Ensight Howto User Manual How To

2017-12-05

User Manual: Ensight Howto HowTo EnSight10_Docs www3.ensight.com 3:

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Introduction
Read and Load Data
Save or Output
Manipulate Viewing Parameters
Manipulate Tools
Miscellaneous
Visualize Data
Create and Manipulate Variables
Query, Probe, Plot
Manipulate Parts
Animate
Annotate
Configure EnSight

Page 1

HOW TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Use the Online Documentation

Use The How To Manual

EnSight Overview

Command Line Start-up Options

Use Environment Variables

Connect EnSight Client & Server

Read and Load Data

Read Data

Use ens_checker

Load Multiple Datasets (Cases)

Compare Cases

Load Transient Data

Use Server of Servers

Load Spatially Decomposed Case Files

Read User Defined

Do Structured Extraction

Use Resource Management

Use Root Level Server of Servers

Save or Output

Save or Restore an Archive

Record and Play Command Files

Print/Save an Image

Save Geometric Entities

Save/Restore Context

Save Scenario

Save/Restore Session

Manipulate Viewing Parameters

Rotate, Zoom, Translate, Scale

Set Drawing Mode

Set Global Viewing Parameters

Set Z Clipping

Set LookFrom / LookAt

Set Auxiliary Clipping

Define and Change Viewports

Set Light Sources

Display Remotely

Save & Restore Viewing Parameters

Create and Manipulate Frames

Reset Tools and Viewports

Use the Color Selector

Enable Stereo Viewing

Pick Center of Transformation

Set Model Axis/Extent Bounds

Do Viewport Tracking

View a Viewport Through a Camera

Manage Views

Manipulate Tools

Use the Cursor (Point) Tool

Use the Line Tool

Use the Plane Tool

Use the Box Tool

Use the Cylinder Tool

Use the Sphere Tool

Use the Cone Tool

Use Surface of Revolution Tool

Use the Selection Tool

Use the Spline Tool

Miscellaneous

Use Batch

Use Keyboard Shortcuts

Use Rigid Body Motion

Select Files

Use EnSight with Workbench

Visualize Data

Introduction to Part Creation

Create Auxiliary Geometry

Create Contours

Create Isosurfaces

Create Particle Traces

Create Clips

Create Clip Lines

Create Clip Planes

Create Box Clips

Create Quadric Clips

Create IJK Clips

Create XYZ Clips

Create RTZ Clips

Create Revolution Tool Clips

Create Revolution of 1D Part Clips

Create General Quadric Clips

Create Clip Splines

Create Vector Arrows

Create Elevated Surfaces

Extrude Parts

Create Profile Plots

Create Developed (Unrolled) Surfaces

Create Subset Parts

Create Tensor Glyphs

Display Displacements

Display Discrete or Experimental Data

Change Time Steps

Extract Vortex Cores

Extract Separation & Attachment Lines

Extract Shock Surfaces

Create Material Parts

Filter Part Elements

Do Element Blanking

Use Point Parts

Use Raytrace Rendering

Create and Manipulate Variables

Activate Variables

Create New Variables

Extract Boundary Layer Variables

Edit Color Palettes

Use Volume Rendering

Page 2

HOW TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

Query, Probe, Plot

Get Point, Node, Element, & Part Info

Probe Interactively

Query/Plot

Change Plot

Query Datasets

Manipulate Parts

Change Color

Set Surface Properties

Use Quick Color Settings

Clone a Part

Copy Parts

Group Parts

Merge Parts

Extract Part Representations

Cut Parts

Delete a Part

Change the Visual Representation

Set

Display Labels

Set Transparency

Select Parts

Set Symmetry

Map Textures

Animate

Animate Transient Data

Create a Flipbook Animation

Create a Keyframe Animation

Animate Particle Traces

Annotate

Create Text Annotation

Create Lines

Create 2D Shapes

Create 3D Arrows

Create Dials

Create Gauges

Load Custom Logos

Create Color Legends

Manipulate Fonts

Configure EnSight

Customize Icon Bars and Panels

Customize Mouse Button Actions

Save Settings

Define and Use Macros

Set or Modify Preferences

Enable User Defined Input Devices

Produce Customized Pop-Up Menus

Produce Customized Access to Tools & Features

Setup For Parallel Computation

Setup For Parallel Rendering

Page 3

HOW TO USE THE ONLINE DOCUMENTATION

Introduction

Use the Online Documentation

INTRODUCTION

The EnSight online documentation consists of:

WHERE TO START?

If you are new to EnSight you should read the EnSight Overview article. Chapter 1 and Chapter 5 in the User

Manual also provide overview information. The Introduction to Part Creation provides fundamental information on

EnSight’s part concept.

PDF READER

The EnSight online documentation is in pdf format. EnSight uses a pdf reader such as the Acrobat® Reader software

from Adobe Systems, Inc., Xpdf, or Apple’s Preview. Any of these readers provide similar capabilities. For the

purposes of this documentation, the Acrobat Reader will be pictured. A pdf reader provides much the same

functionality as a World Wide Web browser while providing greater control over document content quality. To use a

different reader (from the default), simply set the environment variable CEI_PDFREADER to a different reader

application. See How To Use the How To Manual for more information on using a pdf reader.

Installation Guide Consists of a .pdf file in the doc directory (as well as being available for easy reading

from the web install page). Also goes out as hardcopy with an EnSight CD.

Getting Started

Manual

The Getting Started Manual contains basic Graphical User Interface overview

information and several tutorials. This manual is not cross-referenced with any of the

other manuals.

How To Manual The How To documentation consists of relatively short articles that describe how to

perform a specific operation in EnSight, such as change the color of an object or

create an isosurface. Step-by-step instructions and pictures of relevant dialogs are

included. In addition, each How To article typically contains numerous hyperlinks

(colored blue) to other related articles (and relevant sections of the User Manual).

How To Use the How To Manual

How To Table of Contents

User Manual The User Manual is a more traditional document providing a detailed reference for

EnSight. The User Manual contains blue hyperlinks as well. The User Manual table of

contents is hotlinked as well as cross-reference entries within chapters (which

typically start with “See Section ...” or “See How To ...”).

User Manual Table of Contents

Interface Manual The Interface Manual contains the information needed for creating user-defined

readers, creating user-defined writers, creating user-defined math functions,

interacting with EnSight through the external command driver, and using the EnSight

python interpreter.

Page 4

HOW TO USE THE ONLINE DOCUMENTATION

HOW TO PRINT THE DOCUMENTATION

Printing Topics From a PDF Reader

You can easily print any topic in the How To manual or any pages from the other documentation from within the pdf

reader. The documents have been optimized for screen manipulation, but will still produce decent hardcopy printouts.

To print a topic:

1. Navigate to the topic you want to print.

2. Choose Print... from the File menu.

3. Be sure the Printer Command setting is correct for your environment and then click OK. Your document should

print to the selected (or default) printer. If you do not have a printer available on your network or you wish to save

the PostScript file to disk, you can do so: click the File button, enter a filename, and click OK.

Printing EnSight Manuals

You can print (all or portions of) the EnSight manuals from provided .pdf files. These files have been print optimized

and should produce reasonably high quality hardcopy. They have all been formatted for letter size paper. These files

are located in the doc/Manuals directory of the EnSight installation.

$CEI_HOME/ensight102/doc/Manuals/GettingStarted.pdf

$CEI_HOME/ensight102/doc/Manuals/HowTo.pdf

$CEI_HOME/ensight102/doc/Manuals/UserManual.pdf

$CEI_HOME/ensight102/doc/Manuals/InterfaceManual.pdf

You can open these manuals in the pdf reader and print any or all pages, or send them to an outside source for

printing, or order printed copies from our website.

CONTACTING CEI

If you have questions or problems, please contact CEI:

Computational Engineering International, Inc.

2166 N. Salem Street, Suite 101

Apex, NC 27523 USA

Email: support@ceisoftware.com

Hotline: 800-551-4448 (U.S.)

919-363-0883 (Non-U.S.)

Phone: 919-363-0883

FAX: 919-363-0833

WWW: http://www.ceisoftware.com

Page 5

HOW TO USE THE HOW TO MANUAL

Use The How To Manual

INTRODUCTION

The “How To” documentation provides quick access to various topics of interest. The topics provide basic and some

advanced usage information about a specific tool or feature of EnSight. Each topic will provide links to the

appropriate section of the EnSight User Manual as well as links to other applicable How To articles. When you hit a

Help button within the various dialogs in EnSight, you will generally be taken to one of the topics in the “How To”

manual.

Topics typically contain the following sections:

(See below for how to quickly jump to a specific section using document navigation.)

The header and footer of each article page provides simple navigation controls:

In addition, links to other documents are displayed as highlighted text. Note that all links and navigation controls are

colored blue.

Historically, an index was provided for this document. However, since the document is intended to be used online, the

index has been removed in favor of the more efficient “search” capabilities provided in pdf readers.

PDF READER

The EnSight online documentation is in .pdf format. EnSight uses a pdf reader such as the Acrobat® Reader software

from Adobe Systems, Inc., Xpdf, or Apple’s Preview. Any of these readers provide similar capabilities. For the

purposes of this documentation, the Acrobat Reader is pictured. A pdf reader provides much the same functionality

as a World Wide Web browser while providing greater control over document content quality. To use a different pdf

reader, simply set the environment variable CEI_PDFREADER to a different reader application.

The user interface for the various pdf readers is very simple and provides intuitive navigation controls. Keep in mind

that the pages were designed to be viewed at 100% magnification. Although you can use other magnification

settings, the quality of the dialog images may be degraded.

Introduction Introduction to the topic

Basic Operation Quick steps for simple usage

Advanced Usage Detailed information on topic

Other Notes Other items of interest

See Also Links to related topics and documentation

Return to How To

Topics List

Access this page

First page of

current topic Last page of

current topic

Previous page Next page

Page 6

HOW TO USE THE HOW TO MANUAL

Thus, in addition to the navigation controls within the document itself which are described above, a pdf reader

(Acrobat for example) provides quick access to various display options and navigation controls. A few of them are

pointed out for the Acrobat Reader below. Please use the Help option for your reader for a more comprehensive

description of its options.

The “Go back/forward” buttons are particularly useful – they operate somewhat like the “Back” and “Forward” buttons

on standard Web browsers. If your previously viewed page was in a different document, the pdf reader will

automatically reload the appropriate file and jump to the correct page. Note that most pdf readers also consider a

change of view (e.g. scrolling) or magnification as an event to remember in the back/forward list.

Grab and move page

Click and zoom in

(Ctl-click to zoom out)

Standard page

navigation

Standard page

magnification controls

Go back to last

viewed page

Go forward to previously

viewed page

Select Tool

Print For additional help

Each How To topic provides a set of bookmarks that match the standard

section titles. You can quickly navigate to one of these sections by using

the bookmark list in pdf reader.

Page 7

HOW TO USE THE HOW TO MANUAL

PRINTING

Printing Topics From The PDF Reader

See Printing Topics From a PDF Reader

Printing EnSight Manuals

See Printing EnSight Manuals

Page 8

HOW TO ENSIGHT OVERVIEW

EnSight Overview

ENSIGHT OVERVIEW

EnSight is a powerful software package for the postprocessing, visualization, and animation of complex datasets.

Although EnSight is designed primarily for use with the results of computational analyses, it can also be used for

other types of data.

This document provides a very brief overview of EnSight. Consult Chapter 1 in the User Manual for additional

overview information. This article is divided into the following sections:

Graphical User Interface

Client / Server Architecture

EnSight’s Parts Concept

Online Documentation

Graphical User Interface

The graphical user interface () of EnSight contains the following major components:

Chapter 1 in the User Manual provides additional overview information on the user interface.

Main Menu

Feature Icon Bar

Sets the current feature and opens

the Feature Panel.

Parts List

All parts from your model as well as

created parts (e.g. clips, isosurfaces)

are listed here. Click an item to

select part(s) to operate on.

Quick Action Icon Bar

Features and Actions relevant to the last selected object

Message Area

Graphics Window showing inset plot and viewport

Information Button

Click to see information dialog.

Transformation Control Area

Buttons that control the current transformation operation (e.g.

rotate or translate) associated with mouse action in the Graphics

Window.

Note: This whole upper level of the is

referred to as the “Desktop”

Page 9

HOW TO ENSIGHT OVERVIEW

Client / Server Architecture

To facilitate the handling of large datasets and efficiently use networked resources, EnSight was designed to

distribute the postprocessing workload. Data I/O and all compute intensive functions are performed by a server

process. The server transmits 3D geometry (and other information) to a client running on a graphics workstation.

The client handles all user interface interaction and graphic rendering using the workstation’s built-in graphics

hardware.

The client and server each run as separate processes on one or more computers. When distributed between a

compute server and a graphics workstation, EnSight leverages the strengths of both machines. When both tasks

reside on the same machine, a stand-alone capability is achieved. The client–server architecture allows EnSight to

be used effectively, even on systems widely separated geographically.

Before EnSight can be used, the client and server must be connected. For standalone operation, you simply run the

“ensight102” script and the client and server are started and connected for you. For distributed operation (as well as

for standalone operation when more control is desired), there are two methods of achieving a connection: a manual

connection (described in the Getting Started manual) or an automatic connection (described in How To Connect

EnSight Client and Server).

EnSight’s cases feature allows you to postprocess multiple datasets simultaneously. Cases is implemented by

having a single client connected to multiple servers running on the same or different machines.

EnSight’s Parts Concept

One of the central concepts of EnSight is that of the part. A part is a named collection of elements (or cells) and

associated nodes. The nodes and/or elements may have zero or more variables (such as pressure or stress). All

components of a part share the same set of attributes (such as color or line width).

Parts are either built during the loading process (based on your computational mesh and associated surfaces) or

created during an EnSight session. Parts created during loading are called model parts.

All other parts are created during an EnSight session and are called created or derived parts. Created parts are built

using one or more other parts as the parent parts. The created parts are said to depend on the parent parts. If one or

more of the parent parts change, all parts depending on those parent parts are automatically recalculated and

redisplayed to reflect the change. As an example, consider the following case. A clipping plane is created through

some 3D computational domain and a contour is created on the clipping plane. The contour’s parent is the clipping

plane, and the clipping plane’s parent is the 3D domain. If the 3D domain is changed (e.g. the time step changes),

the clipping plane will first be recalculated, followed by the contour. In this way, part coherence is maintained.

Since operating on parts is integral to the operations you will perform in EnSight, it is important that you are aware of

the different ways this can be done. See How To Select Parts.

See the Introduction to Part Creation for more information on parts.

Online Documentation

Documentation for EnSight is available online. See How To Use the Online Documentation for more information as

well as hyperlinks to the main documents. Online documentation is accessed from the Main Help menu in the user

interface. In addition, major dialog windows contain Help buttons that will open a relevant “How To” article.

Server

Client

Stand-alone Operation

host1

Requests 3D objects

Server

Client

Distributed Operation

host2

host1

Page 10

HOW TO COMMAND LINE START-UP OPTIONS

Command Line Start-up Options

INTRODUCTION

There are a number of options that can be included on the command line when starting EnSight. The following tables

indicate the commands that can be issued for the EnSight script (ensight102), the EnSight client (ensight102.client),

the EnSight server (ensight102.server), or the EnSight server-of-servers (ensight102.sos). To see the most current

listing for any of these, issue one or more of the following:

Linux/Unix/Mac Windows

ensight102 -help

ensight102.client -help ensight102_client -help

ensight102.server -help ensight102_server -help

ensight102.sos -help ensight102_sos -help

BASIC USAGE

ensight102 [options]

ensight102.client [options]

Section 1. EnSight Startup/Client-Server Options

-ar <f> Restore from specified archive file “f”

-c [<host>[:<exe>]] Do an auto connection, with optional “host” machine and executable. If only -c is used, the

auto connection will be according to the values set in your ensight_conn_settings file (which is

created in your EnSight Defaults directory (located at

%HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\(username)\.ensight102 commonly located at

C:\Users\username\ on Vista and Win7, C:\Documents and Settings\yourusername\ on older

Windows, ~/.ensight102 on Linux, and in ~/Library/Application Support/EnSight102 on the Mac)

if you connect via the Connect dialog). EnSight server will run on “host” if you include it after

the -c. And you can also optionally specify the server executable to run on said “host”.

-case <f> Read EnSight casefile name ”f” and display part loader

-ceishell [URL] Start up EnSight and connect with URL, default URL is as follows:

- connect://localhost?port=1109&timeout=60

-cierr Connect auto and ignore errors

-cip Send client’s IP address to the server for auto connect. The IP address will be used

instead of the internet hostname. This can be useful for clients which use dynamic IP

address assignment (i.e. dhcp). (However, it may not send the correct address if the

client computer has multiple network interfaces (e.g. WiFi and wired ethernet).)

-cm Do a manual connection of server

-ctx <f> Applies context file “f” as soon as connection is made

-custom Force the license manager to look for a custom token

-cwd <p> Sets the client working directory to the path specified by ‘p’

-d #

-display #

With multiple displays, enter a number and EnSight will start up on that display.

ensight102 -d :0.1 will start up on display 1

-delay_refresh Graphics window is not updated during command file playback, until finished

-extcfd Extended CFD variables automatically placed in variable list

-externalcmdport Specify the port on which to receive external commands. See -externalcmds.

-externalcmds Has EnSight start listening for a connection on port 1104 (or the port specified with the

-externalcmdport) for an external command stream. Once connected, all commands

must then come from the external source - as the commands will be ignored.

-gold Force the license manager to look for a hpc (formerly gold) token (while this still works,

please use -hpc)

-hpc Force the license manager to look for a hpc (formerly gold) token

-hide_console (Windows only) hides console on startup

-homecwd (Windows only) Sets the client working directory to HOME

-lite Start EnSight in Lite mode

-localhostname <host> Host name to force server(s) to use to connect to client

-no_delay_refresh Graphics window is updated during command file playback, until finished

Page 11

HOW TO COMMAND LINE START-UP OPTIONS

-p <f> Plays playfile “f” as soon as connection is made

-part_loader If a file is specified on the command line, this command will bring up the part loader to

allow for part selection. If a file is specified on the command line without this command,

all parts will be loaded.

-ports # Allows user specification of socket communication port. (passed on to server or sos)

-prdist # Specify a parallel rendering config file.

-pyargv . . . [-endpyargv] Anything on the command line between these two options will appear as ‘sys.argv’ in

Python. sys.argv[0] = “ensight” except if a python startup file is specified via -qtguipy, in

which case, that filename becomes sys.argv[0]. Note, -pyargv will swallow arguments

up to the end of the argument list or -endpyargv, whichever comes first.

-rsh <cmd> Remote shell program to use for automatic connection. (passed on to server or sos)

-security [#] Forces a handshake between the client and server using the # provided or a random

number

-slim_on_server Tells EnSight to look for the license key on the server.

-sos Set up to connect to the Server-of-Servers (ensight102.sos) instead of normal server.

-soshostname <host> Host name to force server(s) to use to connect to Server-of-Servers

-standard Force the license manager to look for a standard token

-timeout <#> Number of seconds to wait for server connection; default = 60, infinite = -1

-token_try_again <#> If can’t obtain a license token, try again in # minutes. where # is a float value. If neither

-token_wait_for nor -token_wait_until is specified, will try for 1 hour.

-token_wait_for # If can’t obtain a license token, try again for # minutes, where # is a float value.

If -token_try_again is not specified, sets -token_try_again to 10.

Supersedes -token_wait_until.

-token_wait_until # If can’t obtain a license token, try again until the time is hour:minute. If -token_try_again

is not specified, sets -token_try_again to 10.

-usage_feedback_always EnSight will ask if certain usage and message data can be forwarded back to CEI in

order to enhance our support. This will force EnSight to always send user data

regardless of the option that the user chooses. See the 10.2 Release Notes for more

details.

-usage_feedback_never EnSight will ask if certain usage and message data can be forwarded back to CEI in

order to enhance our support. This will force EnSight to never send user data regardless

of the option that the user chooses. See the 10.2 Release Notes for more details.

-v # Output verbosity 0 to 9, none, normal, medium, high, debug, and full, respectively

-version Prints out EnSight’s version number. (Does not start EnSight)

Section 2. EnSight Client Options

-E<extension_name> Call a method on a registered user-defined extension (see EnSight extension

mechanism and How to Produce Customized Access to Tools & Features) using

the name of the extension. There must be no space between the -E and the extension

name and the option can be used repeatedly in the same command line (the order of

execution matches the order on the command line). These calls are made just prior to

playing command files or python files after EnSight starts up. By default, the method

‘cmdLine()’ is invoked, but options exist to specify the method as well as parameters to

the method. The whole option may need to be enclosed in quotes if some of these latter

features are used.

For example, suppose you have a registered extension named ‘foo’. The following

usages are permitted.

‘-Efoo’ will call foo.cmdLine().

‘-Efoo.run()’ will call foo.run(), a specific object method.

‘-Efoo=5.7’ will call foo.cmdLine(5.7), the default method with a parameter.

‘-Efoo.bar(5.7,”hello”)’ will call foo.bar(5.7, “hello”), a specific object method with multiple

parameters.

-iconlblf <#> Icon label font size

-ignorexerr Ignore X window errors

-jumboicons Adds support for high resolution displays such as IBM Big Bertha (linux/unix) (see -mag)

-largeicons Uses larger feature icons in EnSight (non-Windows only)

Page 12

HOW TO COMMAND LINE START-UP OPTIONS

-mag # Magnification factor of menus, titlebars, icons using a float number that is greater than

1.0 on high resolution displays or power wall (Windows only).

-ni Will use text in place of icons

-smallscreen Sets window based on the screen size of 1024x768 (non-Windows only)

-smallicons Uses smaller feature icons in EnSight (default)

Section 3. EnSight Server Specific Options

-buffer_size <#> Set element buffer size for Unstructured Auto Distribute (passed from client down)

-gdbg Print some debugging info for EnSight format geometries (passed from client to server)

-iwd Ignore the working directory in the ensight.connect.default file

-maxoff Turns off maxsize checking (passed from client to server)

-no_ghosts Don’t produce ghosts in Unstructured Auto Distribute (passed from client down).

-use_ghosts Produce ghosts in Unstructured Auto Distribute (passed from client down). This action

can also be turned on by setting the environment variable:

UNSTRUCT_AUTODISTRIBUTE_USE_GHOSTS to 1.

-no_metric Don’t print metric for Unstructured Auto Distribute (passed from client down).

-use_metric Print metric for Unstructured Auto Distribute (passed from client down). This action can

also be turned on by setting the environment variable:

UNSTRUCT_AUTODISTRIBUTE_USE_METRIC to 1.

-readerdbg Prints user-defined-reader library loading information in shell window upon startup of

server (passed from client to server)

-scaleg <#> Provide scale factor to scale geometry by (passed from client to server)

-scalev <#> Provide scale factor to scale all vectors by (passed from client to server)

-swd <dir> Set the server working directory

-time Prints out timing information (passed from client to server)

-writerdbg Prints user-defined-writer library loading information in shell window upon startup of

server (passed from client to server)

Section 4. Miscellaneous Options

-h, -help, -Z Prints the usage list

-inputdbg Prints user-defined input device information

-nb No automatic backup recording

-no_file_locking Turns off file locking (lock()). Some systems don’t support this properly

-no_prefs Do not load saved user preferences (uses original defaults except for mouse button

settings)

-pal_tex Use 1D textures for color palettes.

-pal_rgb Use rgb colors for color palettes

-range10 Use palette ranges which are 10% in from the extremes

-silent Causes all stdout and stderr messages to be thrown away

-slimtimeout Allow slimd token to expire if idle.

-stderr <f> Cause all stderr messages to be written to the file.

-stdout <f> Causes all stdout messages to be written to the file.

Section 5. Rendering Options

-batch <width>< height> Batch mode with optional width and height.

-bbox Render only bounding boxes in the window (useful for detached displays with

-prsd2 option). (See How To Setup For Parallel Rendering)

-box_resolution <#> Resolution of bounding boxes for part culling (max 9). Implies -no_display_list

-ctarget <#> Set the number of chunks per server for parallel rendering (passed from client to

server(s)).

-dconfig Specify a display configuration file

-display_list Use OpenGL display lists

Page 13

HOW TO COMMAND LINE START-UP OPTIONS

Client Examples:

ensight102 -cm -p myplayfile

This will allow the user to do a manual connection, after which the “myplayfile” will be run.

ensight102 -c -gold -ports 1310 -case myfile.case

This will do an automatic connection (according to information in the user’s ensight.connect.default file) on port 1310,

using a gold seat. After the connection is made, the “myfile.case” casefile will be run.

ensight102 -rsh ssh (or ensight102.client -c -rsh ssh )

-egl Use embedded OpenGL which directly calls the graphics card and no longer needs

access to an X-server, nor uses the DISPLAY environmental variable. This option is only

available on Linux using nVidia cards with driver 3.58.16 or later when using batch or

when using parallel compositing.

-frustrum_cull Use frustrum culling where possible

-glconfig Prints current OpenGL configuration parameter defaults to screen

-glsw Forces use of software implementation of OpenGL, bypassing the hardware graphics

card (same as -X)

-gl Sets line drawing mode to draw polygons

-ogl Sets line drawing mode to draw lines

-no_display_list Force EnSight to use immediate mode graphics

-no_frustrum_cull Do not use frustrum culling

-norm_per_vert Use one normal per vertex for flat-shading

-norm_per_poly Use one normal per polygon for flat-shading

-multi_sampling Turns MultiSampling on

-multi_sampling_sw Use software MultiSampling

-no_multi_sampling Do not use MultiSampling

-no_start_screen Ignore the start screen image (Good for HP using TGS OpenGL)

-num_samples <#> Specify number of samples for software multi-sampling

-num_samples_st <#> Specify number of samples for hardware stereo multi-sampling

-occlusion_test Use the HP occlusion extension if available

-no_occlusion_test Do not use the HP occlusion extension

-stencil_buff Use the OpenGL stencil buffer (even if not enabled by default)

-no_stencil_buff Assumes there is not a working stencil buffer (some Windows video cards)

-double_buffer Use double-buffering for the graphics window (default)

-single_buffer Do not use double-buffering

-sort_first Sets the default parallel rendering sorting method to be the sort first method

-sort_last Sets the default parallel rendering sorting method to be the sort last method

-unmapdd Don’t map the detached display on startup

-vcount <#> Specifies the maximum number of vertices between begin/end pairs in a OpenGL

display list object. This option is useful for certain graphics cards (most modern Nvidia

based) when dealing with large display objects - it will usually impact the performance of

creating the display list objects. Every graphics card/driver will be optimal at a different

vcount value so testing is necessary to achieve maximum performance.

-X Starts the X version of EnSight (uses Mesa OpenGL instead of native OpenGL,

bypassing the hardware graphics card. This is the same as -glsw)

Section 6. Resource Options

-chres <f> Collab hub resource filename

-res <f> Resource filename

Section 7. Distributed Rendering (HPC & DR) Specific Options

-offscreen Batch offscreen rendering

-onscreen Batch onscreen rendering

-pc Compositing mode

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HOW TO COMMAND LINE START-UP OPTIONS

This will use ssh as the remote shell for an automatic connection.

Server Examples (when started manually):

ensight102.server -c clientmachine -readerdbg

Specifies “clientmachine” as the machine on which the client is running, and that information on user-defined-reader

library loading should be printed out.

ensight102.server -ports 1310 -scaleg 3.7 -scalev 3.7

Specifies that communication is to occur on port 1310, and that the geometry and all vectors are to be scaled by a

factor of 3.7.

ensight102.server [options]

-buffer_size <#> Set element buffer size for Unstructured Auto Distribute

-c <host> “host” indicates where the client is running

-ctarget <#> Set the number of chunks per server for parallel rendering.

-ctries <#> The number of times (1 second per try) to try to connect client and server.

-ether Ethernet device name such as ln0

-gdbg Print some debugging info for EnSight format geometries

-h, -help Prints the usage list

-maxoff Turns off maxsize checking

-no_ghosts Don’t produce ghosts in Unstructured Auto Distribute

-no_metric Don’t print metric for Unstructured Auto Distribute

-pipe Forces the server to use a named pipe connection (must be on same machine)

-ports <#> Allows user specification of socket communication port.

-readerdbg Prints user-defined-reader lib loading information in shell window upon startup of server

-scaleg <#> Provide scale factor to scale geometry by

-scalev <#> Provide scale factor to scale all vectors by

-security <#> Provide number for client to server security check or else random token is generated

-sock Forces the server to use a socket connection

-soshostname <host> Allows different name for servers to connect back to Server-of-Servers with

-time Prints out timing information

-writerdbg Prints user-defined-reader lib loading information in shell window upon startup of server

ensight102.sos [options]

-buffer_size <#> Set element buffer size for Unstructured Auto Distribute (passes on to servers)

-c <host> “host” indicates where the client is running

-cports Allows specification of socket communication port to the client.

SEE ALSO

Chapter 2 of the Getting Started Manual

How To Load Multiple Datasets (Cases)

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HOW TO READ DATA

Read and Load Data

Read Data

INTRODUCTION

EnSight supports a number of file formats common in computational analysis. In addition, CEI has defined generic

data formats (in both ASCII and binary versions) that can be used for both structured and unstructured data. In many

cases analysis codes output this data directly (i.e. FLUENT, STAR-CD, KIVA, etc.)

BASIC OPERATION

Simple Interface

Reading data into Ensight can be accomplished with a

“simple interface” if an association is known for the data

format type and you wish to load all parts.

Otherwise, the more traditional method for loading data

into EnSight can be accomplished with the “advanced

interface”. It provides more control over the reading of

data files and the part creation process. The first step is

the selection of appropriate files. The second step is the

loading of parts. Both steps have many similarities

regardless of the data format. These basic steps are

described below. Variations from the methods shown will

be described in Chapter 2 (Reader Basics) of the User

Manual for the various formats. Both of these methods

are accessed under File->Open...

1. Select File > Open...

2. If not already selected,

toggle Simple Interface

on.

3. Navigate to the desired

directory using typical

navigation methods.

4. Filter the list using the

File type, if desired.

5. Select the desired file.

This file’s extension is what

will be mapped to a reader

in the

ensight_reader_extension.

map.

6. Click Okay

(Double clicking the file in

step 4. is also allowed.)

The simple interface method of reading data into EnSight works for most formats and requires a file extension-to-

reader mapping file (ensight_reader_extension.map). This file can reside in the site_preferences directory and/or

each user can have his own personal one in his personal EnSight defaults directory (located at

%HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\(username)\.ensight102 commonly located at C:\Users\username\.ensight102 on Vista

and Win7 and newer, C:\Documents and Settings\yourusername\.ensight102 on older Windows, and ~/.ensight102 on

Linux, and in ~/Library/Application Support/EnSight102 on the Mac). A sample of this file is shown below. The mapping

file associates file extensions to readers. If this file is not provided or an association is not known, or the format

doesn’t allow it due to required intermediate information (such as Plot3D currently), the simple interface method

cannot be used and the OK button will not be active. One is then required to use the advanced Interface method

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HOW TO READ DATA

At this point (provided the association is successful and the data is readable) all parts of the model will be loaded into

EnSight and will appear in the graphics screen and in the Parts List. If the association is not successful, an error

message will result.

Note that variables in the data are also listed at this point. They have not yet been activated. The process for doing so

will be discussed in How To Activate Variables.

Ensight_reader_extension.map file example:

The following is a sample containing associations for EnSight Case, EnSight5, STL and MSC/Dytran:

EnSight file extension to format association file

Version 1.0

# Comment lines start with a #

# The format of this file is as follows:

# READER_NAME: reader name as it appears in the Format chooser in the EnSight Data Reader dialog

# NUM_FILE_1: the number of file_1_ext lines to follow

# FILE_1_EXT: the extension that follows a file name minus the “.”, i.e., “geo”, “case”, etc.

# There should be one definition after the :. Multiple FILE_1_EXT lines may exist

# NUM_FILE_2: the number of file_2_ext lines to follow

# FILE_2_EXT: the extension of a second file that will act as the result file. This is only used

# for formats that require two file names. As with FILE_1_EXT, there may be multiple

# FILE_2_EXT lines.

# ELEMENT_REP: A key word that describes how the parts will be loaded (all parts will be loaded the

# same way). One of the following:

# “3D border, 2D full”

# “3D feature, 2D full”

# “3D nonvisual, 2D full”

# “Border”

# “Feature angle”

# “Bounding Box”

# “Full”

# “Non Visual”

# If option is not set then 3D border, 2D full is used

# READ_BEFORE: (optional) The name of a command file to play before reading the file(s)

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HOW TO READ DATA

# READ_AFTER: (optional) The name of a command file to read after loading the parts

# Definition for Case files

READER_NAME: Case

NUM_FILE_1: 2

FILE_1_EXT: case

FILE_1_EXT: encas

ELEMENT_REP: 3D feature, 2D full

# Definition for EnSight5 files

READER_NAME: EnSight 5

NUM_FILE_1: 2

FILE_1_EXT: geo

FILE_1_EXT: GEOM

NUM_FILE_2: 2

FILE_2_EXT: res

FILE_2_EXT: RESULTS

ELEMENT_REP: 3D feature, 2D full

# Definition for STL files

READER_NAME: STL

NUM_FILE_1: 4

FILE_1_EXT: stl

FILE_1_EXT: STL

FILE_1_EXT: xct

FILE_1_EXT: XCT

ELEMENT_REP: 3D feature, 2D full

# Definition for Dytran files

READER_NAME: MSC/Dytran

NUM_FILE_1: 2

FILE_1_EXT: dat

FILE_1_EXT: ARC

ELEMENT_REP: 3D border, 2D full

READ_AFTER: read_after_dytran.enc

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HOW TO READ DATA

Advanced Interface

When using the advanced method, the user similarly specifies the files, but can also specify the format, and other

format and time options. He then has control over whether all parts will be loaded into EnSight, or whether EnSight

will be informed of their existence, but not actually be loaded yet.

1. Select File > Open...

2. Toggle Advanced

Interface, if not already

set.

3. Navigate to the desired

directory using typical

navigation methods.

4. Filter the list using the

File type, if desired.

5. Select the desired file.

This file’s extension is what will

be mapped to a reader in the

ensight_reader_extension.map.

6. Click the applicable Set

Button(s) (in this case, the

Set d3plot button)

If a mapping is known, the

correct Format will be

automatically chosen for you.

7. Select the correct Format

- if not already correct.

The list shown is dependent on

the presence of internal and

user-defined readers at your

site, and in your preference

settings. For the list of

available readers please see

Native EnSight Format

Readers or Other Readers.

8. Optionally set any

Format options.

Note the options presented will

vary according to the data

format.

Big-Endian is only necessary for

legacy binary case gold files

written on Unix platforms.

All but the Casefile format will

allow input of measured point

data. See EnSight5 Measured/

Particle File Format. Plot3d,

Casefile, and Special HDF5

structured formats will provide a

field for a boundary file. See

EnSight Boundary File

Format

(Continued on next page)

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HOW TO READ DATA

The parts in the model will now appear in the Parts list in EnSight. If you did a Load all parts, the parts will be loaded

and active and will also be visible in the Graphics window.

9. Optionally set any Time

options.

10. Click Select parts to load...

If you want to pick and choose which

parts get loaded.

or click Load all parts

If you want to have all parts loaded.

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HOW TO READ DATA

If you instead clicked Select parts to load, the parts will show up in the Parts list, but are in a “not loaded” state. So,

they will appear like:

If you hover your mouse over one of the parts you will see:

If you right click on one of the parts, you will see:

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HOW TO READ DATA

Note that all parts in the case can be loaded by right clicking on the parent Case 1, instead of individual parts.

If there are any exceptions to this general process, please see the details for specific readers in Chapter 2 (Other

Readers) of the User Manual

SEE ALSO

How To Use ens_checker

And if your data is unstructured, when you click on Load

part, you will see a dialog like that to the right, wherein

you can set:

1. The initial Visual Representation to use

2 A description other than the default, if desired.

And click Load as new part to get the part created.

If the data is structured, then you will

see a dialog like the one to the right,

wherein you can set:

1. From, To, and Step IJK values

for the selected part(s).

The From and To values are

inclusive.

Valid values in the From and To

fields are numbers advancing from

1(the min for each part), or

numbers decreasing from 0(the

max for each part):

1,2,3,... ---> <---...-3,-2,-1,0

|---------------------------------------|

min max

(always 1) (varies per part)

If you specify values that will be outside of the range of an

individual part, the proper min or max values for the given part will

be used.

The Defined Min and Defined Max fields are for reference only.

2. If the selected part has Iblanking, you can build based on

the value (Inside selects cells where Iblank=1, Outside

selects Iblank=0, All selects all cells ignoring Iblanking).

3. The initial Visual Representation to use

4. A description other than the default, if desired.

If you leave the Description field blank, it will default to what is

shown in the Parts list.

And click Load as new part to get the part created.

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HOW TO READ DATA

User Manual:

Reader Basics

EnSight Case Reader

EnSight5 Reader

SEE ALSO

User Manual:

EnSight Gold Casefile Format

EnSight6 Casefile Format

Page 41

HOW TO LOAD MULTIPLE DATASETS (CASES)

Load Multiple Datasets (Cases)

INTRODUCTION

Normal operation of EnSight involves one client process (the graphics and user interface) interfacing with one server

process (data I/O and computation) to postprocess your data. There are however several other configurations

possible. One of these is the ability to connect a single client to multiple servers at the same time, with each server

maintaining a unique dataset. Each of these servers can potentially run on different machines.

The main use of this capability is to visualize multiple datasets simultaneously. Each dataset is loaded into a separate

case and can be viewed in the same window or in separate viewports. You can perform before and after comparisons

of the same problem or compare experimental with simulated results. The same operation (such as a clip or a particle

trace) can be performed in both cases simultaneously. Created parts always belong to the same case as the parent

from which the part was created. As a consequence, you cannot perform operations that combine parts (such as a

merge) from multiple cases.

When EnSight reads a new case, it searches the current list of variables for matches with the variables from the new

case. If it finds a match (based on an exact match of the variable name), it will not enter the new variable in the list.

Rather, the matched name will be used for both. This behavior is based on the assumption that the identical variable

names represent the same physical entity and should therefore be treated the same. If the new variable name does

not match any existing name, the new variable is added to the list as usual.

Up to 32 cases can be active at one time. You can add a new case or replace an existing case to a running session

by using the File->Open... process (if you want to load all parts and don’t need to control other options available when

loading cases) or the File->Data (reader)... process (which provides greater control). Adding a case starts a new

server process, connects it to the client, and either loads all the parts (if you used Open...) or allows you to specify the

data format and files as well as which parts to load into the new server and what optional settings to use as the case

is created. One of the helpful uses of the replace case option is to load a new dataset into EnSight without re-starting

the client. You can of course also delete cases you no longer need.

It is possible to allow EnSight to link cases together in which operations performed on one case are performed on all

cases. See the Release Notes for a list of limitations and for details on linking cases see How To Compare Cases.

Server

Client

Server

Client

Server

Normal Operation Two Cases

Page 42

HOW TO LOAD MULTIPLE DATASETS (CASES)

BASIC OPERATION

Once an existing case has been loaded in the normal manner, further case operations can be accessed through:

Add a Case

To add a case to a running EnSight session

File->Open...

or through:

Case->Add..., Replace..., Delete,,.

Do File->Open..., or Case->Add...

1. Select Keep currently loaded data

This will add, rather than replace, the

case

2. If desired, enter a name for the case

(other than the default).

The name will be displayed in the Case

menu.

3. Set other optional settings.

Select Server launch configuration if you

have a predefined configuration.

Link operations for all cases see How To

Compare Cases.

Apply Context From Case 1 will cause the

new case to inherit positioning etc. from

case 1.

Create new viewport for this case will

place the new case in a new viewport.

Clone current connection will cause the

same connection method as current one.

Manual connection will cause a manual

connection to be used - even if current

connection(s) were automatic.

Reflect Model About Axis allows the model to be reflected as

it is read in. Pick the axis and specify the origin location.

4. Click Okay.

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HOW TO LOAD MULTIPLE DATASETS (CASES)

The EnSight client will now start the connection process for the new server. Depending on the launch or connection

settings chosen, the new server will be started automatically or you will have to manually start another server. The

default is to start a new server automatically if your original connection was automatic, or to cause you to start

another server manually if your original connection was manual. You can follow the progress of the connection in the

Message area. See the EnSight Getting Started Manual or How To Connect EnSight Client and Server for more

information. Once connected, EnSight will also load all parts of this new case if you use this method.

You will then be presented

with the Open... dialog.

Navigate to and select your

data, and use the Simple

interface to load all parts.

(Note that the file type must be

recognized for this method to

work.)

Or, use the Advanced

interface, and control the

Format and other options.

As well as being able to

Select parts to load, etc.

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HOW TO LOAD MULTIPLE DATASETS (CASES)

Replace a Case

You can replace an existing case. This is most useful when you wish to load a new dataset without having to stop and

re-start the client. To replace a case:

You will now be presented with the Open... dialog, just as shown in Add Case above. You can use the Simple

Interface and load all parts, or control the options and part loading by using the Advanced interface. The server

associated with the selected case is terminated and the EnSight client will now start the connection process for the

new server. Again, depending on the launch configuration chosen, the new server will be started automatically or you

will have to manually start another server. The default is to start a new server automatically if your original connection

was automatic, or to cause you to start another server manually if your original connection was manual. You can

follow the progress of the connection in the Message area. See How To Connect EnSight Client and Server for

more information.

Delete a Case

To delete a case:

Do File->Open... and select Replace currently loaded data, or

Case->Replace...

This will open the dialog shown. You can optionally set a case

name or choose a predefined launch configuration, or just use

the default.

Click Okay

1. Select the case you wish to

delete in the Case menu (Case >

casename).

2. Select Case > Delete...

You will be asked to confirm the

deletion. If confirmed, the server

associated with the selected case is

terminated.

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HOW TO LOAD MULTIPLE DATASETS (CASES)

Displaying Parts by Case

By default all parts from all cases are displayed in the Main Parts list and they are displayed in a hierarchical manner

by case. See How To... Introduction to Part Creation for more details on viewing the parts list.

Case Viewport Display

One of the chief advantages of the case feature is the ability to perform side-by-side comparisons of different

datasets. One way to do this is to display each case in a separate viewport. To do this:

1. Create as many additional

viewports as you need to display

your cases. See How To Define

and Change Viewports for more

information.

2. Select the case whose parts you

wish to display only in certain

viewports in the Case menu

(Case > casename).

3. Select Case > Viewport Visibility...

4. Click in the desired viewport to

enable or disable display of the

selected case. Black means the

selected case is not displayed in

the viewport, green means that it

is displayed.

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HOW TO LOAD MULTIPLE DATASETS (CASES)

ADVANCED USAGE

EnSight’s cases capability has also been used to achieve coarse-grained parallelism for very large datasets by

partitioning a mesh into blocks and reading each block into a different case. Each case can run on different machines

or on different CPUs of a multiprocessor host. Since the EnSight client places the geometry from the different cases

in the same coordinate system, the blocks are effectively “stitched” back together for viewing. Operations such as

clipping and isosurface calculation are then automatically performed in parallel. However, since there is no

communication between the servers (in the current release) you cannot trace particles originating in one block and

expect them to cross a block boundary into a different block. (It should be noted that EnSight’s server-of-server

capability is an alternate, and usually better way to do parallel operations on a model.)

OTHER NOTES

When you perform an archive operation, a binary dump file is produced for each active server (case). The archive

information file contains details about the cases and can be used to restart the EnSight client as well as all servers

active when the archive was performed. See How To Save and Restore an Archive for more information.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Case Menu Functions

How To Manual: Compare Cases

Page 47

HOW TO COMPARE CASES

Compare Cases

INTRODUCTION

EnSight has long had the ability to load multiple datasets and included tools to help compare them. Each of these

datasets is loaded as a separate EnSight Case. But no functionality or capability existed to try to make case

comparison easy or automated for the user.

The first step instructions on using multiple EnSight cases, is to see How to Load Multiple Datasets (Cases) which

will explain how multiple cases are loaded in EnSight. All of this functionality for reading and comparing multiple

cases is available to the user in a somewhat tedious step-by-step process. This “How To” was written to document a

new and more automated case compare capability named “case linking” which is intended to provide easy case

comparison functionality.

The goal of linking all the cases is to quickly and uniformly perform the same operation over all of the cases. So

transformations, part attribute changes, part and variable creation and query operations are performed automatically

and uniformly across all of the loaded cases. When one case is changed, all are changed in the same way.

To use case linking, first load a dataset and perhaps set up what you want to visualize. Then load the next case and

toggle on "Link operations for all cases". This will read in the new case, apply the context file from the first case and

automatically place the new case in its own linked viewport. Subsequent cases loaded will also be linked together

and each appear in their own linked viewport.

Case linking remains on until you turn it off (either right click on a case in the parts dialog or turn it off via the Case

pulldown). Once turned off, the case linking can not be turned back on in the current session.

Limitations

Every dataset must contain the same number of parts.

Case linking does not use part id nor part name, but rather part order in the part list to match up the parts. Therefore

the parts must match up in the same order in the part list.

Same model variables must exist with same names across the cases. Load all cases prior to doing calculations.

The geometry must be in roughly the same dimensions.

What are linked?

Once turned on, case linking applies all of the previous and subsequent operations that have been and will be applied

to any case and applies them to all of the cases as follows:

Any case added will apply the context file from the first case and place the new case in a new, linked viewport.

The second case will automatically split the screen into a left/right viewport. Other cases added will produce

“thumbnail” viewports down the left side.

Once the number of cases added is greater than the number of viewports that can be viewed, a scroll bar is added.

All transformations in all viewports are linked.

Any part attribute modified will be applied to the corresponding parts of the other cases.

Any part created (e.g. a clip part) will be created through the same parts of the other cases.

Any variable created will be duplicated across all loaded cases. Constant variables will have the case number

appended to their name (e.g. “variable_02”). Scalar and vector variables will appear only once in the variable list.

Queries will be performed through all cases and plotted on the same plotter.

Interactive probe queries will be performed at the same screen position in the linked viewports.

Rotational and mirrored symmetry will be applied to all the cases.

Caveat

This is a capability that is evolving. For the most current conditions and limitations please refer to the Release Notes.

Page 48

HOW TO COMPARE CASES

If your data does not fall within the limitations, the new capability will not be of benefit and instead use the step-by-

step manual method of comparing cases described in How to Load Multiple Datasets (Cases).

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HOW TO COMPARE CASES

BASIC OPERATION

Add a Case

To add a case to a running EnSight session. First verify that your datasets all fall within the limitations described

above. Then read in the first dataset in the normal manner. Next, load subsequent linked datasets. Finally do any

calculations, manipulations, part creations etc.

Do File->Open..., or Case->Add...

1. Select Keep currently loaded data

This will add, rather than replace, the

case

2. If desired, enter a name for the case

(other than the default).

The name will be displayed in the Case

menu.

3. Set other optional settings.

Link operations for all cases to compare

this newly added case to the existing one.

Toggle this on. When this is toggled on

other options become unavailable.

Server connection options are still

available with the Link option.

Note: The case linking toggle is only

available on the addition of the second

case. All subsequent cases adopt the

Link setting of the second case. If the Link

toggle is on for the second case, the

dialog will no longer even appear for

subsequent cases.

Grayed out options are no longer necessary if you Link

operations for all cases as they now automatically happen.

4. Click Okay.

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HOW TO COMPARE CASES

The EnSight client will now start the connection process for the new server. Depending on the launch or connection

settings chosen, the new server will be started automatically or you will have to manually start another server. The

default is to start a new server automatically if your original connection was automatic, or to cause you to start

another server manually if your original connection was manual. You can follow the progress of the connection in the

Message area. See the EnSight Getting Started Manual or How To Connect EnSight Client and Server for more

information. Once connected, EnSight will also load all parts of this new case if you use this method, and, if the “Link

operations for all cases” toggle is on, a new linked viewport labeled with the case will be created for the data. Load all

of your cases prior to doing calculator functions.

You will then be presented

with the Open... dialog.

Navigate to and select your

data, and use the Simple

interface to load all parts.

(Note that the file type must be

recognized for this method to

work.)

Or, use the Advanced

interface, and control the

Format and other options.

As well as being able to

Select parts to load, etc.

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HOW TO COMPARE CASES

Simple Demonstration of Case Linking

With two linked cases loaded (each with the same part names

and variables), right-click on a field part and create a Y-clip.

Note that this results in the clip being created at the same

location throughout the loaded cases

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HOW TO COMPARE CASES

How to end case linking

Toggle off Case Linking using the top menu entry under Case. Do Case>Case Linking to toggle it off. And once you

turn it off you can continue working with the unlinked cases, but you cannot turn linking back on during the remainder

of the EnSight session.

1. When you are finished with the

portion of your analysis

facilitated by Case Linking,

simply toggle off Case>Case

linking and the cases will no

longer be linked.

2. Warning: once you end case

linking you can no longer case

link in this EnSight Session.

3. When Case Linking is turned off

you can now change features in

one viewport and they will no

longer change in the other

viewports. You can calculate

variables in one case that will no

longer be calculated in the other

cases.

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HOW TO COMPARE CASES

Case linked Calculations

If you are going to do calculations with multiple cases, it is recommended that you load all the cases first, then do the

calculations.

Calculation of a variable such as vsq = velocity*velocity on a certain part, such as a clip plane, in one of the cases will

cause that same variable to be calculated on the corresponding clip plane in all the other cases when case linking is

on. The variable vsq will show up once in the variable list if it is a vector or scalar as always. If the variable is a

constant such as that returned by the EnSight Flow function then there will be a constant variable for each case in the

variable list calculated on the corresponding cases. Constant variables from cases besides the first, will have the

case number appended to their name (e.g. “flow_02” for the case 2 flow).

To compare a variable across cases, use the new CaseMapDiff calculator function. This will give you a variable that

results from the subtraction of that variable from the CaseMap of that variable from the chosen case. See the

example below for an illustration of using this function to compare the pressure across cases.

Case Mapping Tips

The searching algorithm in CaseMap and CaseMapDiff slows dramatically as the size of the model grows. Consider

starting EnSight with the -hpc (formerly -gold) option if you have an hpc (formerly gold) license, to maximize your use

of Threading. At your first attempt at casemapping, use the faster ‘search only’ (option 0) flag, which will result in an

undefined value if the local search fails, and will not resort to the slower global search used by the ‘nearest value’

search option. When case mapping finishes, check your results by right clicking on the variable and edit the palette

and, under the Options tab in the Palette dialog, change the ‘Display Undefined’ as Invisible. This will remove the

CaseMapDiff Calculator function example:

Select the Field part in Case 2, calculate CaseMapDiff of the

variable pressure from Case 1 using the nearest value. Now

create a Y clip of the field and color by the variable. See that

the CaseDiff variable is zero everywhere at Case 1 and has a

non-zero value of CaseDiff at Case 2 because it equals (Case2

pressure - Case 1 pressure).

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HOW TO COMPARE CASES

undefined value as a ‘hole’ in your mesh to give you a sense of the number of failures in your case mapping. If you

have holes in your mesh, and if the case map was relatively quick, and the variable that you are mapping is

elemental, then consider creating a nodal variable and rerunning using search option 0 flag. Nodal variables tend to

succeed in the searching algorithm better. Or if you are using a nodal variable and still getting undefined values, try

using ‘nearest value’ (search option 1) flag, which, if the local search fails, will ‘look around’ using a slower, global

search.

You can restrict the search using the ‘parts to map from’ pulldown. If both cases have matching part numbers, use the

‘Part number match’ and the search will be restricted to matching part(s) in the same list position in the Part List. Or I

can use ‘Parts selected for case to map from’ and select the parts in each case to use for searching. Or if I’m mapping

to parts that are all the same dimension (say 2D) then I can select ‘Dimensionality match’ to only use parts in the

‘case to map from’ that are the same dimension as my selected parts. Warning, if you use the default search option

‘Global search’, then EnSight will search the 3D, 2D, 1D, and 0D parts in the ‘case to map from’, which may slow

performance dramatically.

ADVANCED USAGE

A common usage scenario is to load all your cases with case linking turned on, do your common calculations and

perform the operations that case linking takes care of most easily. Then turn it off to complete the post processing.

OTHER NOTES

When calculator functions are executed and then subsequent cases are loaded, this sometimes works, however this

is not recommended. It is recommended that you load all your cases first and then do your calculations so that they

can all occur on the existing cases at once.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Case Menu Functions

How to Manual: Load Multiple Datasets (Cases)

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HOW TO LOAD TRANSIENT DATA

Load Transient Data

INTRODUCTION

From its inception, EnSight has been used extensively to postprocess time-varying or transient data. In many cases,

dynamic phenomena can only be understood through interactive exploration as a transient case is animated. EnSight

handles all types of transient data. All variables as well as mesh coordinates and connectivity can vary over time. The

rate at which variables (or the mesh) change can differ (supported through the EnSight Gold and EnSight6 Case data

format only).

EnSight can postprocess transient data in many ways. The Player (Solution Time) area lets you easily set the

current time step, step through time (manually or automatically), or restrict the range of time to a region of interest.

You can perform query operations to extract information over time. You can use the flipbook capability to create an

on-screen animation of your data changing over time and continue to interact with it during animation playback.

EnSight’s keyframe animation capability can be used to create high-quality video animations of transient data.

This article covers reading transient data into EnSight.

BASIC OPERATION

Reading transient data into EnSight is essentially the same as reading static data (see How To Read Data for more

information). By default, the last time step will become the current time step. This behavior is based on the

assumption that the last step will contain the largest dynamic range of the variable data so that variable palettes will

be initialized properly.

For many data formats, some type of “results” file supplies the necessary time information, including number of

steps, actual solution time at each step, and how to access the dynamic variable and geometry files. However, some

formats supported by EnSight include this information in the same file that contains other geometry or variable data.

EnSight 6 and EnSight Gold formats have a casefile which contains solution time information and how this is tied to

each variable and the geometry. The manner for each format can vary widely enough that we refer you to User

Manual 2.1 Reader Basics, User Manual 2.1 Native EnSight Format Readers, and User Manual 2.1 Other

Readers

However, you can override this

by clicking the Specify Starting

step toggle and entering the

desired time step under the

Time options tab in the File >

Open dialog.

Note, for some data formats,

you can also monitor the

dataset for new timesteps as

described in User Manual 5.1

Solution Time.

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ADVANCED

If you wish to read transient data that is being updated (that is, perhaps the solver is in the process of writing the data

and you are looking at it as the solution proceeds: coprocessing) then you will need to get your solver to write out the

maximum number of steps keyword if the data is PLOT3D Results File Format or EnSight Gold Casefile Format.

Or, if you are using another format and have a custom user-defined reader, then you will need to add a routine called

USERD_get_max_time_steps that cues the EnSight Server that the number of time steps can be updated (and pro-

vides a maximum never-to-exceed number of time steps that can be loaded). Currently the EXODUS II Reader has

this capability.

The user chooses the action which will occur when a new timestep becomes available. Either the timestep will

automatically update to the last timestep available or you can stay at the current timestep. For the latter, the End time

value for the solution time dialog will update to reflect the new timestep availability, but the time will not be modified.

SEE ALSO

How To Change Time Steps, How To Animate Transient Data, How To Query/Plot

User Manual: Flipbook Animation, Query/Plotter

Click on the advanced button to pop up the

“Solution time” dialog. If the current dataset is set

for timestep monitoring, the pulldown options for

Monitor for new time steps will be available.

Click this pulldown to decide what action will be

taken when new timesteps are available.

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Use Server of Servers

INTRODUCTION

EnSight102, using an hpc (formerly gold) license key has the capability of dealing with spatially partitioned data or

temporally decomposition in an efficient distributed manner by utilizing what we call a server-of-servers (SOS for

short). An SOS server resides between a normal client and a number of normal servers. Thus, it appears as a normal

server to the client, and as a normal client to the various normal servers.

When reading spatially decomposed data (or when the decomposition is done on the fly), each server is responsible

for only a portion of the geometry for all time. This is useful, for example, when the entire geometry for a single

timestep simply cannot fit into one server on one machine. When the data is temporally decomposed, each server is

responsible for all of the geometry but only at one timestep. This is useful, for example, when the entire geometry at

one timestep fits on one server, and the user desires to precache (read ahead) to other timesteps to speed up time

changes.

This arrangement allows for distributed parallel processing of the various portions of a model or different portions of

time, and has been shown to scale quite well.

Currently, EnSight SOS spatially decomposed capability is only available for EnSight5, EnSight6, EnSight Gold,

Plot3d, and some EnSight User-Defined Reader data formats. All data formats permit temporal decomposition.

For spatial decomposition, please recognize that your data must be spatially partitioned in some manner (hopefully in

a way that will be reasonably load-balanced) in order for this approach to be useful. This partitioning can be done

externally, be done by a reader internally, or be auto_distributed by the EnSight servers. Each of these options for

spatial decomposition will now be discussed, because they have limitations. Temporal decomposition will be

discussed at the very end of this document.

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SPATIAL PARTITIONING OF DATA DONE OUTSIDE ENSIGHT

Choose “Don’t decompose” in the SOS options tab if the data is already partioned outiside of EnSight and you don’t

want EnSight to do the decomposition. This option requires that each portion of the model be prepared as a stand-

alone partitioned dataset, that can be read as such by an EnSight server. For example, if it were EnSight gold format,

there will be a casefile (.case) and associated gold geometry and variable results file(s) for each partitioned dataset.

There will also need to be an SOS casefile (.sos), which is a simple ascii file which informs the SOS about pertinent

information needed to run a server on each of the machines that will compute the various portions and what case file

partition it is to read. The SOS will read the sos casefile (.sos), and each server will read one of these pre-partitioned

(.case) datasets. The SOS will conglomerate geometry together so that the client sees the whole model. The EnSight

formats, PLOT3D, and any user-defined readers using our 1.0 or 2.0 APIs can be used

The advantage of external partitioning is that once the data has been partitioned once, the partitioning is done.

EnSight’s SOS and servers can then operate without expending any effort on partitioning. The disadvantage is that it

is not easily changed. Some formats require that the number of servers be the same as the number of partitioned

datasets. However, for EnSight Gold format, EnSight now has the capability of running more than one of these

datasets on a given server - so it is possible to run the model on fewer servers than the number of partitioned

datasets. And the number of those servers is easily changed. See How To Load Spatially Decomposed Case

Files.

Data can be partitioned prior to reading in EnSight, for example, by a solver, or by an external partitioning utility as

described below.

Partitioning with a Solver, or Self-Partitioning

Note: If you do your own partitioning, please be aware that, as of EnSight 10.2, each dataset is no longer required to

have all parts present in all of the partitioned data files. EnSight now uses the part name as the unique identifier, so, if

the part is present in the dataset, it must be consistently named everywhere: in all partitioned datasets over all

timesteps. Thus one can fairly easily partition as desired, whether that be with decomposed parts across several

datasets, or with parts empty (or even nonexistent) in all but one of the datasets, etc. Note that in EnSight Case Gold

format, an empty part need only have the “part” line, the part number, and a consistent “description” line (or, now, it

can be left out altogether).

EnSight’s Partition102 Utility

Included in the EnSight distribution is a command-line Partition Utility that will take EnSight Case Gold multi-file

format, C-binary unstructured datasets and partition them for you using geometric partitioning (thick slicing the

geometry along it’s longest edge into chunks). This utility will work for static, changing coordinate or changing

geometry datasets. It will not work for ascii files, for single file format, measured/particle data, or datasets with

multiple timesets (i.e. all variables must be on same timeset). It will also not work for structured data (which must be

server decomposed, see below).

Simply type partition102 at the command prompt to begin. This command line program will prompt you for the

name of the input case file and the number of partitions in the x, y, and z and whether or not to use ghost elements,

etc. and will create (in a directory of your choosing) a case sos file (.sos) pointing to the partitioned case files ready

for loading into EnSight server of server mode.

You should place each partitioned portion of the model on the machine that will compute that portion. On the machine

where the EnSight SOS will be run, you will need to place the sos casefile. If you move the case files around to

different locations and/or different machines, you will need to edit the sos file (.sos) to properly indicate the machines

and directories where the case files are located. Once you load the data into EnSight Server of Server mode,

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calculate the variable ServerNumber in the EnSight calculator and color your geometry by this variable to visualize

the spatial distribution chosen by the partition utility. The partition utility simply takes the bounding box of the data and

divides it into a grid according to the number of partitions in the x, y, and z-directions so works best on data that is

cubic in shape.

SPATIAL PARTITIONING DONE BY A READER, “READER DECOMPOSE”

If the “Reader decompose” option is available, then the reader for your chosen format is SOS aware. You would

choose “Reader decompose” in the SOS options tab to read the data in partitions on each server. If this option is

available, then you will usually choose it because the reader knows how to best decompose the data. This method

requires that the reader be based on our 2.0 or later User-defined reader API, which is “server-aware”, and that it

does its own determination of what data goes to each server. Some “multiblock” formats for example, can easily

distribute certain blocks to certain servers. And they can do so based on the number of servers that are being used at

the time. There is still the requirement that each server be informed of the same number of total parts. But the reader

can return different portions of a given part based on which server is querying. And yes, a given part can be empty for

some servers.

This type of partitioning reader has the advantage of being adaptable to the number of servers used. It does require

the development of such a reader. Examples of that allow reader decompose are as follows: CGNS-XML, CTH,

xdmf2, Exodus, Flow3d, Silo and VTK readers. In the data reader dialog (File>Open...) under the SOS options tab,

are the SoS options for the selected data reader. One option is to pass wildcards to the server, for example if the data

file refers to a set of files (file*.vtm).

PARTITIONING DONE BY ENSIGHT SERVERS, “SERVER DECOMPOSE”

If your data is not already decomposed nor is the Reader decompose option available, then EnSight has the final

option of using the EnSight server to decompose (also called auto-distribute, since the EnSight server automatically

does the distribution). Some formats/readers allow for an spatial auto-distribute capability that occurs within each

server. Pre-partitioning is not required. Each server will determine its portion using a connectivity-based partitioning

algorithm (selecting N elements in the connectivity order), and will read and act just on that portion. Note that this

connectivity based algorithm is different than the partition utility described above.

Currently this capability is available to Plot3d and EnSight Case gold format.

It can be implement in User-defined readers (at level 2.08 or greater), which have implemented the “*_in_buffers”

routines.

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So, since none of the user-defined readers distributed by EnSight have currently implemented the needed *_in_buffer

routines or structured reader cinching capability to take advantage of this option, only the internal EnSight Gold and

Plot3d readers can be used with Server decompose (auto_distribute). However if you have on-site user defined

readers, these may include this capability.

Use of SOS with our native, Case Gold format can use an ASCII SOS Casefile which is a map for how data is to be

distributed to the Servers using auto-distribute.

FORMAT OF THE SOS CASEFILE:

The format for this file is as follows: (Note that [ ] indicates optional information, and a blank line or a line with # in the

first column are comments.)

FORMAT (Required)

type: master_server datatype (Required)

where: datatype is required and is one of the formats of EnSight’s internal readers (which

use the Part builder), namely:

gold ensight6 ensight5 plot3d

or it can be the string used to name any of the user-defined readers.

Note: For user-defined readers, the string must be exactly that which is defined in the

USERD_get_name_of_reader routine of the reader (which is what is presented in the Format

pulldown of the Data Reader dialog).

If datatype is blank, it will default to EnSight6 data type.

[auto_distribute: on/off] (Optional for structured or unstructured data)

EnSight server will automatically distribute data to the servers (also called Server decompose)

specified below if this option is present and set to “on”. This will require that each of the servers

have access to the same data (or identical copies of it). For structured data: use only if the

datatype is gold, plot3d or a 2.06 or greater user-defined reader (which has implemented

structured cinching). For unstructured data: use only if the datatype is gold, or a 2.08 (or

greater) user-defined reader. Additionally, be aware that 2.* user-defined readers should

implement the special functions defined in README_USERD_IN_BUFFERS file if memory is to

be used efficiently in the unstructured auto-distribute process.

[use_resources: on/off] (Optional, to allow specification of server machines to come from the “resource file”)

[do_ghosts: on/off] (Optional for unstructured auto_distribute - default is on (before version 10.1.4(a)),

and is off for later versions)

Allows user to control whether ghost cells will be produced between the distributed portions.

Please note that this could alternatively be set with the -use_ghosts command line argument, or

by setting the UNSTRUCT_AUTODISTRIBUTE_USE_GHOSTS environment variable to 1.

[buffer_size: n](Optional for unstructured auto_distribute and do_ghosts - default is 100000)

Allows user to modify the default buffer size that is used when reading node and element

information of the model when producing ghost cells.

[want_metric: on/off](Optional for unstructured auto_distribute and do_ghosts - default is on (before version

10.1.4(a), and is off for later versions.)

If set on, a simple metric will be printed in the shell window that can indicate the quality of the

auto_. The unstructured auto_distribute method relies on some coherence in the element

connectivity - namely, that elements that lie next to each other are generally listed close to each

other in the data format.

The metric is simply the (#total_nodes / #nodes_needed_if_no_ghosts).

When no ghosts, the value will be 1.0. The more ghosts you must have, the higher this metric

will be. If the number gets much more than 2.0, you may want to consider partitioning yourself.

Please note that this could alternatively be set with the -use_metric command line argument, or

by setting the UNSTRUCT_AUTODISTRIBUTE_USE_METRIC environment variable to 1.

NETWORK_INTERFACES (Note: This whole section is optional. It is needed only when more than one network

interface to the sos host is available and it is desired to use them. Thus, distributing the servers

to sos communication over more than one network interface)

number of network interfaces: num(Required - if section used)

where: num is the number of network interfaces to be used for the sos host.

network interface: sos_network_interface_name_1(Required - if section used)

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network interface: sos_network_interface_name_2(Required - if section used)

network interface: sos_network_interface_name_num(Required - if section used)

SERVERS (Required)

number of servers: num [repeat](Required)

where: num is the number of servers that will be started and run concurrently.

repeat indicates that the first server specification should be repeated num times for use

with resources. Other server specifications will be ignored.

#Server 1 (Comment only)

machine id: mid (Required)

where: mid is the machine id of the server.

executable: /.../ensight92.server(Linux/Unix/Apple Required, must use full path)

or ensight92_server.bat (Windows only Required, must use .bat extension)

[directory: wd](Optional)

where: wd is the working directory from which ensight92.server will be run

[login id: id](Optional)

where: id is the login id. Only needed if it is different on this machine.

[data_path: /.../dd](Optional)

where: dd is the directory where the data resides. (Full path must be provided if you use this).

casefile: yourfile.case (Required, but depending on format, may vary as to whether it is a casefile, geometry file,

neutral file, universal file, etc. Relates to the first data field of the Data Reader Dialog.)

[resfile: yourfile.res](Depends on format as to whether required or not. Relates to the second data field of the Data

Reader Dialog.)

[measfile: yourfile.mea](Depends on format as to whether required or not. Relates to the third data field of the Data

Reader Dialog.)

[bndfile: yourfile.bnd](Depends on format as to whether required or not. Relates to the fourth data field of the Data

Reader Dialog.)

--- Repeat pertinent lines for as many servers as declared to be in this file ---

BASIC OPERATION

To use Server of Servers, depending on the method of spatial partitioning (Externally partitioned, Reader partitioned,

or Server partitioned) described above, you do the following:

External partitioning

1. Partition your data, and distribute it (or make it available) to the various machines on which you will run servers.

2. Create the sos casefile, which defines the data format to use, the server machines, the location of server

executables on those machines, and the name and location of the [partitioned] data for the servers. Each server in

the casefile will reference different data. Examples will be shown below.

3. Run EnSight with the -sos command line option(or use ensight102.sos in place of ensight102.server if connecting

manually) and provide it with the sos casefile. You can run EnSight like:

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ensight102 -sos

Using the command in this way runs the SOS on the same machine as the client. If you want to control where the

SOS runs, connect manually instead (a manual example will be shown later in this article). Also note that if you want

to load all parts, you could have simply included the sos casefile on the command line, like:

ensight102 -sos /home/bjn/dat/sos/cube_10.sos

Additionally, you can use resources in combination with a sos casefile if desired. See How To Use Resource

Management for an example.

Spatial partitioning done by a reader, “Auto distribute Reader decompose”

If you use a reader that can do its own partitioning, you can use an sos casefile in which each server references the

Then under File->Open,

set the sos casefile under

the data tab, with a format

of Case SOS.

Under the SOS options tab,

you can verify that Auto

distribute is set to Don’t

decompose (because the

data is already

decomposed).

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same data, OR take advantage of a resource file and not have to create an sos casefile. Note that for this method,

under the SOS options tab in the File->Open dialog, you will see that Auto distribute is set to Reader Decompose.

It is probably easiest to describe the usage based on an example. So using the Exodus reader, lets run an Exodus

model on two servers (computer1 and computer2), first using the .sos case file and then the .res file (you don’t use

them both at the same time). The files we will reference are:

sample.exo (the Exodus data file)

servers.sos (the SOS casefile)

FORMAT

type: master_server MultiExodusII

SERVERS

number of servers: 2

#Server 1

#------------

machine id: computer1

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /home/user/exodus

casefile: sample.exo

#Server 2

#------------

machine id: computer2

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /home/user/exodus

casefile: sample.exo

servers.res (the resource file, see How To Use Resource Management for more details)

#!CEIResourceFile 1.0

SOS:

host: localhost

SERVER:

host: computer1

host: computer2

Flow3D SOS Case file example which uses two computers (computer1 and computer2), and 4 servers, with 4 files

(flsgrf1.dat, flsgrf2.dat, flsgrf3.dat and flsgrf4.dat) located on a common file system that both computers can read: /

scratch/data/lowres and perhaps name it servers.sos. It will also be necessary that the machine where you start up

your server of server has the Flow3d reader (must be either a linux or windows machine) and it is able to start up

servers using passwordless ssh.

FORMAT

type: master_server Flow3D-Multiblock

SERVERS

number of servers: 4

#Server 1

#------------

machine id: computer1

# for same machine use

#machine id: localhost

executable: ensight102.server

# for windows use

#executable: ensight102_server

data_path: /scratch/data/lowres/

casefile: flsgrf*.dat

#Server 2

#------------

machine id: computer1

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executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /scratch/data/lowres/

casefile: flsgrf*.dat

#Server 3

#------------

machine id: computer2

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /scratch/data/lowres/

casefile: flsgrf*.dat

#Server 4

#------------

machine id: computer2

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /scratch/data/lowres/

casefile: flsgrf*.dat

Your servers.res file will be the same as above except it will have four servers, and perhaps named four_servers.res.

#!CEIResourceFile 1.0

SOS:

host: localhost

SERVER:

host: computer1

host: computer2

1. For the exodus example above, make sure your sample.exo data file is available to the various computers on

which you will run servers. For the Flow3d example above, make sure all four flsgrf*.dat files are in the same

directory and available to all the computers.

2. Create the sos casefile, Or the resource file appropriate for your format above (use one or the other). You can

copy/paste from the examples above.

3. Run EnSight using one of the following (not both):

ensight102 -sos

Then set the servers.sos file in the File->Open dialog (format Case SOS). This will let you load all parts, or

select the ones to be loaded. Or use ensight102 -sos servers.sos on the command line if you want to load all

parts.

-- OR if you want to use the resource (.res) file --

Choose the sample.exo file or the flsgrf*.dat in the File->Open dialog (format MultExodusII, format Flow3d-

Multiblock respectively), and place the appropriate .res file in the Set resource file field under the SOS options

tab. For Flow3d data, toggle ON the Pass wild cards to server option, which will allow the asterisk in flsgrf*.dat

to pass down to the servers to handle appropriately. This will let you then load all parts, or select the ones to be

loaded. Or use ensight102 -sos -res servers.res on the command line and set sample.exo (or flsgrf*.dat) file

in the File->Open dialog (format MultExodusII, Flow3D-Multiblock, respectively). Or, for exodus format, use

ensight102 -sos -res servers.res sample.exo on the command line if you want to load all parts. You cannot

use the command line for Flow3D format because you must tell EnSight to pass the asterisk to the servers and

this appears to only work from the dialog.

There are several other variations that could be used, including the use of a manual connection with the SOS. They

all have similar corresponding options.

Spatial partitioning by EnSight Servers “Auto_distribute, e.g. Server decompose”

If you use EnSight Gold, Plot3d, or a User-defined reader that is capable (as described above), you can let EnSight

do the partitioning. You can use an sos casefile in which each server references the same data, or take advantage of

a resource file and not have to create an sos casefile. Note that for this method, under the SOS options tab in the

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File->Open dialog, you will see that Auto distribute is set to Server Decompose.

It is probably easiest to describe the usage based on an example. So using the EnSight Gold format, lets run a simple

model on two servers (computer1 and computer2). The files we will reference are:

cube.case (the EnSight Gold data file)

two_partitions.sos (the SOS casefile)

FORMAT

type: master_server gold

auto_distribute: on

do_ghosts: on

SERVERS

number of servers: 2

#Server 1

#------------

machine id: computer1

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /home/user/exodus

casefile: cube.case

#Server 2

#------------

machine id: computer1

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /home/user/exodus

casefile: cube.case

two_servers.res (the resource file, see How To Use Resource Management for more details)

#!CEIResourceFile 1.0

SOS:

host: localhost

SERVER:

host: computer1

host: computer2

1. Make sure your cube.case data is available to the various machines on which you will run servers.

2. Create the two_partitions.sos sos casefile, or the two_servers.res resource file

3. Run EnSight like:

ensight102 -sos

Then set the two_partitions.sos file in the File->Open dialog (format Case SOS). This will let you load all parts,

or select the ones to be loaded. Or use ensight102 -sos two_partitions.sos on the command line if you want

to load all parts.

-- or --

Open the cube.case file in the File->Open dialog (format Case), and place two_servers.res in the Set resource

file field under the SOS options tab. This will let you then load all parts, or select the ones to be loaded. Or use

ensight102 -sos -res two_servers.res on the command line and set cube.case file in the File->Open dialog

(format Case). Or use ensight102 -sos -res two_servers.res cube.case on the command line if you want to

load all parts.

There are several other variations that could be used, including the use of a manual connection with the SOS. They

all have similar corresponding options.

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Example SOS Casefile

This example deals with a EnSight Gold dataset that has been partitioned into 3 portions, each running on a different

machine. The machines are named joe, sally, and bill. The data is not in the same location on all machines. Note that

the optional data_path line is used on two of the servers, but not the third.

FORMAT

type: master_server gold

SERVERS

number of servers: 3

#Server 1

machine id: joe

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /usr/people/john/data

casefile: portion_1.case

#Server 2 is a Windows machine (notice .bat extension)

machine id: sally

executable: ensight102_server.bat

data_path: D:\john\data

casefile: portion_2.case

#Server 3

machine id: bill

executable: ensight102.server

casefile: /scratch/temp/john/portion_3.case

If we name this example sos casefile - “all.sos”, and we run it on yet another machine - one named george, you would

want the data distributed as follows:

On george: all.sos

On joe (in /usr/people/john/data): portion_1.case, and all files referenced by it.

On sally (in /scratch/sally/john/data): portion_2.case, and all files referenced by it.

On bill (in /scratch/temp/john): portion_3.case, and all file referenced by it.

By starting EnSight with the -sos command line option (which will autoconnect using ensight102.sos instead of

ensight102.server), or by manually running ensight102.sos in place of ensight102.server, and providing all.sos as the

casefile to read in the Data Reader dialog - EnSight will actually start three servers and compute the respective

portions on them in parallel.

So, one could do the following (after preparing the all.sos file):

On “george”, run the client and the sos by invoking the ensight102 script in a shell window (non-windows) or

Command Prompt window (windows), like:

george>> ensight102 -sos

Or one could run the client on the “myclient” machine, telnet (or equivalent) into the “george” machine and run the sos

there, by using the following commands:

If “myclient” is a non-windows machine:

In a window on “myclient”: In a window that is telneted into the “george” machine:

myclient>> ensight102.client -cm If “george: is a non-windows machine:

george>> ensight102.sos -c myclient

If “george is a windows machine:

george>> ensight102_sos -c myclient

If “myclient” is a windows machine:

In a Command Prompt window on “myclient”: In a Command Prompt window that is telneted into the

“george” machine:

myclient>> ensight102_client -cm If “george: is a non-windows machine:

george>> ensight102.sos -c myclient

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HOW TO USE SERVER OF SERVERS

In either case, you would enter the all.sos command as the file to read in the Data Reader dialog once EnSight is up

and connected. And the servers on “joe”, “sally”, and “bill” would be started and used automatically.

ENVIRONMENT Variables

The following Environment variables will directly affect the SOS performance, see How To Setup for Parallel

Computation.

ENSIGHT10_MAX_THREADS

ENSIGHT10_MAX_SOSTHREADS

Additionally, rather than specifying whether unstructured ghost processing and metric calculations will be done in an

sos casefile, you can specify this via command-line argument (-use_ghosts and -use_metric), or via the following

environment variables. Remember that the ghost processing and metric calculation is defaulted off.

UNSTRUCT_AUTODISTRIBUTE_USE GHOSTS 1 will set ghost processing on.

UNSTRUCT_AUTODISTRIBUTE_USE_METRIC 1 will set metric on.

The environment variable settings will take precedence over the command line arguments.

Optional NETWORK_INTERFACES section notes

If the machine named george had more than one network interface (say it had its main one named george, but also

had one named george2), we could add the section shown below to our casefile example:

NETWORK_INTERFACES

number of network interfaces: 2

network interface: george

network interface: george2

This would cause machine joe to connect back to george, machine sally to connect back to george2, and machine bill

to connect back to george. This is because the sos will cycle through its available network interfaces as it connects

the servers. Remember that this is an optional section, and most users will probably not use it. Also, the contents of

this section will be ignored if the -soshostname command line option is used.

Example SOS Casefile for PLOT3D, Using structured auto_distribute

This example shows a plot3d dataset (post.x and post.q) that has not been partitioned, but is on an nfs mounted disk

available to each server machine. EnSight will distribute the data to the 3 servers defined. IO will not necessarily be

great since each server will be reading from the same file, but execution will be enhanced by the partitioning. We will

use the same machines used in the previous example.

FORMAT

type: master_server plot3d

auto_distribute: on

SERVERS

number of servers: 3

#Server 1

machine id: joe

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /scratch/data

casefile: post.x

resfile: post.q

#Server 2

machine id: sally

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /scratch/data

casefile: post.x

resfile: post.q

#Server 3

If “george is a windows machine:

george>> ensight102_sos -c myclient

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HOW TO USE SERVER OF SERVERS

machine id: bill

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /scratch/data

casefile: post.x

resfile: post.q

Example SOS Casefile for EnSight Gold, Using unstructured auto_distribute

This example shows an EnSight Gold dataset (trial.case) that has not been partitioned, but is on an nfs mounted disk

available to each server machine. EnSight will distribute the data to the 3 servers defined. IO will not necessarily be

great since each server will be reading from the same file, but execution will be enhanced by the partitioning. We will

use the same machines used in the previous examples.

