Results Analysis and Plots > Plot Groups and Plots

Plot Groups and Plots
About the Plot Groups
A plot group contains one or more plots (for example, combining a surface plot and a streamline plot) using the same or separate data sets, such as a solution. You can define plot groups for 1D, 2D, 3D, polar plots, and Smith plots (requires the RF Module or the AC/DC Module) and then create an individual or a series of plots in a plot group. You can use several plot groups of the same type in a model and plot them in the Graphics window or in another plot window that you can add if needed. Information in the form of data and images can be used to generate a report or be exported.
Attributes can also be added as subnodes to a plot to modify the plot’s behavior — Deformation () attributes deform a plot (to illustrate, for example, structural deformation); Color Expression () attributes modify the color of a plot; and filtering to only include parts of the plot is available using the Filter attribute (). You can also select appropriate color tables for the plots’ color expressions based on your audience and what you plan to do with the final analysis.
The physics interfaces create suitable default plots for visualizing the results for the particular physics or application. The default plots appear in plot groups with descriptive names. You can modify and delete these plots and plot groups and add additional plots to existing or new plot groups. To disable the default plots for a study, clear the Create default plots check box in the Study Settings section in the main Settings window for a Study node.
Adding Plots to Plot Groups
Under Results () in the Model Builder, right-click the Plot Group node and select an option from the context menu to plot the graphs listed in Table 20-10. Each plot group can have several plots combined to create a meaningful representation of the data.
When the plot type is defined, click the Plot button (), press F8, or right-click the node and select Plot. The plot displays in the window selected from the Plot window list. To plot results in another window, right-click the plot group node or the plot node and select a plot window from the Plot In submenu.
Also add attributes to 2D and 3D Plot Groups to modify the plot’s behavior if desired: Deformation () attributes deform a plot, Color Expression () attributes modify the color of a plot, and element selection is selected using the Filter attribute (). A Height Expression () can also be added to some 2D plots.
At any time during plot creation, click the Plot button () to visualize a data set or plot.
When you are working with Functions, you can also click the Create Plot button () to create a customized plot of the function under Results, including default plot groups and plots.
See Plot Types for a summary of the available plot types, including links.