Post on 03-Mar-2015
Users Manual
Tecplot, Inc.
Bellevue, WA
2010
COPYRIGHTNOTICE Tecplot360TMUsersManualisforusewithTecplot360TMVersion2010. Copyright19882010Tecplot,Inc.Allrightsreservedworldwide.Exceptforpersonaluse,thismanualmaynotbereproduced,transmitted,transcribed,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortranslatedinanyform,inwholeorinpart,withouttheexpresswritten permissionofTecplot,Inc.,3535FactoriaBlvd,Ste.550;Bellevue,WA98006U.S.A. Thesoftwarediscussedinthisdocumentationandthedocumentationitselfarefurnishedunderlicenseforutilizationandduplicationonlyaccordingtothelicenseterms.ThecopyrightforthesoftwareisheldbyTecplot,Inc.Documentationisprovidedfor informationonly.Itissubjecttochangewithoutnotice.ItshouldnotbeinterpretedasacommitmentbyTecplot,Inc.Tecplot,Inc.assumesnoliabilityorresponsibilityfordocumentationerrorsorinaccuracies.
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Table of Contents
Introduction to Tecplot 3601 Introduction ....................................................................................................13Interface ...............................................................................................................................14 GettingHelp.......................................................................................................................35
2
Using the Workspace ...............................................................................37DataHierarchy ..................................................................................................................37 InterfaceCoordinateSystems ......................................................................................39 Frames ..................................................................................................................................40 WorkspaceManagementOptionsMenu ..................................................................49 ViewModification ...........................................................................................................51 EditMenu ...........................................................................................................................54
3
Data Structure ..............................................................................................57ConnectivityList ..............................................................................................................57 OrderedData .....................................................................................................................58 FiniteElementData .........................................................................................................60 VariableLocation(CellcenteredorNodal) .............................................................62 FaceNeighbors..................................................................................................................63 WorkingwithUnorganizedDatasets ........................................................................63
3
Loading Your Data4 Data Loaders .................................................................................................. 69CGNSLoader ....................................................................................................................70 DEMLoader .......................................................................................................................74 DXFLoader ........................................................................................................................74 EnSightLoader..................................................................................................................75 ExcelLoader .......................................................................................................................76 FEALoader ........................................................................................................................79 FLOW3DLoader .............................................................................................................86 FLUENTLoader ...............................................................................................................90 GeneralTextLoader ........................................................................................................95 HDFLoader .....................................................................................................................104 HDF5Loader ..................................................................................................................105 KivaLoader ......................................................................................................................107 PLOT3DLoader ..............................................................................................................108 PLYLoader .......................................................................................................................114 TecplotFormatLoader .................................................................................................114 TextSpreadsheetLoader..............................................................................................121 OverwritingDataFiles .................................................................................................122
Creating Plots5 Creating Plots .............................................................................................. 127CreatingPlots ..................................................................................................................127 DataJournaling ...............................................................................................................128 DataSharing ....................................................................................................................128 DatasetInformation.......................................................................................................129 SelectColor .......................................................................................................................135
6
XY and Polar Line Plots ......................................................................... 141MappingStyleandCreation ......................................................................................142 LineMapLayer ...............................................................................................................146 SymbolsMapLayer .......................................................................................................160 XYLineErrorBars .........................................................................................................162 XYLineBarCharts ........................................................................................................164 I,J,andKindices ...........................................................................................................164 LineLegend......................................................................................................................165 PolarDrawingOptions ................................................................................................167
7
Field Plots ....................................................................................................... 169FieldPlotModificationZoneStyleDialog ..........................................................170
4
TimeAware ......................................................................................................................175 DataPointandCellLabels ..........................................................................................177 ThreedimensionalPlotControl ................................................................................178
8
Mesh Layer and Edge Layer .............................................................185MeshLayer .......................................................................................................................185 EdgeLayer ........................................................................................................................187
9
Contour Layer ..............................................................................................189ContourLayerModification .......................................................................................190 ContourDetailsDialog.................................................................................................191 ExtractContourLines ...................................................................................................200
10
Vector Layer ..................................................................................................203VectorVariables ..............................................................................................................204 VectorPlotModification ..............................................................................................204 VectorArrowheads ........................................................................................................206 VectorLength...................................................................................................................207 ReferenceVectors ...........................................................................................................208
11
Scatter Layer ................................................................................................211ScatterPlotModification .............................................................................................211 ScatterSize/Font .............................................................................................................213 ReferenceScatterSymbols...........................................................................................214 ScatterLegends ...............................................................................................................215
12
Shade Layer ..................................................................................................217ShadeLayerModification ...........................................................................................217
13
Translucency and Lighting .................................................................219Translucency ....................................................................................................................219 LightingEffects ...............................................................................................................220 ThreedimensionalLightSource ...............................................................................221
14
Slices ..................................................................................................................223InteractivelyCreatedSlices .........................................................................................224 SlicesExtractedDirectlytoZones ............................................................................228
15
Streamtraces ................................................................................................231StreamtraceDetailsdialog ..........................................................................................232 StreamtraceAnimation ................................................................................................242 SurfaceStreamtracesonNoslipBoundaries ........................................................2425
StreamtraceExtractionasZones ...............................................................................242 StreamtraceErrors .........................................................................................................242
16
Iso-surfaces .................................................................................................. 243IsoSurfaceGroups ........................................................................................................243 IsoSurfaceDefinition ...................................................................................................244 IsoSurfaceStyle .............................................................................................................245 IsoSurfaceAnimation ..................................................................................................245 IsoSurfaceExtraction ...................................................................................................246
17
Axes .................................................................................................................... 247AxisDisplay .....................................................................................................................247 AxisVariableAssignment ...........................................................................................247 AxisRangeOptionsforXYLine,2D,and3DCartesianCoordinates ..........248 AxisRangeOptionsforPolarCoordinates ...........................................................250 AxisGridOptions ..........................................................................................................252 TickMarkOptions .........................................................................................................253 TickMarkLabelOptions .............................................................................................255 AxisTitleOptions ..........................................................................................................258 AxisLineOptions ..........................................................................................................259 GridAreaOptions .........................................................................................................261 Time/DateFormatOptions .........................................................................................262
18
Text, Geometries, and Images ...................................................... 267Text ......................................................................................................................................267 Geometries ........................................................................................................................278 Images ................................................................................................................................281 TextandGeometryAlignment ..................................................................................283 TextandGeometryLinkstoMacros ........................................................................283
Data Manipulation19 Blanking ........................................................................................................... 287BlankingSettingsforDerivedObjects ....................................................................288 ValueBlanking ................................................................................................................288 IJKBlanking .....................................................................................................................292 DepthBlanking ...............................................................................................................294
20
Surface Clipping ......................................................................................... 295CreatingaClippingSlice .............................................................................................296 IncludingPlotObjectsinClipping ...........................................................................296
6
21
Data Operations .........................................................................................299DataAlterationthroughEquations ..........................................................................299 DataSmoothing ..............................................................................................................310 CoordinateTransformation ........................................................................................312 TwodimensionalDataRotation ...............................................................................313 ShiftPseudoCellcenteredData ................................................................................314 ZoneCreation ..................................................................................................................314 DataExtractionfromanExistingZone...................................................................319 ZoneDeletion ..................................................................................................................322 VariableDeletion ............................................................................................................323 DataInterpolation ..........................................................................................................323 IrregularDataPointTriangulation ...........................................................................329 DataSpreadsheet ............................................................................................................330