FORMAT

type: master_server gold

auto_distribute: on

do_ghosts: on

buffer_size: 10000

want_metric: on

SERVERS

number of servers: 3

#Server 1

machine id: joe

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /scratch/data/gold

casefile: trial.case

#Server 2

machine id: sally

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /scratch/data/gold

casefile: trial.case

#Server 3

machine id: bill

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /scratch/data/gold

casefile: trial.case

Special Case:

If using auto_distribute (and thus each server will be accessing the same data files), and the servers will all be run on

the same machine, then one can add the word “repeat” to the end of the “number of servers: num” line and then only

define one set of Server info. For example:

FORMAT

type: master_server gold

auto_distribute: on

SERVERS

number of servers: 3 repeat

#Server 1

machine id: joe

executable: ensight102.server

data_path: /scratch/data/gold

casefile: trial.case

Structured Auto Distribute Note:

If using structured auto_distribute, the default decomposition scheme is to do so in the i, j, or k direction that has the

largest dimension. This may not always be the best direction for a given analysis. Thus, through the use of an

environment variable, the user can set the axis to use. The chosen axis will be used unless the dimension in that

direction will not allow for all servers to contain data (namely, as long as the dimension in the chosen direction is

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HOW TO USE SERVER OF SERVERS

greater than the total number of servers used). To use the this option, set the following to 0, 1, 2, or -1:

setenv SAD_DECOMPOSE_AXIS 0 (for the i axis)

1 (for the j axis)

2 (for the k axis)

-1 (to use the default largest dimension scheme,

same as not setting the variable)

PROBLEMS

If you load your data using SOS and it does not run any faster, or it appears to be using more total memory than you thought, or

you are missing geometry, then consider the following tips.

1. The Server of Server (SOS) Console will tell you where the output is logged. For example:

Server output logged to file </tmp/enssoLOzqmV>

and should echo the servers that get started as follows:

CvfLaunch is going to run:

( ensight102.server -c steve -ports 1110 -sosid 0 -auto_distribute -jm_url

connect%3a%2f%2fsteve%3ftransport%3dsocket%26port%3d1110%26sockbufsize%3d2097152%26timeout%3d60%26nc

onnections%3d4%26connect%5fdirection%3djoin ) >>/tmp/enssoamE7ZE 2>&1 &

CvfLaunch is going to run:

( ensight102.server -c steve -ports 1110 -sosid 1 -auto_distribute -jm_url

connect%3a%2f%2fsteve%3ftransport%3dsocket%26port%3d1110%26sockbufsize%3d2097152%26timeout%3d60%26nc

onnections%3d4%26connect%5fdirection%3djoin ) >>/tmp/enssoamE7ZE 2>&1 &

2. Is all of your geometry showing? If not then some of the servers may not be reading their portion of the geometry correctly, or

they may not have started properly, or they may be hung up and frozen. Check and make sure you have all of your server processes still

running.

3. Each reader behaves differently. Some readers require that you enter an asterisk (*) to load multiple spatially decomposed files

( for example spcth* in the Data Reader dialog Data tab set name field). In the SOS Options tab of the data reader dialog, make sure you

check the toggle to allow asterisks to be passed to the Servers if the filename has an asterisk, verify that your autodistribute pulldown

choice is correct, and verify that you have chosen a valid resource file in the resource file field. Finally, each reader has a unique set of

format options that may or may not impact SOS operation. Please look up individual reader functionality in the User Manual.

4. If you know how many elements are in a given part, then when you are running SOS do a Query>Show Information>Part and

verify that it has the proper number of elements. You can also do a Query>Dataset to find the total number of elements. If it has a

multiple number of elements equal to the number of servers, then you have the problem that all servers are loading all of the data. For

example, with 4 Servers, your part has a multiple of four of all the element types. If you don’t remember how many elements you have, try

loading your data without SOS, and write down how many elements you have, then repeat with SOS and compare.

A multiple number of elements, can be an indication that you’ve chosen the external decompose option above and every Server

thinks that it is supposed to be reading all of the data that it encounters. Another sign of this is that each server process still consumes

the same amount of memory as a single server process without SOS. All servers are loading all of the data. Another sign of this problem

is that SOS runs slower. All Servers are busy with all your data AND with communications. You may want to try Reader Decompose if

the reader allows this option, or Auto Decompose to allow the Servers to decompose your data, and recount your number of elements.

5. The calculator includes a function, ServerNumber, that Calculates the server number. Simply select all your parts and calculate

this value and color your geometry by ServerNumber. Now you can visualize what servers are responsible for what portion of the

domain. If you color your geometry by ServerNumber variable, and the ServerNumber legend does not have the same range as the

number of servers that you are using, then something is wrong. For example, with 4 servers, the ServerNumber legend should have a

range of 1 to 4 and you should see colors on your geometry ranging from 1 to 4. If the range is from 1 to 1, then your servers may not

have started up and you are just running client and server or Server number 1 has all of your data and servers 2-4 have none.. If the

range is from 3 to 3, then Server number 3 has all of your data and servers number 1, 2, and 4 do not have data for some reason. If the

range is from 1-4 (indicating that there are 4 Servers), but you only see your geometry colored all one color, then it may be that you are

experiencing the problem discussed in item 2 above: each Server is loading all of the data and you have 4 times the geometry

overlapping on the client display, and only the last color shows up.

6. EnSight does include the capability to trick client and server into thinking they are in SOS for isolating problems. Simply set the

following environmental variables as follows:

setenv AUTODISTRIBUTE_DEBUG_TOTAL_SERVERS 50

setenv AUTODISTRIBUTE_DEBUG_CURRENT_SERVER 13

setenv AUTODISTRIBUTE_DEBUG_N_OF_M 1

The first and second make the server think it is server 13 out of 50, and the last one turns this all on when set to 1. This will enable

you to run EnSight in normal client and server mode, but the server will behave as if it is server 13 out of 50, thus allowing you to isolate

problems and validate behavior, while only using memory of one server.

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TEMPORAL DECOMPOSITION

All of the previous discussion was spatial. This section will cover temporal decomposition. All formats should be

able to use temporal decomposition as long as there is sufficient room on your servers so that each server can load

the geometry and variables for one full timestep. Temporal decomposition is really just temporal caching of the

timesteps before and after the current timestep. Each server reads one timestep and calculates all variables and

creates all parts that you have created in your analysis on the current timestep. Therefore, changing timestep to the

next (or previous) timestep occurs much more rapidly because the server that has responsibility that step has it pre-

cached does not need to do I/O nor calculations nor part creation, and must simply pass its data up to the client. Note

that the caching is for timesteps right around the current timestep: five servers and the current timestep is 6, might

mean that one server is responsible for timestep 6 and the others are responsible for timesteps 4, 5, 7, and 8.

Changing to timestep 12 will not benefit from the cached timesteps, and will, in fact, slow EnSight down: all five

servers now will load five new timesteps simultaneously: 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14.

SEE ALSO

How To Read Data

How To Read User Defined

How To Setup for Parallel Computation

How To Use Resource Managament

How To Use Root Level Server of Servers

User Manual: Server-of-Server Casefile Format

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HOW TO LOAD SPATIALLY DECOMPOSED CASE FILES

Load Spatially Decomposed Case Files

INTRODUCTION

If one has multiple EnSight gold casefiles (each of which contain a spatially decomposed portion of the same model),

they can be read using one or more servers (as long as the number of servers is less than or equal to the number of

casefiles). In other words, when it is desired to read N casefiles with M servers (M<=N), an additional section can be

added to the SOS casefile to accomplish this. Note that the following important restrictions/limitations will apply:

1. M (number of servers) must be less than or equal to N (number of casefiles).

2. Unstructured data only. (Note: a similar capability exists for structured data. See How to Use Block Continuation)

3. Auto distribute may not be specified in the SOS casefile.

4. None of the following can be specified in the partition casefiles:

GEOMETRY

measured:

match:

boundary:

rigid_body:

Vector_glyphs:

BLOCK_CONTINUATION

MATERIAL

Note: that some of the restrictions (such as measured) may eventually be lifted. But currently all of the above are

in effect.

5. All of the normal SOS requirements still apply.

a) All parts must be present in all cases. (Empty parts are allowed)

b) The same variables must exist in all cases.

c) The same timesets must be used in all cases.

Note: If the desired number of servers is equal to the number of casefiles, one can either use the procedure

described in this How To, or could use the normal SOS procedures (see How To Use Server of Servers).

BASIC OPERATION

To postprocess your partitioned EnSight Gold unstructured data on fewer servers than casefiles, run SOS using an

SOS casefile that has a MULTIPLE_CASEFILES section.

Three possible methods are available for your convenience. They all accomplish the same thing in slightly different

ways. So use whichever is easiest for your situation.

Note: in using one of the 3 the methods below, one should determine something about how the data resides, or is

available to EnSight. Namely, how will one need to specify the path to the data.

Since the whole idea is that the number of servers may vary, and Ensight will determine which casefiles go

to which servers, there are really only two possibilities for paths.

A) There is a global path for all of the data. And thus each server needs to know this global path (which it

will prepend to each casefile).

B) Each casefile has its own path. And each server needs to know the path for each.

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HOW TO LOAD SPATIALLY DECOMPOSED CASE FILES

Example

Method 1

Specify the number of and the actual files in the sos casefile

A) Using global path:

MULTIPLE_CASEFILES

total number of cfiles: 3

cfiles global path: /home/bjn/data

cfiles: file1.case

file_b.case

bruce.case

B) Using path per casefile:

MULTIPLE_CASEFILES

total number of cfiles: 3

cfiles: /home/bjn/data1/file1.case

/home/bjn/data2/file_b.case

/home/bjn/data3/bruce.case

Method 2

Specify the number of, the pattern, and the start and increment

A) Using global path:

MULTIPLE_CASEFILES

total number of cfiles: 3

cfiles global path: /home/bjn/data

cfiles pattern: file**.case

cfiles start number: 0

cfiles increment: 1

MULTIPLE_CASEFILES

total number of cfiles: 3

cfiles pattern: /home/bjn/data/file**.case

cfiles start number: 0

cfiles increment: 1

Available Section lines: Comments

MULTIPLE_CASEFILES Required for all methods

total number of cfiles: n Used for method 1 and 2

cfiles global path: global_path Optional, used for methods 1 and 2

cfiles: partition_1.case Used for method 1

partition_2.case

partition_n.case

cfiles pattern: partition_*.case Used for method 2

cfiles start number: # Used for method 2

cfiles increment: # Used for method 2

cfiles file: filename Used for method 3

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HOW TO LOAD SPATIALLY DECOMPOSED CASE FILES

B) Using path per casefile:

Note: method 2 does not have a way to have a separate path for each casefile.

Method 3

Similar to 1., but place the info in a separate file

A) Using global path:

MULTIPLE_CASEFILES

cfiles file: all_together_cfiles.txt

and in all_together_cfiles.txt, (first line contains number of, second line contains the optional global path, then

filenames come 1 per line on the following lines). Like:

/home/bjn/data

file1.case

file_b.case

bruce.case

B) Using path per casefile:

MULTIPLE_CASEFILES

cfiles file: separated_cfiles.txt

and in separated_cfiles.txt, (first line contains number of, second line must be the word “none” - indicating no global

path specified, then filenames come 1 per line on the following lines). Like:

none

/home/bjn/data1/file1.case

/home/bjn/data2/file_b.case

/home/bjn/data3/bruce.case

Another Example

An EnSight Gold unstructured transient geometry model with a couple of variables, in 4 partitions, like:

Using Method 1:

If they all reside in the same directory (/home/bjn), a method 1 SOS casefile that will use just 2 servers (perhaps

named bjn_4x2.sos) should look like:

FORMAT

type: master_server gold

MULTIPLE_CASEFILES

total number of cfiles: 4

cfiles global path: /home/bjn

cfiles: bjn1.case

bjn2.case

bjn3.case

bjn4.case

SERVERS

number of servers: 2 repeat

bjn1.case bjn2.case bjn3.case bjn4.case

bjn1.geo0000 bjn2.geo0000 bjn3.geo0000 bjn4.geo0000

bjn1.geo0001 bjn2.geo0001 bjn3.geo0001 bjn4.geo0001

bjn1.scalar0000 bjn2.scalar0000 bjn3.scalar0000 bjn4.scalar0000

bjn1.scalar0001 bjn2.scalar0001 bjn3.scalar0001 bjn4.scalar0001

bjn1.evector0000 bjn2.evector0000 bjn3.evector0000 bjn4.evector0000

bjn1.evector0001 bjn2.evector0001 bjn3.evector0001 bjn4.evector0001

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HOW TO LOAD SPATIALLY DECOMPOSED CASE FILES

machine id: gun

executable: ensight102.server

Using Method 2:

If they all reside in the same directory (/home/bjn), a method 2 SOS casefile that will use just 2 servers should look

like:

FORMAT

type: master_server gold

MULTIPLE_CASEFILES

total number of cfiles: 4

cfiles global path: /home/bjn

cfiles pattern: bjn*.case

cfiles start number: 1

cfiles increment: 1

SERVERS

number of servers: 2 repeat

machine id: gun

executable: ensight102.server

Using Method 3:

For this one, lets change things and say that they reside in separate directories, like:

the SOS casefile could look like:

FORMAT

type: master_server gold

MULTIPLE_CASEFILES

cfiles file: /scratch/bjn.txt

SERVERS

number of servers: 2 repeat

machine id: gun

executable: ensight102.server

and the /scratch/bjn.txt file could look like:

none

/scratch/portion1/bjn1.case

/scratch/portion2/bjn2.case

/scratch/portion3/bjn3.case

/scratch/portion4/bjn4.case

or could look like: (See the Other Notes below)

/scratch

portion1/bjn1.case

portion2/bjn2.case

portion3/bjn3.case

portion4/bjn4.case

/scratch/portion1 /scratch/portion2 /scratch/portion3 /scratch/portion4

bjn1.case bjn2.case bjn3.case bjn4.case

bjn1.geo0000 bjn2.geo0000 bjn3.geo0000 bjn4.geo0000

bjn1.geo0001 bjn2.geo0001 bjn3.geo0001 bjn4.geo0001

bjn1.scalar0000 bjn2.scalar0000 bjn3.scalar0000 bjn4.scalar0000

bjn1.scalar0001 bjn2.scalar0001 bjn3.scalar0001 bjn4.scalar0001

bjn1.evector0000 bjn2.evector0000 bjn3.evector0000 bjn4.evector0000

bjn1.evector0001 bjn2.evector0001 bjn3.evector0001 bjn4.evector0001

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HOW TO LOAD SPATIALLY DECOMPOSED CASE FILES

OTHER NOTES:

When your casefile data resides in separate directories below a parent, such as:

/home/bjn

/home/bjn/data1

/home/bjn/data2

/home/bjn/data3

it is valid to use the global path to specify the parent directory, and the individual files to give the path on down. Such

as:

cfiles global path: /home/bjn

cfiles: data1/file1.case

data2/file_b.case

data3/bruce.case

This will result internally as the same thing as if you had done:

cfiles: /home/bjn/data1/file1.case

/home/bjn/data2/file_b.case

/home/bjn/data3/bruce.case

APPENDED_CASEFILES Variation:

If you desire to use all casefiles on one server, you can obviously do so with the above option by using the SOS with

one server. However, there is a variation on this option that can be used without using the SOS. It can be used with

a client and server alone.

It is very similar to the MULTIPLE_CASEFILES option in an SOS casefile, except that it is placed in the first regular

casefile of the series - the one that you will read. It uses APPENDED_CASEFILES as the section header, and lists

just the additional casefiles (not the one that this is placed in).

So instead of using the SOS with an SOS casefile like:

FORMAT

type: master_server gold

MULTIPLE_CASEFILES

total number of cfiles: 4

cfiles global path: /home/bjn

cfiles: bjn1.case

bjn2.case

bjn3.case

bjn4.case

SERVERS

number of servers: 1

machine id: gun

executable: ensight102.server

You could place the following in bjn1.case:

FORMAT

type: ensight gold

GEOMETRY

model: bjn1.geo

VARIABLE

scalar per node: scalar bjn1.scl

APPENDED_CASEFILES

total number of cfiles: 3

cfiles global path: /home/bjn

cfiles: bjn2.case

bjn3.case

bjn4.case

Note that all current limitations for the MULTIPLE_CASEFILES option (which were enumerated above) also

apply to the APPENDED_CASEFILES option. The two options cannot be used in combination. It is an either

or situation.

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HOW TO LOAD SPATIALLY DECOMPOSED CASE FILES

SEE ALSO

How To Read Data

How To Setup for Parallel Computation

How To Use Resource Management

User Manual: Server-of-Server Casefile Format

Page 77

HOW TO READ USER DEFINED

Read User Defined

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a mechanism for users to write their own readers and have the code automatically link and execute

at run-time (using a shared library).This capability is documented in the EnSight Interface Manual. As indicated in

that manual, sample readers, as well as the code for several actual readers are provided below the following

directory: $CEI_HOME/ensight102/src/readers/. In subdirectories underneath, there may exist other

README files that contain additional information on using existing user defined readers.

Also, as explained in that manual, be aware that a udr_checker.c file is provided in $CEI_HOME/ensight102/src/

readers/checker directory. This can be used to debug your User-defined reader before using it with EnSight.

OTHER NOTES

When starting EnSight (ensight102 or ensight102.server), you can use the command line option “-readerdbg” to echo

user defined reader loading status. This will allow you to see what readers are actually being loaded.

Set the environment variable ENSIGHT10_READER to point to the path where additional user defined readers exist

and then start up with the -readerdbg option described above to verify that you are loading the reader(s) of interest.

SEE ALSO

The EnSight Interface Manual, as well as:

How To Read Data

Page 78

HOW TO DO STRUCTURED EXTRACTION

Do Structured Extraction

INTRODUCTION

When loading structured parts (normally by right clicking on a part in the Parts list that has not yet been loaded), there

is some flexibility in what is actually extracted. If the model contains iblanking, then you have control over which

iblanking domain to use, namely Inside, Outside (blanked out), or All (which ignores the iblanking). If no iblanking in

the model, the domain is All by default. You can do things like extracting all or portions of zones at original or coarser

resolutions or doing the extractions on single or multiple zones.

BASIC OPERATION

When extracting the domain parts, whether iblanked or not, some (but definitely not all combinations) of the options

include:

Extracting a complete zone at original resolution,

1. Right click on the desired zone, and

click Load Part.

Optionally you can change the iblank

domain, choose the element

representation, and provide a part

description.

2. Hit the Load as new part button.

The part will be created and shown in the

graphics window. In the example below, it

is shown in border representation mode.

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HOW TO DO STRUCTURED EXTRACTION

Extracting a complete zone at coarser resolution,

1. Right click on the desired zone, and

click Load Part.

Optionally you can change the iblank

domain, choose the element representation,

and provide a part description.

2. Modify the Step values.

These should be positive integer values. A

step of two means to deal with every other

plane, a step of four means every fourth

plane, etc.

3. Hit the Load as new part button.

The part will be created and shown in the

graphics window. In the example below, it is

shown in border representation mode. Note

that it is considerably coarser than the

previous because step values of 2, 4, and 5

were used in the ijk directions respectively.

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HOW TO DO STRUCTURED EXTRACTION

Extracting portions of a zone,

1. Right click on the desired zone, and

click Load Part.

Optionally you can change the iblank

domain, choose the element representation,

and provide a part description.

2. Modify the From and To values.

These can be anything between the ranges

shown in the Min and Max columns. By

default they will be the entire range, but you

can modify them.

3. Hit the Load as new part button.

The part will be created and shown in the

graphics window. In the example below, it is

shown in border representation mode. Note

that you now get a portion instead of the

whole. Note also that we got original

resolution because we set step values back

to one. The step values can be other than

one, and your portion will be at the coarser

resolution.

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HOW TO DO STRUCTURED EXTRACTION

Extracting the same portions over multiple parts,

1. Select the structured zones desired.

Optionally you can change the domain

2. Modify the From and To values.

These can be anything between the ranges shown in the Min

and Max columns (which will now be the min and max of all

parts selected). By default the From and To will be the entire

range, but you can modify them. Additionally, “-1” is a valid

entry, indicating the last plane. Minus numbers are ways to

specify the plane from the max back toward the min, thus -2

equals the next to last plane. (Note: Zero is treated the same

as -1)

3. Hit the Load as new part button.

In this example, 4 parts will be created, and they will

each be the full extent IK plane at J = 1 for each of the

four zones. Note that the IK ranges can actually vary

per part because the max is specified, but each zone

may be less than the max.

In our example, we then changed From and To to be “0”, thus

extracting the last plane in each zone. Note the image below.

The image at the right includes complete zones that were

extracted, but shown in feature angle representation so

you get the feel of the complete zone.

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HOW TO DO STRUCTURED EXTRACTION

Note: Prior to EnSight10, one could also extract multiple planes within the same zone while loading the part, through

the use of a delta column. This has been discontinued, but the same effect can be achieved by using the delta field

within an ijk clip.

SEE ALSO

How To Read Data

User Manual: Using Node Ranges:

Page 83

HOW TO USE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Use Resource Management

INTRODUCTION

Resources are used to specify which computers are used for running the various EnSight components, specifically

the Server (ensight102.server), the SOS (ensight102.sos), the CollabHub (ensight102.collabhub), and the distributed

renderers (ensight102.client). If you are running a single client and server on a single computer, you may skip this

document.

Resources are an alternative way to specify these computers compared to SOS case files, PRDIST files, Connection

Settings, and command line options. While these other ways are still valid and take precedence for backwards

compatibility, resources greatly simplify specifying computers in a dynamic network environment. For example, SOS

Case files and PRDIST files no longer need to be edited to reflect the current node allocation from cluster batch

schedulers. Resources coupled with native reader support in the SOS even make SOS Case files unnecessary.

Resources can be specified via command line arguments and environment variables. Resources can be specified

multiple times; precedence rules determine which resources ultimately get used. This allows sites to specify defaults

while allowing those to be overridden.

NOTE: While resources can still be specified according to this document, the entire resource management

support is moving to the newer technology called “cei-shell”.

BASIC OPERATION

Resource Files

Resources can be specified via a resource file. Here is an example of a resource file:

#!CEIResourceFile 1.0

SOS:

host: localhost

SERVER:

prologue: “setup_job”

epilogue: “cleanup_job”

host: server1

host: server2

host: server3

host: server4

COLLABHUB:

host: pc0

RENDERER:

prologue: “setenv DISPLAY :0.0”

# epilogue:

host: pc1

host: pc2

Resource files must begin with the ‘#!CEIResourceFile 1.0’ line. Afterwards, they may have up to four optional

sections: SOS, SERVER, COLLABHUB, and RENDERER. Each of the four sections contains one or more ‘host:

hostname’ lines. These lines specify which computers to use for the corresponding section. ‘hostname’ must be an

Internet/intranet routable host name or IP address. A given host name may appear on multiple lines within a section

or in different sections. If it appears multiple times within a section, then that host will run multiple instances of the

corresponding EnSight component if needed.

Additionally, each section may have an optional ‘prologue: cmd’ line and/or an optional ‘epilogue: cmd’ line.

These specify a command to execute on each host before and after the corresponding EnSight component. Note that

the cmd string must be quoted, and may include appropriate job backgrounding symbols (e.g. ‘&’).

At version 2.0, the resource file can accept an optional ‘shell:’ line, like:

#!CEIResourceFile 2.0

SOS:

host: bunker

shell: "/usr/local/bin/ssh"

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Note the new version number (2.0) and that the shell line string must be double quoted.

How to specify resources

Resources can be specified via resource files, environment variables, and command line options. Precedence rules

determine which resources will be used. Basically, the last occurrence of a resource section (e.g. SERVER) will be

used in its entirety. For example, if multiple SERVER resource sections are found, only one will be used as determined

by the precedence rules.

Since the EnSight Client, SOS, and CollabHub start other EnSight processes, they can use resources. The EnSight

Server and distributed renderers do not start other EnSight processes that require resources.

While many ways exist to specify resources, in practice only one or two will be used given the particular user’s

computational environment.

Client Resources

The EnSight client supports the following ways for specifying resources:

1. the ENSIGHT10_RES environment variable;

2. the ENSIGHT10_SERVER_HOSTS environment variable;

3. the ENSIGHT10_RENDERER_HOSTS environment variable;

4. the ‘-use_lsf_for_servers’ command line option;

5. the ‘-use_lsf_for_renderers’ command line option;

6. the ‘-use_pbs_for_servers’ command line option;

7. the ‘-use_pbs_for_renderers’ command line option;

8. the ‘-sosres file_name’ command line option;

9. the ‘-chres file_name’ command line option; and

10.the ‘-res file_name’ command line option.

If multiple resources are specified to the client, then they will be evaluated in the order indicated above with the later

methods taking higher precedence for a given section.

The ENSIGHT10_RES environment variable specifies a resource file name that the client reads.

ENSIGHT10_SERVER_HOSTS and ENSIGHT10_RENDERER_HOSTS specify quoted strings of space delimited host

names (e.g. “host1 host2 host1 host3”) to be used for EnSight servers and distributed renderers, respectively.

The host names are used in the order they occur. A host name may occur multiple times.

If either the ‘-use_lsf_for_servers’ or ‘-use_lsf_for_renderers’ command line options are specified, then

the client will evaluate the environment variable LSB_MCPU_HOSTS for the resources. The environment variable

specifies a quoted string such as “host1 5 host2 4 host3 1” which indicates 5 CPUs should be used on host1,

4 CPUs should be used on host2, and 1 CPU should be used on host3. The hosts will be used in a round-robin

fashion.

If either of the ‘-use_pbs_for_servers’ or ‘-use_pbs_for_renderers’ command line options are specified,

then the client will evaluate the environment variable PBS_NODEFILE for the resources. The environment variable

specifies a filename in which the file contains list of line delimited host names that were allocated by the PBS

scheduler.

The ‘-sosres file_name’ command line option specifies the pathname to a resource file. This file name is passed

to the SOS and processed by it; thus the file name must be accessible and readable by the ensight102.sos process.

If multiple ‘-sosres’ options are specified, only the last will be used.

The ‘-chres file_name’ command line option specifies the pathname to a resource file. This file name is passed

to the CollabHub and processed by it; thus the file name must be accessible and readable by the

ensight102.collabhub process. If multiple ‘-chres’ options are specified, only the last will be used.

The ‘-res file_name’ command line option specifies the pathname to a resource file. This command line option

can be specified multiple times. This might be useful when generating resource files dynamically: a single file might

specify only a particular type of resource (e.g. SERVER or RENDERER). The last occurrence of a particular section

takes precedence when multiple ‘-res’ options are given.

Finally, a resource file may be selected in the File->Open dialog for the SOS to use.

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SOS Resources

The EnSight SOS supports the following ways for specifying resources:

1. resources gathered and sent from the client;

2. the ‘-sosres file_name’ command line option;

3. the ENSIGHT10_RES environment variable;

4. the ENSIGHT10_SERVER_HOSTS environment variable;

5. the ‘-use_lsf_for_servers’ command line option;

6. the ‘-use_pbs_for_servers’ command line option;

7. the ‘-res file_name’ command line option; and,

8. a resource file specified via the File->Open dialog.

If multiple resources are specified to the SOS, then they will be evaluated in the order indicated above with the later

methods taking higher precedence for a given section. However, the SOS only uses SERVER section resources; the

other sections are ignored.

The ‘-sosres file_name’ command line option specifies the pathname to a resource file. If multiple ‘-sosres’

options are specified, only the last will be used.

The ENSIGHT10_RES environment variable specifies a resource file name that the SOS reads.

ENSIGHT10_SERVER_HOSTS specifies a quoted string of space delimited host names (e.g. “host1 host2 host1

host3”) to be used for EnSight servers.

If the ‘-use_lsf_for_servers’ command line option is specified, then the SOS will evaluate the environment

variable LSB_MCPU_HOSTS for the resources. The environment variable specifies a quoted string such as “host1 5

host2 4 host3 1” which indicates 5 CPUs should be used on host1, 4 CPUs should be used on host2, and 1 CPU

should be used on host3. The hosts will be used in a round-robin fashion.

If the ‘-use_pbs_for_servers’ command line option is specified, then the SOS will evaluate the environment

variable PBS_NODEFILE for the resources. The environment variable specifies a filename in which the file contains

list of line delimited host names that were allocated by the PBS scheduler.

The ‘-res file_name’ command line option specifies the pathname to a resource file. This command line option

can be specified multiple times. The last occurrence of a particular section takes precedence when multiple ‘-res’

options are given.

Finally, a resource file may be selected in the File->Open dialog for the SOS to use.

CollabHub Resources

The EnSight CollabHub supports the following ways for specifying resources:

1. resources gathered and sent from the client;

2. the ‘-chres file_name’ command line option;

3. the ENSIGHT10_RES environment variable;

4. the ENSIGHT10_RENDERER_HOSTS environment variable;

5. the ‘-use_lsf_for_renderers‘ command line option;

6. the ‘-use_pbs_for_renderers’ command line option; and,

7. the ‘-res file_name’ command line option.

If multiple resources are specified to the CollabHub, then they will be evaluated in the order indicated above with the

later methods taking higher precedence for a given section. However, the CollabHub only uses RENDERER section

resources; the other sections are ignored.

The ‘-chres file_name’ command line option specifies the pathname to a resource file. If multiple ‘-chres’

options are specified, only the last will be used.

The ENSIGHT10_RES environment variable specifies a resource file name that the CollabHub reads.

ENSIGHT10_RENDERER_HOSTS specifies a quoted string of space delimited host names (e.g. “host1 host2

host1 host3”) to be used for EnSight distributed renderers.

If the ‘-use_lsf_for_renderers‘ command line option is specified, then the CollabHub will evaluate the

environment variable LSB_MCPU_HOSTS for the resources. The environment variable specifies a quoted string such

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as “host1 5 host2 4 host3 1” which indicates 5 CPUs should be used on host1, 4 CPUs should be used on

host2, and 1 CPU should be used on host3. The hosts will be used in a round-robin fashion.

If the ‘-use_pbs_for_renderers’ command line option is specified, then the CollabHub will evaluate the

environment variable PBS_NODEFILE for the resources. The environment variable specifies a filename in which the

file contains list of line delimited host names that were allocated by the PBS scheduler.

The ‘-res file_name’ command line option specifies the pathname to a resource file. This command line option

can be specified multiple times. The last occurrence of a particular section takes precedence when multiple ‘-res’

options are given.

When using distributed rendering, any hosts specified via a prdist file are used instead of those given by RENDERER

resources. Additionally, any prdist file specified directly to the collabhub, will override one specified to the client.

A Client/Server Example

Resources are not used to specify where a server runs when it is part of a normal client/server session. The default

server connection in the Connection Setting dialog determines on which computer the server runs unless the Client

command line option ‘-c connection_name’ is specified.

A Simple SOS Example

The SOS can read any of the supported file formats in addition to the SOS Case file format. When a SOS Case file is

not used, then the number of EnSight Servers used is equal to the number of hosts specified in the SERVER resource

section.

1. The following resource file ‘my_hosts.res’ is created:

#!CEIResourceFile 1.0

SOS:

host: borg

SERVER:

host: drone1

host: drone2

host: drone3

host: drone1

2. EnSight is started with this command line:

ensight102 -res my_hosts.res -sos

The EnSight Client will automatically check out a gold key and will run on the local workstation, the SOS

(ensight102.sos) will be automatically started on computer ‘borg’ and will connect back to the client. Borg will need to

recognize the name of the computer that the client is running on.

3. In the File->Open dialog the LS-Dyna file ‘d3plot’ is selected and the ‘Load All’ button is clicked.

The SOS will start four EnSight Servers on computers ‘drone1’, ‘drone2’, ‘drone3’, and ‘drone1’ (presumably,

‘drone1’ might be a SMP). The ‘drone’ computers need to recognize the hostname borg in order to connect back to

the sos running on this computer.

Each of the servers will read 1/4 of the data set since the ‘Auto Distribute’ flag (on the SOS tab of the File->Open

dialog) is on by default for the LS-Dyna reader.

Another SOS Example

1. EnSight is started with this command line:

ensight102

2. The Case->Connection Settings dialog is opened. On the ‘SOS’ tab, an entry for host ‘borg’ is created. For

that entry, ‘Executable:’ is set to the name of command file ‘my_sos’, ‘Use default rsh cmd’ is

deselected, and ‘Alt rsh cmd:’ is set to ‘ssh’. The entry is saved and EnSight is terminated.

3. The following resource file ‘my_hosts.res’ is created:

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#!CEIResourceFile 1.0

SOS:

host: borg

SERVER:

host: drone1

host: drone2

host: drone3

host: drone1

4. On computer borg (assuming it is running Unix or Linux), the file ‘my_sos’ is created:

#!/bin/csh

setenv ENSIGHT10_SERVER_HOSTS ‘cat $PBS_NODEFILE‘

ensight102.sos $*

The file must be in the user’s default path and must be executable.

5. EnSight is started with this command line:

ensight102 -res my_hosts.res -sos

The EnSight Client will check out an hpc (formerly gold) license key and run on the local workstation, the command

file ‘my_sos’ will run on computer ‘borg’ which must be able to connect back to the local workstation by hostname.

The client will start up ‘my_sos’ via ssh. ‘my_sos’ sets the environment variable ENSIGHT10_SERVER_HOSTS to

be the contents of the file specified by the environment variable PBS_NODEFILE (OpenPBS’ dynamic list of

allocated nodes).

6. In the File->Open dialog the LS-Dyna file ‘d3plot’ is selected and the ‘Load All’ button is clicked.

The SOS will start EnSight Servers on computers specified in file $PBS_NODEFILE. Hosts specified in the SERVER

section of my_hosts.res are ignored since ENSIGHT10_SERVER_HOSTS takes precedence.

Each of the servers will read 1/N of the data set since the ‘Auto Distribute’ flag (on the SOS tab of the File-

>Open dialog) is on by default for the LS-Dyna reader.

A SOS Case File Example

When a SOS Case file is used with resources, it needs to be modified otherwise the resources will be ignored for the

EnSight Servers. This is done for backwards compatibility.

1. The file SOS case file ‘big_data.sos’ is modified. Two lines are added to the FORMAT section:

‘use_resources: on’ and ‘auto_distribute: on’. The ‘casefile: ‘ line for each server is brought to

the beginning of each subsection.

FORMAT type: master_server LS-DYNA3D

use_resources: on

auto_distribute: on

SERVERS

number of servers: 2

#Server 1

#---------

casefile: d3plot

machine id:

executable: ensight102.server

directory: /tmp

data_path: /tmp

#Server 2

#---------

casefile: d3plot

machine id:

executable: ensight102.server

directory: /tmp

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data_path: /tmp

Note that the ‘casefile:’ line must appear before the other lines for that server

when using resources.

2. The following resource file ‘my_hosts.res’ is created:

#!CEIResourceFile 1.0

SOS:

host: borg

SERVER:

host: drone1

host: drone2

host: drone3

host: drone1

2. EnSight is started with this command line:

ensight102 -res my_hosts.res -sos

The EnSight Client will run on the local workstation, the SOS (ensight102.sos) will run on computer ‘borg’.

3. In the File->Open dialog the SOS Case file ‘big_data.sos’ is selected and the ‘Load All’ button is clicked.

The SOS will start two EnSight Servers on computers ‘drone1’ and ‘drone2’. Only two servers are used since two

‘casefile: ‘ lines occur in the SOS Case file. The ‘number of servers: 2’ line is ignored as are the

‘machine id:’ lines.

Each of the servers will read half of the data set due to the line ‘auto_distribute: on’ in ‘big_data.sos’.

Another SOS Case File Example

1. The file SOS case file ‘big_data.sos’ is modified. Two lines are added to the FORMAT section:

‘use_resources: on’ and ‘auto_distribute: on’. The ‘number of servers:’ line is modified. One

server subsection is specified.

FORMAT

type: master_server LS-DYNA3D

use_resources: on

auto_distribute: on

SERVERS

number of servers: 4 repeat

#Server 1

#---------

casefile: d3plot

machine id:

executable: ensight102.server

directory: /tmp

data_path: /tmp

2. The following resource file ‘my_hosts.res’ is created:

#!CEIResourceFile 1.0

SOS:

host: borg

SERVER:

host: drone1

host: drone2

host: drone3

host: drone1

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2. EnSight is started with this command line:

ensight102 -res my_hosts.res -sos

The EnSight Client will run on the local workstation, the SOS (ensight102.sos) will run on computer ‘borg’.

3. In the File->Open dialog the SOS Case file ‘big_data.sos’ is selected and the ‘Load All’ button is clicked.

The SOS will start four EnSight Servers on computers ‘drone1’, ‘drone2’, ‘drone3’, and ‘drone1’. Since the

‘number of servers:’ line has the word ‘repeat’, the servers specified in the SERVERS resource is used to

determine the number of servers used and their host names. All server subsections after the first in

‘big_data.sos’ are ignored due to ‘number of servers: 4 repeat’.

Each of the servers will read 1/4 of the data set since the ‘Auto Distribute’ flag (on the SOS tab of the File-

>Open dialog) is on by default for the LS-Dyna reader.

A PRDIST Example

1. The following resource file ‘my_hosts.res’ is created:

#!CEIResourceFile 1.0

SOS:

host: borg

SERVER:

host: drone1

host: drone2

host: drone3

host: drone1

COLLABHUB:

host: curly

RENDERER:

prologue: “xhost +”

host: larry

host: moe

2. The following prdist resource file ‘my_conf_with_res.prdist’ is also created:

#ParallelRender EnSight 1.0

router

client

3. EnSight is started with this command line:

ensight102 -res my_hosts.res -prdist my_config_with_res.prdist

The EnSight Client will run on the local workstation, the SOS (ensight102.sos) will run on computer ‘borg’.

The EnSight CollabHub will run on computer ‘curly’. Two distributed renderers will start on hosts ‘larry’ and

‘moe’.

The my_conf_with_res.prdist file here specifies both "router" and "client" followed by blank names which indicate to

use the 'my_hosts.res' file. The "pc" option indicates to use parallel compositing which removes the from the

composited display

NOTE: if "pc" is not specified, then a will wrap the composited display - which is a testing and debug mode. In

addition, no display sync will be used during interactive transformations, producing a lag effect which is quite

annoying.

4. In the File->Open dialog the LS-Dyna file ‘d3plot’ is selected and the ‘Load All’ button is clicked.

The SOS will start four EnSight Servers on computers ‘drone1’, ‘drone2’, ‘drone3’, and ‘drone1’ (presumably,

‘drone1’ might be a SMP).

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Each of the servers will read 1/4 of the data set since the ‘Auto Distribute’ flag (on the SOS tab of the File-

>Open dialog) is on by default for the LS-Dyna reader.

Note that a prdist file can be specified as an option to the ‘-prdist’ command line option. However, if the defaults

are adequate or overridden with command line options, then a prdist file is no longer needed. Furthermore, specifying

the command line option ‘-prdist’ automatically implies the command line option ‘-sos’; previous versions

required the user to specify it. Chapter 11 Parallel Compositing of the User Manual for prdist file documentation,

including default values and manual connect support.

OTHER NOTES

Chapter 8 Resource File Format of the User Manual for details on the resource file syntax.

See the EnSight User’s Guide for details on relevant SOS Case file modifications as they pertain to resources. Also,

see that section regarding details on which file formats support auto . Note that not all Case files (i.e. non-gold) can

be auto distributed.

The default SOS and server entries in the Connections Setting dialog will be used as the template for SOS and

server computers not specifically listed in the dialog. This is useful for specifying defaults such as to use ‘ssh’ in place

of ‘rsh’ or to specify a default path.

SEE ALSO

How To Read Data

How To Read User Defined

How To Setup for Parallel Computation

User Manual:

Resource File Format

Parallel Compositing

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HOW TO USE ROOT LEVEL SERVER OF SERVERS

Use Root Level Server of Servers

INTRODUCTION

EnSight 10.2, using an hpc (formerly gold) license key has the capability of using multiple EnSight Servers to process

a dataset in an efficient distributed manner by using what's called Server-of-Servers (SOS for short). See How To

Use Server of Servers for details. The SOS process acts as a router between the EnSight Client and one or more

EnSight Servers. It broadcasts commands from the Client to the multiple Servers and gathers and aggregates

response data from the Servers to send back to the Client. If the dataset size is sufficiently large, a single SOS may

become a bottleneck. In such situations, multiple SOS processes coordinated by a parent, or root level, SOS may be

warranted to increase scalability. EnSight 10.2 adds the ability to use multiple SOS processes to distribute the load,

and adds a single Root Level SOS (RLSOS) that communicates between the EnSight Client and multiple SOS

processes. Each of the additional SOS processes in turn communicates with one or more Servers (see Figure 1).

Root Level SOS (RLSOS) enables EnSight to scale to much larger problem sizes.

Just as the EnSight SOS acts as router for multiple EnSight Servers, the RLSOS acts as a router for multiple EnSight

SOSes. In theory, the RLSOS should provide the same degree of scalability for multiple SOSes as a single SOS

provides for multiple Servers. It is anticipated, but not yet tested, that the RLSOS could enable EnSight to scale into

the tens of thousands of EnSight Servers. To take advantage of this potential, the data set must be sufficiently large

to keep all Servers busy and to warrant the overhead of the additional communication. It is anticipated that data sets

should be on the order of millions of elements/nodes per Server to obtain reasonable scalable performance..

BASIC OPERATION

Start Up

Starting EnSight RLSOS requires the use of CEIShell to launch all processes and properly configure them. Please

review the CEIShell documentation for configuration instructions. Typically, someone at a site configures one or

more CEIShell networks for the site while most EnSight users simply use these locally configured CEIShell networks.

Server

Server Server

Server

SOS SOS

RLSOS

Client

Figure 1 Simple RLSOS Connectivity

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End-users typically access the CEIShell networks and launch EnSight via the -based program ‘ceistart102’ (see

Figure 2 below for an example configuration).

In terms of configuring a CEIShell network for use with RLSOS and optionally EnSight HPC+, the concepts are

exactly the same as with configuring any CEIShell network. The sole exceptions are specifying the CEIShell “role”

tags “RLSOS” and multiple “SOS” roles to the appropriate CEIShells. Figure 1 shows a typical CEIShell network

layout. One CEIShell has the role “RLSOS”, one or more child CEIShells have the role “SOS”, and each of the SOS

CEIShells have one or more child CEIShells with the role “SOS_SERVERS”. In the example represented by the

figure, EnSight will start and use via this CEIShell network one RLSOS, two SOSes, and six Servers.

If EnSight HPC+ is to be used with RLSOS, then the computer executing the RLSOS must be able to open a network

connection to the computer(s) running the EnSight CollabHub as well as the EnSight master Client. Additionally, the

EnSight HPC+ Clients must be able to open network connections to the EnSight CollabHub and master Client. A

future version of EnSight and CEIShell may provide for network tunneling via CEIShell.

Operation

To the end-user of EnSight, once RLSOS is running, there is no other difference from using RLSOS compared to

using EnSight with just SOS -- all user interaction is the same as it is with SOS use.

Limitations

Currently, the only known limitation when using RLSOS concerns the use of legacy EnSight SOS Case files (not

normal Case files). If a legacy SOS Case file is used, then it must not contain ‘machine id:’ nor ‘executable:’ lines.

Additionally, the ‘number of servers:’ in the SOS Case file must match the total number of EnSight Servers started by

the CEIShell network. Lastly, the underlying data files specified in the SOS Case file must be accessible by all

Servers since it is not known apriori which Server will read which data file.

PROBLEMS

Start up issues

As with any CEIShell use, if there is a problem launching EnSight, be sure to see if the CEIShell network is starting

correctly before invoking EnSight. Typically, the person who set up CEIShell for a site can determine this. If a

CEIShell network is running, use the command ‘ceishell31 -cmd show_net’ to display the running network, hosts

running the CEIShells, and the various CEIShell roles assigned to each CEIShell. This command is executed on the

same computer running the CEIShell that has the ‘-app’ option. See the CEIShell documentation for further details.

In terms of RLSOS specifically, one CEIShell must have the role “RLSOS”. One or more CEIShells one level below

Figure 2 Simple RLSOS Configuration

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HOW TO USE ROOT LEVEL SERVER OF SERVERS

this CEIShell must have the role “SOS”. Finally, CEIShells below these CEIShells must have the role

“SOS_SERVERS” (see Figure 1).

While EnSight HPC+ may be used with RLSOS, it still has limitations affecting how the DRClients and CollabHub

connect back to the Master Client and RLSOS. While CEIShell is used to launch the DRClients and CollabHub, the

DRClients and CollabHub do NOT use CEIShell for establishing network communication to the Master Client nor

RLSOS. This can lead to problems especially if firewalls or restrictive routers are used or when hosts have multiple

network interfaces with varying hostnames. CEI Support can advise.

Output

Due to the potential of running thousands to tens of thousands of EnSight Servers, output from the Servers (or

DRClients) can be overwhelming. More importantly, this magnitude of output can actually throttle overall

performance. To remedy this problem, CEIShell was enhanced for use with EnSight RLSOS to address this issue.

CEIShell adds a command line option ‘-app_output_buffering true|false’ that controls output buffering for any

processes started by the CEIShell.

If CEIShell output buffering is turned on, output from its child processes (e.g. the EnSight Server) is buffered until the

process exits or until an error is detected in the output. Should an error be detected in the output, the buffer will be

released for display. Furthermore, once the buffer is release, no additional buffering occurs until the process

terminates.

The example CEIShell network configurations provided with ceistart102 use this option to provide output buffering in

a reasonable way along with three selectable levels. The user can choose to turn off all output buffering; this means

that all output from EnSight processes is displayed. Turning on output buffering means that no output from EnSight

processes is displayed (except for error conditions). The third option ‘default’ shows all output from the EnSight

RLSOS and CollabHub processes but buffers the output from the Servers, DRClients, and child SOS processes.

This option tends to give reasonable feedback without adversely affecting performance. Turning output buffering ‘off’

may be useful for debugging purposes but the user should be mindful that the amount of output can be exceedingly

large. Also note that -app_output_buffering option is independent from the ‘-v #’ option which affects the amount of

verbosity from the EnSight components (Client, Server, SOS, etc.). For maximum output, use ‘-app_output_buffering

false -v 3’. For minimum output, use ‘-app_output_buffering true -v 0’.

For any questions or problems with using CEIShell and/or RLSOS, please contact CEI Support

(support@ceisoftware.com).

SEE ALSO

How To Read Data

How To Read User Defined

How To Setup for Parallel Computation

How To Use Resource Managament

How To Use Server of Servers

User Manual: Server-of-Server Casefile Format

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HOW TO SAVE OR RESTORE AN ARCHIVE

Save or Output

Save or Restore an Archive

INTRODUCTION

EnSight command files are useful for restoring the system to a state reached in a previous session. However,

restoring a long session dealing with large files can take a long time. Fortunately, EnSight provides an archiving

mechanism that saves only the current state of the system, rather than the entire history of a session.

This capability is useful not only for large data files with several active variables, but also for saving a standard

starting point for sessions. In the initial session, geometry can be loaded, variables activated, a good viewpoint

selected, and an archive written. Subsequent sessions take advantage of this investment by merely loading the

archive (which can be done as you start EnSight from the command line).

The client and server each write separate binary files containing the complete current state of the respective

processes. Since these files are binary, they can be quickly written and restored. Note that an archive only contains

information resident in either client or server memory at the time of the archive. No information is available for

variables that were inactive or time steps other than the current. For this reason, you should never remove the

original dataset and attempt to use the archive as a substitute (unless you know what you’re doing).

BASIC OPERATION

An EnSight archive consists of three files:

1. The Archive Information File. This file provides pointers to the client and server archive files as well as additional

information required to load the archive. An example is given in the Advanced Usage section below.

2. The Client Archive file. This is the client’s binary dump file.

3. The Server Archive file. This is the server’s binary dump file.

(Note that for Server-of Servers, there will be an SOS archive file and then a server archive file per server)

Although each file has a default location, you can override the default during the archiving process.

Saving an Archive

1. Close all open EnSight windows except the main window.

2. Select File > Save > Full Backup... to open the Save Full Backup Archive dialog.

2. If desired, enter a new name for the Archive Information file. You can set the directory for

the Archive Information File by clicking the Archive Information File... button to open a

standard File Selection dialog.

3. If desired, select a directory for the client’s binary dump file by either entering the directory

in the Client Directory field or clicking the Client Directory... button to open a standard File

Selection dialog.

4. If desired, select a directory for the server’s binary dump file by either entering the

directory in the Server Directory field or clicking the Server Directory... button to open a

standard File Selection dialog.

5. Click Okay.

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HOW TO SAVE OR RESTORE AN ARCHIVE

You also have the option of saving an archive as you exit EnSight.

1. Select File > Quit... to open the Quit Confirmation

dialog.

2. Click the “Save full backup archive to:” toggle,

and either enter a new name for the Archive

information file or browse to the desired location/

file by clicking the Browse: button.

3. If you browsed to the file, click Save once you

have selected or entered the desired filename.

This will place the filename in the Quit confirmation

dialog.

3. Click Quit to save the archive and exit.

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HOW TO SAVE OR RESTORE AN ARCHIVE

Restoring an Archive

You can restore an archive either as part of EnSight startup or during an active session. To load an archive on

startup:

1. Use the “-ar archive_info_file” option when you start EnSight. For example,

% ensight102 -ar load.ar

where load.ar is an Archive Information file saved in a previous session.

To restore an archive during an active session:

1. Select File > Restore > Full Backup... to open the File Selection dialog.

2. Select the desired Archive Information file and click Okay.

3. If the original connection (when the archive was saved) was manual, you will need to manually restart the

server.

ADVANCED USAGE

There are times when you may want to modify the contents of the Archive Information file. If you wish to use the

archive on a different machine or change the location of the binary dump files, you can simply edit the file with a text

editor. The following example shows the contents:

OTHER NOTES

Important note! Archives are typically not upwardly compatible with new major – and some minor – releases of

EnSight. For this reason, the complete current command file is also saved as part of the client’s binary dump. If you

attempt to restore an archive and EnSight determines that the archive is not compatible with the current release, the

command file will be restored to a default location, and you can get back to your state by playing that command file.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Saving and Restoring a Full backup

Wed Apr 2 15:31:51 1997

client ./ensight0402_153151.clientbkup

# server for Case ‘Case 1’. **Warning Don’t Modify The Internal Number**.

case_internal_number 0

case_name Case 1

case_connect_type auto

case_connect_machine indigo2

case_connect_executable /usr/local/bin/ensight/server/ensight.server

case_connect_directory /usr/people/joe/data

case_connect_login_id

server ./ensight_c1_0402_153151.serverbkup

Date saved

Path to client’s binary file

comment

Case internal number

Case name

Connect type (auto or manual)

Server host machine

Server executable

Server data directory

Alternate server login ID

Path to server’s binary file

Note that there will be a section for all the case_ variables for each current case in the EnSight session. See How

To Load Multiple Datasets for more information on cases.

Page 97

HOW TO RECORD AND PLAY COMMAND FILES

Record and Play Command Files

INTRODUCTION

Most powerful software systems have a built-in language that provides additional levels of power and functionality to

complement and enhance a graphical user interface. EnSight is no exception. Any action that you can perform with

the mouse or keyboard has a counterpart in the EnSight command language. A sequence of commands can be

saved during a session to automate repetitive or tedious tasks. Command files can be automatically executed on

EnSight startup to initialize the system to a desired state. Execution of command files can also be bound to keyboard

keys for user-defined macros.

BASIC OPERATION

During an EnSight session, all actions are recorded and saved to a file known as the default command file. This file

name typically starts with “ensight_” and is saved in /usr/tmp on UNIX systems or C:\Documents and

Settings\<user>\Local Settings\temp on Windows systems (unless you have redefined your TMPDIR environment

variable). The default command file can be saved (and renamed) when exiting EnSight.

Recording Commands

To record a series of commands:

1. Select File > Command...

to open the Command

dialog.

2. Toggle the Record button

on.

3. A File Selection dialog

opens. Select or enter the

desired file to save

commands to and click

Save.

4. When you wish to stop

recording, toggle the

Record button off.

Note: As long as the record filename stays the

same, the record button may be toggled on and

off at any time, appending more commands to the

file.

When a new record file is selected, any existing

commands in that file will be overwritten.

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HOW TO RECORD AND PLAY COMMAND FILES

Playing a Command File

To replay a command file:

2. Click on the Browse

button for load field.

3. A File Selection dialog

opens. Select the

desired command file

and click Save.

The command file will be

loaded and the commands

to be executed will be shown

in black below the green

current line indicator in the

History window.

4. Toggle the Play button

on.

As commands are executed,

they will be shown in gray

above the current line.

You can control command

execution by pressing the

VCR style buttons to:

stop,

start,

and single step playback

Once playback is

stopped, you can

use the “Skip” button

to skip commands.

Playback speed can

be controlled using

the “Speed” slider.

1. Select File > Command... to open the Command dialog.

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HOW TO RECORD AND PLAY COMMAND FILES

Playing a Command File on Startup

You can execute a command file as part of EnSight startup using the “-p command_file” option when you start

EnSight. For example,

% ensight102 -p redo.enc

where redo.enc is a command file saved in a previous session.

ADVANCED USAGE

Command files are simple ASCII text and can be edited with any text editor. To easily determine the command for a

given action, open the Command dialog and watch the list above the current line as you perform various operations.

Keep in mind that the successful execution of some commands depends on the proper state existing at the time of

execution. For example, creating a part when the parent part (as referenced by the part number) does not exist will

cause an error.

Command files can be nested: if you have a file that performs a certain task, you can “call” that command file from

another file with the “play: filename” command. When a play: command is executed, the command file being

played will be expanded in the History window, in a different color below the current line. Check the "Expand playfiles"

box to expand all played files ahead of time. When played files are nested, their commands will be shown in red,

yellow, green, blue and black respectively.

An “exit:” command will cause EnSight to quit. An “interrupt:” command will cause the command file to pause

execution and open the command dialog.

You can save the command file for the current session when you exit EnSight, or you can use File > Save >

Command from this session... to save the commands up to that point

Command language can be used to generate macros. See How To Define and Use Macros.

In addition to command files and macros, you also access the python interface through this dialog. This is explained

in detail in the Interface Manual. (see Chapter 7.1, Python EnSight module interface)

OTHER NOTES

Command files provide an excellent method of documenting problems or potential bugs encountered during your use

of EnSight. The command file can be transmitted to CEI electronically to help determine the nature of the problem.

SEE ALSO

How To Define and Use Macros

User Manual: Command Files

Interface Manual: Python EnSight module interface

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HOW TO RECORD AND PLAY COMMAND FILES

Page 101

HOW TO PRINT/SAVE AN IMAGE

Print/Save an Image

INTRODUCTION

The image displayed in the Graphics Window can be saved to disk or printed in a variety of formats. Note JPEG,

TIFF, RGB (SGI), XPM, PNG, and Postscript store single images in each file, and Apple QuickTime, EnVideo,

MPEG1, MPEG4, AVI, Macromedia Flash Video, Macromedia Flash and Animated GIF all support video streams.

See below for Saving Animations

BASIC OPERATION

Basic Still Image Operation

1. Select File > Export > Image....

2. Select Set Format... to choose the desired

output format and format options.

(See Changing the Save File Format below)

3. Set the base filename to save the image to

disk.

The Prefix select... option will allow a standard file

save dialog to be used to fill in this field.

4. Set various options:

The 'Convert to Default Print Color' option will invert

the color of the display. For example, the background

can be changed from black to white.

The 'Show Plotters Only' option will print only the

plots in the display. See the shortcut section below to

save an individual plot to a file.

5. Select any advanced options.

The 'Advanced' turndown opens the following options:

Raytrace the scene.

Retracing is an advanced rendering technique in computer graphics,

where simulation of the light transport is performed between the image

pixels, objects in the scene, and the light sources. This technique is

capable of generating high realism images, but at a much higher cost

than that of typical rasterization-based techniques. Raytracing is

suitable for rendering a wide variety of optical effects, such as reflection,

refraction, soft, shadows, etc.

Ensight offers a built-in raytracing renderer entitled Enray.

EnSight also offer both immediate and external (postpone to a specified data/time)

raytracing.

Window size: The 'Normal' option picks a window the same size as the current window. 'Full'

picks a full screen window. Other options select various NTSC and DVD standards. The

'User defined' option allows the user to select any size output image. Note: there are no

limits to the size of the image that can be rendered. Some formats cannot handle extremely

large images. EnSight may need to render the scene in multiple passes to render at larger

sizes, which can slow rendering down.

Render to offscreen buffer: EnSight can use off-screen OpenGL 'p-buffers' on graphics

cards that support them. This avoids artifacts that can show up with on-screen rendering.

Save multiple images: This option causes EnSight to save MTM files based on detached

displays.

Number of passes: sets the amount of multi-pass anti-aliasing to use: higher is better quality.

Stereo: The current scene can be rendered in stereo, even if the target system is not capable

of displaying it. 'Current' is the default and picks stereo or mono display, depending on the

current display mode. Mono and Interleaved select mono or traditional dual-image stereo.

The remaining options allow for the saving of anaglyph stereo images (seen through red/

cyan or other glasses).

Screen tiling: if these are set to values other than 1, the image will be saved as an MTM file.

The numbers specify the number of tiles in X and Y that the saved image will be subdivided

into.

7. Select OK (or Print) to save and/or print the image.

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HOW TO PRINT/SAVE AN IMAGE

SHORTCUT

1. To print or save the graphics window, right-

click on the main viewport.

In the pop up menu, choose “Send image to” and

then send it to the clipboard, to EnVe the video editor,

to your printer, or to a File.

The file option will pop up a browser to name the file

and then save it in the png format.

2. To save just a single plot, right-click on the

plot origin. If you have selected the plot

correctly then the first line of the pop up menu

will read Plotter: Name of the Plotter.

In the pop up menu choose “Save plot to file”.

This will pop up a browser to name the file and give

you the option for a white background. When you

click OK, All other items on the screen will become

temporarily invisible, and the plot will be made full

screen and saved at the pixel resolution of your

graphics screen in the png format.

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HOW TO PRINT/SAVE AN IMAGE

Saving Animations

The current keyframe, flipbook, animated

trace, or solution time animation can be

saved to disk by following these steps:

1) Use the record button to bring up the

Save animation dialog

2) Select the format of the file to save

(See Changing the Save File Format below)

3) Set the base filename for the image.

The 'Prefix select…' option will allow a

standard file save dialog to be used to fill this

field in.

4) For various types of animations

(flipbooks, solution times and animated

traces), select if these will be animated

during the saving operation and if they

should be reset to their initial values

before beginning the save operation.

5) Set the number of frames of the animation

to save

6) Select any advanced options.

The 'Advanced' toggle brings up the following

options. These are described in detail in the

Image file saving section.

7) Selecting 'Ok' will begin recording the

animation.

Progress is displayed in the information text in

the main window. The recording can be

aborted by pressing the 'a' key while it is

progressing.

For more information, see EnSight’s keyframe animation and Flipbook animation facilities.

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HOW TO PRINT/SAVE AN IMAGE

Changing the Save File Format

Options for PostScript Format

The PostScript format handles primitives as sampled images (pixel data). Move/Draw and encapsulated PostScript

are no longer available as output.

Portrait or Landscape output orientation may be selected.

The page can be scaled by an arbitrary page scale factor.

This dialog is presented to the user when any of the 'Set

Format...' buttons are clicked. It allows for options

according to a specific file format. The subsequent

operations will utilize this format. The basic dialog is shown

here. The options specific to the selected format are

displayed on the right side of the dialog. Pressing the 'Ok'

button selects the new format.

The file formats are actually provided via plug-in modules

known as UDILs. It is possible for users to provide their own

formats, but the options for ones shipped with EnSight are

documented here.

Common options

There are a number of common options used by many (but not all) of the formats. These are at the top of the dialog on

the right and include:

· Color/Black and White: Selects between RGB and Grayscale output

· Saturation Factor: Set the saturation factor for color images. Full saturation is 1.0, no saturation (i.e. white) is 0.0.

· Framerate: Most animation formats allow for the rate of the frames (in frames per second, fps) to be set for the

animation to be recorded. Generally, the default is 30fps.

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HOW TO PRINT/SAVE AN IMAGE

Options for Microsoft AVI Format

Note: AVI files are a Microsoft standard format for movies, audio, icons, and other data types and are based on the

'RIFF' core file format.

The options for this format are a little different for Unix and 32bit Windows. For Unix and Windows 64, the only

Compression options are 'MJPEG', 'RAW' and 'MPEG4'. The only other option is the ability to set the maximum

bitrate for the MJPEG4 compression scheme. On Win32, the system installed AVI codecs will be listed as

compression options, along with options to specify the rate of keyframing, a general quality factor (0-100) and the

desired bit-rate in kilobits/second.

Uncompressed AVI files can be quite large for even small animations. You can compress these files on your Windows

PC using the EnVe utility. It is capable of reading an AVI file (or any other animation file written by EnSight) and

translating it to another format, including recompressing any AVI files.

The AVI file format can have problems porting from platform to platform as the compression schemes are not always

supported on all platforms. The MJPEG scheme is fairly well supported (Windows users need to install the latest

DirectX runtime for it) and the RAW format has size limitation for 640x480 on some platforms. In general, the Indeo

Video formats (e.g. IV41) and cvid are fairly portable and can be played by Apple's QuickTime player as well.

Options for Windows BMP Format

There are no special options (other than the Common options) for this format.

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HOW TO PRINT/SAVE AN IMAGE

Options for EnVideo Format

This format has the advantage of being one of the few that natively supports stereo image streams. It also has a

number lossless compression options and is recommended by CEI for archival/original animation output. EVO files

can be converted to any other supported format using the EnVe tool without loss of quality. This cannot be said for

other formats.

There are four compression options:

Raw - lossless, no compression, very large files.

RLE - lossless, run-length encoded imagery.

GZ - lossless, uses the 'zlib' compression scheme, good balance for machines with faster processors.

JPEG - lossy compression that uses the 'quality' option (0-100). Best compression ratio, but sacrifices some

quality.

Options for GIF Format

This format is intended for simple, low-quality output for Web pages. Most browsers will automatically playback .gif

animations without the need of any plug-in modules. The format is limited to 256color images, so the quality of the

images is poor, especially for smooth shaded images. The compression ratio can be quite high.

Options include:

Number of times to loop: sets the number of times the animation should loop before stopping

Interlaced video: optimizes for slow web connection incremental display

Transparent values: The R,G,B values (0-255) of a pixel color that should be set to "transparent" in the image.

For example, setting these to (0,0,0) will cause all black pixels in the animation to be made

transparent on playback. -1 values select that no pixel is transparent.

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HOW TO PRINT/SAVE AN IMAGE

Options for JPEG Format

This is a very portable, but lossy compressed format. The only option is a notional "Quality" setting that controls the

compression rate (0-100).

Options for MPEG Format

MPEG1 is a very portable but lossy standard for animations.

Two options exist for MPEG. The specific sub-type of MPEG (1/2/4) can be selected as well as a target bitrate in

kilobits per second.

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HOW TO PRINT/SAVE AN IMAGE

Options for PNG Format

The PNG format is a lossless image format supported by many platforms and most web browsers.

There is an option to have the background be Transparent, and the option for the method for compression - which

trades off computational complexity for overall compression rates.

Options for PPM Format

The PPM format is a common lossless Unix image format that includes full color pixmaps (PPM), grayscale images

(PGM) and bitmaps (PBM).

The options allow for the selection of Binary or ASCII forms of these files.

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HOW TO PRINT/SAVE AN IMAGE

Options for Quicktime Format

This is a popular animation format on the Apple Macintosh computers and Windows systems. The player can be

downloaded as part of the iTunes package from www.quicktime.com. EnSight does not support all the codecs that

QuickTime does, only the MPEG4-based compression.

The bitrate option selects the target stream rate in kilobits per second. There is a compression method option, but the

only possible value at this time is MPEG4.

Options for SGI RGB Format

There are no special options (other than the Common options) for this format.

Options for LLNL SM Format

This format was developed by Lawrence Livermore National Labs specifically for support of large, tiled displays with

dynamic pan/zoom playback. Players for the format include xmovie and blockbuster (blockbuster.sourceforge.net).

The format is internally tiled and includes multiple resolutions of the animation in the same file.

Options include:

Compression: Raw, GZ, JPEG and RLE Similar to the CEI EVO format

Quality: JPEG quality setting

Tilesize: the size of the edge of one tile. 256 uses 256x256 tiles, while 0 specifies no tiling

Resolutions: the number of lower resolution movies to include. If the original animation is 640x480 and the

number of resolutions is 2, the file will contain animations at: 640x480, 320x240 and 160x120.

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HOW TO PRINT/SAVE AN IMAGE

Options for TIFF Format

Tiff is a very portable, lossless image file format.

The format has one option and that is the compression method. All the supported methods are lossless.

Options for XPM Format

This format is popular on Unix platforms and is generally used for icons, but can be used for any image.

The transparent options allow for the specification of R,G,B values (0-255) of a pixel color that should be set to

"transparent" in the image. For example, setting these to (0,0,0) will cause all black pixels in the image to be made

transparent. -1 values select that no pixel is transparent.

ADVANCED USAGE

There are also some excellent public domain (i.e. free) tools for manipulating images. ImageMagick is a public

domain, X-windows based program for displaying both images and animations (loaded as sequences of images) on a

wide variety of platforms. Visit the Web site

http://www.wizards.dupont.com/cristy/ImageMagick.html for more information.

One of the most popular, cross platform tools is the GIMP. This tool has nearly the full functionality of Photoshop and

can read/write all the image formats EnSight can. It is often installed by default on Linux platforms, but OSX, Windows

and other platforms are supported as well: www.gimp.org.

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HOW TO PRINT/SAVE AN IMAGE

OTHER NOTES

1. The file is saved or printed from the EnSight client machine - not the server.

2. The printer command should not include the file name. For example, if you normally print with "lpr -Plaser1 file.ps"

then enter "lpr -Plaser1" in the To Printer Using Command field.

3. If you toggle on Convert to default print colors, all viewport background colors are changed to white and any object

(part, viewport border, annotation, etc.) currently colored pure white (RGB = 1,1,1) will be changed to black.

Print Quality Control - Available in Print Dialog of Windows Version

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Saving Graphic Images

Note the pulldown allowing print

quality to be changed. Increases here

can greatly improve the resulting

printed image, but will cause a

slowdown in printing time.

Page 112

HOW TO SAVE GEOMETRIC ENTITIES

Save Geometric Entities

INTRODUCTION

EnSight has the exporting geometric data and variable values in various formats. Several are provided by EnSight

(such as Brick of Values, Case (EnSight Gold), VRML, Flatfile, etc.). EnSight also allows the user to create their own

writer as a dynamic shared library that is loaded at runtime.

BASIC OPERATION

Saving Parts in EnSight Gold or VRML Formats

Writers have access only to the geometry of selected parts and each of their active variables. For all writers except

VRML, only parts located on the server can be saved. This includes all original model parts, as well as many of the

created parts (such as 2D-clips, Elevated Surfaces, Developed Surfaces, and Isosurfaces).

The VRML writer saves all the visible parts on the client in their current visible state except for Parts which have limit

fringes set to transparent. The VRML file will be saved on the client.

Output in the EnSight formats is intended to provide a method to save both model and created parts (with active

variables) for subsequent reuse with EnSight. VRML output is intended for export to other systems.

Most World Wide Web browsers come with either built-in or plug-in support for VRML file viewing.

There are some important differences in how EnSight saves parts according to format chosen.

Case (EnSight Gold) VRML

Which parts are saved? All parts currently selected in the Main Parts List (except those indicated below) All visible parts

Saved from where? EnSight server EnSight client

Which parts cannot be saved? Any client-based parts: contours, vector arrows, particle traces, profiles.

1. Select the Part(s) that you wish to export in

the main part list.

2. Select File > Export > Geometric Entities...

3. Be sure the desired output format is selected.

For EnSight Gold only:

7. Toggle to save as binary files or not.

8. If the dataset is transient you can choose to save the multiple timesteps in one file

(one file per variable). If you choose this option, you can also specify the maximum

file size.

9. Click Ok.

4. Follow the

instructions given.

5. Enter a file root name.

6. If the dataset is

transient, specify the

beginning, ending,

and step values.

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HOW TO SAVE GEOMETRIC ENTITIES

Saving Data in Brick of Values Format

Brick of Bytes and Brick of Floats is intended to give you an interface mechanism to volume rendering codes for your

3D Part(s).

When you click the Okay button the selected 3D parts are discritized to the resolution indicated using the box tool as

the bounds and orientation (x/y/z resolution refers to the x/y/z directions for the box tool).

For Brick of Bytes (BoB) format a value of 0 is reserved for undefined (i.e., the discritized point found no variable

information). The value of 1 is tied to all variable values less than or equal to the minimum palette value tied to the

variable chosen while 255 is tied to all values greater to or equal to the maximum palette value.

For Brick of Floats (BoF) format undefined values are assigned the undefined value indicated in dialog.

Both BoB and BoF files are written out without any metadata - only the values for the discritized points is written. The

order of the data is according to the following pseudo code:

num_values = 0

for(z=0; z<z_resolution; ++z) {

for(y=0; y<y_resolution; ++y) {

for(x=0; x<x_resolution; ++x) {

value_array[num_values] = value_at_this_location

}

write(file_name,value_array)

3. Be sure Brick of Values

is selected as the

Format type.

4. Follow the instructions

given.

5. Select the desired

variable.

6. If the variable is a

vector, select the

component desired.

7. Select the sampling

resolution.

8. Select the sampling

format, Brick of Bytes

or Brick of Floats.

9. Enter a file root name.

10. Click OK.

1. Select the 3D Part(s) (only 3D) to export

2. Select File > Export > Geometric Entities...

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HOW TO SAVE GEOMETRIC ENTITIES

Saving Data in User Defined Writer Formats

The user-defined writers can call the routines of an EnSight API to retrieve, for example, nodal coordinates, node ids,

element ids of parts selected in the Parts window, to be passed by value to be used, manipulated and/or written out in

any format desired. The User-defined writer dialog includes a Parameter field that allows the passing of text into the

writer from the. This text could contain extra options which the writer understands.

Several example writers (including source code header files, Makefile and the corresponding shared library) are

included to demonstrate this capability.

The Case (Gold) Lite writer is included to demonstrate how to exercise most of the API and output a subset of the

Case (Gold) format. Complex numbers and custom Gold format are not supported with this writer. The Case (Gold)

writer ignores the Parameter field. While the writer is not compiled, the source code of this writer, the required header

files, and the Makefile are included.

The Flatfile user-defined writer is designed to demonstrate the output of selected part nodal data (coordinates & IDs)

as well as active variable values (scalar and/or vector only) in a comma delimited format easily imported into other

applications. If any of the keywords ‘ANSYS’ or ‘force’ or ‘body’ is entered into the Parameter field, then Flatfile will

output an ANSYS body force file.

The STL user-defined writer is designed to write out the border geometry in the form of triangular 2D elements of the

selected part(s) at the beginning timestep. The end time and the step time are ignored. The STL format does not sup-

port multiple parts in a single binary file, but does support multiple parts in a single ASCII file. Therefore, if multiple

parts are selected and ascii is checked, the STL writer outputs an ascii file with the border of each of the parts. If mul-

tiple parts are selected and binary is checked, the STL writer outputs a binary file containing a single border of the

multiple parts. The STL writer only saves the beginning timestep and ignores the End Timestep and Step By fields.

The STL writer ignores the Parameter field.

1. Select File > Export > Geometric Entities...

2. Be sure the desired output format is selected.

7. If the dataset is transient you can choose to save the multiple

timesteps in one file (one file per variable). If you choose this

option, you can also specify the maximum file size.

8. Click Okay.

3. Follow the

instructions given.

4. If the writer accepts

parameters, enter any

desired ones in the

Parameter(s) field.

5. Enter a file root name.

6. Toggle to save as

binary files or not.

7. If the dataset is

transient, specify the

beginning, ending,

and step values.

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HOW TO SAVE GEOMETRIC ENTITIES

There are some important differences in how EnSight saves parts according to format chosen.

More user-defined writers may be distributed with EnSight in the future.

ADVANCED USAGE

Created Parts

Created parts are saved as changing connectivity. One situation where this might become important is if you choose

to save some very large model parts that happen to be static and some created parts that are changing connectivity

parts together into one case gold file. All of the parts must be saved as changing connectivity (because the changing

geometry attribute is global). Thus you will find that the combined geometry file for all parts is saved for every

timestep, even though the large static model parts don’t really change. Also when this saved file is reloaded, every

model part is reconstructed at every timestep as if it were changing connectivity, greatly increasing the disk space,

the I/O, and the geometry reassembly, and limiting functionality (e.g. cannot interpolate between the timesteps). A

better solution to this situation is to save the changing connectivity created parts separately as a case gold file, and

then the model parts as a separate case gold file and then load them as two separate cases into EnSight.

Rigid Body Transformations Present

Since EnSight does something special with the model timeset when rigid body information is read (via the rigid_body

option in the casefile, or from a user-defined reader with rigid_body reading capability), you need to be aware of a few

important issues. EnSight assumes that the rigid body timeset encompasses the normal geometry timeset, and it

replaces the normal geometry timeset with the rigid body timeset - thus the following occurs when using this option.

1. If any created parts are in the list to be saved, EnSight will save as true changing coordinates. Namely, a geometry

file containing the coordinates for each part will be saved at each time. Upon re-reading this model, you will be able to

duplicate all actions, but it will be done as a true changing coordinate model. In other words, the original rigid_body

file nature will not be duplicated.

2. If the original model had static geometry and rigid body file information - and you do not have any created parts in

the list to be saved - saving will preserve the single static geometry and rigid_body file nature of the model. However,

if the original model had changing geometry, or if variables have been activated - the number of geometry/variable

files saved will be according to the rigid body timeset. This timeset often has many more steps than the original time-

sets - so be wise about the number of steps you write. It is often important to use the “Step by” option to control this.

3. Because of the things mentioned in 1 and 2 above - if you want to use the save geometric entities option in EnSight

to “translate” a rigid body model from a different format into the EnSight format, you may want to consider the follow-

ing process. First, read in the model without the rigid body transformations, activate the desired variables, and save

the model. Second, read in the model with the rigid body transformations, do not activate any variables, and save the

model (with a different name). Edit the Casefile of the first model to use the model: and rigid_body: lines of the

second casefile instead of the first casefile.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Saving Geometric Entities

Readme file is $CEI_HOME/ensight102/src/writers/README.txt

User Defined Writers (UDW)

Which parts are available to the UDW? All parts currently selected in the Main Parts List (except those indicated below)

Where are the available parts located? EnSight server

Which parts are unavailable to the UDW? Any client-based part: contours, vector arrows, particle traces, profiles

Page 116

HOW TO SAVE/RESTORE CONTEXT

Save/Restore Context

INTRODUCTION

EnSight context files can be used to duplicate the current EnSight state with the same or a different, but similar,

dataset. The context file works best if the dataset it is being applied to contains the same variable names and parts,

but can also be used when this is not the case.

BASIC OPERATION

An EnSight context consists of a set of files: the context file itself as well as associated palette, view, and keyframe

animation files. The names of the associated files will be that of the context file with a standard extension.

Saving a Context

Restoring a Context

Three options:

1) Start EnSight and restore a context as described below. This will recreate the parts of the original dataset

and restore them to their saved condition.

2) Start EnSight, read a new dataset, cancel the part loader without creating parts, and restore a context as

described below. This will create the parts of the new dataset (mapping as directed) and restore the

context of the original dataset.

3) Start EnSight, read a new dataset, create the desired parts, and restore a context as described below. This

will do the mapping (as directed) of parts and restore the context of the original dataset.

1. Select File > Save > Context... to open the Save Current Context dialog.

2. Toggle Save

Current Case

Only or Save All

Cases.

3. Enter a name for

the Context File.

You can set the

directory for the

Context File by

clicking the Select

File... button to

open a standard

File Selection

dialog.

4. Click Okay.

1. Select File > Restore >

Context...

2. Select the case to

restore the context to.

Note: If the context file

contains information for

multiple cases, ignores the

selection

3. Enter or select the

desired context file

4. Click OK.

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HOW TO SAVE/RESTORE CONTEXT

OTHER NOTES

The same part names (and variable names) do not have to exist in the new case. If this situation arises, a pop-up

dialog will appear where you will be asked to match the part names (or variable names) from the context file with the

parts (or variables) from the new case. This dialog is not available in batch mode. Therefore, you can’t use a context

file that needs matching in batch mode. If the number of parts between the two datasets match, then no mapping of

parts occurs and the parts will end up renamed to match the original case.

When restoring context files with multiple cases, the needed cases will be started, if needed, according to the

connection scheme of the current run of EnSight.

Flipbook animations are not restored using the context file because it is unknown at the time the context file is

created what state existed when the flipbook was saved.

If data is not read before restoring the context file, the data that was used when the context file was saved will be

loaded.

Context files use EnSight’s command language and other state files (such as palette, view, and keyframe animation)

to recreate the parts, variables, and view state.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: File Menu Functions

Page 118

HOW TO SAVE SCENARIO

Save Scenario

INTRODUCTION

Scenario files are used by CEI’s viewer products which are capable of viewing all geometry (such as parts,

annotation, plots, etc.) that EnSight can display, including flipbook, keyframe, and particle trace animations.

A “scenario” defines all visible entities you wish to view with EnVision or Reveal and includes any saved views and

notes that you want to make available to the viewer user.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Create the display you want to

share with the EnVision or

Reveal user.

2. Select File > Export >

Scenario... to open the

Save Scenario dialog.

3. Select Single File to save a

scenario file only, or

Project to save the

scenario, jpg image file,

and EnSight context file.

4. Choose EnVision(.evsn)

or Reveal (.csf) format.

5. Enter a name for the

Scenario file/directory.

Click the Browse... button

to open a standard File

Selection dialog.

6. Select whether all, visible

or selected parts will be

included.

7. Select the Time/Animation

Options tab

and select the flipbook,

keyframe, transient and/or

particle trace animations.

Available options depends

on output format chosen

under the File tab.

8. Save the scenario.

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HOW TO SAVE SCENARIO

ADVANCED USAGE

After the scenario has been saved, you may add additional views, as well as notes.

9. To Save additional views, click the Views

tab.

10. Manipulate the view as desired.

11. Name the view.

12. Click Save current view button.

You can repeat steps 10 through 12 as

desired.

13. To save notes, click the Notes tab.

14. Enter a subject for the note.

15. Type in the text of the note.

16. Click Save note button.

You can repeat steps 14 through 16 as

desired.

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HOW TO SAVE SCENARIO

OTHER NOTES

The Reveal format (.csf) as of EnSight 10.2 is on life support only and will be phased out entirely by the next major

release. The Reveal code is not distributed with EnSight. EnVision and Reveal are geometry viewers only. As such

they are not capable of creating any new variables nor parts. In addition, EnVision Standard does not support

changing timesteps - consider the flipbook capability instead. However, EnVision Pro can change timesteps

(assuming transient data has been saved to the scenario file).

Note: Users without an EnSight license may download EnVision separately as a free product.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Scenario Files

17. Variables can be saved in the scenario

file, under the Variables tab.

Any variables not already used by

the parts being saved, will show up

here.

Select any desired.

Those variables already being

used, will show up here, and will

be saved.

Page 121

HOW TO SAVE/RESTORE SESSION

Save/Restore Session

INTRODUCTION

EnSight session file is a single file used to restore an EnSight state. When a session file is restored, the current

case(s) are deleted, and new case(s) from the session file are loaded and restored to the saved state.

BASIC OPERATION

Saving a Session

Restoring a Session

Three options:

1) The 'Welcome to EnSight' screen on startup displays your most recent Sessions. Just double click on the

desired session to load the data and restore it.

2) Mac and Windows users can double click any EnSight session file (ending in .ens) and the file will restore.

3) Any time during your EnSight session you can browse for a session file from the EnSight main menu as

follows: File > Restore > Session.... and just located the session file using the standard file access

window.

OTHER NOTES

If you already have data loaded and restore a session, EnSight will delete all the cases, start anew and then restore

the session.

