2D and 3D Annotation

Mechanical APDL Function

Use a variation of this dialog for annotating your Mechanical APDL display with text and graphics. 2D Annotation can be considered an overlay of your existing Mechanical APDL display. As such, the underlying display can change without changing the defined annotation. 3D annotation is applied directly to the XYZ coordinates of the hot spot of the anchor item you choose, and will remain attached (within reason) even when the model is rotated, moved, or resized.

Annotation Entity

Select an entity from the list of annotation entities from the top pull down menu on the dialog box.

2D	3D
`Text`	`Text`
`Lines`	`Lines`
`Rectangle`	`Areas`
`Circles`	`Symbols`
`Arcs`	`Arrows`
`Polygon`	`Bitmaps`
`Wedges`	`Options`
`Pies`
`Symbols`
`Dimensions`
`Arrows`
`Bitmaps`
`Options`

Note: Each Annotation Entity is initiated, generated and closed (saved) in a specific manner. The status bar will contain instructions (prompts) for each step in the annotation process.

Annotation Anchor

Available for 3D annotations only. Use this pull-down menu to choose the item to apply your annotation to. You can apply 3D annotations to any of the standard geometry and analysis model items (nodes, elements, keypoints, lines, areas and volumes), to XYZ coordinates that you specify, or to "picked" points in free space. Your Annotation Entity will be applied to the centroid of the anchor item (if applicable), and will remain attached (within reason) even when the model is rotated, moved, or resized.

Annotation Controls

This area will change according to the annotation entity you choose. The following defines the controls available for each entity. When you choose "Options", the anchor type is grayed out and does not apply.

Areas

Annotation areas attach the first vertex of your area to the item, point, or centroid of your defined anchor. Subsequent picks create lines that define the sides, and a final double-click closes the sides to create an area.

Choose Rectangle, Circle, Pie, Polygon, or Wedge to annotate shapes. With the option shown in this box, you can create 2D annotation shapes of different interior and exterior color, and with solid or dashed borders of different widths.

Color: The fill color of your defined area (if Filled is chosen below).
Hollow / Filled: Areas and shaptes can be full opaque, or only an edge line. If Hollow is chosen, the color and line type will be determined by the selections that follow for Edge Color and Edge Line Type (Solid or Dashed).
Show Edge: Valid only if Filled is chosen. Showing the edge allows you to apply a different color to the outline of an area.
Edge Color: Select the color to be applied to filled area or shapes and to the outline if Hollow is selected.
Solid / Dashed: Defines the edge as a solid or dashed line.
Edge Width: This slider bar allows you to vary the width of your edge in proportion to the size of your area or shape. Adjust width before defining the area or shape.

Arrows or Symbols

Annotation Arrows attach the head or tail to the item, point, or entity's centroid, as defined by your anchor. Your initial click starts the arrow, and subsequent clicks allow you to apply "bends" to the arrow tail. The final right mouse click applies the arrowhead and finishes the annotation.

Unlike Bitmap Files, which are placed on your model at a fixed size and color, Symbols can be sized and defined according to your requirements. Symbols will not change size when you alter the view of your model, but can be modified using the Option sizing capability.

Type: Determines the direction of the arrow's construction (as you pick) -- head to tail or tail to head. The available symbols are: arrows, dashes, circles, triangles or stars.
Size: Use this slider to adjust the overall size (height and width) of your symbols or the size of the arrow head, allowing you to specify the proportions. Modify this setting for very short or very long lines so that arrows and symbols are proportional to the line length.
Color: Choose the arrow or symbol color from the pull-down menu.
Width: Move the slider to the desired line width before defining the arrow or symbol. The thickness of the normal arrow or symbol will be the same as the line thickness you select with this slider. Move the slider to the desired line width before defining the hollow arrow head or dash symbols. This slider does not affect the circle, solid arrow head, and star.
Orientation: These check boxes determine the way annotation lines and arrows are generated. Depending on the anchor selection, you can generate annotation from the anchor to the view, from the view to the anchor, or between two of the anchor items chosen. The term "view" is used to describe a point in 3D space from which, or to which you draw the line or arrow.

Bitmaps

Bitmaps are applied to the item, point, or entity's centroid, as defined by your anchor. Bitmaps are automatically applied when you pick on the graphics window.

Bitmap Name

You can choose from the seven supplied bitmap entities (Two Ansys logos, a clamp and four 3D-directional arrows), or supply your own bitmaps. You must designate your bitmap beforehand (Utility Menu >PlotCtrls> Annotate> Load Bitmap) in either JPEG, PNG or Windows BMP format. The bitmap file will then appear in this pull-down selection box.

Note: Your imported bitmaps occupy the number of pixels they were generated at, and cannot be resized once they are placed in the graphics window (even if you resize your model).

Dimensions

Dimension Settings
Color: Choose a color from the pull-down menu. The subsequently defined dimension lines and text will be of the color chosen.
Inline / Parallel Text: Choose whether your text will follow the same slope as the dimension lines (perpendicular to the extension lines for all but Angular and Radial types), or be parallel to the extension lines.

