Vector Panel

The Vector panel allows you to set options for a vector plot. Individual vector components, shear, and complete resultants can be plotted for vector based results.

To access the Vector panel, click Vector on the Results toolbar, or select Plot > Vector from the Results menu.

vector_plot_panel

Vector panel

Note	For the 12.0.110SA release, several options were moved into a tab area located in the middle of the panel (click below to view a table which outlines those changes):

vector_plot_panel_old

*Pre-12.0.110SA Vector panel*

Option	Previous Location	New 12.0.110SA Location
Component X, Y, Z check boxes	Bottom left corner of the panel.	Plot tab
Size scaling drop-down menu and text box	Under Display options (middle section of the panel)	Display tab
Show (Component or Resultant) drop-down menu	Under Display options (middle section of the panel)	Plot tab See below
Components button New	----	Plot tab
Resultant button New	----	Plot tab
Color by drop-down menu and color box	Under Display options (middle section of the panel)	Display tab
Vector heads drop-down menu	Under Display options (middle of the panel)	Display tab
Show values check box	Under Display options (middle of the panel)	Plot tab
Max check box and text field	Under Legend threshold (middle section of the panel)	Legend tab
Min check box and text field	Under Legend threshold (middle section of the panel)	Legend tab
Multiplier text field	Under Legend threshold (middle section of the panel)	Legend tab
Edit Legend button	Under Legend threshold (middle section of the panel)	Legend tab

The following options are applied to the model when you click Apply.

Result type

Select the result data type that should be used to display the vector plot. Only vector data types indicated with a (v), such as displacement, velocity, acceleration, rotation, forces, or moments are available for selection.

For MBD users: Markers are triads that represent local coordinate systems. Markers can help visualize the orientation of a component (part). Activate the Markers check box in the Results browser, to display the markers for the currently selected entities.

If an animation file contains force data, the forces can be displayed as vectors. Select Forces as the result type to display the forces acting on the currently selected components (parts).

Layers

Create a vector plot for a specified element layer when a layer definition is available for an element. If an element has no layer definition, as with solids, the vectors are displayed regardless of layer selection. The options that control how layers will be displayed are:

	Solver specific layer options	Solver dependent label(s). For example, Z1 and Z2 indicates the lower and upper layers of shells for a Nastran model.
	Layer Filter	Reduce the layer list available for the data types which have layers (for example, plies in composite stress/stains or any vector result with layers).

Use corner data

If corner data is available, the Use corner data option is enabled. This option will render data such as vectors, provided that the Result Math template is set to Advanced and the required information is extracted from the input deck read as a model file (for OptiStruct and Nastran solvers only).

Selection

Before creating a vector plot, you must 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 by clicking the Nodes, Elements, Components, or Sections input collector and using the extended entity selection menu. If no selection is made, the vector will be applied to displayed nodes, elements, components, or sections by default. See Selecting Entities Using the Input Collector for more information on selecting entities. For vector or multiple models see MultiModel Result Plotting for additional information.

The Sections input collector option is only available if a section cut has been applied.

For MBD models: You can pick entities directly from the screen using the quick window selection, or you can click the Assemblies (Bodies) or Systems (Markers) input collector and use the extended entity selection menu.

Resolved in

Select the result coordinate system which will be used to plot the results. You can select the analysis, element, or global coordinate system as well as a user-defined system. The System input collector is enabled when User System is selected.

	Global System	Transforms to the global system.
	Analysis System	Displays the vector and tensor results as they are output from the solver.
	Material System	Transforms results to the material system. The Material System is available when using the Advanced Result Math template. The required information is extracted from the input deck read as a model file (for OptiStruct and Nastran solvers only). N/A plot results when no definitions are available.
	Ply System	Transforms results to the ply coordinate system. The Ply System is available when using the Advanced Result Math template. The required information is extracted from the input deck read as a model file (for OptiStruct and Nastran solvers only). N/A plot results when no definitions are available.
	Element System	Transforms results to the element coordinate system. In HyperView, the element coordinate system is defined by element connectivity.
	User System	This option is available when the results file contains a user-defined coordinate system. Click the System input collector to select a system by ID or pick from the screen.

Use tracking
system

When a tracking system is activated in the Tracking panel, the Use tracking system option is enabled. If you activate this option, the vectors will be transformed and resolved in the tracking system.

The following options are automatically applied to the model as you enter information.

Plot tab

Create a vector plot which displays the component and/or the resultant vectors.

vector_plot_panel_plot_tab_hv

By default, vector plots are displayed in the resultant, which displays the vectors in absolute magnitude. The component vectors are the minimum and maximum vectors.

Note - Click Components or the Resultant to conveniently activate the default options and display the corresponding vector plot.

	Components	Activate the X, Y, Z coordinate check box(es) to display the corresponding axis (or axes).
	Resultant	Select the resultant and/or the shear resultant(s) to be used for the vector plot: X + Y + Z (default), X + Y, Y + Z, Z + X.
	Values	Display the values at the tip of the vector.
	Prefix	Display the value prefixes.
	Font	Click the Font button, , to display the Font Selector dialog. This dialog allows you to select the font type, font style, and font size for the vector plot prefix and value labels.
	Color	Click the Color box to select a vector plot text color from the pop-up dialog.

With the added enhancement of instantly plotting the resultants and shear components, it was necessary to map a legacy (session/tpl/h3d/API) to the newer settings. The table below outlines how the settings in prior versions map to the current version:

X	Y	Z	Mode	Maps to…
Checked	Checked	Checked	Resultant	X+Y+Z
Checked	Checked	Unchecked	Resultant	X+Y
Checked	Unchecked	Unchecked	Resultant	X (sign is not always positive)
Checked	Checked	Checked	Components	X, Y, Z
Checked	Checked	Unchecked	Components	X, Y
Checked	Unchecked	Unchecked	Components	X

Display tab

Once you have created a vector plot, you can change how the vectors are displayed.

vector_plot_panel_display_tab_hv

Size scaling

Scale vector size automatically, by magnitude, or uniformly.