If you are restoring a session file containing information for multiple cases, then all of the cases will be restored.

When restoring session files with multiple cases, the needed cases will be started, if needed, according to the

connection scheme of the current run of EnSight.

Flipbook animations are not restored using the session file because it is unknown at the time the session file is

created what state existed when the flipbook was saved.

All Session files are machine and operating system independent. However the data file(s) used in a non-packed

session file must remain in same directory in order to find the data file(s). In contrast, Packed Session files include all

the data files therefore can be moved to a different directory. The tradeoff is that Packed Session files can become

quite large.

Also, the restoring platform must include all the data readers necessary to read the data format(s) contained in the

session.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: File Menu Functions

1. Select File > Save > Session... to open the Save Session dialog.

2. Toggle ‘Pack Data’ if you wish to include contents from listed

directories (including the data itself) in the session file (for

portability).

3. Click ‘Save’ button to open a file save browser and name

the session file (use .ens suffix) and click ‘Save’.

Page 122

HOW TO ROTATE, ZOOM, TRANSLATE, SCALE

Manipulate Viewing Parameters

Rotate, Zoom, Translate, Scale

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides visual only (only the visual elements on the client are changed) global transformations (rotation,

translation, and zooming) to permit user manipulation of all parts simultaneously in the Graphics Window. The

transformations can either be performed interactively with the mouse, or precisely by entering explicit values. The

mouse buttons can be user-programmed to perform different transformations.

BASIC OPERATION

To rotate:

1. Click the rotate icon.

2. Move the mouse pointer into the Graphics

Window.

3. Click and hold the left mouse button and:

• move the mouse left and right to rotate

about the screen Y (vertical) axis, or

• move the mouse up and down to rotate

about the screen X (horizontal) axis, or

• hold down the Control key and move the

mouse left and right to rotate about the

screen Z axis.

4. Press the F1, F2 or F3 keys for 45 degree

rotation about the X, Y, or Z axis,

respectively. Hold the Control key down for -

45 degree rotation. (Note: cursor must be in

the EnSight window for F keys to work)

5. To put the geometry in free rotation mode,

put the cursor in the EnSight graphics

window Press the F4 key, and left click in the

graphics window and drag the mouse to set

the view in motion and then let the left

mouse button up. The geometry will

continue to freely rotate according to the

speed of your drag. Press F4 to stop the free

rotation.

To translate:

1. Click the translate icon (or use the middle

mouse button in steps 2 and 3 (default)).

2. Move the mouse pointer into the Graphics

Window.

3. Click and hold the left mouse button and:

• move the mouse left and right to translate

in the screen X (horizontal) direction, or

• move the mouse up and down to translate

about the screen Y (vertical) direction, or

• hold down the Control key and move the

mouse left and right to translate in the

screen Z direction.

Note that you can open the Transformation

Editor dialog and the Reset Tools and

Viewport(s) dialog here as well.

The Graphics window transforms icon on the Tools Icon Bar controls the operation of the left mouse button (by

default) in the Graphics Window:

To zoom:

1. Click the zoom icon (or use the middle mouse

button in steps 2 through 5 (default)).

2. Move the mouse pointer into the Graphics

Window.

3. Click and hold the left mouse button.

4. Drag down to zoom in or drag up to zoom out.

5. Hold down the Control key and move the mouse to

pan.

To rubber-band zoom:

1. Click the rubber-band zoom icon.

2. Move the mouse pointer into the Graphics

Window and position it at one corner of the

desired viewing region.

3. Click and hold the left mouse button.

4. Drag to include the desired viewing region. An

outline of the region will appear as you drag.

To rubber-band zoom using the selection tool:

1. Click the Selection Tool Rubber-band Positioning

icon.

2. Move the mouse pointer into the Graphics

Window and position it approximately at one

corner of the desired viewing region.

3. Click and hold the left mouse button.

4. Drag to include the desired viewing region. An

outline of the region will appear as you drag.

5. Manipulate the tool as desired, by clicking at the

center and dragging to a new position or clicking

on any corner and resizing. (Note that the aspect

ratio will be preserved as indicated by the dotted

lines within the tool.)

6. Click the zoom (magnifying glass) indicator at the

top left of the tool.

Fit the geometry to

the viewport

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HOW TO ROTATE, ZOOM, TRANSLATE, SCALE

Note that zooming actually changes the location of EnSight’s virtual “camera” or “look-from” point. Zooming in moves

the camera closer to the object; zooming out moves it farther away. The look-from/look-at points can also be edited

explicitly.

If you have multiple viewports visible, each one can be manipulated independently. To transform in a different

viewport, place the mouse pointer within the bounds of that viewport before you click the left mouse button.

You can reset transformation parameters (as well as tool and frame transforms) by clicking the Reset.... See How

To Reset Tools and Viewports for more information.

The Fit button is useful in causing the currently visible parts to be centered and zoomed to fit within the selected

viewport.

The Graphics window view orientation icon can be used to quickly view the scene

from the global axes directions.

Press +X to view the scene from the positive X axis (looking toward the

origin). The +Y, +Z, -X, -Y, -Z buttons are similar.

It also provides quick access to the Views manager that will allow you to save and

restore your own custom views.

Note that you also have the + and - axes buttons available in the Views Manager.

To save your own custom views:

1. Orient the scene as desired.

2. Click the New button.

And the view will be shown.

3. Repeat steps 1. and 2. until you have all

the views you desire.

4. Click the Save views... button, and

specify the folder in the dialog that

comes up.

This will save all of the views you defined.

To restore your custom views:

1. Click the Restore views... button, and

specify the folder containing your

views.

This will restore them to the dialog.

To apply any views in the dialog, simply left click on them.

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HOW TO ROTATE, ZOOM, TRANSLATE, SCALE

ADVANCED USAGE

All EnSight transformations can be controlled precisely by specifying explicit transforms in the Transformations Editor

dialog. To open the dialog, click the Tools Icon Bar -> Graphics window transforms icon -> Transformations editor...

The slider performs the requested transformation (based on the selected transformation action) in the selected

viewport(s).

You can also perform scaling in any or all dimensions (to, for example, magnify subtle differences in a surface).

Although you cannot perform the scaling operation with the mouse, you can scale using the Transformations dialog.

Click the Scale icon in the Transformation Action area and specify the scaling as described above.

You can copy the transformations from one viewport to another. First select the viewport you wish to copy, select

Editor Function->Copy Transformation State, then select the viewport(s) you wish to modify and select Editor

Function->Paste Transformation State.

OTHER NOTES

By default, EnSight uses the left mouse button for performing the selected transformations. You can, however,

program the transformation action attached to each mouse button. See Customize Mouse Button Actions for more

information.

The transformation operations described here also apply to frame transformations. If additional frames have been

created and if operating on frames, then any transform will apply to the currently selected frame. See Create and

Manipulate Frames for more information.

Pressing the F5, F6, or F7 keys while the mouse is within the EnSight graphics window or desktop area will transform

the scene to show a standard right, top, or front view, respectively. Pressing the F8 key will return the scene to that

which existed prior to F5, F6, or F7 being pressed. Further, holding the Control key down while pressing F5, F6, or F7

will store the current view to the selected Fx button.

Pressing F9 while the mouse is in the Graphics Window or the desktop area will zoom the display to full screen.

Press F9 again to return to the normal display.

Slider to specify

transform.

Set (by clicking within

the desired region) the

viewport that the

transform applies to.

Specify axis to which

the transform applies

Limit controls the

sensitivity and limit of

the slider action.

Increment controls the

step size for the slider

end arrows.

Enter explicit values in

the Increment field

(and press return) to

transform by a precise

amount.

To interactively perform

transformations on

multiple viewports,

Control click on multiple

viewports, then toggle

on.

Select the desired

transformation action.

If you have defined

cameras, you can tie

selected viewports to

particular cameras.

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HOW TO ROTATE, ZOOM, TRANSLATE, SCALE

OTHER OPTIONS FOR PART TRANSLATION, ROTATION AND/OR SCALING

All of the above transformations are visual only and are much like moving the position of a camera or visually

changing the geometry only. That is, they occur only on the client and don’t change the actual geometry values in

EnSight. There are several other different methods for transforming coordinates described below as follows.

If you want to “deep” scale model parts with a scale factor or translate using a variable with “server-side” scaling and

displacement (where the actual coordinates are changed, both visually AND calculational) then look for Adjust Part

Coordinates under Model Parts. This is different from the rotate, zoom, and translate in that it is part by part and the

modification will be reflected in calculations, for example, calculated length, area, and volume will change.

If you want to displace by a vector, for example a Displacement Variable Vector, then click on the displacement icon

at the top. The resulting displacement is updated each timestep using the chosen vector variable and can be visual

only (on the client) or computational (on the server) and can be scaled (see How To Display Displacements). This

is different from the rotate, zoom, and translate in that coordinates are changed using a scalable vector and they can

be changed visually on the client or for use in deep on the server and used in further calculations.

If you want to scale, translate, or rotate a number of parts visually only consider grouping them and doing a group

transform. Also if you have coincident geometry in two parts and need to offset them slightly from each other use a

group transform (see Part Group Visual Transformations). This differs from rotate, zoom, and translate in that you

can do it only for a select group and not for all parts globally. This method is very similar to Frames discussed below

except it operates on a group.

If you need to define the rotation or translation of a part over time at a deep (computational) level, then consider rigid

body translations (see EnSight Rigid Body File Format). This is different from rotate, zoom, and translate in that

you can defined precise translations and rotations over time, and they are deep on the server for use in

computations.

If you need precise control of the visual (client only) rotation and translation of parts separately for animation

purposes, consider attaching a separate coordinate frame to each part and manipulating them separately (see How

To Create and Manipulate Frames). This is different from rotate, zoom and translate in that you can do these

transformations on a part by part basis rather than globally.

SEE ALSO

Other viewing operations:

How To Set LookFrom/LookAt

How To Set Z Clipping

How To Create and Manipulate Frames

How To Reset Tools and Viewports

How To Use the Selection Tool

Page 126

HOW TO SET DRAWING MODE

Set Drawing Mode

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides two basic drawing styles for graphics objects: line or shaded. Line mode draws only the line

segments of an object – regardless of the whether the lines are polygon edges or not. Shaded mode displays all

objects consisting of polygons (e.g. element or cell faces) as solid filled regions with light source shading enabled.

These drawing styles can be enhanced by enabling hidden-line mode. If the current mode is line, hidden-line will

eliminate all those lines that would be invisible if the object were a solid surface. If the current mode is shaded,

hidden-line mode will draw lines overlaying face edges. In shaded mode, hidden-line overlays are particularly useful

for visualizing computational grids.

The setting of line or shaded mode is a global toggle. You can also set the mode on a per part basis so that some

parts are displayed as lines and others as shaded surfaces. Each viewport also provides individual controls so that

the drawing mode can differ from viewport to viewport.

BASIC OPERATION

Line mode Shaded mode Hidden-line mode Hidden-line overlay mode

The global toggles for shaded and hidden-line mode are available from the Tools Icon Bar.

You can also enable these modes by selecting View >

Shaded or View > Hidden Line.

Page 127

HOW TO SET DRAWING MODE

To use the global Tools Icon Bar toggles

Note that enabling shaded mode for a part has no effect unless the global shading toggle is also enabled (on the

Tools Icon Bar or under the View menu). The same is true for hidden-line: unless the global hidden-line toggle is

enabled, the part will be drawn without hidden lines.

1. Click the Shaded toggle to switch from line to

shaded mode (or vice-versa).

2. Click the Hidden Line toggle to enable or

disable hidden-line mode.

If the current mode is Shaded when you toggle on

Hidden Line, the Hidden Line Overlay dialog is

displayed. This dialog allows you to specify a color for

the overlay edges. If Specify Line Overlay Color is not

enabled, overlay color will be set to the native color of

each part. If it is enabled, the color can be specified

either by entering red, green, blue color values, or by

clicking the Mix... button and picking a color with the

standard Color Selector dialog.

Line Shaded

Unhidden Hidden

1. Select Part in the Part List.

2. Click the Shaded toggle to switch from line to

shaded (or vice-versa).

3. Click the Hidden Line toggle to enable or

disable hidden-line mode.

Line Shaded

Unhidden Hidden

The per-part toggles for shaded and hidden-line mode are available in the Quick Action Icon Bar when part(s)

are selected in the Part List.

Page 128

HOW TO SET DRAWING MODE

ADVANCED USAGE

Drawing modes can also be set on a per-viewport basis. As with per-part settings, these toggles require that the

corresponding global toggle is also set to have any effect.

1. Double click (or right-click -> Edit...) the

desired viewport in Viewport list panel.

This will open the Viewport Feature Panel.

2. Open the Viewport turndown if it isn’t

already open.

3. Click the Shaded button to disable

shading in the current viewport.

4. Click the Hidden Line button to disable

hidden-line in the current viewport.

Page 129

HOW TO SET DRAWING MODE

OTHER NOTES

When a part is drawn in shaded mode (with or without hidden-line overlay) the surface is displayed with light source

shading enabled. EnSight uses two pre-defined light sources: one at the look-from point (the camera) and one on the

opposite side of the model (for back-lighting). The location of one of the light sources can be changed, see How To

Control Lighting.

In computer graphics, the appearance of a shaded surface is governed by a lighting model controlled by various

parameters. In EnSight, these parameters are part of the part’s and can be changed on a per-part basis. See How

To Set for more information.

SEE ALSO

How To Control Lighting

User Manual: Global Shaded, Global Hidden Line

Page 130

HOW TO SET GLOBAL VIEWING PARAMETERS

Set Global Viewing Parameters

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides various modes that control global viewing behavior. Three of these modes are discussed here:

perspective/orthographic projection, bounding box display modes, and static lighting.

EnSight can display viewports in either perspective or orthographic projection. A perspective projection is how we

normally view the world: objects that are farther away appear smaller. An orthographic projection removes this effect:

objects appear the same size regardless of distance. The projection setting can be specified on a per-viewport basis.

By default EnSight draws every point, line, and polygon for every visible part each time the Graphics Window

updates. For very large models (or slow graphics hardware), this behavior leads to unresponsive manipulations since

the update lags behind the corresponding mouse motion. Fortunately, EnSight provides other display modes that

improve responsiveness. Fast Display mode displays all visible parts in a reduced fashion during interactive

manipulation. This can be a bounding box representation, a point cloud representation, a reduced polygon

representation, an invisible representation, or if using immediate mode - a percentage of each part’s elements. When

the mouse button is released, parts are drawn normally. The Fast Display mode can also be set such that the

bounding display is used until the mode is changed - even when the mouse is released. (Edit->Preferences...

Performance - Static Fast Display)

Surface shading operations are expensive for very large models. Since the shading is dependent on the orientation of

the model with respect to the light sources, the surface colors must be recalculated each time the model moves.

Static lighting mode precalculates surface colors for a given orientation and then uses these colors during

subsequent transformations, resulting in improved interactive response.

BASIC OPERATION

Perspective/Orthographic Projection

The projection mode can be toggled either from a menu (View > Perspective) or in the Viewport editor. To set the

projection from the Viewport editor:

1. Double click (or right click->Edit...) the

desired viewport in the Viewport list panel.

This will bring up the Viewport Feature Panel.

2. Open the View turndown if it isn’t already

open.

3. Click the Perspective button to toggle the

projection type in the current viewport.

Note that a viewport will only display a perspective

projection if the global toggle (as set with View >

Perspective) is on as well.

Page 131

HOW TO SET GLOBAL VIEWING PARAMETERS

Fast Display Mode

1. Select the part(s) in the part list.

2. Click the Fast Display Representation pull-

down icon.

3. Select the desired fast display mode.

Select Off to return to standard display

mode.

Note that this can also be done in the General

section of the Part Feature Panel.

Note, if not using immediate mode, this

Sparse Model option will not be

available here.

The global Fast Display Mode can be set either from a menu (View > Fast Display

> ) or by the Fast Display toggle on the Tools Icon Bar.

To change between the Dynamic or Static operation of this mode, go to Edit-

>Preferences... Performance.

To change the part representation for Fast Display Mode:

Page 132

HOW TO SET GLOBAL VIEWING PARAMETERS

ADVANCED USAGE

If using immediate mode, and you desire to use the Sparse Model option for Fast Display, you can control the

percentage of the model that is displayed. See Fast Display Mode. This mode is intended for large models. It

generally will not be pleasing (nor should it be needed) for small models.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Fast Display Rep.

Page 133

HOW TO SET Z CLIPPING

Set Z Clipping

INTRODUCTION

As you apply zoom transformations in EnSight, you may have noticed that the model begins to progressively

disappear as you move close to the model. This happens when the visible model parts intersect the front Z clipping

planes. The Z-clip planes (which are always perpendicular to your line of sight) are specified as distances from the

look-from point (the camera position). The Z clipping plane positions can be set by the user and can be used to

remove unneeded geometry from the display. Each viewport has its own set of Z clipping planes. By default, the Z-

clip planes adjust (float) with the model - thus stay out of the way if possible.

BASIC OPERATION

The initial position of the Z clipping planes is set based on the Z (depth) extent of the visible geometry – plus quite a

bit extra to leave room for transformations. The plane positions can only be set via the Transformation Editor dialog.

1. Click the graphics window transform icon on the Tools Icon Bar

and select Transformation editor...

2. Select Editor Function -> Z-clip

The graphics display shows the relative

positions of the front and back clipping planes

(left and right vertical red lines) to the Z extent of

all currently visible objects (white box).

2. Toggle the Float Z-Clip Planes option on to

have the Z-clip planes automatically

adjust. OR

Toggle the option off to manually adjust

the Z-clip plane locations.

If the Float Z-Clip option is off, you can edit the

plane positions either by dragging the red lines

or by entering explicit values in the Front and

Back text fields. Recall that the values represent

the distance from the look-from point to the

plane.

3. Place the mouse pointer over the desired

plane marker and click the left mouse

button.

4. Drag the marker left or right to the desired

location. The Graphics Window will

update as the marker is moved.

– OR –

3. Enter explicit values in the Front and/or

Back text fields and press return.

If the markers become difficult to manipulate due

to changes, click the Redraw Z-Clip Area Above

button to rescale the markers.

If the Float Z-clip Planes With Transform option is on,

you can specify the minimum Z value that the Front clip

plane can float to.

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HOW TO SET Z CLIPPING

Each viewport maintains its own independent Z clipping planes. The operation described above will change the

planes for the current viewport (as set by clicking in the desired viewport in the Graphics Window).

You can also reset by clicking the Graphics window transforms icon and clicking Reset... to open the Reset Tools and

Viewports dialog. Then click the Reinitialize button.

OTHER NOTES

EnSight uses your workstation’s graphics hardware to implement Z clipping. The same hardware is used for Z-

buffering – determining which objects are visible based on Z (depth) values. The Z buffer typically provides 24 bits of

resolution. EnSight attempts to make the best use of this limited resolution by setting the front and back clipping

planes reasonably close together. If the planes are too far apart, relative Z resolution is reduced and the hardware

may not be able to accurately determine surface visibility. If you see artifacts like this, move the clipping planes closer

together.

EnSight also provides an additional clipping plane: the auxiliary clipping plane. Unlike the Z clipping planes which are

always perpendicular to your line of sight, the auxiliary clipping plane can be placed at any location in any orientation.

The Plane Tool specifies the location of the auxiliary clipping plane. By default, all geometry on the negative Z side of

the Plane Tool is removed. However, you can specify auxiliary clipping on a per part basis – some parts are clipped

while others are not. See How To Set Auxiliary Clipping for more information.

SEE ALSO

How To Define and Change Viewports, How To Set Auxiliary Clipping

Note that clicking the Reinitialize transforms icon on the Tools Icon Bar will reset the Z

clipping planes of the current viewport based on the Z extent of all objects currently

visible in that viewport

Page 135

HOW TO SET LOOKFROM / LOOKAT

Set LookFrom / LookAt

INTRODUCTION

In addition to providing control over model manipulations, EnSight also provides control over the virtual camera used

to view the scene in the Graphics Window while in Global Transform Mode. If a viewport is being viewed through a

camera, this section is not applicable. The two control parameters are the look-from point (the position of the camera)

and the look-at point (a point on the camera’s line-of-sight vector). The Global Axis is positioned at the look-at point

and is always in the center of the Graphics Window.

Initially, the look-at point is set to the geometric center of all visible objects and the look-from point is set to a point on

the positive Z axis such that all visible objects fit in the Graphics Window (as shown in the top image below). The

white axis triad is the Global Axis and can be displayed by selecting View > Axis triad visibility > Global. The bottom

image shows the view after the look-from point has been repositioned between the X and Z axes. The diagrams to

the right of each image show a top-down schematic of each viewing case.

BASIC OPERATION

The look-from, look-at points are controlled via the Transformation Editor dialog.

1. Click the Graphics window transforms icon on the Tools Icon Bar, and select Transformation editor...

2. Select Editor Function > Look At/Look From.

Text fields for

entering numeric

values

Viewer Area for

interactive

manipulation

Viewer Area plane

toggles

Text field for

moving look-from

by setting an

explicit distance

Page 136

HOW TO SET LOOKFROM / LOOKAT

The Transformation Editor dialog provides two methods for setting the look-at and look-from points. Numeric values

can be entered directly into the X,Y,Z Look At, Look From text fields (remember to press return). You can also enter a

value in the Distance field to explicitly move the look-from point a certain distance away from the look-at point.

Alternately, the Viewer Area can be used to interactively manipulate the points. The presentation of the Viewer Area

depends on the which plane toggle is set: X-Y (view from the positive Z axis), Y-Z (view from the positive X axis), or

X-Z (view from the positive Y axis – the default). In each case, the gray box represents the extent of all visible parts.

The intersection of the two red lines is the look-from point. The opposite end of the long red line is the look-at point

(which is initially near the center of the gray box). The example below shows the X-Z Plane presentation, the others

behave analogously.

During your manipulation, the display in the View Area may become difficult to use. Click the “Redraw Viewer Area

Above” button to rescale the display.

The Viewer Area Control Lock pull-down menu effects interactive operation in the Viewer Area as follows:

None No constraints are placed on movement of either the look-from point or the look-at point.

Distance Movement of the look-from (look-at) point is restricted to a circle whose radius is the current Distance

value and whose center is the look-at (look-from) point.

Together The movement of both points is locked such that movements applied to one are applied to the other.

You can easily reset the look-from and look-at points such that all currently visible parts are displayed. Click the

Graphics window transforms icon and Click Reset... to open the Reset Tools and Viewports dialog. Click the

Reinitialize button to reset the currently selected viewports.

OTHER NOTES

You can also set the look-at point by picking an object with the mouse in the Graphics Window:

To change the look-from point:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the

intersection of the two red lines.

2. Click and drag to the desired

location. Note that the Graphics

Window updates as the look-from

point is moved.

To change the look-at point:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the free

end-point of the long red line.

2. Click and drag to the desired location.

Note that the Graphics Window

updates as the look-from point is

moved.

1. Click Reinitialize in the Reset Tools and Viewport(s)

dialog to clear all global transformations.

2. Click the Pick icon on the Tools Icon Bar.

3. Select Pick Look/At Point from the Pick Pull-down

icon.

4. Move the mouse into the Graphics Window. Place the

mouse pointer over the point you wish to set to the

look-at point and press the ‘p’ key (or whatever

mouse button you have set for “Selected Pick

Action” in Edit > Preferences > Mouse and

Keyboard).

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HOW TO SET LOOKFROM / LOOKAT

Other camera parameters, such as the camera up direction and the field-of-view angle can be set in the dialog found

in the Transform Editor, Editor Function> Camera.

SEE ALSO

How To Define and Change Viewports.

How To View a Viewport Through a Camera

Page 138

HOW TO SET AUXILIARY CLIPPING

Set Auxiliary Clipping

INTRODUCTION

Unlike standard Z clipping where the front and back planes are always perpendicular to your line of sight, auxiliary

clipping lets you clip parts against a plane with arbitrary position and orientation. In addition, the auxiliary clip attribute

can be set on a per-part basis. This permits selective clipping to reveal objects of interest.

EnSight’s Plane Tool is used to provide the location for auxiliary clips. As the Plane Tool is manipulated (either

interactively with the mouse or via the Transformations dialog), the display in the Graphics Window updates to reflect

the new location of the plane.

BASIC OPERATION

The Plane Tool will become visible and all objects on the negative Z side of the plane will be clipped (assuming the

plane currently intersects some visible part). You can now manipulate the Plane Tool to achieve the desired display

effect (see How To Use the Plane Tool for details). Note that Auxiliary Clipping always uses the infinite extent of the

plane specified by the Plane Tool – there is no way to restrict it to the rectangular bounds of the tool.

Each part has an attribute that controls whether it is clipped by the Auxiliary Clipping plane or not. To toggle this

setting:

Auxiliary clipping can be globally enabled by

selecting it in the View menu:

1. Select the desired part (see How To Select Parts).

2. Click the Auxiliary Clipping toggle.

(This attribute can also be toggled in the Feature

Panel for the part. See How to Set for more

information.)

Off On

Page 139

HOW TO SET AUXILIARY CLIPPING

SEE ALSO

How To Use the Plane Tool, How To Set Z Clipping.

User Manual: Part Auxiliary Clipping, Global Auxiliary Clipping

Page 140

HOW TO DEFINE AND CHANGE VIEWPORTS

Define and Change Viewports

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides up to sixteen user-defined viewports in the Graphics Window. Each viewport is a rectangular region

of the screen (with or without a border) displaying some or all of the currently visible parts. Each viewport can be

transformed (e.g. rotated or zoomed), sized, and positioned independently. Viewports have several display including

background and border color. Viewports provide a very flexible environment for data display.

This article is divided into the following sections:

Create a New Viewport

Select Viewports

Move and Resize Viewports

Set Viewport Background Color or Image

Set Viewport

Display Selected Parts in Viewports

Set Case Visibility Per Viewport

Perform Transformations in Viewports

Reset Viewport Transformations

Delete Viewports

BASIC OPERATION

Viewport areas on the Desktop

Viewport Quick Action Icons

Viewports Panel

Page 141

HOW TO DEFINE AND CHANGE VIEWPORTS

Create a New Viewport

On startup, EnSight creates a single viewport that fills the Graphics Window. To create a new viewport:

Select Viewports

When you create a new viewport, it automatically becomes the currently selected viewport. Any action to change

viewport always operates on the currently selected viewport(s). To select viewports:

1. Click Viewports tab and select a viewport in the list

panel to make Viewport Quick Action Icons available.

You can alternatively click in the background of one of the

viewports.

2. Click the New Viewport icon.

2. Click the Viewports Layout pull-down icon to select

any of the standard viewport layouts.

Note: you can also right click in the viewport list and

select New.

1. Click Viewports tab and select the desired viewport(s) in the Viewports list panel.

You can alternatively click in the background of the desired viewport.

Note: that the typical multiple selection

techniques can be used. Control

click to append additional

viewports to the selection. Shift

click to select a range of viewports.

Note that the selected viewport is also changed in other modes (such as View) any time you perform some action

in a viewport (such as rotation). There is however, no visual feedback of this change unless or until you have the

Viewport list visible.

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HOW TO DEFINE AND CHANGE VIEWPORTS

Move and Resize Viewports

Viewports can be easily moved and resized. You can either reposition a viewport with the mouse in the Graphics

Window, or precisely by entering exact values. To move or resize a viewport:

1. Get the move and resize hotpoints to appear by clicking in the

background or hovering the mouse over the border of the

desired viewport.

2. To move a viewport, click and hold on the move hotpoint as

you drag the viewport to the desired location.

3. To resize a viewport, click and hold on the resize hotpoint as

you drag the corner to the desired location.

EnSight permits overlapping viewports. You can control the ordering (from front to back):

Click the Pop viewport(s) forward icon to bring the selected viewports to the top.

Click the Push viewport(s) back icon to send the selected viewports to the bottom.

Note: Viewport 0 is always displayed first, thus it cannot be pushed or popped with these icons.

To precisely reposition a viewport:

5. Click the Selected viewport(s) position

icon to open the Create/edit Viewports dialog.

Alternatively you can double click (or right click

and select Edit...) on the viewport in the list.

Then open the Location Attributed area.

6. Enter new values in the Origin X,Y, Width,

or Height fields (and press return).

You can alternatively use the sliders to change

the Width and Height.

The origin (at 0,0) is the lower left corner of the

Graphics Window. Note that the values are

normalized to the width and height of the default

viewport (i.e. the Graphics Window).

7. To quickly or to automatically arrange a

number of viewports right-click on the

viewport and choose Viewports>Manually

arrange which will prompt you to create a

single large viewport and a grid arrangement

of the remaining viewports.

Right click and choose Viewports>Automatically

arrange to have your viewports quickly

automatically arranged in a pre-defined fashion.

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HOW TO DEFINE AND CHANGE VIEWPORTS

Set Viewport Background Color or Image

Viewport background colors can be constant, blended, or inherited from the default viewport. To set viewport

background color:

1. Click Viewports tab and select a viewport in the

list to bring up the Viewport Quick Action

icons.

You can alternatively click in the background of

one of the viewports.

2. Select the desired viewport(s) by any of the

methods described above.

3. Click the Selected viewport(s) background

color icon to open the Create/edit Viewports

dialog, in the Background section.

The Type pull-down controls the type of background

coloring used. There are four types: Constant,

blended, inherit, and image.

Constant

A constant color will be used for the entire

background. To set a constant color:

4. Select Constant from the Type pull-down.

5. Either enter values in the RGB color fields (and

press return OR click the Mix Color... button to

open the Color Selector dialog.

6. The viewport should be refreshed

automatically, but if not you can click Refresh

viewport.

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HOW TO DEFINE AND CHANGE VIEWPORTS

Blended

Up to 5 horizontal level colors can be specified with

interpolation between levels. To set a blended

background:

1. Select Blended from the Type pull-down.

2. Enter the desired number of levels in the # of

Levels field (and press return). Up to five

levels are supported.

3. To edit a color, first select it by clicking on the

number label in the Viewport Color window.

As shown, level 1 is currently selected.

Alternately, you can enter a value in the Edit

Level field or click the up/down arrows.

4. Change the selected color by either entering

new values in the RGB fields (and pressing

return) or clicking the Mix Color... button to

open the Color Selector dialog.

5. You can also change the relative vertical

position of a level by either clicking on the

level number with the left mouse button and

dragging up or down OR by entering a new

value in the Position field (and pressing

return).

6. Click Refresh viewport, if needed.

Inherit

The selected viewports inherit the background type

and color from the default viewport. To set an

inherited background:

1. Select Inherit from the Type pull-down.

2. Click Refresh Viewport, if needed.

Image

The image specified will be used as the background

for the selected viewports. To set an image

background:

1. Select Image from the Type pull-down.

2. Enter the filename for the background image

to use or click the Select... button and

navigate to it.

Note, that the image must be a format that is

recognized, but most common image formats are.

2. Click Refresh Viewport, if needed.

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HOW TO DEFINE AND CHANGE VIEWPORTS

Set Viewport

Viewports can be displayed with a variety of options:

1. Click Viewports tab and select a viewport in the list

to bring up the Viewport Quick Action icons.

You can alternatively click in the background of one of

the viewports.

2. Select the desired viewport(s) by any of the

methods described above.

3. Set the desired attribute as described below:

Click the Selected viewport(s) visibility icon to

toggle display of the selected viewports on or off.

Click the Selected viewport(s) border icon to open

the Border section of the Create/edit Viewports

dialog.

Click the Visible toggle to display a border.

Enter values in the RGB fields (and press return) or

click the Mix... button to open a Color Selector

dialog.

Click the Select viewport(s) special icon to open the

View section of the Create/edit Viewports dialog.

Each viewport has its own toggles for perspective,

hidden surface, and hidden line drawing styles.

These controls will toggle the respective attribute for

the selected viewports. See How To Set Drawing Style

and/or How To Set Global Viewing for more

information.

In addition, a viewport can be 3D or 2D in nature. If the

viewport is designated as 2D, only planar parts may be

displayed in the viewport and transformations will

become 2D limited.

A viewport can be set such that it will track a node

number, a part centroid, or one of the part min or max

values. Thus as a model changes in time, the viewport

will stay centered on that location. See How To Do

Viewport Tracking for more information.

Off

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HOW TO DEFINE AND CHANGE VIEWPORTS

Display Selected Parts in Viewports

Part visibility can be a set on a per-viewport basis such that some parts are visible in some viewports but not in

others. To set part visibility per viewport:

Set Case Visibility Per Viewport

If you have multiple cases in your session of EnSight, you can set viewport visibility for all parts associated with a

case. This makes it easy to display one case per viewport. To set case visibility per viewport:

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Main Parts list.

2. Click the Visibility per

viewport icon.

The Part Viewport Visibility dialog displays a schematic of the

current viewports. The part is currently visible in the green

viewports but invisible in the black viewports.

3. Click in a green viewport to disable display of the selected

part(s) in that viewport OR click in a black viewport to

enable display of the selected part(s) in that viewport.

Note that a similar interface for setting this attribute appears in the

General section of the Create/edit Parts dialog.

1. Select the desired case from the Case menu (Case >

casename).

2. Select Case > Viewport Visibility to open the Case visible in

viewport(s)? dialog.

3. Click in a green viewport to disable display of the selected case

in that viewport OR click in a red viewport to enable display of

the case in that viewport.

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HOW TO DEFINE AND CHANGE VIEWPORTS

Perform Transformations in Viewports

You can transform objects in a user-created viewport as easily as in the default viewport (See How To Rotate, Zoom,

Translate, Scale for details). For precise viewport transformations, you can use the Transformations Editor on a per

viewport basis:

1. Click the Graphics window transforms icon,

then select Transformation editor...

2. To perform precise transformations in a

viewport, click the desired viewport in the

Which viewport(s) window and perform the

transformation.

To select more than one viewport,

simultaneously hold down the control key

and click on additional viewports.

Note that this action will change the currently

selected viewport(s).

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HOW TO DEFINE AND CHANGE VIEWPORTS

Reset Viewport Transformations

The transformations for one or more viewports can be reset at any time in the Reset Tools and Viewport(s) dialog.

1. Click the Graphics window transforms icon, then select

Reset...

2. Select the viewport(s) on which the reset will act.

3. Click on the appropriate button to perform the reset

action desired.

You can reset the selected action only, all rotates translates

and scales at once, or do a complete reinitialization of the

viewport.

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HOW TO DEFINE AND CHANGE VIEWPORTS

Setting/Changing Viewport Part Bounds

Part bounds can be displayed within a viewport. This is useful for understanding the size of the model domain.

1. To turn on part bounds globally, toggle the

Bounds visibility under the View menu.

This will display the bounds around the parts

in the viewports.

2. To control the of these bounds, click the

Selected viewport(s) part bounds icon.

Which will open the Bounds section of the

Viewports Feature Panel (see next page).

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HOW TO DEFINE AND CHANGE VIEWPORTS

Delete Viewports

A created viewport can be deleted at any time:

3. Select General or the Axis specific tabs.

4. Modify any desired.

Including the visibility toggle if you

don’t desire to see the bounds in the

selected viewports.

1. Right click on the desired viewport in the Viewport list

panel and select Delete.

OR, if multiple desired:

1. Select the desired viewports in the list by any of the

typical methods. (Hold down the control key to select

multiple viewports)

3. Right click on the selection and choose Delete.

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HOW TO DEFINE AND CHANGE VIEWPORTS

Other Notes

Border visibility and color, and lighting for the viewports can also be controlled in the Create/edit Viewports dialog.

You can interactively transform multiple viewports simultaneously by selecting the viewports you want to link together

and turning on the Link Interactive Transforms toggle in the Transformation Editor dialog. Those viewports that are

highlighted in green will now transform together for any transformations performed in the Transformation dialog.

Linking does not apply to transformations performed by the mouse in the graphics window.

You can copy the transformations from one viewport to another. First select the viewport you wish to copy, then select

Editor Function->Copy Transformation State. Next select the viewport(s) you wish to modify and select

Editor Function->Paste Transformation State.

SEE ALSO

How To Rotate, Zoom, Translate, Scale, How To Control Lighting

User Manual: Viewports List Panel

Page 152

HOW TO SET LIGHT SOURCES

Set Light Sources

INTRODUCTION

The surfaces of parts are rendered using surface properties (such as color and highlight properties) interacting with

one or more light sources. But default there is a directional light located along the line of sight. This “at the viewer”

light source can’t be modified, i.e., it is always a directional light pointing in the camera view direction. However, you

can turn it off or adjust it’s color or light intensity. In addition to this first light source, there can be up to seven

additional lights of various types and positions. These lights are taken into account in the graphics window and for

ray traced images.

There are various reasons to define additional light sources. However, the primary and most common use is to

define lights for the ray tracer, such that shadows and reflectivity can be shown in the scene.

Here is a scene showing the image produced in the graphics window. It has a single default light source, i.e., the

light is at the camera position shining in the camera view direction. If we ray trace this, you get the following

image:

As you can see, you

have no shadows in

the scene because

the light and viewer

directions are co-

aligned.

Page 153

HOW TO SET LIGHT SOURCES

If we introduce two more directional light sources at locations and in the directions shown in this image:

And now ray trace the scene, we get the following image:

As you can see, we now have shadows, better reflections, and better lighting in the tread part of the tire.

However, the chrome is also fully saturated in some areas of the wheel. We might consider using a less intense

light for one or more of the lights to make this a better image.

Page 154

HOW TO SET LIGHT SOURCES

BASIC OPERATION

1. Bring up the Light Source Editor by selecting

“Lighting...” from the View pulldown.

Light source 1 is the default light in the scene.

2. To modify it’s light intensity, move the slider or

enter a value (0 to 1) in the light intensity field.

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HOW TO SET LIGHT SOURCES

ADVANCED USAGE

You have the option to cast shadows from a light source when producing ray traced images.

Toggle on “Casts shadows for raytracing” in the Light Source Editor.

SEE ALSO

How To Use Raytrace Rendering

How To Use the Cursor (Point) Tool

3. To activate a new light source, toggle it’s “Active”

toggle.

4. The Type can be set to one of:

Directional - the light is located at infinity and points in the

direction (or towards the point) defined. There is no light

attenuation for this light type.

Point - the light shines in all directions and is located at

the point specified. This light type has light attenuation and

uses the distance from the light source to the ray end as the

light radius.

Spot - the light shines in the direction (or towards the

point) defined. This light type has light attenuation and uses

the distance from the light source to the ray end as the light

radius. This light type also has a spot angle as well as a falloff

angle which defines how “blurry” the light cone will be.

5. The easiest way to modify the light source location or

light source direction is either:

a) Move the mouse over the light glyph hot points,

which is one of:

(i) the light location,

(ii) the mid point of the ray, or

(iii) the light ray end location.

Then click and drag the location.

b) Or use one of the many tools to specify the cursor

tool location. Once the cursor tool is in location, use the

“Get cursor tool” button to define the light or ray end

locations.

6. If you want to move the light origin or light ray end

location along the ray direction, you can toggle on the

lock icon. Once the icon is locked, you can grab any of

the three hot points for the light glyph with the mouse in

the graphics window and adjust by

(i) moving the light location, which will move the light

location along the ray direction, or by

(ii) moving the ray end location, which will move the

ray end along the ray direction, or by

(iii) moving the mid point, which will move the light

location and ray end together.

Page 156

HOW TO DISPLAY REMOTELY

Display Remotely

INTRODUCTION

EnSight does not support the running of the client on one machine and setting the system display environment back

to a different machine. Not all of the features of OpenGL are supported on all platforms in this mode which can

conflict with EnSight’s graphics. It is intended that you actually run the client from the console of the client

machine.

If you run the client on a remote machine and display back, you will see the following warning displayed on the

console machine:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warning: EnSight has detected indirect OpenGL rendering. This could be

caused by remote display using X11, by an incorrect setting of the DISPLAY

environment variable, or by a bad driver installation.

When running using indirect OpenGL, you will notice a performance degradation

and loss of some rendering features. If you are running over a network we

strongly recommend that you install EnSight directly on the client machine.

EnSight is a client/server application, and you can run the EnSight server

on your remote machine.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

One way is to run the client on your local machine with a manual connection:

ensight102.client -cm (Linux)

ensight102_client -cm (Windows)

and on the remote machine:

ensight102.server -c clienthostname (Linux)

ensight102_server -c clienthostname (Windows)

Another way is to run your client and to tell it to open a connection on a remote machine (default is ssh) as follows

ensight102.client -c remotehostname (Linux)

ensight102_client -c remotehostname (Windows)

Running one or multiple servers remotely incurs no cost as only the EnSight client requires a license key.

And, of course the various VR combinations of display are valid.

SEE ALSO

How To Use Server of Servers

How To Setup for Parallel Rendering

Page 157

HOW TO SAVE & RESTORE VIEWING PARAMETERS

Save & Restore Viewing Parameters

INTRODUCTION

EnSight’s viewports provide a great deal of flexibility in how objects are displayed in the Graphics Window. Given the

complicated transformations that can be performed, it is imperative that users be able to save and restore

accumulated viewport transforms.

BASIC OPERATION

Copying Viewing Parameters from one Viewport to another.

This is most easily done by using right click operations.

1. In the Viewports list panel, right

click the viewport which contains

the desired view.

2. Select Copy Transform.

3. In the Viewports list, right click the

viewport which is to receive the view.

4. Select Paste Transform.

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HOW TO SAVE & RESTORE VIEWING PARAMETERS

Saving Viewing Parameters to a file

EnSight provides a maximum of 16 viewports: the main viewport (which you cannot change) and 15 additional

viewports. When EnSight saves one or more viewports, it also includes the viewport number (which is equal to the

creation order) as a tag. When you request that one or more viewports be restored, EnSight looks in the saved file

and searches for tag numbers corresponding to the currently selected viewports. If it finds a match, it restores that

viewport. If there is no match for a selected viewport, it is left unchanged.

Restoring Viewing Parameters

Click the Graphics window transforms icon in the Transformations Control area of the Tools Icon Bar and

select Transformation editor... to open the Transformations dialog.

1. Select the viewports you want to restore.

2. Select Restore View... from the File menu. Select a file name in the file browser and click OK.

What is Saved

Only global and local (frame) transformations are stored in a view parameters file. No information is stored for

viewport, look-from/look-at points, or Z clipping.

Other Notes

By default, the F5, F6, or F7 buttons restore a standard right, top, or front view (respectively) of the selected viewport.

However, by holding down the Control key while pressing one of these keys, the current view will be saved to that

key. Subsequent pressing of that key will restore the saved view. Only Global transforms are saved / restored by

these operations, not Frame transforms.

SEE ALSO

How to Define and Change Viewports, How to Create and Manipulate Frames.

Click the Graphics window transforms

icon in the Transformations Control area

of the Tools Icon Bar and select

Transformation editor... to open the

Transformations dialog.

1. Select the viewports you want to save.

Click within a viewport to select it.

Hold down the control key as you

click to select additional viewports. Or

select them similarly in the Viewport

list.

2. Select Save View... from the File

menu.

3. Select a directory and enter a file

name in the file browser and click OK.

Page 159

HOW TO CREATE AND MANIPULATE FRAMES

Create and Manipulate Frames

INTRODUCTION

A coordinate frame can be created for calculator functions or for parts.

The two calculator functions VectorCylProjection and VectorRectProjection use a Frame to designate the projection

coordinate system.

The remaining use of frames is for parts. By default, all parts are assigned to the same frame of reference. You can,

however, create additional coordinate frames and assign parts to them. These frames (and the parts assigned to

them) can be manipulated (rotated, translated, scaled) independently of other frames. Some examples of frame

usage:

1. You wish to create a copy of a part and display a different variable on the copy. When you create the copy, a new

frame is automatically created and the copy is assigned to it. The new frame can be translated away from the

original to visualize both variables simultaneously.

2. You wish to create an animation of parts moving independently (e.g. for an exploding view or to “open” a closed

object with a “hinged door”). Each dynamic part is assigned to a new frame. During keyframe animation, the

frames are manipulated independently to achieve the desired motion.

3. You have a dataset with rotational periodicity but the symmetry axis is not aligned with a major axis. A new

frame is created and positioned such that one of its axes is aligned with the symmetry axis.

4. You have a dataset that makes correct positioning of EnSight tools difficult, e.g. a duct not aligned with a major

axis. Create a new frame and align one of the axes with the duct. Since tool positions are always specified with

respect to the current frame, you can now use the Transformation Editor to accurately position tools along the axis

of the duct.

In addition to position and orientation, frames have a number of display such as visibility, line width, and color. You

can also specify the length of each axis separately and display a series of evenly spaced labels to use as a 3D

measuring tool.

Frames are a powerful but complex feature of EnSight. Understanding the basics of frames is essential for proper

use. This article is divided into the following sections:

Introduction

Create a New Frame

Select Frames

Assign Parts to Frames

Move and Rotate Frames

Reset Frame Transform

Set Frame

Determine What Frame a Part is Assigned To

Delete Frames

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BASIC OPERATION

Introduction

On startup, EnSight creates a default frame – frame 0 – located at 0,0,0 of the right-handed “world” or model

coordinate system and aligned with the X, Y, Z axes. All parts (model and newly created) are assigned to frame 0

initially. Frame 0 is special in that it cannot be repositioned or deleted.

Frames are selected either by clicking a visible frame axis triad in the Graphics Window (implying that the frame triad

had to previously been set to be visible) or by selecting the desired frame in the Frames list panel. Any frame

operation (such as setting) acts on the currently selected frame(s).

Note: Frame operations

are reserved for the

expert user. By default,

the Frame Feature Icon

is not enabled. To

enable it, go to Window-

>Toolbars, and toggle

Frames on.

Alternatively, one can right click on

the head of the List Panel section,

and toggle Frames on.

After which, the Frames List Panel will

be available, default Coord. frame 0 is

listed, and the operations described

below can be performed.

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The EnSight positioning tools (Cursor, Line, Plane, and Quadric tools) are always positioned with respect to the

currently selected frame. If more than one frame is selected, frame 0 is the reference frame for tools. If you have tools

visible, you will notice them changing position as the selected frame is changed.

EnSight implements computational periodicity (such as rotational symmetry) as an attribute of frames. If a frame has

symmetry enabled, all parts assigned to the frame will be duplicated as specified by the particular type of symmetry.

A frame axis triad consists of three lines representing the X, Y, and Z orientation vectors plus labels. Selected frames

are highlighted in the Frames list.

EnSight does not support hierarchical frames: you cannot assign a frame to another frame to implement nested

transformations. All frames are embedded in the same world coordinate system (i.e. frame 0).

Create a New Frame

In general, you have to explicitly create new frames. However, EnSight will automatically create a new frame each

time you create a copy of a part and assign the copy to the frame.

To create a frame:

1. Decide if you want the new frame to be set to the default 0,0,0

position (same as the model coordinates), or whether you would

like to have it centered on some selected part(s). If the former,

make sure no parts are selected in the Parts list. If the latter, select

the desired part(s) in the Parts list.

2. Either select an existing frame in the Frames list

panel and hit the New Frame icon.

Right click on an existing frame in the

Frames list panel, and select New.

The new frame also becomes the currently

selected frame.

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Select Frames

There are two ways to select frames. You can select frames in the Frames list panel, or click on the frame axis triad in

the Graphics Window (if the triad is visible).

To select frames using the Frames list:

To select frames in the Graphics Window:

Assign Parts to Frames

To assign a part to a frame:

1. Click the Frames tab, to show the Frames list panel, if it is not already shown.

2. Select the desired frames in the list.

You can use standard techniques, such as

shift-click to extend a selection or control-

click to add to the list (or de-select an item if

already selected).

Note that this implies that the frame triad(s) are

already visible. If they are not, you will need to do

your first selection using the Frames list as

described above. Then make the frame triad(s)

visible by toggling on the Axis visibility icon.

You can now:

1. Position the mouse pointer over the frame axis triad (the lines – not the XYZ labels) and click the left

mouse button.

You can extend a selection of frames by holding down the Control key as you click on frames.

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Main Parts list.

2. Select the desired frame (as described above).

4. Click the Assign selected part(s) to selected frame

icon to assign the part(s) to the frame.

Right click on the desired frame and select Assign to,

then Selected Part.

Note that you can easily assign all parts to a frame using

the latter method

A message is printed to the EnSight Message Window

(found under the Information display icon), confirming the

assignment.

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HOW TO CREATE AND MANIPULATE FRAMES

Move and Rotate Frames

You transform a frame (and all parts assigned to it) when you perform any transformation while in Frame Transform

mode. Frame Transform mode is set by default.

You toggle between it and Frame definition mode

for the selected frame(s) using the Transform/

Define frame(s) icon on the Quick Action Icon Bar.

or in the Create/edit Frames dialog.

Transform

Mode

Define

Mode

IMPORTANT: Generally one should only use the Define mode while first creating and orienting the

frame. Thus before any parts are assigned to it. Thereafter one should ensure that he is using Transform

mode. If you do this, you will avoid error and confusion in the use of frames.

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To transform in Frame Transform mode:

Frame transforms are implemented as a transformation applied with respect to the frame’s position and orientation.

At times you will need to modify the position and orientation of the frame independent of the parts assigned to it. This

is done while in Frame Definition mode. You have been shown how to enter Frame Definition mode above.

Important! You cannot change the frame definition if you have performed any frame transformations (if you attempt

to do so, a dialog will remind you). Any frame definition must be applied prior to a frame transformation. If you have

already made frame transforms you can clear them by returning to frame transform mode and using the Reset Tools

and Viewports dialog (click Reset... to open).

1. Select the desired frame(s) (as described above).

2. Ensure that the Transform/Define frame(s) icon is

set to the Transform mode.

This can alternatively be done in the Create/edit

Frames dialog, where radio buttons show the

state.

3. Perform the desired transformation either

interactively (using the Transformations Control

icons and the mouse in the Graphics Window) or

via the Transform Actions in the General section

in the Create/edit Frames dialog.

See How To Rotate, Zoom, Translate, and Scale

for more information.

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To transform the Frame Definition:

1. Select the desired frame(s) (as described

above).

2. Ensure that the Transform/Define frame(s) icon

is set to the Define mode.

This can alternatively be done in the Create/edit

Frames dialog, where radio buttons show the

state.

3. Perform the desired transformation either

interactively (with the mouse in the Graphics

Window) or via the Transform Actions in the

General section in the Create/edit Frames

dialog.

To translate the frame interactively, move the

mouse pointer into the Graphics Window and

click and drag the left mouse button. To rotate

the frame interactively, click and hold the left

mouse button on one of the frame axes and

drag the mouse. Clicking on the X axis will

rotate the frame about its Y axis. Clicking on the

Y axis will rotate the frame about its X axis.

Clicking the Z axis will rotate about both X and

(Use the Transform Action in the General

section to rotate about the Z axis only.)

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You can also edit the frame’s definition explicitly using the Transformation Editor dialog:

Reset Frame Transform

The frame transform can be reset back to the default position and orientation by using the Reset Tools and Viewports

dialog. To clear the frame transform:

1. Click the Frame Location icon.

This opens the Create/edit Frames dialog in Frame Definition mode.

2. Select the desired frame(s).

4. If desired, enter new value(s) in the XYZ

fields to change the frame’s origin

(remember to press return).

5. If desired, enter new value(s) for the

orientation vectors (remember to press

return).

Note that the orientation vectors are

normalized afresh when you press return.

1. Select the desired frame(s) (as described above).

2. Make sure the Transform/Definition Icon is set to transform

3. Click the Reset... button in the Transformation Control area to open the

Reset Tools and Viewports dialog.

4. In the Reset Tools and Viewports dialog, click the desired button:

Reset By Selected Transform Only: clear only the transformation component

currently selected (e.g. rotate or translate) in the Transformation Control area

Reset Rotate/Translate/Scale: clear all transformation components

See How To Reset Tools and Viewports for more information.

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Set Frame

Frames can be displayed with a variety of options:

1. Select the desired frame(s) (as described above).

2. Set the desired attribute as described below:

Click the Axis Visibility Toggle to toggle display of

the axis triad of selected frames on or off.

Click (opens the Color Selector) to set the color

for the axis triad of selected frames.

Click the Frame Line Width pull-down to set the

line width for the axis triad of selected frames.

Click the Axis icon to set axis (described below).

Click Computational symmetry icon to set

translational, rotational, or mirror symmetry

(described below)

To adjust the length of the frame axes,

enter new values in the X, Y, and Z Length

fields and press return.

To display a series of evenly spaced labels

along an axis (showing distance from the

axis origin), toggle on the applicable Label

button, enter the desired number of labels

in the # of field, and press return.

To choose the type of computational

symmetry (translatational, rotational,

mirror).

Once the type is chosen, appropriate

controls will open for that type.

If your data is not Case Gold format then

you can interactively chose to use a

Periodic File. If it is Case Gold then you

must enter the matchfile name in the Case

file

Off

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HOW TO CREATE AND MANIPULATE FRAMES

Determine What Frame a Part is Assigned To

You can determine what frame a part is assigned to (and change it) by opening the Parts Feature Editor:

Delete Frames

Selected frames can be deleted. Note that a frame cannot be deleted if any parts are currently assigned to it. All parts

assigned to the frame must be assigned to other frames prior to deletion.

SEE ALSO

How To Set Symmetry, How To Rotate, Zoom, Translate, and Scale, How To Reset Tools and Viewports

User Manual: Frames List Panel

1. Open Create/edit Parts by double

clicking on the desired part.

Right click on the part in the Parts list,

and select Edit...

3. Open the General turndown.

The part’s current frame number is shown in

the Ref. Frame field. You can reassign a part to

a different frame by entering a new value and

pressing return.

1. Select the desired frame(s) (as described above).

2. Right click on your selection and choose Delete.

Page 169

HOW TO RESET TOOLS AND VIEWPORTS

Reset Tools and Viewports

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides support for complex transformations of various entities (e.g. the scene, tools, frames). It is often

necessary to clear all or part of the transformation associated with an entity; the Reset Tools and Viewports dialog

provides this capability.

BASIC OPERATION

To clear global transformations or tool positions:

1. Click the Graphics windows transform icon in the

Transformation Control area of the Tools Icon Bar

and select Reset... to open the Reset Tools and

Viewports dialog.

2. Perform the desired operation as described

below.

3. Click Close.

Transformations will only be reset for the

current viewport(s). Click in a viewport to

select it (turns green). Control-click to

extend the selection or de-select a

selected item.

Click the applicable button to reset the

corresponding tool.

Click to clear only the transformation

component currently selected in the

Transformation Control area (e.g. Rotate

or Translate).

Click to clear all transformations as well

as reset the camera look-from/look-at

points so that all currently visible parts

are centered in the selected viewport(s).

This also resets the center of transform

to the geometric center of the visible

parts.

Click to clear all

transformations in the

selected viewport(s). Note

that zoom is not a scene

transformation and is not

cleared. Zoom is

implemented by moving the

look-from point (the camera

position). To clear zoom, click

Reinitialize.

Toggle selects whether tool is

reset based on the global XYZ

space or reset based only on

the selected viewport.

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HOW TO RESET TOOLS AND VIEWPORTS

ADVANCED USAGE

The Reset Tools and Viewports dialog is also used to clear Frame transformations. See How To Create and

Manipulate Frames for more information on frames and frame transforms.

To clear frame transformations:

SEE ALSO

How To Rotate, Zoom, Translate, Scale, How To Define and Change Viewports, How To Create and Manipulate

Frames

1. Select the desired frame(s) in the Frame list.

2. Click the Graphics windows transform icon in the

Transformation Control area and select Reset... to

open the Reset Tools and Viewports dialog.

3. Perform the desired operation as described

below.

4. Click Close.

Frame transformations will only be reset

for the current viewport(s). Click in a

viewport to select it. Control-click to

extend the selection or de-select a

selected item.

Click to clear only the frame

transformation component currently

selected in the Transformation Control

area (e.g. Rotate or Translate) for the

selected frame(s) in the selected

viewport(s).

Click to clear all frame

transformations for the

selected frame(s) in the

selected viewport(s).

Page 171

HOW TO USE THE COLOR SELECTOR

Use the Color Selector

INTRODUCTION

Several operations in EnSight require that you select a color. The Color Selector dialog is used throughout the user

interface to provide a powerful and easy-to-use color selection mechanism.

BASIC OPERATION

The selector operates using one of two basic color models: RGB or HSV. The RGB color model specifies color by the

percentage of red, green, and blue and closely mimics the way computers deal with color. The HVS color model

specifies colors as percentages of hue (the actual color with red equal to both 0.0 and 1.0, green equal to 0.33, and

blue equal to 0.66), saturation (the “amount” of color, where 0.0 is white and 1.0 is full), and the value (the brightness,

where 0.0 is black and 1.0 is full). The HSV model is often more intuitive for mixing custom colors.

The dialog provides three basic methods of selecting colors:

When you have selected a color, click the OK button to have the selected color applied to the object being edited (e.g.

part, color map level, text, etc.).

Specify Custom Colors

If you have colors that you use frequently that are not represented in the color grid, you can save them to one of the

Custom colors grids by clicking Add to Custom Colors button. Your custom colors are automatically saved for future

sessions. To set custom colors:

The color information is saved in EnSight defaults directory (located at

%HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\(username)\.ensight102 commonly located at C:\Users\username\.ensight102 on

Vista and Win7, C:\Documents and Settings\yourusername\.ensight102 on older Windows, and ~/.ensight102 on

Linux, and in ~/Library/Application Support/EnSight102 on the Mac) with the following filename:

ensight.colpal.default.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Quick Color Widget Panel, Part Color/Surface Property Icon

1. By picking one of the

predefined colors from the

grid of color cells.

2. By grabbing the marker in the

color cube and moving it with

the mouse.

3. By entering values for HSV

(or RGB, depending on

mode) directly in the fields

and pressing return.

Color square always displays

the current color selection.

Page 172

HOW TO ENABLE STEREO VIEWING

Enable Stereo Viewing

INTRODUCTION

EnSight supports active stereo display on workstations with quad-buffered OpenGL stereo capability, in addition to

passive (polarized) stereo support for detached displays (see How To Setup Parallel Rendering). Active stereo

works by rapidly displaying alternating left and right eye views on the screen. An emitter (which sits on top of your

display monitor) sends an infrared signal to special glasses worn by the viewer(s). The glasses contain liquid crystal

shutters that alternately open and close the left and right eye lenses in response to the signal from the emitter in sync

with the monitor display. The update frequency is such that the viewer effectively fuses the left and right views into a

single stereo image.

Stereo is useful for viewing any type of visually complex geometry. It is especially helpful for visualizing amorphous

objects such as animating particle traces, trace ribbons, or discrete particles. It has also been noted that

management and customers are typically quite impressed by stereo display.

BASIC OPERATION

In EnSight, stereo display is enabled by pressing the F12 key on your keyboard. Pressing the F12 key again will

return to normal display. The stereo separation angle can be controlled by pressing the F10 and F11 keys. F10

decreases the angle and F11 increases the angle. Pressing Ctrl-F12 will swap the left and right eyes in order to

correct for stereo displays which have the left and right eyes reversed. When EnSight is configured to use a

detached display (see How To Setup Parallel Rendering), these commands affect only the detached display. The

window remains monoscopic.

The stereo model used by EnSight to generate stereo imagery is one of two physical cameras. These cameras are

located some distance from the screen and they are some distance apart. We render the right and left eye views

using those two cameras. This will look (completely) correct, if your eyes are located at these two camera points.

Unfortunately, we are not head-tracking in the case of desktop stereo, so it is very difficult to be perfectly aligned.

Fortunately, the brain is very adept at compensating for the differences in projection and can tolerate an amazing

level of inaccuracy in the projections (witness the fixed projection at your local 3D theater).

However, as geometry gets closer and closer to the eye, the compensation tends to fail. It also tends to fail when

geometry near the border of the screen gets clipped. In those cases, the brain refuses to 'fuse' the imagery into a

single 3D image. To compensate for this, EnSight allows you to vary the eye separation. You can use the function

keys (F10 and F11) to adjust the stereo separation, or, you can adjust the number directly. Or you can use a tool

included in the EnSight tools as shown further below. The command:

ensight.objs.core.STEREO_SEPARATION = 5.0

either in the Python command window or the command language command window (File>Command) or even in a

command file (.enc file) or python file (.py file) adjusts the current value. These numbers are not in units of any

specific distance (we would need to know the screen DPI for that) and are larger for eyes closer together and smaller

for when they are further apart. Think of them as the distance the viewer is away from the screen, given a fixed

intraocular distance. Thus, head position is implied. It is directly in the center of the imagery, as some distance back

from the screen.

Configuring your display

On most platforms the display is not initialized by default in a mode which enables stereo viewing. In general quad-

buffered stereo requires a refresh rate of 96Hz or higher. On some monitors it may be necessary to decrease the

Double click on the tools icon, and in the tools dialog,

Open the Utilities folder, double click the Stereo tool to enable stereo and set eye separation

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HOW TO ENABLE STEREO VIEWING

display resolution in order to accommodate this higher refresh rate. Check your monitor documentation before

attempting to change the refresh rate.

There is a utility distributed with EnSight which can be used to determine if your display has stereo capability. Run

‘cei_apex31_glinfo’ from a command line and look for OpenGL visuals with a ‘y’ the column ‘st’ or ‘stro’. If none exist,

then the current display parameters do not allow for stereo viewing.

Below are example instructions for various platform configurations which have been tested and confirmed to work

with EnSight. When in doubt, refer to your system documentation for OpenGL as well as the X server (Unix) or video

adapter device driver (Windows).

Linux

Professional graphics cards generally support stereo OpenGL under Linux. Documentation is included with the

drivers, which may be downloaded from the card vendors web sites.

MS Windows

Configuration of stereo under Microsoft Windows is dependent upon the graphics card driver which is installed.

Right-click on the background and choose “Properties” to open to Display Properties dialog. Look for a tab which

such as “OpenGL Properties” or “Advanced” and search for a stereo option. In many cases there is a toggle button

for enabling stereo display.

The nVidia stereo-enabled graphics cards have a number of ‘gotchas’. Firsts, when you upgrade your graphics

card software driver from the manufacturer’s web site, your stereo may no longer work because it may be turned

off as a result of the upgrade. And you may turn on stereo in the driver and find that the stereo test app works, but

EnSight still fails. This is because the nVidia test app uses DirectX, but EnSight uses OpenGL. So while the nVidia

test app is working in stereo because you have turned on DirectX stereo, EnSight may not be working because

OpenGL is still turned off. In nVidia, the critical setting that allows OpenGL stereo is not under the “Stereoscopic

3D” settings, but is rather under “Manage 3D Settings”. Set “Stereo Enable” to “On”.

You will usually need to restart the machine in order for changes to take effect. If stereo still does not work, try

changing the display resolution, as stereo may not be available at higher resolutions. Also, if you lowered the

refresh rate below 120 Hz, put it back to 120 Hz.

Page 174

HOW TO PICK CENTER OF TRANSFORMATION

Pick Center of Transformation

INTRODUCTION

EnSight allows you to define the model center of transformation as well as useful options for orienting the model.

FAST OPERATION

Simply right click on a part in the graphics window and choose Set Center of Transform and the center of transform

will be set to the selected part at the location of your cursor.

BASIC OPERATION

You can also set or change the exact location of the center of transform by using the Transformation Editor.

1. Click the Pick button on the Tools Icon Bar.

2. Toggle on Pick Center of Transformation.

3. Position the mouse cursor on your model at the

desired location for the center of transformation.

4. Press the “p-key” (or the default, middle mouse

button click, or whatever mouse button you have set for

“Selected Pick Action” in Edit > Preferences > Mouse

and Keyboard).

Your model will now rotate about the position on the model

that you just picked.

1. Click Graphics window transforms icon

and select the Transformation editor...

2. Under “Editor Function”, select “Center of

Transform”.

3. Set of modify the x,y,z coordinate location

of the center of transform in the dialog which

comes up.

Note: clicking on the ‘Fit’ icon

or the Reinitialize transforms icon

will reset the center of transform to the

geometric center of the visible parts.

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HOW TO PICK CENTER OF TRANSFORMATION

ADVANCED

A number of other useful options exist for setting both the center of transformation and the orientation to locations of

interest.

The first is to simply right click on a part location in the graphics window, and choose one of the following options.

The second set of options are useful if you wish to repeatedly redefine the Center of transform, or to repeatedly

Center, or repeatedly perform a Center plus direction; These involve redefining the Pick operation. Then you can

repeatedly execute the pick operation on a location on a part in the graphics window.

The third option for setting the center of transform is done using the maximum or the minimum value of a variable in

the variable list. Right click on a variable and do one of the following:

When this option is chosen, the center of

global transformation is positioned at the

mouse location on the part.

When this option is chosen, the mouse

location on the part is centered in the

graphics window and the center of

transform is set to this mouse location

on the part.

When this option is chosen, the mouse location

on the part is centered in the graphics window

and then rotated so the surface normal is parallel

to the screen normal. The center of transform is

also set to this mouse location on the part.

When one of these options is chosen, and the part is

colored by a variable, the location of the variable

minimum or maximum on this part is centered in the

graphics window and the center of global

transformation is positioned at this part location.

When this Pick operation is chosen and the Pick

operation is performed, the center of global

transformation is positioned at the Picked point.

When this Pick operation is chosen and then the

Pick option is performed, the Picked point is

centered in the graphics window and the center

of transform is set to the Picked point.

When this Pick operation is chosen and the Pick operation is

performed, the Picked point is centered in the graphics

window and then rotated so the surface normal is parallel to

the screen normal. The center of transform is also set to the

Picked point

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When one of these options is chosen,

the location of the variable minimum on

the selected or all part(s), respectively,

is centered in the graphics window and

the center of global transformation is

positioned at this location.

When one of these options is chosen,

the location of the variable maximum on

the selected or all part(s), respectively,

is centered in the graphics window and

the center of global transformation is

positioned at this location.

Page 177

HOW TO SET MODEL AXIS/EXTENT BOUNDS

Set Model Axis/Extent Bounds

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides model axes and extent bounds to help in orienting your model.

BASIC OPERATION

Model Directional Triad

The model axes help maintain awareness of the principal directions of the reference frame of the model. This is

especially helpful during model transformations. It is on by default, but can be toggled on/off by:

View > Axis triad visibility > Model

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HOW TO SET MODEL AXIS/EXTENT BOUNDS

Model Extent Bounds

The model extent bounds also help maintain dimensional information pertaining to the extents of the model.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Part Bounds Attributes

View > Bounds visibility to display the model extents

To control the various associated with the model extents:

1. Double click on the desired viewport in the

Viewports list panel.

2. Open the Bounds turndown.

3. Modify the various general and/or Axis specific as

desired.

Page 179

HOW TO DO VIEWPORT TRACKING

Do Viewport Tracking

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides the capability to “track” a particular location on the model parts displayed in a viewport. Tracking

means that the viewport will be caused to center on the chosen location as time is changed. This is particularly useful

for models with changing geometry or applied displacements - allowing one to stay focused on the moving bodies

during an animation.

BASIC OPERATION

Viewports can be displayed with a variety of options:

SEE ALSO

How To Define and Change Viewports

User Manual: Viewports List Panel

1. Double click on the desired viewport, (or

select the desired viewport(s) and right click

-> Edit...

2. Open the View if needed.

3. Select the Tracking option desired,

5. And supply the node or part id appropriately.

6. Change time step, load a transient flipbook,

or the like and note that the viewport will stay

centered on the location chosen.

Page 180

HOW TO VIEW A VIEWPORT THROUGH A CAMERA

View a Viewport Through a Camera

INTRODUCTION

Global transform mode defines a viewing position and then allows you to transform (translate and rotate) the scene.

Camera mode behaves a little differently. In this mode the scene remains as defined and does not move. Instead the

scene is viewed through a camera which can be positioned at any location and oriented to look in a specific direction

and have a specified "tilt".

A viewport can either be in Global transform mode (default) or it can be defined to be viewed through the camera.

Local transforms are valid in either mode. In order to view a viewport through a camera (a) the camera position and

orientation must be defined, and (b) the viewport must be tied to a camera.

BASIC OPERATION

If a viewport is being viewed through a camera the interactive transformations (when you click and drag the mouse

buttons in the viewport) affect the camera position and orientation. By default the visibility of the cameras are off.

There are eight total cameras available that can be manipulated. By default they are positioned at the +/- XYZ axis

locations plus two more cameras showing a view of -1 -1 -1 and 1 -1 -1.

To position/orient a camera interactively:

1. If you click-drag for a transform in a viewport being tracked by a camera the camera will transform

1. In viewports that are not being viewed through a camera you will see a camera icon (if camera visibility is on). You

can click-drag the center of the camera to drag the camera to a new position. Clicking/dragging the axis of the

camera rotate the camera.

1. You can set the Pick option on the tool ribbon to position/orient the camera

2. Place the mouse pointer over the desired location on a part in any of the viewports in the graphics window and

press the 'p' key (or whatever mouse button you have set for the "Selected Pick Action" in Edit->Preferences->Mouse

and Keyboard). Depending on which pick action was chosen the camera will be positioned or oriented according to

the pick.

You may pick a spline control point for the Camera origin in which case the camera will position and orient itself

according to the spline.

Any viewport can be viewed through a camera by

1. From the Transformation icon on the Tools Icon

Bar, click Transformation

editor...

2. In the resulting

Transformation editor

(Global Transform) select

the viewport you want to view through a camera

3. Select the camera from the Tie viewport(s) to

camera pulldown. When set to None the camera

model is not used and the Global transformation

model is active.

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HOW TO VIEW A VIEWPORT THROUGH A CAMERA

ADVANCED USAGE

1. If the camera origin is on a spline, zoom operations will move the camera along the spline

2. If the origin or Focus is set to a node number the camera will update if the node changes position.

SEE ALSO

How To Use the Spline Tool

To turn on camera visibility:

1. Open the Transformation Editor as described in

previous section.

2. Select Editor function > Camera

3. Select the camera(s) you want to turn visible

4. Turn on the Visible toggle.

To position/orient a camera interactively from the

Camera Transformation editor

1. If the Origin is set to XYZ then the camera is located

at the X, Y, Z locations shown here

If the Origin is set to Spline then the camera origin

will be located on the defined spline

If the Origin is set to Node then the camera origin will

be located at a specified node id.

2. The camera orientation is controlled by the Camera

Z direction and the Camera Up vector. If the Focus is

set to Node or XYZ then the Z vector is defined by the

Node/XYZ location.

To set other camera:

1. The view angle controls the field of view through the

camera. A small value simulates a telephoto lens

while a large value simulates a wide angle lens

2. The Size sets the size of the camera glyph. Use the

up/down arrows to increase/decrease the glyph size

by a factor of 2.

Page 182

HOW TO MANAGE VIEWS

Manage Views

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a capability to save and restore viewing parameters for the data model and all viewports.

Collectively, this state is known as a View. This dialog portrays Views graphically as buttons with a small picture

("thumbnail") of the currently displayed data rendered with the underlying viewing parameters of that View.

With the Views Manager the user can create, save, restore, and apply viewing parameters in a simple point-and-click

interaction.

BASIC OPERATION

The Views Manager dialog is displayed by right clicking on

the EnSight graphics area background and choosing

View>Create New View

OR by selecting the 'Views…' icon on the Tools Icon Bar

OR in the main menu Windows>Views Manager...

The dialog will look similar to that shown here.

(Initially, the Views Manager will not contain

any thumbnails of Views.)

Click on the ‘New’ Button (or right-click on an empty

area of the User Defined Views and select ‘New’) to

create a new view using the current orientation and

viewing parameters in the main graphics window.

The 'Save views' button will display a file browser in

which the user can select a directory. The manager

will then write each View into a separate EnSight

view file (named sequentially 'view0', 'view1',

'view2'...) A maximum of 16 Views can be used.

The button 'Restore views' will display a file

browser. Select a directory which contains EnSight

View files and click the ‘Choose’ button. Any Views

found in that directory will be loaded and displayed

as a thumbnail button with the currently loaded

data. Note that the 'Restore views' button will only

look for views created by EnSight 8.2.1(e) or newer.

Older Views must be loaded individually via the

right-click menu explained later.

Note: when restoring, the file browser has a toggle

button “Use stored images for thumbnails’ which when

set causes the originally stored image in the view to be

displayed on the thumbnail instead of the currently

loaded image. This can be useful if the current image

takes a long time to render.

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HOW TO MANAGE VIEWS

The menu options perform the following actions:

SEE ALSO

See the User Manual: Window Functions

Apply Performs the same action as clicking the left mouse button on the selected thumbnail

button.

Add as keyframe (20) Adds a keyframe with this view with 20 Sub-Frames.

Edit keyframe count Pops up a window to query enter number of SubFrames, then adds a keyframe with this

view.

Replace Replaces the thumbnail button's viewing parameters and image with the currently

displayed state of the EnSight graphics window.

Update image Replaces the thumbnail button's image with the button's viewing parameters while using

the currently loaded data.

Delete Deletes the selected thumbnail button and associated viewing parameters. Note that if

the View is associated with an EnSight View file, the file will not be deleted.

Save as... Displays a file browser where the user can specify both a directory and an alternative

file name for the View.

New Creates a new View button using the currently displayed model data and all viewports.

Update all images Performs the same action as 'Update image' but for all thumbnail buttons.

Delete all Performs the same action as 'Delete' but for all thumbnail buttons

Restore... Displays a file browser where the user can select an EnSight View file to load. Note that

this option allows the user to load all versions of View files.

Clicking on a standard view will put the main

graphics window in that view. It does not create a

view in the User Defined Views.

Clicking a thumbnail button with the left mouse

button will apply that View to the EnSight graphics

window.

Clicking the mouse's right button will display one

of two pop-up menus.

If the right mouse button is

clicked on top of a

thumbnail image, then the

menu to the right will be

displayed.

Clicking the mouse’s right

button in the background of

the thumbnail drawing area

will display this menu.

Page 184

HOW TO USE THE CURSOR (POINT) TOOL

Manipulate Tools

Use the Cursor (Point) Tool

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a 3D point specification tool called the “Cursor” tool. When visible, the Cursor appears as a 3D

cross colored red (X axis), green (Y axis), and blue (Z axis). The Cursor tool is used to supply EnSight with point

information, for example to specify the location for a query or the starting point for a particle trace.

BASIC OPERATION

In many cases, the Cursor tool will automatically turn on when performing some function that requires it. You can also

turn the tool on and off manually by toggling the Cursor entry in the Tools menu or by clicking the Cursor toggle on the

Tools Icon Bar.

The Cursor tool can be placed in three ways: interactively through direct manipulation with the mouse, by positioning

the mouse pointer over a part and pressing the ‘p’ key, or precisely positioned by typing coordinates into a dialog.

To position the Cursor with the mouse:

Cursor translation is restricted to the plane perpendicular to your line of sight. If you need to move the cursor in

another plane, rotate the model such that the desired translation plane is perpendicular to your new line of sight.

(Note that the Cursor may not exactly track the location of the mouse pointer.)

To position the Cursor on a part with the ‘p’ key:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the center of the tool.

Note that the mouse cursor will change when over the center

of the cursor tool.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the Cursor to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

(Undo/Redo button at the bottom of screen can be used to undo/redo the

tool transformation)

1. Turn on the Cursor tool as specified above. Then

Click the Pick button on the tool ribbon.

2. Select “Pick cursor tool location” from the pop-up

menu.

3. Place the mouse pointer over the desired location on

a part in the graphics window and press the ‘p’ key

(or whatever mouse button you have set for the

“Selected Pick Action” in Edit > Preferences > Mouse

and Keyboard). The middle mouse button is usually

defaulted to perform the pick action as well.

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HOW TO USE THE CURSOR (POINT) TOOL

To set the Cursor by specifying coordinates:

You can also move the Cursor by setting the desired axis of translation in the About Axis field and manipulating the

slider bar. In this case, the values in the “Scale Settings” section control the sensitivity and limit of the slider action.

Note that you can also use this dialog to view (rather than set) the position of the Cursor since the X,Y,Z numeric

values always update to reflect the current location. If you are positioning the Cursor interactively with the mouse, the

values will update when the mouse button is released.

Shortcut

While Part Quick Action icons are available (indicating that one is dealing with parts), right click on the cursor tool.

You can hide the tool (make it invisible), edit it (open the Transformation Editor), or use the tool to quickly do

something such as query a variable over time, or emit a particle streamline trace.

ADVANCED USAGE

After a model has been loaded, the initial location of the Cursor is set to the “look-at” point – the geometric center of

all visible geometry. The coordinates of the Cursor are specified with respect to the default frame: frame 0. However,

if you have created additional frames, you can position the Cursor relative to the origin of a different frame. This is

accomplished by selecting the desired frame in the “Which Frame” list in the Transformation Editor dialog.

You can easily reset the position of the Cursor tool to the default. See How To Reset Tools and Viewports for more

information.

Positioning a 3D tool with a 2D device (the mouse) can be difficult. Multiple viewports are sometimes helpful in

positioning tools since you can see the tool simultaneously from multiple vantage points.

SEE ALSO

Other tools: Line, Plane, Box, Cylinder, Sphere, Cone, Surface of Revolution. See the How To article on Frames

for additional information on how frames effect tools.

User Manual: Tools Menu Functions

1. Open the Transformation Editor dialog by

clicking Tool location editor... from the

Tool Locations settings icon.

2. If the Transformation Editor is not set to

Cursor Tool, set it by Editor function->

Tools.

3. Enter the desired coordinates into the X, Y,

and Z type-ins and hit return.

Page 186

HOW TO USE THE LINE TOOL

Use the Line Tool

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a 3D linear specification tool called the “Line” tool. When visible, the Line tool appears as a

(typically white) line with an axis system at the center point and an arrow head on one end. The Line tool is used to

supply EnSight with a linear specification, for example to specify the location for a line clip or a “rake” for a particle

trace.

BASIC OPERATION

In many cases, the Line tool will automatically turn on when performing some function that requires it. You can also

turn the tool on and off manually by toggling the Line entry in the Tools menu or by clicking the Line toggle on the

Tools Icon Bar.

The Line tool can be placed or manipulated in three ways: interactively through direct manipulation of tool “hotpoints”

with the mouse, by positioning the mouse pointer over a part and typing the ‘p’ key, or precisely positioned by typing

coordinates into a dialog and/or rotating the tool about its axis. With surface normal options the line remains normal.

Line moving and stretching is restricted to the plane perpendicular to your line of sight. If you need to move the Line

in another plane, rotate the model such that the desired translation plane is perpendicular to your new line of sight.

(Note that the Line will not exactly track the location of the mouse pointer.)

To move the Line with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the center of the tool.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the Line to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

To stretch the Line with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over one of the Line endpoints.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the endpoint to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

To rotate the line with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse over the end of one of the tool axes.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the axis endpoint until the line has rotated as desired.

4. Release the mouse button.

Note selecting the X axis endpoint will rotate about the Y axis, selecting the Y axis endpoint will rotate

about the X axis, and selecting the Z axis endpoint will rotate in a general fashion about the centerpoint.

Note that the mouse pointer will change when it is over a hotpoint.

(Undo/Redo button can be used to undo/redo the tool transformation)

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HOW TO USE THE LINE TOOL

To position the Line on a part with the ‘p’ key:

To set the Line by specifying coordinates:

Rotation, translation or scaling of the tool can also be accomplished by selecting the appropriate transform action

icon and the desired axis, and then manipulating the slider. In this case, the values in the “Scale Settings” section

control the sensitivity and limit of the slider action.

Note that you can also use this dialog to view (rather than set) the position of the Line since the X,Y,Z numeric values

always update to reflect the current location. If you are positioning the Line interactively with the mouse, the values

will update when the mouse button is released.

