Mechanical APDL Basic Analysis Guide

14.3.2. Controlling Vector Symbols in Your Results Display

You have two options for controlling vector symbols:

• Displaying nodal or reaction force symbols.You can add arrow symbols representing nodal and reaction
  forces (and moments) to your results display with the /PBC command (Utility Menu> PlotCtrls>
  Symbols).


• Vector length scaling. You can control the lengths of vector symbols (such as are displayed by PLVECT
  or /PBC) with either of the following:
  Command(s):/VSCALE
  GUI: Utility Menu> PlotCtrls> Style> Vector Arrow Scaling

14.3.3. Controlling Contour Displays

When light-source shading is on, the colors shown in the contour legend will not exactly match the
contour colors used in the shaded model display. You can manipulate contour displays in the following
ways:

• Labeling contours. In both vector and raster mode, your contours will always be automatically color-
  coded. In vector mode, you can add alphabetic contour labels (and a contour legend), using the
  /CLABEL command (Utility Menu> PlotCtrls> Style> Contours> Contour Labeling). In raster mode,
  /CLABEL will add (or remove) the contour legend.


• Controlling the contour legend. Sometimes, lengthy text in the legend column can cause part of the
  contour legend to be truncated. You can make more room available for the contour legend by issuing
  /PLOPTS,LEG1,0 (Utility Menu> PlotCtrls> Window Controls> Window Options). To remove the
  contour legend from the legend column, issue /PLOPTS,LEG3,0.


• Changing the number of contour labels. In vector mode, if you apply contour labels, they will, by default,
  appear in every element crossed by a contour line. You can use /CLABEL to control the number of
  alphabetic contour labels per element.


• Changing contour colors.To change the contour colors used in your display, create a new color-map
  file and read the new color-map file using one of the following:
  Command(s):/CMAP
  GUI: Utility Menu> PlotCtrls> Style> Colors> Load Color Map

To restore color to contours that are grayed out, issue the command /NUMBER,0.

Note

For 2-D drivers (especially Win32c), modifying the color map can produce anomalies,

including legend/contour disagreement.

• Changing isosurface colors. Using the ISURF label in the /COLOR command (Utility Menu> PlotCtrls>
  Style> Colors>color type) enables you to change isosurface colors.


• "Inverting" (or reversing) the contour colors. By default, the ANSYS program displays the algebraically
  greatest results values with a bright red contour color, and the algebraically lowest values, with a
  blue contour color. In some cases, you may want to invert this order. You can create a reversed color-

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Creating Geometric Results Displays