22
CFD Data Analysis ....................................................................................333SpecifyingFluidProperties.........................................................................................333 SpecifyingReferenceValues .......................................................................................337 IdentifyingFieldVariables ..........................................................................................338 SettingGeometryandBoundaryOptions .............................................................339 UnsteadyFlow ................................................................................................................343 CalculatingVariables ....................................................................................................345 PerformingIntegrations ...............................................................................................350 CalculatingTurbulenceFunctions ............................................................................362 CalculatingParticlePathsandStreaklines .............................................................363 AnalyzingSolutionError ............................................................................................373 ExtractingFluidFlowFeatures..................................................................................375
23
Probing ..............................................................................................................379FieldPlotProbingwiththeMouse ...........................................................................379 FieldPlotProbingbySpecifyingCoordinatesandIndices..............................381 FieldPlotProbedDataViewing ................................................................................383 LinePlotProbingwiththeMouse ............................................................................387 DataEditing .....................................................................................................................389
Final Output24 Output ...............................................................................................................397LayoutFiles,LayoutPackageFiles,Stylesheets ...................................................397 PlotPublishingfortheWeb ........................................................................................402 DataFileWriting ............................................................................................................403
25
Printing .............................................................................................................407PlotPrinting .....................................................................................................................4077
Setup ...................................................................................................................................408 PrintRenderOptions ....................................................................................................411 PrintPreview ...................................................................................................................412
26
Exporting ......................................................................................................... 413TheTecplotViewer ........................................................................................................414 VectorGraphicsFormat ...............................................................................................415 ImageFormat ..................................................................................................................418 X3DExport .......................................................................................................................424 MovieFormat ..................................................................................................................424 ClipboardExportingtoOtherApplications .........................................................428 AntialiasingImages .......................................................................................................428
Scripting27 28 Introduction to Scripting ..................................................................... 433 Macros ............................................................................................................... 437MacroCreation ...............................................................................................................437 MacroPlayBack .............................................................................................................439 MacroDebugging ..........................................................................................................441 MacrosMovedtoDifferentComputersorDirectories ....................................443
29
Batch Processing ....................................................................................... 445BatchProcessingSetup.................................................................................................445 BatchProcessingUsingaLayoutFile .....................................................................446 MultipleDataFileProcessing ....................................................................................446 BatchProcessingDiagnostics .....................................................................................447
30
Working With Python Scripts ........................................................... 449CombiningPythonscriptswithmacrocommands ............................................449 UsingthePythonQuickScriptsPanel ....................................................................450 RunninganentirePythonModule ...........................................................................451 ModifyingthePythonPath .........................................................................................452 PythonInstallationNotes ............................................................................................452
Advanced Topics31 Animation ........................................................................................................ 457AnimationTools .............................................................................................................457 MovieFileCreationManually ...................................................................................4688
MovieFileCreationwithMacros .............................................................................469 AdvancedAnimationTechniques ............................................................................470 MovieFileViewing.......................................................................................................471
32
Customization ..............................................................................................475ConfigurationFiles ........................................................................................................475 InteractiveCustomization ...........................................................................................480 PerformanceDialog .......................................................................................................482 InterfaceConfiguration(UNIX) ................................................................................486 Tecplot.phy .......................................................................................................................486 CustomCharacterandSymbolDefinition.............................................................487
33
Add-ons ............................................................................................................491AddonLoading .............................................................................................................491 AddonsincludedintheTecplot360distribution ..............................................493 WorkingwithTecplot360Addons .........................................................................495
AppendicesA Command Line Options ........................................................................529Tecplot360CommandLine ........................................................................................529 UsingCommandLineOptionsinWindowsShortcuts .....................................531 AdditionalCommandLineOptionsinUNIX ......................................................532
B
Tecplot 360 Utilities ................................................................................533ExcelMacro ......................................................................................................................533 Framer ................................................................................................................................535 LPKView ..........................................................................................................................536 Preplot ................................................................................................................................538 RasterMetafiletoAVI(rmtoavi) ...............................................................................538 Pltview ...............................................................................................................................539
C
Shortcuts .........................................................................................................541KeyboardShortcuts .......................................................................................................541 ExtendedMouseOperations ......................................................................................545
D E
Glossary ...........................................................................................................547 PLOT3D Function Reference .............................................................557Symbols .............................................................................................................................557 ScalarGridQualityFunctions....................................................................................558 VectorGridQualityFunctions ...................................................................................5619
ScalarFlowVariables ....................................................................................................561 VectorFlowVariables ...................................................................................................566 TheVelocityGradientTensor .....................................................................................567
F
Limits of Tecplot 360 ............................................................................. 569HardLimits ......................................................................................................................569 SoftLimits .........................................................................................................................571 LimitsWhenWorkingRemotely ..............................................................................571
10
Part 1 Introduction to Tecplot 360
12
1IntroductionTecplot360isapowerfultoolforvisualizingawiderangeoftechnicaldata.Itofferslineplotting,2Dand 3Dsurfaceplotsinavarietyofformats,and3Dvolumetricvisualization.Theuserdocumentationfor Tecplot360includestheseninebooks: UsersManual(thisdocument)Thismanualprovidesacompletedescriptionofworkingwith Tecplot360features. GettingStartedManualNewTecplot360usersareencouragedtoworkthroughthetutorials providedintheGettingStartedManual.Thesetutorialshighlighthowtoworkwithkey featuresinTecplot360. ScriptingGuideThisguideprovidesMacroandPythoncommandsyntaxandinformationon workingwithMacroandPythonfilesandcommands. QuickReferenceGuideThisguideprovidessyntaxforzoneheaderfiles,macrovariables, keyboardshortcuts,andmore. DataFormatGuideThisguideprovidesinformationonoutputtingsimulatordatatoTecplot 360fileformat. AddonDevelopersKitUsersManualThismanualprovidesinstructionsandexamplesfor creatingaddonsforTecplot360. AddonDevelopersKitReferenceManualThismanualprovidesthesyntaxforthe functionsincludedintheaddonkit. InstallationInstructionsTheseinstructionsgiveadetaileddescriptionofhowtoinstall Tecplot360onyourmachine. ReleaseNotesThesenotesprovideinformationaboutnewand/orupdatedTecplot360 features. TecplotTalkAusersupportedforumdiscussingTecplot360,TecplotFocus,Pythonscripting, Addondevelopment,TecIOandmore.Visitwww.tecplottalk.comfordetails.
13
Introduction
1-1
Interface
FivemajorsectionsmakeuptheTecplot360interface:
Menubar
Toolbar
Sideba Tecplot360Workspace
Status
1 - 1.1
Menubar
ThemenubaroffersrapidaccesstomostofTecplot360sfeatures.
Tecplot360sfeaturesareorganizedintothefollowingmenus: FileUsetheFilemenutoreadorwritedatafilesandplotlayouts,printandexportplots,and setconfigurationpreferences. EditUsetheEditmenutoselect,undo,cut,copy,paste,andclearobjects,opentheQuick Editdialog,andchangethedraworderforselecteditems(pushorpop).Cut, Copy, and Paste work only within Tecplot 360. To place a graphic image of your layout into another program, use Copy Plot to Clipboard. This option is available on Windows and Macintosh platforms.
ViewUsetheViewmenutomanipulatethepointofviewofyourdata,includingscale,view range,and3Drotation.YoucanalsousetheViewmenutocopyandpasteviewsbetween frames. TheViewmenuincludesthefollowingconvenientsizingoptions: FitEverything(3DOnly)Thisoptionsresizesplotssothatalldatapoints,text,and geometriesareincludedintheframe.14
Interface
FitSurfaces(3DOnly)Thisoptionresizesplotssothatallsurfacesareincludedinthe frame,excludinganyvolumezones. FittoFullSizeThisoptionfitstheentireplotintotheframe.Thisoptiondoesnot affecttheaxisranges. NiceFittoFullSizeThisoptionsetstheaxisrangetobeginandendonmajoraxis increments(ifaxesaredependent,theverticalaxislengthisadjustedtoaccommodatea majortickmark). DataFitThisoptionfitsthedatapointstotheframe. MakeCurrentViewNiceThisoptionmodifiestherangeonaspecifiedaxistofitthe minimumandmaximumofthevariableassignedtothataxis,andthensnapsthemajor tickmarkstotheendsoftheaxis.(Ifaxisdependencyisnotsetasindependent,thismay affecttherangeonanotheraxis.) CenterThisoptionmovestheplotimagesothatthedatapointsarecenteredwithin theframe.(Onlythedataiscentered;text,geometries,andthe3Daxesarenot considered.) PlotUsethePlotmenutocontrolthestyleofyourplots.Themenuitemsavailableare dependentupontheactiveplottype(chosenintheSidebar). InsertUsetheInsertmenutoaddtext,geometries(polylines,squares,rectangles,circles,and ellipses),orimagefiles.Ifyouhavea3Dzone,youmayalsousetheInsertmenutoinserta slice.Iftheplottypeissetto2Dor3DCartesian,youmayinsertastreamtrace. AnimateUsetheAnimatemenutoanimateIJKPlanes,IJKBlanking,isosurfaces,mappings, slices,streamtraces,time,andzones. DataUsetheDatamenutocreate,manipulate,andexaminedata.Typesofdata manipulationavailableinTecplot360includezonecreation,interpolation,triangulation,and creationoralterationofvariables. FrameUsetheFramemenutocreate,edit,andcontrolframes. OptionsUsetheOptionsmenutocontroltheattributesofyourworkspace,includingthe colormap,papergrid,displayoptions,andrulers. ScriptingUsetheScriptingmenutoplayorrecordmacros,andtoaccesstheQuickMacros Paneldialog. ToolsUsetheToolsmenutolaunchtheQuickEditdialogoranaddon. AnalyzeUsetheAnalyzemenutoexaminegridquality,performintegrations,generate particlepaths,extractflowfeatures,andestimatenumericalerrors. HelpChooseTecplot360HelpfromtheHelpmenutogetspecific,completehelpon featuresoroperationswithinTecplot360.BychoosingAboutTecplot360fromthismenu, youcanobtainspecificinformationaboutyourlicense.