1. Click the Pick button on the Tools Icon Bar.

2. Select “Pick line tool location” from the pop-up menu.

(Then pick either by 2 points or 2nodes.)

3. In the Graphics Window, place the mouse pointer on

a part over the desired location for the first Line

endpoint and press the ‘p’ key (or whatever mouse button

you have set for the “Selected Pick Action” in Edit >

Preferences > Mouse and Keyboard). The middle mouse

button is usually defaulted to perform the pick action as

well

4. Move the mouse pointer to the desired location for the

second Line endpoint and again press the ‘p’ or middle

mouse key/button.

When “Using 2 points” the endpoints will be place at the pick location.

When “Using 2 nodes”, the endpoints will be placed at the nearest

node and the ids of those nodes will be saved, such that the line tool

will continue to be attached to these nodes - even if they move.

1. Open the Transformation Editor dialog by clicking

Tool location editor... from the Tool Locations

settings icon..

2. If the Transformation Editor is not set to

Line Tool, set it by Editor function-> Tools..

3. Enter the desired coordinates for the

endpoints into the X, Y, and Z fields and

press return.

3. Alternatively, you can enter the node ids for

two nodes in the model.

This has the effect of keeping the line tool tied

to the two nodes - even if they move over time.

Note the Length field - which is discussed in

Advanced Usage below.

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HOW TO USE THE LINE TOOL

Shortcut

Right click on a part in the graphics window and choose Place Tool, and then choose to place the line tool normal to

a surface, or tangential to a surface at the location of the mouse pointer.

Right click on center selection point of the line tool (while Part Quick Action icons are available indicating that parts

can be edited),. You can do quick x or y rotates, hide the tool, or open the transformation editor. You can also use this

right click to quickly create a line clip, query a variable, or do a particle streamline trace with the line tool as the

emitter.

ADVANCED USAGE

After a model has been loaded, the initial location of the Line center is set to the “look-at” point – the geometric center

of all visible geometry and parallel to the X axis. The coordinates of the Line are specified with respect to the default

frame: frame 0. However, if you have created additional frames, you can position the Line relative to the origin of a

different frame. This is accomplished by selecting the desired frame in the “Which Frame” list in the Transformation

Editor dialog.

You can easily reset the position and orientation of the Line tool to the default. See How To Reset Tools and

Viewports for more information.

Positioning a 3D tool with a 2D device (the mouse) can be difficult. Multiple viewports are sometimes helpful in

positioning tools since you can see the tool simultaneously from multiple vantage points.

To find the distance between two nodes that have IDs, you can use the calculator function Dist2Nodes. However, to

find the distance between two nodes on different parts, or between two nodes if one or both don’t have IDs, use the

line tool. Use the Pick Line Tool Location-> Using 2 nodes option as shown above, then move the cursor near the first

node location, hit ‘p’ key, move to the second node location and hit the ‘p’ key, then open up the transformation editor

and in the transformation editor menu, Edit>Tools>Line you’ll find the length of the line tool which is the distance

between those two points.

SEE ALSO

Other tools: Cursor, Plane, Box, Cylinder, Sphere, Cone, Surface of Revolution. See the How To article on

Frames for additional information on how frames effect tools.

User Manual: Tools Menu Functions

Page 189

HOW TO USE THE PLANE TOOL

Use the Plane Tool

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a plane specification tool called the “Plane” tool. When visible, the Plane tool appears as a

(typically white) rectangular region with an axis located at the center point. The Plane can also have a semi-

transparent “filled” center that enhances visibility of the region. The Plane tool is used to supply EnSight with a

planar specification, for example to specify the location for a planar clip or a “net” for a particle trace.

BASIC OPERATION

In many cases, the Plane tool will automatically turn on when performing some function that requires it. You can also

turn the tool on and off manually by toggling the Plane entry in the Tools menu (e.g. Tools > Plane) or by clicking the

Plane toggle on the Tools Icon Bar.

The Plane tool can be placed in three ways: interactively through direct manipulation of tool “hotpoints” with the

mouse, by positioning the mouse pointer over a part and typing the ‘p’ key, or precisely positioned by typing

coordinates into a dialog.

Plane moving is restricted to the plane perpendicular to your line of sight. If you need to move the Plane in another

plane, rotate the model such that the desired translation plane is perpendicular to your new line of sight. (Note that

the Plane will not exactly track the location of the mouse pointer.)

To move the Plane with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the center of the tool.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the Plane to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

To stretch (or scale) the Plane about the plane’s center with the

mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over any of the corners.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the corner to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

To rubber-band a corner of the plane tool (while the opposite corner

stays fixed), do the same as above, but hold the Ctrl key down as you

click and drag a corner.

To rotate the Plane tool with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over one of the axis labels (X, Y, or Z).

2. Click and drag to the desired orientation. Grabbing the X (Y) label

will rotate around the plane’s Y (X) axis. Grabbing the Z label

enables free rotation about the Plane’s center point.

Note that the mouse pointer will change when it is over a hotpoint.

(Undo/Redo button at the bottom of screen can be used to undo/redo the tool

transformation)

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HOW TO USE THE PLANE TOOL

To position the Plane on a part (by specifying three points) with the ‘p’ key:

You can also position the Plane Tool by picking three nodes (this differs from the above where 3 points in space are

used - in that the node ids of the three closest nodes are found and saved). The Plane orientation will be changed

such that it lies in the plane of the three nodes chosen, and will continue to lie in the plane of these three nodes, even

if they change location.

To position the Plane (by specifying three nodes):

1. Turn on the Plane tool as noted above. Then Click

the Pick button on the tool ribbon.

2. Select “Pick plane tool location > Using 3 points”

from the pop-up menu.

3. In the Graphics Window, place the mouse pointer on

a part and press the ‘p’ key (or whatever mouse

button you have set for the “Selected Pick Action” in

Edit > Preferences > Mouse and Keyboard).

4. Repeat two more times. Note that you are not

specifying corner points – just three unique points.

1. Turn on the Plane tool as noted above, then click the

Pick button on the tool ribbon.

2. Select “Pick plane tool location > Using 3 nodes”

from the pop-up menu.

3. In the Graphics Window, place the mouse pointer on

a part, near a desired node and press the ‘p’ key (or

whatever mouse button you have set for the

“Selected Pick Action” in Edit > Preferences > Mouse

and Keyboard).

4. Repeat two more times. Note that you are not

specifying corner points – just three unique nodes.

If you open the Transformation Editor,

it should open in Plane Tool mode assuming you just

performed the operations above. If not, change the

Editor function to Tools->Plane. You can see the id of the

three nodes that you have chosen.

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HOW TO USE THE PLANE TOOL

You can also position the Plane Tool by tracing out a line on the screen. The Plane orientation will be changed such

that it is both parallel to the specified line and perpendicular to the screen.

To position the Plane (by specifying a line):

You can also position the Plane Tool by picking an origin, then a point out on the normal. This takes two picking

operations to accomplish.

To position the Plane (by picking origin, then point on normal):

1. Turn on the Plane tool as indicated earlier, then Click

the Pick button on the tool ribbon.

2. Select “Pick plane tool location > Using 2 points”

from the pop-up menu.

3. Move the mouse pointer into the Graphics Window

and press the ‘p’ key. Place the pointer over the

desired starting point. Click and hold the left mouse

button as you trace out the desired line.

4. Release the mouse button.

1. Turn on the Plane tool as indicated earlier, then Click

the Pick button on the tool ribbon.

2. Select “Pick plane tool location > Origin” from the

pop-up menu.

3. Move the mouse pointer into the Graphics Window

and place the pointer over the desired origin of the

plane tool - then press the ‘p’ key.

4. Select “Pick plane tool location > Normal” from the

pop-up menu.

5. Place the pointer over a point along the normal

vector (from the origin of the plane tool) - then press

the ‘p’ key.

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HOW TO USE THE PLANE TOOL

To set the Plane by specifying parameters exactly:

You can also rotate, translate, or scale the Plane by selecting the desired transform action, setting the desired axis

and manipulating the slider bar. In this case, the values in the “Scale Settings” section control the sensitivity and limit

of the slider action.

Note that you can also use this dialog to view (rather than set) the position of the Plane since the X,Y,Z numeric

values always update to reflect the current location. If you are positioning the Plane interactively with the mouse, the

values will update when the mouse button is released.

The Undo/Redo button at the bottom of screen can be used to undo/redo the tool transformation.

Shortcut

If you right click on center selection point of the line tool you can do quick x or y rotates, increase or decrease the size

of the tool, hide the tool, or open the transformation editor. You can also use this right click to quickly create a plane

clip, or do a particle streamline trace with the plane tool as the emitter.

ADVANCED USAGE

After a model has been loaded, the initial location of the Plane center is set to the “look-at” point – the geometric

center of all visible geometry and parallel to the X-Y plane. The coordinates of the Plane are specified with respect to

the default frame: frame 0. However, if you have created additional frames, you can position the Plane relative to the

1. Turn on the Plane tool, then open the

Transformation Editor from the tools ribbon.

2. If necessary, set the editor to Plane mode

by Editor Function > Tools > Plane.

3. Enter the desired coordinates for the origin,

the components of the normal vector, and

the x and y size, and press return.

– OR –

3. Enter the id of three nodes and press

return.

– OR –

3. Enter the plane equation parameters (Ax +

By + Cz = D) and press return.

– OR –

3. Enter the desired coordinates for three

corner points into the X, Y, and Z fields and

press return.

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HOW TO USE THE PLANE TOOL

origin of a different frame. This is accomplished by selecting the desired frame in the “Which Frame” list in the

Transformation Editor dialog.

You can easily reset the position and orientation of the Plane tool to the default. See How To Reset Tools and

Viewports for more information.

By default the plane tool will be displayed in line mode. You can display the tool as a transparent plane by changing

the setting for Edit > Preferences... View - Plane Tool Filled.

Positioning a 3D tool with a 2D device (the mouse) can be difficult. Multiple viewports are sometimes helpful in

positioning tools since you can see the tool simultaneously from multiple vantage points.

SEE ALSO

Other tools: Cursor, Line, Box, Cylinder, Sphere, Cone, Surface of Revolution. See the How To article on

Frames for additional information on how frames effect tools.

The Plane Tool is also used to specify the location of the clip plane for Auxiliary Clipping.

User Manual: Tools Menu Functions

Page 194

HOW TO USE THE BOX TOOL

Use the Box Tool

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a hexahedron shaped specification tool called the “Box” tool. When visible, the Box tool appears as

a (typically white) wireframe box icon with a triad at one corner. The Box tool is used to supply EnSight with a 3D

volume specification, for example to specify the location for a box clip or cut.

BASIC OPERATION

In many cases, the Box tool will automatically turn on when performing some function that requires it. You can also

turn the tool on and off manually by toggling Tools > Box.

The Box tool can be placed in two ways: interactively through direct manipulation of tool “hotpoints” with the mouse or

precisely positioned by typing coordinates into a dialog.

Box tool moving and stretching is in 3 space. (Note the Box may not exactly track the location of the mouse pointer.)

To move the Box Tool with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the origin corner

of the tool.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the Box to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

To stretch the Box Tool with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over any of the corner

points (except the origin).

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the endpoint to produce the desired

stretched size.

4. Release the mouse button.

To rotate the Box Tool with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the center of the

x, y, or z edge (not at the endpoints).

2. Click and drag to rotate.

Note: Selection of the X axis edge will rotate the

box about the Y axis edge. Selection of the Y

axis edge will rotate about the X axis edge.

Selection about the Z axis edge will rotate

about the origin.

Note that the mouse pointer will change when it is over a

hotpoint (if you are in Part or Frame mode).

(Undo/Redo button at the bottom of screen can be used

to undo/redo the tool transformation)

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HOW TO USE THE BOX TOOL

To set the Box Tool by specifying coordinates:

You can also rotate, translate or stretch the Box Tool by selecting the desired Transform Action, setting the desired

axis, and then manipulating the slider bar. For these tool actions, the values in the “Scale Settings” section control the

sensitivity and limit of the slider action.

Note that you can also use this dialog to view (rather than set) the position of the Box Tool since the numeric values

always update to reflect the current location, size, and orientation. If you are positioning the Box Tool interactively with

the mouse, the values will update when the mouse button is released.

Shortcut

While Part Quick Action icons are available (indicating that parts can be edited), right click on center selection point of

the Box tool. You can do quick hide the tool, or open the transformation editor.

ADVANCED USAGE

After a model has been loaded, the initial location of the Box Tool is centered about the “look-at” point – the geometric

center of all visible geometry - and is aligned with the model axis system. The coordinates of the Box are specified

with respect to the default frame: frame 0. However, if you have created additional frames, you can position the Box

Tool relative to the origin of a different frame. This is accomplished by selecting the desired frame in the “Which

Frame” list in the Transformation Editor dialog.

You can easily reset the position and orientation of the Box tool to the default. See How To Reset Tools and

Viewports for more information.

Positioning a 3D tool with a 2D device (the mouse) can be difficult. Multiple viewports are sometimes helpful in

positioning tools since you can see the tool simultaneously from multiple vantage points.

1. Open the Transformation Editor dialog by

clicking on the Tools icon then selecting

the Tool location editor.... option.

2. If the dialog is not set for Box tool (look at

the title of the dialog) then switch the

dialog to the Box tool by Editor Function

> Tools > Box.

3. To place and size, enter the desired

coordinates for the Origin corner and

the length in each of the directions,

and press return.

4. To orient, enter the components of the

orthogonal axis orientation vectors

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HOW TO USE THE BOX TOOL

SEE ALSO

Other tools: Cursor, Line, Plane, Cylinder, Sphere, Cone, Surface of Revolution. See the How To article on

Frames for additional information on how frames effect tools.

User Manual: Tools Menu Functions

Page 197

HOW TO USE THE CYLINDER TOOL

Use the Cylinder Tool

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a cylindrical specification tool called the “Cylinder” tool. When visible, the Cylinder tool appears as a

(typically white) cylinder icon with a line running down the central axis. An axis triad will be at the center of the central

axis line. The Cylinder tool is used to supply EnSight with a cylindrical specification, for example to specify the

location for a cylinder clip or cut.

BASIC OPERATION

In many cases, the Cylinder tool will automatically turn on when performing some function that requires it. You can

also turn the tool on and off manually by toggling Tools > Quadric > Cylinder.

The Cylinder tool can be placed in two ways: interactively through direct manipulation of tool “hotpoints” with the

mouse or precisely positioned by typing coordinates into a dialog.

To move the Cylinder with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the center of the tool.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the Cylinder to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

To stretch the Cylinder with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over either of the center line’s

endpoints.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the endpoint to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

To change the Cylinder radius with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the center ring.

2. Click and drag to the desired radius.

3. Release the mouse button.

To rotate the Cylinder with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the end of one of the

central axes.

2. Click and drag until desired rotation is accomplished.

3. Release the mouse button.

Note:

Selecting the x axis will rotate about the Y axis.

Selecting the y axis will rotate about the X axis.

Selecting the z axis will rotate in general about the axis

origin.

Note that the mouse pointer will change when it is

over a hotpoint (if in Part or Frame mode).

(Undo/Redo button at the bottom of screen can be

used to undo/redo the tool transformation)

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HOW TO USE THE CYLINDER TOOL

Cylinder moving and stretching with the mouse is restricted to the plane perpendicular to your line of sight. If you

need to move the Cylinder in another plane, either rotate the model such that the desired translation plane is

perpendicular to your new line of sight or use the other modes for manipulating the tool. (Note that the Cylinder will

not exactly track the location of the mouse pointer.)

To set the Cylinder by specifying coordinates:

You can also rotate, translate, or scale the Cylinder by setting the desired transform action and axis and manipulating

the slider bar. In this case, the values in the “Scale Settings” section control the sensitivity and limit of the slider

action.

Note that you can also use this dialog to view (rather than set) the position of the Cylinder since the numeric values

always update to reflect the current location. If you are positioning the Cylinder interactively with the mouse, the

values will update when the mouse button is released.

ADVANCED USAGE

After a model has been loaded, the initial location of the Cylinder center is set to the “look-at” point – the geometric

center of all visible geometry and aligned with the X axis. The coordinates of the Cylinder are specified with respect

to the default frame: frame 0. However, if you have created additional frames, you can position the Cylinder relative

to the origin of a different frame. This is accomplished by selecting the desired frame in the “Which Frame” list in the

Transformation Editor dialog.

You can easily reset the position and orientation of the Cylinder tool to the default. See How To Reset Tools and

Viewports for more information.

Positioning a 3D tool with a 2D device (the mouse) can be difficult. Multiple viewports are sometimes helpful in

positioning tools since you can see the tool simultaneously from multiple vantage points.

SEE ALSO

Other tools: Cursor, Line, Plane, Box, Sphere, Cone, Surface of Revolution. See the How To article on Frames

for additional information on how frames effect tools.

User Manual: Tools Menu Functions

1. Open the Transformation Editor dialog by

clicking Tool location editor... from the

Tool Locations settings icon.

2. Select Editor Function > Tools > Cylinder

if the panel is not set to Cylinder Tool.

3. Enter the desired coordinates for the

Origin (location of the center point),

the Axis (direction vector), and the

Radius and press return.

Page 199

HOW TO USE THE SPHERE TOOL

Use the Sphere Tool

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a spherical specification tool called the “Sphere” tool. When visible, the Sphere tool appears as a

(typically white) sphere icon with a line running down the central axis. An axis triad will be at the center of the central

axis line. The Sphere tool is used to supply EnSight with a spherical specification, for example to specify the location

for a sphere clip or cut.

BASIC OPERATION

In many cases, the Sphere tool will automatically turn on when performing some function that requires it. You can

also turn the tool on and off manually by toggling Tools > Quadric > Sphere.

The Sphere tool can be placed in two ways: interactively through direct manipulation of tool “hotpoints” with the

mouse or precisely positioned by typing coordinates into a dialog.

Sphere moving and stretching is restricted to the plane perpendicular to your line of sight. If you need to move the

Sphere in another plane, either rotate the model such that the desired translation plane is perpendicular to your new

line of sight or use the other modes for manipulating the tool. (Note that the Sphere will not exactly track the location

of the mouse pointer.)

To move the Sphere with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the center of the tool.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the Sphere to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

To stretch the Sphere with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over either of the center line’s

endpoints.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the endpoint to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

To rotate the sphere with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the end of one of the

central axes.

2. Click and drag until desired rotation is accomplished.

3. Release the mouse button.

Note:

Selecting the x axis will rotate about the Y axis.

Selecting the y axis will rotate about the X axis.

Selecting the z axis will rotate in general about the axis origin.

Note that the mouse pointer will change when it is over a hotpoint.

(Undo/Redo button at the bottom of screen can be used to undo/redo the tool

transformation)

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HOW TO USE THE SPHERE TOOL

To set the Sphere by specifying coordinates:

You can also rotate, translate or scale the Sphere by setting the desired transform action and axis and manipulating

the slider bar. In this case, the values in the “Scale Settings” section control the sensitivity and limit of the slider

action.

Note that you can also use this dialog to view (rather than set) the position of the Sphere since the numeric values

always update to reflect the current location. If you are positioning the Sphere interactively with the mouse, the

values will update when the mouse button is released.

ADVANCED USAGE

After a model has been loaded, the initial location of the Sphere center is set to the “look-at” point – the geometric

center of all visible geometry and aligned with the X axis. The coordinates of the Sphere are specified with respect to

the default frame: frame 0. However, if you have created additional frames, you can position the Sphere relative to

the origin of a different frame. This is accomplished by selecting the desired frame in the “Which Frame” list in the

Transformation Editor dialog.

You can easily reset the position and orientation of the Sphere tool to the default. See How To Reset Tools and

Viewports for more information.

Positioning a 3D tool with a 2D device (the mouse) can be difficult. Multiple viewports are sometimes helpful in

positioning tools since you can see the tool simultaneously from multiple vantage points.

SEE ALSO

Other tools: Cursor, Line, Plane, Box, Cylinder, Cone, Surface of Revolution. See the How To article on Frames

for additional information on how frames effect tools.

User Manual: Tools Menu Functions

1. Open the Transformation Editor dialog by

clicking Tool location editor... from the

Tool Locations settings icon.

3. Enter the desired coordinates for the

Origin (location of the center point),

the Axis (direction vector), and/or the

Radius.

if you are going to create a developed surface from

a spherical clip, you need to be aware of how the

spherical axis orientation affects this operation.

(See How To Create a Developed Surface)

2. Select Editor Function > Tools > Sphere if

the panel is not set to Sphere tool.

Page 201

HOW TO USE THE CONE TOOL

Use the Cone Tool

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a conical specification tool called the “Cone” tool. When visible, the Cone tool appears as a

(typically white) cone icon with a line running down the center axis. The Cone tool is used to supply EnSight with a

conical specification, for example to specify the location for a conical clip or cut.

BASIC OPERATION

In many cases, the Cone tool will automatically turn on when performing some function that requires it. You can also

turn the tool on and off manually by toggling Tools > Quadric > Cone.

The Cone tool can be placed in two ways: interactively through direct manipulation of tool “hotpoints” with the mouse

or precisely positioned by typing coordinates into a dialog.

Cone moving and stretching is restricted to the plane perpendicular to your line of sight. If you need to move the Cone

in another plane, either rotate the model such that the desired translation plane is perpendicular to your new line of

sight or use the other modes for manipulating the tool. (Note that the Cone will not exactly track the location of the

mouse pointer.)

To move the Cone with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the center of the tool.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the Cone to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

To stretch the Cone with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over either of the center

line’s endpoints.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the endpoint to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

To change the Cone radius with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the base ring.

2. Click and drag to the desired radius.

To rotate the Cone with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the end of one of the

central axes.

2. Click and drag until desired rotation is

accomplished.

3. Release the mouse button.

Note:

Selecting the x axis will rotate about the Y axis.

Selecting the y axis will rotate about the X axis.

Selecting the z axis will rotate in general about the

axis origin.

Note that the mouse pointer will change when it is over

a hotpoint.

(Undo/Redo button at the bottom of screen can be used

to undo/redo the tool transformation)

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HOW TO USE THE CONE TOOL

To set the Cone by specifying coordinates:

You can also rotate, translate or scale the Cone by setting the desired transform action and axis and manipulating the

slider bar. In this case, the values in the “Scale Settings” section control the sensitivity and limit of the slider action.

Note that you can also use this dialog to view (rather than set) the position of the Cone since the numeric values

always update to reflect the current location. If you are positioning the Cone interactively with the mouse, the values

will update when the mouse button is released.

The clip/cut from the cone tool will extend infinitely from the tip outwards unless you choose Extent>Finite in the

pulldown.

ADVANCED USAGE

After a model has been loaded, the initial location of the Cone center is set to the “look-at” point – the geometric

center of all visible geometry and aligned with the X axis. The coordinates of the Cone are specified with respect to

the default frame: frame 0. However, if you have created additional frames, you can position the Cone relative to the

origin of a different frame. This is accomplished by selecting the desired frame in the “Which Frame” list in the

Transformation Editor dialog.

You can easily reset the position and orientation of the Cone tool to the default. See How To Reset Tools and

Viewports for more information.

Positioning a 3D tool with a 2D device (the mouse) can be difficult. Multiple viewports are sometimes helpful in

positioning tools since you can see the tool simultaneously from multiple vantage points.

SEE ALSO

Other tools: Cursor, Line, Plane, Box, Cylinder, Sphere, Surface of Revolution. See the How To article on

Frames for additional information on how frames effect tools.

User Manual: Tools Menu Functions

1. Open the Transformation Editor dialog by

clicking Tool location editor... from the

Tool Locations settings icon.

2. Select Editor Function > Tools > Cone if

the panel is not set to Cone tool.

3. Enter the desired coordinates for the

Origin (location of the cone tip), the

Axis (direction vector), and the

conical half angle (in degrees) and

press return.

Page 203

HOW TO USE SURFACE OF REVOLUTION TOOL

Use Surface of Revolution Tool

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a surface of revolution specification tool called the “Revolution” tool. When visible, the Revolution

tool appears as a (typically white) icon with a line running down the center axis. By default, the distance of five

planar points from the central axis defines the profile curve of the revolution surface (although you can add points up

to a maximum of ten). The Revolution tool is used to supply EnSight with a surface of revolution specification, for

example to specify the location for a revolution clip or cut.

BASIC OPERATION

In many cases, the Revolution tool will automatically turn on when performing some function that requires it. You can

also turn the tool on and off manually by toggling Tools > Quadric > Revolution.

The Revolution tool can be placed in two ways: interactively through direct manipulation of tool “hotpoints” with the

mouse or precisely positioned by typing coordinates into a dialog.

Revolution tool moving and stretching is restricted to the plane perpendicular to your line of sight. If you need to move

the Revolution tool in another plane, either rotate the model such that the desired translation plane is perpendicular to

your new line of sight or use the other modes to manipulate the tool. (Note that the Revolution tool will not exactly

track the location of the mouse pointer.)

To move the Revolution tool with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the center of the tool.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the tool to the desired location.

4. Release the mouse button.

To reorient the Revolution tool with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over either of the center line’s

endpoints.

2. Click (and hold) the left mouse button.

3. Drag the endpoint to achieve the desired orientation.

4. Release the mouse button.

To rotate the Revolution tool with the mouse:

1. Place the mouse pointer over the end of one of the

central axes.

2. Click and drag until desired rotation is accomplished.

3. Release the mouse button.

Note:

Selecting the x axis will rotate about the Y axis.

Selecting the y axis will rotate about the X axis.

Selecting the z axis will rotate in general about the axis

origin.

Note that the mouse pointer will change when it is

over a hotpoint.

(Undo/Redo button at the bottom of screen can be

used to undo/redo the tool transformation)

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HOW TO USE SURFACE OF REVOLUTION TOOL

To set the Revolution tool by specifying coordinates:

You can also rotate, translate, and scale the Revolution tool by setting the desired transform action and axis and

manipulating the slider bar. In this case, the values in the “Scale Settings” section control the sensitivity and limit of

the slider action.

Note that you can also use this dialog to view (rather than set) the position of the Revolution tool since the numeric

values always update to reflect the current location. If you are positioning the Revolution tool interactively with the

mouse, the values will update when the mouse button is released.

1. Open the Transformation Editor dialog by

clicking Tool location editor... from the

Tool Locations settings icon.

2. If the dialog is not set to Revolution Tool,

Select Editor Function > Tools >

Revolution.

The dialog displays the profile curve as a series

of connected line segments with stars

positioned at the curve points. You can edit the

curve by clicking and dragging the points or by

manually entering distance-radius pairs. You

can also add or delete points. As you make

changes, the tool in the graphics window

updates interactively.

To edit points with the mouse:

1. Click on the point and drag to the desired

location.

To add points (up to a maximum of 10):

1. Click Add Point.

2. Move the mouse pointer into the curve

window and click the left mouse button in

the location of the desired new point.

Clicking Delete Point will remove the

currently selected point.

To manually edit a point:

1. Click the point (to select it) in the curve

window or click the desired point in

either the Distance or Radius lists.

2. The distance and radius of the selected

point are shown in the text fields below

each list.

3. Edit the point’s distance and/or radius

value and press return.

To edit the position or orientation:

1. Enter the desired coordinates for the

Origin (location of the axis center point)

or Axis (direction vector) and press

return.

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HOW TO USE SURFACE OF REVOLUTION TOOL

ADVANCED USAGE

After a model has been loaded, the initial location of the Revolution tool center is set to the “look-at” point – the

geometric center of all visible geometry and aligned with the X axis. The coordinates of the Revolution tool are

specified with respect to the default frame: frame 0. However, if you have created additional frames, you can position

the Revolution tool relative to the origin of a different frame. This is accomplished by selecting the desired frame in

the “Which Frame” list in the Transformations dialog.

You can easily reset the position and orientation of the Revolution tool to the default. See How To Reset Tools and

Viewports for more information.

Positioning a 3D tool with a 2D device (the mouse) can be difficult. Multiple viewports are sometimes helpful in

positioning tools since you can see the tool simultaneously from multiple vantage points.

SEE ALSO

Other tools: Cursor, Line, Plane, Box, Cylinder, Sphere, Cone. See the How To article on Frames for additional

information on how frames effect tools.

Page 206

HOW TO USE THE SELECTION TOOL

Use the Selection Tool

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a 2D screen selection tool called the “Selection” tool or “Region Selector”. It is different than most of

the other tools - in that it is not used to create other parts. It is basically used for selection purposes. For example, it

can be used to select a screen region to zoom in to. It can be used in the part selection process. And it can be used

for the element blanking operation.

BASIC OPERATION

Zoom to Region

To use the selection tool to perform a zoom operation:

1. Turn on the Selection Tool via

the icon on the Tools Icon Bar.

You manipulate the tool by:

- clicking and dragging on any

corner to rubberband the tool.

- clicking and dragging on the

center of the tool to move it.

Note: the dotted box indicates the

aspect ratio of the graphics window

and is used for zoom operations.

2. Click the Zoom symbol, at the

upper left of the tool, to cause

the zoom to occur.

Note: the Undo button is useful if

you want to undo the last

transformation.

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HOW TO USE THE SELECTION TOOL

Element Blanking

The selection tool can be used in the element blanking operation.:

1. Select the part(s) on which to do element

blanking.

2. Click on the Selection tool icon to turn on

the tool.

3. Position the tool as desired.

4. Click on the element blanking symbol at

the upper left of the tool.

Note, in order for this to work, the Element

blanking allowed toggle needs to be on (the

default).

To undo the blanking, click the Clear or Clear

all parts button.

Results in the following:

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HOW TO USE THE SELECTION TOOL

Part Selection

To use the tool in the part selection process:

SEE ALSO

How To Do Element Blanking

How To Rotate, Zoom, Translate, Scale

User Manual: Tools Menu Functions

1. Turn on the selection tool and manipulate its location/size until it

overlaps the parts you whish to select.

2. Right click the selection tool and “Select Parts”

Note that the selected parts will now be highlighted in the parts list.

Page 209

HOW TO USE THE SPLINE TOOL

Use the Spline Tool

INTRODUCTION

Splines can be used for (a) the path of a camera, (b) the path of a clip plane, and (c) the input to a distance vs.

variable query. Splines can be defined and edited as well as saved and restored from disk. Further, the splines have

such as visibility, line width, and color in order to more easily select and manipulate them.

The splines are defined as piece-wise cubic. The spline is thus always guaranteed to pass through the control points

which you define. The definition of the control points can come from a part (such as a particle trace perhaps), be

picked in the graphics window, be input via x/y/z coordinates, or from the position of the cursor tool.

BASIC OPERATION

There are several ways to define a spline and its control points:

To create a spline via picking on surfaces:

1. Click the Pick button on the Tools Icon Bar

2. Select "Pick spline control point" from the

pop-up menu and select the required option.

3. In the Graphics Window, place the mouse

pointer on a part near a desired location and

press the "p" key (or whatever mouse button you

have set for the "Selected Pick Action" in Edit-

>Preferences->Mouse and Keyboard). A spline

control point marker will appear where you

pressed the "p" key (if you chose “Using surface

pick” or at the center of the part if you chose “At

center of picked part”). If more than one control

point has been created you will also see the

spline being constructed.

Page 210

HOW TO USE THE SPLINE TOOL

To create a spline via the Transformation editor dialog

1. Open the Transformation Editor dialog from the Tools

Icon Bar by selecting “Transformation editor...” from the

transform icon pulldown.

2. Select Editor Function > Tools > Spline

3. Select New to create a new spline and if you wish,

rename it by editing the Description

4. If you want to create control points from all of the

coordinates of a 1D part, select the part in the part list

and then select Create from selected part(s).

4. If you know the exact location for the control point

select New (at cursor) then edit the X/Y/Z fields to reflect

the correct control point location.

4. Select an existing control point in the Points list. Select

the Copy button. Then select the line in the Points list

after which you want to insert a new point and select the

Paste button.

To edit the control points of a spline:

1. Move the mouse pointer to a control point you wish to

move in the Graphics Window. Click and drag the

control point.

1. Select the point from the Points list and edit it via the

XY/Z fields

1. Select the point(s) you wish to edit and select the

Offset.. button

2. In the resulting pop-up enter a delta x/y/z value to add

to all of the selected points.

Control point(s) can be deleted by:

1. Select one or more points in the Points list

2. Select the Delete button

To edit the spline

1. The Visible toggle will turn the spline on/off in all

viewports (there are no per-viewport controls)

2. You may choose to show the control points. If visible

then the size of the control point glyph is controlled

here.

3. Adjust the Line width and Color here

4. Invert the spline (to use it in reverse).

5. Load from file (see Spline Control Point File Format)

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HOW TO USE THE SPLINE TOOL

ADVANCED USAGE

The spline by definition starts at the first control point (spline value of 0.) and ends at the last control point (spline

value of 1). If the spline is used for camera, clip plane path, or distance vs. variable query the direction along the

spline is always in the positive direction. If you wish to use the spline in reverse you simply Invert the spline.

SEE ALSO

Create Clip Splines

Page 212

HOW TO USE BATCH

MiscellaneousUse Batch

INTRODUCTION

EnSight can be run three ways.

1. First it can be run interactively by entering values into the various input fields and/or clicking on various icons in the

graphical user interface (GUI). Each of the user actions, such as reading data, creating parts, and saving images and

movies, is sequentially stored in EnSight in the form of journaling commands. The user can save these commands

into a command file (.enc file).

2. The second way to run EnSight is to start run the command file saved in #1. This can be done from the command

line such as (the last parameter is the name of the file you saved):

ensight102 -p file.enc

or you can play the command file from within EnSight by choosing File>Command from the top menu, then click the

play button and select the file.enc file you wish to execute. EnSight will perform the actions (reading data, creating

parts, saving images and movies) in your current EnSight session, sequentially in the order journaled in the

command file. If specified, the same images and movies that were generated interactively will be rewritten in the

folder specified in the command file.

3.The third way to run EnSight is to execute the commands in the command file without a GUI and without a graphics

screen, i.e., running in “batch”. All of the actions still happen in EnSight (without a GUI and without visible graphics)

and images and movies appear in the folder exactly as specified in the command file. In fact, to be useful, the

command file must save something that you can later take a look at.

The command to execute EnSight in batch is:

ensight102 -batch -p file.enc

Which will execute the graphics using the hardware graphics resources if available. Please see the Basic Operation

section on instructions on how to run in software rendering mode.

When you interact with EnSight,

commands are generated for

each action. To see these

commands, do a

File>Command as shown in the

image to the right.

The command window dialog

will pop up and the Execution

Tab will be active and the latest

commands will show up in the

command window.

File>Save>Commands from the

Session will save all the

commands from the start of

EnSight.

Or, click on the Record Toggle

and start saving commands to a

command file. All subsequent

commands are saved to the

designated command file.

Page 213

HOW TO USE BATCH

BASIC OPERATION

Keep in mind that command files are created by interactively executing EnSight and then saving the command

language to a file. To apply your commands to a new dataset, you would edit the command file in a text editor and

change the name of the input dataset and the output files (such as images) and then execute the modified command

file in batch.

Command language is not flexible: it does not allow programming or looping or decision making. It is, however,

possible to convert the command language file to a Python file to add programming constructs if necessary.

Command language processing does not always handle errors gracefully. Usually the command file processing will

simply stop when an error is found. But it is possible to issue commands to EnSight that can cause terminal errors. d

Example

Suppose you have 5 similar solver runs. Suppose that you wish to do the same postprocessing to each dataset and

run them overnight and show up in the morning and look at images and movies.

The first step is to create the command file. Load one of the solver runs into an interactive session of EnSight and

create the visuals and outputs you desire. Then save the commands to a file. Next, make four copies of the

command file and edit each one for input and output files.

Now run each of your jobs in batch as described above. Note that if your batch job is expected to run overnight on

your remote Linux system you might consider using the linux nohup command.

If you don’t have computing resources to handle all the jobs simultaneously then submit them sequentially. If you are

on a shared resource and licenses are limited, your EnSight batch process will fail if it is unable to acquire a license

token. To work around this, consider using one of the following EnSight startup modifiers: -token_try_again, -

token_wait_for, or -token_wait_until which will allow your batch EnSight processes to wait for an available

EnSight license token to become available (see Command Line Start-up Options).

Direct OpenGL, bypass X-Server

If the your machine has X-server issues (e.g. problems starting up the X-server) or issues with the DISPLAY

environmental variable, and you have an nVidia graphics card with driver 358.16 or later, and are on Linux, you can

start EnSight up with the -egl option. EnSight will use embedded OpenGL (which bypasses the X-server and makes

direct calls to the graphics card, which must be present) as follows.

ensight102 -egl -batch -p file.py

In a multi-GPU system the first GPU will be used by default. To choose a GPU, set the environment variable

CEI_EGL_GPU to a value between 0 and the number of GPUs minus 1.

Software Rendering

If the batch machine has inadequate or lacks a graphics card you can execute EnSight in a software mode which will

utilize the CPU to generate the graphics. The execution will be significantly slower but assuming you save only a few

images may have little impact on the overall run time. To use software rendering in batch, run EnSight with a -X as

follows:

ensight102 -X -batch -p file.enc

Alternatively -glsw is interpreted the same as -X

Page 214

HOW TO USE BATCH

Advanced Concepts

Image Size

There are two resolutions you need to keep in mind when setting up a batch run of EnSight. First is the window size

when you are running EnSight. Second is the size of any images that you save. In order for the images saved in

your batch run to capture the same imagery it is important that the image be the same aspect ratio (width vs. height)

as the image generated when you created the command file interactively in EnSight. Lacking the same aspect ratio

it is possible that the images saved in batch mode may cut off some portion of your scene.

When saving an image in EnSight you can specify the “Window Size”. If this is set to “Current View” the image will be

saved at the current resolution of the graphics window. By default, the “current” window size when you execute in

batch mode is 1280x720 (width x height). The “current” window size when you execute EnSight interactively is

variable, i.e., the window can be resized. See below for instructions on determining the current window size and

aspect ratio. The “current” window size in batch can be specified by setting the size on the start line such as:

ensight102 -batch 1024 768 -p file.enc

It it much better to save images by specifying the resolution of the images, i.e., either setting the “Window Size” to a

user defined size or using one of the predetermined resolutions such as “HD 1080p”. This prevents the issue of

trying to match the window size and forcing the user to both (a) know the resolution, and (b) specify it on the start line.

If you set “Window size” to Current view you

must specify the resolution when you start

EnSight in batch mode if you are going to

match the images you saved interactively.

The resolution is not required to be the

same, but keeping the aspect ratio is

important. It is better to save images using

an option other than Current view.

If you wish to know what the current

resolution and aspect ratio you can pull up a

user defined tool as follows:

To precisely control the graphics screen

size during your interactive session,

1. Click on the tool box icon at the top,

2. Open the

utilities folder, and

double click on

the Resize

rendering window

tool,

3. Adjust or note

the window size

and aspect ratio.

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HOW TO USE BATCH

Python

EnSight can also run EnSight Python scripts in batch exactly the same as command files.

ensight102 -p file.py

EnSight Python has all of the advantages of the Python programming language (variables, looping, if/then, and a

number of python modules) as well as the capabilities of the EnSight journaling language in the ensight Python

module.

For example, instead of editing five command files, which are custom edited for each solution dataset, you can create

a single EnSight python file which loops through a list of the dataset filenames and executes the desired commands

and auto creates the output image and animations.

LIMITATIONS

EnSight cannot be run in batch mode using context files (.ctx). Batch mode can only be run using command files

(.enc) or EnSight Python files (.py). However, a command file may restore a context file.

SEE ALSO

Record and Play Command Files

Python EnSight module interface

Command Line Start-up Options

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HOW TO USE BATCH

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HOW TO USE KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

Use Keyboard Shortcuts

INTRODUCTION

EnSight has a number of keyboard shortcuts that are documented in the User Manual and in this Manual. But they

are scattered all over the Manuals. This is a consolidation of all the commands in one reference location. Note below

that the alphanumeric keys are capitalized for emphasis, but that the actual key is the lower case key. You do not

need to press the shift key when it says ‘P’. Simply press the ‘p’ key.

BASIC OPERATION

Macros (default - can be edited by users)

Advanced users of EnSight often find themselves performing repetitive tasks. EnSight’s macro facility lets you save a

sequence of commands and then assign a keyboard key to those commands such that they are executed when the

key is pressed. Macros are useful in full screen mode. Note: macros only work when the mouse cursor is in the

graphics window. (see How to Define and Use Macros).

V - toggle selected part visibility

S - toggle global part highlighting

Contextual keyboard keys

A - Press the ‘a’ key to cancel saving an animation (“abort”)

P - The pick key. Manually change what you are picking using the pick mode pulldown. The default is to pick a part.

Simply hover over a part and press the ‘p’ key and the part will be selected. Or, choose another pick mode. Change

the mode to Pick cursor tool location, and move the mouse over a location on a part and press the ‘p’ key and the

cursor will appear at that location on the part.

When Interactive Probe Query is set to ‘Surface pick’, the ‘p’ key will override the selected pick mode and will place

the query probe on the surface of a part. If Interactive Probe Query is not set to ‘Surface pick’ then the ‘p’ key will use

the pick mode.

Part tagging

Use this shortcut to quickly select parts. See the Advanced section of How to Select Parts

Alt-# (where # is any number from 0-9) - tag selected parts

Ctrl-# - select parts tagged with this number

Keyboard Ctrl-Mouse combinations

For the mac, these use the command button.

Ctrl-Left button - Rotation about the screen Z-axis

Ctrl-Middle click (or Right+Left buttons) - Zoom

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HOW TO USE KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

Ctrl-Right button - Pan

Changing the view

See How to Rotate, Zoom, Translate, Scale for details on these shortcuts.

F1 - Rotate about screen X-axis by 45 degrees

F2 - Rotate about screen Y-axis by 45 degrees

F3 - Rotate about screen Z-axis by 45 degrees

Ctrl-F1/F2/F3 - Rotates -45 degrees

F4 - Spin the graphics window - with mouse motion

F5 - Front view

F6 - Side view

F7 - Top view

F8 - Return to previous view before F5/F6/F7 was pressed

F9 - Full screen (F9 or Esc to go back)

Ctrl-F5/F6/F7 - Save current view to this key

3D stereo commands

If you have a stereo graphics card and are running EnSight in stereo mode, there are some function key shortcuts

that are helpful. For more information see How to Enable Stereo Viewing.

F10 - Increase stereo separation angle

F11 - Decrease stereo separation angle

F12 - Toggle 3D stereo on/off

Ctrl-F12 - Swap 3D stereo left/right eyes

Menu Shortcuts (seen in top menu)

You can see this shortcuts in the menu drop downs. For example, see the File>Save menu has a Ctrl-S beside the

command, showing the shortcut. Some of the more useful menu short cuts are as follows.

Ctrl-O - Open results dialog

Ctrl-P - Print image dialog

Ctrl-Q - Quit EnSight

Ctrl-S - Save Session file

Ctrl-Shift-S - Save commands from this session

Ctrl-C - Copy image to clipboard

Ctrl-F - Open the Feature Edit Dialog

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HOW TO USE RIGID BODY MOTION

Use Rigid Body Motion

INTRODUCTION

If the geometry is not static then it must be updated every timestep. EnSight geometry can be updated either by

updating the entire geometry (the coordinates and the connectivity) every timestep, OR by updating only the

coordinates (connectivity is unchanged) every timestep. For either type of geometry, updating it every timestep by

reading the data from disk is time consuming. However, if the motion of the geometry can be characterized as rigid

body motion (where a single rotational axis, a single rotational angle, and a single translation describe the motion of

the entire part, with no connectivity changes) then the entire update of the coordinates can occur using CPU and

memory, which can be orders of magnitude faster than reading the coordinate updates from disk. Further, since the

orientation and location of every point on the geometry is an equation that is a function of time, the delta time

resolution can be as fine as needed for detailed calculations or as coarse as allowed for visualization.

EnSight implements rigid body motion on the EnSight Server on a per part basis in both Case Gold format and using

the EnSight User Defined Reader API. When rigid body motion is applied to a part, the part is then considered

transient geometry with it’s own timeline. Case Gold implements rigid body through two rigid body files, one of which

is referenced directly and the other indirectly from the .case file. For formats that have a custom reader, the User

Defined Reader API has it’s own routines for informing the Server and supplying the rigid body parameters. The

implementation and the use will be discussed below.

DETAILS

Case Gold

EnSight Case Gold uses two files for the rigid body implementation. The EnSight Case Gold file references a file

called the EnSight Rigid Body Rotation File (.erb) that contains per-part scaling, offsets, initial rotation as well as the

Euler Parameter file (.eet) filename (see EnSight Rigid Body File Format for details and for examples). The Euler

Parameter file contains center of gravity transformations as well as Euler parameters which fully describe the Euler

Rotation and Translation rigid body motion (see Euler Parameter File Format for details and for an examples).

Basically, at each timestep, each part is first translated then rotated using the offset and initial rotations found in the

EnSight Rigid Body File, then it is rotated according to the Euler angles about the Euler axis and finally it is translated

according to the translation parameters.

User Defined Reader

If the part by part rigid body transformation data exists within your solver data file, then simply read it in and supply

them to the appropriate EnSight user defined routines (see Quick Index of 2.0 Library Routines).

USERD_rigidbody_existence - Turns on the rigid body feature

USERD_rigidbody_values - Called part by part to get the initial translation and rotation parameters, as well as the

Euler rotation parameters and the final translation values. It is expected that these values are available from the

solver data file or that they can be calculated in the reader from the rigid body transforms found in the solver data file.

USAGE

Conversion

If your rigid body parameters do not match our Euler implementation then you will need to convert your format. This

can be done by converting your data files to our EnSight Rigid Body File format and our Euler Parameter File format

if you are using Case Gold. Or it can occur inside your reader if you are using a custom reader.

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Example Rigid Body Tool

Use the EnSight Rigid body motion tool if you have data in the form of a Case Gold file and part(s) undergoing simple

rigid body rotational motion and/or you need an example of the EnSight Rigid Body File (.erb) and Euler Parameter

File (.eet) formats. This tool prompts you for rotational input values and will create the two rigid body motion files (.erb

and .eet), and a new case file by adding the .erb and .eet filenames to the case file. It then reloads your model using

this new case file to demonstrate the rigid body motion.

EXAMPLE IMPLEMENTATIONS

STL & OP2

Both the EnSight STL and Nastran OP2 formats, in addition to reading the native formats directly (.stl and .op2,

respectively), each include the ability to read a customized variant case file that contains a list of native format files

and the associated EnSight Euler format filename. The STL reader calls this an exec file (.xct), see the STL Reader

section for details. The Nastran OP2 calls this case file a MOP file (.mop). This "executive file" (.stl or .mop) allows

either reader to handle multiple native files simultaneously, as well as optionally allowing them to be transformed by

one or more rigid body Euler files. Note that the rigid body transformations in the Euler file must be created outside

the STL format, and outside of the Nastran solver.

Abaqus ODB analytical rigid surfaces

Abaqus has a concept of rigid surfaces that do not have elements and are modeled only analytically as extruded or

rotated surfaces (plates or cylinders) that move as rigid, non deformable bodies over time according to

transformations in the .odb data file. The Abaqus ODB reader creates these rigid entities first as lines using EnSight

line elements in the User Defined Reader API (which can be extruded in a separate operation in EnSight into

surfaces). These lines will translate and rotate according to the parameters in the odb file. The user can then

manually use the EnSight Extrude option or can use a python tool included with EnSight to properly extrude these

line parts into cylindrical or planar surfaces according to their design (for details, see the ABAQUS reader section).

Fluent and Star Export Case Gold

For data with part(s) rotating at a steady state, both Fluent and Star export this data as a steady state geometry with

an assigned rotational rate value. Their native postprocessors, which are aware of this, can then reproduce the

transient orientation of the fan at any given time. A pseudo transient state is created from steady state files. This

1. Click on the Tool icon at the top of the

EnSight Tools

2. In the Visualize folder, double click

the Rigid body motion tool.

3. Fill in the GUI, taking special note that

the speed is in rotations per minute and

the time is in seconds.

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allows the geometry to be written out only once, but the transient orientation of the fan can be reproduced at any

arbitrary level of fineness of time in the native post-processor.

Unfortunately, when users export their data from the solver into EnSight Case Gold, this native awareness is lost. The

pseudo transient state does not exist to update the fan's transient orientation in time. Thus you can have effects like

streamline traces which impact the non-moving fan and just stop. Some effort is required to reproduce the effects of

the native solver postprocessor in this case. Basically, rigid body can be used. EnSight Rigid Body and Euler

Parameter files must be created and referenced in an updated Case Gold file, and the pathline trace option should be

used instead of streamline traces.

If your solution has been solved in an implicitly rotating reference frame, and you want to either visualize the motion,

or correctly produce particle traces through the domain, then you will need to utilize both EnSight Case Gold Format

files, as well as utilizing the Rigid Body Tool (Click on the toolbox icon at the top and open Visualize -- > Rigid Body

Motion). This will generate both of the two rigid body files as well as modify the case file to reference the new

information. Two critical decisions you must make when running the tool are a) number of steps, and b) total time to

rotate. The number of steps chosen should be small enough to reflect the courant number of the grid + velocity so

that the change between timesteps maintains reasonable changes in grid location and velocity values so that

continuous pathline integration is numerically accurate. Choosing too small of a timestep will slow the calculation and

animation time, while too large of a timestep will result in errors in pathline calculation. Models with either higher

rotational speeds, finer grids, or higher velocity regions should be setup with small timesteps. The Total Time should

be chosen so that you have rotated one repeatable sector, given the rotational speed (fixed, and specified), and the

number of steps.

Since the rotation is cyclical, only one repeatable increment in fan rotation is necessary, and then EnSight can

cyclically repeat that increment N number of times as below, to allow the relatively low speed upstream flow sufficient

number of fan blade cycles to reach to the relatively high speed fan blade and pass through successfully..

VARIABLES

Vector variables are rotated and translated with the geometry through time using the rigid body transformations.

There can be an exception to this rule for vector variables created in the EnSight calculator which are based purely

on scalar variables with no geometric influence. Known predefined functions in the calculator with this attribute, such

as MakeVect, are actually handled correctly. But if a user defines his own vector using the match capabilities of the

calculator, it may not be transformed.

PERIODICITY AND RIGID BODY MOTION COMBINED

When a model part is originally loaded, any rigid body transforms defined for that part’s geometry are applied. When

a model vector variable is first activated, the appropriate vector transforms for periodicity, and rigid body, are applied.

When periodicity is first turned on, the new instances get their geometry and vector variables transformed at that

time.

Commonly, neither or only one of these types of transformations will be defined and used in a model at the same

time. When that is the case, there is no issue with the order that the transformations are applied in EnSight.

However, when both types of transformations (periodic and rigid body) are defined, the order they are applied

becomes important. There is an example of such below.

To repeat a time series for N cycles:

1. Click on the more button on the time

controls

2. Change the number of cycles

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The default order of application is periodic then rigid body - which is good for when rigid body is used to move any or

all of the parts throughout time.

If one instead needs to have a rigidbody then periodic order - which is good for when rigidbody is used to assemble a

model from different orientations or coordinate systems, then you can specify the order via one of the following

methods.

Case Gold

Simply add the “do_first” designator to the end of the rigid_body line in the GEOMETRY section of the casefile as

follows (See EnSight Gold Casefile Format ).

FORMAT

type: ensight gold

GEOMETRY

model: rbv.geo

rigid_body: rbv.erb do_first

. . .

User Defined Reader

For other readers then simply set the environment variable ENSIGHT_DO_RB_FIRST . On Linux,

setenv ENSIGHT_DO_RB_FIRST 1

Note, that the order specified will be honored when time is changed and the model geometry and vector variables are

updated. Namely, for default (periodic then rigidbody) order:

1st Any changing geometry will be loaded from the file or reader.

2nd Any model variables will be loaded from the files or reader.

3rd The periodic transformations will be applied to model geometry and model vector vars.

4th The rigidbody transformations will be applied to model geometry and vector variables.

5th Created parts and created variables will be recreated according to the dependency tree.

If you explicitly specify the rigidbody to be first, by one of the methods described above, the process is the same -

except that the 3rd and 4th steps are reversed.

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Illustration

Given a square in the xy plane as shown below, with a rigid body transformation defined as 90 degree rotation about

the y axis. And a periodic transform defined as 90 degree rotation about the z axis (3 instances):

ADVANCED

If you have static geometry that moves in a rigid body fashion, then rigid body motion will greatly speed up

the updating of the geometry. It has not yet been mentioned, but if you have transient geometry, you can also

implement EnSight rigid body motion. You will lose the speed-up because the transient geometry still needs

to update coordinates and/or connectivity using disk reads, but this is still possible.

SEE ALSO

1. Shown is the initial square

geometry.

2. Shown is the geometry with only

the rigid body transformation

described above.

3. Shown below is the geometry with only

the periodic transformation applied. 4. Shown below is the

geometry with periodic then

rigid body (default order).

5. Shown below is the

geometry with rigid body first,

then periodic.

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HOW TO SELECT FILES

Select Files

INTRODUCTION

Many operations in EnSight (such as loading data) require that you specify a file. EnSight uses a standard file open

dialog that lets you quickly search through directories to find the desired file.

BASIC OPERATION

By default, the File Open dialog opens with the directory from which the EnSight client was started as the current

directory.

The following shows the basic components of the File Open dialog:

The File type pulldown controls

the listing of files in the Files list.

You can filter what is shown

based on the selection here

The Look in pulldown displays the current directory.

Note that the parent of the current directory is shown

ending with “..” (standard UNIX nomenclature).

To change to a directory, double-click it.

The File field contains the full

path name of the file currently

selected in the Files list. This is

the file that will be chosen if OK is

clicked.

Change the selection either by

clicking a file in the Files list or

editing the field directly.

Pressing return will accept the

Selection and close the dialog.

The Files list displays the list of

subdirectories and files contained

in the current directory (possibly

modified by the wildcard in the

File type filter field).

To make a file the current

Selection, click it.

To accept a file and close the

dialog, double-click it.

Click to accept the current

Selection and close the dialog. Click to cancel the selection and

close the dialog.

Standard up, and listing icons

can be used.

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HOW TO USE ENSIGHT WITH WORKBENCH

Use EnSight with Workbench

INTRODUCTION

EnSight can be run as a stand-alone application, or as a component from within ANSYS Workbench. This document

describes the use of EnSight from within the WorkBench environment. It covers activating the EnSight WorkBench

Extension, linking EnSight to WorkBench solutions and using EnSight to open the WorkBench solution. This

document assumes that Ansys Workbench has been installed on your Windows or Linux machine and that you wish

to use EnSight within this framework. It does not attempt to teach WorkBench, nor EnSight usage.

Quick Startup

Simple Example EnSight Session within ANSYS Workbench

Detailed view of the EnSight ANSYS Workbench Interface

File locations within WorkBench

EnSight Differences within ANSYS WorkBench

EnSight Limitations within ANSYS WorkBench

Advanced Usage: Design Point Session Using EnSight

QUICK STARTUP

Launch WorkBench

To launch ANSYS Workbench on Windows, click the Start menu, then select

All Programs > ANSYS 19.0 > Workbench 19.0

To launch ANSYS Workbench on Linux, open a command line interface, type the path to “runwb2” (for

example, “/ansys_inc/v190/Framework/bin/Linux64/runwb2”), then press Enter.

The ANSYS Workbench interface has a Toolbox list on the left side to make it easy to choose the tool set that will

enable you to solve particular types of problems. Tools are chosen from the Toolbox list and dragged onto the Project

Schematic in order to use them. Tools are then linked together in a workflow to accomplish tasks. Supporting features

such as Properties and Messages provide orienting information. These features and the status indicators in the

system cells guide you through the completion of your workflow. In order to see EnSight in the Toolbox, the EnSight

WorkBench extension must be activated.

Activating EnSight as a WorkBench Extension

If the EnSight extension is not in the list of Component Systems in the Toolbox Workspace, choose, from the

WorkBench top menu, Extensions>Manage Extensions... which will pop up the Extensions Manager dialog

(see below). Toggle on the EnSight Extension, and then right click on EnSight and choose Load as Default

(as shown below). This will load the EnSight application extension when you start up WorkBench in the future.

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HOW TO USE ENSIGHT WITH WORKBENCH

Linking EnSight to WorkBench solutions

To link the EnSight Extension to a solution result, drag the EnSight extension from the Component Systems list onto

the Project Schematic. A red, square landing pad will appear in the WorkBench Project Schematic space to give you

guidance.

Now drag the Solution onto the Results under EnSight to link the Solver Solution to EnSight’s Results. Once the link

is created, right click on the EnSight Results and choose Update.

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HOW TO USE ENSIGHT WITH WORKBENCH

Using EnSight to open WorkBench solution(s)

The EnSight Results will show a check box when they are properly updated. Now double-click on the EnSight Results

or Right-click > Edit... which will startup EnSight and load the Solution data for interactive use.

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SIMPLE EXAMPLE ENSIGHT SESSION WITHIN ANSYS WORKBENCH

This walkthrough loads a simple, sample ANSYS Workbench analysis (creating the analysis is beyond the scope of

this document) and then adds the ANSYS EnSight extension and attaches the mechanical and fluid analysis

workflow to EnSight and then opens the solutions using EnSight.

This example uses the EnSight FLUENT Direct Reader to load the Fluent fluid flow analysis and the EnSight

ANSYS Reader to load the Ansys Mechanical analysis results, in order to demonstrate, step by step, an EnSight

WorkBench workflow using multiple, simultaneous, heterogeneous solutions.

1. Now, Launch WorkBench, then open a project containing both fluid and structural solutions.

2. If you have not already done this, Activating EnSight as a WorkBench Extension must be done here so that you

can see EnSight in the Toolbox. Then, restart WorkBench.

3. Upon restarting WorkBench, you should see the EnSight extension under the Component Systems pulldown in

the Toolbox Workspace on the left side.

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4. Load the WorkBench project using File>Open. Now drag the EnSight extension from the Component Systems

list onto the Project Schematic. A red, square landing pad will appear in the WorkBench Project Schematic space to

give you guidance.

5. Now an EnSight system is established in your Project Schematic and ready to be linked up.

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6. Now drag the Fluid Flow Solution on to the Results under EnSight to link the Solver output to EnSight’s input.

7. Now, EnSight is linked to the solution. Right click on the green arrows in the EnSight Results to update the link.

Important: Any time your result has the double arrows, then it needs to be updated. A check box means your

results are current. Updating EnSight Results prepares the data to be loaded.

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8. The EnSight results will show a check box when they are properly updated. Now double-click on the EnSight

Results or Right-click > Edit... which will startup EnSight and load the Solver Solution for interactive use.

9. The EnSight session will start up with only the Fluent solution loaded as shown below. Note that only the Fluent

results were linked up to EnSight, so only the Fluent results are loaded. This portion of the manual assumes that you

know how to use EnSight from here. If not, from the top menu of EnSight, Help> Getting Started Manual.

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10. Within EnSight’s menu, File>Quit to exit EnSight. Now, back in the WorkBench environment, in the Project

Schematic area, let’s also add the structural solution to the EnSight process. Drag the structural solution onto the

EnSight results section as shown below.

11. Note that you now have two links into the EnSight results section, as shown below but EnSight’s Results show the

double arrow indicating they need to be updated.

Double arrows

indicate that this

needs updating

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12. Now, with the new link, again, notice that there is no longer a check box on the EnSight results. We need to

update the EnSight results. On the EnSight Results, Right-click > Update.

13. Now let’s open EnSight and load the Fluid Solution and the Structural Solution. Right-click > Edit or

double-click on the EnSight Results section as shown below to start up EnSight and load the solution data:

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14. EnSight now opens with both Fluid and Structural solution results (see Load Multiple Datasets (Cases)).

15. Now, set the EnSight properties in the WorkBench Properties View to enable the Beta feature in EnSight to see

Units (units are labels only, more details are discussed later in the Properties View). To adjust EnSight properties,

select the EnSight Results (click on the EnSight Results) and in the top menu, View>Properties. Toggle on

Advanced EnSight Features; now adjust the EnSight Advanced properties (shown below) as described. Close the

properties view by right-clicking on the Title Bar, and choosing Close. If EnSight is running, quit EnSight and then

double click on the EnSight Results to reload the Solution with EnSight using the Beta features that you have toggled

on.

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HOW TO USE ENSIGHT WITH WORKBENCH

1. Select EnSight

Results

2. From the top menu,

View>Properies

3. Toggle on Advanced

EnSight Features to expose

other toggles. Toggle on

Enable Beta Features.

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16. Color by variables from each of the two solutions simultaneously. This is the view below (with units shown in the

legend titles), that you will see if you have enabled Beta features. If you don’t see units in the legend bar, go back to

step 15 and then make sure you have quit and restarted EnSight after you enable the Beta features.

17. Quit EnSight when you are done with your simultaneous postprocessing of the two solutions.

18. Consider saving your updated Workbench project, and then exit Workbench.

Important

Saving a WorkBench project enables you to re-open the project on the machine that originally created it. To make the

project available on another machine, you need to use File > Archive to create a project archive. To open the

project on a different machine, run File > Restore Archive on that machine.

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DETAILED VIEW OF THE ENSIGHT ANSYS WORKBENCH INTERFACE

The previous section stepped through a sample analysis and provided a broad overview of using EnSight within the

WorkBench workflow. What follows is a more detailed look at the WorkBench GUI as it relates to EnSight. Some of

the content is repeated for the advanced WorkBench user who skips the sample analysis and wants to dive into the

details.

Reminder, if the EnSight extension is not shown in the list of Component Systems in the Toolbox Workspace then

it must be loaded as a WorkBench extension as follows. Choose, from the WorkBench menu, Extensions>Manage

Extensions... which will pop up the Extensions Manager dialog. Toggle on the EnSight Extension, and then

right click on EnSight and choose Load as Default. Now, quit WorkBench. Restart WorkBench and verify that

EnSight appears in the Toolbox under the Component Systems pulldown.

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HOW TO USE ENSIGHT WITH WORKBENCH

After choosing to Load as Default, the EnSight as a WorkBench extension, and then restarting WorkBench, you

should now see EnSight in the Component Systems pulldown in the Toolbox Workspace as follows:

Now let’s look at the WorkBench GUI in more detail. Shown below are the components of WorkBench. WorkBench

has a top-level Menu Bar, and a lower Status Bar and one or more Project Tabs. Each Project Tab has a Toolbar, with

a number of Workspace Views, some of which are shown below: the Toolbox Workspace, Properties View, Files

View and the Project Schematic Workspace. The Project Schematic is where Systems from the ToolBox are

assembled together into a Workflow. Some of this will be discussed in this section as it pertains to EnSight.

Menu Bar Workspace Tab(s) Project Schematic Toolbar Properties

Status Bar Toolbox Files View System

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Views

You control which views are displayed by choosing View from the top menu and choosing the view you want to

display. Note that the Toolbox and the Project Schematic are displayed by default. For the following View, first select

a cell, then choose one of the following other views from the top level View Menu, and the workspace corresponding

to the selected cell will appear: Toolbox Customization, Files View, Properties View, Messages View, Progress

View, Sidebar Help View. If you minimize a view (on the Title Bar, Right-click>Minimize), it appears as a tab

in the View Bar and the check box is cleared from the View menu. For more details on workspaces and tabs, see

Tabs within Workbench in the Workbench User's Guide and Views within Tabs in the Workbench User's Guide. Now,

let’s look at several Workspaces and Views.

1. Select the EnSight

Results,

2. From the top menu

bar, View>Files

3. Pops up the

dockable/undockable

Files Workspace.

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Toolbox Workspace

The list on the left is the Toolbox; by default viewing is toggled on for the Toolbox. The Toolbox contains four

pulldowns containing systems available to you: Analysis Systems, Component Systems, Custom Systems, and

Design Exploration, which are discussed below.

1. Analysis Systems

The Analysis Systems pulldown contains applications that transform input and solve particular types of problems,

often resulting in transformed output. These systems can be thought of as of the kind of solution that is desired

packaged with the Solver. For example Eigenvalue Buckling system is a modeling, a meshing, a modal

frequency buckling analysis and a visualization process packaged with Ansys Mechanical. Similarly, the Fluid

Flow (Fluent) system contains tools for creating the geometry, performing the meshing, setting up the solver,

using the solver to derive the solution, and viewing the fluid flow results.

2. Component Systems

The Component Systems pulldown contains extensions that are loaded into WorkBench that also solve particular

types of problems similar to the Analysis Systems. In particular, you will see the EnSight Extension under this

pulldown. EnSight is available to input solution results and to interactively Analyze, Visualize and Communicate these

solution results and create postprocessing output such as tables, movies, images, or data files.

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3. Custom Systems

The Custom Systems pulldown contains customized applications that combine multiple analysis systems. For

example, the FSI: Fluid Flow (Fluent) > Static Structural system combines ANSYS Fluent and the Mechanical

application to perform a Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) analysis.

4. Design Exploration

The Design Exploration pulldown contains systems that enable you to see how changes to parameters affect the

performance of the system.

Note: Which systems are shown in the Toolbox depends on the licenses that exist on your system. You can

hide systems by enabling View > Toolbox Customization and clearing the check box beside the name of the

system you want to hide. To begin using a system, drag it into the Project Schematic area.

Project Schematic Workspace

The Project Schematic enables you to manage the process of your work flow; by default viewing of the Project

Schematic is on. It keeps track of your files and shows the actions available as you work on a project. At each step

you can select the operations that process or modify the case you are solving.

When you move a system from the Component Systems toolbox to the Project Schematic, you will see a system

similar to the following:

Each white cell represents a step in solving a problem. Right-click the cell to see what options are available for you to

complete a step. For example, you would select Edit in the example above on an EnSight Results cell to launch

EnSight and load solution data, or Properties to open the EnSight Properties table to enable optional EnSight

capabilities.

System Type

Cell State

System Name

System

Coordinates

Load Results using EnSight

Toggle on

Advanced

EnSight

Features to

expose other

options.

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Toolbox Customization

View>Toolbox Customization will view the Tool Customization Workspace in a tabular form, as shown below.

This allows you to customize the Physics, Solver Type and Analysis Type of the particular application or extension

according to your workflow needs as shown below. Right-click>Minimize on the Toolbox Customization title

bar, to reduce the workspace table down to a tab below the Toolbox list. Right-Click>Close to close the Toolbox

Customization workspace.

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Files View

The Files view (View>Files) shows the files that are in the selected cell of a given System. The project files are

updated constantly, and any “save” operation from a component will save all files associated with the project.

ANSYS Workbench associates data with system cells. This data may be stored in different ways, including as part of

the ANSYS Workbench project file or as separate files.When files are generated, they appear in the Files view. This

view can be used to identify which files are associated with each cell.

On the title bar, Right-click>Minimize or Right-click>Close to minimize this file Workspace to a tab or to

close it, respectively.

Important

Although the Files View reveals the data files that make up a project, you should not attempt to manipulate these files

directly, as project data management will proceed unaware of your changes and with unpredictable results.

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Properties View

The Properties view is a table whose entries describe the status of a system. These entries vary between system

cells and are affected by the status of the cell. Some entries in the Properties area are changeable; others are for

information only. To display the Properties for a particular cell, right-click the cell and select Properties, or click on the

cell to select it, and in the top menu, View>Properties. Note, once the Properties view is open, simply selecting

another cell in the Project Schematic will display its properties. Right click on the Toolbar and choose Close to close

the window, or minimize to reduce it to a tab.

EnSight Example

For example to adjust EnSight properties, select the EnSight Results (click on the EnSight Results) and in the top

menu, View>Properties. Toggle on the Advanced EnSight Features toggle to see the available properties

and their settings. The Use Software Rendering toggle is available in the rare instance that EnSight is unable to

adjust its rendering mode due to graphics incompatibilities; toggle this on to force EnSight to use internal software

rendering in order to manually bypass hardware or software graphics card rendering problems. The Enable Beta

Features toggle exposes two features under development: units labeling (for details, see EnSight Limitations within

ANSYS WorkBench) and the Nexus report interface.

Messages View

The Messages view shows the messages to the user. For example, click on the EnSight Results in the Project

Schematic to select it, and in the top menu, View>Messages.

On the title bar, Right-click>Close to Close the Message view workspace.

1. Select EnSight

Results

2. From the top menu,

View>Properies

Toggle

3. Toggle on Advanced

EnSight Features to

expose other toggles.

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Progress View

The Progress view shows the progress to the user. For example, click on the EnSight Results in the Project

Schematic to select it, and in the top menu, View>Progress.

On the title bar, Right-click>Close to Close the Message view workspace.

Sidebar Help View

In the top menu, View>Sidebar Help. Click on this link.

In addition to having a visual layout that guides you through completing your project, you can also access Sidebar

Help by pressing F1 while the mouse focus is anywhere on ANSYS Workbench. Sidebar Help is a dynamically

generated set of links to information appropriate for helping you with questions you have about any of the tools and

systems you currently have open.

Shortcuts (Context Menu Options)

You can access commonly used commands by right-clicking in most areas of ANSYS Workbench. These commands

are described in Context Menus in the Workbench User's Guide.

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FILE LOCATIONS WITHIN WORKBENCH

EnSight has default locations for file operations within the ANSYS Workbench environment. To view a file within your

OS, simply select the Results cell of interest, View>Files to see the Files View, and then Right-click>Open

Containing Folder . Warning: Do not move WorkBench files around!

ENSIGHT DIFFERENCES WITHIN ANSYS WORKBENCH

Note that EnSight behaves somewhat differently in a WorkBench session than when run stand-alone. Many of these

changes are largely cosmetic, but that can be confusing initially.

• The default part colors are different. EnSight in WorkBench utilizes a more muted color palette with an improved

default lighting configuration.

• The mouse button graphics view manipulations have been modified to align better with the other Ansys application

defaults. Specifically, the middle mouse is used to manipulate the view (with control and shift modifiers), the left

mouse is used to select entities and the right mouse is used to bring up context sensitive menus.

• All interactive operations in an EnSight WorkBench session are saved in an EnSight context file automatically.

When you reopen EnSight, this context file will be used to restore the session to its last saved state. Whenever

EnSight is closed, the context file is updated. You will not be prompted to save the EnSight state when exiting

EnSight when it is launched from WorkBench.

• The default license manager for EnSight, when run from within an Ansys installation (including via WorkBench) is

the Ansys license manager. EnSight will use a SLiM license if an appropriate license cannot be obtained from the

Ansys license manager.

ENSIGHT LIMITATIONS WITHIN ANSYS WORKBENCH

There are several EnSight limitations within the WorkBench environment.

• When launched from WorkBench, EnSight always opens using an EnSight Standard license; you cannot do parallel

processing from within Workbench.

• Workbench cannot effectively use the EnSight native, Case Gold data format due to Workbench limitations in the

handling of large numbers of files.

• Care must be taken when using EnSight Python and command language files from within WorkBench. The

WorkBench interface relies on specific ordering of cases in the EnSight session and any Python or command

language operations that modify case attributes (e.g. names, etc) will conflict with WorkBench conventions.

• EnSight cannot be run in script-driven, batch mode using Workbench. WorkBench will evaluate design points in

batch mode if an EnSight session is not open, but there is no mechanism to run a specific script in batch mode.

• Currently in EnSight units are labels only. EnSight-standalone displays units by default. In contrast, EnSight within

the WorkBench environment does not display units by default. Display of units is a EnSight WorkBench Property

controlled by the Enable Beta Features toggle, which is off within the WorkBench environment by default. This is

because EnSight lacks a mechanism to convert common variables to common unit systems prior to display. Thus, it

is possible when using EnSight through WorkBench to view “temperature” related variables (with different names)

from different data sources (e.g. Fluent and Mechanical) in different units (e.g. K, C). The individual variables will be

properly labeled with ‘K’ and ‘C’ denoting that the variables are in different unit systems. It was decided to limit the

units exposure as a beta feature until this shortcoming is addressed.

• When using design point parameter in the current release, WorkBench is not automatically made aware of any

EnSight constants that are created/activated. The list of design point parameters is updated when the EnSight task

‘Enable Design Point Parameters’ property changes state. Thus, if you have a running EnSight session and use the

calculator to create a new constant that you wish to appear in the current WorkBench design point variables, one

may need to uncheck and recheck the “Enable Design Point Parameters” property.

• The current EnSight session state is explicitly linked to the collection of solutions marked as inputs into the EnSight

Results task in WorkBench. If one changes the inputs (e.g. adds an additional solution or removes one), the state of

the EnSight session will be reset to the default (the EnSight context file will be reset). It is strongly recommended

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that users configure all of the inputs to the EnSight Results task before setting up the visualization in EnSIght that

they would like to be retained.

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ADVANCED USAGE: DESIGN POINT SESSION USING ENSIGHT

This example will take you step by step through a WorkBench Design Points EnSight example session. You might, for

example, use Design Points if you wanted to optimize a design based on some figures of merit. This section assumes

you have successfully worked through the previous simple, example session: Simple Example EnSight Session

within ANSYS Workbench so some intermediate steps will be skipped in the interest of brevity.

1. Load a WorkBench dataset, drag the EnSight system from the WorkBench Toolbox onto the Project Schematic and

link the Solver Solution to the EnSight Results cell. Right click the EnSight Results and choose Update if your

EnSight Results cell has arrows rather than a check mark. If the update takes a while, in order to see the progress,

from the WorkBench top menu, View>Progress. You should see the following.

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2. Now double-click EnSight Results to start up an interactive EnSight session. Do something and calculate a Case

Constant that you wish to use as a design value. In this EnSight example, we have created a new part, a radial clip

and calculated the Spatial Mean of the Velocity vector magnitude.

3. Now we want to import the EnSight Case Constant into WorkBench as a Design Point. On the EnSight Results

Right-click>Properties.

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4. In the resulting dialog, Toggle on, the Enable Design Point Parameters.

5. Now you will notice that you need to update the EnSight Results: Right-click>Update. From the top menu,

View>Progress to see the progress of the update, if it takes a while.

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6. Once the EnSight Results are updated, now, on the Parameter Set, Right-click>Edit

8. Now you will see that you are in the Parameter Set tab rather than the Project Tab. The Outline of All Parameters

table below. Now do a View>Table and see the Table of Design points shown below. Notice the constant calculated

in EnSight on the Radial Clip Plane part in EnSight, SpaMeanVelMag has been imported into WorkBench as a Design

Point.

EnSight variable shows up

in the Parameters, and as a

WorkBench Design Point

Note you are in the Parameter Set View

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8. In the Table of Design Points, Toggle on one of the Retain toggles for DP2. Now right click on the row and choose

Set as Current. This will make DP 2 as the current Design Point. Now to update to Design Point 2 as the input, to

solve the flow and to use EnSight to Calculate the Spatial Mean of the Velocity Magnitude on the Radial Clip, Right-

click> Update Selected Design Points.

9. Now take a closer look at your updated Table of Design Points. Two of the SpaMeanVmag EnSight Constants /

WorkBench Design Points (see P7 Results in Column H below) are have been calculated. You now can see that

Design point 0 has a higher average velocity at the EnSight Radial clip part.

Choose View>Progress to see what is happening

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10. Notice the cells in the Table of Design Points that are White. These are editable. The columns that are gray are

the Design Point output from the Solver or from EnSight; they are not editable. They are the input values for the

Solver. Edit the diameter of DP2, part in1 and change it to 2. Notice that the corresponding Design Points now need

updating. Right-click>Update Selected Design Points on row 5. Now the solver re-runs with the new

value for the in1 diameter, and then the solution data is fed to EnSight to create a radial clip and calculate the

average velocity magnitude.

9. When the update of DP2 is finished, click on the EnSight Window and notice the increased diameter of part in1, the

input part..

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10. Now, update all design points. Note that EnSight does not launch multiple EnSight processes. It works through

each of the design points one by one using one EnSight process and one EnSight license. This may take a while

depending on your number of design points: View>Progress.

11. Now look at your Table of Design Points. It is fully populated. Now you can decide which Spatial Mean of the

Velocity magnitude satisfies your criteria and answer your hypothetical design problem: DP1 has the maximum value.

12. Exit WorkBench.

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SEE ALSO

Sample interactive demonstration sessions using EnSight:

Simple Demonstration

Flow Visualization Example: Unstructured Mesh

Structural Mechanics Example

EnSight Further Reading

EnSight Overview

Print/Save an Image

Save/Restore Context

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Visualize Data

Introduction to Part Creation

INTRODUCTION

Much of the strength of EnSight derives from its flexible and powerful part creation mechanism. Since virtually every

task you perform in EnSight will involve some form of part manipulation, it is vital to understand these concepts.

In EnSight, a part is a named collection of elements (or cells) and associated nodes. The nodes may have zero or

more variables (such as pressure or stress) currently defined at the node positions. All components of a part share

the same set of (such as color or line width).

Parts are either built during the loading process (based on your computational mesh and associated surfaces) or

created during an EnSight session. Parts created during loading are called model parts. Model parts can also be

created during an EnSight session by performing a copy on other model parts or performing a load operation on the

part.

All other parts are created during an EnSight session and are called created or derived parts. Created parts are built

using one or more other parts as the parent parts. The created parts are said to depend on the parent parts. If one or

more of the parent parts change, all parts depending on those parent parts are automatically recalculated and

redisplayed to reflect the change. As an example, consider the following case. A clipping plane is created through

some 3D computational domain and a contour is created on the clipping plane. The contour’s parent is the clipping

plane, and the clipping plane’s parent is the 3D domain. If the 3D domain is changed (e.g. the time step changes),

the clipping plane will first be recalculated, followed by the contour. In this way, part coherence is maintained.

This article is divided into the following sections:

The Parts List Creating Parts Part Types Part Operations

Part Where Parts Are Created and Maintained Hints and Tips

The Parts List

Both model parts as well as all derived parts are displayed as items in the Parts List. There are several ways that the

Parts list can be displayed, the default looks something like:

Part numbers

Case number (important when

multiple datasets have been

loaded)

Part description

P indicates Parent of

currently selected part

Currently selected part

If you right click on any of the columns of the Parts list you

can Customize which columns of data will be shown in the

list. In the resulting pop-up dialog you can select from

either the left or right columns and use the left/right arrow

buttons to add or remove the column to the Parts list. You

can also change the order of the columns in the Parts list

by selecting the attribute in the right panel and using the

up/down arrows to change the order.

Save will keep the settings for the next time you run

EnSight while OK will apply the changes but not save

them.

Part being edited in the

Feature Panel is marked

with a pencil icon

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There are a number of right click

capabilities for a part. The right click

works in both the Parts list as well as

in the graphics window. Shown at

right is that you can perform various

Part selection operations.

You delete a part by either utilizing

the right click pulldown, or you can

select the part and hit the Delete

keyboard button in either the Parts

list or in the graphics window.

There are several ways to easily select multiple

parts. If you wish to select all parts in a Case (which

is really just a group) you select the blue Case line

in the Parts list. You can also perform part selection

operations via the right click pulldown menu.

You can create part groupings by selecting one or more parts

and creating a group from the right click pulldown.

Once a part group has been created you can drag and drop

parts into/out of the group.

The part list can be resized by grabbing the

boundary between the panels (the mouse

cursor will change to show a resize handle if

you’re in the right spot)

You can also grab the Parts panel by the title

bar and drag the entire panel out from its user

interface dock location.

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Also, Items in the Parts List can be selected using standard selection methods:

Creating Parts

The mechanism for creating derived parts is largely the same regardless of part type:

1. In the Parts List, select the part(s) to use as parents.

2. Select the desired creation feature. This can be done via the Feature Icon Bar if the required creation feature is

visible or can be selected via the Create pulldown from the main interface or from the right click on the part (either

in the Parts list or in the graphics window). Any one of these will bring up the Feature Panel for the part type in

question in create mode.

