Creating and Plotting Field Sensors

Field sensors enable you to determine the minimum, maximum, maximum absolute, sum, and average values for individual result values from a simulation. You can use field sensors to track values from field output requests and to generate contour plots, deformation plots, vector plots, X-Y plots, and animations.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin: The simulation must be complete.

Create Field Sensors

You can create field sensors with specific output variables and processing options.

  1. From the Sensors section of the action bar, click Create Sensor .
    The Create Sensor dialog box appears.
    Note: Frequency and buckling steps sensors cannot be selected for the definition of output sensors.
  2. Click Field for the Type if it is not already selected.
    The Field option is selected by default.
  3. Optional: Enter a descriptive Name.
  4. From Values, select a Template if you want to use a specific set of variables pertaining to the chosen template.

    Any customizations that you make will reset the template to <none>.

  5. In the Variable field, specify the output variable that the selected sensor will track.

    If a contour plot or symbol plot is displayed, the selected variable in that plot is used as the default selection for the sensor.

    When multispecies mass fraction data is chosen for the variable, the Species field appears enabling your selection of specific materials.
  6. For multispecies CFD or CEL analyses, select the material in the Species field.
  7. For models with shell geometry, specify the section points (integration points across the shell thickness) you want to measure from the active Location:
    OptionDescription
    Top Selects the topmost section point in the selected ply option.
    BottomSelects the bottommost section point in the selected ply option.
    MiddleSelects the middle section point in the selected ply option. The middle section point is the middle of the defined locations in the section.
    Top and bottom Selects both the topmost and bottommost section points in the selected ply option.
    Section ratio Selects a value within the range of section points for the whole model or for a specified ply. Use the Ratio slider to select the specific section point for a given ply or for the entire model across all plies.
  8. From the Processing at options, determine what you want to track.
    • Select Vectors to track vector values, specify whether results can be evaluated at Nodes, Centroids, Element faces, Integration points, or at Element nodes.
    • Select Tensors to track tensor values, then do the following:
      1. Specify whether results can be evaluated at Nodes, Centroids, Element faces, Integration points, or at Element nodes.
      2. Select Principal directions to evaluate tensors in the three principal directions.
      3. If you are evaluating results at nodes, specify from the Averaging options whether you want to perform any averaging of values. You can apply averaging using section boundaries or choose not to perform any averaging.
    • Select Quantity to track an individual quantity, then do the following:
      1. Specify whether results can be evaluated at Nodes, Centroids, Element faces, Integration points, or at Element nodes.
      2. From the Quantity list, select the individual quantity.
      3. If you are evaluating results at nodes, specify from the Averaging options whether you want to perform any averaging of values. You can apply averaging using section boundaries or choose not to perform any averaging. If you are tracking nodal data, select Compute quantity before averaging to calculate the quantity data you display before averaging occurs.
      4. (Option available only if you have previously defined a user axis system and you select tensor or vector components under Quantity) From Transform Type select User-defined.
      5. (Option available only if User-defined was selected under Transform Type) From Coordinate System select the coordinate system to be displayed locally in your model.
      6. (Option available only if Model axis system was selected under Transform Type) Select a model axis system from the tree.
      7. Select Include effects of deformation (when available) to include deformation effects during transformation calculations. This option is required when using cylindrical and spherical coordinate systems. For shells, this option is required for all three coordinate systems.
  9. Optional: Track values from one or more FEM groups, display groups, or publications in your model by selecting the following from the Scope options.
    OptionDescription
    FEM groups Selects a named group of meshed objects, such as a node, element, or edge group. Available for native simulations only.
    Display groupsSelects a predefined display group. Available for both native and orphan simulations.
    Group publicationsSelects a FEM group publication. Available for native simulations only.

    Note: You can multiselect publication groups.

  10. Select Combine base state for perturbation if you want to combine results from a previous base state step with results from a linear perturbation step.
  11. In the Frame Selector list, specify the steps, frames, and load cases for which the sensor will return data. Select All frames or select a specific frame or frame set in which to measure the output results.

    Use the icon to select new frame ranges in the Frame Selector dialog box. You can define a custom frame range with unique combinations of time, mode, or frequency options. Once created, frame selection features are available in the Frame selector list in the Sensor dialog box. Click to edit the frame selection feature.

  12. From Parameters, select any of the extrema you want to track as part of this sensor. You can select Minimum, Maximum, Absolute Maximum, Average, and Sum.
  13. If you want to measure these Knowledgeware parameters for each step or frame rather than all steps or frames collectively, select one of the following:
    • Create parameters for each selected step.
    • Create parameters for each selected load case/frame.
    The tree displays the step, frame, and extrema value under the Sensor node. For example, if you create parameters for each selected step, you might see the following: 
    Step-1\Frame1\Maximum
Step-1\Frame2\Maximum

    Whereas if you created parameters for each selected frame, you might see this: 

    Sensor AC YIELD 1
Sensor COPEN.1
Sensor.COPEN.2

    Creating parameters for selected steps, load cases, and frames allows you to view sensor data in an X-Y plot. When you select the option, Create parameters for each selected load case/frame, the X-Y curve displays load case and frame values only. In that scenario, it does not draw a curve for stepwise values.

  14. Select Show annotation to include the sensor name, max value, step, load, and frame information as a callout in the model.
  15. Click OK.
    The new sensor is created.
  16. To modify a sensor, display the list of sensors in the Results tabbed page of the Feature Manager, then either double-click its row or right-click its row and select Edit.
    When you edit a field sensor, only the options related to the field sensor appear in the dialog box. You cannot create a history sensor by editing a field sensor.

Plot Field Sensors

You can plot field sensor data in an X-Y plot.

Before you begin: You must create field sensors with parameters for selected steps, load cases, and frames.
  1. Right-click the sensor or sensors in the tree or in the Feature Manager, and select View/Hide X-Y.
    Sensor information is displayed in the X-Y Plots Viewer. With multiselection, you can display more than one sensor in a single X-Y plot.
  2. Select View/Hide X-Y again for one or more sensors to hide their X-Y plots in the viewer.