Result file

The result file associated with the currently loaded model is displayed.

Load case

The current load case is displayed, however you can use the drop-down menu to make another selection from the expanded list.  You can also use the arrow up/down buttons to scroll through the other load cases available in the result file.

Note - Derived load cases are not listed.

Result type

This section allows you to select the result data type that will be used to construct the curve/plot.  Use the Result type drop-down menu to select one of the available result types.  Derived results created within the session are not listed.

Note - These options will change depending on the currently loaded result file.

The expansion button, , opens the Choose From List dialog which allows you to quickly view, sort, filter, and select from an expanded list of the available result types.

Request

Before creating a curve or plot, you may pick one or more entities from the model.  You can do this by picking entities directly from the screen, using the quick window selection, or clicking the Nodes, Elements, or Components input collector and using the extended entity selection menu.  See Selecting Entities Using the Input Collector for more information on selecting entities.

Note - For MBD models, Systems (or Markers) can also be selected.  Selection will be available if the results file has any type of results that are bound to Systems/Markers (for example; forces or moments).

Components

The Components section allows you to choose the data component type(s) to be plotted.  The list of available components is based on the selected result type.  For example, Mag, X, Y, and Z components are available for the Displacement result type.

The components listed in the current view can be selected, or deselected, using the All , None , Reverse buttons.

The expansion button, , opens the Components dialog which allows you to quickly view and select from an expanded list of the available components.

Layers

Allows you to display a curve/plot for specified component layers when layer definitions are available for a selected component.  For example, layers Z1 and Z2 are available for a Stress/vonMises result type/component selection.

The layers listed in the current view can be selected, or deselected, using the All , None , Reverse buttons.

The expansion button, , opens the Layers dialog which allows you to quickly view and select from an expanded list of the available layers.

Layout

The Layout option menu enables you to specify how the plotted data is arranged on the page:

One Plot Per Request

Each selected request (entity) is plotted in a new plot with the corresponding components overlaid.

For example, if two requests/entities (nodes, elements, or components) and two components (data component types like Mag or Z1) are selected, two plots are created (one for each selected entity) with two curves in each plot.

One Plot Per Component

Each selected component is plotted in a new plot.

For example, if two requests/entities (nodes, elements, or components) and four components are selected, four plots are created with two curves in each plot.

One Curve Per Plot

Each curve is plotted in a new plot.

For all plotting options, a new page is created.   When the plots are built, each window on the new page is filled.  If more windows are required, another page of the same layout is created.

New window

The curve is created in the next available empty window.  If no such window exists, then the page layout is changed to the layout with an empty window.  If no empty window is found, then a new page is added.

Existing XY Plot

OR

Existing Complex Plot
(only available if complex results are associated with the currently loaded model/results file)

The curve is created in an existing "xy" or "complex" plot window that was selected from the page and window tree.

Apply

Click Apply to construct all the curves at once.

The program automatically generates axis labels, plot titles, and page names.  They can be edited in HyperGraph using the Axes and Headers and Footers panels and the Session Browser.

Plots can contain up to six horizontal and six vertical axes.  All curves created using the Build Plots panel are automatically assigned to the primary horizontal and vertical axes.