3. Set any desired in the Feature Panel.

4. Click the “Create with selected parts” button to create the part.

There are also right click methods to create parts. These go through the same steps as above but may make some

assumptions to quickly create a part.

The example below shows Isosurface part creation:

To ... Do this ... Details ...

Select an item Select

(or single-click)

Place the mouse pointer over the item and click the left mouse button. The item is

highlighted to reflect the “selected” state.

Extend a (possibly long)

contiguous selection

Shift-click Select the first item. Place the mouse pointer over the last item in the list to be

selected. Press the shift key and click the left mouse button. This action will

extend a selection to include all those items sequentially listed between the first

selection and this one.

Extend a non-contiguous

selection

Control-click Place the mouse pointer over the item. Press the control key and click the left

mouse button. This action will extend a selection by adding the new item, but not

those in-between any previously selected items.

De-select an item Control-click Place the mouse pointer over the selected item. Press the control key and click the

left mouse button. This action will de-select the item.

Edit the part via the

Feature Panel area for

parts

Double-click Place the mouse pointer over the item and click the left mouse button twice in rapid

succession.

3. Select the variable to use.

5. Click “Create with selected parts”.

1. Select the parent part(s).

4. Select an appropriate isovalue.

(Often there is a sensible default)

2. Select the Isosurface Feature

Icon.

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Part Types

The following table provides information on the available part types in EnSight:

Part Type Symbol Feature Icon Description

Clip 2 A surface or line resulting from a clip of parts using an IJK, XYZ, or

RTZ surface of the parts; or a clip of other parts using the Line,

Plane, Box, Cylinder, Sphere, Cone, or Surface of Revolution tool;

or a clip of other parts by revolving an existing 1D part.

Contour C Lines of constant value on 2D elements.

Developed

Surface

D A planar surface derived by unrolling a surface of revolution (e.g.

unrolling a clip created with the Cylinder tool).

Elevated Surface E A part created by scaling a 2D part (in the direction of the local

surface normal) based on the value of a variable.

Isosurface I A surface of constant value through 3D elements.

Model M An original part (i.e.loaded from a disk file) or created through some

operation (e.g. copy or extract) on a model part.

Particle Trace T A part consisting of the paths taken by one or more massless

particles as integrated through a vector (typically velocity) field.

Profile P Plot of a variable along a line (the 2D counterpart to an elevated

surface).

Vector Arrow V A part consisting of a set of arrows showing direction and

magnitude of a vector variable.

Subset S A part created by node and/or element label range(s) from model

part(s).

Tensor Glyph G A part consisting of tensor glyphs showing direction and relative

magnitude of the eigenvectors of a tensor variable.

Material Part A A part created according to the intersection of or domains of

material values.

Vortex Core X A part consisting of line segments down the center of flow vortices.

Shock Surface/

Region

K A part consisting of the surface or volume elements where shock is

higher than a threshold.

Separation/

Attachment Line

L A part consisting of line segments on a surface where flow

separation and attachment is occurring.

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Part Operations

EnSight provides several powerful part operators. These operations are accessible from the Edit > Part submenu or

from right click on a part.

Part

All parts have numerous that control behavior and display. Although many can be controlled either through the Part

Quick Access Icons or the right mouse button options, complete access is provided by the Feature Panel. Part and

the Feature Panel are covered in detail in How To Set .

Copy The copy operation creates a dependent copy of another part. The part is created on the client and

is not known to the server. The new part has its own set of (except for representation), but shares

geometric and variable data with the original.

One of the best reasons to create a copy is to show multiple variables on one part at the same time

in a side-by-side configuration. The copies can be moved independently since each new copy is

automatically assigned a new frame.

See How To Copy a Part for more information.

Clone This operation will create a new part identical to the one(s) being cloned. They are not dependent on

the part cloned for model parts but are dependent on the same parent parts in the case of created

parts.

See Clone a Part for more information.

Group This operation will collapse the selected parts into a new “umbrella” part. Grouping is most often

used to combine a series of parts into a single entity for ease in handling. No new part is created -

only a hierarchy in the Parts list. The operation is reversible through the Ungroup command.

See How To Group Parts for more information.

Delete The delete operation completely removes not only the currently selected parts, but also any parts

derived from the selected parts.

See How To Delete a Part for more information.

Extract The extract operation is closely tied to part representations. Extract creates a new dependent part

using only the geometry of the current representation of the part. For example, if the current

representation of a part consisting of 3D elements is Border, the result of extraction will be a part

consisting of all unshared 2D elements (the surface).

Extract is most often used to reduce the amount of information for a part (e.g. for faster display or for

geometry output) or to create a surface shell part – perhaps for subsequent cutting – of a 3D

computational domain.

See How To Extract Part Representations for more information.

Merge Merge creates one new dependent part from one or more selected parts. The original parts are

unchanged. If only a single part is selected for the operation, merge will create a “true” copy of the

part (as opposed to the “shallow” copy that the Copy operation creates).

Merging is most often used to combine a series of parts into a single part for ease in handling (such

as attribute setting).

See How To Merge Parts for more information.

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Where Parts Are Created and Maintained

Part creation occurs on either the EnSight client or the server. Since the data that is available on the client and server

are different, it is useful to understand where parts are created and where the data is stored. For example, you can

only perform a query operation for parts that are stored on the server. The following table provides this information

for each part type:

In the last column, “depending on representation” means the current visual representation for the part. For

example, if the part’s visual representation is “Not Loaded”, then no data is currently present on the client.

Hints and Tips

With some datasets that contain many parts, it is important to maintain the connection between a part as displayed in

the Graphics Window and the corresponding item in the Parts List. EnSight shows the selected parts as highlighted.

To toggle this feature on or off, click on the Highlight Selected Parts toggle.

You can rapidly cycle through items in the Parts List using the up/down arrow keys on your keyboard. Select any item

in the list and then press the up arrow (to move to previous entries) or down arrow (to move to subsequent entries).

This is particularly helpful when used in conjunction with the Part(s) Selected Highlighting (as described above) to

quickly locate a part of interest.

You can select parts in the Parts List using a single left click on the part in the graphics window. This should work

unless your single-click settings has been changed from the default Pick Part. To change it back to Pick Part,

Edit>Preferences and click on Mouse and Keyboard. You can also select parts in the Graphics Window by picking

using the ‘p’ key. Select Pick Part from the Pick pull-down. In the Graphics Window, place the mouse pointer over any

portion of the desired part and press the ‘p’ key. If you hold down the control key at the same time, the part is added

to the list of currently selected parts.

Part Type Where Created Data on Server? Data on Client?

Clip server yes depending on representation

Contour client no yes

Developed Surface server yes depending on representation

Discrete Particle N/A yes depending on representation

Elevated Surface server yes depending on representation

Isosurface server yes depending on representation

Model N/A yes depending on representation

Particle Trace server no yes

Profile client no yes

Vector Arrow client no yes

Subset server yes depending on representation

Tensor Glyph client no yes

Vortex Core server yes depending on representation

Shock Surface/Region server yes depending on representation

Separation/Attachment Line server yes depending on representation

Material server yes depending on representation

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A quick way to create parts using the default settings is to right click on a part in the graphics window. A pulldown

selection will appear that will give you the option to create a Contour, Isosurface or Vector Arrow part using the default

settings using the parent as the part you right clicked.

Selected parts can be written to disk and loaded in a future session. Select File > Save > Geometric Entities ... You

have the option of saving either in EnSight format, VRML format, STL format, or other user-defined formats. See How

To Save Geometric Entities for more information.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Features, Parts

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HOW TO CREATE AUXILIARY GEOMETRY

Create Auxiliary Geometry

INTRODUCTION

Auxiliary geometry can serve as reference geometry to augment visual settings for parts. It can be used for things like

mapping textures upon, or to cast shadows from model part(s) upon. Auxiliary geometry quickly bounds your

specified part(s), and is interactively extended about the vicinity of the part(s).

BASIC OPERATION

Shadow of the shuttle is being cast on

auxiliary geometry part.

1. Select the parent part(s) in

the part list

2. Select Create->Auxiliary

geometry...

5. Click “Create with selected

parts”.

Note you can click on each of the the

walls and drag it to a desired

location.

3. Select the Geometry type box.

Currently ‘Box’ is the only option but it is

a pulldown because more may be

added in the future.

4. Choose which wall(s) of the box to

show.

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ADVANCED USAGE

OTHER NOTES

Auxiliary geometry can be used in conjunction with directional lighting and ray traced images to display cast shadows

of the specified parts.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Auxiliary Geometry

How To Set LIght Sources

How To Use Raytrace Rendering

Other options can be specified to fine tune

the geometry.

1. Show the bounding box outline of the

auxiliary geometry.

2. Produce double-sided walls to

resolve corner issues for ray-traced

images.

3. Control surface normal direction.

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HOW TO CREATE CONTOURS

Create Contours

INTRODUCTION

A contour is a line of constant value on a two-dimensional (though not necessarily planar) surface. The region on one

side of the line is larger than the isovalue; the region on the other side is less than the isovalue. EnSight creates

contour lines in groups where the isovalues either correspond to the levels in the palette defined for the contour

variable, or a user specified range and. The contour lines can also be labeled with the corresponding palette value.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the parent part.

3. Select the variable to use.

2. Click the Contours icon.

4. Click the Create with selected

parts button.

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The Contour Feature Panel lets you set the number of contour levels (and sublevels) as well as attach labels to the

contour lines. Contour lines can be synced to the palette levels or can be chosen manually.

In the parts list, double-click

the contour part you wish to

edit.

If you want contour lines for each level of the palette:

1. Select Advanced.

2. Select the Variable.

And the component or magnitude if a

vector.

3. Toggle on Sync To Palette.

4. Select the number of sublevels

desired (if any). And make sure Visible

toggles are set as desired.

See How To Edit Color Maps for how to

set the color palette levels.

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If you want to set the contour line ranges:

In the parts list, double-click

the contour part you wish to

edit.

1. Select Advanced.

2. Select the Variable.

And the component or magnitude if a

vector.

3. Toggle off Sync To Palette.

4. Specify the Min and Max Range.

5. Specify the method for the Range.

6. Specify the

number of Levels and sublevels.

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If you want to place labels on the contour lines:

In the parts list, double-click

the contour part you wish to

edit.

1. Select Advanced.

2. Auto labels will create a label on each

main contour loop with a spacing as

specified.

Custom labels: Right-clicking

3. Toggle on or off the visibility of the

custom created contour labels.

4. Custom labels can be created by right

clicking on a contour loop and choosing

Label>Add to Add a label.

5. You can also remove any label by right

mouse clicking on the label and choosing

the Label>"Delete this one" option.

Label formatting

6. You can control the label orientation,

format (linear, log, or quadratic), size, and

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Shortcut

ADVANCED USAGE

When Sync To Palette is specified, the levels of the variable palette are used as the contour levels. You must edit the

palette using the Feature Panel for Variables to modify the number of levels, etc. See How To Edit Color Maps for

guidance.

OTHER NOTES

The default behavior is to color the contour part by the creation variable. If you toggle this off, the contour part will not

be colored by a variable automatically, but will be white.

Unlike most part creation operators, contours are created from the client’s representation of the part – not the

server’s. If the parent part of the contour consists of one-dimensional elements or has no client-side visual

representation at all, the resulting contour will be empty. This would be the case if the parent part was currently

displayed as feature angle, border representation, or not loaded. The 3D border, 2D full representation is typically

used for contour part parents. See How to Change Visual Representation for more information.

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation, How To Edit Color Maps.

User Manual: Contour Parts

Right click on a part in the Parts

list or in the graphics window.

In the resulting pulldown,

choose Contour.

A window will pop up to choose

a variable.

This then automatically creates

a contour part with the default

settings using the selected

variable and using the right-

clicked part as the parent part.

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Create Isosurfaces

INTRODUCTION

An isosurface is a surface of constant value in a three-dimensional field. It is the 3D counterpart to the contour loop:

the region on one side of the isosurface has values greater than the isovalue; the region on the other side has values

less than the isovalue. In EnSight, an isosurface can be generated from a scalar variable, a component or magnitude

of a vector variable, or a component of the model coordinates.

An isosurface of a scalar or vector variable is typically a complex surface reflecting the of the underlying variable.

Isosurfaces of coordinates, however, are typically regular geometric shapes such as planes, cylinders, cones or

spheres.

BASIC OPERATION

Shortcut

Right click on a part in the graphics window. In the resulting pulldown, choose Isosurface. A window will pop up to

choose a variable. This then automatically creates an isosurface part with the default settings using the selected

variable and using the right-clicked part as the parent part.

1. Select the parent part.

3. Select the variable to use.

2. Click the Isosurface

Feature icon.

4. Select an appropriate isovalue.

(the default will be a mid-range value)

5. Click “Create with selected parts”

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ADVANCED USAGE

Interactive Isosurfaces

You can have EnSight automatically generate and display isosurfaces as you adjust a slider with the mouse.

You can also set the Interactive mode to Auto and EnSight will automatically sweep from Range Min to Max with step

size equal to Increment.

Shortcut

In the graphics window, left click on the isosurface and you will see a green handle appear. Drag the handle to

change the value of the isosurface and see a printout on the screen of the actual value as you drag the isosurface.

Isosurface Animation

A range of isosurfaces can be automatically generated and viewed in a flipbook. Flipbooks provide on-screen

animation of various dynamic events and (in the default setting) permit graphic manipulation (e.g. rotation or zoom)

while the animation runs.

1. Set the Interactive mode to Manual.

2. Adjust the slider to the desired location.

1. Double click on the Isosurface part.

2. Click on the Advanced button.

3. In the Creation section, set the Animation Delta

to an appropriate value. For each page (frame)

of the flipbook, this value will be added to the

current value to yield the new isovalue.

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Alternatively you can put the isosurface in interactive manual mode, and then click on the flipbook icon, click on the

more detail icon, choose Load Type Create Data, then click on the Start button, move the isosurface, then click on the

stop button and choose your number of pages and click Load.

Creating Multiple Offset Isosurfaces:

You can have EnSight create multiple isosurfaces at a specified delta value. The results is a group of isosurfaces:

Isovolume Creation

An isovolume is a volume whose constituents (e.g. nodes and elements) are constrained to a constant interval range

in a scalar field. In EnSight, you can constrain the isovolume to ranges less than an interval minimum, greater than an

4. Click the Flipbook icon.

6. Set the number of pages

to an appropriate value.

7. Click Load.

8. When loading is complete use the

controls to play the flipbook

5. Choose Create Data.

1. Select the parent part.

3. Select the variable to use.

2. Click the Isosurface

Feature icon.

4. Select an appropriate isovalue.

(the default will be a mid-range value)

6. Click “Create with selected parts”

5. Set the number of surfaces and the

delta between them. Note that you can

only change the number of surfaces at

creation.

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interval maximum, or between the interval minimum and maximum.

OTHER NOTES

Effective display of more than two nested isosurfaces is difficult. Set transparency on the outermost isosurface(s) to

reveal the inner surfaces. To avoid confusion, don’t try to display isosurfaces of more than one variable

simultaneously, or multiple isosurfaces of the same variable colored by different variables.

SEE ALSO

How-To Create a Flipbook Animation, How-To Create a Keyframe Animation

User Manual: Isosurface Parts

1. In the Isosurface Feature Panel, toggle on

Advanced

3. Set the type to Isovolume.

5. Set the Constraint to Band to constrain the

isovolume within an appropriate Min and Max

range of the scalar variable. Min will create an

isovolume constrained to be <= o the value given

while Max will create an isovolume >= to the value

given.

4. Set the Min and Max.

2. Choose a variable.

6. “Create with selected parts”

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Create Particle Traces

INTRODUCTION

Streamline and Pathline Traces:

A particle trace represents the path a particle would take if released in a flow field. From an initial seed point (the

emitter), a path is formed by integrating through the velocity field over time. The path is therefore everywhere parallel

to the flow. For models with rotational periodic geometry, streamlines and pathlines can exit a symmetry face and re-

enter the corresponding symmetry face and continue. Traces calculated using a single time step in a flow field are

called streamlines. The path calculated using a transient flowfield that is updated as the calculation proceeds is

known as a pathline.

EnSight provides a great deal of control over emitter definition and trace appearance:

• Emitters can be defined using one of the built-in tools (Cursor, Line, or Plane) or by clicking on any

surface in the Graphics Window. The nodes of an arbitrary part can be used as an emitter, or the emitter

time and locations can be read from a file (see EnSight Particle Emitter File Format in the Chapter 11 of

the User Manual).

• The streamline path can be generated in the positive, negative, or positive and negative time directions.

• Traces can be restricted to lie on any surface to search for flow topology and separation features.

• For transient cases, an emitter can have a delta time that controls the periodic release of additional

particles into the dynamic flow.

• Emitters can be interactive: as you move the emitter with the mouse, the associated traces

automatically recalculate and redisplay (This option is not available for surface-restricted Particle

traces, traces emitted from a Part, in Server of Server mode, or for Pathlines).

• Trace paths can be displayed as lines, ribbons, tubes, or as square tubes, where ribbon or tube twist

follows the local flow rotation around the path.

• Right-click on an individual trace and select “Hide this trace emission” to hide it and select “Show all

trace emissions” to reset the traces to visible. This is useful for making uninteresting traces invisible

while retaining the interesting ones.

• If the particle trace part is colored by a constant color: then the following options are available:

- Right-click and select "Set trace emission to random colors" to assign a random color automatically to

each emission of the particle trace part. This is useful for distinguishing between traces.

- Right click on an individual trace and select "Set trace emission to constant color..." to assign a color

to the individual emission selected. The standard color widget will appear to allow you to select a color.

- To reset the color of the trace colors back to a uniform color, simply color the traces by a constant.

• Particle traces can be easily animated to provide intuitive comprehension of the flow field. Complete

control over all aspects of the animating tracers is provided, including length, speed, and release

interval for multiple pulses.

Node Tracks:

Another form of trace that is available in EnSight is entitled node tracking. This trace is constructed by connecting the

locations of nodes through time. It is useful for changing geometry or transient displacement models (including

measured particles) which have node ids.

Min/Max Variable Tracks:

A further type of trace that is available is a min or max variable track. This trace is constructed by connecting the min

or max of a chosen variable (for the selected parts) though time. Thus, on transient models one can follow where the

min or max variable location occurs.

Both the node tracking and the min/max variable tracking options are like a connect-the-dots through time trace.

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BASIC OPERATION

To trace particles through a steady-state flow field (streamline):

1. Select the flow field

mesh part(s) to trace

through.

3. Select the vector variable to use.

2. Click the Particle Traces icon.

5. Select the desired emitter.

If the emitter is a tool (Cursor, Line, Plane),

position the tool at the desired emitter

location. If the chosen emitter is Part, then

enter the part number in the Part ID field and

press return.

4. Select Streamline as the type.

7. Click Create with selected parts buttons.

The particle traces will be created from the desired emitter. Their maximum time duration is

controlled via the Total Time Limit found under the Emitter Information when Advanced is

chosen instead of Simple.

6. Click to set the trace direction:

+: forwards in time (positive velocity

direction) from the emission point(s)

-: backwards in time (negative velocity

direction) from the emission point(s)

towards the entering flow boundary

(Streamlines only)

+/-: both forwards and backwards

(Streamlines only)

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The following are the available Emit From options. Note that traces will only be generated for those emitter points that

actually lie within an element of the selected flow field part(s).

Shortcut

Cursor A single trace will be emitted from the Cursor tool.

Line Multiple traces will be emitted from evenly spaced points along the Line tool.

Enter the desired number of traces in the # Points field and press return.

Plane Multiple traces will be emitted from evenly spaced points in a grid pattern over the

Plane tool. Enter the desired number of traces in the X and Y direction (with

respect to the Plane tool’s axis) in the # Points X/Y fields and press return. The

total number of traces will be the product of X and Y.

Part One trace will be emitted from the number of nodes of the part you specify. This

number of nodes will be randomly selected. Enter the Part ID number (from the

Main Parts list) of the part you wish to use as an emitter, and the number of nodes.

Limitation: if you create a particle trace from a Part ID, you cannot later change the

ID nor can you change the emitter type to something else (such as Cursor).

File Traces will be emitted from the locations, and at the times, specified in an EnSight

Particle Emitter file. See EnSight Particle Emitter File Format in Chapter 11 of the

User Manual.

To quickly create a particle trace:

1. Select the parent part(s).

2. Right click on a tool (cursor, line

or plane).

3. and choose Particle Trace.

If you have no parts selected then a

dialog will pop up to ask you to select

part(s).

If there are more than one vector

variables, then a pop up will ask you

to choose your vector variable.

This will create streamline trace(s)

using default settings and the tool as

the emitter

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The complete set of particle trace can be edited in the Create/edit dialog for Traces, when in Advanced mode. For

example, the emitter can be changed under the Emitter Information in the Creation section:

Display Traces as Ribbons, Tubes or Square Tubes, and control Arrowheads

Streamline and Pathline Particle paths can be displayed as lines, ribbons, tubes or square tubes, where ribbon or

tube twist follows the local flow rotation. To enable ribbon or tube display, and change trace arrowheads:

Animate Particles

Any type of particle trace can be animated. See How To Animate Particle Traces for more information.

Toggle on to have start time be the current time,

otherwise specify the start time (Streamlines only).

Set the total amount of time a trace will last (it may terminate

for other reasons as well). An intelligent default will be set for

you.

Solution time at which to begin pathline trace (Pathlines only).

Delta emission time for pathlines.

If not zero, a new set of traces will be emitted at S, S+D, S+2D, etc. into the changing flow field (where S is the Start time and

D is the delta value). Used to create streaklines or smoke traces. Animated streaklines are one of the most powerful methods

for visualizing transient flow (Pathlines only)

2. Set Show As to Ribbon, Tubes or Square Tubes.

3. If desired, change the default ribbon or tube width

and press return.

4. Select the Arrowhead representation desired.

(Cone, Normal, or Triangles)

5. Set the number of arrowheads to display along a

trace.

6. Set the arrowhead size.

Note that node tracks and min/max variable tracks can only be displayed as lines. Trace arrowheads can

be used for tracks, but this must be done from the Particle Trace Feature Panel.

1. Double-click the desired particle trace part in the Parts list (or right click on it in the list or in the

graphics window and select Edit...). This will open the Create/edit Parts dialog. If necessary, toggle on

Advanced mode, and open the Creation section.

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Individual emission visibility and color

Each individual particle trace visibility status and color can be controlled via a right mouse button selection of the

particle trace in the graphics window. Note that coloring individual traces only works if the trace part is a constant

color.

1. Right click on an individual trace to see the following menu:

2. If the particle trace part is colored by a constant color (this

won’t work if the particle trace is colored by a variable).

a. Select "Set trace emission to constant color..." to choose a

color to set the selected emission. The standard color widget

will appear to allow you to select a color.

b. Select "Set trace emission to random colors" and EnSight

will automatically assign a random color to each emission of

the particle trace part.

c. To clear the per trace color simply color the part by a

constant color (see Change Color)

3. Each individual trace can be turned invisible by selecting

"Hide this trace emission"

4. Reset all traces to visible using "Show all trace emissions"

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Pick a Surface to Trace a Particle

Rather than emit from a tool or a part, you can also interactively pick points on a surface in the Graphics Window to

define emitter locations. To do this:

Note that you can also specify a rake (line) or net (plane) emitter by picking on a surface. Just set the emitter to Line

or Plane prior to clicking Create. Then follow in the instructions in the pop-up window.

3. Toggle on Pick Surface

4. Click Create.

And the following dialog will appear:

5. Do as instructed, move the mouse into the

Graphics Window and click the left mouse

button when the cursor is over the

desired location. The clicked point must be

found within some element of the selected

3D part to result in a trace.

6. You can click to create as many point

emitters as you like. When done, move

the mouse out of the Graphics Window.

7. Click off Pick Surface.

2. Click the Particle Traces icon.

1. Select the flow field

mesh part to trace

through.

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Trace Surface-Restricted Particles

EnSight can trace particles such that they are constrained to lie on a (not necessarily planar) 2D surface – even if the

velocity is zero at the surface. The trace is calculated by projecting a short distance off the surface into the 3D flow

field and using the velocity value found there. Both the projection distance (variable offset) and a display offset are

user definable and are in the surface normal direction.

Surface-restricted trace emitters are defined by mouse action in the Graphics Window. When you click and drag over

the desired surface, the emitter is defined by projecting the mouse path onto the surface. To trace surface-restricted

particle traces:

3. Set the desired vector variable to use for

tracing.

4. Select the desired emitter type (Cursor,

Line, or Plane). Note that the applicable

tool will not actually be used in this

operation (a pick action will be used).

5. Toggle on the Surface Restricted button.

Note that all subsequent tracing will be

assumed to be surface restricted until

this is toggled off.

6. If the Emit From is set to Line or Plane,

enter the desired number of points (Line)

or X and Y points (Plane).

7. Click the Create button.

8. Move the mouse pointer into the

Graphics Window and:

for a Cursor emitter: click the left mouse

button on the desired location.

for a Line emitter: click and hold the left

mouse button on one endpoint of the

desired line. Drag to the other endpoint

(a white line will provide feedback).

for a Plane emitter: click and hold the left

mouse button on one corner of the

desired region. Drag to the opposite

corner (a white rectangle will provide

feedback).

9. You can continue to specify emitters of

the selected type as long as the mouse

pointer remains in the Graphics Window.

When the pointer exits the window, the

trace part will be created.

10. When done, toggle off both Surface

Restricted, and then Pick Surface.

Note that in Advanced mode, you have control over the various other of the trace - including variable offset,

display offset, trace direction, etc.

1. Select the desired

surface part(s) in

the Parts list. This

should be the

surface you wish to

trace on.

2. Click the Particle

Traces icon.

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Interactive Particle Tracing

If a particle trace was created from one of the tool emitters (Cursor, Line, or Plane) and the trace is a streamline trace,

the emitter can be made interactive. When interactive, the tool that created the particle trace part can be moved with

the mouse. As the tool is moved, new particle traces are automatically recalculated and redisplayed (This option is

not available for surface-restricted Particle traces, traces emitted from a Part, in Server of Server mode, or to

Pathlines). To trace interactively:

1. Either create a particle trace part as described above (based on a tool) or double-click an existing particle

trace part to open the Parts Feature Panel, and turndown the Creation .

2. Toggle on Interactive Emitter.

If the tool that originally defined the emitter is not visible, it will be turned on by this operation.

3. Move the mouse into the Graphics Window and manipulate the tool as desired. See the article on the

applicable tool for information on tool manipulation (Cursor, Line, or Plane).

4. When done, toggle off Interactive Emitters.

Trace Pathlines

EnSight provides complete control over transient particle tracing. Both the start time and the stop time can be

specified. In addition, you can specify a delta value for an emitter that will cause additional particles to be emitted into

the flow at regular intervals. This type of pathline is also called a streakline or smoke trace.

You create a pathline trace by setting the Type to Pathline (rather than Streamline) prior to clicking Create. By default,

the pathlines will start at the first time step of your simulation and terminate at the last step (unless stopped earlier).

You can change these defaults within the Emitter Information in the Creation section of the Create/edit dialog as

described above.

Edit Emitter

Complete control over all creation attributes is found in the Advanced mode of the Create/edit Parts dialog for particle

trace parts. There are many ways to get to these, some are:

1. Double click on the desired Particle trace part in the Parts list

or select the desired Particle trace part in the Parts list and click

the Particle traces icon.

or right click on the desired Particle trace part in the Parts list and select

Edit...

or select Create->Particle traces...,

then select the desired Particle trace part in the

Parts list.

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2. Make sure you are in Advanced mode.

Set the desired flow field

variable

Trace type

Line or ribbon display

Toggle on Surface Restricted

tracing

Set surface restricted

variable and display offsets.

Number of arrowheads along

the trace.

List of the emitters belonging

to the selected trace part

Set to emit at current time, or

set emission time.

Set emitter total time

Set emission start and delta

Set interactive emitter

Number of points (If Line or

Plane emitter)

Set ribbon width

Set Emitter direction

Toggle on surface picking for

emitter definition

Set Arrowhead size.

Emission tool for currently

selected emitter

Add Emit: add a new emitter

to the selected part based on

the current.

Delete Emit: delete the

selected emitter.

Set Total Time to the default.

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Massed Particle Traces

Ensight also provides massed particle traces via the Advanced mode in the Feature Panel for Traces.

1. Open the Parts Feature Panel for the desired

particle trace part by one of the several

methods shown above.

2. Click the Massed Particle toggle to reveal the

massed particle parameters.

3. Modify the massed particle parameters

according to your dataset.

Each term in the momentum balance equation

has a separate tab containing the parameters

which pertain.

4. Toggle on Use massed particles.

The selected particle trace part will update to a

massed particle trace(s) taking into consideration

the parameters you specified.

For the theory used in massed particle traces, see

the User Manual: Particle Trace Parts

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HOW TO CREATE PARTICLE TRACES

Periodic Particle Traces

Ensight also provides a special option for rotational periodic geometry. Both streamlines and pathlines, which exit a

symmetry face of a part, can re-enter the part at the corresponding symmetry face and continue. As will be illustrated

below, one must first specify the correct symmetry for the periodic geometric parts, and toggle on the periodic option.

See below for an example model of the flow field and surfaces of an axial blade with angled inlet – periodic faces are

set as non-visual and, the top view has the original and all of the remaining 40 instances, while the bottom view has

the original as well as four instances as shown below.

1. Select the periodic field parts that share

the same symmetry attributes. In this

case, the field part is the Blade Region.

2. Place your emitter tool in the original

instance prior to making instances. You

cannot emit within in the symmetry

instances as they are graphical only!

3. Click the Visual Symmetry icon to open

up the Part Visual Symmetry dialog.

4. Choose rotational symmetry, the axis of

rotation (here X), set the number of

instances for full 360 degree rotation (in

this case 41).

Note in this case each slice is 360/41 degrees.

5. Toggle to show the original

instance, and the number of

instances to show (in this

case shown below, show 4).

If you show the original instance, then 40 will

show the entire 360 rotation. If not showing

the original instance then 41 will show all (see

the image to the right).

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6. Click on the Particle Traces icon, to open

the Create Traces dialog. And click the

Advanced toggle – to open the full

dialog.

7. Set your desired options as explained in

other sections of this How To

(streamline or pathline, emit from, etc.).

8. Toggle on “Compute using periodicity”.

Note this will use the information from the

parent visual symmetry dialog.

9. Click the Create with selected parts

button.

If you only have one instance of the parent

flow field part showing, streamlines will be

shown entering and exiting the flow field part

and can be confusing. It is helpful to display

several instances in the visual symmetry

dialog.

10. With the newly created particle trace

part selected, click on the visual

symmetry icon

11. In the resulting Part Visual Symmetry

dialog, choose rotational symmetry.

Show the same number of instances of the

particle trace part as the parent flow field part.

Turning on Visual Periodic Symmetry with

multiple parent instances will give you a sense

of the flow between the instances as shown

below.

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Node Tracks

Ensight provides the capability to track the location of node(s) through time. As one would expect, node ids are

required, and this only makes sense for nodes that change location over time - whether by changing geometry or by

transient displacement. Measured particle parts are often a particularly good choice for this option.

Min/Max Variable Tracks

Ensight provides the capability to track the location of the minimum or maximum of a chosen variable through time.

This of course only makes sense for transient models.

1. Select the part(s) containing the nodes you

wish to track in the Part list.

2. Click on the Particle Traces Icon

3. Set Type to Node track.

4. Optionally you can modify the begin and end

times to use for the track.

The default will be all time steps.

5. Specify the particular node id you wish to

track, or do “ALL”.

You can use the ‘Use ALL nodes” button to select

all if you have modified the field.

1. Select the part(s) containing the variable, for

which you wish to track the min or max.

2. Set Type to Variable min. track

(Or Variable max. track)

3. Select the desired variable.

4. Optionally you can modify the begin and end

times to use for the track.

The default will be all time steps.

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Surface Flow Visualization

Ensight provides the capability to visualize the flow over a surface part, similar to tufts in a wind tunnel. This

visualization is not interactive, nor is it animated; it is a graphical texture of the flow tufts calculated on the part surface

using surface velocity (or velocity in the flow just above the surface) using the Line Integral Convolution algorithm. It

is designed to provide a uniform visualization of the flow of a vector over a surface. This will update when time is

changed for transient data. See Surface Flow Display for details.

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ADVANCED

Reverse Pathlines

From time to time we have users that wish to trace pathlines backward in time. This can be accomplished fairly easily

using the EnSight casefile format. (Note, if your data is in a different format, you can use File->Export->Geometric

Entities to convert it into casefile format).

1. Reverse the order for the timeset files, by using a negative filename increment.

Example:

TIME

time set: 1

filename start number: 1

filename increment: 1

time values: 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0

change to:

TIME

time set: 1

filename start number: 5

filename increment: -1

time values: 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0

2. Create a vector variable that is the negative of the normal vector field. Simply use the variable calculator to create

a new vector variable (neg_vector = - vector).

3. Create pathlines using the neg_vector variable.

Limiting Pathlines

If your geometry is much larger than your region of interest, you can try setting the total time limit value in the particle

trace dialog (with the Advanced toggle turned on). This will stop traces after a given time and avoid wasted

computational time outside your region of interest. You can estimate the total time as follows. Determine the total

distance of your region of interest, and divide it by an average velocity to get a time (making sure all units are

consistent in this calculation and within EnSight. Then try the run with a few pathlines. If you have significant

recirculation within sections of your flow, this method will stop particles long before they exit your region of interest. In

this case, you may want to consider using spatial limits on your flowfield.

If your geometry is much larger than your region of interest and temporal limits stop some of the traces too soon, then

you can set spatial limits for your particle trace. There are two ways to limit the volume in which your pathline is

traced. The first is to create a new part of limited volume and use this part as the trace parent; you can do this by

using the box tool to define the region of interest and do an interior cut of your model volume (and then select the cut

part as your parent part for your pathline trace). The trace will stop when it reaches the box tool volume limits. The

second is to set six environmental variables before you start up EnSight to limit the x, y, or z max and/or min:

ENSIGHT10_MIN_TRACE_X, ENSIGHT10_MAX_TRACE_X, ENSIGHT10_MIN_TRACE_Y,

ENSIGHT10_MAX_TRACE_Y, ENSIGHT10_MIN_TRACE_Z, or ENSIGHT10_MAX_TRACE_Z. The trace will stop

when it falls outside the bounds set by the environmental variables. The downside of using the box tool is that it costs

memory to create a new part (which can be substantial on a large dataset). The downside of setting environmental

variables is that you must do this before you start EnSight.

OTHER NOTES

Particle trace calculation can be expensive for large or transient datasets and/or a large number of particles. Be

careful when you initiate a trace operation – there is currently no way to abort it. If you are calculating pathlines, you

should specify as many particles as possible at one time. Much of the pathline execution time is in reading the

transient data from disk and this operation has to be performed regardless of how many traces were specified.

The EnSight particle trace algorithm integrates the vector flow field over time using a 4th-order Runge-Kutta method

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with a time varying integration step. Several of the integration parameters can be changed by the user. See Particle

Trace Parts in the User Manual for more information.

If you have trace data for other types of particles (e.g. for multi-phase flow simulations) you can use the discrete/

measured data facility to load the particle path positions and animate them over time.

SEE ALSO

How To Animate Particle Traces

User Manual: Particle Trace Parts

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HOW TO CREATE PARTICLE TRACES

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HOW TO CREATE CLIPS

Create Clips

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a powerful set of clipping operators. See the following How To articles for more information:

Create Line Clips Clip lines are linear clips through 2D or 3D models (using the Line Tool) with samples taken at

evenly spaced intervals (grid), or at intersections of element boundaries of the parent parts

(mesh). Clip line values can be visualized using profiles or queried and sent to a plotter.

Create Plane Clips A clipping plane is a planar slice through a 3D mesh using the Plane Tool. EnSight’s clipping

operation can take arbitrary cuts through either structured or unstructured meshes. The clip

can be infinite in extent (at least to the bounds of the parts it is created from) or restricted to

the bounds of the Plane tool. The nodes of the resulting clipping plane can be based on the

topology and resolution of the underlying mesh or sampled on a regular grid.

You can also create a clip that contains all the elements that intersect the plane value via the

crinkly domain specification. These clips help view the integrity of the mesh at these values.

Create Box Clips A Box clip is a 3D volumetric hexahedral-shaped clip or cut. This clip uses the box tool (which

can be manipulated anywhere in space), and the result can be the surface intersection of the

box tool walls and the model, the volume portion of the model inside the tool, the volume

portion of the model outside the tool, or the crinkly surface elements of the intersection. Be

aware that due to the algorithm used, this clip can (and most often does) have chamfered

edges, the size of which depends on the coarseness of the model elements.

Create Quadric Clips In addition to standard clipping planes, EnSight also provides clipping against quadric shapes.

These clips use the corresponding quadric tool (Cylinder, Sphere, Cone, Surface of

Revolution) to specify the location of the clip.

You can also create a clip that contains all the elements that intersect the quadric value via the

crinkly domain specification. These clips help view the integrity of the mesh at these values.

Create IJK Clips An IJK clip is a 1D or 2D slice through a structured mesh. The resulting clip is a 1D line or 2D

surface where one dimension (e.g. I) is held fixed while the other one or two dimensions (e.g.

J and K) vary. The minimum and maximum range of the free dimensions can be set by the

user, as well as the step size. IJK clips can be interactively animated throughout the range of

the fixed dimension by manipulating a slider.

Although planar clips can still be created through structured meshes, it is often preferable to

create IJK clips since they are faster to calculate and use less memory. In addition, IJK clips

are often more intuitive for the user (who typically built the mesh).

Create XYZ Clips An XYZ clip is a 1D or 2D slice through a 2D or 3D mesh (structured or unstructured). The

resulting clip is a 1D or 2D mesh slice where one of the dimensions (e.g. X) is held constant

(or fixed) while the other two dimensions (e.g. Y and Z) vary in reference to the local frame of

the mesh. XYZ clips can be interactively animated throughout the range of the fixed

dimension by manipulating a slider. The minimum, maximum, and step size of the range of the

fixed dimension can be set by the user.

Although plane clips can still be created through meshes, it is often preferable to create XYZ

clips since they are constrained to the local frame of the meshed part. To quickly create an

XYZ clip, simply right-click on a part and choose Clip and then choose the direction.

Create RTZ Clips An RTZ clip is a 1D or 2D slice through 2D or 3D meshes (structured or unstructured). The

resulting clip is a 1D or 2D mesh slice where one of the dimensions (e.g. R,”radial

component”) is held constant (or fixed) while the other one or two dimensions (e.g. T, ”theta

component” and Z, “z axis component”) vary in reference to the local frame of the mesh. RTZ

clips can be interactively animated throughout the range of the fixed dimension by

manipulating a slider. The minimum, maximum, and step size of the range of the interactive

fixed dimension can be set by the user. To quickly create an RTZ clip, simply right-click on a

part and choose Clip and then choose the direction.

Revolution Tool Clips A Revolution Tool clip can be made using the surface of revolution tool. It can be the surface

created by the intersection of the surface of revolution tool and the model, the elements

intersected by the surface of revolution tool (crinkly), or the volume of the inside and/or the

outside domain swept by the revolution tool. This clip cannot be interactively manipulated.

Revolve 1D Part Clips A Revolution of 1D Part clip can be made using a 1D part and a user specified axis. It can be

the surface created by the intersection of the 1D part about the axis and the model, the

elements intersected by the 1D part about the axis(crinkly), or the volume of the inside and/or

the outside domain swept by the 1D part about the axis. This clip is always infinite. This clip

does not have interactive manipulation capability, with a slider or by dragging the tool with the

mouse. However, if the 1D part is capable of being moved, you can move it and the revolution

clip will update.

Create Clip Splines Spline clips will sample a defined spline on evenly spaced intervals along the spline. Values

along a spline clip can be visualized using profiles or queried and sent to a plotter, or used in

subsequent computations such as computations of a line integral.

Create General

Quadric Clips A general quadric clip AX2+BY2+CZ2+DXY+EYZ+FXZ+GX+HY+IZ=J can be created. This is

only available from the Clip Feature Panel.

Page 293

HOW TO CREATE CLIP LINES

Create Clip Lines

INTRODUCTION

In addition to standard clipping planes, EnSight also provides one dimensional clipping. Clip lines are linear clips

through 2D or 3D models with either samples taken at evenly spaced intervals (grid) or true intersections at the faces

of the parent part’s elements (mesh). Values along a clip line can be visualized using profiles or queried and sent to

a plotter.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the parent part.

2. Click the Clip icon.

7. Click “Create with selected parts”

3. Select Line from the Use Tool pull-down.

4. Select Mesh or Grid type.

6. Position the Line tool as

desired (see How To Use the

Line Tool).

5. If Mesh, select Finite or Infinite

If Grid, set the number of evenly spaced

points on the line

Note: To quickly create a line clip, right click on the line tool and choose Clip. This will create a

line clip using the default settings.

8. Click on the Advanced toggle

to see more options

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HOW TO CREATE CLIP LINES

ADVANCED USAGE

Like the other clipping tools in EnSight, clip lines can be interactive: as you drag, rotate, or stretch the Line tool with

the mouse, the clip line is automatically recalculated and re-displayed. If a query has been created from the clip line,

the plotted curve will automatically re-display as well. To perform interactive line clips:

OTHER NOTES

It is sometimes useful to display just the nodes of a line clip. Click Node, elements and line pulldown lower in the

Create/edit Parts dialog in the advanced mode and you can change the display such that only nodes (not lines or

elements) are displayed. The nodes can be dots, crosses, or spheres. If displayed as crosses or spheres, the size

(radius) can be constant or scaled by the value of a variable. See How to Set for more information.

1. Double-click the desired clip line part in the parts list.

2. Toggle on Interactive Tool in the Feature Panel.

3. Move the mouse into the Graphics Window. Click on

one of the Line tool hotpoints (either endpoint or

center axis origin or axes) and drag the tool to the

desired location.

Note that the line tool itself will be made invisible while moving the tool interactively, so as not to obscure the

clip. It will reappear when the mouse is released.

A line clip can be specified by identifying two nodes as

points on the line.

This requires that node ids be available and that the Feature

Panel be in advanced mode.

The effect of this method is that the line clip remains

tied to the two nodes, even if their location moves over

time.

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HOW TO CREATE CLIP LINES

Clip of a 2D part using the line tool

A Clip of a 2D part using a line tool that is perpendicular to the 2D part surface will give you an empty part. The

reason is as follows. In the past, EnSight would sometimes fail to clip a 2D part due to numerical tolerance errors

when the line tool wasn’t numerically exactly on the surface. To work around this numerical issue, the line tool is now

projected onto the 2D part, which results in a line clip projected onto the surface except for a perpendicular line tool.

For example, suppose you have a geometry shown below with the line tool positioned as indicated.

If you create a clip using the line tool, you will get the following line clip, which is a projection of the line tool onto the

surface of the part. Note that the clip is at one of the infinitely many possible projection planes through the line tool. If

you want to control the projection plane, clip with the plane tool rather than doing a line clip.

The algorithm used to decide which projection plane to use may not be to your liking, and you may wish to only have

the points where the line tool intersects the part. To do this, set an environmental variable which will give the point

intersection of the line tool and redo the clip that results in a clip part with two points, as shown below.

setenv ENSIGHT_2D_MESH_LINECLIP_POINT_OPTION 1

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation

How To Use the Line Tool

Page 296

HOW TO CREATE CLIP LINES

How to Create Profile Plots

How to Query/Plot.

Other clips:

How to Create Clip Planes

How to Create Quadric Clips

How to Create Box Clips

How to Create IJK Clips

How to Create XYZ Clips

How to Create RTZ Clips.

User Manual: Clip Parts

Page 297

HOW TO CREATE CLIP PLANES

Create Clip Planes

INTRODUCTION

A clipping plane is a planar slice through a 3D mesh. EnSight’s clipping operation can take arbitrary cuts through

either structured or unstructured meshes. The clip can be based on EnSight’s plane tool, and as such can be infinite

in extent (at least to the bounds of the parts it is created from) or restricted to the bounds of the Plane tool. The nodes

of the resulting clipping plane can be based on the topology and resolution of the underlying mesh or sampled on a

regular grid according to the plane tool.

A clip can also be created by specifying the node id of three nodes. When node ids are used, the plane will be infinite

in extent and will stay tied to those three nodes - even if they move in a changing geometry model.

Besides creating the intersection of a plane through a domain, which is the normal mode for clipping, a clipping plane

can also be used to create parts which are what would result from a cut of its parent domain into “front” (inside) and or

“back” (outside) parts. These parts contain valid elements of the same order as the original domain parts.

Like other clip tools, clipping planes can be interactively manipulated with the mouse providing a powerful volume

visualization capability. Clipping planes can also be automatically animated to display results throughout a region of

space or over time.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the parent part(s).

2. Click the Clip icon.

5. Click “Create with selected parts”

3. Select Plane from the Tool pull-down.

4. Position the Plane tool as desired (see

How To Use the Plane Tool).

Note: Multiple plane clips with a delta in the normal

direction can be created easily by setting these values.

Note: To quickly create a plane clip,

right click on the plane tool and

choose Clip. This will create a

plane clip using the default

settings.

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HOW TO CREATE CLIP PLANES

Interactive Clipping Planes

Like the other clipping tools in EnSight, intersection clip planes (based on the plane tool) can be interactive: as you

drag the Plane tool with the mouse, the clipping plane is automatically recalculated and re-displayed. To perform

interactive plane clips:

ADVANCED USAGE

Using 3 Node Ids

You can specify three nodes on a plane (using their node ids) and clip in an infinite manner. This method of produc-

ing a plane clip has the added benefit that the plane will stay tied to those three nodes even if it is a changing geom-

etry model. This method requires the use of the Clips Feature panel

1. Double-click the desired clip plane part in the parts

list.

2. Toggle on Interactive Tool in the Feature Panel.

3. Move the mouse into the Graphics Window. Click on

one of the Plane tool hotpoints (centerpoint or axis

labels) and drag the tool to the desired location.

4. Click on the advanced toggle for more options

1. Select the parent part in the Parts list.

2. Click on the Clip icon to bring up the

Feature Panel.

3. Click on the Advanced toggle.

3. Enter the id for three nodes that lie on the

desired plane.

4. Click “Create with selected parts”

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HOW TO CREATE CLIP PLANES

Attaching a Plane Clip to a Spline

A Clip created with the Plane tool may be attached to a defined spline.

Grid Clips and Finite Clips

By default, clipping planes (based on the plane tool) are calculated based on the resolution and topology of the

underlying mesh (parent part(s)). Clipping planes can also be calculated using a regular sampling of the mesh. Such

a clip is called a grid clip and is typically used for clipping unstructured meshes where element volumes vary widely.

Creating vector arrows on a grid clip typically yields a more useful visualization than on a standard mesh clip.

By default, clipping planes extend to the bounds of the parent part. A clipping plane can also be restricted to the

bounds of the Plane tool.

To change an existing clipping plane to a grid clip or to have finite extent:

1. Create a spline (How To Use the Spline

Tool)

2. Now, create a clip plane as previously

indicated then open the Advanced section.

3. Attach the plane clip to a spline by selecting

the desired spline from the pulldown in the Clip

Plane Feature Panel.

4. Adjust the plane clip location (0 to 1) via the

Value input field or the slider.

1. Double-click the desired clipping plane part in

the Parts list.

2. To change to a grid clip, select Grid from the

Plane Type pull-down.

3. To change to a finite-extent clipping plane,

select Finite from the Plane Extents pull-down.

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HOW TO CREATE CLIP PLANES

Clipping Plane Animation

Although you can interactively sweep a clipping plane (based on the plane tool) through a volume, it is sometimes

desirable to have EnSight automatically calculate a series of clipping planes for you. These can then be replayed (as

fast as your graphics hardware will permit) using EnSight’s Flipbook Animation facility. The flipbook can animate a

series of clipping planes using a starting and ending position for the Plane tool. You can also use the Keyframe

Animation facility to animate clipping planes.

For a description of calculating a series of clipping planes with the Flipbook, see How To Create a Flipbook

Animation. For more information on keyframing, see How to Create a Keyframe Animation.

Cutting with Planes

A plane can be used to create parts which are the result of a cut of its parent domain into “front” (inside) and or “back”

(outside) parts. These parts contain valid elements of the same order as the original domain parts. For example, a

plane front cut of a 3D cube model part will include all of the 3D elements in front of the plane tool. Cutting can be

used to slice away portions of a model that are not needed or to create animation effects such as “opening” closed

regions to view the interior. Note that the parent part is made invisible so that you can see your cut part.

Crinkly Plane Clips

You can also check the integrity of your mesh by clipping with a crinkly intersection. Specifying a Crinkly Domain

results in a part composed of all the mesh elements that intersect the plane tool.

OTHER NOTES

If you have a clip defined by three node ids and you attempt to use the interactive mode (which makes no sense for

the 3 node option), the interactive movement of the clip will occur according to the plane tool - but will go back to the

3 node representation when you release the mouse button.

Use clipping planes to create planar clips through arbitrary meshes. If you have a structured mesh (such as those in

PLOT3D format), you may wish to use IJK clips instead. An IJK clip displays a “plane” of constant I, J, or K. An

interactive IJK clip will sweep through the range of (for example) I displaying the JK plane at each I value. See How

1. Select the desired parent parts in the Parts list.

2. Click the Clip icon.

3. Select the Plane Tool.

4. Set the Domain to Inside, Outside, or In/Out (both

inside and outside).

5. Hit the Create button.

The parent part will be made invisible and your cut

part will appear.

1. Change the Domain to Crinkly.

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HOW TO CREATE CLIP PLANES

to Create IJK Clips for more information.

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation

How To Use the Plane Tool

How To Create a Flipbook Animation.

Other clips:

How To Create Clip Lines

How To Create IJK Clips

How To Create Quadric Clips

How To Create XYZ Clips

How To Create RTZ Clips

How To Create Box Clips.

How To Use the Spline Tool

User Manual: Clip Parts

Page 302

HOW TO CREATE BOX CLIPS

Create Box Clips

INTRODUCTION

A Box clip is a 3D volumetric hexahedral-shaped clip or cut. This clip uses the box tool (which can be manipulated

anywhere in space), and the result can be the surface intersection of the box tool walls and the model, the volume

portion of the model inside the tool, the volume portion of the model outside the tool, or the crinkly surface elements

of the intersection.

Be aware that due to the algorithm used, this clip can (and most often does) have

chamfered edges, the size of which depends on the coarseness of the model

elements.

BASIC OPERATION

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation

How To Use Box Tool

Other clips:

How to Create Clip Lines

How to Create Clip Planes

How to Create Quadric Clips

How to Create IJK Clips

How to Create XYZ Clips

How to Create RTZ Clips.

User Manual: Clip Parts

1. Select the parent part(s) in the part list

2. Click the Clip Icon

4. Position the Box Tool as desired.

Toggle advanced to enter precise

box tool coordinates.

5. Click “Create with selected

parts”.

3. Select Box tool.

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HOW TO CREATE QUADRIC CLIPS

Create Quadric Clips

INTRODUCTION

In addition to standard clipping planes, EnSight also provides clipping against quadric shapes. These clips use the

corresponding quadric tool Cylinder, Sphere, Cone, Surface of Revolution) to specify the location of the clip.

As with clip planes, these tools can also be used to perform cut operations, creating parts which are the “inside” or

“outside” of the parent domain.

As with intersection clip planes, quadric clips can be changed interactively by manipulating the corresponding tool

with the mouse.

BASIC OPERATION

ADVANCED USAGE

Like the other clipping tools in EnSight, intersection quadric clips (except those created with the revolution tool) can

be interactive: as you drag the applicable tool with the mouse, the clip is automatically recalculated and redisplayed.

To perform interactive quadric clips:

1. Select the parent

part(s) in the EnSight

Part list.

2. Click the Clip icon.

6. Click “Create with

selected parts” at the

bottom of the dialog.

3. Select the desired

quadric tool from the

Tool pulldown. 5. Position the tool

as desired (see

the How to for

the applicable

tool). Toggle

advanced to

enter precise

tool coordinates.

4. Select Finite or

Infinite clip

extents

1. Double-click the desired quadric clip

part in the Parts list.

2. Toggle on Interactive Tool in the

Feature Panel.

3. Move the mouse into the Graphics

Window. Click on one of the tool

hotpoints (see the How to for the

applicable tool) and drag the tool to

the desired location.

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HOW TO CREATE QUADRIC CLIPS

Cutting with Quadric Tools

A quadric tool can be used to create parts which are the result of a cut of its parent domain into “inside” and or

“outside” parts. These parts contain valid elements of the same order as the original domain parts.

Crinkly Quadric Clips

You can check the integrity of your mesh by clipping with a crinkly intersection. Specifying a Crinkly Domain results in

a part composed of all the elements of the mesh that intersect the quadric tool.

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation

How To Use the {Cylinder, Sphere, Cone, Surface of Revolution} Tool.

Other clips:

How to Create Clip Planes

How to Create Clip Lines

How to Create IJK Clips

How to Create XYZ Clips

How to Create RTZ Clips

How to Create Box Clips.

User Manual: Clip Parts

1. Select the desired parent

parts in the Parts list.

2. Click the Clip feature icon.

3. Select the desired Quadric

Tool.

4. Set the Domain to Inside,

Outside, or In/Out (both

inside and outside).

5. Click “Create with selected

parts” at the bottom of the

dialog.

4. Change the Domain to Crinkly

and clip is automatically

updated.

Page 305

HOW TO CREATE IJK CLIPS

Create IJK Clips

INTRODUCTION

An IJK clip is a 1D or 2D slice through a structured mesh. The resulting clip is a 1D line or 2D surface where one

dimension (e.g. I) is held fixed while the other one or two dimensions (e.g. J and K) vary. The minimum and

maximum range of the free dimensions can be set by the user, as well as the step size. IJK clips can be animated

throughout the range of the fixed dimension by manipulating a slider.

Although planar clips can still be created through structured meshes, it is often preferable to create IJK clips since

they are faster to calculate and use less memory. In addition, IJK clips are often more intuitive for the user (who

typically built the mesh).

BASIC OPERATION

Note that you can change the fixed dimension of an IJK clip at any time (with the Mesh Slice pulldown).

1. Select the parent part(s) in the EnSight

main part list.

5. Enter the value for the fixed

dimension in the Value text field and

press return.

4. Select the desired fixed dimension from

the Mesh Slice pulldown.

7. If you desire to modify values for the Min,

Max, and Step for all dimensions, toggle

Advanced and the dialog will expand to

allow detailed editing.

2. Click on the clip icon.

6. Click “Create with

selected parts”.

3. Set Tool to IJK.

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HOW TO CREATE IJK CLIPS

ADVANCED USAGE

Interactive IJK Clipping

You can interactively sweep through the range of the fixed dimension by adjusting a slider with the mouse.

Changing IJK Step Refinement

You can modify block-structured model parts to any level of IJK step refinement with proper updating of all dependent

parts and variables.

Clipping Plane Animation

Although you can interactively sweep an IJK clip through a mesh, it is sometimes desirable to have EnSight

automatically calculate a series of IJK clips for you. These can then be replayed (as fast as your graphics hardware

will permit) using EnSight’s Flipbook Animation facility. See How To Create a Flipbook Animation for more

information.

1. Double-click the desired IJK clip part

in the Parts list.

2. Change Interactive to Manual, to

enable sweeping.

3. Adjust the slider with the mouse.

1. Double-click on a model part. This

will bring up the Model Parts Feature

Panel. Note that his is no longer a

clip dialog.

3. Simply enter values into the From,

To, and Step fields based on their

Min and Max limits to update the

refinement of the respective I, J, and/

or K mesh component directions.

When you press return or move to a

new field, the part is updated. All

dependent parts and variables will

also be updated.

Page 307

HOW TO CREATE IJK CLIPS

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation

How To Create a Flipbook Animation.

Other clips:

How to Create Clip Lines

How to Create Clip Planes

How to Create Quadric Clips

How to Create XYZ Clips

How to Create RTZ Clips

How to Create Box Clips.

User Manual: Clip Parts

Page 308

HOW TO CREATE XYZ CLIPS

Create XYZ Clips

INTRODUCTION

An XYZ clip is a 1D or 2D slice through 2D or 3D meshes (structured or unstructured). The resulting clip is a 1D or

2D mesh slice where one of the dimensions (e.g. X) is held constant (or fixed) while the other one or two dimensions

(e.g. Y and Z) vary in reference to the local frame of the mesh. XYZ clips can be interactively animated throughout

the range of the fixed dimension by manipulating a slider. The minimum, maximum, and step size of the range of the

interactive fixed dimension can be set by the user.

BASIC OPERATION

Note that you can change the fixed dimension of an XYZ clip at any time (with the Mesh Slice pulldown).

Shortcut

Right click on a part in the graphics window. In the resulting pulldown, choose Clip and in the further pulldown,

choose X, Y, or Z. This then automatically creates an X, Y, or Z clip part with the default settings using the right-

clicked part as the parent part and location indicated by the right click.

1. Select the parent part(s) in the

Parts list..

2. Click the Clip icon.

3. Select XYZ from the Tool pulldown.

4. Select the desired fixed dimension from

the Mesh Slice pulldown.

5. Enter the value for the fixed dimension in

the Value text field and press return.

6. Click the “Create with selected parts”

button.

Note: Multiple slices with a delta in the normal direction

can be created easily by setting these values.

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HOW TO CREATE XYZ CLIPS

ADVANCED USAGE

Interactive XYZ Clipping

You can interactively sweep through the range of the fixed dimension by adjusting a slider with the mouse.

Crinkly XYZ Clipping

You can check the integrity of your mesh by clipping with a crinkly intersection. Specifying a crinkly domain results in

a part composed of all the elements that intersect the mesh slice value.

Clipping Plane Animation

Although you can interactively sweep an XYZ clip through a mesh, it is sometimes desirable to have EnSight

automatically calculate a series of XYZ clips for you. These can then be replayed (as fast as your graphics hardware

will permit) using EnSight’s Flipbook Animation facility. See How To Create a Flipbook Animation for more

information.

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation

How To Create a Flipbook Animation

Other clips:

How to Create Clip Lines

How to Create Clip Planes

How to Create Quadric Clips

How to Create IJK Clips

How to Create RTZ Clips

How to Create Box Clips.

User Manual: Clip Parts

1. Double-click the desired XYZ clip

part in the Parts list.

2. Change Interactive to Manual to

enable sweeping.

3. If desired, enter values for the Min,

Max, and Step to override the

defaults.

4. Adjust the slider with the mouse.

1. Change the Domain to Crinkly

Page 310

HOW TO CREATE RTZ CLIPS

Create RTZ Clips

INTRODUCTION

An RTZ clip is a 1D or 2D slice through 2D or 3D meshes (structured or unstructured). The resulting clip is a 1D or 2D

mesh slice where one of the dimensions (e.g. R,”radial component”) is held constant (or fixed) while the other one or

two dimensions (e.g. T, ”theta component” and Z, “z axis component”) vary in reference to the local frame of the

mesh. RTZ clips can be interactively animated throughout the range of the fixed dimension by manipulating a slider.

The minimum, maximum, and step size of the range of the interactive fixed dimension can be set by the user.

BASIC OPERATION

Note that you can change the fixed dimension of an RTZ clip at any time (with the Slice pulldown). If you change the

numeric value, remember to press return for the change to take effect.

ADVANCED USAGE

Interactive RTZ Clipping

You can interactively sweep through the range of the fixed dimension by adjusting a slider with the mouse.

1. Select the parent part.

2. Click the Clip icon.

3. Select RTZ from the Tool

pulldown

4. Select the desired fixed dimension of

the slice (R, T, or Z).

5. Select the Axis that describes the

cylindrical length.

6. Enter the value for the slice (the value

of R, T, or Z), or leave MID-RANGE and

press return.

7. Create using selected

parts or select parts to use.

1. Double-click the desired RTZ clip

part in the main parts list.

2. Change Interactive to Manual to

enable sweeping.

3. Adjust the slider with the mouse.

4. If desired, enter values for the Min,

Max, and Increment to override the

defaults.

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HOW TO CREATE RTZ CLIPS

Crinkly RTZ Clipping

You can check the integrity of your mesh by clipping with a crinkly intersection. Specifying a crinkly domain results in

a part composed of all the elements that intersect the mesh slice value. Crinkly clipping cannot be done interactively.

Clipping Plane Animation

Although you can interactively sweep an RTZ clip through a mesh, it is sometimes desirable to have EnSight

automatically calculate a series of RTZ clips for you. These can then be replayed (as fast as your graphics hardware

will permit) using EnSight’s Flipbook Animation facility. See How To Create a Flipbook Animation for more

information.

OTHER NOTES

Inside, Outside, and In/Out cutting are disabled for this clipping type because it has no meaning for T. And if you

desire this effect for Z or R, you can use a plane clip or cylindrical clip instead.

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation

How To Create a Flipbook Animation

Other clips:

How to Create Clip Lines

How to Create Clip Planes

How to Create Quadric Clips

How to Create IJK Clips

How to Create XYZ Clips

How to Create Box Clips.

User Manual: Clip Parts

1. Change the Domain to Crinkly

Page 312

HOW TO CREATE REVOLUTION TOOL CLIPS

Create Revolution Tool Clips

INTRODUCTION

A Revolution Tool clip can be made using the surface of revolution tool. It can be the surface created by the

intersection of the surface of revolution tool and the model, the elements intersected by the surface of revolution tool

(crinkly), or the volume of the inside and/or the outside domain swept by the revolution tool. This clip does not have

interactive manipulation capability, with a slider or by dragging the tool with the mouse. However, the tool can be

manipulated and the clip updated.

BASIC OPERATION

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation

Other clips:

How to Create Clip Lines

How to Create Clip Planes

How to Create Quadric Clips

How to Create XYZ Clips

How to Create RTZ Clips

How to Create Box Clips

How to Create IJK Clips

How to Create Revolution of 1D Part Clips.

User Manual: Clip Parts

1. Place the Surface of Revolution Tool at the

desired location. See How To Use the

Surface of Revolution Tool.

2. Select the parent part from the EnSight

main part list.

3. Click the Clip icon.

4. Select Revolution Tool from the Use Tool

pulldown.

5. Select the desired Domain.

6. Select extents

7. Create using selected parts. Note that you can manipulate the Surface

of Revolution tool and update your clip by

clicking Apply Tool Change.

You can also change the domain, and the

clip will change.

Page 313

HOW TO CREATE REVOLUTION OF 1D PART

Create Revolution of 1D Part Clips

INTRODUCTION

A Revolution of 1D Part clip can be made using a 1D part and a user specified axis. It can be the surface created by

the intersection of the 1D part about the axis and the model, the elements intersected by the 1D part about the

axis(crinkly), or the volume of the inside and/or the outside domain swept by the 1D part about the axis. This clip is

always infinite. This clip does not have interactive manipulation capability, with a slider or by dragging the tool with the

mouse. However, if the 1D part is capable of being moved, you can move it and the revolution clip will update.

BASIC OPERATION

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation

Other clips:

How to Create Clip Lines

How to Create Clip Planes

How to Create Quadric Clips

How to Create XYZ Clips

How to Create RTZ Clips

How to Create Box Clips

How to Create IJK Clips

How to Create Revolution Tool Clips.

User Manual: Clip Parts

1. Select the parent part(s) in the main

EnSight part list.

2. Click the Clip Icon.

3. Select Revolve 1D Part from the Tool

pulldown.

4. Enter the 1D part to use.

5. Select the desired Domain.

6. Set the desired origin and axis of the

revolution.

7. Click create.

Note that you can manipulate the 1D part or the

origin and axis and the clip will update.

You can also change the domain, and the clip will

change.

Page 314

HOW TO CREATE GENERAL QUADRIC CLIPS

Create General Quadric Clips

INTRODUCTION

Clicking on the Clips Icon brings up the Clips Feature Panel, the Creation section of which offers access to a General

quadric clip type. It is possible to create a 3D Quadric clip using the General Quadric option by directly specifying the

coefficients of a general quadric equation.

These coefficient values represent the general equation of a Quadric surface. They can be changed by modifying the

coefficient values. No tool exists corresponding to this equation.

AX2+BY2+CZ2+DXY+EYZ+FXZ+GX+HY+IZ=J

BASIC OPERATION

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation

Other clips:

How to Create Clip Lines

How to Create Clip Planes

How to Create Quadric Clips

How to Create XYZ Clips

How to Create RTZ Clips

How to Create Box Clips

How to Create IJK Clips

How to Create Revolution Tool Clips.

User Manual: Clip Parts

1. Click the Clip Feature Icon.

2. Select the parent part(s) in the Parts list.

3. Choose the General Quadric Tool.

4. Choose the desired Domain (Intersect,

Crinkly, Inside, Outside, or In/Out)

5. Edit the coefficients.

3. Click the Create button.

Note: The Animation Delta is not available for

general quadric clips.

Page 315

HOW TO CREATE CLIP SPLINES

Create Clip Splines

INTRODUCTION

In addition to clipping along a line, EnSight also provides clipping along a defined spline. Spline clips will query the 2D

or 3D parent parts at samples taken along the spline at evenly spaced intervals. Values along a spline clip can be

visualized using profiles, queried and sent to a plotter, or used in further computations (for example a line integral).

BASIC OPERATION

OTHER NOTES

It is sometimes useful to display just the nodes of a spline clip. Using the Feature Panel you can change the display

such that only nodes (not lines) are displayed. The nodes can be shown as dots, crosses, or spheres. If displayed as

crosses or spheres, the size (radius) can be constant or scaled by the value of a variable. See How to Set for more

information.

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation

How To Use the Spline Tool

How to Create Profile Plots

How to Query/Plot.

Other clips:

How to Create Clip Planes

How to Create Clip Lines

How to Create Quadric Clips

How to Create Box Clips

How to Create IJK Clips

How to Create XYZ Clips

How to Create RTZ Clips.

User Manual: Clip Parts

1. Select the parent part.

2. Click the Clip icon.

6. Create using selected parts.

3. Select Spline from the Tool pull-down.

4. Select the desired Spline (to create a

Spline see How To Use the Spline Tool)

5. Set the number of evenly spaced points

on the line

Note: To adjust the clip you can grab the spline knot points and adjust. The clip will update.

Page 316

HOW TO CREATE VECTOR ARROWS

Create Vector Arrows

INTRODUCTION

Vector arrows display the direction and magnitude of a vector at discrete locations in a model. Although vector

magnitude can be visualized with other methods (e.g. color), important directional information is provided by the

arrows.

Vector arrows have numerous including length scale, tip style and size, projection, origin location, and display filters

based on vector magnitude.

BASIC OPERATION

Instant Arrows Shortcut

To quickly create vector arrows on a part, right click in the part list or in the graphics area and choose Vector Arrows

1. Select the parent.

part.

3. Select the vector variable to use.

2. Click the Vector Arrows icon.

4. Leave it Default to load a suitable Scale

Factor and change it later as desired.

5. Create

6. Select the desired density (0.0 to 1.0).

The density of the arrows will vary from no arrows (0.0)

to arrows at every location (1.0). At intermediate

densities the arrows are placed randomly with no user

control of their locations.

7. More options are available by clicking on

the Advanced toggle

1. User will be presented with a list of vector variables and

then vector arrows will be instantly created on the part

using all the defaults.

2. If only one vector variable is in the dataset, then vector

arrows will be created using that variable on the selected

part.

3. Vector arrows are then colored by the vector.

Page 317

HOW TO CREATE VECTOR ARROWS

Advanced Vector Arrow

Other vector arrow control the type of arrow, the location of the arrow origin, and arrow filtering options.

1. To change vector arrow at any time, simply double-click

the desired vector arrow part in the parts list.

2. Click on the Advanced Toggle

3. Select the desired type from the Type pulldown.

Choices are:

Rectilinear Standard vector arrows: shaft points in local vector

direction with length equal to vector magnitude

scaled by Scale Factor Value.

Rect. Fixed Same as Rectilinear except that length is set by

Scale Factor value independent of vector magnitude.

Curved Arrow shaft is the path of a particle trace in the local

flow field. Scale Factor becomes “Time” and controls

the duration (stopping criteria) for each trace.

WARNING! This can take a great deal of time for

large numbers of vector arrows and/or long Time

values!

5. Select the desired filter type from the Filter

pulldown.

Choices are:

None No filtering – all vector arrows appear.

Low Display only those arrows with magnitude above the

value in the Low text field.

Band Display only those arrows with magnitude below

Low and above High (opposite of Low/High).

High Display only those arrows with magnitude below the

value in the High text field.

Low/High Display only those arrows with magnitude between

Low and High (opposite of Band).

4. Select the desired arrow Location of the origin.

Choices are:

Node Arrows originate from each node of the parent

part(s).

Vertices Arrows originate only from those nodes that are also

vertices of the parent part(s).

Element Center Arrows originate from the geometric center of all

elements of the parent part(s).

6. Select the desired tip shape.

None No tip (default).

Cone Solid cone shape

Normal Single wedge. Good for 2D

problems. Plane of the

wedge is based on the

relative magnitudes of the

components.

Triangles Two intersecting triangles.

Good for 2D/3D problems.

Tipped End of the shaft colored in a

different color. Good where

other shapes yield too much

visual clutter.

7. Set the desired display offset.

Note: this is rarely necessary because by default, Display offset is

set automatically using the graphics hardware. The display offset

moves the vector arrows a short distance away from the surface on

which they are defined (typically for hardcopy or animation

purposes) in the direction of the surface normal. This is used when

a tangential projection is used and the arrows are coincident with

the parent part’s surface. Note that a negative offset may be

appropriate (depending on orientation). You must turn off the

hardware display offset in Preferences in order to manually set it

here. To turn if off, Edit>Preferences, View.

8. Select the desired projection component.

Choices are modified by the Projection component field. Scale the x, y, and/or z in the Projection component field.

Values less than 1 diminish the contribution, more than 1 exaggerate the contribution. Zero means that the component

is not considered and confine arrows to the plane perpendicular to this component. If you choose Tangential or Normal,

and turn ON the Color by Projection Toggle then the part will be colored by the Tangential or Normal

All Display arrows in the vector direction.

Tangential Display component parallel to surface element.

Normal Display component normal to surface element.

Page 318

HOW TO CREATE VECTOR ARROWS

OTHER NOTES

Vector arrows can be animated by animating the parent part (e.g. a clip plane) over space or time using flipbook or

keyframe animation. See How To Create a Flipbook Animation or How to Create a Keyframe Animation for

more information.

If vector arrows are created on a clip through an unstructured mesh, the resulting arrows can be difficult to visualize if

the resolution of the underlying mesh varies substantially or is highly irregular. One solution is to create the vector

arrows on a grid clip rather than the default mesh clip. See How to Create Clip Planes for more information.

Unlike most part creation operators, vector arrows are created from the client’s representation of the part – not the

server’s. For example, if you have a clip plane that is displayed using a feature-angle or border representation, only

those elements comprising the reduced display will yield vector arrows – even though all elements of the clip plane

reside on the server. See How to Change Visual Representation for more information.

Vector arrows with a tangential projection can sometimes by occluded by the surface on which the arrows are

defined. To solve this problem, use the Display Offset field to add a small displacement to move the arrows away

from the surface in the direction of the surface normal. This is most useful for presentation (e.g. hardcopy or

animation) output.

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation.

User Manual: Vector Arrow Parts

Page 319

HOW TO CREATE ELEVATED SURFACES

Create Elevated Surfaces

INTRODUCTION

An Elevated Surface is a 2D surface scaled (in the local surface normal direction of the parent) based on a variable

value. Elevated surfaces resemble topographic maps and are useful for accentuating relative differences in the value

of a variable. An Offset Surface uses a rigid-body translated origin part translated within a 3D parent part, to create a

new part using the geometry of the origin part, while getting variable information from the parent part. In other words,

an Offset Part results from using a translated origin part to clip a 3D volume parent part.

BASIC OPERATION

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Elevated Surface Parts

1. Select the parent part.

4. Select Surface type

Elevated.

2. In the top EnSight

menu, Create >

Elevated Surfaces.

5. If desired, enter an

appropriate scale factor

(or leave it DEFAULT).

8. Create using selected

parts

6. If desired, enter an

Offset value.

The Offset allows you to

“shift” the elevated

surface away from the

parent, but does not affect

the shape.

7. If desired, toggle

Surface or Sidewalls

off.

The Surface is the actual

elevated surface. Sidewalls

stretch from the border of

the parent to the border of

the Surface to enclose the

created part.

Elevated Surface

3. Select the variable.

2. Change Surface type pulldown

to Offset.

3. Choose the surface normal translation OR

vector direction and scale. The rigid-body

translation=offset_scale * offset_vector

4. Choose the origin part number which

will be used to clip the parent part at a

location specified by the surface

normal or rigid-body translation in the

offset vector direction.

Offset Surface

An offset surface can be thought of as

clip of a 3D field using a 2D part

translated into the field.

1. Do items 1-3 above.

5. Create using selected parts.

Page 320

HOW TO CREATE ELEVATED SURFACES

Page 321

HOW TO EXTRUDE PARTS

Extrude Parts

INTRODUCTION

A part or parts can be “extruded” to the next higher ordered part using the Extrusion feature. Namely, a 1d line can

become a plane, a 2D surface can become a volume, etc. This “extrusion” can occur in a rotational way (making the

whole pie from a thin slice) such as would be needed for reconstruction of a model from an axi-symmetric slice. Or it

can be done in a translational manner - as if the part were glued in place, but could be stretched in one direction.

For rotation extrusions, you must define an origin and axis vector in the global coordinate system, about which the

rotational extrusion will occur, as well as the number of slices and the total rotation angle to sweep through. For

translation extrusions, you define a direction vector in the global coordinate system, as well as the number of slices

and the total distance to stretch.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the parent part in the part list. 2. In the top EnSight menu, Create > Extrude

8. Create

6. Set the origin of the rotation axis

5. Set the total rotation to extrude.

(Needs to be between -360 and 360)

4. Set the number of “slices” that will be created.

3. Select Rotation type

7. Set the components (direction cosines) of the

rotation general axis.

This will cause a 2D slice to become a 3D volume.

Rotational Extrusion:

Page 322

HOW TO EXTRUDE PARTS

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Extruded Parts

Translational Extrusion: 1. and 2. as above

3. Select Translation type.

4. Set the number of slices in the translation

direction.

5. Set the total translation distance.

6. Set the components of the direction vector.

And the slice will now become something like the

following:

7. Create

Advanced: Click on the Advanced Toggle for

more options

Page 323

HOW TO CREATE PROFILE PLOTS

Create Profile Plots

INTRODUCTION

A profile plot is the 2D counterpart to an elevated surface: a projection away from a 1D part based on the value of a

variable. Profile plots can be created on any 1D part: clip lines, contours, particle traces, or model parts consisting

of 1D elements.

BASIC OPERATION

For each node of the parent part, the corresponding node on the profile curve is determined by adding the value of

the Offset to the selected variable value and then multiplying the sum by the Scale Factor. The projectors of the

profile are the lines that connect the nodes of the parent part to the nodes of the profile curve. The Plane tool is used

to specify the orientation and direction of the projectors. The projectors are created parallel to the Plane tool

projecting away from the center of the Plane tool (at least where the value of the selected variable plus the Offset is

positive).

Although the parent part of a profile plot must be 1D, the nodes that make up the part do not have to be linear. For

curved parents, the projectors of the resulting profile plot are still parallel, but they do not all lie in the same plane.

ADVANCED

Click on the advanced toggle to see more scale options and plane tool orientation options.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Profile Parts

1. Select the parent part in the Part list.

2. In the main menu, Create>Profiles

5. Select an appropriate Scale

Factor (or leave as Default).

8. Create

6. If desired, enter an Offset value.

The Offset allows you to “shift” the profile away

from the parent, but does not affect the shape.

7. If desired, adjust the orientation of the Plane

tool.

The Plane Tool is used to specify the orientation

and direction of the profile plot. See below for

details.

3. Name the new part.

4. Select the variable to use.

Page 324

HOW TO CREATE DEVELOPED (UNROLLED) SURFACES

Create Developed (Unrolled) Surfaces

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides several sophisticated tools for extracting computational surfaces from meshes. For model parts or

clipped surfaces with a defined axis of rotation (such as those created with the quadric clipping tools), the surface can

“developed” or unrolled onto a plane. All variables defined on the clip are properly interpolated onto to the developed

surface.

A clip can be developed based on curvilinear (radius, z), (theta, z), or (meridian, theta) coordinate projections. The

“seam” of the clip can be specified interactively.

A model part must have its seam, its longitudinal axis and origin defined appropriately in the Feature Detailed Editor

(developed surface settings). To do this, right click on the part, choose ‘Edit’ and then pick the developed surface icon

in the top of the window that pops up and define the entities appropriately.

BASIC OPERATION

To create a developed surface:

A part is developed by specifying one of three curvilinear mappings called developed projections. The projections are

based on the curvilinear coordinates r (radius), z,  (theta), and m (meridian or longitude). These coordinates are

defined relative to the local origin and axis of the tool that created the parent part (e.g. the Cylinder tool). The

projections are (r,z), (, z), and (m, ). The u, v scale factors (only for (, z) or (m, ) projections) provide scaling for

the coordinates in the listed order. For example, if the projection is (, z) then u scales  and v scales z.

Toggle Advanced to edit seam origin and axis coordinates

SEE ALSO

How To Create Quadric Clips

User Manual: Developed Surface Parts

1. First, create the desired quadric clip (cylinder, sphere, or cone), or skip this step if your quadric model

part already exists.

3. In the main menu, choose

Create > Developed surfaces.

4. Select the desired projection type (see

below for details on the types).

5. If applicable for the projection type (and desired)

enter u,v scaling factors and press return).

6. To display and change the cutting seam, click the

Show Cutting Seam button, and adjust the slider.

7. Create

2. In the Part list, select the parent part for the

developed surface (i.e. the part you created in step 1).

Page 325

HOW TO CREATE SUBSET PARTS

Create Subset Parts

INTRODUCTION

A Subset Part can be created by specifying node and/or element label ranges of a model part. Subset Parts can only

be created from model parts that have node and/or element labels. The Subset Part feature can be used to isolate

specified nodal and element regions of interest in large data sets.

BASIC OPERATION

SEE ALSO

How To Probe Interactively

User Manual: Subset Parts

1. First, click the Subset Parts Feature icon.

3. Now, for each parent model part,

enter the part number of the desired parent

part in the Add field, and press return.

3. Select Elements (or Nodes) to Show.

4. Enter the element (or node) label range(s)

in the Show List text field (ranges are

separated by commas).

Toggle on “Pick elements” and select

elements using pick selection, which by

default is the “p” keyboard key.

Turn on the selection tool and place it

where desired, then click “Add elements

from selection tool” to pick all the elements

within the tool.

5. Create to use selected parts in step 3.

2. Can’t find the icon in your Quick Action

Icon Bar? Right click on the icon bar

and choose Customize Feature

Toolbar. Use the left right arrows to

add the subset part icon, and the up-

down arrows to slide its location along

the icon bar.

Page 326

HOW TO CREATE TENSOR GLYPHS

Create Tensor Glyphs

INTRODUCTION

Tensor glyphs display the direction of the eigenvectors for a tensor variable. Controls exist to show just the

compressive or tensile eigenvectors, and to selectively show the minor, middle, or major vectors.

Tensor glyphs have numerous including length scale, tips, color, and line width which can be used to indicate

compression or tension.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the parent parts.

