19.2.2.2. Probe Details View

The following table describes the Probe Details view categories and properties. All Probes provide the same Details view categories, however, based on the probe type and/or how you specify the probe properties; the availability of the properties can differ.

CategoryProperty Name and Description
Definition
Type

This read-only property displays the selected type of probe.

Location Method

Sets the probe location. Based upon the probe type, Location Method options include:

Geometry Selection

Default setting, indicating that the probe is applied to a geometry or geometries (X, Y, Z points, edge/edges, vertex/vertices, face/faces, or body/bodies), which are chosen using a graphical selection tools.

If you select a point using the Hit Point Coordinate selection tool (see Graphics Toolbar), the read-only X,Y, Z Coordinate properties display and show the coordinate locations.

Geometry: Visible when the Location Method is set to Geometry Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.
Coordinate System

Use this property to set the location according to a user-defined coordinate system. This choice displays a Location drop-down list where you pick the particular coordinate system. The X,Y,Z Coordinates of the location are also displayed.

Coordinate System: Visible when the Location Method is set to Coordinate System. Provides a drop-down list of available coordinate systems.
Remote Points

Use this property to scope the probe to a remote point.

Remote Points: Visible when the Location Method is set to Remote Points. Provides a drop-down list of available remote points.

Caution:  The application does not support probes applied to objects that you have scoped to multiple Remote Points, either directly or indirectly, such as a spring scoped to a Remote Point that is itself defined by multiple Remote Points.

Boundary Condition

This Location Method option is available for Force Reaction and Moment Reaction probes in structural analyses. It is also available for the Reaction Probe in thermal, electric, and thermal-electric (as Heat Reaction) analyses. And it is available for the Radiation Probe in thermal as well as thermal-electric analyses. Use this property to scope the probe to an existing boundary condition.

Boundary Condition: Visible when the Location Method is set to Boundary Condition. This property provides a drop-down list of available boundary conditions.
Spring

Use this property to scope a Force Reaction probe to an existing body-ground spring that you select from a drop-down list of available body-ground springs.

Spring: This associated property is visible when the Location Method is set to Spring. This property provides a drop-down list of available body-ground springs.
Contact Region

Use this property to scope Force Reaction, Moment Reaction, and heat Reaction (thermal analyses only) probes to an existing contact region that you pick from a Contact Region drop-down list.

Contact Region: Visible when the Location Method is set to Contact Region. This property provides a drop-down list of available contact regions.
Beam

Use to scope the probe to an existing boundary condition that you pick from a Beam drop-down list.

Beam: Visible when the Location Method is set to Beam. Provides a drop-down list of available beams objects.
Mesh Connection

Use this property to scope the probe to an existing mesh connection in the tree.

Mesh Connection: Visible when the Location Method is set to Mesh Connection. This property provides a drop-down list of available mesh connection objects.
Surface

Use the scope to probe to a surface and study reactions on cutting planes.

Surface: Visible when the Location Method is set to Surface. Provides a drop-down list of available surface objects.
Geometry: This property corresponds to the Surface property when the Location Method is set to Surface. Select a geometry Body.
Boundary Condition

This property is available for a number of probe types. It provides a drop-down list of available boundary conditions that you use to scope the probe to.

Orientation

Sets the direction of the coordinate system specified by the Coordinate System described above.

Spring

This property displays when the Location Method is set to Spring. It provides a drop-down list of available body-ground springs that you use to scope the probe to.

X coordinate

A read-only property that displays X Axis value for the Coordinate System property.

Y coordinate

A read-only property that displays Y Axis value for the Coordinate System property.

Z coordinate

A read-only property that displays Z Axis value for the Coordinate System property.

Summation

Displayed only for Moment Reaction probes when Orientation is also displayed. Allows you to specify the summation point where the moment reaction is reported.

  • Centroid: The simple calculated average; unweighted by length, area, or volume.

  • Orientation System; The coordinate system you specified with the Orientation setting.

By

Harmonic Response Analysis Only.

This property displays for the Force Reaction and Moment Reaction probes. Property options include:

Frequency

When this option is specified, a Frequency entry property and the Sweeping Angle property also display.

Set

When this option is specified, a Frequency entry property and the Sweeping Angle property also display.

Maximum Over Frequency

When this option is specified, the Sweeping Angle property also displays.

Frequency of Maximum

When this option is specified, a Frequency entry property and the Sweeping Angle property also display.

Maximum Over Phase

When this option is specified, the Frequency property and Phase Increment property also display.

Phase of Maximum

When this option is specified, a Frequency entry property and Phase Increment property also display.

Extraction

Displayed only for Force Reaction and Moment Reaction probes when the Location Method is set to Contact Region or Mesh Connection.

Options for Contact Region Setting

When the Location Method is set to Contact Region, options include:

Options for Mesh Connection Setting

When the Location Method is set to Mesh Connection, options include: Primary or Secondary.

Orientation Method

Only displayed for a Joint Probe. Options include Joint Reference System and User Specified.

Options
Result Selection

The options for this property vary based on the selected type of probe. See the Overview and Probe Types section for additional information based on your desired probe type.

Display Time

End Time or Time Step.

Spatial Resolution

When edges, vertices, faces, or bodies are selected as the Geometry, this property displays. It allows you to calculate the maximum (Use Maximum) or minimum (Use Minimum) result values across the given geometry selection.

Result Type

This property provides a list of available results for a Joint Probe.

Results

This category provides read-only properties of result you select in the Result Selection or Result Type drop-down list. The Node ID is displayed if you used the Snap to mesh nodes feature.

Maximum Value Over Time

This category provides read-only properties that vary based on the probe type. They display maximum values of the results you select over time in stepped analysis.

Minimum Value Over Time

This category provides read-only properties that vary based on the probe type. They display minimum values of the results you select over time in stepped analysis.

Information

Based on the probe type, the following read-only result-based properties may be provided by this category.

  • Time

  • Load Step

  • Substep

  • Iteration Number

  • Surface Area

Note:

  • When you set Location Method to Coordinate System, the probe traverses the primary axes to determine where the hits occur on the model. The hit closest to the origin of the coordinate system is used. This behavior is similar to placing a laser at the origin of the system and then shooting the laser sequentially along positive and negative direction of x, y, z axis.

  • Probe objects scoped to x, y, z picked locations (using the Hit Point Coordinate selection tool) are achieved in such a way that a projection of the picked location in screen coordinates occurs onto the model based on the current view orientation, in other words, normal to the display screen onto the model at the picked location on the screen. If the geometry is updated, the update of the projection will follow the original vector that was established "behind the scenes" when the x, y, z pick was first made. Therefore the update of Probe objects scoped to x, y, z picking locations may not appear to be logical since it follows a vector that was established dependent on a view orientation when the original pick was made.

  • The details view of the probe shows either the maximum or the minimum result values but not both.