1 - 1.2
Sidebar
TheSidebarprovideseasyaccessforfrequentlyusedplotcontrols.ThefunctionsavailableintheSidebar dependontheplottypeoftheactiveframe.For2Dor3DCartesianplottypes,youcanaddorsubtract zonelayers,zoneeffects,andderivedobjectsfromyourplotusingtheSidebar.Forlineplots(XYand polar)youcanaddorsubtractmappinglayersusingtheSidebar. Tocustomizeyourplot,simply: SelectaplottypefromthePlotTypesdropdownmenuintheSidebar. UsethetoggleswitchestoaddorsubtractZoneSurfaces,ZoneEffects,orDerivedObjects.Use theZoneStyle/MappingStyledialogstofurthercustomizeyourplotbyaddingorsubtracting zonesfromspecificplotlayers/mappings,changingthewayazoneorgroupofzonesis displayed,orchangingvariousplotsettings.15
Introduction
PlotTypesMenu
ZoneSurfaces
Figure 11. ZoneEffects (3DOnly) TheTecplot360 Sidebarforafield plot(left)andaline plot(right).The featuresavailablein theSidebarare dependentuponthe plottype.For3D Cartesianplots,you mayaddandsubtract zonelayers,derived objects,andeffects foryourplot.You mayalsousethe PlacementPlanefor positioningsome3D objects(3Dplots only).For2D Cartesianplots(not shown),youmayadd andsubtractzone layersandsome derivedobjectsfor yourplot.Forfield plots(3Dor2D),you mayanimate transientdata
Derived Objects(Iso surfacesare 3DOnly) Transient Controls
PlacementPlane (3DOnly)
Plot TypesThePlotType,combinedwithaframesdataset,activelayers,andtheirassociatedattributes,defineaplot. Eachplottyperepresentsoneviewofthedata.Therearefiveplottypesavailable: 3DCartesian3Dplotsofsurfacesandvolumes. 2DCartesian2Dplotsofsurfaces,wheretheverticalandhorizontalaxisarebothdependent variables(i.e.x=f(A)andy=f(A),whereAisanothervariable). XYLineLineplotsofindependentanddependentvariablesonaCartesiangrid.Typicallythe horizontalaxis(x)istheindependentvariableandtheyaxisadependentvariable,y=f(x). PolarLineLineplotsofindependentanddependentvariablesonapolargrid. SketchCreateplotswithoutdatasuchasdrawings,flowcharts,andviewgraphs.
16
Interface
Zone Surfaces Zone LayersAlayerisawayofrepresentingaframesdataset.Thecompleteplotisthe sumofalltheactivelayers,axes,text,geometries,andotherelementsadded tothedataplottedinthelayers.Thesixzonelayersfor2Dand3DCartesian plottypesare: MeshAgridoflinesconnectingthedatapointswithineachzone. ContourIsovaluedlines,theregionbetweentheselinescanbeset tocontourflooding. VectorThedirectionandmagnitudeofvectorquantities. ScatterSymbolsatthelocationofeachdatapoint. ShadeUsedtotinteachzonewithasolidcolor,ortoaddlight sourceshadingtoa3Dsurfaceplot.Usedinconjunctionwiththe LightingzoneeffectyoumaysetPaneledorGouraudshading. UsedinconjunctionwiththeTranslucencyzoneeffect,youmay createatranslucentsurfaceforyourplot. EdgeZoneedgesandcreasesforordereddataandcreasesfor finiteelementdata.
Zone EffectsFor3DCartesianplottypes,usetheSidebartoturnlightingandtranslucencyonoroff.Onlyshadedand floodedcontoursurfaceplottypesareaffected.RefertoChapter12:ShadeLayerandChapter13: TranslucencyandLightingforadditionalinformation.
Zone StyleSelectthe[ZoneStyle]buttontolaunchtheZoneStyledialog.TheZoneStyledialogisusedtocustomize thezonelayersthatyouhaveaddedtoyourplot.Refertothechapterforeachzonelayerfordetailson workingwiththeZoneStyledialog.
Map LayersAlayerisawayofrepresentingaframesdataset.Thecompleteplotisthe sumofalltheactivelayers,axes,text,geometries,andotherelementsadded tothedataplottedinthelayers. ThefourXYLinemaplayersare: LinesPlotsapairofvariables,XandY,asasetoflinesegmentsor afittedcurve. SymbolsApairofvariables,XandY,asindividualdatapoints representedbyasymbolyouspecify. BarsApairofvariables,XandY,asahorizontalorverticalbar chart. ErrorBarsAllowsyoutoadderrorbarstoyourplot.
17
Introduction
ThetwomaplayersforPolarLineare: LinesApairofvariables,XandY,asasetoflinesegmentsora fittedcurve. SymbolsApairofvariables,e.g.XandY,asindividualdata pointsrepresentedbyasymbolyouspecify. Selectthe[MappingStyle]buttontolaunchtheMappingStyledialog.The MappingStyledialogallowsyoutocustomizethestylesettingsforeachof theplotlayersandspecifythepointstoplot.Thepagesofthedialogare discussedindetailinChapter6:XYandPolarLinePlots.
Derived ObjectsForCartesianplottypes(2Dand3D):ToggleonIsosurfaces,Slices,or StreamtracesfromtheSidebartoaddanyoralloftheseelementstoyourplot. TheircorrespondingDetailsdialogscanbeaccessedviatheDetails[...] button.RefertoChapter16:Isosurfaces,Chapter14:Slices,orChapter 15:Streamtracesfordetailsonworkingwiththeseobjects.
Transient ControlsWhenworkingwithtransientdata,simplypressthePlay buttoninthe Sidebartoanimateovertime.Theactiveframewillbeanimatedfromthe CurrentSolutionTime(circledinred)tothelasttimestep.Youmayalsodrag theslidertochangetheCurrentSolutionTimeofyourplot. TheAnimationControlshavethefollowingfunctions: JumpstotheStartingValue. JumpstowardtheStartingValuebyonestep.
RunstheanimationasspecifiedbytheOperationfieldoftheTimeDetailsdialog. ThePlaybuttonbecomesaStopbuttonwhiletheanimationisplaying. JumpstowardtheEndingValuebyonestep. JumpstotheEndingValue.
UsetheDetails[...]buttontolaunchtheTimeDetailsdialog.
Placement PlaneWhenyouareusingcertaintoolstoaddobjectstoyourplot,toggleonUsePlacementPlaneinthe
Sidebartoplacethemalongagivenplane(3DPlotsonly).Usethe[X],[Y],and[Z]buttonstoselectthe planetouse,andusetheslidertorepositionthePlacementPlane.ThePlacementPlanewillappearasa graysliceinyourplot.ThePlacementPlaneisavailablefor: Placingstreamtraces(usingtheAddStreamtraceTool )
Placingslices(usingtheSliceTool18
)
Interface
AddingContourLevels(usingtheAddContourLevelTool
)
DeletingContourLevels(usingtheRemoveContourLevelTool
)
Probing(usingtheProbingtool
)
Snap ModesSnapModesallowyoutoplaceobjectspreciselybylockingthemtothenearestreferencepoint,eitheron theaxisgridorontheworkspacepaper. SnaptoGridConstrainobjectmovementtowholestepsontheaxisgrid.Thiscanbeuseful foraligningtextandgeometrieswithspecificplotfeatures. SnaptoPaperConstrainobjectmovementtowholestepsonthepapersrulergrid.Thiscan beusefulforpositioningframespreciselyforprinting,orforabsolutepositioningoftext, geometries,andotherplotelements.
Details ButtonThe[Details]buttonislocatedimmediatelybelowthesnapmodes.Itiscontextsensitive.Usethisbutton tocallupthedialogmostdirectlyapplicabletoyourcurrentaction.Whenthecurrentlyselectedtoolis eithertheSelector ortheAdjustor ,butnoobjectsareselectedintheworkspace,the[Details] buttonislabeled[QuickEdit].Otherwise,thebuttonislabeledObjectDetailswhenanobjectisselected andToolDetailswhenyourmousecursorisnotinselectormodeandanobjectisnotselected.
Object DetailsThe[ObjectDetails]buttonintheSidebarcallsupthedialogthatmostcloselyreflectsthecurrentstateof thecursor.Forexample,ifyouselectalegendandthen[ObjectDetails],theLegenddialogwillopen.
Tool Details[ToolDetails]callsupthedialogrelatedtothecurrentstateofthecursor.Forexample,ifarotatetoolis selected,[ToolDetails]callsupthe3DRotatedialog.
Redraw ButtonsTheredrawbuttonsallowyoutokeepyourplotuptodate:[RedrawAll]CTRLDredrawsallframes (SHIFT[RedrawAll]completelyregeneratestheworkspace);[Redraw]CTRLRredrawsonlytheactive frame.
Auto RedrawUseAutoRedrawWhenselected,theplotwillbeautomaticallyredrawn,wheneverstyleordata changes.Someusersprefertoturnthisoptionoffwhilesettingmultiplestylesettingsandthenmanually pressthe[Redraw]or[RedrawAll]buttonontheSidebartoseeafullplot.You can interrupt an auto-redraw at any time with a mouse click or key press.