2. Click Create -> Tensor glyphs...

(By default there is not an icon for this option

in the Feature Icon Bar.)

3. Select the tensor variable to use.

4. Select which eigenvectors to display.

5. Click Create.

Page 327

HOW TO CREATE TENSOR GLYPHS

OTHER NOTES

Tensor glyphs can be animated by animating the parent part (e.g. a clip plane) over space or time using flipbook or

keyframe animation. See How To Create Flipbook Animation or How to Create a Keyframe Animation for more

information.

Unlike most part creation operators, tensor glyphs are created from the client’s representation of the part - not the

server’s. For example, if you have a clip plane that is displayed using a feature angle or border representation, only

those elements comprising the reduced display will yield tensor glyphs - even though all elements of the clip plane

reside on the server. See How to Change Visual Representation for more information.

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation.

User Manual: Tensor Glyph Parts

Display

The glyph’s to indicate tension or compression can be modified in several ways. Put the Tensor Glyph Feature

Panel into Advanced mode to open the Tensor Display:

2. The glyph can either be colored by the

part color, or show a specified color for

compressions and tension.

1. Select the desired tip shape from the Tip

Shape pulldown.

Tip Shape Choices:

None No tip (default)

Normal Single wedge. Good for 2D

problems. Plane of the

wedge is based on the

relative magnitudes of the

components.

Triangles Two intersecting triangles.

Good for 2D/3D problems.

3. The glyph can either be shown with the

line width attribute of the glyph, or show

a different line width for tension and

compression.

Page 328

HOW TO DISPLAY DISPLACEMENTS

Display Displacements

INTRODUCTION

In structural mechanics simulations, a common output variable is a set of vectors representing the movement or

displacement of geometry. Each displacement vector specifies a translation of a node from its original position (an

offset). EnSight can display and animate these displacements to help visualize the relative motion of geometry.

In many cases, the magnitude of the actual displacements is extremely small relative to the size of the model.

EnSight provides a displacement factor to scale the vectors and exaggerate the displacement.

For Model Parts

Displacements can be applied deeply on the server (in which the displacement vector is actually added to the

coordinates) or on the client (in which the graphical entities on the client are displaced visually only using the graphics

card). Server-side applied displacements (Displace computationally toggle ON, default) will apply the displacement

on the server coordinate prior to a calculation or operation. Client-side (Displace computationally toggle OFF)

displacement occurs after calculations and operations. Thus, for example, toggle on the Displace computationally

toggle to see the calculated volume change, and toggle this off to see the volume remain unchanged. And, for

example, if you wish to make a cutaway down the centerline of your model then show the cutaway displaced, turn off

Displace Computationally, make your cut, and then pick your variable to use in displacement, so that your cut occurs

before the displacement.

For Created Parts

Created parts can only be visually displaced.

A part created using a parent model part that has been computationally displaced on the server will apply the

displaced coordinates to the parent then create the part. This created part will show up with part displacements

turned off, yet will be displaced because it used the changed coordinates of the parent when it was created. Warning:

if you then turn on visual displacements on this newly created part, then it becomes twice displaced: once from the

changed model part coordinates, and once from visual displacement on the client.

And a part created using a parent model part that has been visually displaced will use the original, undisplaced

coordinates to create the part. This created part will also show up with part displacements turned of and will not be

displaced because it used the original, undisplaced coordinates of the parent when it was created. if you then turn on

visual displacements on this newly created part, then it becomes once displaced: once from visual displacement on

the client.

A simple summary of cutting a model part is as follows. Cutting a visually displaced part does a cut then move.

Cutting a computationally displaced model part does a move then a cut.

So if you create a plane cutaway on a model part that is computationally displaced, the cutaway will appear to grow

through the fixed plane as more of it displaces through the plane because it is using the displaced coordinates prior to

making the cutaway. If you create a plane cutaway on a model part that is only visually displaced, the displaced

cutaway part will remain of fixed size and not move. If you turn on visual displacements, the cutaway will remain the

same size and then start to move because the cutaway occurs on the undisplaced part and then that cutaway moves

visually.

Note: If you select parts that are heterogeneous (some model parts, some created parts), the dialog will always show

the computational displacements unchecked and greyed out (unchangeable) so that the displacement is visual only.

This is because created parts can only be visually displaced, and model parts can be either computationally or

visually displaced so the dialog chooses the only possible displacement common to both: visual.

Caution: A common mistake is to make cutaway part using undisplaced model parts and then to select all and turn on

displacements. This will turn on visual displacements only.

Other

Warning: you cannot turn on displacement when using Rigid Body Motion. See How to Use Rigid Body Motion.

Page 329

HOW TO DISPLAY DISPLACEMENTS

BASIC OPERATION

Note that your changes made are immediate. Specifying a displacement does not create a new part, it merely sets

the displacement for the selected parts.

1. Select the parent parts.

2. Click the Displacements icon.

3. Select the nodal variable to use.

Limitation: can only use nodal vector variables.

4. If desired, enter a value for the Displacement Factor and

press return.

5. For speed and memory, default is visual displacement only.

If you desire to use the displacement in any calculations

then toggle on Displace computationally, which will do

server-side displacements.

Page 330

HOW TO DISPLAY DISPLACEMENTS

Server Side Displacements

Server side displacements have more detailed found in

the Create/edit dialog.

1. First read in your model, build the desired parts,

and activate the model variable (not computed

variables) representing displacement.

2. Select the desired parts in the Parts list.

3. Right click on them and select Edit...

4. Set any desired entire geometry scale

factor.

Hit a carriage return.

5. Set the scale factor for any desired

displacement variable.

Hit a carriage return.

6. Set the nodal displacement model variable

and any desired translation for each

component.

Hit a carriage return.

Note that it is possible to displace in each

component direction by a different variable and to

translate by a single value in each direction. It is

also possible to scale the entire geometry by a

factor.

Displacements applied in this manner actually

modifies the geometry on the server (not just the

visual representation on the client). Any queries or

computations will reflect this modified geometry.

For example an area or volume calculation will

now use the displaced values.

Page 331

HOW TO DISPLAY DISPLACEMENTS

ADVANCED USAGE

Vibrational analysis typically produces eigenvectors. EnSight can animate these vectors as mode shapes to visualize

selected vibration modes (each represented by a different displacement vector). The EnSight Flipbook is used to

build and load the animation. Once loaded, the animation can be replayed while still providing viewing control. To

create a mode shape flipbook:

The first page of the animation shows the full displacement (as it is shown in the Graphics Window without the

Flipbook) while the last page shows full displacement in the opposite direction. Intermediate pages show

displacements as driven by the cosine function.

Note that you can create copies or extracts of parts and simultaneously display them with different mode shape

variables or to show the initial static state along with the mode shape animation.

SEE ALSO

See How To Create a Flipbook Animation for more information on Flipbooks.

User Manual: Flipbook Animation

1. Be sure displacements are active and the

Displacement Factor is set to a suitable value

(as described above).

2. Click the Flipbook icon.

3. Select Mode Shapes from the

Load Type pulldown.

4. Enter the desired number of

Flipbook pages to create.

5. Click “Load”.

6. Once loading is complete it will

automatically start running.

Page 332

HOW TO DISPLAY DISCRETE OR EXPERIMENTAL DATA

Display Discrete or Experimental Data

INTRODUCTION

In addition to meshed data consisting of nodes and elements, EnSight also supports discrete or measured data. A

measured dataset consists of a series of arbitrary points in space with no connectivity. Measured data can have

associated variable data and can vary over time. Examples of measured data include fuel sprays, multi-phase flows,

and experimental data.

Measured data cannot be loaded by itself – you must also specify a regular geometric mesh.

BASIC OPERATION

Measured data is read into EnSight naturally via the casefile (for EnSight6 and Ensight Gold formats) or can be read

with other mesh formats via the Format options tab in the Open... dialog, as shown below:

1. Select File > Open... to open the dialog for data file selection.

2. Find the directory

containing the data (see

How To Read Data for

more information on

using File Selection).

3. Click Advanced

interface.

4. In the Data tab, select

and set the needed

information for the

(meshed) geometry,

including the Format,

geometry file, and if

applicable, the result

file.

5. Open the Format

options tab and select

and set the measured

result file.

9. Now you can continue

the normal process of

either Load all parts, or

Select parts to load...

Page 333

HOW TO DISPLAY DISCRETE OR EXPERIMENTAL DATA

Measured data is represented as a single part. In the Main Parts list you should see a part named “Measured/

Particle” after loading.

Measured data is represented as a set of unconnected nodes. You can use EnSight’s ability to display nodes in

various ways to accentuate measured data visualization. To change node display:

OTHER NOTES

The file formats for measured data and the measured results file are detailed in EnSight Gold Measured/Particle

File Format.

Transient measured data can be animated using either the flipbook or keyframe animation capability.

You can load multiple measured datasets simultaneously by using EnSight’s cases capability.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: EnSight Gold Measured/Particle File Format

1. Select the desired measured data part in the

Parts list.

2. Click the Node representation icon

Which opens the Part Node Rep dialog. Node

Visibility will be on by default for measured data

parts.

3. Select the desired node display type

• Dot: nodes are displayed as points.

• Cross: nodes are displayed as crosses and can

be fixed sized (size set by the Scale value) or

sized based on a Variable (and scaled by the

Scale value).

• Sphere: nodes are displayed as spheres and

can be fixed sized (size set by the Scale value)

or sized based on a Variable (and scaled by the

Scale value). Sphere detail controlled by Detail

value.

4. If applicable, set desired values for Scale,

Detail, Size By, and Variable.

Page 334

HOW TO CHANGE TIME STEPS

Change Time Steps

INTRODUCTION

From its inception, EnSight has been used extensively to postprocess time-varying or transient data. In many cases, dynamic

phenomena can only be understood through interactive exploration. One can easily change time with vcr-type controls in the

Solution Time Player (which comes up by default for transient models). Further control for transient data time handling is provided

in the Create/edit Transient Animation dialog, accessed via the Solution time icon.

EnSight provides two ways to work with transient data. By default, time is presented as a series of discrete steps running from zero

to the total number of steps minus one. However, you can also present time based on the actual simulation time values found in

your results data. The presentation mode is controlled by the Units pulldown which will be shown below. shown below.

The current time range is displayed in the Beg and End fields with the current time step shown in the Cur field. You can modify the

time range controlled by the slider by editing the Beg and/or End fields (remember to press return). You can change the current

time step by editing the Cur field (press return), manipulating the slider, or clicking the left/right vcr buttons. Setting the Beg to any

number less than the min, and End to any number larger than the max will Reset Time Range to its full range.

Time scaling and stepping (as manipulated through the slider bar and Beg, Cur, and End fields) can either be Discrete or

Continuous. If scaling is Discrete, only your actual time steps as written in the results data can be visualized. In addition, the Beg,

Cur, and End fields can only be set to integer values (if Units is set to Step and Scale Type is Discrete) or actual simulation times

represented in your results data (if Units is set to Sim. Time). If scaling is Continuous, you can display results between your actual

output time steps (all variable values are linearly interpolated between the two surrounding time steps). Note that if your mesh

connectivity is changing over time you cannot display results continuously.

When you load multiple cases it is possible that the composite master timeline is inappropriate. You can specify a master timeline

from any one of the cases you have loaded and decide how the other cases will sync up to changes in time. You can even create

your own master timeline.

When you manipulate the slider or change the Cur field, EnSight will perform all tasks necessary to correctly display the new time

step in the Graphics Window. Depending on the size of the dataset and the number of additional parts you have created, this may

take a significant amount of time. If you wish to create an on-screen animation of your results, use the VCR run icon or go use the

Flipbook

facility.

BASIC OPERATION

To use the Solution Time Player (which comes up by default for transient models):

To change one step lower.

To play steps in reverse order.

To stop a running play.

To play steps in forward order.

To change one step higher.

The slider can also be used to

manually change time.

To control what happens when playing and

the limit is reached.

To stop when it reaches the limit.

To cycle, starting at the first again.

To reverse order and continue.

(bounce back and forth)

The Beg and End fields control the available time range (and

also the range of the slider action). You can enter new values

into the fields and press return.

The Cur field sets the current time step. Either move the

center slider or enter a new value in the field and press

return.

To open the Create/edit Transient Animation dialog for

additional controls. (Same as hitting the Solution time icon).

Page 335

HOW TO CHANGE TIME STEPS

You control more by opening the Create/edit

Transient Animation dialog.

Click either the Solution time icon

or the ... button.

Make changes as desired.

Click to display time as annotation in the graphics window.

Set Scale Type to Discrete or Continuous (see above for details).

Set Units to Step or Sim. Time (see above for details).

Set the number of time cycles in the time range.

Click to view/modify timeset details (see Advanced Usage below).

Set the step increment size for the slider arrows. Must be an integer

if Scale Type is Discrete.

If the Monitor for new time steps button is available, you may choose

an update method for monitoring the availability of new time steps.

This is only available if your data reader supports this feature (for

more details see the advanced feature in User Manual 5.1 Solution

Time

Recording an Animation of your data:

You can record the timesteps to images or

animation formats by clicking the Record

current graphics window animation icon to

bring up the Save animation dialog.

Set the transient data settings and set the number

of frames to record (by default this will be the

number of available time steps).

Specify a file name

The images or movie file will be created after you

click the Ok icon.

The options for this dialog are explained in How

To Print/Save an Image

Page 336

HOW TO CHANGE TIME STEPS

ADVANCED USAGE

Timeset Details

EnSight allows geometry and variables to behave in a transient manner on different timelines, i.e., a variable called

Temperature can be defined at t = 0., 3., and 6. while a variable called Pressure can be defined at t = 0., 2., and 5.5.

The Timeset Details button will bring up the Timeset Details dialog which allows the user to view the various

timelines as well as specify how the variables will behave when they are not defined.

The EnSight case file defines the timesets (name and associated time values) and associates a timeset with each of

the variables and geometry.

By default the Solution Time player will show a composite of all of the timesteps that exist across all of the timesets.

This can, however be changed to show just the time values associated with a particular timeset.

In the Timeset Details dialog shown below, multiple timesets exists. Two timesets (from the Which Timeset(s) list) are

selected and are thus shown in detail. The graphics for each timeset shows (a) the minimum and maximum overall

time value, (b) green tick marks indicating the time values defined for the timeset, (c) the current time value (indicated

with the long green line) associated with the timeset. (See Timeset Details... Tim sets Tab in UserManual 5.10 for more

info.)

The current solution time (as

set in the Solution Time dialog.

Select the timeline to be

viewed.

To modify all the timelines to

behave the same way, select

which range is to be modified,

then select how they will be

displayed.

The timeset can either be

shown having a time range

over the total number of time

values or can be shown

according to the timeset’s

range.

By default the Solution

Time dialog shows the

composite timeline.

This button will modify

the Solution Time

dialog’s Beg and End

values to those of the

selected timeset.

Shows the time value being

used at the current time.

The timeset is used by the

variables (or geometry)

shown in this list.

When the current time (from the

Solution Time dialog and indicated

in the upper left corner of this

dialog) is set to a value less than

what is available for this timeline,

use the Nearest value or make the

variable Undefined.

When the current time (from the

Solution Time dialog and indicated

in the upper left corner of this

dialog) is set to a value that does

not exist for this timeline,

Interpolate between defined time

values, use the Left, Right, or

Nearest value, or make the

variable Undefined.

When the current time (from the

Solution Time dialog and indicated in

the upper left corner of this dialog) is

set to a value greater than what is

available for this timeline, use the

Nearest value or make the variable

Undefined.

Toggle ON the Master

timeline toggle, then click

on the Update selected

timeset button to use only

the timesteps in this

timeline

Page 337

HOW TO CHANGE TIME STEPS

Master Timelines

When multiple transient cases are loaded it is entirely possible that the number of time values as well as the time

values themselves do not match up between the cases. By default EnSight creates a master timeline which is the

composite timeline across all the cases, i.e., it finds all of the unique time values and places these on the master

timeline.

It is often desirable to define a master timeline. This can be done by either redefining the master timeline or by

allowing the master timeline for any case to become the master timeline for EnSight and occupy the VCR controls for

time.

As soon as you read more than one case into EnSight the

Solution Time dialog will show an extra section where you

can control not only which timeline might become the VCR

player controls but also indicate how the various cases will

behave when time is changed.

In the image shown here there are two cases. The first

case has 21 timesteps and the second has 5 timesteps.

The only time value that overlaps between the cases is

the first with t=0. and thus the Master timeline has 25

timesteps. You can see that the current timestep for Case

1 is the last time step (20) and Case 2 is also currently at

the last timestep (4).

Any one of the timelines can be shown as the transient

data controls in the EnSight Time panel (the VCR

controls).

When time is changed the Case will be updated to the

new time value only if the Active toggle is set. You can

use this to "freeze" a case at a specific time value.

In this dialog we have changed the Player toggle to

indicate that Case 1 is in control.

Once you choose a case to have control you can set how

a change to time for the controlling case will modify the

other cases. Three options are available:

None - indicates that when a time change is made the

other active cases will not be affected.

Time - indicates that the other active cases will attempt

to change to the same time value.

Relative - means that the other active cases will be

modified to have a time value offset by the

current difference, i.e., if the time is stepped

forward by one step the other active cases

will also be stepped forward by one step.

The Current, Begin, and End columns are shown for

informational purposes to help you see where each case

timeline is currently located.

If you want to create your own Master timeline, click the

Timeset details... button.

Page 338

HOW TO CHANGE TIME STEPS

SEE ALSO

How To Load Transient Data, How To Animate Transient Data

User Manual: Flipbook Animation

This dialog shows the time values

for the composite master timeline.

Toggle on "Use custom master

timeline" to create a new master

timeline

You can select time values in the left

column and remove them with the

Delete button

You can select time values in the

right column and push them into the

left column via the arrow icon

Change the Case timeline pulldown

to see time values for the various

loaded cases

When completed, click the Apply

button

Page 339

HOW TO EXTRACT VORTEX CORES

Extract Vortex Cores

INTRODUCTION

Vortex cores are centers of swirling flow where the velocity is parallel to the vorticity. For a more complete description

refer to the User Manual section below.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the parent part.

2. Select Create -> Vortex cores...

3. Bring up the Vortex Core

Variable Settings dialog by

clicking here.

4. Define either (Density and Momentum) or

Velocity, as well as the Ratio of Specific Heats.

The variables can be set by either typing them

into the fields, or selecting them from the list

above and clicking the Set button.

5. Click Okay to finish the variable setup.

6. Click Create.

Page 340

HOW TO EXTRACT VORTEX CORES

ADVANCED USAGE

The resulting vortex core lines can be filtered by the vortex core strength or by any other active variable.

OTHER NOTES

Extract Vortex Cores does not work with more than one case.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Vortex Core Parts

1. Select the variable to filter by.

2. Set the Threshold filter to remove the portion

of the vortex core that is larger or less than the

specified threshold value.

3. Slide the slider to a new threshold value.

- or -

3. Enter a threshold value

Page 341

HOW TO EXTRACT SEPARATION & ATTACHMENT LINES

Extract Separation & Attachment Lines

INTRODUCTION

Separation and attachment lines are created on any 2D surface and show interfaces where flow abruptly leaves

(separates) or returns (attaches) to the surface. For a more complete description refer to the User Manual section

below.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the 2D parent part.

2. Select Create -> Separation Attachment

lines...

3. Bring up the dialog defining the

necessary variables by clicking here.

4. Define either Density and Momentum or

velocity, as well as the Ratio of Specific Heats.

The variables can be set by either typing them into

the fields or be selecting them from the list above

and clicking the Set button.

5. Click Okay to finish the variable setup

6. Click Create

This will create two parts - one each for the

separation and attachment lines. You can modify

the visual of these parts separately, but when you

change any creation attribute, both parts will be

modified.

Page 342

HOW TO EXTRACT SEPARATION & ATTACHMENT LINES

ADVANCED USAGE

The resulting separation/attachment parts can be filtered by the fx_sep_att_strength variable or by any other active

variable.

OTHER NOTES

The separation and attachment parts are linked together with regard to their creation, i.e. when one is modified the

other is also. Further, when one is deleted the other is also deleted.

Separation and Attachment feature extraction only works with one case.

The separation and attachment line parts should generally not interfere visually with the 2D parent parts they lie on

(as long as the preference for graphics hardware offset is on - see View Preferences), but they may interfere if

printed. In either case you can apply a display offset manually to avoid the interference in the Feature Panel for the

part. The display offset will be in the direction of the parent surface normal.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Separation/Attachment Line Parts

1. Select the variable to filter by.

2. Set the Threshold filter to remove the

portion of the separation/attachment

line that is larger or smaller than the

specified threshold value.

3. Slide the slider to a new threshold

value

- or -

3. Enter a threshold value.

Page 343

HOW TO EXTRACT SHOCK SURFACES

Extract Shock Surfaces

INTRODUCTION

Shock surfaces and regions help visualize shock waves in 3D (trans/super-sonic) flow. For a more complete

description, refer to the User Manual section below.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the parent part.

2. Select Create -> Shock regions/

surfaces...

3. Bring up the dialog defining the

necessary variables by clicking here.

4. Define either Density or (Temperature

and Pressure), (Energy or Pressure),

(Momentum or Velocity), and Ratio of Specific

Heats.

The variables can be set by either typing them

into the fields, or selecting them from the list and

clicking the Set button.

5. Click Okay to finish the variable setup.

6. Choose the Variable to use.

7. Choose Region or Surface.

8. Click Create.

Page 344

HOW TO EXTRACT SHOCK SURFACES

ADVANCED USAGE

The resulting shock can be filtered by any of the threshold variables

OTHER NOTES

See Other Notes in the Shock Surface/Region Create/Update section of the User Manual for options on how to pre-

filter flow field regions, and/or post-filter shock regions via a specified mach number. Also to apply the transient

correction term for moving shocks when using the shock Region method.

Shock Surface feature extraction does not work with multiple cases.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Shock Regions/Surfaces Parts

1. Select the variable to filter by.

2. Set the Threshold filter to remove the

portion of the shock surface or region

that is greater or less than the

specified threshold value.

3. Enter a threshold value

- or -

3. Slide the slider to a new threshold

value

4. The shock is usually defined in a very

narrow band, so the slider min/max

values may need to be adjusted by

either entering new values in the min/

max fields.

Page 345

HOW TO CREATE MATERIAL PARTS

Create Material Parts

INTRODUCTION

A Material Part can be created as either a domain or an interface.

A material Domain is a solid region (or regions) composed of one or more specified materials. Parts with 2D

elements yield 2D material elements, and parts with 3D elements yield 3D material elements.

A material Interface is a boundary region (or regions) between adjacent materials composed of at least two or more

specified materials. Parts with 2D elements yield 1D material elements, and parts with 3D elements yield 2D material

elements.

The Material Part feature can be used to isolate specified elemental regions of interest in data sets with material

fractions.

BASIC OPERATION

For Material Domain (for Smooth Method):

1. Bring up the Feature Panel for Material Parts. For

example, choose Material Parts from the Create

pulldown.

2. Select the parent model part(s).

3. Set Type to Domain.

4. Select 1 or more materials.

5. Click Create.

For Material Interface (for Smooth Method):

1. Bring up the Feature Edit Dialog for Material Parts.

For example, choose Material Parts from the Create

pulldown.

2. Select the parent model part(s).

3. Set Type to Interface.

4. Select 2 or more materials.

5. Click Create.

Page 346

HOW TO CREATE MATERIAL PARTS

SEE ALSO

User Manual:

Material Interface Parts

In Section 9.1, EnSight Gold Casefile Format, see EnSight Gold Material Files Format

Page 347

HOW TO FILTER PART ELEMENTS

Filter Part Elements

INTRODUCTION

One or more variables can be used within EnSight as a means of filtering out elements in model parts. In the simplest

form a single "failure" variable might be specified which will remove elements that are beyond a threshold and thus no

longer viable. The element filtering is a "deep" filter in that elements are not just visually removed on the client, but

are also removed for all calculations on the server. For example, the volume of a part calculated using the calculator

will only include the non-filtered elements. If you only need to visually remove elements consider Element Blanking.

The filter criteria can be something as simple as a variable with two states (one state to indicate the element is failed,

and the other state to indicate that the element is not failed), or it can be a variable (such as a Von Mises stress/

strain) threshold for which you specify limiting values and conditions for element removal. The filter variable would

ideally be a per-element variable. But you can also use a per-node variable in which case the nodal values are

averaged on the element.

Note: element filtering can only be performed on model parts. So if its effect is desired on created parts, such as clip

planes or isosurfaces, one should apply this operation to the model parent parts of the desired created parts and the

children will inhered the element filtering.

Six filters are available. Each filter can specify a variable to use in the filtering process which can be compared

against another variable or a constant value. The filters are combined with "and" or "or" operators. The filtering occurs

sequentially through the filters, i.e., it is not possible, for example, to specify a filter operation of "variable1 < 0.5 OR

(variable2 > 1.0 AND variable 3 < 0.0)"

Page 348

HOW TO FILTER PART ELEMENTS

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the model part(s) to use.

2. Click on the Filter Elements icon.

3. Select the variable you wish to use for

filtering (In this example we use Stress

> 0.07).

4. Turn the filter "active"

5. Click Apply

Those elements which satisfy the element

filter criteria will be removed from the model.

Page 349

HOW TO FILTER PART ELEMENTS

ADVANCED USAGE

EnSight’s User-defined reader API is capable of dealing with designated failure variables and the failure values and

conditions. Thus, a reader can be set up to use failure conditions that solvers provide and automatically apply the

element filtering operations for you. An example of this is the LS-DYNA3D reader provided with EnSight.

SEE ALSO

How-To Read User Defined

Do Element Blanking

Note the Format option provided by this reader, entitled: “Remove Failed Elems”. By checking

this option, a “Delete_Flag” variable is created, and the element filter feature of EnSight will

be automatically on - with the conditions and values set that will filter the failed elements that

the solver flagged

Page 350

HOW TO DO ELEMENT BLANKING

Do Element Blanking

INTRODUCTION

EnSight allows you to pick elements in the model and make them disappear - “blank them out”. This may be desirable

if you want to peek inside of certain parts or remove portions of a part (without making the entire part invisible or

transparent). Element blanking is only visual removal on the client. For example the calculated volume does not

change if some elements are blanked. Element blanking is a temporary state that can easily be “cleared” - making the

elements visible again.

BASIC OPERATION

Using picking to do element blanking:

1. Set the pick action to “Pick element(s) to

blank”.

2. Select part(s) in the part list that you wish

to operate on.

3. Place the mouse pointer over the element

you wish to blank out and press the “p”

key to blank the element.

You will see the element under the mouse

disappear as you do the picking.

4. To cause the elements to reappear, click

the Element blanking/visibility icon and

click the clear button in the dialog which

comes up.

Note that blanking can be done directly using the

mouse if you change the mouse and keyboard

settings. For example, the preferences can be

set to blank using a middle mouse button click

on the part. Edit > Preferences > Mouse and

Keyboard.

Page 351

HOW TO DO ELEMENT BLANKING

Also, the selection tool can be used to do element blanking on a larger scale:

Note

The element IDs are used to tag visibility. These tags are preserved through timestep changes. If the elements

change IDs (perhaps changing connectivity) then EnSight will continue to use those same IDs which may result in

invisible elements at different locations.

SEE ALSO

How To Use Selection Tool

1. Select the part(s) on which to do element

blanking.

2. Click on the Selection tool icon to turn on

the tool.

3. Position the tool as desired.

4. Click on the blanking icon.

5. Choose the criteria to use for blanking: inside or outside (inside or outside the box) and top or all

(top is just the first visible layer, all is to blank all elements in a direction perpendicular to box.

Results

in this.

To undo the blanking, click the Clear or Clear all parts button.

6. Click on the element blanking eraser

symbol at the upper left of the tool.

Page 352

HOW TO USE POINT PARTS

Use Point Parts

INTRODUCTION

A point part is a part composed only of nodes. It can be read in as a model part or can be created through the use of

the Point Part feature. In order to create the part, a series of point locations must be defined. The point locations can

be read from an external file, or can be created by placing the cursor tool at desired locations and adding points. You

can later edit the locations of, or delete any of the points. When you select a parent part and click Create, a new part

with only nodes is created. This type of part can represent probes in the data, or lends itself well to meshing into a 2D

or 3D part. As the per-node variables of the model parts are mapped to the point part locations, it is also a great way

to write out nodal variable information (using File->Save->Geometric Entities) for further calculations. Note if a parent

part has per element variables then they must be moved to the nodes using the calculator function ElemToNode.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the parent part.

2. Click Create -> Point parts ...

To open the Feature Panel for Point

Parts.

5. Click Create.

4. Click the Load points from file... button.

(Which will bring up the file select dialog)

and select a file that contains the desired

points.

(See Section 9.17 Point Part File Format in the User

Manual)

A simple sample of a Point Part file:

#Version 1.0

#EnSight Point Format

-.5, -.5, .5

-.5, .5, .6

.5, -.5, .7

.5, .5, .4

-1.5, -1.5, .5

1.5, 1.5, .3

2.25, 2.1, 1.5

4. Move the cursor to the desired spot.

(Interactively or by using the Transformation

Editor.)

and

Click the Add Point (at cursor) button.

(Repeat as many times as needed)

3. Make the cursor tool visible.

6. To create a mesh from a point part, click on

the Advanced button.

Page 353

HOW TO USE POINT PARTS

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Point Parts

Page 354

HOW TO USE RAYTRACE RENDERING

Use Raytrace Rendering

INTRODUCTION

Raytracing is an advanced rendering technique in computer graphics, where simulation of the light transport is

performed between the image pixels, objects in the scene, and the light sources. This technique is capable of

generating high realism images, but at a much higher cost than that of typical rasterization-based techniques. It is

usually implemented in software while the rasterization-based techniques are in hardware. Raytracing is suitable for

rendering a wide variety of optical effects, such as reflection, refraction, soft shadow, etc.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Choose File->Export.

There are two export types which support

raytracing.

Exporting an Image:

2. Select Image...

The save Image dialog will appear.

3. In this dialog, we first set up the normal

image output options, such as file path,

image format, image size, etc.

4. Open the Advanced frame box.

Here we will see the raytracing settings.

5. For a quick start, simply check the

“Raytrace the scene” checkbox

and leave all the rest of the settings

untouched.

6. Press the Ok button.

The data will be rendered using the

raytracing rendering engine and exported as

specified after the rendering is finished.



Page 355

HOW TO USE RAYTRACE RENDERING

Exporting a video (Animation):

2. Select Animation...

The Save animation dialog box will come up.

If you see that the Animation menu item is

grayed out, then the data set does not contain

transient data. You will need to create some

transient data such as a flipbook or keyframe

animation.

3. Open the Advanced frame box.

Here we will see the raytracing settings.

4. For a quick start, simply check the

“Raytrace the scene” checkbox

and the raytracing rendering engine will be

used for rendering each frame of the

animation. This dialog differs from the one with

image export. Namely, the “Raytrace

externally” option does not exist here. The

reason is that we automatically let a backend

task manager take charge of the time

consuming work involved. You can let this

happen in the background and continue your

interactive wor, and leave all the rest of the

settings untouched.

5. Press the Ok button.



Page 356

HOW TO USE RAYTRACE RENDERING

RAYTRACING OPTIONS



When you click on the “Raytracer settings” button in the

previous dialog, the settings dialog box will come up. and

you can control several options.

Output

A user can choose which output to use. The default choice

is EnRay - which is EnSight’s built-in renderer. POV-Ray

will generate files suitable for the POV-Ray application.

Use OpenGL reflection map

EnSight provides a default material library, where there are

some reflection maps used for reflective materials when

the graphics hardware rendering engine is used. If a user

prefers to use these reflection images in the raytracer, he

can inform the raytracer to use them here. But, doing so

will disable the real inter-reflection computation between

scene objects.

Use OpenGL foreground

Whether output of 2D overlay of the graphics hardware

rendered result is sent to the raytracer or not. Usually,

EnSight’s graphics window contains not only rendering

results from 3D geometry, but also 2D illustrations such as

palettes, plots, tables, etc. The raytracer does not have the

capability to render the 2D layer. Therefore, when this

option is set, the system will output the hardware rendered

2D layer as an image and composite it with the raytracing

result.

Surface integrator

Choose from different raytracing algorithms. Currently the

raytracer has two options. The Whitted style, which traces

three types of rays: reflection, refraction, and shadow. It is

an efficient rendering algorithm for rendering highly

reflective scenes. It is not good at rendering diffusely

reflective scenes. And the ambient occlusion technique,

which is suitable for scenes which are dominated by

ambient lights. It uses the local occlusion ratio to modulate

the shading results.

Quality

Specify the image quality of the raytracing result. In the

current implementation we set 6 levels, where 0 is the

lowest and 5 is the highest quality. The detailed raytracing

parameters are hidden from the user, such as number of

samples per pixel, recursive depth, etc.

Raytrace externally (when doing Image output)

EnSight can use both the internal EnRay raytracer or the

external command line EnRay raytracer to perform the

raytracing task. By checking the option “Raytrace

externally” for image output, EnSight will use the external

one. The benefit of doing so is that a user will not be

blocked by the time-consuming raytracing computation,

and will be able to continue his interactive session.



External Raytracing startup settings

Delay raytracing execution until

Allows you to specify the date and time to start the

jobs, in place of having them start as soon as

submitted.

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HOW TO USE RAYTRACE RENDERING

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Chapter 15, Raytracing

Page 358

HOW TO USE RAYTRACE RENDERING

Page 359

HOW TO ACTIVATE VARIABLES

Create and Manipulate Variables

Activate Variables

INTRODUCTION

When a results dataset is read into EnSight, associated variables are noted and listed in the Variables List Panel.

However, a variable will remain deactivated (not loaded into memory) until some operation requires it or it is explicitly

activated (read into memory).

If an active variable is no longer required, you can deactivate it and free the associated memory.

BASIC OPERATION

Variable Activation and Deactivation

In most instances, variables are automatically activated as required. For example, if you create a contour using a

deactivated variable, EnSight will automatically activate the variable prior to creating the contour.

You can also activate and deactivate variables explicitly via right clicking on the variables in the Variable list.

SEE ALSO

How To Edit Color Palettes, How To Create New Variables

User Manual: Variable Selection and Activation

1. Right click on the variable(s) you wish to

activate or deactivate. Grayed out variables

are currently deactivated.

2. From the resulting right click pull down select

Activate (or Deactivate if the variable is

already active)

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HOW TO CREATE NEW VARIABLES

Create New Variables

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a powerful capability to derive new variables from existing variables and parts. For example, in a

fluids dynamics problem, if you have momentum, density, and stagnation energy you can calculate temperature,

Mach number, pressure, or velocity. In addition to the built-in functions, you can also compose your own functions

using the equation editor in conjunction with previously defined variables.

This article is divided into the following sections:

Introduction

Variable Creation

Examples of Expressions

Extended CFD Variables

BASIC OPERATION

Introduction

EnSight provides six distinct types of variables:

Variables are either given (read from the dataset or automatically provided by EnSight) or computed (derived from

existing variables during an EnSight session). The variable type and whether it is given or computed are shown in the

Variables list panel by looking at the Computed column. The Location column will tell you if a variable is node or

element based.

Every non-constant variable (both given as well as computed) has an associated color palette that defines the

mapping from variable values to color. These palettes can be edited to change the mapping (see How To Edit Color

Maps for details). The value of a constant variable can be displayed as a text string in the Graphics Window (see

How To Create Text Annotation for details).

For time-dependent data, calculated variables will automatically recalculate when the current time step is changed.

Constant A constant variable is a single value. Constants do not vary across a part

although a constant can vary over time. Examples include Analysis_Time,

Temperature[123] (the value of temperature at node 123), Stress{3}[321]

(the value of stress at node 321 at time step 3), or the value of a function

that produces a constant (e.g. Area).

Constant per

part

A constant per part is a single value per part. Thus the value does not vary

within a given part, but can be different for each part. Examples include

things like area, volume, max of a scalar, etc.

Scalar A scalar variable is a set of values: one for each node or element of the

applicable part(s). Examples include Pressure, Velocity[Z] (the Z component

of velocity), Stress{3} (the value of stress at time step 3), or the value of a

function that produces a scalar (e.g. Flow)

Vector A vector variable is a set of values: three (the X,Y,Z components) for each

node or element of the applicable part(s). Examples include Velocity,

Velocity{3} (the value of velocity at time step 3), Coordinates (a given

variable equal to the XYZ coordinate at a node), or the value of a function

that produces a vector (e.g. Vorticity).

Tensor A tensor variable is a set of values: six (if symmetric) or nine (if asymmetric),

for each node or element of the applicable part(s). Tensor variables can be

represented by Tensor Glyphs directly, and within the variable calculator

eigenvalues, eigenvectors, determinant, VonMises or Tresca, etc. can be

computed.

Complex A complex variable, which within Ensight can be either scalar or vector,

includes the real and imaginary portions of the values. The variable

calculator allows the user to compute things like modulus, argument,

transient response, etc.

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HOW TO CREATE NEW VARIABLES

Variable Creation

Derived variables are easily created using the Variable Calculator. To create new variables:

1. Click the Variable Calculator icon in the

Feature Icon bar to open the Calculator Tool

Box. There are by default three tabs (and

usually a fourth as you can see). The left

mouse icon is for Predefined functions, the

icon with the pencil is for Defining your own,

the third tab is used for modal variable

feedback. Then multiple other user defined

tabs might exist with various functions. The

Sum of F tab is a user defined tool distributed

by default. It finds the summation of forces

and moments.

2. Select the desired tab to either use predefined

functions or define your own equation using

math operators and functions.

Predefined functions Tab:

You can search for a function name or find the

function in the list.

When you select a function, the Variable Name

field (at the top of the section) is loaded with the

name of the function. This will be the name of

the variable as seen in the Variables list. You

can change this name by entering a new name

(and pressing return).

A description of the function parameters appears

directly below the function list.

In the Predefined function parameters section

you are presented with the required inputs to the

expression.

For each required input you are presented with

the valid choices. For example, in the function in

the figure at right, density can be either a floating

point value or it can be a scalar. If you wish to

specify a scalar you would click on the radio

button and find the required scalar in the

pulldown list (which will only be showing you

scalar variables). If you wish to enter a floating

point value you would enter it into the field that

currently indicates “enter float value” by double

clicking and overwriting it with the appropriate

value.

3. When all of the parameters have been set

make sure you have the correct parts

selected in the Parts list then click on the

“Evaluate for selected parts” button.

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HOW TO CREATE NEW VARIABLES

Examples of Expressions

The following examples demonstrate usage of the variable calculator. In each case, first enter a name in the Variable

Name field then click on the interface buttons or list entries or type directly into the Expression area. The examples

below assume that Analysis_Time (a given constant variable if the dataset is transient), pressure, density, and

velocity are all existing, active variables.

Expression Description and How to Build

-13.5/3.5 A simple constant.

To build, either type the text on the keyboard or click in the Calculator keypad.

Analysis_Time/60.0 A constant variable. Assuming the solution time was given in seconds, this expression will

provide a variable giving the time in minutes.

To build, select Analysis_Time from the Active Variable list and either type or click /60.0

Define equation Tab:

Alternatively, you can build your own equation

by selecting variables, math functions,

operators, and numbers as desired.

Once you have the desired equation in the

Expression field, and a name in the Variable

name field - make sure you have

1. the correct parts selected then

2. toggled on the Constants per Part if your

result will be a constant and you want a

value defined on each part. The default is

off, which is a single case constant.

3. click “Evaluate for selected parts”.

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HOW TO CREATE NEW VARIABLES

Since EnSight can compute only one variable at a time, one must break down involved equations into multiple

smaller ones, using temporary or intermediate variables.

Calculator limitations include the following:

1. The variable name cannot be used in the expression. The following is invalid:

temperature = temperature + 100

Instead use:

temperature2 = temperature + 100

2. The result of a function cannot be used in an expression.

(pressure / MAX(plist,pressure) )^2

Instead use two steps. Define p_max as:

MAX(plist,pressure)

then define norm_press_sqr as:

(pressure / p_max)^2

3. Created parts (or changing geometry model parts) cannot be used with a time calculation (using { }).

4. Calculations occur only on server-based parts. Client-based parts are ignored, and variable values may be

undefined.

For information on the arguments (and equations), see General Functions or Math Functions in the User Manual.

velocity*density Momemtum – a vector variable.

To build, select velocity from the Active Variable list, click or type *, and select density

from the Active Variable list.

SQRT(pressure[73]*2.5)

+ velocity[X][73]

Square root of (pressure at node 73 * 2.5 + the X component of velocity at node 73)

To build, select SQRT from the Math function list, select pressure from the Active Variable

list, click or type [73]*2.5)+, select velocity from the Active Variable list, and click or

type [X][73].

velocity^2 You have to be careful here. velocity^2 is NOT equal to DOT(velocity,velocity). A vector *

vector in EnSight is performed component-wise (x-component * x-component, y-

component*y-component, and z-component*z-component). The magnitude of this

expression is SQRT(x-component^4 + y-component^4 + z-component^4) which is NOT the

square of the magnitudes. If you are looking for a scalar result for the square of the velocity,

use DOT(velocity,velocity), or, for velocity magnitude, use RMS(velocity) or

SQRT(DOT(velocity,velocity)), or SQRT(velocity[x]*velocity[x] +

velocity[y]*velocity[y]+velocity[z]*velocity[z]).

pressure{19} Scalar variable equal to pressure at time 19. This variable will not change if the current

time step is changed.

To build, select pressure from the Active Variable list and click or type {19}.

MAX(plist, pressure) Constant variable equal to the maximum value for pressure over all nodes of all parts in

plist.

To build, select MAX from the General function list and follow the instructions in the Feedback

area.

(pressure/max_pres)^2 Scalar variable equal to squared normalized pressure.

To build, first calculate the MAX constant variable as described in the preceding example

(here named max_pres). Click or type (, select pressure from the Active Variable list, click

or type /, select max_pres from the Active Variable list, and click or type)^2.

Expression Description and How to Build

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HOW TO CREATE NEW VARIABLES

Extended CFD Variables

Rather than having to individually create the various common CFD variables, EnSight can automatically make them

available for use if the appropriate basis variables and constants have been provided. This can be accomplished

after loading the model with the Extended CFD Variable Settings Dialog:

2. Select the variable name in the list and then

click the appropriate SET button.

For example, select Density in the list and then

click the SET button to right of the Density field.

3. After all variables and constants have been

specified, click Show Extended CFD

Variables.

4. Click Okay.

The common CFD variables will now be listed in

the main variables list. Note that they will NOT

actually be computed until activated.

If you have a “standard” PLOT3D Q file, Extended

CFD variables will be shown by default when you

read your data.

1. Right click on any variable in the Variable list

then choose “Extended CFD variables...”

from the pulldown.

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HOW TO CREATE NEW VARIABLES

ADVANCED

Rules for inheriting Constant Per Part variables

Note that constants per part, that are in model files and exist with the same value in all parent parts of a created part

- are inherited by said created parts. If the value differs, the constant per part will become undefined in the created

part. However, computed constants per part are not automatically inherited by created parts (even if the values

are the same), and become undefined in the created parts. If a value for the computed constant per part is desired in

the created part(s), one should include the created part as one of the parent parts for the computed constant per part.

Example: If part 1 of a model has the constant per part variable rpm (of value 60), and an isovolume (which becomes

part 2) is created with part 1 as the parent, part 2 will inherit the rpm constant per part and its value of 60.

If however, part 1 is used as the parent of the computation of constant per part volume (which results in a value of

135.4), and an isovolume (which becomes part 2) is created with part 1 as the parent, volume in part 2 will be

undefined. It will not be inherited. One could, however, then go and add part 2 to the list of parent parts for the

volume constant per part - and update the variable. This would result in part 2 having volume computed on its

elements(and it would be something less than or equal to 135.4).

Plug in Variables

EnSight has the ability to display and create custom plug in variables. These variables appear in the various variable

lists when variables they depend on are present. A plug in variable is linked to a command or python file which is

executed when the user activates the variable. In short, a plug in variable appears and behaves to the user exactly

like any other variable.

Plug in variables are defined in a text file named ensight_user_def_vars.dat. This file contains the name of

the plug in variable along with a list of variables needed to compute it as well as the name of an EnSight command or

python file to execute on activation. If the variables that a plug in variable needs are present, the plug in variable will

be added to the variable lists. Any time a new variable is created the plug in variables are re-examined and added to

the variable lists if the new variable satisfies the presentation of a plug in variable.

On activation a plug in variable will execute a command file. The command file (or python file) must create the new

variable named the same as the plug in variable definition. If the plug in variable has been defined to be dependent

on variables using multiple spellings the python file that creates the variable must check on the variable spellings

during the variable creation.

To enable plug in variables, the ensight_user_def_vars.dat file must be located in a subdirectory called

"variables" and can be defined in the site-wide preference file or in the local preference file location. The site

preferences location is $CEI_HOME/ensight102/site_preferences/ while the local location is

%HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\(username)\.ensight102\ for Windows, ~/.ensight102/ for Linux, or ~/

Library/Application Support/EnSight102/ on the Mac.

All files for the plug in variables must be in the same "variables" subdirectory (or "folder" if you prefer). This includes

not only the ensight_user_def_vars.dat file but also any command or python file needed to compute the variables.

User Defined variables ensight_user_def_vars.dat file format description

EnSight Variable Extension File

Version 1.0

################################################################

# The first two lines of this file are shown above. They MUST always exist

# A ‘#’ on the first column is a comment and is ignored

# This file is organized by keywords. The keywords are not case sensitive

# depend: and DEPEND: are the same.

#The following keywords are valid with the following meaning:

# BEGIN VARIABLE: new_var_name

# Starts a new variable and names it. The name of the variable that will show up in the variable

object list

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HOW TO CREATE NEW VARIABLES

# VARIABLE TYPE: One of "scalar", "vector", "tensor", or "constant".

# This is an optional keyword and if missing the variable is assumed to be of type scalar.

# This is used to display the variable in the correct var object group

# DEPEND: variable_name

# The computation of new_var_name depends on this variable. If new_var_name is dependent on a

variable that does

# not exist the variable will not be shown in the var object list.

# This is an optional keyword

# A DEPEND line, if it exists, must be defined after a VARIABLE NAME line

# There can be multiple DEPEND lines. If they exist the meaning is that new_var_name depends on

variable_name1 AND variable_name2.

# And only if both of these variables exist will new_var_name be shown in the var object list.

# There can be an unlimited number of DEPEND lines.

# This version of the DEPEND line is case senstive, i.e., it will match the case exactly of

variable_name.

# DEPEND NOCASE: variable_name

# Same as the DEPEND definition except case will be ignored for the variable_name

# OR DEPEND: or_variable_name

# This is an optional keyword and if it is defined it must be defined after a DEPEND or OR DEPEND

line.

# This keyword defines optional variable names for the variable defined on the DEOEND line.

# For example, assume "new_var_name = Temperature*2".

# But for some solvers maybe Temperature is actually output as "degrees",

# i.e., new_var_name could be defined

# with "Temperature" OR "degrees"

# This keyword uses the exact case for the or_variable_name

# OR DEPEND NOCASE: or_variable_name

# This is the case insenstive version

# EXECUTE: play_file_name

# Defines the command file that will be played when the variable is activated.

# The play file can be any file that can be executed via "play: play_file_name", thus

# EnSight commands file or python file should work. The play file must be located in the

# same directory as this definition file.

# You should not specify a path to the file - only the filename.

# This keyword is required.

# This playfile should select the parts of interest to calculate the variable and

# should create a variable with the same name as the definition: new_var_name.

# Note that a user defined variable will not appear if an existing model variable

# has that same name

# Note that the playfile can create multiple variables as well

# RECOMPUTE ON NEW MODEL PARTS: <YES | NO >

# Is an optional keyword. If missing NO is implied

# If YES, the variables created when play_file_name is executed are recomputed

# to include any new model parts that are

# loaded. Thus for example is a new case is loaded the variable(s) would get

# recomputed on the parts loaded from the new case

# END VARIABLE:

# Is a required keyword. It simply closes the variable definition

Example ensight_user_def_vars.dat file is shown below:

#####################################################################################

EnSight Variable Extension File

Version 1.0

# Example 1: This will compute a scalar named "Pressure_psi"

# by executing a command filed called "pres_Pa_to_psi.py"

# It will be shown in the variable lists if it finds a variable called

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HOW TO CREATE NEW VARIABLES

# "pressure" (case insensitive).

BEGIN VARIABLE: Pressure_psi

VARIABLE TYPE: scalar

DEPEND NOCASE: pressure

EXECUTE: pres_Pa_to_psi.py

END VARIABLE:

# Example 2: Create a Stress Tensor variable from the six symmetric stress components

# Stress Tensor: This will compute a tensor variable named "Stress_Tensor"

# by executing a command file called "Stress_Tensor.py"

# It will appear in the variable list if it finds

# all of the stress variable components

# After it has executed it will update to include any new model parts created

BEGIN VARIABLE: Stress_Tensor

VARIABLE TYPE: tensor

RECOMPUTE ON NEW MODEL PARTS: YES

DEPEND NOCASE: S11

DEPEND NOCASE: S12

DEPEND NOCASE: S13

DEPEND NOCASE: S22

DEPEND NOCASE: S23

DEPEND NOCASE: S33

EXECUTE: Stress_Tensor.py

END VARIABLE:

# Example 3: Create a Velocity vector from the components

BEGIN VARIABLE: Velocity

VARIABLE TYPE: vector

DEPEND: velx

DEPEND: vely

DEPEND: velz

EXECUTE: vel_vec.enc

END VARIABLE:

#####################################################################################

Example EnSight Command/Python files for the above ensight_user_def_vars.dat file:

#####################################################################################

Example 1 EnSight Python File, above: pres_Pa_to_psi.py

# Convert Pressure from Pa to PSI

# psi = Pa / 6894.757

# import an EnSight utilities module

import ens_utils as eu

# For details on the functions available:

# print dir(eu)

# Get a list of variables exactly matching ‘pressure’

# which should be only one

# (must use a case independent search)

# for details do the following:

# print help(eu.get_vars_by_name)

pvars = eu.get_vars_by_name('pressure', flag='all', case_sensitive=False)

if pvars:

# should only be one

ensight.variables.activate(pvars[0].DESCRIPTION)

ensight.part.select_all()

ensight.variables.evaluate("Pressure_psi = " + pvars[0].DESCRIPTION + " / 6894.757")

#####################################################################################

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HOW TO CREATE NEW VARIABLES

Example 2: EnSight Python File: Stress_Tensor.py

# Create a Stress Tensor using the components (exact match)

ensight.sendmesgoptions(version="10.16 (b)")

ensight.sendmesgoptions(version=0)

ensight.part.select_all()

ensight.variables.activate("S11")

ensight.variables.activate("S22")

ensight.variables.activate("S33")

ensight.variables.activate("S12")

ensight.variables.activate("S13")

ensight.variables.activate("S23")

ensight.variables.evaluate("Stress_Tensor = TensorMake(plist,S11,S22,S33,S12,S13,S23)")

#####################################################################################

Example 3: EnSight Command File: Make a velocity vector from the component scalars

vel_vec.enc

part: select_all

variables: activate velx

variables: activate vely

variables: activate velz

variables: evaluate Velocity = MakeVect(plist,velx,vely,velz)

EXPORTING CONSTANT VARIABLES

Right click on one or more constant or a per part constant variable(s) and choose export to .csv. The values of the

variables will be exported to comma separated value (csv) format as follows. The header will be time step, then time

value, followed by variable name(s). The second row will include part names (for the per part constant(s)). The

remaining rows will be the value of the constant(s) at each timestep. Note this data can be loaded into a spreadsheet

program and transposed if you wish to have the data in a transposed format.

SEE ALSO

How to Edit Color Maps

User Manual: Variable Creation, General Functions and Math Functions.

Page 369

HOW TO CREATE NEW VARIABLES

Page 370

HOW TO EXTRACT BOUNDARY LAYER VARIABLES

Extract Boundary Layer Variables

INTRODUCTION

EnSight can compute many boundary layer variables via the variable calculator. It can also compute the following

variables in bulk (at essentially the same compute costs):

boundary layer thickness named: (bl_thickness)

displacement thickness (bl_displ_thickness)

momentum thickness (bl_momen_thickness)

shape parameter (bl_shape_parameter)

skin friction coefficient (bl_skin_friction)

You must have a 2D surface in a 3D field and specify the 2D surface as the parent part(s).

For a complete description of these variables, refer to the User Manual section below.

BASIC OPERATION

OTHER NOTES

These variables and more are also individually available in the Variable calculator. See the Boundary Layer

Variables section of Chapter 4 in the User Manual

Note that the Freestream Density, and Freestream Velocity fields are for constant ‘upstream’ density and velocity

magnitude values (near flow inlet). They are only used for skin-friction coefficient, Cf.

Boundary Layer variables do not work with multiple cases.

1. Select the 2D parent part(s).

2. Right click on any variable in the Variables

list and choose “Boundary Layer variables”

from the pulldown.

3. Define the required variables by selecting them in the list

and clicking the Set button.

4. Define either (Density and Momentum) or velocity.

The variables can be set by either typing them into the fields, or

selecting them from the list and clicking on the Set button.

5. Click Okay to finish the variable setup.

6. Choose the method that will be used to determine the

velocity outside the boundary layer.

7. Click Create/Update.

This will create the five new variables, which can be used for further operations - such as part coloring and

queries.

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HOW TO EXTRACT BOUNDARY LAYER VARIABLES

SEE ALSO

How To Create New Variables

User Manual: Boundary Layer Variables

Page 372

HOW TO EDIT COLOR PALETTES

Edit Color Palettes

INTRODUCTION

All scalar, vector, and constant per part variables have an associated color palette that defines the mapping from

variable values to colors. These palettes can be easily edited to customize the mapping. Color palettes can also be

saved to disk and restored during a subsequent session.

BASIC OPERATION

The default color palette created for each variable has five Levels (with the minimum and maximum set to the range

of the variable at the time step selected when the variable was activated). The color ramp is a standard spectrum with

the five Levels set to (from min to max) blue, cyan, green, yellow, and red.

Active scalars and vectors have color palettes that are initialized to the variable range for the currently loaded parts.

An active variable has a solid color in the Variables List Panel while an inactive variable (not yet read by EnSight) is

grayed out. To activate an inactive variable you can right click on the item in the list and Activate it.

EnSight can display multiple color legends in the Graphics Window:

Color legends have a number of display attributes including size, position, and how/where the variable labels are

formatted. See How To Create Color Legends for details.

1. Click the Annotation tab and open the Legend group.

2. Select the desired variable(s) or variable

components in the list.

3. Turn on visibility via the Quick Action Icon Bar

To remove a legend repeat the procedure or you can remove

the legend by right clicking and performing a “Hide” operation.

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HOW TO EDIT COLOR PALETTES

The Palette Editor provides access to all aspects of variables including min/max information, histogram, and variable

value mapping to color and transparency:

3. Select the palette to be

edited from the

pulldown

Grab the Minimum Palette Value

Slider

Type in a Minimum Palette Value

Opens by default in Simple Tab

Palette Levels (and variable

values). Enter a new value if

desired. Click on Color to

change.

Notice that if you have

chosen to color by a variable

(here Density)

Grab the Maximum Palette

Value Slider

Enter a Maximum Palette

Value

Update variable range using

a) extrema, b) selected

part(s) (note element

representation of part(s)

matters), c) currently visible

part(s) in selected viewport.

Enter desired number of

Levels in the palette (2 to 21)

Reverse colors/levels

Interpolate between two

levels. Enter the upper and

lower levels and click

interpolate to create the

intermediate levels.

1. Select the part you want to edit, then Click the

Color icon in the Quick Action Icon Bar to open

the Color Editor.

2. Click the Palette... button to bring up the Palette

Editor

To change the colors associated with

the levels

4. Click on the color for the level you wish to modify

and select a new color in the pop up dialog.

5. Click the Invert colors button to invert the color

order, or Invert values to invert the values order.

6. Click on the Files Tab and choose a new palette

and click Restore to load a new palette.

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HOW TO EDIT COLOR PALETTES

ADVANCED USAGE

A color palette is composed of color and Alpha (opacity) information at a set number of control points.

The uniform opacity can be controlled under the Lighting and Shading turndown in the Part Color/Surface

Opacity dialog. The part opacity can also be a function of a variable value in the Opacity by variable

turndown in the Part Color/Surface Opacity dialog. Finally you can choose to modify the scaling of the

opacity by its color value in the Palette Editor. By default, EnSight creates the control points to be

uniformly spaced and to have the same number as the number of levels in the palette. You can decouple

the control points from the levels by changing the Node Locking option at the bottom of the dialog.

The background of the control point graphic contains a histogram for the variable which is tied to the

palette. The small horizontal handle at the left of the image will scale the histogram information.

1. Bring up the Color Editor, then click on the Edit Palettes...

button.

2. Select Advanced Tab - and now manipulate the Control Points

3. Select which component (Red, Green, Blue, or Alpha) to

manipulate.

Change the value of the Control Points. Warning: you must change to

Alpha by Variable in the Color editor dialog (see previous page) in order to

change the Alpha for a variable here in the Palette Editor dialog.

4. Click on a Control Point and type in a value in the Value:

field,

5. OR Click on the Control Point and drag it to a new value. By

default the movement of the control point is limited such

that only the value can be changed. If you wish to move the

control points location you must unlock it by untoggling the

Node Locking option in the Options tab

To Add or Delete a Control Point

6. Right click on a control point to choose to add or delete a

control point. If adding a control point, it will be added to

the right of the selected point.

7. Click on the red handle to scale the histogram

11. You can specify how to handle

Undefined variable values. The default

is to display the Undefined value as

the part color. You can change this

such that Undefined values will be

invisible or the zero index value.

12. Limit fringes: The default behavior is

for variable values outside the min/

max range to be clamped to the color/

opacity defined at the bottom and top

of the palette. You change this

behavior so that out of bound values

are colored by the part color or are set

to invisible.

13. Change the alpha volume scale to

affect volume rendering

14. For transient data, toggle on and fill in

time range to use to rescale variable

extrema and recreate the histogram

over time.

15. Toggle ON to reset the palette range

when a timestep is changed.

8. Click on the ‘Options’ Tab

9. Default is Type Constant

for elemental variables.

For a smoother image

use a continuous palette

for elemental values

10. To create a color band

for each color in the

texture, change ‘Type’ to

‘Banded’. Reduce the

number of Colors per

level to coarsen the

bands

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HOW TO EDIT COLOR PALETTES

Markers are single-colored level(s) overlaid on top of the

color palette designed to emphasize the distinction

between levels.

16. Click on the Markers Tab. Markers are divider

bands drawn in the color specified at the

specified variable value. They serve to divide your

coloration similar to isocontours.

17. Choose the color, the width and the maximum

number of markers

18. At the Add: pulldown, choose one of the

following to add markers at At levels (adds a

marker at each level value), At value (adds a

single marker at the value indicated), or Uniformly

(adds marker uniformly if you enter a value into

the How Many field that appears.

19. Markers remain until cleared.

EnSight includes a number of predefined palettes

available for loading.

20. Click on the Files Tab.

21. Choose a palette.

22. Click restore to load it.

If the new number of levels does not match the

current number of levels a dialog will pop up to ask

whether you want the new number of levels or the

current.

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HOW TO EDIT COLOR PALETTES

SHORTCUTS

You can open the Palette Editor from either right-clicking on the variable list or on a variable legend that is visible in

the graphics area.

SEE ALSO

How To Create Color Legends, How To Create New Variables, How To Create Contours

User Manual: Variable Summary & Palette

Page 377

HOW TO USE VOLUME RENDERING

Use Volume Rendering

INTRODUCTION

Most of the visualization techniques in EnSight use points, lines, and surfaces to represent data, requiring volumetric

data to be subsampled in some way. Volume rendering is a visualization technique that allows the user to view an

entire volume of data at once, without having to slice the data in any way. The process involves finding all cells that

overlap each pixel and accumulating a color for that pixel from the color and transparency of each cell. Volumes can

be constant colored, but more often you will color the volume using a palette corresponding to a variable or a variable

component. Color palettes include transparency ("alpha") values, allowing control of transparency based on variable

value.

BASIC OPERATION

Volume rendering is one of several "element representations" for a part. Results are generally loaded into EnSight by

default in Border, Feature Angle, or Full representation. These representations include only point, line, or surface

data. The "volume" element representation will activate volume rendering for a part. Just as for surfaces, the part

color dialog can be used to control the color and opacity of the volume. You can color the volume by a scalar, vector,

or vector component, and the colors will be assigned based on the palette. For large unstructured parts please see

the Advanced Usage which describes how to utilize block structured volume rendering for significantly smaller

memory and higher performance.

4. Set the Element Representation to

Volume.

1. Select the 3D parent part.

2. Open the color dialog.

3. Color the part by a variable

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HOW TO USE VOLUME RENDERING

ADVANCED USAGE

EnSight provides advanced control of volume rendering. You can control the volume rendering magnitude of each

level of the variable palette by adjusting the alpha value (shown as an A in the Palette Editor). The alpha value is the

opacity/intensity of the particular level when volume rendered. This means that you can emphasize select variable

levels in your volume rendering coloration by specifically increasing the alpha magnitude of these select levels. You

can also scale up the entire alpha by adjusting a multiplier value.

8. If the volume looks nearly

invisible then increase the

alpha scale uniformly to raise

the opacity level.

7. Notice the opacity of the

variable values at these levels

is scaled upward creating

emphasis in the graphics

screen and in the legend

5. Click on the Palette button.

6. Click on the control points

with the left mouse button

and drag them upward.

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HOW TO USE VOLUME RENDERING

Structured Volume Rendering

Unstructured volume rendering - used above - utilizes a large amount of memory on the desktop system and

significantly taxes the graphics hardware. Another option is to use structured volume rendering. In this technique a

box clip will be created using uniform spacing through the parent parts. You control the number of samples that will be

taken. In this technique your solution will be sampled onto a regular grid - something to be aware of.

OTHER NOTES

Volume rendering requires a DirectX 10 capable graphics card. Newer cards with more memory and up-to-date

software drivers will perform best. Volume rendering will use roughly 1GB of graphics memory per 10M tetrahedra.

Other cells will be decomposed into multiple tetrahedra. EnSight will disable volume rendering when it encounters

archaic graphics card hardware. Because volume rendering exercises a large amount of the OpenGL functionality

remote rendering problems are very likely, therefore this remote rendering is not supported.

SEE ALSO

See How to Change Visual Representation, How To Edit Color Maps for more information.

1. Select the 3D parent part(s)

2. Turn on the visibility of the Box tool

3. Move the mouse pointer on top of the box tool and right click

to get the box tool pulldown. Then select “Fit to Selected

Parts”. This will make the box tool fit the parts you selected

in step #1.

4. Right click again on the box tool and choose Volume->Create.

5. In the resulting pop-up dialog set the number of samples in

the box tool’s X, Y, and Z direction

6. Color the resulting Volume Clip part using the palette

instructions given above.

7. The Volume clip just created is a Box Clip. It can be edited (or

initially created) via the Part Feature Panel for clips.

Page 380

HOW TO GET POINT, NODE, ELEMENT, & PART INFO

Query, Probe, Plot

Get Point, Node, Element, & Part Info

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides many methods for extracting exact quantitative data from your results. Specific information about

nodes, elements, parts, IJK locations, or arbitrary points can be displayed.

BASIC OPERATION

Show Point Information

To show information about an arbitrary point:

Show Node Information

To show information about a specific node, you must have either given or automatically assigned node labels for your

data. You must also know the number of the node of interest. If you do not know the number, you can display node

labels for the part or, if you know an element that contains the node, you can display element information for the

element (as described in the next section). All active variables for the node specified will be shown. To show node

information:

1. If your data is transient, set the desired time in the Solution Time Panel.

2. If you have multiple Cases, select the desired case using Case > casename.

3. Position the Cursor Tool to the desired location.

4. Select the desired part(s) in the Part List. The query will only be successful if the Cursor Tool is

found within an element of a selected part.

5. Select Query > Show Information > Cursor.

The query results will be printed to the EnSight message window, which will pop up.

It can also be accessed from the Info icon.

The following shows sample output from a point query:

Point (6.19810e-01,2.77589e-01,2.41451e-01)(In Frame 0) Query Information.

Found in structured part # 2.

Found in element # 168379.

Closest node # 1782 (within the element)

Value for Variable density is 9.96230e-01.

Values for Variable momentum are:

x=3.03989e-01,y=-1.42727e-02,z=8.51241e-02,mag=3.16005e-01.

1. If your data is transient, set the desired time in the Solution Time Panel.

2. If you have multiple Cases, select the desired case using Case > casename.

3. Select the desired part(s) in the Part List. The query will only be successful if the specified node is

found in a selected part.

4. Select Query > Show Information > Node. The Query Prompt dialog opens. Enter the ID number of the

desired node in the text field and click Okay.

The query results will be printed to the EnSight message window, which will pop up.

It can also be accessed from the Info icon.

The following shows sample output from a node query:

Node 123 Query Information.

Coordinates (In Frame 0) are: (-2.00000e+00,0.00000e+00,1.19320e+00)

Found in unstructured part # 1.

Values for Variable velocity are:

x=5.82290e-01,y=3.70160e-02,z=-1.82780e-03,mag=5.83468e-01.

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HOW TO GET POINT, NODE, ELEMENT, & PART INFO

Show IJK Information

To show information about a specific IJK location for structured models:

Show Element Information

To show information about a specific element, you must have either given or automatically assigned element labels

for your data. You must also know the number of the element of interest. If you do not know the number, you can

display element labels for the part. To show element information:

1. If your data is transient, set the desired time in the Solution Time Panel.

2. If you have multiple Cases, select the desired case using Case > casename.

3. Select the desired part (one only) in the Part List. The query will only be successful if the specified

IJK is found in the selected part.

4. Select Query > Show Information > IJK. The Query Prompt dialog opens. Enter the values for the

desired IJK location in the text fields and click Okay.

The query results will be printed to the EnSight message window, which will pop up. It can also be accessed

from the Info icon on the tools ribbon. All active variables at the IJK location specified

will be displayed.

The following shows sample output from an IJK query:

IJK 2 5 10 Query Information.

Node Id is: 26146

Found in iblanked structured part # 1.

Coordinates (In Frame 0) are: (4.72982e-01,1.64710e-01,6.50679e-02)

No variables active to show values at the IJK location.

1. If your data is transient, set the desired time in the Solution Time Panel.

2. If you have multiple Cases, select the desired case using Case > casename.

3. Select the desired part(s) in the Part List. The query will only be successful if the specified element is

found in a selected part.

4. Select Query > Show Information > Element. The Query Prompt dialog opens. Enter the ID number of

the desired element in the text field and click Okay.

The query results will be printed to the EnSight message window, which will pop up.

It can also be accessed from the Info icon. All active per element variables found on the element will be

displayed.

The following shows sample output from an element query:

Element 321 Query Information.

Found in unstructured part # 2.

Type of element is 6 Noded triangle

Number of nodes is 6

Node IDs are: 1050 910 1054 1052 1053 1055

Neighboring Element Information is:

Element neighbor 318 is of type 6 Noded triangle

Element neighbor 322 is of type 6 Noded triangle

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HOW TO GET POINT, NODE, ELEMENT, & PART INFO

Show Part Information

To show information about a part:

Note: In general client side parts (particle traces, profiles, vector arrows, contours) can’t be queried in this manner.

You will receive and error message like the following:

ERROR: The query of the part specified could not be completed.

Particle trace parts will give one bit of information - namely how many traces there are in the part. And a note will be

given informing you how to get a “dump” of the trace into the message window. Something like:

Part 2 Query Information

This part is a particle trace part

Part has 10 traces

Note:

For full trace dump into this window,

issue the following command in the command dialog:

test: full trace query ON

Then repeat this query.

SEE ALSO

How To Query/Plot, How To Probe Interactively.

User Manual: Show Information

1. If your data is transient, set the desired time in the Solution Time Panel.

2. Select the desired part in the Part List.

3. Select Query > Show Information > Part.

The query results will be printed to the EnSight message window, which will pop up.

It can also be accessed from the Info icon.

The following shows sample output from a part query:

Part 2 Query Information.

Unstructured part.

Number of nodes 2380

Minimum coordinate (In Frame 0) is (0.00000e+00,0.00000e+00,0.00000e+00)

Maximum coordinate (In Frame 0) is (3.80000e+01,1.20000e+01,0.00000e+00)

Min node label in part is (1)

Max node label in part is (2380)

Element Information is:

Element type: 6 Noded triangle, count = 1128.

Min element label in part is (1)

Max element label in part is (1128)

Page 383

HOW TO PROBE INTERACTIVELY

Probe Interactively

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides an interactive query capability that displays variable data in the Graphics Window as you move the

mouse pointer over geometry, as you move the cursor tool within the model, or at specified node, element, ijk or xyz

locations. The probe can display the value directly under the mouse pointer (by interpolating the nodal values of the

applicable element) or search for and display the value at the node closest to the mouse pointer.

BASIC OPERATION

To probe interactively:

1. Click the Probe Feature Icon

(or select Query > Interactive Probe...).

2. Set the Query pulldown to desired operation.

Surface Pick: Interpolate to any picked position on the

surface of the model.

Cursor: Interpolate to location of cursor tool within the

model.

Node: At a specific node number.

IJK: At a specific IJK location.

Element: At a specific element number.

XYZ: At a specific XYZ location.

3. Select the desired variable(s) to display.

4. If Query is set to Surface Pick, you can select:

a) whether the probe will snap to closest node

(which will show node id).

b) use exact location (which will show nearest

element ID).

And whether the information will be sampled:

c) when you click the “p” keyboard key or

d) continuously as you move the mouse.

If Query is set to Node, Element, IJK, or XYZ,

enter ID or values needed followed by Enter.

If Query is set to Cursor, move the cursor tool to

desired location and press the “p” keyboard key

(while the mouse is in the graphics window).

5. Enter a value controlling the number of

simultaneous probe markers displayed. Once

this number has been reached, the oldest

marker is replaced by each new marker.

6. If the selected variable is a vector variable,

you can specify which component (or the

magnitude) of the variable is displayed.

7. In addition to having the results displayed on

the model in the graphics window, you can

open a table that displays the results

8. When done, change the Query to None to

disable interactive probing.

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HOW TO PROBE INTERACTIVELY

Probe Display

Probes are displayed as a marker (sphere) and the query text label. The appearance of the marker and label can be

changed:

See the Elements surrounding the query

Toggle visibility for the query

text label. Label size is set in

the annotation preferences

(see Setting Annotation

Defaults).

Set the color of the label.

Toggle visibility for the probe

marker.

Set the color of the marker.

Set the radius of all probe

markers.

Toggle whether query text

labels are “always on top”

(never hidden by geometry) or

occluded by geometry that is

closer.

1. Click the Display Style tab Toggle visibility for the id label.

(Node id, element id, etc.)

It is possible to extract the elements that contain the query

locations, if element ids exist:

1. After creating a query open the Display Style tab.

2. Click the up arrow for the Display expansion factor.

An expansion factor of 1 indicates that the elements that

contains the query will be extracted and shown.

3. Click the up arrow again.

An expansion factor of 2 indicates that the elements

from the step 2 will be shown along with the elements

that neighbor these elements.

Since the expansion factor feature uses a subset part, if

you wish to display the subset part differently (such as

turn on node labels) this can easily be done through the

subset part attribute editing. The name of the subset

part in the part list will be "Query show expand".

4. If you wish to keep the subset part that was the

result of the display expansion factor setting, you

may do so when you turn off the interactive query.

A pop-up dialog will ask you if you wish to keep or

delete the expansion factor subset part.

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HOW TO PROBE INTERACTIVELY

OTHER NOTES

Note that interactive query actions do not generate corresponding command language!

While doing queries and using the ‘p’ key to pick a query location, other picking options that use the ‘p’ key are

disabled (such as Part, Cursor, Line, Plane, and LookAt Point).

Even though it is not shown in the dialogs above, the “Time” variable is also available. This time variable is the

integration time for particle traces. Thus, it is only defined and useful when probing particle traces. For other part

types it will be undefined.

SEE ALSO

How To Query/Plot

User Manual: Interactive Probe Query

Page 386

HOW TO QUERY/PLOT

Query/Plot

INTRODUCTION

EnSight can perform a number of different kinds of queries over time or space. The result is a Query Entity that can

be plotted using EnSight’s built-in Plotting facility or that can be printed as a table or written to a disk file.

BASIC OPERATION

Shortcut for plotting transient data over time

Select variable(s) in the variable list and then right click on vector or scalar variable(s) in the variable list and choose

Plot Maximum (or Minimum) vs Time. EnSight will step through all timesteps, calculating the maximum (or minimum)

of scalar variable(s) or vector magnitude variable(s) and create a query for each selected variable and put each new

query curve into a new plot.

Select per part constant(s) in the variable list and then right click on one of the selected constant variable(s), choose

Plot Maximum, Plot Minimum to get a single plot which is the maximum of all parts or selected parts (depending on

the sub-menu). Choose Plot vs Time to get the value of each of the selected per part constants in a separate plot with

each curve colored the same color as its corresponding part (if the part is not colored by a variable and the parts are

different colors). Each query will be named by its corresponding part and var with the legend the part name.

Select one or more Case Constant variable(s) and all three Plot options will produce the same result for each Case

Constant variable.

Long Methodology

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HOW TO QUERY/PLOT

One first must create query items, which can be any of the following types:

As one of these is selected, the Feature Panel changes to reflect the information needed (such as variable to use) for

the selected type. One can control whether the query entity will be a curve or a scatter plot by the choice for Variable

1 and 2.

Query entities can be printed to the Status History Area, saved to a file, deleted, or plotted.

Sample Query Creation and Plot (At Maximum Over time)

Managing Query Entities

The Feature Panel combined with the Plots/Query lists provides various controls for managing existing Query

At Line Tool Over Distance.

At 1D Part Over Distance.

On a Spline Over Distance

At Node Over Time

At Element Over Time

At IJK Over Time

At XYZ Over Time

Over Time Queries

By Scalar Value (integer

match)

By Constant on Part Sweep

By Operating on Existing Queries

Read From An External File

Read from server file

1. Select the part to query.

3. Select the Sample type for the

query.

2. Click the Query/Plot icon (or select

Query > Over Time/Distance...).

4. Select the variable(s) for Variable: 1.

Note: for max or min over time you can select multiple variables to query

simultaneously over time for efficiency.

Leave Variable: 2 as None and it will default to Time, because of sample

type.

5. Click “Create query”

6. The query is created and plotted because the “Auto Plot curves”

toggle is on. Had it been off the query would have been created and

you could then plot it.

For more information on plotting, see the Plotting section towards the

end of this How To.

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HOW TO QUERY/PLOT

Entities:

List of Query Entities. The tagged (pencil marker)

items are edited in the Feature Panel.

Any query can be plotted by a right click on the query

via the “Add to new plot” on the pulldown.

There are several ways to view and use the query data

by right clicking on the query in the Query list and

choosing “Data” from the pulldown.

“Display” will show a table of values.

“Copy to clipboard” will allow the query to be pasted

into other applications as columns of data - perfect for

Excel for example.

“Save CSV to file” will save a file with comma

separated values.

“Save XY to file” saves a file that can be read back

into EnSight as an “Read from an external file”.

“Save Formatted to file” gives you a file that is

formatted like a report.

Delete a query by right clicking and choosing “Delete”

from the pulldown.

How to Scale the X and Y axis (for example to use

different units).

Right click on the query in the query list and choose

Edit.

Open the Query Display pulldown and change the X

scale and Y scale to change the query multiplier,

and the X and Y Offset to change the query additive

values.

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HOW TO QUERY/PLOT

Over Distance Queries

EnSight can perform queries at uniform points along the line tool, at nodes along a 1D part, or at uniform points along

a spline. One-dimensional parts include model parts consisting of bar elements, 1D (Line) Clips, and particle traces.

At Line Tool Over Distance.

At 1D Part Over Distance.

For the two over distance query types, the variable is plotted against the selected “Distance” metric. The node with

the lowest node ID number (or nearest the selected origin) is queried first. The query then proceeds automatically

from the first to the last according to the 1D part connectivity (this order cannot be changed). Since the nodes for 1D

part over distance are not necessarily evenly spaced, the reported distance is one of the following:

If the 1D part contains more than one set of contiguous 1D elements (such as a particle trace from a Line emitter), the

resulting query will contain one plot entity for each set.

Distance In Setting Reported Distance

Arc Length The distance along the part from the first node to each subsequent node (i.e. the

sum of the 1D element lengths)

X Arc Length The X coordinate value of each node accumulated from the start

Y Arc Length The Y coordinate value of each node accumulated from the start

Z Arc Length The Z coordinate value of each node accumulated from the start

From Origin The distance from the origin

X From Origin The X distance from the origin

Y From Origin The Y distance from the origin

Z From Origin The Z distance from the origin

After selecting the part to query in the Parts list and clicking

the Query/Plot icon

1. Select Sample as “At Line Tool Over Distance”

2. Select the variable to query over the distance in

“Variable: 1”.

Leave “Variable: 2” as None unless you want a scatter

query of two different variables along the line tool.

3. Optionally, select the Distance option desired,

number of points along the line, and modify the tool

location if needed.

4. Click “Create query”

After selecting the part containing 1D elements in the Parts list

and clicking the Query/Plot icon

1. Select Sample as “At 1D Part Over Distance”

2. Select one variable to query in “Variable: 1”.

3. Optionally modify Distance, origin and multiple

segment.

4. Click “Create query”.

The query will be created starting at the origin (or the lowest

node ID number, or the first node in the connectivity list) and

will automatically proceed by following the connectivity order.

The order of the query cannot be changed, but it can be

reversed in the plotter, if desired.

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HOW TO QUERY/PLOT

On a Spline Over Distance

After selecting the part to query in the Parts list and clicking the Query/

Plot icon

1. Select Sample as "At spline over distance"

2. Select the variable to query along the spline

3. Select the spline to query

4. Optionally, select the Distance option desired and the number of

points along the spline.

5. Click “Create query”

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HOW TO QUERY/PLOT

Over Time Queries

For transient dataset, EnSight can query the variable values over a range of time at a particular node, element (or

specific IJK coordinate for structured data) or an arbitrary point. You can also search the minimum or maximum of a

variable over all nodes over a time range.

At Node Over Time

At Element Over Time

After selecting the part to query in the Parts list and clicking the Query/

Plot icon

1. Select Sample as “At Node Over Time”

2. Select one variable to query over time in “Variable: 1”.

Leave “Variable: 2” as None unless you want a scatter query of two

different variables over time.

3. Enter the Node ID.

4. Optionally, change the number of Samples (defaults to number

of time steps), and whether to sample by Value of FFT.

5. Click “Create query”

After selecting the part in the Parts list to query and clicking the

Query/Plot icon

1. Select Sample as “At Element Over Time”

2. Select one per-element variable to query over time in

“Variable: 1”.

Leave “Variable: 2” as None unless you want a scatter query of two

different variables over time.

3. Enter the Element ID.

4. Optionally, change the number of Samples (defaults to

number of time steps), and whether to sample by Value of FFT.

5. Click “Create query”

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HOW TO QUERY/PLOT

At IJK Over Time

At XYZ Over Time

After selecting the part in the Parts list to query and clicking the

Query/Plot icon

1. Select Sample as “At IJK Over Time”

2. Select one variable to query in “Variable: 1”.

Leave “Variable: 2” as None unless you want a scatter query of two

different variables over time.

3. Enter IJK for the point.

4. Optionally, change the number of Samples (defaults to

number of time steps), and whether to sample by Value of FFT.

