Modifying the Field Plot Scale

To change how field quantities are scaled on the field overlay plot:

  1. Click Maxwell 3D or Maxwell 2D and select Fields > Modify Plot Attributes or in the Project Manager tree, right-click on the Field Overlays icon and select Modify Plots from the short-cut menu.
  2. The Select Plot Folder window appears.
  3. Select the plot folder you want to modify, and then click OK.

    4. A dialog box with attribute settings for the selected folder appears.

    Note: All plots in the selected folder are modified.
  4. Click the Scale tab.
  5. Optionally, to change the number of divisions in the field plot scale, set the Num. Division field to a new value. You can click Save as Default, if desired.
  6. Select one of the following scale options:

    Auto

    The full range of field values will be plotted on the selected surface or volume. Selecting Auto enables the Auto Scale Options and disables the Min and Max fields. By default, precision is not limited and auto-min is the actual computed min on the plotted geometry.

    Use Limits

    Only the field values between the minimum and maximum values will be plotted. Field values below or above these values will be plotted in the colors assigned to the minimum or maximum limits, respectively. Selecting Use Limits enables the Min and Max fields and disables the Auto Scale Options.

    Field values have a precision of at most six decimal places (field solution files are saved in floating precision), so Min/Max numbers are displayed to this precision.

    Specify Values

    This enables a Scale Values button.


    1. If you selected Use Limits, enter the lowest field value to be plotted in the Min. box and the highest field value to be plotted in the Max. box.
    2. If you selected Auto, the Auto Scale Options are enabled. You should only change this for cases where auto-min is a small number. Use the Limits Max/Min precision to check box to enable setting the drop down menu for the precision limit. The auto-min is the greater of the following:
      • Actual computed Min
      • Max/pow(10, num digits of field precision)
    3. If you selected Specify Values, you can click the Scale Values button. This opens a dialog with an editable, scrollable list of the current scale values. To apply the changes you make, click the OK button. To close the dialog without make changes, click Cancel.
    4. Optionally, when dB is checked, the dB scale is used for the plot.
  7. Optionally, use the Units drop down menu to select the default unit of measure for the plot.

    8. The units specified here appear on the Color map for the fields plot, and for the properties dialog for the field quantities.

  8. If you selected Auto or Use Limits and without have dB checked, you can select one of the following options:

    Linear

    Field values are plotted on a linear scale.

    Log

    Field values are plotted on a logarithmic scale. If field plots have negative and positive values and when auto-scale is selected, the log-scale choice automatically sets the Min value as the Max/Min Ratio. (If field plots have all negative values, Log is not allowed.)


  9. Specify the Number Format for the plot field values as Auto, Scientific or Decimal. You can also specify Width and Precision if Number Format is Scientific or Decimal.
  10. Select Real time mode if you want the changes to take effect immediately in the view window.

    11. If this option is cleared, click Apply when you want to see the changes.

  11. Optionally, you can use the Save As Default button to save the following to registry:
    • Whether to limit field precision,
    • The number of digits of field precision,
    • Whether to use log/linear scale.
    • Whether to use dB.

    Auto scale is always be default for new plots. For scalar-in-volume plots, iso-surface (rather than cloud) is the default display.

  12. Click Apply, and then click Close to dismiss the window.