19
Introduction
Cache GraphicsTecplot360usesOpenGLtorenderplots.OpenGLprovidesfortheabilitytocachegraphicinstructions forrenderingandcanrerenderthecachedgraphicsmuchfasterthanifTecplot360sendstheinstructions again.Thisisparticularlytrueforinteractivemanipulationofaplot.However,thisperformancepotential comesatthecostofusingmorememory.Ifthememoryneedistoohigh,theoverallperformancecouldbe less.Therearethreegraphicscachemodes:cacheallgraphics,cacheonlylightweightgraphicsobjects,and donotcachegraphics. WhenCacheGraphicsisselectedintheSidebar,Tecplot360assumesthereisenoughmemoryto generatethegraphicscache.Assumingthisistrue,Tecplot360srenderingperformancewillbeoptimal forinteractivemanipulationofplots. Whenmemoryconstraintsareverylimited,considertogglingoffCacheGraphics.Ifyouintendto interactwiththeplot,alsoconsidersettingthePlotApproximationmodesettoAllFramesAlways Approximated. SeeSectionGraphicsCacheonpage 483formoreinformation.
Plot ApproximationsWhenPlotApproximationisselectedandifthenumberofdatapointsisabovethepointthreshold,an approximateplotforstyle,data,andinteractiveviewchangesisrendered.Theapproximateplotis followedimmediatelybythefullplot.Thisoptionprovidesforgoodinteractiveperformancewiththe finalplotalwaysdisplayedinthefullrepresentation. SeeSectionPlotApproximationonpage 482formoreinformation.
1 - 1.3
Toolbar
EachofthetoolsrepresentedintheToolbarchangesthemousemodeandallowsyoutointeractivelyedit yourplot.
Double-click on a tool to launch the Details dialog associated with the tool.
Selector ToolUsetheSelectortooltoselectobjectsinyourworkspace.Theselectedobjectscanbemodifiedusing theQuickEditdialogand(insomecases)theSelectortoolitself. Thefollowingobjectscanbemoved(translated)usingtheSelectortool: frames axisgridarea text geometries contourlabels streamtraces streamtraceterminationline legends 3Dframeaxis20
Interface
Toselectanobjectandopenthatobjectsattributesdialog,eitherdoubleclickonanyobjectordragthe cursortoselectgroupsofobjects(callsupGroupSelectdialog).Selectthe[OK]button,thenselect[Object Details].
Adjustor ToolUsetheAdjustortooltoperformanyofthefollowingmodificationstoyourplotanddata: Locationofindividualorgroupsofdatapointsinthegrid. Valuesofthedatasetvariablesataparticularpoint. Lengthorplacementofindividualaxes(2DCartesianandXYLineplottypesonly). Spacingbetweenanaxislabelanditsassociatedaxis(2DCartesianandXYLineplottypes only). Shapeofapolyline. Forallotherscenarios,thebehavioroftheAdjustormodeisidenticaltothatoftheSelectortool.The Adjustor tool can alter your data. Be sure you want to use the Adjustor tool before dragging points in the data region.
ToselectmultiplepointsYoucaneitherSHIFTclickafterselectingyourinitialpointtoselectadditional points,oryoucandrawagroupselectbandtoselectthepointswithintheband.(Inlineplots,youcan selectpointsfromonlyonemappingatatime.) Onceyouhaveselectedalldesiredpoints,movetheAdjustorovertheselectionhandlesofoneofthe points,thenclickanddragtothedesiredlocationofthefirstdatapoint.Theotherselectedpointswill moveasaunitwithrespecttothechosendatapoint,maintainingtheirrelativepositions. ForXYLineplots,ifseveralmappingsareusingthesamedataforoneofthevariables, adjustingoneofthemappingswillresultinsimultaneousadjustmentstotheothers.You canavoidthisbypressingtheHorVkeyonyourkeyboardwhileadjustingtheselected point.TheHandVkeysrestricttheadjustmenttothehorizontalandverticaldirections, respectively.
Group SelectTheGroupSelectdialogisopenedwhenyouselectagroupofobjectswiththeSelectororAdjustortool. TheGroupSelectdialogallowsyoutospecifythefollowingobjecttypes(iftheselectionrectangledoes notincludeaspecificobject,itsassociatedcheckboxisinactive): Text Geometries Frames ZonesorMappings AxisGridArea ContourLabels Streamtraces TheGroupSelectdialogoffersthefollowingattributefilters: GeomsofTypeChoosegeometriesofaparticulartypefromthedropdownmenu.
21
Introduction
GeomswithLinePatternChooseallgeometrieshavingaparticularlinepattern. TextwithFontChoosealltextdisplayedinaparticularfont. ObjectswithColorChooseallobjectsofaparticularcolor.Youchoosetheappropriatecolor fromtheSelectColordialog.
Zoom ToolZoomintoorawayfromtheplot. Whenamouseclickoccurs(withoutdragging),thezoomingiscenteredatthelocationofyourclick. Therearetwozoommodes:plotzoomingandpaperzooming. Forplotzoomingdragthemagnifyingglasscursortodrawaboxaroundtheregionthatyouwanttofit intotheframe.Theboxmaybelargerthantheframe.Makingtheboxlargerthantheframezoomsaway fromtheplot.Theregionwithintheviewboxwillberesizedtofitintotheframe.If Snap to Grid (located in the Sidebar) is selected, you cannot make the zoom box larger than the grid area.
Toreturntothepreviousview,chooseLastfromtheViewmenu(CTRLL).Torestoretheoriginal2D view,chooseFittoFullSize(CTRLF). Theresultsofplotzoomingforthe2DplottypearedependentupontheaxismodeselectedintheAxis Detailsdialog(accessedviathePlotmenu): 2DIndependentAxisModeAllowstheselectedregiontoexpandtoexactlyfitintheframe. Theaxesarerescaledindependentlytofitthezoombox. 2DDependentAxisModeIndependentmode,theaxesarenotfitperfectlytothezoombox. Thelongestdimensionfromthezoomboxisappliedtoanassociatedaxis,andtheotheraxisis resizedaccordingtothedependencyrelation. ForpaperzoomingSHIFTdragthemagnifyingglasscursortodrawaboxabouttheregionthatyou wanttomagnify.Theplotisresizedsothatthelongestdimensionofthezoomboxfitsintotheworkspace. YoucanfitoneorallframestotheworkspacebyusingtheFitSelectedFramestoWorkspaceorFitAll FramestoWorkspaceoptionsfromtheView>Workspacemenu.Toreturntothedefaultpaperview, chooseFitPapertoWorkspacefromtheView>Workspacemenu. Clickinganywhereinyourplotwhilethezoomtoolisactivewillcenterthezoomaround yourclick.Alternatively,CTRLclickcenterstheplotonthepointthatwasclickedand zoomsout. Usethecentermousebuttonanddrag(orholddowntherollerballanddrag)to interactivelyzoomintooroutoftheplot. ThisendsthesectionbeforethesectionImhopingtorename.
Translate ToolUsetheTranslate/Magnifytooltotranslateormagnifydatawithinaframeorthepaperwithinthe workspace.
22
Interface
WhileinTranslate/Magnifymode,dragthecursortomovethedatawithrespecttotheframe,orSHIFT dragtomovethepaperwithrespecttotheworkspace.Use the right mouse button to interactively translate objects. You can rescale your image by pressing + to magnify, - to shrink. If you are SHIFT-dragging to move the paper, the rescale buttons + and - will magnify or shrink the paper, as long as you have the mouse button depressed.
Three-dimensional RotationTherearesix3Drotationmousemodes: Spherical DragthemousehorizontallytorotateabouttheZaxis;dragthemouseverticallyto
controlthetiltoftheZaxis.
Rollerball
Dragthemouseinadirectiontomovewithrespecttothecurrentorientationonthe
screen.Inthismode,yourmouseactsmuchlikearollerball.
Twist
Drag the mouse clockwise around the image to rotate the image clockwise. Drag the
mousecounterclockwisearoundtheimagetorotatetheimagecounterclockwise.
Xaxis
DragthemousetorotatetheimageabouttheXaxis.
Yaxis
DragthemousetorotatetheimageabouttheYaxis.
Zaxis
DragthemousetorotatetheimageabouttheZaxis.
Onceyouhaveselectedarotationmousemode,youcanquicklyswitchtoanyoftheothersusingthe followingkeyboardshortcuts:Drag ALTdrag Middleclickanddrag/ALT rightclickanddrag Rightclickanddrag RotateaboutthedefinedrotationoriginwithyourcurrentRotatetool. RotateabouttheviewerpositionusingyourcurrentRotatetool. Smoothzoominandoutofthedata. Translatethedata. Thisoptioncanbeusedwithoutfirstselectingarotationmousemode.Simply hoveroveryourintendedpointoforigin,andthenCTRLrightclickanddrag totranslatetheimage. Moverotationorigintoprobedpoint,ignoringzones.