Lines or Arcs

You pick the starting point of your line in the Graphics window, or define it via coordinates in the input area. You can draw lines between two picked anchor entities, between two points, or from a picked point in space to any anchor entity or defined point. Each subsequent right mouse click allows you to create vertices and angles, and a right mouse click ends the line.

Color: Choose a line color from the pull-down menu.
Solid / Dashed: Choose either solid (default) or dashed lines.
Width: You can vary the thickness of your line by a factor of 10.
Orientation: These check boxes determine the way annotation lines and arrows are generated. Options are available, depending on the anchor selection, to generate the annotation from the anchor to the view, from the view to the anchor, or between two of the item types chosen for the anchor. The term view is used to describe a point in 3D space from which, or to which you draw the line or arrow.

Options

You can modify your annotation items individually or all at once. The ANNOTATION ANCHOR pull down box is grayed out when Options is selected from the ANNOTATON ENTITY list.

Modify Buttons

Copy: You must first "box select" the item(s) you want to copy. The prompt in the input window tells you to pick the first and second corners. You then click to place the copied annotation item anywhere in the graphics screen (there is no defined anchor location). Multiple clicks will place multiple copies.
Move: After selecting the item, you use the mouse to move it anywhere in the graphics window. Subsequent rotations, resizings or tranlations will anchor the item(s) to the xyz coordinates.
Resize: After selecting the item, you move the mouse to change its size. Although they can be copied and moved, Bitmap File Annotations cannot be resized.
Delete: Unlike all of the previous "Option Modify Buttons", does not require that you select the item. The delete function automatically deletes the appropriate annotation when you pick it.
Box Delete: Automatically deletes all of the enclosed items when you complete the selection box. Although some items disappear, others (bitmaps) require that you replot in order to see the item actually removed.

Draw / Erase Grid

Enable grid visibility to aid in placing your annotation. 2D Annotation entities can be placed more precisely using the grid. (See Snap, below.) The grid does not need to be visible for snapping to be enabled.

Enable Snap

Lets you pick locations at the intersection of the grid lines. This is similar to picking points on a working plane. Picked locations that fall between grid lines will be redirected to the nearest grid intersection.

Snap Increment

Controls the size of the grid squares, and the "density" of the snap point locations. Snap point locations are the intersection of grid lines.

Save / Restore

You can use these buttons to save and restore annotation from a separate annotation file. Because annotation is not saved with the database, you will need to save annotation entities to a file if you plan on using the current annotation in another session. The entities are saved in glossterms of Mechanical APDL commands, and can be restored at any time. The annotation file name is displayed below these buttons.

Delete All

Automatically deletes all annotation items (both 2D and 3D) from your graphics window. YOU CANNOT RECOVER THIS OPERATION VIA THE UNDO BUTTON

Text

Choose the entity to use for annotating. Bitmap text is the default, but you can also use graphics entities such as lines, polygons, arrows etc. If bitmap fonts are not enabled, this dialog box will provide additional controls for creating "stroke text" fonts. You can use the provided controls to create stroke text and modify it as desired.

Setting Bitmap Text Option: To create bitmap text, you must first enable bitmap fonts (Utility Menu> PlotCtrls> Annotation> Enable Bitmap Font). This loads the fonts that are available on your system. You then select the desired font (Utility Menu> PlotCtrls> Annotation> Select Anno/Graph Font). The font you select will also be used for your charting and legend annotations.
Setting Stroke Text Option: Unlike Bitmap Text, which accesses your system fonts, StrokeText characters are drawn by Mechanical APDL. Although you are limited in the construction and make up of the type face, the vector nature of the characters allows them to be modified and customized more easily. Stroke text annotations do not size proportionately. That is you can make the text illegible by independently modifying one size parameter, or by using the ANNOTATION OPTIONS sizing capability.

Color

You choose from the color pallet to deglosstermine the color of your text.

Size

Move the slider to the desired text size. A text size value of 1 corresponds to approximately 5% of your Graphics Window height, while a value of 10 corresponds to approximately 20%. NOTE : Although 3D text annotation remains anchored when you translate, rotate or resize your model, the text size does not change automatically. Use the "Options" setting to resize your text if you modify your model.

Thickness

You can vary the thickness of the text lines by a factor of 10. This option is only available when enabled bitmap fonts is disabled.

Slant

You can make your text look as though it is italicized by changing the slant. The numbers displayed (0 - 45) correspond to degrees. This option is only available when enabled bitmap fonts is disabled.

Justification Buttons

Controls how the text is justified within the picked starting and ending locations for 2D only.

Left Justified: The text will start at the first picked location and extend as far as necessary to the right.
Centered: The center of the text will be halfway between the first and second picked location. The text will be displayed as you type it, and will alternately move to the left and right as you build the text string.
Right Justified: The text will end at the second picked location.

Text Path Buttons

Exact Path: The text you define will follow the path from the first point that you pick to the second point (default).
Approximate Path: Allows some tolerance when you are trying to define text that is exactly horizontal or vertical. Picked path lines within 5 degrees of being vertical or horizontal will be made into purely horizontal or vertical text paths.