One of the first things you must do is specify the graphics device name (sometimes referred to as the graphics driver). The program requires this information to properly direct graphics instructions to your display device. The default graphics device name for most systems is X11. For example, you can change it from X11 to 3D if you have a 3D graphics device.
When using a 3D graphics device on a Linux system, issues may occur with the Mechanical APDL graphical user interface. As a workaround, switch to an X11 graphics device instead of 3D.
Specify the graphics device name via the /SHOW command after you have entered the program but before you have activated the GUI.
X11 (or X11C) and 3D are common graphics device names supported by the program. Each of these are described briefly below.
X11 and X11C
Graphics Device Name = X11: The X11 graphics driver incorporates X - a distributed windowing system developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology that a variety of platforms support. It provides 2D graphics capability. The program currently supports Version 11 (therefore, "X11") Release 6 of the X-Window system.
X separates the functionality of traditional graphics systems into two parts: the X server and the X client. The server is the part of the system that controls the physical display device. A client is a piece of application software. A single server may respond to multiple clients. The server and client may reside on different machines connected to a network. X transparently handles all communication between server and client.
Graphics Device Name = X11C: On 2D display devices that have more than 16 colors (more than four graphics bit planes; usually eight), the program displays the model using light-source shading. Light-source shading means that when the model is viewed obliquely, the display appears to be 3D. You can activate the extra colors using the NCPL field on the /SHOW command.
These devices also offer a 128-contour color option ("C-option"). This option allows contour displays to use the extra colors by adding more colors with a single intensity each. By default, the extra colors are used to display nine contour colors with varying intensities that simulate light-source shading. You activate the 128-contour color option by using X11C for the graphics device name on the /SHOW command.
Individual items can also be selected and displayed with varying degrees of translucency on 2D devices. Translucent items will show black on the initial replot, since the 2D driver generates only the visible face. The /SHRINK command forces the hardware to plot all of the faces and provide the desired translucent effect.
3D
Graphics Device Name = 3D: If you have a 3D graphics device, you should specify 3D as the graphics device name. A 2D device contains a "flat" 2D projection of your model (image manipulation is performed in software), but a 3D device contains a 3D model in its local memory (image manipulation is performed by the display hardware). As a result, 3D devices perform certain graphics functions more efficiently, and 2D devices do not support certain functions. The 3D functions include "real-time" dynamic transformation (rotation, translation, etc.) of your actual model, translucency, and control of various lighting options, including reflectance, intensity, light direction, and shading. If you are using a 3D device, you can set certain display option modes using the /DV3D command.