CTRLrightclickanddragC
23
Introduction
O
Moverotationorigintoprobedpointofdata. Thisshortcutcanbeusedwithoutfirstselectingarotationmousemode. Simplyhoveroveryourintendedpointoforigin,typeO,andthenCTRL rightclickanddragtorotatetheimage. SwitchtoRollerballrotation. SwitchtoSphericalrotation. SwitchtoTwistrotation. SwitchtoXaxisrotation. SwitchtoYaxisrotation. SwitchtoZaxisrotation.
R S T X Y Z
Slice ToolUsetheSlicingtooltoaddasliceinteractivelybyclickinganywhereinyourplot.Youcanalsouse thistooltocontrolyourslice(s)interactively. Thefollowingkeyboard/mouseoptionsareavailablewhentheSlicetoolisactive:PrimarySlices,StartEndSlicesActiveTurnonintermediateslices(ifnot alreadyactive)andaddsaslice. PrimarySlicesactive[ONLY]TurnsonStart/EndSlicesandaddsaslice. Start/EndSlicesactive[ONLY]TurnsonStart/EndSlicesandaddsaslice. PrimarySlices,StartEndSlicesActiveRemovesstartandendslices. PrimarySlicesactive[ONLY]Removestheprimaryslice. Start/EndSlicesactive[ONLY]RemovestheStartandEndSlices. Updatesthepositionoftheprimaryslice(ifactive).Ifonlystartandendslices arevisible,clickupdatesthepositionofthestartingslice. DeterminetheXYZlocationbyignoringzonesandlookingonlyatderived volumeobjects(streamtraces,slices,isosurfaces). SwitchesfromonePrimaryslicetoStart/EndSlicesbyaddingaslice. Movethestartorendslice(whicheverisclosesttotheinitialclicklocation). ShowStart/EndSlicesisactivated,ifnecessary. SwitchtoslicingconstantI,J,orKplanesrespectively. SwitchtoslicingconstantX,Y,orZplanesrespectively. Numbersonethrougheightswitchtothecorrespondingslicegroup.
+
Click/Drag ALTclick/ALTdrag
SHIFTclick SHIFTdragI,J,K(orderedzonesonly) X,Y,Z 18
24
Interface
Add StreamtraceSelecttheAddStreamtracetooltoaddastreamtraceinteractivelybyclickinganywhereinyourplot. Selectthenumberofstreamtracestoincludewitheachclick(rake)using19onthekeyboard.Keyboard Shortcuts DSwitch to streamrods RSwitch to streamribbons SSwitch to surface lines VSwitch to volume lines 1-9Change the number of streamtraces to be added when placing a rake of streamtraces SHIFT - Draws a rake on concave 3D volume surfaces. These rakes are normally not drawn, as they occur outside of the data Refer to Chapter 15: Streamtraces for more information.
Streamtrace Termination LineSelecttheAddStreamtraceTerminationLinetooltoaddastreamtraceterminationline interactively. TodrawaStreamtraceTerminationLine: Movethecursorintothedataregion. Clickonceatthedesiredstartingpointfortheline. Clickagainateachdesiredbreakpoint. Whenthepolylineiscomplete,doubleclickonthelastpointofthepolyline,orpressESCon yourkeyboard. Thedrawnpolylineendsanystreamtracesthatpassthroughit.
Add Contour LevelSelecttheAddContourLeveltooltoaddacontourlevelbyclickinganywhereintheactivedata region.Anewcontourlevel,passingthroughthespecifiedlocation,iscalculatedanddrawn. ThefollowingkeyboardandmouseshortcutsarerelatedtotheAddContourLeveltool.ALTclick Click Placeacontourlinebyprobingonastreamtrace,slice,orisosurface. Placeacontourline. Replacethenearestcontourlinewithanewline. Movethenewcontourline. SwitchtotheDeleteContourLeveltool.
CTRLClickDrag
25
Introduction
Delete Contour LevelSelecttheDeleteContourLeveltooltodeleteacontourlevelbyclickinganywhereintheactivedata region.Thecontourlinenearestthespecifiedlocationisdeleted.Use the + key to switch to the Add Contour Level tool and the - key to switch back to the Delete Contour Level tool.
Add Contour LabelsSelecttheAddContourLabeltooltoswitchtotheContourLabelmode,enablingyoutoadda contourlabelbyclickinganywhereintheactivedataregion. Acontourlabelisaddedtotheplotatthespecifiedlocation;itslevelorvalueinformationistakenfrom thenearestcontourline.Thisallowsyoutoplacelabelsataslightoffsetfromthelinestheylabel.The Contour type must be lines or lines and flood in order for this tool to be active. You can set the contour type on the Contour page of the Zone Style dialog.
Probe ToolSelecttheProbeAtTooltoprobeforvaluesofthedatasetsvariablesataparticularpoint. Toobtaininterpolatedvaluesofthedatasetvariablesatthespecifiedlocation,clickatanypointinthedata region. Toobtainexactvaluesforthedatapointnearestthespecifiedlocation,CTRLclickatthedesiredlocation.For XY plots, when you move into the axis grid area, the cursor cross hair is augmented by a vertical or horizontal line, depending on whether you are probing along the X-axis or the Y-axis. You can change the axis to probe simply by pressing X to probe the X-axis or Y to probe the Y-axis.
Insert TextSelecttheAddTexttooltoaddtexttoanyframe.
Insert GeometriesUsethecorrespondinggeometrybuttonsintheToolbartoinsertgeometriesintoyourplot. Polylines
Squares
Rectangles
26
Interface
Circle
Ellipse
Create New FrameSelecttheCreateFrametooltocreateanewframe. Toaddaframe: Clickonceintheworkspacetoanchoronecorneroftheframe. Dragthediagonalcorneruntiltheframeisthedesiredsizeandshape.If you have data loaded before you create a new frame, you can attach the existing dataset to the new frame by changing the plot type.
Extract Discrete PointsSelecttheExtractDiscretePointstooltoextractselectedpointstoadatafileoranewzone. Toselectpoints: Clickyourlefthandmousebuttonateachlocationwhereyouwouldliketoextractapoint. Toendextraction,eitherdoubleclickonthelastpoint,orrightclick,orpresstheESCkey. TheExtractDataPointsdialogappears;useittospecifyhowmanypointstoextractandhow tosavethedata.
Extract Points along PolylineSelecttheExtractLinetooltoextractpointsalongaspecifiedpolylinetoadatafileoranewzone. Toselectpoints: Clickyourlefthandmousebuttonateachlocationwhereyouwouldliketoextractapoint. Toendextraction,eitherdoubleclickonthelastpoint,orrightclick,orpresstheESCkey. TheExtractDataPointsdialogappears;useittospecifyhowmanypointstoextractandhow tosavethedata.
Create Rectangular ZoneSelecttheCreateRectangularZonetooltoadd2Drectangularzonestotheactivedataset. Tocreatearectangularzone: Clickonceintheactivedataregiontoanchoronecornerofthezone. Dragthediagonalcorneruntilthezoneisthedesiredsizeandshape.Thenewzonecreatedis IJordered.
27
Introduction
TospecifythemaximumIindexandJindex,usetheCreateRectangularZonedialog(accessedvia Data>CreateZone).The active frame must have a dataset attached to it in order for this tool to be active. This tool is available in 2D plots only.
Create Circular ZoneSelecttheCreateCircularZonetooltoaddnew2Dcircularzonestotheactivedataset. Tocreateacircularzone: Clickonceintheactivedataregiontospecifythecenterofthezone. Draguntilthezonehasthedesiredradius.ThenewzonecreatedisIJordered. TospecifythemaximumIindexandJindex,usetheCreateCircularZonedialog(accessedvia Data>CreateZone).The active frame must have a dataset attached to it in order for the Create Circular Zone tool to be active. This tool is available in 2D plots only.
1 - 1.4
Status Line
ThestatuslineappearsalongthebottomoftheTecplot360windowtogivehoverhelp,aswellasa progressbarandinformationwhenTecplot360computescalculations.Thehoverhelpappearswhenyou movethepointeroveratoolintheToolbar,abuttonoriteminthesidebar,oramenuitem,andgivesa descriptionofthecontrol. AprogressbarandinformationaboutthecalculationTecplot360iscompletingappearsinthestatusline duringlengthycalculationsorotherlongeroperations.
1 - 1.5
Tecplot 360 Workspace
IntheTecplot360workspace,youcancreatesketchesandplots.Youcancreateeachsketchorplotwithin awindowcalledaframe.Eachvisiblemeasureoftheworkspaceiscalledapage.Thecurrentstateofthe workspace,includingthesizingandpositioningofframes,thenumberandcontentsofpages,thelocation ofthedatafilesusedbyeachframe,andallcurrentattributesforallframes,makesupalayout.Bydefault, theworkspacedisplaysarepresentationofwherethepaperplotsaredrawn,aswellasareferencegrid andrulers.Theframemostrecentlyselectediscalledtheactiveframe. Youcanincludemultiplepagesinyourlayout.Tocreateanewpage,modifypagesormovebetween them,usetheQuickMacroPanel.SeeSection282.1QuickMacroPanelformoreinformationabout thepanel.
28
Interface
1 - 1.6
Quick Edit
Themapandzonelayercontrolsaffectinghowtheindividuallayersaredrawncanbealteredusing controlsontheSidebar.YoucanalsocontrolmanyoftheseattributesusingtheQuickEditdialog.
TheQuickEditdialogisaccessedviathe[QuickEdit]buttonlocatedatthebottomoftheSidebarwhen themousemodeisastandardarrow(i.e.youareusingeithertheSelectorToolorAdjustorTool).Ifyou areinadifferentmousemode,oryouhaveselectedaTextorGeometryobject,theObjectDetailsorTool DetailswillbelaunchedinlieuoftheQuickEditdialog. TousetheQuickEditdialog,selectoneormoreobjectsintheworkspace,thenselecttheappropriate buttoninthedialogtochangetheattributesoftheselectedobject(s).Thefunctionalityofeachbuttonis describedinthefollowingsections.
Mesh
ThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolswhetherthemeshisdisplayedforselectedzones,andifso, usingwhichtypesofmesh.Thefollowingoptionsareavailable: YShowthemeshfortheselectedzones.ThefirsttimeyouturnontheMeshlayerbyeither theQuickEditdialogortheZoneStyledialog,adialogappearsaskingifyouwishit activated.Select[Yes]toconfirmturningonthelayer. NTurnoffthemeshfortheselectedzones.
29
Introduction
WireFrameMeshlinesaredrawnunderlyingallotherfieldlayers(i.e.,Contour, Vector,Scatter,Shade);hiddenlinesarenotremoved.
OverlayMeshlinesaredrawnaboveallotherfieldplotlayersexceptvectorsandscatter symbols.
HiddenSimilartoOverlay,exceptthatinthe3DCartesian,plottypehiddenlinesare removedfrombehindthemesh.Inessence,thecellsofthemeshareopaque.Surfacesand linesthatarehiddenbehindanothersurfaceareremovedfromtheplot.
Contour
ThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolswhethercontoursaredisplayedforselectedzones,andifso, usingwhichplottype.Thefollowingoptionsareavailable: YShowthecontoursfortheselectedzones.ThefirsttimeyouturnontheContourlayerby eithertheQuickEditdialogortheZoneStyledialog,adialogappearsaskingifyouwishit activated.Select[Yes]toconfirmturningonthelayer. NTurnoffthecontourfortheselectedzones. LinesPlotscontourlines.Ifyouchoosethisplottype,youcanusetheContColor attributetospecifyMultiColortomakethelinecolorvarywiththecontourvariablevalue. FloodFloodtheareabetweenadjacentcontourlineswithacoloraccordingtothevalue ofthecontourvariable,numberofcontourlevels,andtheColorMap. BothLinesandFloodContourlinesaredrawnwithcolorfloodingbetweenthem. AverageCellEachcellorelementisfloodedwithonesolidcolorbaseduponthe averagevalueofthecontourvariableatthedatapointsofthecellorelement. PrimaryValueEachcellorelementisfloodedwithonesolidcolorbaseduponthe primarycellvalue.
VectorThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolswhethervectorsaredisplayedforselectedzones,andifso, usingwhichplottype.Thefollowingoptionsareavailable: YShowthevectorsfortheselectedzones.ThefirsttimeyouturnontheVectorlayerbyeither theQuickEditdialogortheZoneStyledialog,adialogappearsaskingifyouwishit activated.Select[Yes]toconfirmturningonthelayer. NTurnoffthevectorsfortheselectedzones. TailatPointDisplayregularvectorsasimplestickvectorwithlengthproportionalto thelocalmagnitude.Thetailofthevectorispositionedatthedatapoint.
30
Interface
HeadatPointDisplayregularvectorsasimplestickvectorwithlengthproportionalto thelocalvelocitymagnitude(thesquarerootofthesumofthesquaresofthevector components).Theheadofthevectorispositionedatthedatapoint.
AnchoratMidpointDisplayregularvectorsasimplestickvectorwithlength proportionaltothelocalvelocitymagnitude.Themidpointofthevectorispositionedatthe datapoint. HeadOnlyDisplayvectorsasheadsonly,withoutthevectorshaft.
Scatter
ThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolswhetherscattersymbolsaredisplayedforselectedzones,and ifso,whethertouseplainorfilledsymbols.Thefollowingoptionsareavailable: YShowthescattersymbolsfortheselectedzones.ThefirsttimeyouturnontheScatterlayer byeithertheQuickEditdialogortheZoneStyledialog,adialogappearsaskingifyouwishit activated.Select[Yes]toconfirmturningonthelayer. NTurnoffthescattersymbolsfortheselectedzones. PlainUseunfilledsymbolsforthescatterplot. FilledUsefilledsymbolsforthescatterplot.
Shade
ThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolswhethershadingisusedforselectedzones.Thisoptionallows youtoturnoffjusttheShadelayerforspecificzones,withoutcompletelydeactivatingthezones.The followingoptionsareavailable: YShowlightsourceshadingfortheselectedzones.ThefirsttimeyouturnontheShadelayer byeithertheQuickEditdialogortheZoneStyledialog,adialogappearsaskingifyouwishit activated.Select[Yes]toconfirmturningonthelayer. NTurnofflightsourceshadingfortheselectedzones.
Edge Border
ThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolswhetherthezoneedgeborderisdisplayedforselectedordered zones,andifso,whatedgetype.Thefollowingoptionsareavailable: YShowedgesbordersfortheselectedzones.ThefirsttimeyouturnontheEdgelayerby eithertheQuickEditdialogortheZoneStyledialog,adialogappearsaskingifyouwishit activated.Select[Yes]toconfirmturningonthelayer. NTurnoffedgesfortheselectedzones. ShowEntireBorderShowsborderlinesonallboundariesoftheselectedzone(s).
31
Introduction
ShowBorderLineShowstheedgeborderlineclosesttotheselectedpoint. HideBorderLineHidestheedgeborderlinethatisclosesttotheselectedpoint. ShowOnlyNearestBorderLineShowsonlytheedgeborderlinethatisclosesttothe selectedpointandhidesallothers.
ThefirsttimeyouturnontheLinelayerbyeithertheQuickEditdialogortheMappingStyle dialog,adialogappearsaskingifyouwishitactivated.Select[Yes]toconfirmturningonthe layer.
Symbols Mapping Layer
ThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolswhethersymbolsareplottedateachdatapoint,andwhether thosesymbolsarefilledorplain.Thefollowingoptionsareavailable: YShowthesymbolplotsfortheselectedmaps.ThefirsttimeyouturnontheSymbolslayer byeithertheQuickEditdialogortheMappingStyledialog,adialogappearsaskingifyou wishitactivated.Select[Yes]toconfirmturningonthelayer. NTurnoffthesymbolplotsfortheselectedmaps. PlainUseunfilledsymbolsforthescatterplot. FilledUsefilledsymbolsforthescatterplot.
XY Error Bars Mapping Layer
ThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolswhethererrorbarsaredisplayedfortheselectedmappings, andinwhichdirectiontheerrorbarsaredrawn.Theoptionsare: YShowtheerrorbarsfortheselectedmaps.ThefirsttimeyouturnontheErrorBarslayerby eithertheQuickEditdialogortheMappingStyledialog,adialogappearsaskingifyouwish itactivated.Select[Yes]toconfirmturningonthelayer. NTurnofftheerrorbarsfortheselectedmaps. TopErrorbarextendsupwardforpositivevalues(anddownwardfornegativevalues) oftheerrorbarvariable. BottomErrorbarextendsdownwardforpositivevalues(andupwardfornegative values)oftheerrorbarvariable. LeftErrorbarextendstotheleftforpositivevalues(andtotherightfornegativevalues) oftheerrorbarvariable. RightErrorbarextendstotherightforpositivevalues(andtotheleftfornegative values)oftheerrorbarvariable. HorizontalErrorbarextendsbothleftandright.
32
Interface
VerticalErrorbarextendsbothupanddown. CrossErrorbarextendsup,down,left,andright.
Bars Mapping LayerThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolswhetherbarsareplottedtorepresenteachdatapoint,and whetherthosebarsarefilledorplain. YShowtheselectedmapsasbarcharts.ThefirsttimeyouturnontheBarslayerbyeitherthe QuickEditdialogortheZoneStyledialog,adialogappearsaskingifyouwishitactivated. Select[Yes]toconfirmturningonthelayer. NTurnoffbarchartingfortheselectedmaps. PlainUseunfilledbarsforthebarchart. FilledUsefilledbarsforthebarchart.
