19.17.6. Exporting Results

To export the data of a contour result, right-click the desired result object, select Export, and specify a file name and type. Supported file types include Text (.txt) and Excel (.xls). Text format is the default file format. However, the application always creates and displays an Excel file even when you save the data in text format. The exported file includes headers that display the node ID or element ID, and the result name and unit. Note that the application may not sort the node/element ID column.

You can prepend header information listed below using the Show Additional Header preference of the Export group of the Options dialog, you can prepend the exported file with the following header information:

  • Result File Name

  • Environment Name

  • Result Name

  • Result Type

  • Unit

  • Coordinate System

  • Time

Multi-Body Scoping and Duplicate Result Values

The application processes and exports result data one body at a time. For result contours scoped to more than one body that include shared nodes, the export process may produce multiple result listings at each shared node. Depending on the type of result, results values on shared nodes for different bodies may be identical (and redundant duplicate values) or different. For example, note the differences of the following result types scoped to different bodies with share nodes:

  • Degree of freedom results, such as temperature or displacement, produce identical results.

  • Element-nodal results, like stress or strain, produce different result values at each shared node.

The application offers a preference, Remove Duplicate Nodes, of the Export group of the Options dialog that removes duplicate nodes within a body. However, this may not address all circumstances. For the following results, the application removes identical duplicate result values from the export file based on property settings or element type:

  • Element-nodal results and reaction forces (enforced motion) on planar elements because there is no variation across the thickness.

  • Duplicate element-nodal result values, but only if you set the Average Across Bodies property to Yes.

  • Shell elements unless you set the Position property to the Top/Bottom option.

  • Elemental-nodal reactions on shell elements.

  • Duplicate element-nodal result values for solid elements, but only if you set the Average Across Bodies property to Yes.

  • Duplicate element-nodal result values for shell elements unless you set the Position property to the Top/Bottom option.

Contact Results

For unaveraged element- or node-based contact results or elemental-based contact result results, the element IDs in the exported file correspond to the solid elements with which the contact elements share a face.

Node Results

In addition to a general export of all contour result data, you can also manually select results for one or more nodes and export data for those nodes only. To export node results:

  1. Select the desired result object.

  2. Select the Node filter on the Graphics Toolbar and pick nodes on the result plot. You can also use a selection tool form the Select Mode menu (Box, Lasso, etc.). See the Selecting Nodes section for more information.

  3. In the Geometry window, right-click and select the Export Node Results option. You are prompted to save the data in .txt format. You may also select to save the data as an Excel file. Once you save the file, an Excel file automatically opens providing the node numbers and the corresponding result data.

Note:  The following do not support node-based export: