About Model Plots

The type of results available from your simulation determines whether you can plot color code, contour and isocontour, or symbol plots for the selected variable.

• Color code plots use predefined colors assigned to a part, section, material, surface, servant domain, element type, or face ID.
• For result values that consist of only a magnitude (scalars), a contour plot applies color coding to your model to indicate the magnitude of the result in different regions of the model.
• For result values that consist of a magnitude and a direction (tensors and vectors), a symbol plot uses arrows to indicate the direction of the result in different regions of the model. Color coding is applied to the arrows to indicate the magnitude of the result at each arrow, while the orientation of the arrowhead indicates the direction.

A legend associates each color with a particular value for the selected result type.

All the plots you create for your results become available for selection in the Feature Manager, provided the current step includes the quantity for that plot. You can activate, deactivate, and switch the plot type visible in the work area. In addition, you can export the plot data as a template for future analyses. The Feature Manager provides the following data for each plot: fields, units, and, if they are available for the current step, minima and maxima.

If your simulation includes complex data, you can run a harmonic analysis to accurately portray the sinusoidal variation of a load. When you have scalar and tensor components, you can specify the real or the imaginary part of the complex number in the plot display.

If your model is an assembly, you can measure structural soundness more efficiently with the aid of a local coordinate system rather than a global system.

In a harmonic analysis, the model is subjected to a load that varies sinusoidally. The structure responds as follows:

• The individual components (such as S11 and U2) vary in a sinusoidal manner, with the same frequency (or period) as the load excitation.
• The invariants, such as displacement magnitude, vary sinusoidally only if the quantity can become negative exactly half the time. Invariants like von Mises stress, which cannot be negative, still vary periodically using the same frequency (or period) as the load excitation; however, because these invariants cannot be expressed as a rotating vector, they cannot be expressed as complex numbers.

This variety of responses is covered by displaying complex data in the following ways:

Value at angle (modulus with phase)

The combined value of the real and imaginary portion of the result at an angle that you specify. When the angle is 0°, the real part of the result is displayed; when the angle is -90°, the imaginary part of the result is displayed.

Maximum absolute value

The largest absolute value for the selected variable over the period. If the envelope maximum is +5 and the envelope minimum is -10, the envelope maximum absolute value is +10.

Maximum value

The maximum value for the selected variable over the period.

Minimum value

The minimum value for the selected variable over the period.

In a harmonic analysis, the model is subjected to a load that varies sinusoidally. The structure responds as follows:

• The individual components (such as S11 and U2) vary in a sinusoidal manner, with the same frequency (or period) as the load excitation.
• The scalar and tensor components, such as UT Translations with a vector component, vary sinusoidally. They can be expressed as complex numbers, each with a real part and an imaginary part.

This variety of responses is covered by displaying complex data in the following ways:

Value at angle (modulus with phase)

The combined value of the real and imaginary portion of the result at an angle that you specify. When the angle is 0°, the real part of the result is displayed; when the angle is -90°, the imaginary part of the result is displayed.

Magnitude (modulus)

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.

Phase angle

The phase angle, which is the angle between the positive horizontal axis and the plotted point that represents the complex number in rectangular coordinates.

Real part

The real part of the complex number. Coincides with the value at phase angle 0°.

Imaginary part

The imaginary part of the complex number. Coincides with the value at phase angle -90°.

When analyzing results of assembled structures, you can use a local coordinate system rather than the global system to more accurately assess behavior and structural soundness. You can select a local coordinate system for vector and tensor results when creating a plot or a sensor. These user-defined coordinate systems might take the form of Cartesian, cylindrical, or spherical coordinates and are fixed in space.