5. Click “Create query”

After selecting the part in the Parts list to query and clicking the Query/Plot

icon

1. Select Sample as “At XYZ Over Time”

2. Select one variable to query over time in “Variable: 1”.

Leave “Variable: 2” as None unless you want a scatter query of two

different variables over time.

3. Either type in the desired xyz location or place the cursor where

desired in the model, either through picking, or other transformation

methods and click the cursor Get button.

4. Optionally, change the number of Samples (defaults to number of

time steps), and whether to sample by Value of FFT.

5. Click “Create query”

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HOW TO QUERY/PLOT

At Minimum/Maximum Over Time

By Scalar Value (integer match)

By Constant on Part Sweep

After selecting the part to query in the Parts list and clicking the Query/Plot

icon

1. Select Sample as “At Minimum Over Time” or “At Maximum Over

Time”

2. Select variable(s) to query over time in “Variable: 1”.

Note: for max or min over time you can select multiple variables to query

simultaneously over time for efficiency.

Leave “Variable: 2” as None unless you want a scatter query of two different

variables over time.

3. Optionally, change the number of Samples (defaults to number of

time steps), and whether to sample by Value of FFT.

4. Click “Create query”

This query you select two variables - the first will be plotted on the y axis

and the second is plotted on the x axis. Further, you specify another

variable (can be the same as one of the two previous variables) and a

value. The x and y variables will be extracted for all nodes/elements that

integer match the value indicated (such that the int(value) exactly equals

the int(value you enter)). It is best to view the results as a scatter plot.

After selecting the part in the Parts list to query and clicking the Query/Plot

icon

1. Select Sample as “By Scalar Value”

2. Select the two variables you wish to form the query from.

3. Select the desired scalar variable and value

4. Click “Create query”

You can perform a query of a constant variable along a moving part at

sampled locations.

After selecting the part in the Parts list to query and clicking the Query/Plot

icon

1. Select Sample as “By constant on part sweep”

2. Select a listed constant variable.

3. Select a part to sweep. (in the main part list)

4. Select “Start” (At this point the dialog will become as shown)

5. Click-and-drag the part to the beginning location, and select “Set begin”, or

just enter the beginning part location value.

6. Now interactively click-and-drag the part to the ending location, and select

“Set end”, or just enter the ending part location value.

7. Alternatively, you can just enter the Delta in place of the last two steps.

8. Enter the number of sample locations.

9. Select Create query

Note that you can update the part to the beginning or ending values here.

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HOW TO QUERY/PLOT

Scatter Query Example

By Operating on Existing Queries

You can perform a scaling of an existing query, or a scaling and algebraic addition of two queries, or an integration or

differentiation of a query.

Queries From External Sources

You can import previously created and saved (or externally generated) EnSight queries or Dytran time history (.ths)

files.

Read From An External File

A scatter query is a query of one variable

against another.

Everything is done like a regular query

except you select another variable in the

Variable: 2 field, instead of leaving it as

None.

1. Select Sample as “By Operating On Existing Queries”

2. Select the operation.

(Combine/Scale, Integrate or Differentiate).

For Combine/Scale (shown):

3. Select the Query Item and the set the Scale Factor if you want

to scale a single query - or - Select both Query Items and set

both Scale Factors if you want to scale and add algebraically.

3. Click “Create query”

Note, if integrate or differentiate is chosen, you will only need to

choose the query to operate on.

1. Select Sample as “Read From An External File”.

2. Click the “Load XY Data From File ...” button to open

the File Selection dialog, and select any previously saved

EnSight XY data file or a Dytran .ths file.

Note: Depending on the version of the Dytran reader you

are using (reader version 2.05 or later is needed), the

Dytran xy data may be loaded automatically for you,

making this option unnecessary for Dytran data.

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HOW TO QUERY/PLOT

Read from server file

Traditionally, you could ask the server for any queries that it knows about. Some data formats (accessed by user-

defined readers) have such. If any are available, they would show up in the list of Queries. In version 10, such

queries get loaded automatically, so this option is not really needed and may do nothing.

Plotting

Once Queries exist, they can be easily plotted in a new plotter in EnSight, or if an existing plotter of the correct type

exists, they can be added to the existing plotter.

OTHER NOTES

See XY Plot Data Format in the User Manual for a description of the plot file format.

SEE ALSO

How To Probe Interactively

How To Change Plot

User Manual: Query/Plotter

1. Right click on the query to be plotted.

2. Select “Add to New Plot” from the pulldown to create a new plotter

showing the selected query.

If you want to plot the query on an existing plotter:

1. Click and drag the query over the plotter and release the mouse

button. Similarly, you can click and drag the query to the graphics

window and release the mouse button on top of the axis system of an

existing plotter.

Drag the query and

drop it onto the

plotter

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HOW TO QUERY/PLOT

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HOW TO CHANGE PLOT

Change Plot

INTRODUCTION

EnSight provides a full-featured X-Y plotting system fully integrated with the query and transient data handling

capabilities. Query entities (see How To Query/Plot) are assigned to plotters. Plotters display one or more curves

where each curve is based on the data from a single query entity. If the query entity is changed, the corresponding

curve will automatically update. Plotter (controlling aspects of appearance such as color of curves and titles, axis

labeling, gradation and tick marks, and border/background color) can be edited through the Quick Action icon bar or

the Feature Panel.

This article is divided into the following sections:

Anatomy of a Plotter

Create Plotters

Select Plotters and Curves

Move and Resize Plotters

Plotter Quick Action icons

Set Title, Background, Legend, Border, Position, Marker

Set Axis

Set Curve

Delete Plotters

Operations on all curves on a Plotter

Anatomy of a Plotter

Plotters are composed of the following fundamental components:

Plot Title

Legend

Curves

X Axis Title

Y Axis Title

Legend Position Handle

X Axis Value Labels

Y Axis Value Labels

Plot Scale Handle.

Y Axis Gradation

Y Axis Subgradation

X Axis Title

Current time marker

Origin click-n-go handle

Adjust min and max X axis click-n-go handles

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HOW TO CHANGE PLOT

Create Plotters

Plotters are automatically created when you assign a query entity to a new plotter (see How To Query/Plot for

details). Also, by default when you create a query it is automatically plotted.

Select Plotters and Curves

Any action to change plotter always operates on the currently selected plotter(s) (or the plotter defaults if none are

selected). To select plotters:

Curves have one set of attributes even though they may be plotted on multiple plotters. To select curves:

Move and Resize Plotters

Plotters can be easily moved and resized. You can either reposition a plotter with the mouse in the Graphics Window,

or precisely by entering exact values. To move or resize a plotter interactively:

A plotter can also be positioned precisely. See below for details.

Plotter Quick Action icons

Plotters that are currently invisible are displayed dimmed if Limited redraw is enabled.

1. Left click on the plotter in the Plotters list.

2. Move the mouse pointer into the Graphics Window and click the left mouse button anywhere on the

plotter axis or titles

1. Left click on the query in the Queries list.

2. Move the mouse pointer into the Graphics window and click the left mouse button on the desired

curve. You can add to an existing selection by holding down the Control key as you click on additional

curves.

1. Move the mouse pointer over the plotter. The touch-n-go handles will appear.

2. Click and drag anywhere on the plotter to move it.

3. To resize the plotter move the click and drag the resize handle in the upper right corner.

Shortcut

Right-click at the plot origin and choose ‘Auto Arrange Plots’. All of the visible plots (up to 16 plots) will

be automatically arranged into a grid of plots (of dimension row x column) which is 2x2 for 2-4 plots,

3x2 for 5-6 plots, 3x3 for 7-9 plots, 4x3 for 10-12 visible plots, 4x4 for more than 12 visible plots. If

more than 16 plots, this will only automatically arrange the first 16 into a 4x4 grid of plots.

1. Click to select a plotter. The Quick Action icon bar

configures to display plotter which may be modified.

Visibility

Foreground color

Axis settings

Legend visibility

Border visibility

Swap x/y axis

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HOW TO CHANGE PLOT

Set Title, Background, Legend, Border, Position, Marker

Overall of plotters are controlled through the Plotter Feature Panel:

The Plotter Specific dialog contains six sections: Background, Border, Legend, Position, Marker, and Title. Open the

turn-down section for the required function.

The Background section controls the type and color of the plotter background:

The Border section controls the visibility and color of the plotter border:

The Legend section controls the plotter legend text. The actual text in the legend is the name of the individual curves

in the plotter. See Set Curve below.

Double click on a plotter in the Plotter list (or right click to Edit) to bring up the Feature Panel.

Set background type to either None or Solid.

A solid background is opaque.

If the background type is Solid, set the color

(either enter new values in the RGB fields or

click the Mix... button to open the Color

Selector dialog).

You can also control the background

opacity.

Toggle border visibility

Set border color (either enter new values in

the RGB fields or click the Mix... button to

open the Color Selector dialog)

Toggle legend visibility

Set text size

Set origin (with respect to lower left corner

of plotter)

The legend text can be constant colored or

the color of the curves. If set to constant

color set text color (either enter new values

in the RGB fields or click the Mix... button to

open the Color Selector dialog)

Toggle legend visibility

Set text size

Set origin (with respect to lower left corner

of plotter)

The legend text can be constant colored or

the color of the curves. If set to constant

color set text color (either enter new values

in the RGB fields or click the Mix... button to

open the Color Selector dialog)

You can display the curve min/max and

average information

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HOW TO CHANGE PLOT

The Position section controls the size and position of the plotter:

The Marker section controls whether the curves will animate and whether the plot will be swept out during the

animation or whether a time marker will sweep along the curve in the plotter:

The Title section controls the main title at the top of the plotter:

Set the origin of the plotter (with respect to

the lower left corner of the Graphics

Window).

Set the plotter width/height (0-1 normalized

to the width and height of the Graphics

WIndow)

Select Animate curves if you want the curve

to be swept out or a time marker to be swept

along the curve during animation.

Toggle Display marker if you want a vertical

line to show time/distance value

corresponding to the query marker in the

graphics window. For time queries the

marker will sweep as time updates.

You can control the line width, style, and

color of a time marker.

Display value will show the value of the x

and y axis of where the marker intersects

the curves on the plotter.

Set title text

Set the size of the title text

Set the text color (either enter new values in

the RGB fields or click the Mix... button to

open the Color Selector dialog)

If you desire special symbols, click Insert

Symbol, pick the symbol(s) and pick the

symbol out of the pop-up window.

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HOW TO CHANGE PLOT

Set Axis

Axis of a plotters are controlled through the Axis section of the Plotter Feature Panel.

The Axis turndown contains two sections: General and Specific. Select the tab to display the corresponding section.

The General section controls axis width, color, and scaling as well as Gradation and Subgradation marks.

Swap the X and Y axis on the plotter

Auto layout will insure that the various components of the

plotter (title, axis description, values, etc.) don’t overlap.

Specify the axis origin (vertical and horizontal) within the plotter

area. These will be grayed out if “Auto layout axes” is enabled.

Set line width of axes

Set color of axes

Set line width, style, and color for major gradations (gradations

are enabled on a per-axis basis in the X-Axis and Y-Axis

sections)

Set line width, style, and color for subgradations

(subgradations are enabled on a per-axis basis in the X-Axis

and Y-Axis sections)

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HOW TO CHANGE PLOT

The Specific section controls the title, value labels, and gradation marks for the X or Y axis.

Choose which axis to deal with - you can select x or y or

both.

Toggle visibility of the axis line

Set the title of the axis

Set the size of the title of the axis

Set the color of the title of the axis

Set the type of axis label: None (show no value labels), All

(show value labels at each gradation), or Beg/End (show

only the first and last value labels)

Set the size of the axis value labels

Set the scale to linear or logarithmic(log10)

Set auto scaling - when on, the Min/Max values and the

number of gradations will be used as suggested values to

arrive at pleasing numbers for the axis labels.

Set the min/max range of the variable displayed on the axis

(Note: will be used as exact values only if the Auto Axis

Scaling toggle is off.)

Set the display format of the value labels (or click Format...

to select common formats from a list)

Set the color of the axis value labels

Set the type of gradation: None (no gradation marker), Grid

(a vertical line), or Tick (a mark on the axis at the value label

positions)

Set the approximate number of gradations (also depends on

the min/max range)

Set the type of subgradation: None (no subgradation

marker), Grid (a vertical line), or Tick (marks on the axis

between the value label positions)

Set the number of subgradations between each value label

By swapping the min and max can swap the positive

direction.

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HOW TO CHANGE PLOT

Set Curve

Curve and marker are controlled through the Query tab of the Query/plot Feature Panel:

Delete Plotters

Existing plotters can be deleted:

1. Select the desired curve(s) by clicking on them in the

Graphics Window or selecting them in the Query list

(control-click to select multiple curves).

2. Right click in the Query list to Edit

1. Double click on a query in the Query list

To bring up the Query tab of the Feature Panel

If desired, you can apply an offset and scale factors to your x

and/or y data. The offset value is added to the query value

then the sum is scaled by the Scale factor.

Set the line width

Set the line style

Set the line type:

None (only curve markers are drawn),

Connect Dots (data points are connected by straight lines),

Smooth (a piece wise spline is fit to the data points using the

number of points specified in the Smooth Sub-points field)

Set the marker type

Set the size of the markers

Normalize x and/or y values, if desired.

Set the color of the curve

1. Select the plotters

2. Right click on the Plotters list to Delete. Note that deleting a plotter

has no effect on any query

entities that were attached

to the plotter

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HOW TO CHANGE PLOT

Operations on all curves on a Plotter

If a plotter has many curves, it is nice to be able to change all the curves.

SEE ALSO

How To Query/Plot

1. Right click on the plotter origin. You should see the

name of the plotter at the top of the pulldown if you

have right-clicked directly on the origin.

2. Choose Plot queries

a) Unique Color - This will pop up a dialog with a

pulldown list of available palettes available in

EnSight and then assign the color of the curves

using the palettes. These are the same palettes

files available in EnSight to color variables,

allowing some level of creativity. For more

information on palette files, see Palette Editor Files

Tab

b) Toggle markers will toggle all markers off if any are

on. It will toggle all markers on if any are off, and

will round-robin assign the markers a shape.

c) Toggle linestyle will toggle all lines to solid if any

are not solid. If all are solid it will round-robin

assign the markers a line style.

Plot queries > Unique color

dialog

Page 405

HOW TO QUERY DATASETS

Query Datasets

INTRODUCTION

Results datasets often consist of multiple files. EnSight provides a mechanism to quickly ascertain basic information

about dataset files.

BASIC OPERATION

To display dataset information:

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Query Dataset

1. Select Query > Dataset...

The Associated Files section displays all

dataset files giving the size in bytes and

last modification date.

The File Specific Information section

displays information about the file

currently selected in the Associated Files

list. The information presented varies

based on the file type and format.

The General Geometric section displays

whether the geometry is static (time

invariant), changing coordinates (nodal

coordinates update each timestep), or

changing connectivity (coordinates plus

connectivity update every timestep).

Further the 3D extent of all geometry as

well as the number of nodes and elements

is displayed.

The Element Detail section shows the

type and number of all unique element

types in the dataset.

Page 406

HOW TO CHANGE COLOR

Manipulate Parts

Change Color

INTRODUCTION

In EnSight, parts can be colored either by a constant color or based on the value of a variable. Coloring geometry by

variables is one of the simplest and most effective means of visualizing a variable along the surface of a part.

You can also set a “default” color – all parts subsequently created will automatically be colored by the default color

(described in the Other Notes section below).

This article covers changing the color of a part. See How To Edit Color Maps for information on changing the

mapping from variable values to color.

BASIC OPERATION

To change a part’s color:

1. Select the desired

part(s) in the Main

Parts List.

3. Select the variable in the ‘Color by’ list.

4. If coloring by a vector component, click on

the default component ‘Mag’ to change to a

pulldown and choose a component.

- OR you can utilize the click-drag capabilities

to color by the variable described below:

2. Click the Color

icon on the Part

Quick Action

Icon Bar.

This will open the

Surface Property

Editor dialog.

3. Select a color from the color matrix.

- OR -

4. click the More... area to open the Color Selector

dialog

- OR if coloring by a variable -

3. Click and drag the variable from the Variable list to the part in the part list or to the part in the

graphics window you wish to color by the variable. You can drop the variable on the background

in the graphics window to color all parts in the viewport by the variable or you can drop the

variable on the Case heading in the part list to color all parts in the case.

4. OR Simply choose a list of parts and right-click and choose “Color by” as described in the

Shortcut section below.

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HOW TO CHANGE COLOR

SHORTCUTS

Drag the variable from the

variable list and let go of it on

top of the part you wish to color.

Drop in either the part list or

drop in the graphics window.

Select your parts of interest in the part list. Right click and

choose “Color by”. The list will allow you to color by a variable,

or to pop up the color selector to select a single color, or to

quickly color by Black, White, or Grey. “Random” will color each

of the selected parts by a color chosen randomly from a

relatively unsaturated color palette. “Make transparent” will give

the part(s) a moderate level of transparency, and “Adjust

transparency” will allow you to choose the transparency.

Note that you can also right click on a part in the graphics

screen and have access to this “Color by” menu as well for an

individual part

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HOW TO CHANGE COLOR

OTHER NOTES

If coloring by a nodal variable, the default coloring will be continuously varying - even within a given element. If you

are coloring by a per-element variable, the coloring will not vary within a given element. If you desire to see per-

element variables in a continuously varying manner, you can toggle on “Use continuous palette for per element vars”

under Edit->Preferences... Color Palettes.

Also consider using the Quick Color Settings Widget (see Use Quick Color Settings) to color parts.

ADVANCED

SEE ALSO

How To Edit Color Maps.

How To Set Surface Properties

You can set a default variable that will be used to color all

subsequently created parts. To do this, be sure no parts are

selected in the Main Parts list. (To de-select a part, hold down the

control key as you click on the selected item.)

Select the desired default variable in the Variables list of the

Color Editor.

Any part created subsequently will automatically be colored by

the default variable.

Advanced Options:

SEE ALSO

How To Edit Color Maps.

How To Map Textures

Select your parts of interest in the part list. Right click and

choose “Color by>”. The list will allow you to color by a variable,

or to pop up the color selector to select a single color, or to

quickly color by Black, White, or Grey. “Random” will color each

of the selected parts by a color chosen randomly from a

relatively unsaturated color palette. “Make transparent” will give

the part(s) a moderate level of transparency, and “Adjust

transparency” will allow you to choose the transparency.

Note that you can also right click on a part in the graphics

screen and have access to this “Color by>” menu as well for an

individual part

Page 418

HOW TO USE QUICK COLOR SETTINGS

Use Quick Color Settings

INTRODUCTION

The Quick Color Settings widget allows you to store your favorite colors and drag/drop them onto objects that have a

color attribute. Currently parts, plotters, queries, and all annotation types will accept a drag/drop color operation from

the widget.

Colors on the Quick Color Settings widget are stored as part of the user's preferences and thus the colors on the

widget are available between EnSight sessions.

BASIC OPERATION

To use quick color settings:

OTHER NOTES

Color changes performed via the widget are part of the Undo/Redo infrastructure.

1. Toggle the setting from

Window>Toolbars/panels>Quick

color settings

2. When any object that

has a constant color

attribute is selected, the

color will be reflected in

the larger color patch

on the widget

3. Drag a color from any color patch on the widget

to any other color patch on the widget.

4. Drag any color from the widget to an object in

either the user interface or in the graphics

window (assuming your graphics hardware

handles drag and drop operations). The drop is

limited to a single object.

5. Load a color into a color patch by right clicking

on the patch and choosing Select Color... which

will bring up standard Select Color dialog.

6. Right click on the color patch in the widget to

color multiple selected objects.

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HOW TO USE QUICK COLOR SETTINGS

When a part colored by a variable is selected the color patch will show the part's constant color attribute.

You can not use the color widget for viewports.

SEE ALSO

Change Color

Page 420

HOW TO CLONE A PART

Clone a Part

INTRODUCTION

The clone operation creates a independent deep (on client, and if applicable on server) copy of either a model or a

created part including all of its attributes. A cloned model part is a reloaded model part with its attributes updated to

match the original. Note: a cloned model part has no parent as it remains an independent model part. A cloned

created part recreates the created part with all of the attributes updated to match the original. Note: a cloned created

part retains the same parentage as the original. Remember that a cloned part uses the same amount of memory on

both the client and server as the original part.

A cloned part will recreate a new part identical to the selected part. The cloned part will inherit all of the model

variables available to it as a model part or from the parents if the clone is a created part. The clone will not, however,

inherit calculated variables from the part that is being cloned. If you wish to have calculated variables extended to

include the cloned part you must recalculate these variables.

In contrast, a part copy (see Copy Parts) is a shallow operation, existing only on the client (visual only). Shallow

copying of a part is useful to save memory on the server, and is best used if all that is needed is to color the part by

two different variables, perhaps in two different viewports. A shallow copy is cheaper in terms of memory usage but

limited to visual operations only.

BASIC OPERATION

To create clone(s) of a part or parts:

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Parts List. A separate clone will be created for each selected part.

ADVANCED USAGE

If you need to do more than just color a duplicate part, then cloning is the way to go. One of the best reasons to clone

a model part, rather than just reload it, is because the act of cloning both reloads the part plus updates the of the

cloned model part to match the original. One of the best reasons to clone a created part is to avoid all of the hassles

of creation: reselecting the parents and setting all of the creation parameters, creating it and then updating its

attributes (e.g. display and coloration). You might slide an X clip colored by velocity to an interesting location, create

a clone and continue sliding it to another interesting location and create another clone, thereby leaving behind a ‘trail’

of clips at interesting locations all colored by velocity.

It is also possible to create a clone of a created part and assign it new parents using the “Edit>Part>Clone with new

parent(s)...” option which is described as follows.

2. Select Edit > Part > Clone.

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HOW TO CLONE A PART

OTHER NOTES

EnSight offers several options for duplicating parts. As discussed above, copying (see Copy Parts) is shallow and

exists only visually on the client. Merging (see Merge Parts) allows the combining of one or more parts into one,

created (dependent), deep, child part. Right clicking on an existing model part and choosing Load Part (reloading a

model part) does create an independent new part from scratch. Extracting a part makes a deep copy of just the visual

components of the part. And now finally, cloning which makes a deep copy of the part including its attributes.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Part Operations

How To Manual: Introduction

How To Manual: Merge Parts

How To Manual: Extract Part Representations

Clone with new parents

1. Select the part(s) in the part list that

you wish to clone.

2. Select Edit > Part > Clone with new

parents...

3. When the dialog pops up, choose

the new parent(s) in the part list.

4. Click OK and the part(s) will be

cloned with new parent(s)

Caveat:

Keep in mind that the new part(s) have

the exact same as their duplicate, but

applied on a new part. This can cause

confusion, for example, when a Y clip

on one part is cloned with another

parent and the Y clip disappears

because the max and min and Y value

are from the first part and the Y clip

falls off the edge of the second part

and becomes empty.

Page 422

HOW TO COPY PARTS

Copy Parts

INTRODUCTION

The copy operation creates a dependent shallow (only on client) copy of another part. The new part has its own set of

attributes (except for representation), but shares geometric and variable data with the original. One of the best

reasons to create a copy is to show multiple variables on one part at the same time in a side-by-side configuration.

The copy can be moved independently since new copies are automatically assigned a new frame. If you need to do

more than this to the new part, then consider reloading the part or cloning the part (see Clone a Part).

BASIC OPERATION

To create a copy of a part or parts:

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Parts List. A separate copy will be created for each selected part.

The new copies will be added to the end of the Parts List with “– COPY” appended to the part description.

ADVANCED USAGE

The most common reason for needing a copy of a part is to display multiple variables on the same geometry

simultaneously. When you create a copy, a new Frame is also created and the copy is assigned to it (when you create

multiple copies at the same time, a new frame is created for each new copy). Using the Frame feature, frames can be

manipulated (e.g. translated or rotated) independently. See How To Create and Manipulate Frames for more

information.

Consider a part clone (see Clone a Part) instead of a part copy if memory is not an issue.

OTHER NOTES

The dependence of the copy on the original has some important consequences:

1. If you change the visual representation of the original, the representation of the copy will change as well.

2. You cannot delete the original until the copy has also been deleted.

3. Since the part copy only exists on the client, you cannot save a part copy to disk.

If you want to create a dependent, non-shallow copy of a part, you can perform a merge operation on a single part.

This type of copy does now have the same consequences: the resulting “copy” is basically independent except that it

cannot exist without its parent. Or you can simply reload the part to create another “copy” of it.

2. Select Edit > Part > Copy.

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HOW TO COPY PARTS

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Part Operations

How to Manual: Clone a Part

How To Manual: Merge Parts

How To Manual: Extract Part Representations

Page 424

HOW TO GROUP PARTS

Group Parts

INTRODUCTION

In many types of analysis, multiple parts are used to distinguish between various components or material types. To

the extent allowed by the particular data format, EnSight maintains this distinction by assigning these entities to

separate model parts. In many cases however, this distinction is no longer useful for postprocessing. When

manipulating parts, you often need to apply the same set of to all of them. If the number of parts to be treated

identically is large, this process can become unwieldy. EnSight provides a group operator to combine multiple parts of

the same type and case into a single part. The selected parts for the group can be hidden inside the group and are

thus effectively removed from the user interface, leaving only the newly formed group part. The operation can be

reversed by removing the group.

BASIC OPERATION

The selected parts for the group are placed under the new group entity. The group can be opened or closed to hide/

expose the parts in the group.

OTHER NOTES

Grouped parts can contain other grouped parts.

A part can only exist in one group.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Part Groups

1. Select the desired part(s) in the

Parts List.

2. Right click on your selection.

3. Select the “New group” option

from the pulldown.

4. Give the group a name in the

dialog that pops up.

Note: A group can be deleted by

right clicking on a group and

using the Delete group option

from the right click pulldown.

Page 425

HOW TO MERGE PARTS

Merge Parts

INTRODUCTION

In many types of analysis, multiple parts are used to distinguish between various components or material types. To

the extent allowed by the particular data format, EnSight maintains this distinction by assigning these entities to

separate model parts. In many cases however, this distinction is no longer useful for postprocessing. When

manipulating parts, you often need to apply the same set of to all of them. If the number of parts to be treated

identically is large, this process can become unwieldy. EnSight provides a merge operator to combine multiple parts

into a single part.

The merge operation creates one new part from one or more selected parent parts. The original parts are

unchanged. If only a single part is selected for the operation, merge will create a “true” copy of the part (as opposed

to the shallow copy that the Copy operation creates), with the only dependence being that the parent must exist.

If you delete any of the original parts after the merge, these components will be deleted from the merged part as well.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Parts List.

The new merged part is added to the end of the Parts List with the description “Merge of parts #,#,#” where # are the

part numbers of the originally selected parts.

OTHER NOTES

Unlike Copy, merge creates true, server-based parts. Unlike Extract, merge creates parts based on the full, server-

based representation of the part.

If you merge a structured (IJK) part, the resulting part will be unstructured.

SEE ALSO

How To Group Parts.

User Manual: Part Groups

2. Select Edit > Part > Merge

Page 426

HOW TO EXTRACT PART REPRESENTATIONS

Extract Part Representations

INTRODUCTION

The extract operation is closely tied to part representations. Extract creates a single new part using only the

geometry of the current representation of the selected part(s). For example, if the current representation of a part

consisting of 3D elements is Border, the result of extraction will be a part consisting of all unshared 2D elements (the

surface).

Extract is most often used to reduce the amount of information for a part (e.g. for faster display or for geometry

output) or to create a surface shell part – perhaps for subsequent cutting – of a 3D computational domain.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Parts List.

The new part is added to the end of the Parts List with the description “Extract of parts #,#,#” where # are the part

numbers of the originally selected parts.

SEE ALSO

See How To Change Visual Representation.

User Manual: Part Operations

2. Select Edit > Part > Extract

Page 427

HOW TO CUT PARTS

Cut Parts

INTRODUCTION

It is sometimes desirable to cut parts to, for example, reveal the interior of a solid or remove unwanted or unneeded

portions of a model. EnSight can cut any server-based part and either keep both “sides” or discard one. Any of the 3D

tools (Plane, Quadric, or Box) can be used as the cutting surface.

The cut operation produces dependent copies of the parent part. The part(s) resulting from a cut are completely valid

parts consisting of standard element types. These parts can be used for any operation – including further cuts.

BASIC OPERATION

To cut a part:

1. Select the part(s) in the Parts list.

For the Plane tool, the inside is the positive Z side of the tool. For the quadric tools, the inside and outside are

intuitive. In the Parts list, the original part remains and cannot be deleted without also deleting the cut parts (but can

easily be made invisible if desired). If In/Out was used, two new parts are added to the end of the Main Parts list with

the same name as the original part with “+” added to the name of the Inside part and “–” appended to the name of the

Outside part. If Inside or Outside was used, one new part is created with “+” added to the beginning of the name.

OTHER NOTES

A part copy cannot be cut. However, if the parent of the copy is cut, the copy will be cut as well (since part copies

share geometry with the parent).

The cut operation maintains the order of the elements, e.g. 3D elements yield 3D elements and 3D quadric elements

yield 3D quadric elements.

The cut algorithm breaks elements intersecting the cutting surface into tetrahedrons. Since there is no transition

zone created between these tetrahedrons and their non-cut neighbors, non-shared element faces are possible.

These non-shared faces can result in undesired lines and/or elements during border and/or feature angle

representations.

If you cut a structured (IJK) part the resulting parts will be unstructured.

Cuts with the Box are not true cuts, but simply a division of all elements that fall completely within the box or not.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Clip Parts

2. Click the Clip Feature icon.

3. Select the desired cutting tool (Plane, Box, Cylinder, Sphere,

Cone, Surface of Revolution or Revolve 1D Part).

4. Position the desired cutting tool in the desired location.

5. Select which “sides” to keep.

Inside: Keeps inside of quadrics or box and “front” of plane.

Outside: Keeps outside of quadrics or box and “back” of plane.

In/Out: Keeps both sides

Crinkly: Keeps all elements that intersect the plane.

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HOW TO DELETE A PART

Delete a Part

INTRODUCTION

The delete operation removes selected parts and any parts dependent on them. All information associated with the

parts on both the client and server is removed. Deletion cannot be undone.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Parts List.

OTHER NOTES

In some cases, variables that depend on a deleted part may have to be updated. For example, if you have a variable

such as Area calculated on a set of parts and one of the parts is deleted, the Area variable will automatically be

recalculated.

If you delete a grouped part, all parts in the group will be deleted.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Part Operations

2. Select Edit > Part > Delete

or click the Delete key on your

keyboard while the mouse is

in the EnSight window

or right click and select Delete

(or Delete selected items, if

more than one item is

selected)

Page 429

HOW TO CHANGE THE VISUAL REPRESENTATION

Change the Visual Representation

INTRODUCTION

The part visual representation (part element settings) controls how you see the elements that you have loaded on the

server in the graphics window on the client. To be clear, the full part and all the elements are loaded and maintained

on the server, but the part visual representation exists on the client. For example, you can make a clip plane of a flow

field that is set to non-visual because the clip happens on the server. Part element settings are per part, that is, the

child clip can be shown in full representation, showing all elements, while the parent flow field is set to non-visual. The

ability to change part representations is a powerful management tool in EnSight. This allows you to see the border

elements, just an outline of the part, or to make the part entirely non visual. Not only can you select the visual

representation that best meets your needs, you can also manage graphics memory and performance more

effectively. Using simpler representations both reduces your client memory consumption as well as improves

graphics display speed. EnSight provides six representation modes for parts (as well as three modes that are a

combination of the six depending on the dimensional order of parts):

Full Every face and edge of every element is displayed. Warning: do not use

this for a 3D part with a large number of elements because it moves every

face of every element from the server to the client and can overwhelm

your client memory and your graphics card’s ability to process the data.

Conversely, this is often a useful choice for 2D parts.

Border Displays the outside surface of your part. Only unshared faces (for 3D

parts) or unshared edges (for 2D parts) are displayed. This is often a

useful choice for 3D parts.

Feature Angle Only those edges joining faces in the Border representation for which the

angle between the faces is less than some threshold are displayed.

Feature Angle typically extracts the topological features of interest in a

model. This is often a useful choice for 3D parts.

Non Visual No visual representation exists on the client. Note: this is different than

just turning off the visibility. Choosing this option means that NO 2D

surface elements are moved to the client for this part and no client

memory is allocated for the part. Turning off the visibility simply makes the

exising polygons in client memory invisible. It is often useful to use Non

Visual as the representation for 3D CFD flow field parts to save memory –

especially if you also have shell border part(s) to display the outer

surface.

3D Border, 2D Full Display 3D parts in Border representation; display 2D parts in Full

representation. This is useful in a structural model to show the outside

border of a 3D object, and to show all the elements of the shell border

parts.

3D Feature, 2D Full Display 3D parts in Feature representation; display 2D parts in Full

representation. This is useful for a CFD model to show the outside

features of the 3D flow field and to show all the elements of the 2D border

parts such as inlet, and wall and boundary condition part(s).

3D nonvisual, 2D Full Display 3D parts in Non Visual representation; display 2D parts in Full

representation. This is useful for a CFD model to avoid loading any of the

element surfaces of a high-resolution 3D flow field (to preserve client

graphics memory and performance) and to still show all the elements of

the 2D border parts such as inlet, and wall and boundary part(s).

Bounding Box Only a wireframe box representing the XYZ extents is displayed.

Volume Every element is displayed with a controllable level of transparency. Use

this with caution as this can require a large amount of client memory on

your hardware graphics card: for unstructured rendering, 100MB/ million

Tets, and structured rendering 2bytes/cell + 72 bytes / pixel.

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HOW TO CHANGE THE VISUAL REPRESENTATION

Additionally, one can specify the use of only a point and normal (instead of the element connectivity) for the specified

part representation to be loaded. This reduces the number of entities to visualize and thus, is most useful for very

dense models. Double click on the part, and choose advanced, and under the node, element and line turndown, turn

on the Load points and normals only toggle.

3D 2D

Border

Feature

Angle

Bounding

Box

Full

As you can see from the part element settings above, that 3D parts are best shown in Border or Feature Angle,

and 2D parts are best shown in Full. Hence the hybrid 3D Border 2D Full and 3D Feature 2D Full settings.

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HOW TO CHANGE THE VISUAL REPRESENTATION

The sitewide default visual representation (as well as extension mapping) is individually specified for data formats in

the $CEI_HOME/ensight102/site_preferences/ensight_reader_extension.map file. For example

.case files always open with the EnSight Case gold reader and parts are always in 3D Feature, 2D Full mode.

Custom visual representation can be specified in the user’s local ensight_reader_extension.map file located in

the users local EnSight Defaults directory.

BASIC OPERATION

OTHER NOTES

Note that some derived parts (such as contours or vector arrows) are based on the client’s representation of the

parent part. If the parent’s representation changes, the derived parts will change as well.

You cannot change the representation of a copied part. A copy always exhibits the current representation of the

original part.

A part’s representation can be made “permanent” by creating a new part based on the current representation. See

How to Extract Part Representations for more information.

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Parts List.

2. Click the Element Representation icon on the

Part Quick Action Icon Bar.

3. Select the desired visual representation.

4. If desired, you can have each element

connectivity of your element representation be

replaced by a point and normal only. Click

Options, then set the option for points and

normals only.

5. And if desired, you can apply polygon reduction.

Polygon reduction is designed to speed up visualization

processing by thinning out the number of polygons that are

rendered. There is naturally a trade off in image quality and

speed. Note that the original model is not modified, just its

rendered image.

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HOW TO CHANGE THE VISUAL REPRESENTATION

ADVANCED

Face Culling

If you have a 2D part in a ‘full’ representation showing the elements, and you color by a variable, and you experience

a ‘flimmering’ effect caused by coincident 2D elements with different variable values (perhaps representing the other

side of a 2D surface), there is an option to visually cull the faces whose normals face away or towards the viewer.

This culling only works if the front side 2D elements and the back side 2D elements have normals facing in the

opposite direction. And this is only a visual culling, it does not affect, for example, the Area calculated on the 2D part.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Part Element Settings Icon

Page 433

HOW TO SET

Set

INTRODUCTION

Part control the appearance and behavior of parts. Much of the power of EnSight derives from the broad range of

available and the ease with which they can be changed. are grouped into several classes:

The Creation for non-model parts can be edited in the Feature Panel by double-clicking on the part in the Parts list.

Most display (such as color and visibility) can be controlled via the icons on the Quick Action icon bar.

Since Creation are specific to each (non-model) part type, they are not covered here. Look in the How To article for

the specific part type for details on those particular Creation.

Server side displacement capability is available in the Creation Attribute area for model parts. See How To Display

Displacements for a description of this capability.

This article is divided into the following sections:

Part Quick Action Icons

Creation

General

Node, Element, and Line

Displacement

IJK Axis Display

Creation Creation are unique for each (non-model) part type (e.g. the isovalue of an isosurface). The creation for

a part are accessible in the Feature Panel after double-clicking the part in the Main Parts List, or by the

main menu structure Create->Isosurfaces (for example).

However, model parts have a consistent set of in this dialog including ability to remesh the model part,

scaling and translating the model part, filtering the elements of a model part or resetting the I/J/K ranges

of a structured model part.

General Visibility

Susceptibility to auxiliary clipping

Reference Frame

Response to change in time (active or frozen)

Symmetry options

Viewport visibility

Coloration (by variable or constant color)

Hidden surface toggle

Hidden line toggle

Shading type (flat, Gouraud, smooth)

Transparency

Lighting (diffuse, shininess, highlight intensity)

Visual symmetry

Volume Rendering

Node, Element,

and Line

Node, line, element visibility toggles

Node type (dot, cross, sphere)

Node scale (constant or variable)

Node detail (for spheres)

Node and element label toggle

Element-line width

Element-line style (solid, dotted, or dot-dash)

Element representation on client (full, border, 3D border/2D full, 3D feature/2D full, 3D nonvisual/2d full,

feature angle, bounding box, nonvisual)

Element shrink factor

Polygon reduction factor

Displacement Displacement variable

Displacement scaling factor

IJK Axis Display IJK Axis visibility

IJK Axis scale value

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HOW TO SET

BASIC OPERATION

Part Quick Action Icons

The Part Quick Action Icons can be used to quickly set for parts. To use these controls:

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Parts list.

2. Click appropriate icon to set the desired attribute:

Part Visibility

Color, Lighting, & transparency

Line Width

Visibility Per Viewport

Element Visual Representation

Displacement

Visual Symmetry

Node and Element Labeling

Node Representation

Filter Elements

Element Blanking

Shading Type

Hidden Line

Auxiliary Clipping

Fast Display Representation

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HOW TO SET

Creation

For model parts, the Creation section in the Feature Edit Dialog allows improved boundary mesh option, scaling, and

filtering of elements. For structured model parts, you can change the model part I/J/K range.

1. Right click on the model part name in the Parts list and choose ‘Edit’ or right click on the

model part in the graphics window and

choose ‘Edit’, or double click the model

part in the Parts list.

By default, any changes you make to will take

effect immediately. If you wish to “batch” a

series of changes turn on the “Delay update

toggle at the bottom of the dialog. When you

are ready to apply a set of changes click the

“Apply Changes” button.

2. Open the “Creation” turndown, then set

the desired attribute(s):

A Model Part can be remeshed in

2D or in 3D or projected onto

one of 3 orthogonal planes using

an improved boundary mesh

option and a variable expansion

factor. See the Model Parts

section in the User Manual.

A Model Part can be rescaled and

translated independently in the

X, Y and Z directions.

A Structured Model Part can have

the I/J/K Range changed.

A Model Part’s elements can be

filtered (up to six filters) by a

variable or a value. See Filter

Part Elements in the How To

Manual.

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HOW TO SET

General

The General section in the Feature Edit Dialog duplicates many of the controls available in the part Quick Action icon

bar. To set using the General section:

SEE ALSO

Introduction to Part Creation

User Manual: Parts Quick Action Icons

1. Toggle the Advanced Toggle in the top right corner of the

dialog.

2. Open the “Displacement” turndown.

Set Displace By to either None (no displacement) or the vector variable to

use for displacement.

Set nodal displacement factor to reduce or exaggerate a displacement

1. Toggle the Advanced Toggle in the top right corner of the

dialog.

2. Open the “IJK axis display” turndown.

Toggle IJK Axis Visible to display an IJK axis for the part.

The scale factor for the IJK Axis triad can be modified in this field.

Page 439

HOW TO DISPLAY LABELS

Display Labels

INTRODUCTION

It is often useful to be able to identify specific nodes or elements within your model. EnSight can display node and

element labels in the Graphics Window. If your data provides explicit node or element labels (or you are using

EnSight data formats and have asked EnSight to assign ids), EnSight will be able to display those values. Only model

parts and clips through model parts can have labels.

Displaying labels on parts with thousands of nodes or elements can obscure both the geometry as well as the labels

of interest (as well as degrading display performance). EnSight provides a filtering mechanism to display only

selected ranges of labels.

BASIC OPERATION

Displaying Node and/or Element Labels

To display labels (and to control filtering and coloring):

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Parts list.

2. Click the Node/Element Label icon to display the Node/Element

labeling dialog.

3. Click the appropriate

toggle(s) to turn on/off node

and/or element labels.

4. To set filters for node/

element labels, select the

desired filter and enter the

appropriate values in the

Low and/or High fields.

5. Set the node/element label

color.

The label filters operate as follows:

None Display all labels.

Low Remove all labels < the Low value

Band Remove all labels >= Low and <= High

High Remove all labels > the High value

Low/High Remove all labels < the Low value as well as those > the High value.

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HOW TO DISPLAY LABELS

Note that the Node and Element Label toggles also have counterpart toggles in the View Menu. These act as global

toggles that enable or disable any per-part node or element labels.

OTHER NOTES

Note that created parts (except clips through model parts) do not have node or element labels.

Note: The font size of the node and element labels can be modified under Edit > Preferences > Annotation. Simply

change the value in the 3D label size field and hit a return. If desired, this change can be made permanent for future

EnSight sessions by hitting the Save to preference file button.

Another useful technique for reducing label clutter is to use the front and back Z clipping planes to display only a thin

slice of interest. See How To Set Z Clipping for more information.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Label Visibility

Page 441

HOW TO SET TRANSPARENCY

Set Transparency

INTRODUCTION

Transparency/Opacity can be turned on with one or other of the following methods:

BASIC OPERATION

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Part Transparency

How to Manual: Opacity by Variable (Transparency)

How to Manual: Lighting and Shading

Constant

(alpha)

Transparency is a single value applied over the entire part.

Variable Transparency (Opacity, or Alpha) varies according to a variable value.

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Parts List.

2. Click the Part color/surface property icon from

the Part Quick Action Icon Bar to open the

corresponding dialog.

For constant transparency:

3. Open the Lighting and Shading turndown and

move the Opacity slider (see Lighting and

Shading). If the opacity option is not shown,

then you must change the Opacity by Variable

to Constant Opacity.

The Part Opacity in the Graphics Window will dynamically

update as the slider is adjusted.

For transparency that varies over the part surface

using variable values:

3. Open the Opacity By Variable pulldown and

select the variable of interest (see How to

Opacity by Variable (Transparency)).

For vector component, click on the comp column

“Mag” pulldown and select the component.

SHORTCUT

Right click on the part of interest in the graphics window

and select ‘Color by’ then choose ‘Make Transparent’ for a

quick 50% constant transparency, or choose “Adjust

transparency... to control percentage with a slider.

Page 442

HOW TO SELECT PARTS

Select Parts

INTRODUCTION

Manipulating parts is one of the fundamental operations in EnSight. Before you operate on parts, they must be

selected. Parts can either be selected through standard mouse interaction with the items in the Parts list or selected

by picking parts in the Graphics window.

BASIC OPERATION

Selecting Parts in the Graphics Area

Left click on the part in the graphics window to select it. Use control key to select multiple parts.

Selecting Parts using the Parts List

Items in the Parts List itself are selected using standard selection methods:

Selecting Parts using the Right click Select... Options

There are several other useful options for selecting parts available from right clicking in the part list or the graphics

window.:

To ... Do this ... Details ...

Select an item Select (or single-click) Place the mouse pointer over the item and click the left mouse

button. The item is highlighted to reflect the “selected” state.

Extend a selection Shift-click Select the first item. Place the mouse pointer over the last item in

the list to be selected. Press the shift key and click the left mouse

button. This action will extend a selection to include all those

items sequentially listed between the first selection and this one.

Extend a non-contiguous

selection

Control-click Place the mouse pointer over the item. Press the control key and

click the left mouse button. This action will extend a selection by

adding the new item, but not those in-between any previously

selected items.

De-select an item Control-click Place the mouse pointer over the selected item. Press the control

key and click the left mouse button. This action will de-select the

item.

Open the Feature Panel Double-click Place the mouse pointer over the item and click the left mouse

button twice in rapid succession.

1. Right click in the part list or the graphics window and select

Part Select from the list.

2. Select the desired option.

All Selects all parts in the list.

Invert Inverts the selection. Namely, all parts currently

selected become unselected and all unselected

become selected.

Visible/

Invisible

Selects all visible/Invisible parts.

2D/3D Selects parts that contain 2d or 3d elements

Region Selects all parts that are within the selection tool.

(Requires that the selection tool be on)

Showing Selects all visible parts which are showing in the

graphics window.

Search... Opens a dialog which allows for selections using

keywords and regular expressions.

None Unselects all parts.

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HOW TO SELECT PARTS

Selecting Parts by Picking

Parts can also be selected by “picking” them in the Graphics window. To select parts by picking:

You must pick a part on a visible surface/line/point. Picking a part where the background is showing through (for

example, you are in line mode and you pick on the center of an element) will not pick the part.

By default, when you press the ‘p’ key any previously selected parts are de-selected. Holding down the Control key

as you hit ‘p’ modifies this behavior: if the picked part is not currently selected, it will be added to the existing selection

(so you can select multiple parts by picking), otherwise the picked part is de-selected.

OTHER NOTES

1. From the Pick pulldown icon on the Tools Icon Bar, select

Pick Part. (Note that this is the default, and this setting will

be retained until explicitly changed.)

2. Position the mouse pointer over the desired part in the

Graphics Window and press the ‘p’ key (or perform the

mouse action which has been set to “Selected pick action”

in Edit > Preferences > Mouse and Keyboard).

See below regarding how parts are identified.

Note that the picked part is now selected in the Part list.

1. By default, parts selected in the

part list are shown highlighted

by the highlight color and

transparency.

2. A global toggle turns this on

(default) and off

To modify the select/unselect

highlighting preferences open

Edit->Preferences->View and

set new settings.

3. Unselected parts are also

modified according to the

unselected color and

transparency.

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HOW TO SELECT PARTS

ADVANCED USAGE

Part tagging and selection

EnSight supports the concept of part 'tagging'. A tag defines a collection of parts, which can be useful for large

numbers of parts. One part can be a member of more than one tag. The current selection can be used to create a tag

and a tag can be used to set the current selection. This allows the user to quickly store and recall selections of

arbitrary complexity. EnSight pre-defines a set of ten tags. These correspond to the number keys: 0-9. By default, no

parts are members of any tags and any part can have multiple tags (e.g. a part can be a member of tags 0, 4 and 5).

Part tags are saved in context, session and archive files. They are not stored in command language files, although

command language does exist to specify membership in a tag.

Defining a tag from the current part selection

EnSight uses 'Alt' and the number keys (0-9) to define a tag from the current selection. To tag a collection of parts

(marking that selection for easy recall later) do the following:

1) Select any part(s)

2) Press Alt# where '#' is a number key from 0-9

First, the tag is cleared for all parts and then the selected parts are tagged with that key. On Windows and Linux, the

details of the new tag are displayed in the status bar.

Using a tag to recall a stored part selection

EnSight uses 'Ctrl' (Window/Linux) or  (OSX) and the number keys (0-9) to reset the current selection to the set of

parts with the matching tag. To recall a tag and set the current part selection to the parts with that tag:

1) Press 'Ctrl'# or #, where '#' is a number key from 0-9.

The previous part selection is cleared and the all of the parts tagged with the matching key are selected. This allows

one to very rapidly recall a previously tagged selection.

EnSight Python Implementation details

Tagging is stored on each part through the Python METADATA attribute on the part objects. The pre-defined

METADATA keys are 'ENS_PLIST_KEY_SEL_#', where # is a digit from the set '0-9'. Check on the membership in

the tag using code as follows:

test = ensight.objs.core.PARTS[0].METADATA.get('ENS_PLIST_KEY_SEL_1',0)

The above will return whether the first part in the partlist is a member of tag '1'. Likewise, one can set/unset

membership in the tag using the following:

ensight.objs.core.PARTS[0].setmetatag('ENS_PLIST_KEY_SEL_1',1)

and the following to unset:

ensight.objs.core.PARTS[0].setmetatag('ENS_PLIST_KEY_SEL_1',0)

(see EnSight Python Interpreter).

Note that these last two examples are also valid command language and can be placed in command (.enc) files as

well.

Finally, since the tagging system is based on the part metadata infrastructure, one can also set the tag membership

directly from a reader using the metadata schema (see https://sites.google.com/a/ensight.com/ensight-python-api/

metadata for more details).

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Part List Panel

Page 445

HOW TO SET SYMMETRY

Set Symmetry

INTRODUCTION

In many instances, a modeler can take advantage of symmetry present in a problem to reduce the computational

complexity of a subsequent analysis. EnSight can impart visual realism to such models by mirroring parts around any

or all axes of the part’s reference frame or performing rotational symmetry about any of the axes. Although the

mirrored or rotated portions appear identical to the source part (except for the reflection or rotation), they are only

visual (client-based) and cannot be used for calculation. For example, you cannot start a particle trace in one half of

a mirrored model and expect the trace to cross the plane of symmetry into the other half (although you can make the

particle trace part symmetric as well).

EnSight also provides “true” or “computational” symmetry operations (mirror, rotational, translational) as an attribute

of the part’s reference frame. This option creates the symmetry instances as actual data on the server. Thus, with

computational symmetry, you can trace particles across a periodic boundary.

There now exists an option for rotational periodicity, where one can have particle traces exit a symmetry surface and

re-enter on the corresponding symmetry surface and continue. This does not require the creation of additional

geometry on the server (like computational symmetry does), but does require some additional information to be

included in the Part Visual Symmetry dialog (see below) - along with the setting of a toggle in the Trace creation

dialog. See the Periodic Trace section in the How To Create Particle Traces.

Both types of symmetry (visual or computational) are based on the part’s reference frame. Although you can use

simple visual or computational symmetry without having to manipulate the frame, more advanced usage of symmetry

could require a working knowledge of frames. See How To Create and Manipulate Frames for more information.

BASIC OPERATION

Visual Symmetry

Visual symmetry is an attribute of parts. You can enable display of a mirrored copy of a part into one or more of the

seven octants of the part’s reference frame. You can also enable display of a number of rotational instances about the

x, y, or z axes of the part’s reference frame. You can specify an origin for the symmetry. To display visual symmetry:

3. Specify the origin, if necessary.

4. Select Mirror from the Type pulldown menu.

5. Select the desired octant(s) from the menu.

Visual Mirror Symmetry:

Visual Rotational Symmetry:

3. Specify the origin, if necessary.

4. Select Rotational from the Type

pulldown menu.

5. Set the number of instances to

display.

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Main Parts list.

2. Click the Visual Symmetry icon from the Part Quick

Action Icon Bar.

Note that for rotational periodicity only, the additional section

entitled “Periodicity - Rotational” will be shown. Some additional

per part information is required if you are using periodic traces. Here you will specify the rotational

periodic axis and the number of sections (instances) which will make 360 degrees. Follow the link to

the traces How To that is specified above (or in the See Also section below).

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HOW TO SET SYMMETRY

Recall that symmetry is performed with respect to the reference frame of the part. The frame’s origin and axes define

the partitioning of space into the octants that attached parts are mirrored into, or the rotational axis. If the symmetry

operation did not produce the desired effect, it is probably due to the fact that the part’s frame is not located/aligned

on/with the plane of symmetry, or the rotational symmetry axis, as designed for the model. The solution is to create a

new frame, assign the part(s) to the new frame, and position the frame such that two of its axes lie in the plane of

symmetry, or one of its axes align with the rotational axis. There operations are discussed in How To Create and

Manipulate Frames.

Visual Symmetry Specify Origin

If the Specify Origin toggle is off, then the origin of your rotation axes is the part reference frame origin. However, If

you toggle on the Specify Origin, then this is the origin that will be used (instead of the reference frame origin), and

the reference frame of the part will only be used for the direction of the axes. Note that the origin is specified here in

global coordinates. Specifying the origin in this manner is useful if your axes are aligned properly with your model, but

you just need the origin to be moved and don’t want to go to the trouble of creating, moving and then assigning a new

frame to your part(s).

Computational Symmetry

Computational symmetry can be used for unstructured and structured model parts with periodic boundary conditions.

(Note, it does not work for created parts.) Computational symmetry can handle rotational, translational, and mirror

symmetry. Unlike visual symmetry, computational symmetry actually produces the symmetric geometry and variables

on the server - allowing for more than just visual symmetry.

You enable computational symmetry by selecting the frame, specifying the type (Mirror, Translational, Rotational),

and setting type specific (such as the rotation angle and the number of instances to create). Each part assigned to

the frame will be updated on the server to reflect the specified symmetry.

Note that each new instance of a part created through computational symmetry creates a new part on the server.

To use computational symmetry, you will need to enable the Frame feature if it isn’t already enabled. Then:

1. Window>Toolbars/Panels>Frames OR Click the Frame

feature from the Feature Icon Bar. If you do not see this

option you will need to turn it on by right clicking in the

Feature Icon Bar to Customize the ribbon to show the

Frame feature.

2. If the default frame (frame 0) is not correctly positioned

for the desired symmetry operation, create a new frame,

position the frame in the proper location and

orientation, and assign the part(s) to the new frame.

(See How To Create and Manipulate Frames for details.)

3. Click the Frame tab then select the desired frame to edit.

4. Click the Computational Symmetry Icon.

The remaining steps depend on the type of symmetry

desired.

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HOW TO SET SYMMETRY

Mirror Symmetry is similar to graphical symmetry as

described above.

5. Set the Type to Mirror and set the desired

octant(s).

6. Click Apply.

Rotational Symmetry creates instances by rotating,

around the selected axis of the frame, the specified

number of degrees. The selected frame’s axis must

be aligned with the desired symmetry axis.

5. Select Rotational from the Type pulldown.

6. Select the frame rotational axis.

7. Set the desired rotation angle (in degrees) in

the Angle field.

8. Set the desired number of instances in the

Instances field (number 1 is the original, set

Instances to 2 to yield one copy).

9. If a periodic match file is available, toggle Use

Periodic File and enter the file name.

Periodic match files are discussed below. Note that

this toggle will be grayed out and unavailable for

Case and Case Gold formats because the periodic

match file name is entered into the Case file.

10. Click Apply.

Translational Symmetry creates instances in the

direction of the specified translation vector (using the

frame to get the x, y, z directions).

5. Select Translational from the Type pulldown.

6. Enter the desired translation vector in the XYZ

fields and press return.

7. Set the desired number of instances in the

Instances field (number 1 is the original, set

Instances to 2 to yield one copy).

8. If a periodic match file is available, toggle Use

Periodic File and enter the file name.

Periodic match files are discussed below.

9. Click Apply.

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HOW TO SET SYMMETRY

Periodic Matching for Computational Symmetry

When a model is created with periodic boundary conditions, there is typically a built-in correspondence or “match”

between certain nodes and elements. For example:

When instances are added to a part, it is desirable to eliminate these duplicate nodes. Without a match file, EnSight

will attempt to find and remove them using a hashing scheme. This method works quite well, but may not find all

duplicates. (Remaining duplicates are usually noticed when the part is in feature angle representation since EnSight

treats elements with duplicate nodes as separate – even if they are coincident.)

Note that if you have a periodic match file you do not need to specify the rotation axis and angle in the Frame

Computational Symmetry dialog – the value is provided in the file.

A user-supplied matching file can be used to quickly find and remove all duplicates. The match file is a simple ASCII

text file. The file for the example above would be (the text in italics is not part of the file):

rotate_z specifies rotational symmetry and the applicable axis

52.34 the angle of rotation (in degrees)

3the number of node pairs to follow

1 1 first node pair

2 6 second node pair...

3 7

See Periodic Match File for more information on periodic match files.

SEE ALSO

How To Create and Manipulate Frames

How To Create Particle Traces

The elements defined by nodes 1,2,3 and nodes 1,6,7 should

match when rotated about an axis passing through node 1

(perpendicular to the screen). When another instance is

created, node 2 matches with 6 and node 3 matches with 7.

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HOW TO MAP TEXTURES

Map Textures

INTRODUCTION

Texture mapping is a mechanism for placing an image on a surface or modulating the colors of a surface by various

manipulations of the pixels via a texture map image. EnSight supports the application of a texture onto a part and the

combining of texture effects with the normal EnSight coloring schemes. This can include animated textures(e.g. EVO

or MPEG files), which can be used to texture parts and 2D annotations.

The simplest use is to place a "decal"/logo or photograph on the surface of a part. Texturing can also be used to add

repeated patterns, provide custom transparency and lighting, color a part by multiple variables and clip parts to

arbitrary boundaries. A texture operation in EnSight consists of a texture map image, a collection of interpolation and

blending options and a mechanism for projecting the texture map image onto a part. Each of these items is described

in the following sections. Shown below is a quick overview from the Surface Property Editor to add a texture.

Putting a logo or image on Part(s)

1. Select the desired part(s) in the Main Parts

List.

2. Click on the color wheel icon at the top to open

the Surface Property Editor dialog.

3. Pulldown the Texture.

4. Click on Edit textures to open Textures dialog.

5. In the Textures dialog, right click on Texture

and choose Load texture... to load an image from

file, to be used as a texture.

6. Pick a texture number to apply.

see How to Set Surface Properties

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HOW TO MAP TEXTURES

Setting the texture map image

A number of operations can be

performed on the textures by right-

clicking on the thumbnail image and

selecting from the menu.

A new image or movie (e.g. EVO,

MPEG, etc.) can be set for the texture

using the 'Load texture file…' option.

A texture can be reverted back to the

16x16 transparent checkerboard

default pattern using the 'Clear texture'

menu.

Each texture has a border color that is

used for colors outside of the texture

bounds. This color (RGB and opacity)

can be set explicitly using the 'Set

border color…' menu.

Advanced options for loaded texture

images and animations can be set

using the ‘Set texture options...’ menu

(see Texture options section below).

The basic information for the currently

selected texture is displayed in the text

field below the thumbnails. The size of

the texture, its source, border color and

the nature of its transparency (A channel

and border color) is displayed.

All textures have both a color (RGB) and an opacity (A) component. By default, the thumbnail

is drawn using the full RGBA pixel value. Options at the bottom of the right click menu allow the user

to select which channels to draw: Display RGBA, RGB, or Alpha. The first three images in the

example dialog above are all the same texture, but drawn with a different function.

The the first image is the full RGBA image,

the second one is just the RGB part of the image

and the third one is just the A part of the image.

Notice how the A channel masks out the black and white pixels in the RGB image. This masking can

be used to place non-rectangular images/icons on EnSight parts.

Users often make use of a common set of textures for many different analyses (e.g. company logos,

standard palettes, etc). The 'Save' button allows the user to save the currently loaded selection of

textures and their display mode into the user's preferences directory. These will be automatically

loaded every time EnSight is launched.

EnSight supports up to 32 different textures, which are displayed as

thumbnails down the Texture column in Textures dialog.

The 32 textures are numbered one

through 32. Each part in EnSight can

have one of the 32 texture associated

with it. This can be done by selecting

the part(s) and either clicking on the

appropriate button thumbnail or

selecting the number from the 'Use

texture' option menu.

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Setting Texture Options

In Ensight, animated textures (e.g. EVO or MPEG files)

can be used to texture parts and 2D annotations. Each

animated texture is linked to the current solution time in

EnSight. This temporal mapping can be set by right-

clicking on the logo, choosing “Set texture options” to see

the Texture options dialog.

Basic information about the texture is presented in the

upper pane.

This includes the filename, border color, dimensions, and

number of frames in the texture. It also includes temporal

reference information for animated textures.

Animated textures have a start and ending frame number.

These can be used to “crop” the texture to some subset of

the animation.

There is also a starting and ending solution time for the

texture.

The frame from the texture is selected such that the

starting frame number is used when the current EnSight

solution time is at or before the texture start time and the

ending frame is used when the current solution time is at

or after the ending time. The temporal mapping is linear

in-between.

There is also an “Autoscale” option.

If this option is set, the starting and ending time for that

texture will always be set to the dynamic range of currently

loaded EnSight solution times.

Note: EnSight will read the entire animation into memory

when it is loaded. If the movie is large, it can use a

significant amount of memory. In memory, EnSight uses

lossless compression schemes for the data. The current

scheme can be changed using the ‘Compression’ options

pulldown.

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Texture operations and parameters

The Texture mode, Repeat mode and Interpolation scheme define how textures are accessed and how they are

integrated into the normal EnSight coloring scheme.

The Texture mode determines how a texture is combined with the natural coloring scheme in

EnSight. The pulldown has three options: Replace, Decal and Modulate.

In Replace mode, the base colors provided by EnSight are ignored and the

texture is used as the only source of color for the part (note, this has the side effect

of disabling any lighting).

In Decal mode, the alpha channel of the texture is used to select between the

texture color and the base color of the part. If the texture alpha value is 0, the base

color of the part is displayed, while locations where the texture alpha value is 255,

the texture color will be used exclusively. All alpha values in-between 0 and 255 will

result in an interpolation between the texture and base colors. Note that the default

texture uses an alpha channel with values 255 and 80.

In Modulate mode, the base color is multiplied by the texture color and the

resulting texture is used. Modulate mode is commonly used with a texture that has

a color of white and some pattern in the alpha channel. This allows the base color to

show through, but varies the transparency of the part. Arbitrary clipping operations

can be set up this way. Modulation of the color channels can be confusing as the

operation tends to suppress colors, but it can be used with a grayscale texture to

attenuate.

The Repeat mode allows the user to control how the texture repeats outside the texture

coordinates [0,1]. The pulldown has three options: Repeat, Clamp, or Clamp to texture.

In Repeat mode, the coordinates are repeated (e.g. a texture coordinate of

2.3 is mapped to 0.3) so that the texture repeats itself, and the border color is not

used.

In Clamp mode, coordinates outside of [0,1] are fixed to the border color of

the texture. If repeat mode is set to repeat, Clamping is often used for logos and

explicit texture coordinates (see Texture projections) that you wish to see only once.

In Clamp to texture mode, coordinates outside of [0,1] are fixed to the edge

value of the texture. The border color is not used.

The Interpolation scheme is applied when the graphics hardware needs to access a pixel in

the current texture. The pulldown has two options: Linear or Nearest.

Linear interpolation mode generally results in smoother looking displays, but

can result in "fringes" that are the result of interpolating to colors that might not exist

in the native texture. Linear can be slower, but in EnSight, this is often the result of

the fact that a part may be turned translucent and need to be sorted during

rendering (See Texture implementation limitations).

Nearest will result in the exact colors in a texture using the nearest neighbor

interpolation method. It is less smooth and has starker contrast.

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Texture projections

EnSight provides two mechanisms which may be used to define where a texture should appear on a part. The

first is by projection.

In this mode, it helps to think of the texture as a projected light-source, like a presentation projector, only

without divergence (i.e. the light lines are parallel). The user places the light source to shine through the

scene at some orientation centered at some point. Textures are not limited to the exposed surface in EnSight,

thus any surface that intersects the beam of light is textured.

The user can enter the values for this

projection in the "S vector", "T vector"

and "Offset" fields in the dialog..

These define a vector in the space of

the part that will correspond to the

directions of the X and Y axis of the

texture image as well as a point of

focus for the texture.

Perhaps the simplest method for setting

these values is to use the plane tool.

Place the plane tool in the view to

match the desired projection. The

texture will be scaled to fit in the

boundaries of the plane tool with the

texture axis aligned with the tool X and

Y axis. The texture itself is projected

along the Z axis of the tool. Once the

tool has been placed, click on 'Get proj

from plane tool' to fill in the dialog

fields.

The 'Set plane tool to proj' will move

the plane tool to the projection formed

by the current dialog values.

The example below illustrates the placement of a logo, in decal mode with clamp and repeat modes set. Notice

that the texture appears both in front of and behind the tool.

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HOW TO MAP TEXTURES

The texture projection can also be specified relative to a point or a

collection of points.

The Projection option menu in 'Absolute' mode will set

the texture projection to the current settings which

places the texture at an absolute position and attitude in

space. If the part geometry moves or deforms, the

texture remains fixed in the scene, thus it appears to

move on the part surface.

Choose Projection 'Offset relative to ID', to specify a

node ID in the 'Origin' field. The 'Offset' X,Y,Z values

are considered to be relative to this node ID. If it moves in time, the

texture projection will translate with this node.

Likewise, Projection 'Offset and S/T vecs relative to node Ids' allows

for three node Ids to be specified, causing the projection to rotate

and scale with the relative positions of those nodes.

If you turn on these relative modes, you may need to click 'Get proj

from plane tool' to set up the field values to match the plane tool

again (The get proj option always honors the current relative

projection and node IDs, if provided).

The second form of projection EnSight supports is via 'Variables'.

In this mode, one or two scalar variables are used to provide explicit S and T texture

coordinates for texturing. This is the most general mechanism for texturing. The S-variable

and T-variable option menus provide a list of possible scalar variables.

Users may also set the S and/or T value to the constant quantity 0.5. The variables are

generally in the range [0,1], which map to the edges of the texture map, just inside the border.

Values outside this range will either be mapped to the texture border color (in the case of

clamp mode) or will be warped back into the range of [0,1] by repeated subtraction/addition (in

repeat mode). This form of projection is capable of emulating the previous model. It also

makes it relatively easy to create two dimensional data palettes. Just like the existing palette

in EnSight, some function of a variable is used to select a color from a table. In this case, the

table is a 2D texture, so this can be done for two different variables at the same time, and the

opacity can be varied as a function of those variables.

All forms of EnSight part displays can be textured: surfaces, lines, points, etc. Of special note,

in "variable" mode, points are rendered with a single texture coordinate, regardless of the

form they are displayed as. Thus, a point displayed as a sphere can only use a single pixel

sample from a texture. Thus, to place a logo on a point rendered in sphere mode, one would

need to use 'projection' mode.

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HOW TO MAP TEXTURES

BASIC OPERATION

How to place a logo on a part

One common use of textures is to place a logo or "decal" onto

a part. This operation involves using a projected texture. This

is a simple three step process.

For this example we will use the AMI dataset which comes

with the EnSight.

1. Load the AMI dataset and set the display type to

shaded surface.

Orient the hypersonic body as shown and select it in the

part list.

2. Next we need to set up the texture map to use.

Select the color icon to bring up the Part Color/Surface

Property Editor dialog and turndown Textures, then click on

the Edit Textures… button to bring up the texture dialog.

Right click on the first texture button and select 'Load

texture file…'.

Browse to the image file containing your logo image.

A good example is the CEI logo found in CEI_HOME/

ensight102/doc/wiki.ensight.com/

cei_logo_png72.png. This image includes an alpha

channel that is zero outside of the logo pixels (the 'Display

Alpha' menu option will display only this channel').

Associate this texture with the part by selecting the part and

set Use Texture to 1.

The hypersonic body will get a tiling of CEI logos over it,

since we only want a single logo, change the Repeat mode

to 'Clamp' (the logos will likely disappear).

3. Finally, we need to set up the transform necessary to

place the logo.

Bring up the plane tool and size/

position it as illustrated:

The key here is to think of the plane

tool as a "flashlight" that shines down

the plane tool's Z axis and the light is

bounded by the plane rectangle.

Once you have the plane positioned, click on 'Get proj from

plane tool'.

The logo texture will now be displayed on the body at the

location specified by the plane tool.

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HOW TO MAP TEXTURES

ADVANCED USAGE

How to use textures as palettes

EnSight textures can also be used as multi-dimensional

palettes to allow the user to control the color and opacity of

a part based on arbitrary functions of two variables. The key

to this technique is generating the appropriate texture map.

In the following example, we will use a texture map found in

the data directory with the "cube" model.

1. Load the cube model and bring up the variable

calculator.

We will need to create an "S" and a "T" variable that will

be used to access the texture.

2. In the calculator create a new variable named 'S' with

the expression 'temperature/50.0' (this puts 'S'

roughly in the range [0,1]).

3. Create a variable 'T' that is the expression

'RMS(velocity)'.

4. Create an xyz clip of the mesh as a 'Z' clip and turn

on shaded display.

5. With the clip_plane part selected, open the Part

Color/Surface Property Editor, Textures turndown,

and click on the Edit textures button. Load the file

'dual_gradient.png', included in the directory with the

cube dataset, into the first slot.

Notice that this texture is an opacity ramp along the X

axis and a color ramp along the Y axis.

6. Set the texture mode to 'Replace' and the repeat

mode to 'Clamp'.

7. Now, set the 'Compute texture coordinates by' option

to 'Variables' and pick 'S' and 'T' as the S and T

variable names.

The display will look like the image shown, depending on

the placement of the clip plane. The coloring is relative to

the Velocity of the field, while the opacity of the plane is

relative to the temperature of the plane. This type of

technique can be used with any two variables; the key is

generating a 2D texture map that is meaningful for

ranges of the two variables in question.

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HOW TO MAP TEXTURES

How to clip an object with a texture

Textures can also be used to manipulate the transparency of portions of

objects in interesting ways. In this example, a texture image with only an

alpha channel will be used to clip into a part to reveal parts inside of it.

1. Load the cube dataset again.

And as in the textures as palettes example:

2. Load the image files 'circle.png' and 'sphere.png' into two texture

slots.

In both cases:

3. Use the right mouse button menu to set the textures' border

color. Change the border color alpha channel value to 255 and

view only the alpha channel.

Notice that the RGB channels are white, but there is a dark region in

the alpha channel of the images.

4. Create an isosurface of temperature in the mesh as well as a 'Z'

plane clip.

5. Color the plane clip by velocity.

6. Now, select the isosurface part and much like the logo example,

use the plane tool to project the texture onto the isosurface.

In this case, use the circle texture and modulate texture mode and

set the repeat mode to clamp.

The texture will clip through the isosurface as

a projected circle (from the circle in the

texture) to view parts interior to it. The sphere

texture provides a smoother clip. Experiment

with other textures and repeat modes for

other effects. Remember that each part can

have its own texture, each with a different set

of projection settings for highly expressive

visual options.

Here is an example of a clipping texture applied to

dynamic particle traces. The tracer pulses are not

clipped, but the traces are clipped to a projected

circle texture as in the example.

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HOW TO MAP TEXTURES

OTHER NOTES

Texture implementation limitations

Texturing in EnSight is done using OpenGL and the multi-texture extension. If your graphics card/driver does not

support this extension, texturing will not be allowed in EnSight and the button used to bring up the Textures dialog will

be removed. OpenGL works best with textures that are powers of two in size and every graphics card has a different

limit on the maximum size of a texture. EnSight will internally scale any input texture (via bilinear interpolation) to fill

the nearest power of two sized rectangle. This can result in much larger textures being used than users might expect

and it can cause interpolated pixels to be used in textures. Also, if textures are too large, EnSight will down-sample

them to the resolution the driver supports. For maximum performance and efficiency, use natural power of two sized

textures where possible and avoid extremely large textures.

A common performance issue users encounter with textures in modulate or replace mode revolves around

transparency. If a texture includes transparent pixels (or transparent border pixels), it is possible that the part could

become transparent. In this case, EnSight is required to sort the polygons of the part to ensure proper occlusion. This

process can be very expensive and slows down rendering significantly. The user can avoid requiring the expensive

sorting, by using textures with solid (or no) alpha channel. If a texture uses only entirely opaque or transparent pixels

and the interpolation option is set to nearest neighbor, EnSight will recognize that it is not possible to have translucent

pixels and will not be required to sort the polygons. This can be used to improve interactive performance and further

enable the use of textures as selective clipping operations in modulate mode.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Part Color/Surface Property Icon

Page 459

HOW TO ANIMATE TRANSIENT DATA

Animate

Animate Transient Data

INTRODUCTION

Transient data can be animated through EnSight’s flipbook capability. During the flipbook load process, all parts

(both model and created) are automatically rebuilt (if necessary) using the data from each time step in sequence. At

each step, a graphical “page” is created and stored in memory. When the flipbook is active, the pages are displayed

in order as rapidly as the hardware allows (although you can slow it down). You can also step through pages

manually.

The graphical pages can be one of two types: object or image. An object flipbook saves each page as 3D geometry

so you can continue to manipulate the model (e.g. rotate or zoom) during playback. However, for very large models

and/or long sequences, the memory requirements can be substantial. In this case, you can create image flipbooks

that save only the image pixels for each page. Although the size of each page is now fixed, you cannot change the

viewing parameters without reloading the flipbook.

This article covers using the flipbook capability for transient data (and assumes that you have successfully loaded

your transient data). See How To Create a Flipbook Animation for more details on flipbooks. EnSight’s keyframe

animation capability also works with transient data and provides a flexible mechanism for synchronizing your

available time steps with the output animation frames. See How To Create a Keyframe Animation for more

information.

BASIC OPERATION

Prior to loading the flipbook, you should create all parts of interest (e.g. clips, contours, isosurfaces, etc.). These parts

will automatically be recalculated for each time step. To load a transient flipbook:

3. Select the desired page type (Object or

Image).

4. Be aware that the begin to end time

values as defined in the solution time

settings will be used. If desired, edit the

begin/end time values before you load the

flipbook.

5. If desired, you can specify a time

increment for the load.

6. Click Load.

For example, using 0.5 would create pages

representing time steps 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5,

etc. The in-between steps are calculated by

linear interpolation.

1. Click the Flipbook Animation icon in

the Feature Icon bar.

2. Be sure the Load Type is set to

Transient.

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HOW TO ANIMATE TRANSIENT DATA

The Load Flipbook Status dialog will open and show the progress of the load. You can cancel the load by clicking the

Cancel button and retain all the pages loaded to that point. Once the load is complete, you can run the flipbook using

VCR type controls:

Record

Once a flipbook is loaded, it can be recorded.

After a flipbook load, the next 3 steps will

generally be the default already.

1. Make sure the Display is set to

flipbook pages.

2. Click the run forward or backward

button.

The flipbook will begin to run.

You can also step through the pages

manually:

2. Click the forward/backward single

step buttons (once for each page).

You can also enter values in the Current

Page field (and press return) to jump to a

specific page.

3. To change the range of displayed pages, enter new

values in the Begin Page and/or End Page fields.

4. To change the display speed, enter a new value in the

Display Speed field (and press return) or simply slide

the slider.

A speed of 1.00 represents “full” hardware speed with no

delays; a value of 0.5 is half of full speed.

5. To cycle the page display, click Cycle.

Cycle will replay the pages in reverse order when the last

page is reached.

6. To stop the animation, click the stop button.

7. When done, set the Display to “original model” instead

of “flipbook pages”.

Open the image and animation recorder by clicking

on the Record icon on the Tool ribbon.

This is explained in How To Print/Save an Image

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HOW TO ANIMATE TRANSIENT DATA

Delete

Any type of flipbook can be deleted:

1. Click Delete... in the Create/Edit Flipbook Animation dialog.

2. Confirm the deletion.

All memory associated with the flipbook is freed.

ADVANCED USAGE

If you have created transient particle traces (pathlines) and set up a particle trace animation, you can also load a

flipbook and show the particle trace animation synchronized with the flipbook. The trace animation will automatically

play through the time range of the flipbook and stay in sync with the flipbook pages. See How To Create Particle

Traces and How To Animate Particle Traces for more information.

OTHER NOTES

Since both object and image flipbooks build pages from the current set of parts based on their current, if you make a

change (such as color a part by a different variable or create a new part), you must reload the flipbook. There are

exceptions. With an object flipbook, you can make a part invisible while the flipbook is running.

SEE ALSO

How To Load Transient Data

How To Print/Save an Image

How To Create a Flipbook Animation

User Manual: Flipbook Animation

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HOW TO CREATE A FLIPBOOK ANIMATION

Create a Flipbook Animation

INTRODUCTION

Various types of data can be animated through EnSight’s flipbook capability. During the flipbook load process,

selected parts are automatically rebuilt based on some criteria (such as a delta for a clipping plane). For each step, a

graphical “page” is created and stored in memory. When the flipbook is active, the pages are displayed in order as

rapidly as the hardware allows (although you can slow it down). You can also step through pages manually.

The graphical pages can be one of two types: object or image. An object flipbook saves each page as 3D geometry

so you can continue to manipulate the model (e.g. rotate or zoom) during playback. However, for very large models

and/or long sequences, the memory requirements can be substantial. In this case, you can create image flipbooks

that save only the image pixels for each page. Although the size of each page is now fixed, you cannot change the

viewing parameters without reloading the flipbook.

There are four distinct types of flipbooks:

This article covers only the “Create Data” type of flipbook. See How To Animate Transient Data for details on

transient flipbooks. See How To Display Displacements for details on mode shape flipbooks.

For more sophisticated animations, use EnSight’s keyframe animation capability.

BASIC OPERATION

For each page of the flipbook, a delta value will be applied to all active clip parts and isosurfaces. For clips, the delta

represents a translation vector; for isosurfaces it is an increment to the isovalue. There are two ways to specify these

delta values: either through interactive manipulation or via the applicable Feature Panel for the part. The former

method is discussed below, the latter in the Other Notes section at the end.

Prior to loading the flipbook, you should create all parts that you wish to animate (clips and/or isosurfaces) and

manipulate the part so that it is in the desired location for the start of the flipbook. To load the flipbook:

Transient Pages are constructed by stepping from the current beginning to ending time range and

rebuilding all time-dependent parts based on each time step in sequence.

Mode Shapes Pages are constructed by applying a cosine-driven scaling factor to a displacement variable.

Create Data Pages are constructed by applying a delta to either a clip part or an isosurface.

Linear Load Pages are constructed by applying linear interpolation ranging from zero to the maximum

(displacement) vector field value.

1. Click the Flipbook Animation icon.

Which will open the Flipbook Animation Feature

Panel.

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HOW TO CREATE A FLIPBOOK ANIMATION

2. Under the Load settings, Be sure the

Load Type is set to Create data.

3. Select the desired page type (Object

or Image).

4. Set the desired number of pages.

The delta value will be added to the

appropriate entities for each page

5. Click Start to begin recording

interactive part manipulations.

6a. For clipping plane parts, return to the Create/edit Parts

dialog for clips (double-click on the part in the Main Parts

list).

6b. Toggle on Interactive Tool, move the mouse into the

Graphics Window and interactively position the tool to the

desired location for the end of the flipbook.

6a. For isosurface parts, return to the Create/edit Parts dialog

for isosurfaces (double-click on the part in the Main Parts

list).

6b. Change the Interactive Pulldown to Manual and adjust

the slider until the isovalue is as desired for the end of the

flipbook.

7. Return to the Create/edit

Flipbook Animation dialog (i.e.

perform step 1 again).

8. Click Stop to end recording

interactive Iso/Clip.

9. Click Load.

10. Save playing animation to file

(must be playing to save)

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HOW TO CREATE A FLIPBOOK ANIMATION

The Load Flipbook Status dialog will open and show the progress of the load. You can cancel the load by clicking the

Cancel button and retain all the pages loaded to that point. Once the load is complete, you can run the flipbook using

VCR type controls:

Record

Once a flipbook is loaded, it can be recorded.

