frequency range settings. The frame selection feature you created is now available in the Frame selector list in the Envelope dialog box. Click to edit the frame selection feature.

  4. Select one of the following Mode options:
    • Absolute Maximum: The largest absolute value for the selected variable over the period. If the maximum is +5 and the minimum is -10, the absolute maximum is 10.
    • Maximum: The maximum value for the selected variable over the period. For components, this value represents the combined magnitude of both the real and imaginary portions of the result value.
    • Minimum: The minimum value for the selected variable over the period. For components, the minimum is the same as the maximum but in the negative direction. For invariants, this option displays the minimum value of the selected variable over the specified harmonic cycle, which is not necessarily the negative of the maximum.
  5. In the Variable section, click to display the variable parameter choices. Click again to create additional variables for envelope definition.
  6. For each variable specify the following:
    1. Name: By default, the name of the selected variable is used. You can enter a different name, if desired. The variable name appears within the Envelopes container in the tree.
    2. Variable: The output variable you want to plot.
    3. Ply: This option is available only for plots of composite sections. The selected plies are used to compute the envelope data:
      For each
      Each ply is considered for the computation of envelope data. Select a ply to create the plot using the computed value of only that ply.
      Over all
      All plies are considered for the computation of envelope data.
      Ply from list
      Only the ply you select is considered for the computation of envelope data.
    4. Click , and select one or more plies to be considered for the computation of envelope data.

      You can filter the list of plies by name, angle, and materials; the ply selections and applied filters are saved until the next session.

      The Angle column of the Ply Selector displays the ply fiber orientation. If a ply is oriented in different directions across the section, the angle value displays as Variable. Displays the ply fiber orientation.

      The Material column of the Ply Selector displays the name of the material used in the ply definition.

      The Results column of the Ply Selector displays the availability of results for each ply for the currently selected envelope variable. Depending on the variable, results for some plies might or might not be available.

    5. Section points: This option is available only when you select a single ply from the Ply Selector:
      For each
      Each section point is considered for the computation of envelope data.
      Over all
      All section points are considered for the computation of envelope data.
    6. Quantity: Magnitude or Vector Component.
    7. Visualize: Select this option to immediately create a plot using these variables.
      Note: If you do not select Visualize, you can create a plot and select the required envelope at a later time from the plot creation dialog boxes.
  7. Click OK.
    The variable information is added to the variable list. Once the envelope is defined, it becomes available in the Create Plot dialog box for contour plots, symbol plots, and isocontour plots, depending on the variable type selected. See Plot Creation Using Envelope Data for more information on envelope data availability.

If you have not already used the Visualize option, you are now ready to create a plot using the saved envelope data.

Note: Envelopes behave independently of plots. Except for deformation changes, envelope plots do not react to altered settings in the plot dialog boxes.