Color
ThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolscoloroptionsforfilledobjects,lines,andtext. ObjecttypeUsetheFill,Line,andTextradiobuttonstoidentifytheobjecttypetomodify. ColorSelectthe[Color]buttontoactivatetheSelectColordialog.Multicolorisnotavailable forlineplots. XbuttonThebehaviorofthe[X]buttondependsontheobjecttypeselected. Fill[X]turnsoffthefillcolor. Line[X]causesthelinecolortomatchthefillcolor.Ifnofillcolorisspecified,the[X] buttonhasnoeffect. Text[X]hasnoeffect.
Symbols
UsethisregionoftheQuickEditdialogtochangethesymbolfortheScatterZonelayerorSymbolsMap layer. Usethe[Size]buttontospecifythesizeofthescattersymbolsasapercentageoftheframewidth(inthe2D Cartesianplottype)orofthemedianaxislength(inthe3DCartesianplottype).
33
Introduction
Line PatternThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolsthelinepattern,patternlength,andline thicknessforallselectedobjects. LinePttrnChoosethelinepatternfortheselectedzones. PttrnLngthSpecifythepatternlengthfortheselectedlinepattern,asa percentageoftheframewidth. LineThcknssSpecifythelinethicknessforthevectorsasapercentageofthe framewidth.
Arrows
ThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolsarrowheadplacementonpolylines.
ArrowheadsThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolsthetype,size,andangleofarrowheadforboth selectedvectorsandselectedpolylinesandvectors.Thefollowingoptionsareavailable: HeadStyleChoosethevectorheadstylefortheselectedzones.Thefollowing optionsareavailable: PlainDisplayarrowheadsaslinesdrawnfromtheheadofthevector. FilledDisplayarrowheadsasfilledtrianglesattheendofeachvector. HollowDisplayarrowheadsashollowtrianglesattheendofeachvector. SizeSpecifythesizeofthearrowheadasapercentageofframeheight. Angle(deg)Specifytheanglebetweenthevectorandthearrowhead. EnterValueForboththe[Size]and[Angle]buttons,youcanchooseEnterandtypeinan exactpercentageintheEnterValuedialog.
Font
ThisareaoftheQuickEditdialogcontrolsthefontfamilyandsizeusedforselectedtext.(SeeSection18 1.2FontFoldersandFallbackonpage 269formoreinformationonhowfontsworkwithTecplot360.) Thefollowingoptionsareavailable: FontmenuSelectthefontfamily. B,I,RSelecttheboldface,italic,bold/italic,orregularversionofthefont. Size(%)Specifytheheightforthetextinframeunits(i.e.asapercentageofframeheight). Size(pt)Specifytheheightforthetextinpoints.
34
Getting Help
Order and Alignment
UsetheOrderandAlignmentbuttonsoftheQuickEditdialogtoaligntextwithintextboxesorthe alignmentbetweenselectedgeometries/textboxes. text. Topor BottomUsetheToporBottomalignmentbuttonstoalignselected geometriesandtextwithrespecttooneanother. Left, Center,or RightUsetheLeft,Center,orRightalignmentbuttonstoalign
PushUsethePushbuttontopushtheselectedgeometries,frames,ortexttothebottomofthe draworder.Ifyouselectframesincludingtheactiveframeandusethe[Push]button,Tecplot 360willactivatethenewtopmostframe.Otherwise,the[Push]buttonwillnotaffecttheactive frame. PopUsethePopbuttontopoptheselectedgeometriesortexttothetopofthedraworder.If youselectinactiveframesandusethe[Pop]button,Tecplot360willactivatethenewest topmostframe.Otherwise,the[Pop]buttonwillnotaffecttheactiveframe.For more information about active frames, see Section 2 - 3.1 The Active Frame Receives All Actions.
1-2
Getting Help
Tecplot360featuresafullyintegratedHelpsystem.QuickhelponmenuitemsandSidebarcontrolsis availablefromthestatuslineortooltips. Detailedhelpisaccessibleby: PressingtheF1keyanywhereintheTecplot360window.IfthepointerisovertheSidebar, QuickEditdialog,oramenu,theF1keyprovidescontextsensitivehelponthatcontrolor menu.Otherwise,F1callsuptheContentspageofHelpviayourWebbrowser. SelectingContentsfromtheHelpmenu. SelectingHelponanydialog. TheHelpdialogsupportstextsearch,hashypertextlinks,andprovidesdetailedinformationonallmenus anddialogs. YouranswermaybeinTechnicalSupportNotesatwww.tecplot.com/support. IfyouarecoveredbyTecplotsSoftwareMaintenanceService,helpisalsoavailablefrom6:30A.M.to5 P.M.PacificStandardTimefromTecplotTechnicalSupportat425.653.9393. Youmayalsosendanemailtosupport@tecplot.comwithyourquestions.
35
Introduction
36
2Using the WorkspaceThischapterdiscussesthestructuresandfeaturesofTecplot360thatactthesameregardlessofthedata typeorplotlayersyouareusing.Theseinclude: DataHierarchyHowTecplot360managesdata InterfaceCoordinateSystemsTecplot360suseofdifferentcoordinatesystems,andwhen andwheretheyoccur FramesAreasintheworkspaceinwhichyoucancreateplotsandcontrolformatting WorkspaceManagementOptionsMenuFactorsthatdeterminethecolorandorientationof yourpaper,aswellastherulerandgrid,inordertopreciselysizeandpositionobjects.Forin depthinformationonDisplayPerformance,refertoSection323PerformanceDialog ViewModificationThecommandstozoom,translate,andfitplotswithinframes EditMenuThecommandstocutorcopyplotelementsfromaworkspace,andthecommand topasteplotelements
2-1
Data Hierarchy
Tecplot360structuresdataintwolevels:datasets,whichdisplayinframes,andzones,whichmakeupa dataset.Eachdatasetiscomposedofoneormorezones,andeachzonecontainsoneormorevariables.All zoneswithinadatasetcontainthesamesetofvariables.
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Using the Workspace
Thischart,Figure21,displaysavisualrepresentationofTecplot360smethodofdatahierarchy.
Figure21.
DataHierarchyinTecplot360.Frames1&2displayDataset1,and Dataset1containsthreezonesfromonedatafile.Frame3contains Dataset2,whichiscomposedoffivezones(twofromdatafile2and
2 - 1.1
Data Displays in Frames
Tecplot360alwaysdisplaysdatainawindowcalledaframe.Bydefault,Tecplot360opensoneframe whenyoulaunchTecplot360oropenanewlayout,butyoucandisplaymultipleplotsconcurrentlyin Tecplot360byaddingadditionalframes.YoucanaddframestotheworkspaceusingtheFramemenu. Youcandisplayonedatasetinoneframe,oryoucanshareonedatasetbetweenmultipleframes.Usingthe samedatasetinmultipleframesallowsyoutogeneratedifferentplotsofthesamedata.Tolearnmore aboutworkingwithframes,gotoSection23Frames.
2 - 1.2
A Dataset Includes All Data in a Frame
Adatasetisdefinedasallofthedatainaframe.Tocreateadataset,loadoneormoredatafilesintoan emptyframeinTecplot360,orcreateazoneinaframe.
2 - 1.3
Datasets Are Made of Zones
Azonerepresentsasubsetofadataset.Adatasetcanbecomposedofasinglezoneorseveralzones. ZonesareeitherdefinedinthedatafileorcreateddirectlyinTecplot360.Thenumberofzonesinadataset isthesumofthenumberofzonesineachofthedatafilesincludedinthedataset. Typically,adatafileisdividedintozonesbasedonitsphysicalcoordinates.Forexample,adatasetofan airplanemanyconsistofazoneforeachwing,eachwheel,thenose,etc.Alternatively,zonesmaybe
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Interface Coordinate Systems
definedbasedonthematerial.Forexample,adatasetofafluidtankmayhaveazoneforthetankitself andadditionalzonesforeachfluidinsidethetank.All zones in a given dataset must have the same variables defined for each data point.
2-2
Interface Coordinate Systems
Tecplot360incorporatesanumberofcoordinatesystems,includingthepaper,frame,andthephysical coordinatesystemsfortheplot(2D,3D,XY,orPolar).Theoriginsofeachcoordinatesystemandtheir relationshiptooneanotherisshowninFigure22.
Figure22.
Tecplot360CoordinateSystem.Thephysicalcoordinatesystem(s) ofthedataset(forexample,3DCartesianor2DCartesian)are encompassedintheFrameCoordinateSystem.
Thephysicalcoordinatesystem(2Dor3D)dependsontheplottypeoftheactiveframe.Twodimensional physicalcoordinatesareoftenreferredtoasgridcoordinates.TheGridcoordinatesystemisalignedwith thecoordinatesystemusedbytheplotaxes;theFramecoordinatesystemisfixedtotheframeanddoes notchangewhentheplotiszoomed,translated,orrotated. In2DCartesianplots,objectssuchastextlabelsandgeometriesaredrawnineithertheFrameortheGrid coordinatesystem.In3DCartesianplots,theseobjectsaredrawnineithertheFramecoordinatesystem,or inwhatisknownastheEyecoordinatesystem.TheeyecoordinatesystemisalignedwiththeGrid coordinatesystem;soobjectsdrawnintheEyecoordinatesystemmovewiththedataasyouzoomand translate,butremainfixedwhenyourotatetheplot.
