Besides reading about the features listed below, also see Getting Started with Graphics for general graphics specifications that you can apply to any kind of display, including geometric results displays.
You can control displaced shape displays in two ways:
By superimposing undisplaced and displaced shapes. A display of a structure's displaced shape will often be more meaningful if you can compare the displaced configuration against the original configuration. You can do this by using the
KUNDargument on the PLDISP command.By multiplying displacements for distortion displays. In most small-deformation structural analyses, the displaced shape is difficult to distinguish from the undisplaced shape. The program automatically multiplies the displacements in your results display, so that their effect is more readily apparent. You can adjust the multiplication factor via the /DSCALE command. The program interprets exactly zero values of this multiplier (
DMULT= 0) as the default setting, causing the displacements to be scaled automatically to a readily discernible value; therefore, to obtain "zero" displacements (an undistorted display) setDMULT= OFF.
When light-source shading is on, the colors shown in the contour legend will not exactly match the contour colors used in the shaded model display. You can manipulate contour displays in the following ways:
Labeling contours. In both vector and raster mode, your contours will always be automatically color-coded. In vector mode, you can add alphabetic contour labels (and a contour legend) via the /CLABEL command. In raster mode, /CLABEL adds (or removes) the contour legend.
Controlling the contour legend. Sometimes, lengthy text in the legend column can cause part of the contour legend to be truncated. You can make more room available for the contour legend by issuing /PLOPTS,LEG1,0. To remove the contour legend from the legend column, issue /PLOPTS,LEG3,0.
Changing the number of contour labels. In vector mode, if you apply contour labels, they will, by default, appear in every element crossed by a contour line. You can issue /CLABEL to control the number of alphabetic contour labels per element.
Changing contour colors. To change the contour colors used in your display, create a new color-map file and read the new color-map file via the /CMAP command.
To restore color to contours that are grayed out, issue the command /NUMBER,0.
Changing isosurface colors. Change isosurface colors via the ISURF label on the /COLOR command.
"Inverting" (or reversing) the contour colors. By default, the program displays the algebraically greatest results values with a bright red contour color, and the algebraically lowest values with a blue contour color.
In some cases, you may want to invert this order. To create a reversed color-map file, use the CREATE option on the /CMAP command. You can then read that reversed color map file into the database (also via the /CMAP command).
Changing the contour interval. To change the contour interval on your results display, issue either /CVAL or /CONTOUR.
These commands change the range of values displayed in contour displays. /CONTOUR produces uniform contour intervals, while /CVAL produces specified contour values (which need not be uniform). If you issue both commands, the program uses the last one specified. For related information, see Section Changing the Number of Contours.
Topographic contour displays. You can transform flat contour results displays into 3D topographic displays via the /SSCALE command.
Displaying numerical results values. To display results values at each node in a contour display, issue /PNUM,SVAL,1.
Displaying or suppressing "MN" and "MX" symbols. The MN and MX symbols identify the locations of the minimum and maximum contour values. Control the symbols via the MINM label on the /PLOPTS command.
Producing 3D isosurface, particle gradient, or gradient triad displays. Isosurfaces, particle clouds, and gradient triads are tools that can help you to visualize the state of response within a 3D solid body. Change your contour displays to one of those display styles via /CTYPE.
The program displays nine contours by default. To decrease (but not increase) the number of contours, issue the /CVAL command. To change (increase or decrease) the number of contours, issue the /CONTOUR command.
One or more of the following factors can prevent the progam from displaying more than nine contours:
The device name.
Whether the display is directed to the screen or to a file.
The display mode (vector or raster).
The number of color planes.
Any of these factors can override the number of contours specified via /CONTOUR. Adjust the factors via the /SHOW command.
In any case, the maximum number of contours available is 128.
| Driver | Contour Display |
|---|---|
|
The X11 driver (screen display) and raster mode |
You can display a maximum of nine contours, no matter how many contours the /CONTOUR command specifies. |
| The X11 driver (screen display) and raster mode |
You can display more than nine contours, but the number of contours displayed will be rounded down to the next lowest multiple of nine. For example, if you specify 20 contours, the program displays only 18 contours. In addition, if you specify more than nine contours, contour colors will not be unique (that is, you might have two or more adjacent contour lines with the same color). |
| The X11C driver (screen display) in either vector or raster mode |
If eight graphic planes are available, you can specify any number of contours, up to 128. If your display device does not support eight graphic planes, you are limited to displaying nine contours. If another process has used some of the colors, making fewer than eight graphic planes available, you cannot display more than nine contours. (To verify how many graphic planes are available, issue the /PSTATUS command after a plot command.) To make more graphic planes available, exit the program, re-enter, and issue the /SHOW,X11C-FORC to force selection of the full set of eight graphic planes. |
If the current graphics are not displayed as Multi-Plots (), then the following is true:
If the current device is a 3D device (/SHOW,3D), the model contours in all active windows will be the same, even if separate /CONTOUR commands are issued for each active window.
For efficiency, the program's 3D graphics logic maintains a single data structure (segment), which contains precisely one set of contours. The program displays the same segment in all windows. The view settings of each window constitute the only differences in the contour plots in the active windows.