		Auto	Automatically scales the vector length (the average vector length will be approximately 2% of the model size). This is set as the default scale mode.
		By Magnitude	The vector size is displayed relative to the value of the vectors. The Scale value text box allows you to increase or decrease the size according to a scaling value.
		Uniform	All vectors are displayed in a uniform size. You can increase or decrease the size using the Scale value text box.
		By	This option is active only when By magnitude is chosen. Setting this allows you to increase or decrease the scale factor, which in turn affects the length of the arrows.

Color by

After you apply vector settings to a model, you can change the vector color based on direction or value.

		Value	Applies colors based on values and the legend settings.
		Direction	Changes the colors for the components or resultant. To change a color: click the color box to display the color palette. Select a different color.

Vector
heads

The first drop-down menu allows you to display the vector head as an arrow or a straight line. The second drop-down menu allows you to attach the tail, tip, or center of the vector head to the reference point.

		Arrow	Displays the vector head as an arrow.
		None	Displays the vector head as a straight line.
		Tail	Attaches the tail of the vector head to the reference point.
		Tip	Attaches the tip of the vector head to the reference point.
		Center	Attaches the center of the vector head to the reference point.

Legend tab

Allows you to manage the Legend display.

vector_plot_panel_legend_tab_hv

	Max	Enter the value to be assigned to the highest color in the contour plot. Activate the Max check box to apply the value. The new value is also changed in the Values section of the Edit Legend dialog. If a value entered for threshold Max is invalid, it will not be applied and the panel will be updated to reflect the actual state.
	Min	Enter the value to be assigned to the lowest color in the contour plot. Activate the Min check box to apply the value. The new value is also changed in the Values section of the Edit Legend dialog. If a value entered for threshold Min is invalid, it will not be applied and the panel will be updated to reflect the actual state.
	Multiplier	Enter the multiplier for scaling all the result values.
	Edit Legend	Opens the Edit Legend dialog, where you can change legend properties.

Section tab

Select options for projecting the vectors to the cross section plane.

vector_plot_panel_section_tab_hv

The Section options will only be enabled if all of the following conditions are met:

•	A section cut has been applied to the model.

•	The Selection input collector is set to Sections.

•	The Resolved in system is set to Global.

Projected

Project the vectors to the cross section plane.

Evenly distributed

Evenly distribute the vectors on a cross section by specifying the number of rows and columns.

Number of rows/
Number of columns

Specify the number of rows and columns that will be used to evenly distribute the vectors on a cross section.

The Evenly distributed option must be activated in order to enable these options.

Note You can also use the command layer to change the updating policy for the vector plot on the cross section.

Result display
control

The following options allow you to manage the result display.

Overlay result
display

Overlays vector, tensor, and contour results in the same window.

Clear Vector

Removes vectors from the model.

Create Plot
Style

Opens the Create/Update Vector Plot Style dialog, which allows you to create or update a result plot style based on the current settings of the vector.

create_update_vector_plot_style_dialog

A vector plot needs to be current in order to create a new style or modify an existing one. All the settings of the vector plot (resolved in systems, default data type/components, display options, legend, etc.) are captured in the named style.

Query Results

Opens the Query panel where you can view and export properties and other information related to nodes, elements, components, and systems contained in the active model. Only the individual components will be returned by the query (no shear results).

Note:

The Envelope utility is not intended for use with tensor or vector plots. If it is used with a tensor or vector plot, HyperView will simply draw the last loadstep in the derived loadstep list.

How do I...

1.	From the Result type drop-down menu, select the name of the data type that should be used to calculate the vector plot. Only data types with a vector format are available for you to choose.

2.	Select an option from the Layers drop-down menu (if activated).

3.	Under Selection, pick one or more nodes, elements, components, or sections from the model by clicking the entity type input collector button.

4.	Under Resolved in, select Analysis System, Element System, Global System, or User System. For User System, click the System input collector to select a system by ID.

5.	For Component, select the X, Y, or Z coordinates from the Plot tab (located in the middle of the panel), if necessary.

For Resultant, select the desired resultant (X + Y + Z) and/or the shear resultant(s) (X + Y, Y + Z, Z + X) from the Plot tab (located in the middle of the panel), if necessary.

6.	Click Apply. The vector settings are applied to the selected nodes, elements, components, or sections on the model.

1.	Click the Display tab (located in the middle of the panel) and select By magnitude or Uniform from the Size scaling drop-down menu. The default setting is Auto.

2.	If you select By magnitude, enter a value. The vector size is displayed according to the value specified.

3.	If you select Uniform, enter a value. The vector size is displayed according to the value specified.

1.	Click the Display tab (located in the middle of the panel) and select Direction from the Color by drop-down menu.

The vector is displayed with the colors defined by the buttons. The buttons are enabled and the default colors for the vector are:

•

Red for X

•	Green for Y

•	Blue for Z

•	Yellow for resultant X+Y

•	Light blue for shear resultant Y+Z

•	Pink for shear resultant Z+X

•	White for shear resultant X+Y+Z

3.	Click the color box to display the color palette. Select a different color.

1.	Click the Display tab (located in the middle of the panel) and select Value from the Color by drop-down menu. The Edit Legend button becomes enabled in the Legend tab.

2.	From the Legend tab, click Edit Legend to modify the legend values and colors.

Vector Panel

Vector Panel

Vector Panel

Option

Previous Location

New 12.0.110SA Location

How do I...