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Using the Workspace
Figure23showsa3Dvolumeplotwithstreamribbonsandastreamtraceterminationline.Thisfigure illustrateshowtheterminationpointsvaryastheplotisrotated.Noticethattheterminationlineitself remainsinplaceonthescreenastheplotisrotated.
Figure23.
RotatingVolumestreamtraceswitha terminationlineintheeyecoordinate system.
2-3
Frames
Allplotsandsketchesdisplaywithinframes.Bydefault,theTecplot360workspacecontainsoneframe. Youmayaddadditionalframes,resizeandrepositionframes,modifybackgroundcolor,andspecify borderandheaderappearance.Tecplot360actsupononlyoneframe,theTheActiveFrameReceivesAll Actions,atanygiventime(exceptwhenframesarelinked).Theactiveframedisplayswithadarkerand thickerborderthantheinactiveframessothatifyoudisplaymultipleframes,youcaneasilyseewhich frameisactive.Tecplot 360 uses the height of the frame for objects scaled by frame units, such as font size. When you enter a frame unit value into a dialog or when you set frame size and position on the paper, you may specify a different unit system (inches, points, centimeters, or pixels). Tecplot 360 automatically converts the values into frame units.
2 - 3.1
The Active Frame Receives All Actions
Theactiveframe,indicatedbydefaultwithadarkerandthickerborder,istheframeinyourworkspace whichoperationsaffect.Tomakeaframetheactiveframe,selectanywhereinsidethatframewithyour Selectortool(oranyothertoolexcepttheCreateNewFrametool).Referencethefollowingsectionsfor additionalactionsyoucanperformonframes.
2 - 3.2
Frame Creation
Tocreateanewframe,whichyoucanusetodisplayanewdatasetoranotherviewofanalreadyloaded dataset,selecttheNewFrame buttoninthetoolbar.OrselectCreateNewFramefromtheFrame menu.SelectingeithertheNewFrametoolorCreateNewFrameintheFramemenuwillchangeyour selectortoolintoasmall+symbol.Clickwiththistoolinyourworkspacewhereyouwantonecornerof
40
Frames
yournewframe,anddragacrosstheworkspacetowhereyouwouldliketheoppositecornerofyournew frame.Tecplot 360 will automatically make the new frame the active frame.
Foroptimalprintingofyourplot(s),drawframesthatsitcompletelywithinthepaperdisplayedinthe workspace.Toviewthepapercoordinatesystem(toeasilyarrangeframesforprinting),goto Options>PaperSetupandtoggleonShowPaperonScreen. SeeSection333.5CreateMultipleFramesforinformationonsimultaneouslycreatingmultipleframes.Data Set Inheritance After creating a new frame, you can assign the frame to share the dataset of another frame by changing the frame order and the plot type of the new frame. When you switch a frame without data out of Sketch plot type, Tecplot 360 searches for another frame with which to share data. It performs this search in the order that the frames are drawn on-screen (which you can adjust by choosing Order Frames from the Frame menu and choosing Draw Order from the List By menu), starting from the top and moving down. The empty frame will inherit data from the first frame in the draw order that contains data.
2 - 3.3
Edit Active Frame
TheEditActiveFramedialog(accessedfromtheFramemenu)allowsyoutoadjustthedimensionsand styleofyouractiveframe.Whenyouareworkingwithmultipleframes,selectaframewithyourselector tooltomakethatframeactive.ThenselectEditActiveFramefromtheFramemenutoadjustthe positionandpropertiesofthatframe.
Frame DimensionsYoucansizeandpositionaframebyseveralmethods.Touseonlyyourmouse,selecttheframetoactivate theresizingtoggles(blackboxesontheedgesandcornersoftheframe).Clickanddragonaresizing toggletoresizeaframe,orclickanddragonanedgeinalocationwithoutaresizingtoggletochangethe framelocation.Tospecifysizeorpositionwithadialog,selectEditActiveFramefromtheFramemenu. TohaveTecplot360resizeframesforyou,chooseFitallFramestoPaperfromtheFramemenu.
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Using the Workspace
IntheEditActiveFramedialog,youmayspecifytheexact locationfortheframesleftandtopsides,alongwithwidth andheight. LeftSideLeftedgeoftheframe,relativetothe workspace TopSideTopedgeoftheframe,relativetothe workspace WidthWidthoftheframe(coordinatesare:left sidetoleftside+width). HeightHeightoftheframe(coordinatesare:topsidetotopsideheight). TheunitsintheFrameDimensionsregionofthedialogarebasedontheunitssetfortheRulerSpacingin Options>Ruler/Grid.You may also use the mouse or the arrow keys to resize and position frames. Click anywhere on a frames header or border to activate resizing handles for the frame. To scale frames proportionally (maintaining the vertical to horizontal aspect ratio) select the frames, then press + on your keyboard to enlarge or - to reduce.
Afterselectingframes,youmaypositionthemusingthearrowkeysonyourkeyboard.Youcanmove framesup,down,left,orrightinonepixelincrementsforpreciselocation.To fit the active frame to the entire printable region of the paper (landscape orientation), set Left Side=0.127, Top Side=0.125, Width=10.75, and Height=8.25. Or, set Width=8.25 and Height=10.75 for portrait orientation. The pink border viewed when Show Paper on Screen is toggled on in Options>Paper Setup marks the printable region of the paper.
Frame Border and Header ControlsUsetheEditActiveFramedialog(accessedfromtheFramemenu)toadjusttheframeborderorheader. TogglingoffShowBordermakestheframeborder invisible.Toshowadashedlineforinvisibleborders,goto Options>ShowInvisibleFrameBorders.Usethe ThicknessboxintheEditActiveFramedialogtoadjustthe linethicknessoftheborder. RememberthatTecplot360usesathickerborderto indicatetheTheActiveFrameReceivesAllActions,soif youchangebordersettings,itmaybecomedifficulttodeterminewhichframeyouhaveactive. TheframeheaderdisplayswhenbothShowBorderandShowHeaderaretoggledon.Ifyouturnoff theborderbytogglingoffShowBorder,theheaderturnsoffaswell. Theframeheadercontainsuserconfigurableinformationwhichdefaultsto:"&(FrameName)|&(date)|&(DataSetTitle)"
whereFrameNameistheframesname,dateisthedatetheframewascreatedorrevised,andDataSetTitle isthetitleoftheactivedataset.Youcanchangethesedefaultsinyourconfigurationfile;seethe $!GLOBALFRAMEcommandintheScriptingGuide.
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Frames
Frame Background Color ModificationSelecttheColorboxintheEditActiveFramedialog(accessedfromtheFramemenu)toadjusttheframe backgroundcolor.ToggleoffShowBackgroundtosettheframebackgroundtotransparent.
Whenyouselectabackgroundcolor,aQuestiondialogwillappeartoaskyouwhetheryouwouldliketo modifyallotherbasiccolorstylesthatmatchtheframebackgroundbydefault.Basiccolorstylesinclude, butarenotlimitedtoaxis,text,vectors,andedges(layer,edgesonslices,scatter).Wheninvertingthe backgroundcolorfromblacktowhite(orwhitetoblack),thedialogwillaskwhethertoinvertthecolors forotherobjectsaswell(forexample,textorgridlines) SelectingYesinthisdialogwillmodifythefollowingfeatures: Foralllinetypebasiccolorsthatmatchthenewbasicframecolor,thebasiclinecolorwillbe settothebestshowcolorofthebasicframecolor. Forallfilltypebasiccolorsthatmatchthenewbasicframecolor,thefillcolorwillbesettothe bestshowcolorofnewframecolor. Exceptions: ForgeometriesandtextboxesIfthelineandfillcolorsarethesameandfillingisactive,then bothlinesandfillfollowthefillrulesabove. Forzone,slice,isosurface,andstreamtraceobjecttypesThebasiccolorshading(fill)only followsthefillrulesaboveiflightingeffectsarenotbeingused.
Frame Name ModificationEntertextintheFrameNameregionoftheEditActiveFramedialog(accessedfromtheFramemenu)to changethenameoftheactiveframe.Thetextenteredherewilldisplayasthenameoftheframe.
2 - 3.4
Frame Linking
TheSetLinksforActiveFramedialogallowsyoutolinkspecificstyleattributeseitherbetweenframesor withinaframe.Linkingbetweenframes,ontheBetweenFramespageofthedialog,allowsyoutoquickly makechangesinoneframeandpropagatethemtoanumberofotherframes.Linkingwithinframes,on theWithinFramepage,linksattributesbetweensimilarobjectswithinaframe.
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Using the Workspace
Attribute Linking Between FramesUset