After a flipbook load, the Player (Flipbook

Animation) will open, and the next steps will

generally be the default already.

1. Click the run forward or backward

button.

The flipbook will begin to run.

You can also step through the pages

manually:

2. Click the forward/backward single step

buttons (once for each page).

You can also enter values in the Current Page

field (and press return) to jump to a specific

page.

3. Choose Once, Cycle or Bounce for

playback.

4. To change the range of displayed pages,

enter new values in the Begin Page and/

or End Page fields (and press return) or

move the slider range markers.

5. To change the display speed, enter a

new value in the Display Speed field (and

press return).

A speed of 1.00 represents “full” hardware

speed with no delays; a value of 0.5 is half of

full speed.

6. To cycle the page display, click Cycle.

Cycle will replay the pages in reverse order

when the last page is reached.

7. To stop the animation, click the stop

button.

8. When done, delete the “flipbook pages”

and click on the Time tab to view the

original data. Note that the EnSight client

retains the memory allocated to the

flipbook in case it is needed later.

The “Record current graphics window animation”

icon will be on.

Click it to open the Save Animation dialog.

This is explained in How To Print/Save an Image

Off On

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Delete

Any type of flipbook can be deleted:

1. Click Delete... in the Create/edit Flipbook Animation dialog.

2. Confirm the deletion.

All memory associated with the flipbook is freed.

OTHER NOTES

Rather than specify the part delta values through interactive part manipulation as described above, you can set the

values explicitly in Advanced mode in the Create/edit Parts dialog for the part. For clip parts:

1. Double click on the part in the Parts list (or right-click and choose Edit...) to open the Create/edit Parts

dialog (Clips).

2. In the Animation Delta section, enter the desired values in the X, Y, and Z fields and press return.

For isosurfaces:

1. Double click on the part in the Parts list (or right-click and choose Edit...) to open the Create/edit Parts

dialog (Isosurfaces).

2. In the Animation Delta field, enter the desired isovalue delta value and press return.

When a flipbook is subsequently loaded, active clips and/or isosurfaces will update based on these animation delta

values.

Since both object and image flipbooks build pages from the current set of parts based on their current attributes, if

you make a change (such as color a part by a different variable or create a new part), you must reload the flipbook.

There are exceptions. With an object flipbook, you can make a part invisible while the flipbook is running.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Flipbook Animation

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HOW TO CREATE A KEYFRAME ANIMATION

Create a Keyframe Animation

INTRODUCTION

EnSight’s ability to handle large, transient datasets has led to its use in the production of many video animations of

engineering and scientific data. EnSight uses a keyframe animation system. A keyframe is a set of viewing

parameters that specify a particular view of the scene in the Graphics Window. The view may be notable because of

what is visible, or because the view represents the transition point from one scene to another. Once a set of

keyframes has been selected, EnSight can automatically generate frames to interpolate the viewing parameters

between keyframes for a smooth animation.

The changes to viewing parameters between keyframes are not limited to simple rotations, translations, or zoom

operations. You can also use EnSight’s frames capability to move parts independently, e.g. to animate an exploded

view of a complex assembly. You can also animate the global look-from and look-at points for “fly-by” style

animations.

While refining your animation, you can display it directly in the Graphics Window. When complete, you can specify

the output resolution and set the recording device (e.g. to a disk file).

Although the production of adequate animation is easy, good animation takes experience. A sequence that looks

good on your high resolution workstation screen may look less than acceptable when transferred to analog DVD. An

object rotating in ten degree increments may be an appropriate speed for your workstation graphics. At thirty frames

per second, however, the rotation will complete in just over a second – too fast for normal viewing. See the Other

Notes section for some additional hints and tips.

BASIC OPERATION

All keyframe animation functions are controlled through the Feature Panel. You can define the transformations

between keyframes, or you can create standard animations

To define your own keyframes:

1. Click the Keyframe icon Animation icon in the Feature

Icon bar.

2. Set all viewing parameters to the desired location for

keyframe 1.

Important Note!

If you toggle-off the Keyframing button, any

keyframes currently defined will be deleted.

If you wish to save a set of keyframes, click

the Save... button.

3. Click “Create” to save the first keyframe.

Note that the Keyframing toggle is automatically switched on

when you begin saving keyframes.

4. Change the viewing parameters to the desired location for

keyframe 2.

5. Click “Create” again to save keyframe 2.

You can play your animation at any time to check your results.

6. Click the Play button on the Keyframe Animation Player to

play the animation.

7. Continue to change viewing parameters and click Create

keyframe until you have saved all desired keyframes.

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There are many ways to specify the desired transformations between keyframes. See the following articles for more

information:

How To Rotate, Zoom, Translate, Scale

How To Create and Manipulate Frames

How To Set LookFrom/LookAt

How To Define and Change Viewports

To Create Keyframes using Predefined Animations:

1. Click the Keyframe Animation icon in the Feature Icon bar.

2. Set all viewing parameters to the desired location for

keyframe 1.

3. Turn down the Quick Predefined Animations to view the

Keyframe Quick Animations settings.

In this turndown area you will be able to create keyframes which

define transformations which will (a) fly the viewer around your

model, (b) rotate your model, or (c) create exploded views of your

parts. Any one of these, or a combination may be used.

4. Set the number of frames which will be created

5. Acceleration at the first and last keyframes that

will be created is on by default. If you do not

want to accelerate/decelerate toggle these off.

6. Toggle Fly Around on if you wish to move the

viewer (camera) in a circle.

(a) You can choose Right (start the viewer moving

to the right) or Left.

(b) Specify the number of revolutions.

7. Toggle Rotate Objects if you wish to rotate the

scene.

You can rotate positively or negatively about all

three axis. For each axis you set the number of

revolutions.

8. Toggle Explode View if you want your parts to

be translated in reference to an origin.

You can specify the origin or set the origin to the

transformation center.

Direction sets the explode direction and can be one

of:

X,Y,Z - translate in the coordinate direction

XYZ - translate in the dominant coordinate direction

Radial - translate in the direction from the origin specified

through the part centroid

The part that is farthest from the origin specified will

be transformed Distance units

9. Click “Create predefined animation” to

create the keyframes which will transform

according to the selections made.

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The following sections provide details on the animation control turndowns in the Keyframe Animation Feature Panel.

Speed/Actions

The Speed/Actions turn down exposes allowing you to set the number of sub-frames between each pair of

consecutive keyframes as well as specify run such as acceleration and commands to execute:

The number of sub-frames controls the speed with which objects transform between keyframes. More sub-frames

yields slower motion.

You can insert any valid EnSight command to be executed at a keyframe. If your command sequence is more than a

few lines, it is best to save the sequence in a file and just enter the command play: filename. There is a special

case of executing a command at a keyframe. If you insert the command shell: filename, The file filename

(which is assumed to be a UNIX executable command) will be executed after each sub-frame and each surrounding

keyframe. In addition, if you are saving animation frames to disk files, the name of the image file just written is

passed to the executable as the first argument. This capability can be used to postprocess the image files, for

example to resize and re-sample an image or copy it to a different location. If this capability is used, the shell:

filename command must be the only command specified.

1. Click on the “Speed and Actions”

turndown to open the section.

2. Select the desired keyframe to edit:

either enter the value or use the up/

down buttons.

3. Enter the desired number of sub-frames

between the keyframe selected in step 1

and the next (the default is 20).

4. If desired, set the number of frames to

hold for the keyframe (default is 1).

5. If desired, enter EnSight commands to

execute when the selected keyframe is

reached. The command(s) will be

executed before the frame is displayed.

6. If you added or changed the commands

to be executed at a keyframe, click

Update Commands.

7. If you want the transformation to accelerate out

(or into) the keyframe, toggle Acceleration on.

8. Continue by selecting a new keyframe to edit

and click Close when done.

Use Interactive IsoClip

By turning this toggle on, any clip or isosurface

interactively moved during the keyframe will animate.

Animate Transparency Change

By turning this toggle on, transparency changes to

parts during the definition of the keyframes will be

part of the animation.

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Run From/To

The Run From/To turndown allows you to specify the range of keyframes to play.

Transient

If you have transient data you can specify how it will be used during the keyframe animation.

1. Click on the Run From/To turndown to open the

section.

2. If you wish to limit the animation playback to certain

keyframes set the Run From and To fields. By

default they are set to cover all of the keyframes you

have created.

1. Click on the “Transient Data Settings” turndown to

open the section.

2. Toggle Use Transient Data on if you want to use

transient data during the animation.

Transient data does NOT have to be on (and should not)

to play back a flipbook animation during the keyframe

animation.

3. Timelines allow you to use transient data during

each defined timeline.

If the timelines do not cover all of the keyframes you will

have a portion of your animation with no transient data.

By default a single timeline exists which covers all of the

defined keyframes. To create more timelines click New

4. For each timeline you can specify the begin and

ending time value (either step or simulation time -

See Solution Time dialog).

5. Time will be interpolated such that the Start Time

occurs at the Start At Keyframe and the End Time

will occur at the End At Keyframe unless the Specify

Time Increment is toggled on. If the Specify Time

Increment is on each frame during the timeline is

incremented by the time indicated.

If the Start Time or End Time is encountered before the

Start At or End At Keyframes the transient data will either

Loop (go back to the Start Time) or Swing (play in

reverse).

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Recording your animation

See How To Print/Save an Image for instructions on how to record the animation.

Save and Restore

A set of keyframes and related information can be saved to disk and later restored. To save keyframes:

1. Click Save... in the Feature Edit Dialog.

2. Enter the desired file name in the File Selection dialog and click Okay.

To restore previously saved keyframes:

1. Click Restore... in the Feature Edit Dialog.

2. Enter the desired file name in the File Selection dialog and click Okay.

OTHER NOTES

As pointed out in the introduction to this article, high-quality animation takes time and experience. CEI has produced

a great deal of animation over the years and has learned a variety of lessons. In the hope that EnSight users can

avoid many of the pitfalls inherent in the process, many of these lessons and rules of thumb are presented here.

EnSight’s keyframe animation methodology is borrowed from the animated film industry. In making animated films,

the master animator defines how the scene will look at certain points in time (the keyframes) and then hands the work

off to an “in-betweener”, with instructions on how many frames to add between each pair of keyframes. The in-

betweener then draws the missing frames. EnSight’s approach is similar with the user as the master animator and

EnSight as the in-betweener. Some of the strengths of this approach include:

1. When keyframing is on, EnSight is not only recording the viewing parameters when you click Create Keyframe, it

also records the actions taken to get from the last keyframe to the current one. This approach permits certain

operations to be performed without ambiguity (such as rotating by 180 degrees or more).

2. Each Viewport can be animated independently.

3. Flipbooks can be played during an animation.

4. Animated particle traces can be played during an animation.

5. Transient data is easily synchronized with the generated frames. When the animation is run, EnSight will

automatically step through time and recalculate all time-dependent entities.

6. Output can go directly to disk files for later recording, manipulation, or conversion to other formats (e.g. MPEG or

QuickTime).

7. Additional power and flexibility can be achieved since EnSight command language statements can be issued at

keyframes.

The keyframe capability was designed to enable engineers and scientists to produce quality animation. As such, it

lacks most of the more elaborate controls available in commercial animation packages (which typically cost 2-3 times

more than EnSight). Some limitations:

1. Only transformation parameters (global, frame and camera transforms) are saved through the keyframing

process. Other parameters and part are not interpolated between keyframes.

2. Light sources are fixed in EnSight – they cannot move during the animation.

3. The shading and lighting model used by EnSight is fairly simplistic.

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Tips for Video Recording

Animation Holds

Whenever an animation is started or stopped use a “hold” to allow your viewers to establish the visual context of the

scene. A hold of 3 seconds at the beginning and 2 seconds at the end usually works well. For complex imagery,

longer holds may be required. Note that a hold can typically be performed at the recording level – it is not necessary

to have EnSight compute multiple frames for a hold.

Rate Control

The speed at which events occur during an animation is one of the most difficult aspects to master. Viewers become

confused and disoriented if motion is too fast; too slow and your viewer may lose interest. The frame rate for NTSC

(the video format used in North America) is 30 frames per second. Although there is a great deal of variation

(depending on graphics hardware speed and model size), your workstation will typically have a much slower frame

rate. Therefore, what appears to be good speed on your workstation may be much too fast when recorded to video

at 30 frames per second.

Trial and error is one method to determine proper rates. Although you may end up doing some “line test” video

recording to refine your rates, use the method described here to derive good starting values:

1. Define all the keyframes.

2. Set up the animation to play back at full screen.

3. Set up the animation to play only from the first to the second keyframe.

4. Set the number of sub-frames between keyframes 1 and 2 to be 300.

5. Select View > Bounding Box > Static Box.

6. Using a watch with a second hand, time how long it takes to play the animation. Call this time “T”. We know that

it will take 10 seconds to play 300 frames on video. Compute the following:

factor = T/10.

For example, if you find T to be about 12 seconds, then factor is 1.2, which means that the rate you see on the screen

is 1.2 times slower than what you will see on video.

7. Iteratively adjust the number of sub-frames between keyframe 1 and 2 (running the animation after each

adjustment) until you like the rate you see on the screen.

8. Finally, adjust the number of sub-frames by the factor found in step 6. For example, if 150 sub-frames were

required for a good rate of speed, then change the number of sub-frames to 150*factor to see the same rate on

video.

9. Perform steps 3 through 8 for the next set of keyframes.

Transient Data

Animation is particular useful for presenting transient data. However, since both viewing parameters and time can

change simultaneously, the potential for confusing viewers is very high. In general, you should never change both

viewing parameters and time simultaneously. It is typically much better to use transformations in an opening scene to

present the model to the viewer. The transformations should end at a vantage point suitable for viewing the transient

phenomena. At that point, the time-dependent data can be displayed. If you must alter the scene during transient

display, do so with great care to avoid disorienting viewers.

Note that you can animate time-dependent information without transformations by merely creating two keyframes

without performing any transformations between them.

In many instances, there will not be enough time steps in the simulation to produce an animation of adequate

duration. If the simulation does not involve changing geometries, EnSight can interpolate between time steps

(linearly) to yield additional frames. However, keep in mind that your simulated phenomena is almost certainly not

linear in nature. If you have EnSight generate more than a few interpolating frames between each actual time step,

the resulting discontinuity at keyframes (from the piece-wise linear interpolation) is quite visible in the resulting video.

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Frame count

The total number of frames that EnSight will produce during the animation is the sum of all sub-frames plus the

number of keyframes. This is especially important to keep in mind when synchronizing transient data with animation

frames.

Animated Traces

If you display animating particle traces during keyframe animation, you may have noticed that the trace animation

always resets at the beginning of the keyframe animation. However, in most cases it is desirable to have the trace

animation fully in progress when the animation begins. This can be accomplished by creating an additional keyframe

at the beginning of the animation. Set the number of sub-frames between keyframes 1 and 2 to a value high enough

to yield the desired tracer saturation. When you run the animation, set the Run From field to 2 so that the animation

begins generating frames with keyframe 2. At that point, the tracer animation process will have executed once for

each sub-frame between keyframes 1 and 2.

Color

The color gamut (the range of colors a device is capable of displaying) of video (especially NTSC) is significantly less

than that of your workstation monitor. The result is that certain colors that look fine on your workstation cannot be

reproduced on video. Fully saturated colors (especially red and blue which “bleed” across the screen) are particularly

troublesome. However, it is quite easy to de-saturate your images prior to recording. There are actually three ways

to do this:

1. Modify all of the colors in use to de-saturate them. For example, if a color is pure red (1., 0., 0.), change it to be a

more pastel red (.85, .1, .1).

2. Modify the saturation factor in the Image Format Options. A factor of 0.85 is usually good.

3. Create your animation, then de-saturate the images using an image tool such as the one available from the San

Diego Supercomputing Center (it is free). This will only work, of course, if you are saving animation images to disk

files.

Dark backgrounds work much better than light backgrounds. Black is often the best choice.

Lines

Moving single-width lines have a tendency to “crawl” on video. Use a minimum line width of 2.

Anti-aliasing

Without correction, computer-generated imagery exhibits aliasing artifacts that typically show up as jagged edges.

For our purposes it is sufficient to say that aliasing results from sampling at a resolution too low to capture the “signal”

represented by the underlying geometry. We can only sample our geometry at the available pixels. Since the

effective number of pixels in the NTSC video signal is only one quarter the number of your workstation screen, what

looks fine on your workstation may be less than acceptable on video. EnSight provides direct anti-aliasing support

through its multipass capability. There are also some other ways to mitigate this problem.

If you are recording images to disk files, record them at full screen resolution and then use an image re-scaling tool

(such as EnVe) to down-sample the images to the desired video resolution. This down-sampling averages several

pixels to yield one output pixel, effectively preserving much of the resolution contained in the original full screen

image.

Annotation

The smallest annotation text that can be clearly read on video has a font size of 40. For title sequences, use a size of

about 65.

If you display parts colored by variables, you should always include the applicable color legend so viewers

understand what the coloration represents. For color legends, it is often sufficient to display just one value at the top

(the maximum) and one at the bottom (the minimum) in addition to the name of the variable. In fact, sometimes just

using “High” and “Low” are sufficient if only the relative magnitudes of the variable are important.

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Screen Space

The region of a video display that is “safe” for viewing is typically smaller than your animation display window. You

should plan your scenes such that objects of interest (especially annotation entities) do not come “too close” to the

edge. If you keep these objects within the range (in EnSight viewport coordinates) .06 to .94 for X (width) and .05 to

.95 for Y (height) you should be safe.

Introductory Sequence

Your animation should begin with some title slides explaining the problem domain to your viewers. Try not to put too

many words on any one slide and display each one for at least four seconds.

Next, before displaying your results, provide a sequence that introduces viewers to your model. This sequence

should be long enough and complete enough to orient the average target viewer to your problem. It is difficult to

overestimate the need for this sequence. Without it, viewers are often confused and disoriented for the entire

animation.

Credits

You should always include proper credits on any animation you produce. Even animations initially intended only for

internal consumption often end up shown to broader audiences.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Keyframe Animation

Page 474

HOW TO ANIMATE PARTICLE TRACES

Animate Particle Traces

INTRODUCTION

EnSight’s powerful particle tracing facility can trace particles (either steady-state or transient) through flow fields.

Animating the resulting traces often promotes intuitive comprehension of the characteristics of the underlying flow

field. Traces are animated by displaying one or more tracers on all traces of the trace part. A tracer moves along the

path of a trace with length proportional to the local velocity. EnSight provides complete control over all aspects of the

tracers including length, speed, and release interval for multiple pulses.

This article covers particle trace animation and assumes that you have already created one or more particle trace

parts. See How To Create Particle Traces for more information.

BASIC OPERATION

To enable particle trace animation and adjust the animation parameters:

1. Double-click the desired particle

trace part in the Main Parts list.

Which will bring up the Parts

Feature Panel.

2. Toggle on Animate.

3. Click Animation settings... to open

the Trace Animation Settings dialog.

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Tracer Parameter Descriptions:

Record

Once animated traces are computed, they can be recorded.

Tracer Time (Length) The Tracer Time (Length) parameter acts as a scaling factor for all tracer lengths

(the higher the value the longer the tracer). Tracer length varies as the local

velocity changes along the trace. For example, the tracer will lengthen as the

leading edge of the tracer moves into a higher velocity region.

Tracer Delta (Speed) The Tracer Delta (Speed) parameter acts as a scaling factor for the tracer speed

(the higher the value the faster the tracer). The speed of the leading and trailing

tracer edges varies as the local velocity changes along the trace.

Pulse Interval The interval between successive tracer emissions when in multiple pulse mode

(the higher the value the longer the interval between pulses). Note that the

distance between tracers will increase when the local velocity increases.

Set the color of the tracers

to either Trace Color (i.e.

the same color as the

parent trace part) or

Constant (and set the

desired color using the

Mix... button or the RGB

fields.

Set the line width of the

tracers.

If transient traces

(pathlines), set the Start

Time and/or Max Time.

Set the tracers length

factor (see below).

Set the tracers speed

factor (see below).

Make changes as desired (remember to press return for changes to text fields).

Set tracers head representation. Either None or Spheres. If Spheres,

the radius can be Constant (set by the Scale value) or sized by a

variable and scaled by the Scale value. Sphere detail set via Detail

field.

Click to load good default values to the Tracer Time, Tracer Delta, and

Pulse Intervals fields.

Toggle on Multiple pulses and set the interval between pulses (see

below).

The “Record current graphics window animation”

icon will be on.

Click it to open the Save Animation dialog.

This is explained in How To Print/Save an Image

Off On

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ADVANCED USAGE

If you have time-dependent data and have calculated transient particle traces (pathlines), you can enable trace

animation, load a transient flipbook, and view the animating pathlines simultaneously with the dynamic flipbook. See

How To Create Particle Traces and How To Animate Transient Data for more information.

OTHER NOTES

The parameters in the Trace Animation Settings dialog are not specific to the currently selected particle trace part –

the settings apply to all currently animating particle trace parts.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Particle Trace Animation

Page 477

HOW TO CREATE TEXT ANNOTATION

Annotate

Create Text Annotation

INTRODUCTION

EnSight has comprehensive features for text annotation. Not only can you display and position user-specified text,

you can also display text contained in the description lines of some data formats as well as dynamic text that changes

over time.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Click Text icon from the Feature Icon Bar to

open the Annotation Feature Panel.

2. Click the Text tab

3. Click the Create button, which will create a

“New Text” annotation.

4. Click on the text string and modify it.

If you hit the “Enter” keyboard key you will

insert a line return into the annotation.

While entering text, you can easily change the

script to super, sub, or normal by clicking the

Superscript, Subscript, or Normal buttons found

in the Super/Sub tab. These buttons will insert

<up>, <dn>, or <no> into the string.

Other Special Coded Items, including changing

the font, which can be inserted into a string (by

selecting and hitting Insert special item) are

discussed below.

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To manipulate text string, first select the string(s) of interest in the list then:

To change visibility:

Toggle Visible off or on.

To change color:

Select the desired color from the matrix, enter RGB

values in the fields, or click More... to open the Color

Selector dialog.

To change justification:

Select the desired Left, Right, or Center justification from

the Justify pulldown.

To change text size:

Either resize the text interactively by grabbing the touch-

n-go resize handle and dragging, or by precisely

specifying the font size in the Size field of the dialog (or

using the slider to change the font size).

Important Note! The text size specified is relative to the

size of the Graphics Window. If you increase the size of

the Graphics Window, all text will also rescale to

maintain the same relative size.

To change text rotation:

The orientation of text about the text justification point

may be specified by specifying the rotation angle (in

degrees) in the Rotation field (or using the slider to

change rotation angle). You can also specify a rotation

angle from the Quick Action icon bar.

To add shadow text effect:

Enter offset and intensity or use sliders. You can also

use the Quick Action Icon Bar.

To change location of the justification point in the

graphics window:

Either interactively drag the text to the desired location

using the touch-and-go handles, or precisely specify the

location in the Origin XY fields.

You can also specify the viewport that the text is to be

positioned relative to. If 0, the position is relative to the

graphics window.

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Special Coded Items

EnSight can automatically build text strings based on information from various sources. To use one of these special

strings, select the desired item from the Special String list, select any required options, and click Insert Special Item.

A code will be inserted into the Text field.

The following special strings are available. If multiple cases are loaded, any reference to parts or variables applies to

the currently selected case (select Case > casename to changes cases)

Fonts Brings up the TrueType font selection dialog, allowing a new font to be selected

Symbols Brings up a symbol dialog. Click on any symbol to insert it at the current character

insertion point of the string. The symbol will be inserted in to the string via a <sy>xxx,

where xxx is the ASCII number for the selected symbol.

Special values Values from the operating system, the geometry and the variables.

Information on manipulating fonts, including additional text font formatting codes

that can be used, are described in How To Manipulate Fonts

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EnSight command language variables can also be inserted into annotation strings via a special item coding option.

This coding item does not have an associated, but can be typed directly into the annotation text edit field. The coding

has the form:

<\\ensv “format“ var_name\\>

The format string is the “C” printf specification for the item formatting. var_name is the actual name of the variable

value to be inserted. If the following lines of EnSight command language were executed:

$globalstring example

Constant Variable The value of a constant variable (such as Time or Length). Select the variable from the

Constant Variables list and select the desired numeric display format from the Number

Format list.

If the constant variable changes, the corresponding text will automatically update. This

is very useful for displaying the current solution time during a transient animation.

Part Value The “value” of a part. Currently works for isosurface and some (ijk, xyz, rtz, plane

aligned with axis, or attached to spline) clip parts where the value is the corresponding

isovalue or clip location or value. Parts that have a value will appear in the part selection

list. Select the part in the Part(s) list and select the desired numeric display format from

the Number Format list.

Variable visible min The minimum value of the variable on the visible elements in the visible geometry on the

client at the current time. This is, therefore, different from the min function in the

calculator, in the query/probe minimum, or the query/plot minimum. The value of this

annotation can change when visible parts are made invisible, when the element

representation of the part is changed, and when new parts are made visible in the

viewport.

Variable visible

max

The same as the min value only using the maximum values of the variable existing on

the visible elements of the part(s) in the graphics window.

Variable visible

ranges in viewport

Display the min/max variable information for all parts visible (taking into account element

blanking) in a specified viewport. If parts are colored by multiple variables then multiple

annotation strings will be created - one for each variable in use in the viewport. If you

change the color by variable(s) the text string will update to reflect the new color change.

If you change the part element representation, the text string will update to reflect the

visible elements.

Part Description The description of the part as displayed in the Main Parts list. (Note that you can change

this text by editing the Desc field in the applicable Feature Panel for the part.)

Units This will display the variable units for the selected variable. If the variable selection list is

empty then this dataset does not have units.

Date Current date. Example: January 1, 2012

Time Current time. Example: 14:19:12

Geometry Header The first or second text line of the geometry file of the current case. Select Line 1 or Line

Measured Header The first line of the measured (discrete) data file of the current case.

Variable Header The first line (typically the description line) from a variable file. Select the desired

variable from the variable selection list.

Version The name and current version number. Example: EnSight Version 10.2.

Super/Sub Select the text that you want to be superscripted or subscripted, click on the Super/Sub

tab and toggle the appropriate value.

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$example = Hello from EnSight

The annotation string:

The value is: <\\ensv “%s“ example\\>

would result in the annotation containing the string “The value is: Hello from EnSight”. If the variable is updated, the

following command language will update the annotation:

text: update

Another example uses the built-in EnSight frames per second counter which stores the current rendering rate in

frames per second in the ensight variable “ensight_fps”. This annotation string, containing embedded ensight

variable formatting, will display the current rendering rate dynamically in EnSight:

Frames per second: <\\ensv “%.2f“ ensight_fps\\>

It is also possible to embed the value of an interactive query into an annotation string. The first value of the

interactive query results is always used. The format for this is the keyword "iqval", followed by a format statement

and a interactive query id number (zero based). For example:

Temperature = <\\iqval "%.2f" 0\\>

will display an annotation string with the value of interactive query 0 displayed to two places of precision after the

equal sign in the annotation.

Delete Annotations

SEE ALSO

How To Manipulate Fonts

User Manual: Text Annotation

Existing annotations can be deleted by selecting them in the

Annotations list and performing a right click to “Delete”.

Page 482

HOW TO CREATE LINES

Create Lines

INTRODUCTION

EnSight can display annotation lines that can either be specified in 2D screen space or in 3D world space.

BASIC OPERATION

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Line Annotation

2. Click Line icon.

To manipulate a line’s, first select

the line(s) of interest in the

Annotation list panel, then:

To change visibility:

Toggle Visible on or off. Note that if the

Limited redraw toggle is on invisible

lines are drawn in a subdued color.

To change color:

Select the desired color from the

matrix, enter RGB values in the fields,

or click More... to open the Color

Selector dialog

To change location:

Set the ‘Origin by’ to Screen

coordinates or 3D coordinates. You

can drag the endpoints specified by

screen coordinates in the graphics

window. You can also specify the X, Y

(and Z if 3D coordinates) by typing into

the fields.

To change line width:

Click the Width Pulldown and select the

desired line width.

To label the line:

Specify Text Annotation from the

pulldown to align it with line annotation.

3. Create a new line in the Graphics

Window by clicking the Create button.

1. Click the Annotation

feature icon.

To change Arrowhead status:

Click the Arrows Pulldown and select the desired state.

To delete a line, Select the item in the list and right click to

Delete.

Page 483

HOW TO CREATE 2D SHAPES

Create 2D Shapes

INTRODUCTION

EnSight can display 2D shapes (arrow, rectangle, and circle in present release). These 2D shapes overlay the

Graphics window and are not associated with any viewport.

BASIC OPERATION

To manipulate a shape’s, first select the

shape(s) of interest in the list panel (or pick

them in the graphics window), then:

To change visibility:

Toggle Visible on or off. Note that if you turn on

Limited redraw invisible shapes are drawn in a

subdued color.

To change color:

Select the desired color from the matrix, enter

RGB values in the fields, or click More... to open

the Color Selector dialog.

To change location:

Either select the shape and drag it to the desired

location, or type appropriate coordinates into the

Origin X/Y fields. The origin of a 2D arrow is the

point of the arrow. The origin of a rectangle or

circle is the center of the object.

To change size:

Either select the shape by the resize handle and

drag it to the desired size, or type appropriate

Width/Length (or Height or Diameter) values into

the fields. Units are 0 to 1.

To change fill mode:

You can draw the shape in filled mode or in outline

mode.

1. Click the Annotation

feature icon.

To Apply textures to the shape:

These are the same textures used by the

parts and the ‘Edit textures...’ button will

open the part texture dialog, where textures

or animations can be loaded and other set.

Note that 2D shape textures always replace the

current shape color and modes like “modulate”

and “decal” as well as custom projections and

repeat behavior are not supported.

Other: To Rotate the shape:

According to the selected shape, other may

exist, such as rotation, arrowhead, etc.

To delete a shape, Right click the shape in

the Annotations object panel and Delete.

2. Click 2D Shape icon in the

Create/edit Annotation dialog.

3. Create a new shape in the

Graphics Window by setting

the Shape type and then

clicking the Create button.

Page 484

HOW TO CREATE 2D SHAPES

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Shape Annotation

Page 485

HOW TO CREATE 3D ARROWS

Create 3D Arrows

INTRODUCTION

EnSight can display 3D arrows. The 3D arrow is defined in model space and transforms with the scene. The 3D arrow

is visible in the viewport(s) specified.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Click Annotation icon.

2. Click 3D Annotation Arrow tab in the

Create/edit Annotation dialog.

3. Create a new 3D annotation arrow in

the Graphics Window (and in the

Arrows Annotations list) by clicking

the Create button.

5. Position the mouse and press the ‘p’ key.

4. Select this Arrow in the list, then Pick

the arrow tip location option in the

Pick pulldown.

Page 486

HOW TO CREATE 3D ARROWS

To manipulate 3D annotation, first select

the item(s) of interest in the list panel (or

pick them in the graphics window), then:

To change viewport visibility:

Click on the viewport region to toggle the

visibility in the viewport. Green means visibility

is on.

Under Lighting Tab, change surface

characteristics:

Shininess is surface smoothness, intensity is

how much white light in reflected color, and

diffusivity is amount of ambient light reflected.

Under Size Tab, change size:

Arrow size is in global coordinates. Arrow

radius, tip length and tip radius are all in

percent of arrow size.

Note that scaling of the arrows can also be

controlled below and above given value

ranges.

Page 487

HOW TO CREATE 3D ARROWS

SEE ALSO

User Manual: 3D Arrow Annotation

Under the Label Tab, change Label

characteristics:

Type in the arrow label, size it, and color it here.

If the 3D arrow Location was defined as the

location for an interactive query you can

append the interactive query value.

The arrow label can also be defined as an

existing text annotation id. Specify the ID here

and set the text size and color.

Under the Location Tab, change location:

The origin can be set by interactive query

probe locations, xyz coordinate, or external

force or moment vector glyphs. For example,

for xyz location - either type appropriate

coordinates in the X, Y, and Z fields or enter a

node ID or an element ID. Offset value moves

the arrow backwards.

and orientation:

Buttons: The X, Y, Z orient the arrow parallel to

the axis, Flip reverses 180 degrees, and

Normal is normal to a surface (active only if a

surface).

Sliders: Also you can rotate the normal about

the X, Y, or Z. it here.

For the other “Origin by” options appropriate

are presented.

Page 488

HOW TO CREATE DIALS

Create Dials

INTRODUCTION

EnSight can display A 2D dial (such as a clock to measure time) tied to a constant variable. These 2D dials overlay

the Graphics window and are not associated with any viewport.

BASIC OPERATION

To change visibility:

Toggle Visible on or off.

To change whether border is drawn:

Toggle Border on or off.

To change the number of tick marks:

Enter the number of tick marks.

To change the size of the dial:

Enter a value for the dial radius or use the slider.

Values are 0 to 1.

To change location:

Either select the dial and drag it to the desired

location, or type appropriate coordinates into the

Origin X/Y fields. The origin of a dial is the center.

To delete a dial, Right click the dial in the

Annotations list and select “Delete” from the

pulldown.

The Big hand, Little Hand, Value and Background

area is explained on the next page.

Example:

1. Click the Annotations icon.

2. Click the Dial icon in the Create/edit

Annotation dialog.

3. Create a new dial in the Graphics

Window by selecting a variable in

the Use constant variable list and

then clicking the Create button.

To manipulate dial, first select the

gauge(s) of interest in the list, then:

Page 489

HOW TO CREATE DIALS

for the Big hand

The dial "big hand" points straight up at the minimum value

and has a range specified. If the variable being tracked

exceeds the range the modulus of the variable and the range

is shown.

To change any of the Big hand click the "Big hand" tab.

To change the minimum value:

Enter the minimum value in the field.

To change the range:

Enter the range in the field.

To change color for the big hand:

Select the desired color from the matrix, enter RGB values

in the fields, or click More... to open the Color Selector

dialog.

for the Little hand

The dial "little hand" may be visible or not. If visible it is simply

the count of how many rotations the big hand has made. A

value of 0 is straight up and can not be changed.

To change any of the Little hand click on the "Little hand"

tab.

To change the little hand visibility:

Click on the Display toggle.

To modify the Little hand range:

Enter a new range value.

To change color for the little hand:

See instructions under Big hand.

for Value

The dial may display a value on the dial representing the

variable value or the number of rotations the little hand has

made.

To change any of the value display on the dial click on

the "Value" tab.

To change the value visibility:

Click on the Display toggle.

To change the size of the font:

Enter a font size or slide the slider.

To change the display type:

Set Show as to Revolutions if you wish the value to

indicate the number of revolutions that the Big hand has

made or set to Value if you want to display the variable

value.

If you set the Show as to Value you can also set the format

being used by modifying the Format type and the number of

Decimal places.

To change color for the value display:

See instructions under Big hand.

Page 490

HOW TO CREATE DIALS

QUICK CREATION

Right click on the Annotation list under the Annotation Tab and choose Create Dial. This will pop up a dialog to select

a constant. If the constant has ‘angle in it then the dial will be scaled from 0 to 360 (which is useful, for example, for

showing crank angle as seen below). Otherwise the min, max and current timestep will be loaded to determine the

scaling for the dial. .

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Dial Annotation

for the Background

Controls the shading and color of the dial.

To remove the dial background:

Click on the Display toggle. When off no dial background

will be displayed (the dial will be in "wireframe").

To change color for the background:

See instructions under Big hand.

Page 491

HOW TO CREATE GAUGES

Create Gauges

INTRODUCTION

EnSight can display a 2D gauge tied to a constant variable. These 2D gauges overlay the Graphics window and are

not associated with any viewport.

BASIC OPERATION

1. Click the Annotations icon.

2. Click the Gauge icon in the Create/

edit Annotation dialog.

3. Create a new gauge in the Graphics

Window by selecting a variable in

the Use constant variable list and

then clicking the Create button.

To manipulate gauge, first select the

gauge(s) of interest in the list, then:

To change visibility:

To change whether border is drawn:

Toggle Border on or off.

To change the variable range:

Adjust the min and max values. If the

variable value being tracked is greater

than or equal to the maximum value, the

gauge will be “full”. Similarly, if the

variable value is less than or equal to the

minimum value, the gauge will be

“empty”.

To change the orientation:

Set the orientation to Vertical or

Horizontal.

To change the width/height:

Enter a new width/height value or use the

sliders. Values are 0 to 1.

To change location:

Either select the gauge and drag it to the

desired location, or type appropriate

coordinates into the Origin X/Y fields.

The origin of a gauge is the lower left

corner.

To delete a gauge, right click on it in the

graphics window and select Delete.

Example:

The Gauge level, Value and

Background area is explained

on the next page.

Page 492

HOW TO CREATE GAUGES

for the Gauge level

You can modify the gauge foreground color

(the color tracking the variable value) by:

Click on the Gauge level tab/button.

Select the desired color from the matrix,

enter RGB values in the fields, or click

More... to open the Color Selector dialog.

for Value

A label may be placed on the gauge to

indicate the current value of the tracked

variable.

To change any of the value display on

the gauge click on the "Value" tab.

To change the value label visibility:

Click on the Display toggle.

To change the size and location:

Set the font size and the location for the

label.

To change the format:

You can set the format to floating or

exponential format. For both formats you

can specify the number of decimal places

to display.

To change color for the value label:

See instructions under Gauge level.

for the Background

Controls the shading and color of the gauge.

To remove the gauge background:

Click on the Display toggle. When off no

gauge background will be displayed (the

gauge will be in "wireframe").

To change color for the background:

See instructions under Gauge level.

Page 493

HOW TO CREATE GAUGES

QUICK GAUGE

Right click on the Gauges folder in the Annotations tab, and choose Create>Gauge. A dialog will pop up to select a

constant to use for the dial. Select a constant and the value of the constant at the current, the min and the max

timesteps will be used to scale the newly created gauge.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Gauge Annotation

Page 494

HOW TO LOAD CUSTOM LOGOS

Load Custom Logos

INTRODUCTION

EnSight can display bit mapped graphics loaded from disk files. A bitmap can be any image, however, the most

common use is to include a logo or other signature graphic to identify the source of images or animations. Bitmaps

are drawn over all geometric objects in the Graphics Window (at least where the bitmap is opaque), but under all

other annotation entities.

BASIC OPERATION

To load a logo:

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Logo Annotation

To manipulate logo, first select the logo(s) of

interest in the list (or in the graphics window),

then:

To change visibility:

Toggle Visible off or on. Note that if “Limited redraw”

is turned on, the logo will not be completely invisible

but will be displayed in a subdued color.

To change location in the graphics window:

Either position the logo interactively by selecting the

desired logo in the Graphics Window and dragging

it to the desired location, or specify the precise

coordinates in the X and Y fields.

To change size:

Type the desired scaling factors into the “By scale”

X & Y fields and pressing return rescales the logo to

remain at a constant size no matter the size of the

graphics window.

Or selecting “By normalized” and changing the

Width value between 0.0 and 1.0 will automatically

rescale the logo proportional to the size and aspect

ratio of the graphics window.

Note that the size of a logo cannot be adjusted

interactively.

1. Select the Annotation Feature icon.

2. Click the Logo icon at the top of the Create/Edit Annotations dialog.

3. Click the Create button and select the supported image format file using the File selection dialog

which comes up, and click Open.

Page 495

HOW TO CREATE COLOR LEGENDS

Create Color Legends

INTRODUCTION

Every currently active variable has an associated color legend that can be displayed in the Graphics Window. Color

legends provide essential information about images that use parts colored by variable values (color fringes).

Legends are particularly important if the image is to be viewed by others.

Legends are drawn as a vertical or horizontal color bar with associated variable values. The size and position of the

color legend can be changed. This article discusses changing the appearance of color legends by modifying

Annotation. To edit the color palette itself (change colors or change the mapping from variable values to colors) see

How To Edit Color Palettes.

BASIC OPERATION

To display a color legend:

1. Click on the Annotation tab in the object list

area.

2. Turn down the Legends group so you can

see the legends that are available.

3. Click the variable legend(s) you wish to

show or hide.

The list contains legends for scalar variables and

for magnitude and components of vector

variables.

4. Right click to Hide or Show the legend

- OR -

4. Click on the visibility icon in the Legends

Quick Action Icon Bar.

If you wish to turn all of the legends off you can

click on the Legends group (which selects all

legends) then right click to hide.

Page 496

HOW TO CREATE COLOR LEGENDS

Resize or Reposition Color Legends in Graphics Window

Color legends can be selected in the graphics window and then scaled or moved:

Manipulating Other Legend

1. Move the mouse on top of the legend you wish to move or scale. The touch-

n-go handles appear

2. Click and drag the center point to move the legend.

3. Click and drag the resize handle (upper right) to modify the width and height

of the legend.

The other two resize handles will modify the min and max values attached to

the palette.

1. Double click on the legend you wish

to modify or select it and right click

to Edit. This will bring up the Feature

Panel.

2. Click Legend icon tab if not already

active, then:

To change visibility:

Toggle Visible on or off.

To change color of text and colorbar

outline:

Select the desired color from the matrix,

enter RGB values in the fields, or click

More... to open the Color Selector dialog.

To change title position:

Click the Title Pulldown and select either

Above (the default), Below, or None.

To change legend orientation:

Click the desired Layout (Vertical or

Horizontal).

To change text position:

Click the Values Pulldown and select either

Left/Bottom (the default), Right/Top, or None.

To change legend type:

Click the Type Pulldown and select either Continuous

(the default) or Discrete.

To change text size:

Enter the desired text size or slide the slider.

To change Value label format:

Either select a pre-defined format from the Value format List or enter a new format

string in the Text Format field.

To change location:

Enter values for X & Y (lower left corner) and width and height.

Page 497

HOW TO CREATE COLOR LEGENDS

SEE ALSO

How To Edit Color Palettes

User Manual: Legend Annotation

Page 498

HOW TO MANIPULATE FONTS

Manipulate Fonts

INTRODUCTION

EnSight draws all of its text in the graphics window using TrueType fonts. It is capable of reading and drawing most

TrueType fonts and font collections. Under Windows, it is also capable of rendering internationalized multi-byte text in

annotations, provided an appropriate font containing the necessary glyphs is selected.

To ensure portability between platforms, EnSight includes a collection of cross-platform fonts embedded into EnSight.

These include the typefaces: Arial, Courier New, Symbol, and Times New Roman. If a user restricts font usage to

these font families, resulting .els and other files will be portable. If other font families are used, EnSight may substitute

one of these (or other) fonts if it cannot find a match on the target system. EnSight will also read the installed system

fonts on Windows and Power PC-based Macs. The environmental variable CEI_FONTPATH may be set to a list of ':'

(';' on Windows) separated directory names in which EnSight should also look for .ttf and .ttc files. This allows

the user to use their own fonts in EnSight on any platform.

Fonts are always specified in EnSight as a family name and an optional style with a ':' separator. For example,

'Arial:BoldItalic' specifies the Arial family with the styles Bold and Italic applied. Style names of 'Roman', 'Italic',

'Bold' and 'Oblique' (and combinations) are all recognized by EnSight and are mapped against the internal flags in the

TrueType files themselves. The default fonts, styles and sizes used by EnSight can also be set through a collection of

environmental variables:

The ENSIGHT_FONT_DEFAULT_*_STYLE environmental variables use a numbering scheme for the styles. The

following values may be added together to form the style: BOLD 1

ITALIC 2

OBLIQUE 4

ROMAN 8

For example, if the user wanted annotations to default to Arial:BoldItalic, the following environmental variables should

be set (Windows syntax):

set ENSIGHT_FONT_DEFAULT_ANNOT=Arial

set ENSIGHT_FONT_DEFAULT_ANNOT_STYLE=3

This selects Arial and BOLD+ITALIC=3. The default font is not recorded in scenario files. Thus, if a scenario file is

generated with these defaults, for the EnLiten user to see the exact same annotations, they would need to set the

same environmental variables and have the same fonts installed on their system. Font changes made with the <fo=>

formatting codes (see below) are embedded into the scenario files and do not require the environmental variable

changes for proper display (but do require the same fonts be installed).

Note: under Windows, EnSight uses Times New Roman as the default font for annotations. This font does not contain

a large selection of multi-lingual characters. For users running internationalized versions of Windows, we suggest

that they set ENSIGHT_FONT_DEFAULT_ANNOT to the name of the typeface that best matches their locale. This

allows for natural internationalized text input.

ENSIGHT_FONT_DEFAULT_SYMBOL family to be used instead of the symbol font - default = “symbol”

ENSIGHT_FONT_DEFAULT_OUTLINE family to be used for ID/axis labeling - default = “Arial”

ENSIGHT_FONT_DEFAULT_ANNOT family to be used for annotations - default = “Times New Roman”

ENSIGHT_FONT_DEFAULT_SYMBOL_STYLE style to be used with the symbol font

ENSIGHT_FONT_DEFAULT_OUTLINE_STYLE style to be used with the outline font

ENSIGHT_FONT_DEFAULT_ANNOT_STYLE style to be used with the annotation font

ENSIGHT_FONT_DEFAULT_OUTLINE_SCALE specifies the relative scale for the outline font. The value 100.0 is

the default 200.0 is 2x larger, 50.0 is ½ size

Page 499

HOW TO MANIPULATE FONTS

BASIC OPERATION

Font selection dialog

In nearly every location where EnSight allows the

user to enter a text string to be used for display

(e.g. text annotations, plot titles, axis titles, etc), it

is possible to change the font. It is also possible to

change the font repeatedly in a string. This is done

by inserting a special code into the string that

contains the font name (See Text formatting codes

for details). In several locations in EnSight, this

operation is simplified via the Value Format

Chooser dialog (or something similar) which lists

all the available font family/style combinations and

allows the user to change fonts in the text field

currently being edited

The current font (possibly the default) is selected

in the list when the dialog is opened. The user

may change this font to any other by selecting

from this list and clicking OK.

To illustrate the use of font capabilities,

Text Annotation will be used:

Double click, or right click and select Edit...

to open the Create/edit Annotation (Text)

dialog.

The text can be modified in the field.

Page 500

HOW TO MANIPULATE FONTS

The text to be edited is typed into the

scrolling text field. Note that pressing 'enter'

inserts a new line into the annotation.

The results of the edit are dynamically

redrawn in the graphics window as you make

changes.

The Fonts and their weights can be inserted

by selecting them under the Fonts tab.

Special EnSight values can be inserted

under the Special values tab.

Under the Super/Sub tab, the Normal,

Subscript and Superscript radio buttons

allow the user to mark sections of the text to

be in super or subscript form by inserting the

special codes <no> <up> and <dn> into the

text stream.

Symbols can be selected under the

Symbols tab.

Any of the codes (shown in the Font

Formatting Codes on the next page) can

be typed in manually as well, if desired.

Page 501

HOW TO MANIPULATE FONTS

Font formatting codes

The TrueType rendering system supports a number of special embedded codes. These can generally be placed in

most any string displayed in the EnSight graphics window (e.g. plot titles, axis titles, etc). When the text string is

drawn, these special codes are parsed out of the string and they affect any text to the right of the code. In general, the

effects are additive and to turn an effect off, insert another code that sets the feature back to its default value. The

codes are:

<no> The text is drawn in "normal" mode.

<up> The text is drawn in superscript mode.

<dn> The text is drawn in subscript mode.

<fo=[family|*][:style]> Change the current font family and/or style. To change just the font family, use

<fo=newfamily>. To change the style only, use <fo=*:newstyle>. The

special case of <fo=> resets the text family and style to the default.

<so=[scale][:voff]> Change the current scaling and/or vertical line offset. To change only the relative

fontsize, use <so=scale>, where 1.0 is the default size of the text. To change

only the vertical offset of the next text, use <so=:offset>. For example,

<so=0.5:0.5> simulates superscript. The special case of <so=> resets the scale

and vertical offset to 1.0 and 0.0 respectively.

<st=X> Store the current text position into slot X (x is an integer from 1 to 9).

<re=X> Recall the current text position from slot X (x is an integer from 1 to 9).

The store/recall mechanism in conjunction with <so=> allows for accurate

repositioning of text. For example, it allows overstrike of text and for the generation

of simultaneous super and subscripts as well as formatted fractions. Note that slot

0 is reserved for the first character in the current line of text.

<sy>XXX Insert a single glyph from the "Symbol" font at this position. Note that 3 decimal

digits must follow the <sy> text.

<uc=num> An arbitrary glyph from a font using its Unicode number. The number must be

specified as four hexadecimal digits. For example, <uc=00A9> will produce the

<co=R[:G:B[:A]]> Set the color of the subsequent text. The user may supply up to 4 floating point

values in the range [0.0,1.0] for the Red, Green, Blue and Alpha (opacity) of the

text. The alpha value defaults to 1.0, while other values default to the value to their

left. Note: <co=:::0.5> changes just the opacity of the text.

<cr> Explicitly move to the next line. This is the same as pressing 'enter' in the textfield.

Note that text shown in the Annotation dialog list for text annotations is displayed

with <cr> in place of all new lines.

Page 502

HOW TO MANIPULATE FONTS

A simple example

The following is an example of a text annotation that utilizes multiple fonts, multiple lines of text, symbols and the

store/recall feature.

The first few words are in normal text, followed by a font change and a new line. Midway through the second line, the

font changes again and at the end of that line, it changes back to the default font and style. The third line ends with a

glyph from the symbol font. The last line starts by storing the location of the 'S' character in slot '1'. It then draws

'Stored location' before the <re=1> command recalls current output to the 'S' location. Finally, a row of underscores

are drawn that overstrike the words "Stored location".

A more complex example

The following text annotation example illustrates the use of text colors and some scaling and offset options.

This example begins by drawing an 'A', then scaling up the text while dropping it a bit below the line before drawing a

left brace '['. It then stores off that location and sets up drawing at the original size, but above the baseline. The color

is changed to red and the word 'more' is drawn. The stored location is recalled and a similar operation is done for the

word 'complex' below the baseline. The scale is set to the same as the first brace, the color is reset to white and the

right brace ']' is drawn. To end the line, the scale and offset are reset and 'example' is drawn in blue. The second line

is a blank line. The final line is a simple example of how to make a piece of text partially transparent. Note that the red

object behind the text can been seen through the text.

SEE ALSO

How To Create Text Annotation

User Manual: Annotations List Panel

The string entered into the View Text Create/Edit

Dialog to create this annotation is:

This is <fo=Arial:BoldItalic>dynamically

updated, <fo=Courier New:BoldItalic>multi-line

<fo=>text... A symbol:<sy>120

<st=1>Stored location<re=1>____________

The string entered into the View Text Create/Edit Dialog to

create this annotation is shown below (note that this is

actually three lines of text, the first is a single, very long line):

A<so=2:-0.25><sy>091<st=1><so=1:0.5><co=1:0:0> more<re=1><so=:-

0.25><co=0:1:0>complex<so=2:-0.25><co=><sy>093<so=> <co=0:0:1>example

<co=1:1:1:0.5>A transparent example

Page 503

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE ICON BARS AND PANELS

Configure EnSight

Customize Icon Bars and Panels

INTRODUCTION

EnSight uses several sets of icons to group functionality. The Feature Icon bar can be customized in terms of which

features are available and what order they will be presented. All of the icon bars can be moved and docked or

undocked. In addition, all of the list panels (part, variable, viewports, annotations, query/plots, and frames) can

customize the columns of data displayed in the panel.

The icons can have text “sub titles” under the icon. Many users find it useful to turn this text one while they learn the

system and turn it back off once mastered.

BASIC OPERATION

To turn on Icon text:

To customize the Feature Icon Bar:

1. Right click in the Feature Icon bar then select

“Display icon text” from the pulldown.

1. Right click in the Feature Icon bar then select “Customize Feature Toolbar” from the pulldown.

2. In the resulting dialog you can:

(a) Select features from the “available” list on the

left and use the right arrow button to place it on the

Feature Icon bar.

(b) Similar, if you select a feature in the right

column you can click the left

mouse button which will remove it

from the Feature Icon bar.

can be moved up and down to

modify its order on the icon bar via

use of the up/down arrows.

3. The Save button will retain the

settings next time you run EnSight.

4. While the OK button will make

the modifications for the current

session only.l

Page 504

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE ICON BARS AND PANELS

To customize the columns in the list panels:

1. Right click on the column header in the list you wish to

customize. In the figure shown the right click was performed

on the “Name” portion of the list.

2. Each list panel will have a different set of that can be shown.

The figure at right shows the choices for the Variables list.

Similar to the Feature Bar discussion above you can add or

remove new columns and modify the order of the columns

using the left/right and up/down arrows.

To move the Icon bars:

1. Right click on any icon bar. In the resulting pulldown

the “Lock toolbars” should be unchecked, i.e., toolbars

are allowed to be moved.

2. The icon bars have a “handle”. Click and drag the

handle and the icon bar will come out of the user

interface and will follow the mouse as you move it.

3. If you release the mouse button outside of the user interface

the icon bar will be free floating.

3. As you drag the icon bar to the various docking locations in

the user interface you will see a space open up where the bar

could dock itself. Release the mouse button and the icon bar

will doc in the space provided.

The blue rectangle indicates

where the bar could be

docked.

This bar is being dragged

Page 505

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE ICON BARS AND PANELS

ADVANCED USAGE

The layout and position of the icon bars and panels are saved and will be restored next time you run EnSight. The

easiest way to restore the default configuration is to start EnSight with a “-no_prefs” start parameter.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Icon Bars

To move the panels:

1. Right click on any icon bar or the header of any panel.

In the resulting pulldown the “Lock dock widgets”

should be unchecked, i.e., “widgets” are allowed to be

moved.

2. The panels can be dragged by their header. Click and

drag the header and the panel will come out of the user

interface and will follow the mouse as you move it.

3. If you release the mouse button outside of the user interface

the panel will be free floating.

3. As you drag the panel to the various docking locations in the

user interface you will see a space open up where the panel

could dock itself. Release the mouse button and the panel

will doc in the space provided.

The blue rectangle indicates

where the panel could be

docked.

This panel is being dragged

4. Panels can be stacked on top

of each other. In which case you

will get a tab for each panel

occupying the same space. By

default for example, the Variables,

Plots/Queries, Annotations, and

Viewports panels are stacked.

Page 506

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE MOUSE BUTTON ACTIONS

Customize Mouse Button Actions

INTRODUCTION

When the mouse pointer is in the Graphics Window, clicking and holding the left mouse button as you drag will

perform the current transformation (e.g. rotate or zoom) as selected under the Graphics window transforms icon in

the Transformation Control area.

BASIC OPERATION

To change the behavior of mouse buttons in the Graphics Window:

To perform a different transformation, you have to click on this icon and select

the new operation.

To avoid this, you can redefine how the left mouse works as well as map

additional transformation operations onto the middle and right mouse buttons,

combinations of mouse buttons, and double-clicking of mouse buttons.

This customization only effects the mouse usage while in the Graphics Window.

The left button is still used for other user-interface actions.

1. Select Edit > Preferences..., then click on Mouse and

Keyboard

2. Set each click and drag mouse button pulldown

(Left, Middle, Right and combinations of such) as

desired.

3. Set the two button click and drag for each mouse.

4. Set the single click action for each mouse button.

5. Set the action for the keyboard ‘P’ key (see

below).

5. Set desired Zoom Style.

Automatic slide will zoom based on the direction and

distance the mouse is moved. To the right or up zooms

away, while to the left or down zooms towards. The

distance the mouse is dragged determines the rate of

continuous zoom.

Manual drag zooms in the same directions, but only a

distance relative to the distance the mouse is dragged.

6. Click Save To Preference File to save your

changes (if you want these changes to be the

default for future sessions of EnSight) and Close

to exit the dialog.

The new settings will take effect as soon as you hit the

close button. If you clicked Save To Preference Files,

your changes are also written to a file and automatically

loaded during future EnSight sessions.

Page 507

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE MOUSE BUTTON ACTIONS

Each mouse button (or combination of mouse buttons) can have one of the following associated behaviors:

Note that at least one of the mouse buttons (or combinations) must be set to “Selected transform action”!

Each double-click mouse action or the keyboard ‘P’ key can be set to the following:

Note that at least one of the mouse buttons, double-click options or the “P” key must be set to “Selected pick

action”!

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Mouse and Keyboard Preferences

Selected

transform action

When this mouse button is clicked and dragged, the operation performed will be the currently

selected function in the Transformation Control area.

Rotate When this mouse button is clicked and dragged, the operation performed will be rotate.

Translate When this mouse button is clicked and dragged, the operation performed will be translate.

Zoom When this mouse button is clicked and dragged, if Zoom Style is Manual Drag then a zoom

displacement will occur, and if Zoom Style is Automatic Slide then a zoom velocity will occur

Rubberband

zoom

When this mouse button is clicked and dragged, the operation performed will be a rubberband

zoom.

Rubberband

selection tool

When this mouse button is clicked and dragged, the operation performed will be a rubberband

selection tool manipulation.

Selected pick

action

When this mouse button is clicked, the currently selected pick action (as previously selected

under the pick icon) will be performed.

Pick part When this mouse button is clicked, the pick part action will be performed - causing the part under

the mouse to be selected in the main parts list.

Pick cursor tool

location

When this mouse button is clicked, the pick cursor tool action will be performed - causing the

cursor tool to move to the picked location.

Pick transf. center When this mouse button is clicked, the pick transformation center action will be performed -

causing the center of transformation to move to the picked location.

Pick elements to

blank

When this mouse button is clicked, the element blanking action will be performed - causing the

element under the mouse to be removed.

Nothing When this mouse button is clicked, no action will be performed.

Selected pick

action

When this mouse button is clicked, the currently selected pick action (as previously selected

under the pick icon) will be performed.

Pick part When this mouse button is clicked, the pick part action will be performed - causing the part under

the mouse to be selected in the main parts list.

Pick cursor tool

location

When this mouse button is clicked, the pick cursor tool action will be performed - causing the

cursor tool to move to the picked location.

Pick transf. center When this mouse button is clicked, the pick transformation center action will be performed -

causing the center of transformation to move to the picked location.

Pick elements to

blank

When this mouse button is clicked, the element blanking action will be performed - causing the

element under the mouse to be removed.

Nothing When this mouse button is clicked, no action will be performed.

Page 508

HOW TO SAVE SETTINGS

Save Settings

INTRODUCTION

The default size and position of the EnSight user interface windows was chosen to try to minimize window overlap.

When you move and resize windows EnSight saves this information such that the next time you start EnSight the

layout should be the same as when you left it last.

ADVANCED USAGE

If you want to get back to the default layout for the windows, start EnSight with the “-no_prefs” start parameter.

SEE ALSO

See User Manual: GUI Overview

Page 509

HOW TO DEFINE AND USE MACROS

Define and Use Macros

INTRODUCTION

Advanced users of EnSight often find themselves performing repetitive tasks. EnSight’s macro facility lets you save a

sequence of commands and then assign a keyboard key to those commands such that they are executed when the

key is pressed. Note: macros only work when the mouse cursor is in the graphics window.

Pressing a key assigned to a macro causes the associated command file to be read and executed. Depending on

how it is set up, a macro can execute its file in one of three ways:

1. The command file is executed once for each key press. This mode is useful for one-time operations such as cut-

ting flipbook animation on/off or saving an image.

2. The command file repeatedly executes as long as the key is held down. This is useful for operations that are con-

tinuous in nature, such as rotating around the Y axis by 5 degrees.

3. Multiple command files execute in a cycle for each keystroke.

Keystroke macros are defined in a text file, macro.define. Macros can be defined at a site or local level, with local

macros overriding site macros that might be defined for the same key. The macro.define file (if any) that resides

in the %CEI_HOME%/ensight102/site_preferences/macros directory defines site-level macros, while the

macro.define file (if any) under the user’s EnSight defaults directory (located at

%HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\(username)\.ensight102 commonly located at C:\Users\username\.ensight102 on

Vista and Win7, C:\Documents and Settings\yourusername\.ensight102 on older Windows, and ~/.ensight102 on

Linux, and in ~/Library/Application Support/EnSight102 on the Mac) will define that user’s local macros. Any

command files referenced by macros must be located in these directories as well.

Most of the functions needed to define and edit macros can be found under the Macros tab of the Command Dialog

(File > Command from the Main Menu). Open this dialog to view the default, system macros in the default install.

BASIC OPERATION

Creating Macro Command Files

The first step in creating macros is to save the various command sequences that perform the desired actions. This

can be done in several ways.

One way to save commands for a macro is to save off a command file from an Ensight session. See How To Record

and Play Command Files for more information. Be careful as you perform the operations that are saved to the

command file. Superfluous or errant commands will slow down macro operation or cause errors. You may wish to

view the resulting command files with a text editor and possibly make changes.

A second way to create the command file for a macro is to copy commands from the Command Dialog history

window:

1. Mark the desired commands by clicking

and dragging in the history window, or by

any combination of clicking and dragging

while holding down the CTRL key.

2. With the cursor over the marked

commands, click the right mouse button to

bring up the action menu, then select

"Copy".

This will copy the commands to the system

clipboard.

3. Bring up a text editor and insert the

commands using "Paste".

4. When you are finished building your

macro command file, be sure you save it in

the site or local macros directory (see

above).

Page 510

HOW TO DEFINE AND USE MACROS

A third way to create a macro command file is by writing/appending them directly to a file from the Command Dialog

history window:

Linking macro command files to keys

To link a command file in the macros directory to a key or mouse button:

1. Mark the desired commands by clicking

and dragging in the history window, or by

any combination of clicking and dragging

while holding down the CTRL key.

2. With the cursor over the marked

commands, click the right mouse button

to bring up the action menu, then select

"Write/append" to file.

3. A File Selection dialog opens. Select or

enter the desired file to save commands

to and click Save. If the file already exists,

the selected commands will be appended,

if it does not, it will be created with the

selected commands.

1. In the Command Dialog "Macros" tab (File >

Command from the Main Menu), click "New".

The New Macro dialog opens.

2. Select or type a key,

3. Check "Repeatable" if you want the macro to

be repeated while the key is held down.

4. Select any modifier keys such as CTRL or

ALT.

5. Enter a brief description of what the macro

does.

6. Click "Add" to add a command file for the

macro.

6. OR click “Add Menu” to add the functionality

from an existing EnSight menu to the macro.

A File Selection dialog opens.

7. Select the desired file and click Save.

Note: you can select a file anywhere on your

system, and if it is not already in the local .macros

directory, it will be copied there.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for macros with

multiple command files.

Page 511

HOW TO DEFINE AND USE MACROS

To change an existing macro definition:

OTHER NOTES

A common use of tying more than one command file to the same key is to create a toggle. Make the first command

file turn the option on, and the second command file turn the option off. Then tie both of these to the same key. You

will now cycle through the two command files, effectively creating a toggle situation.

SEE ALSO

How To Record and Play Command Files

User Manual: Macros Tab

1. In the Command Dialog "Macros" tab (File >

Command from the Main Menu), click "Edit".

2. The Edit Macro dialog opens. Change any of

the values in this dialog, then click "Close".

Your changes will not be written to the

macro.define file until you either click "Save

Changes" in the Command dialog Macros tab, or

close the command dialog and answer "Yes" to the

Save Changes query message.

Page 512

HOW TO DEFINE AND USE MACROS

Page 513

HOW TO SET OR MODIFY PREFERENCES

Set or Modify Preferences

INTRODUCTION

Nearly every operation and function in EnSight is initially set to a default value. Preferences allow you to set these

initial values as well as set some default behaviors such as which time step to initially load for transient data, how the

mouse buttons are defined, etc. When EnSight starts, the preference settings are read from the $CEI_HOME/

ensight102/site_preferences directory and then overlaid by the preference settings found in your EnSight defaults

directory (located at %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\(username)\.ensight102 commonly located at

C:\Users\username\.ensight102 on Vista and Win7, C:\Documents and Settings\yourusername\.ensight102 on older

Windows, and ~/.ensight102 on Linux, and in ~/Library/Application Support/EnSight102 on the Mac).

BASIC OPERATION

The following preference categories are available in the Preferences dialog (and will be explained below):

Setting Annotation Defaults

To Set Color Palette Defaults:

To Set Data Preferences:

To Set Image Saving and Printing Preferences:

To Set Mouse and Keyboard Preferences:

To Set Performance Preferences:

To Set User Defined Input Preferences:

To Set Variable Preferences:

To Set View Preferences:

To Set Viewports Preferences:

1. Bring up the Preferences dialog by selecting Preferences

from the Edit pull-down menu.

Page 514

HOW TO SET OR MODIFY PREFERENCES

Setting Annotation Defaults

Need to make the font bigger everywhere in

EnSight?

1. Select Annotation from the Preference

Categories list.

2. Click on the Default font preferences button

6. Change the annotation, symbol and label fonts

individually

7. Change the size

8. Click here to save the preferences.

Page 515

HOW TO SET OR MODIFY PREFERENCES

To Set Color Palette Defaults:

1. Select Color Palettes from the Preference

Categories list.

2. Toggle on if you want the color legend to

automatically appear when you color a part by

a variable.

3. Toggle on if you want color legends to be

replaced when the current legend is no longer

in use (i.e., no parts are colored by the

variable) and a new variable is in use.

4. Toggle on if you wish the legend ranges to be

updated when time is changed, thus based on

values of variable at the current time.

5. Set the default legend for per element

variables to be constant over the element or to

vary continuously over the element (averages

with neighbors).

6. If you have predefined color palettes, you can

set one of them to be the default by entering

the name or picking one from the list of

defined palettes.

8. Click here to save the preferences.

Page 516

HOW TO SET OR MODIFY PREFERENCES

To Set Command Line Preferences:

A number of command line parameters exist for

EnSight. These parameters can be set in your

preference file so you do not have to specify them on

the start line each time you use EnSight.

1. Select Command Line Parameters from the

Preference Categories list.

2. Select a command line argument.

An explanation of the selected argument will appear

in the dialog.

3. Click here to add the parameter.

It will be placed in the edit area.

If you make a mistake and add an unwanted

parameter, simply highlight it in the feedback area and

delete it.

If additional information is required, a note will be

posted here to help you.

4. If you need to add additional information, add

any text needed into the edit area.

5. Click here to save the preferences.

Page 517

HOW TO SET OR MODIFY PREFERENCES

To Set Data Preferences:

1. Select Data from the Preference Categories

list.

2. If you want to specify a path to look for data,

specify it here.

3. You can specify the default binary file type

here.

4. When transient data is loaded into EnSight

you can choose to specify a beginning time

step. If you do not specify a beginning time

step, either the first or the last time step will

be loaded depending on this preference.

5. After successfully reading data into EnSight

you are presented (for most data formats) with

a part loader if this attribute is set to No Parts.

If set to any other attribute the parts specified

will be loaded and displayed without

intervention from the part loader.

6. Sets the n-faced polyhedron decomposition

algorithm (for detailed description, see User

Manual Edit Menu Functions)

7. When solver solution is proceeding and new

timestep files appear this will prompt you to

include the new files as additional timesteps -

only for Case Gold format. Please Contact CEI

Support regarding this option.

8. The readers shown with a * will show up in the

pull-down for data format in the EnSight data

reader dialog. You can take readers off of the

pull-down list if you toggle the * off (select the

reader in the list).

9. You can specify the default data type by

typing in the exact name of the reader.

10. Click here to save the preferences.

Page 518

HOW TO SET OR MODIFY PREFERENCES

To Set Image Saving and Printing Preferences:

1. Select Image Saving and Printing from the

Preference Categories list.

2. Click the “Click Here To Start” button. This

will bring up the Print/Save Image dialog.

3. Modify the you want for your preference

such as the image format.

4. Click here to save the preferences.

Page 519

HOW TO SET OR MODIFY PREFERENCES

To Set Mouse and Keyboard Preferences:

This preference allows you to modify the behavior

of the mouse buttons used during EnSight

transformations. Several different actions are

available for the various single click, multiple-

button single click, and double click options. Note,

it is required to set at least one button to “Selected

transform action” (which means that the button is

set to the action as shown in transformation icons

at the bottom of the EnSight dialog - set to rotate

by default). Also, one mouse or the “p” keyboard

key must be set to “Selected pick action”.

1. Select Mouse and Keyboard from the

Preference Categories list.

2. Modify the preference for each of the mouse

buttons (and keyboard ‘P’ key).

Single click actions available are:

Click and drag options are:

And the possible zoom styles are:

3. Click here to save the preferences.

See How To Produce Customized Pop-Up

Menus for a description of what “User defined

menu” is.

Page 520

HOW TO SET OR MODIFY PREFERENCES

To Set Performance Preferences:

1. Select Performance from the Preferences

Categories list.

2. To take advantage of pixel saving when

redrawing a window movement, set this

toggle. (Graphics card speed for reading/

writing of pixels needs to be reasonable to

use.)

4. To set fast mode to static, toggle on. The

default is off meaning that the fast display

(i.e., bounding box) is only active during

transformations such that the image returns

back to full graphics display when the

mouse buttons are not depressed. In static

mode the fast representation is

continuously displayed.

5. To ensure proper display of transparent

geometry, EnSight must sort all the

transparent polygons in the display. This

can be an expensive operation, particularly

if multiple transparent parts are visible. This

option controls when and how surfaces are

sorted.

In “Interactive” mode, sorting is performed

between every redraw of the view. In “Delayed”

mode, sorting is not performed while the user is

interacting with the view (while the mouse button

is held down). NOTE: Hidden line overlay does

not work with either “Interactive” or “Delayed”. In

“Depth peeling” mode (which is only available on

graphics cards that support the OpenGL Shading

Language) sorting is done by the graphics card on

a per-pixel basis by rendering the view repeatedly.

This mode scales better as the number of

polygons increases and it does not suffer a

performance hit when multiple parts are

transparent. The number of peels (and hence the

number of surfaces to order properly) is controlled

by the “Number of peels” field.

5. If using point display for fast display mode,

set the point resolution here.

6. If using sparse geometry display for fast

display mode, set the percent of the model

to show here.

(Only used if immediate mode is being used.)

7. EnSight is a client-server architecture

with the possibility that the two

processes are executing on different

and possibly remote machines. Due to

this, a general abort function is not

possible. Instead a timer abort function

is available that will terminate many

server operations after a set amount of

time has passed. If you wish to set this

time-out value turn the toggle on and

set the time-out amount (in seconds).

8. Click here to save the preferences.

Page 521

HOW TO SET OR MODIFY PREFERENCES

To Set User Defined Input Preferences:

1. Select User Defined Input from the

Preferences Categories list.

2. Turn this on to show the macro panel display

3. Toggle to select the default to display a part

list in the graphics window. This is especially

helpful in full screen mode or a VR

environment.

4. Turn this on to activate the user defined input

device (ENSIGHT10_INPUT must be set to the

proper device).

5. Sets the sensitivity for the zoom operation.

The values for zoom are scaled by this

setting, so values larger than 1.0 will make

the inputs larger while less than 1.0 will make

them smaller.

6. Mixed mode will use the input devices z

rotate directly but use x and y translation

values for x/y rotations. Direct mode will use

the rotation angles from the input device

directly for all three axis.

7. Sensitivity will set a scaling factor for the

rotation values.

8. Click here to save the preferences.

Page 522

HOW TO SET OR MODIFY PREFERENCES

To Set Variable Preferences:

1. Select Variables from the Preferences

Categories list.

2. Brings up the dialog for setting extended

CFD settings.

Save these settings by clicking here.

3. Boundary Layer calculation

Recommendation: let EnSight determine

the maximum number of profile values from

the surface to the edge of the boundary

layer.

Manually changing this value allows

clamping of the number of sample points in

the profile off the wall into the flow field.

Since each sample point is approximately

equivalent to the center of each cell in the

boundary layer sub-mesh, if the number of

cell layers in the boundary layer sub-mesh is

known, this would be a good value so the

profile does not exceed this limit. Warning:

Setting this value too low can cause the

sampling to terminate before the edge of the

boundarylayer is reached, thus wrongly

predicting the values of interest.

Page 523

HOW TO SET OR MODIFY PREFERENCES

To Set View Preferences:

1. Select View from the Preferences

Categories list.

2. Switches white and black foreground

colors for maximum contrast with Constant

and Blended backgrounds for viewport 0.

3. Turn on if you want the plane tool to be

shown as a transparent plane, or off if you

want it shown in line drawing mode.

4. There are two offsets employed in EnSight.

This one, hardware offset, is perpendicular to

the monitor screen, and done in hardware if

this toggle is on. This will allow, for example

contour lines to appear closer to the viewer

than their parent part so they are visible no

matter what orientation the part is viewed

from.

The second offset is the display offset. The display offset

can be set in the feature panel for line parts such as

contour lines, particle trace lines, vector arrows, and

separation/attachment lines. The display offset is the

distance in the direction of the element normal

(perpendicular to the surface).

5. Select the default viewing orientation.

6. For newer graphics cards leave as

‘hardware’ and EnSight will attempt to use

hardware picking, and if not available will

use software picking. For older graphics

cards with sluggish performance, choose

software picking.

7. Click to bring up dialog controlling

selection feedback in the graphics window

8. Click to bring up dialog controlling the anti-

aliasing parameters.

9. Click to bring up dialog controlling the

click-n-go preferences.

10. Click here to save the preferences.

Caution: if you save software picking and

later change to a newer graphics card you

must change this back to ‘hardware’ to take

advantage of the new card.

Page 524

HOW TO SET OR MODIFY PREFERENCES

To Set Viewports Preferences:

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Edit Menu Functions

1. Select Viewports from the Preferences

Categories list.

2. Click here to start. This will bring up the

Viewports dialog with all the viewport items

selected.

3. Set any viewport attribute (for example,

background color to blended).

4. Click here to save the attributes set in

above in item #2 to the preference file as

defaults for future sessions.

5. Click here to save the current viewport

layout to the preference file.

Page 525

HOW TO ENABLE USER DEFINED INPUT DEVICES

Enable User Defined Input Devices

INTRODUCTION

EnSight offers user defined input devices that have been specifically designed for (but not limited to) typical input

devices used in VR environments. Implementation of these input devices requires adherence to the instructions

outlined in the respective reference files listed below.

BASIC OPERATION

Manual Panel Interface:

SEE ALSO

User Manual: VR and user defined input Preferences

1. Select Edit > Preferences..., and

click User Defined Input.

2. Toggle Macro Panel Interface

The Main Graphics window updates the

Macro Panel as defined in the EnSight

Defaults Directory (located at

%HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\(usernam

e)\.ensight102 commonly located at

C:\Users\username\.ensight102 on Vista

and Win7, C:\Documents and

Settings\yourusername\.ensight102 on

older Windows, and ~/.ensight102 on

Linux, and in ~/Library/Application

Support/EnSight102 on the Mac) as the

following file:

hum.define

(If you have not created this file, an

example is provided in:

$CEI_HOME/ensight102/src/cvf/udi/

HUM/hum.define

on your EnSight Client host system.)

3. Toggle Part Panel Interface

(if you desire a part list in the

graphics window).

4. Toggle User Defined Input.

(Detailed steps to implement the User

Defined Input Device are outlined in the

file:

$CEI_HOME/ensight102/src/udi/cvf/

README.v3

on your EnSight Client host system.)

5. Set Zoom Using to the appropriate type of input device you

are using to record zoom transformations, adjusting the

Sensitivity as needed (i.e., 0 < slower < 1 faster).

6. Set Rotate Using to the appropriate type of input device you

are using to record rotation transformations, adjusting the

Sensitivity as needed (i.e., 0 < slower < 1 faster).

Page 526

HOW TO PRODUCE CUSTOMIZED POP-UP MENUS

Produce Customized Pop-Up Menus

INTRODUCTION

EnSight includes pop-up menus invoked via the right mouse button. The menus are specific to each object (part,

annotation, plot, etc.). They are written as Python objects that are dynamically loaded when EnSight starts up. Menus

can implement any function that can be built on top of command language or Python. Most menus use Python to

query EnSight state and perform customized actions based on that state.

There is a formal mechanism through which EnSight users may add additional, customized menus to the existing

pop-up menus with all of the same capabilities. The mechanism opens up EnSight to specific customization to meet a

particular site or individual user’s needs.

BASIC OPERATION

This section describes the default EnSight menu usage with no additional customization. To use the capability

included with EnSight, simply right click on a part, on some text, or on the background as shown below. By default,

the pop-up menus are tied to the right mouse button single click. This can be changed using options outlined in: To

Set Mouse and Keyboard Preferences:. The menus can also be accessed by assigning them to a particular

keystroke as a macro using as outlined in Define and Use Macros. The specific menu that is displayed depends on

what object was clicked on. Some examples are shown here:

Menu targets

In general, the target of the operation is listed at the top of the menu. A special modifier key (‘ctrl’) is used to control

object/part selection. When the menu click is made, a pick operation is performed under the mouse pointer. This pick

returns the selected part or object. If that object is part of the current selection, the selection is not changed and the

entire selection is the target of the menu operation. If the object is not part of the current selection, the object

becomes the current selection and the menu operation is performed on this new selection. The ‘ctrl’ key can be used

to modify this behavior. In normal left mouse button picking, the ctrl key tells EnSight that the picked object should be

Clicking on an annotation

Clicking on a selected part

Clicking on the viewport background

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added to the current selection. When right clicking to open a menu, holding the ctrl key tells EnSight not to change

the current selection and to target the current selection, even if the pick operation did not include a selected object.

This can be used to more easily bring up the popup menu operations for objects that are not easily clicked on, or

even visible.

ADVANCED USAGE

This section describes how to create custom user-defined menus as explained by EnSight extension mechanism in

the Interface Manual. This section assumes familiarity with the Python language, as well as object-oriented

programming. Both custom and built-in menus have the same capabilities because they are built on the same

interface. Also, customized menus allow the user to display options, including cascading menus. By default, your

custom menus will appear below EnSight’s default list of options that appear when you right click. The user may also

define a key (using the macro facility) to invoke the operation as noted above.

EnSight includes two well-documented, example Python files to demonstrate the process of creating custom, user-

defined pop-up menus. As an exercise to show how to customize EnSight, these two files can be moved from their

existing location to a directory where they will automatically load into EnSight at startup and change EnSight’s

menus.

How menus get loaded

By default EnSight scans the Python files found in subdirectories of the site-specific $CEI_HOME/ensight102/

site_preferences/extensions/user_defined directory and in the user specific extensions/

user_defined subdirectory, under the EnSight Defaults Directory. The EnSight Defaults Directory varies per

platform:

Linux: ~/.ensight102/extensions/user_defined/Menus

Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/EnSight102/extensions/user_defined/Menus

Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\username\.ensight102\extensions\user_defined\Menus

Windows XP: %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\(username)\.ensight102\extensions\user_defined\Menus

Specific details of this process are covered in EnSight extension mechanism. When EnSight finds a Python file, it

calls a “factory” function specified in the file. The factory function returns a list of objects that are registered with

EnSight. The objects can be user-defined menus, tools and s, based on the extension class they subclass from.

Whenever a pop-up menu is invoked by the user (normally though the right-mouse button), EnSight will filter the list

of registered menu objects, display them as a pop-up menu and will invoke the run method when selected by the

user.

In the next two sections, we walk thought two simple examples of writing custom EnSight user-defined menus.

“Hello world” menu

Shown below is a simple example menu extension. It can serve as a template for more useful menus. This example

Python file is included with your EnSight installation in the following folder $CEI_HOME/ensight102/src/

user_defined_ext/. Copy the entire directory to the extensions/user_defined/examples subdirectory

under your user EnSight Defaults Directory (see above) and restart EnSight. The figure that follows shows the new

menu item generated from this Python code, as well as the console output which is found in the Python window

(File>Command, and click on the Python tab in the resulting window). It also illustrates the directory structure for

placing the files into the user specific EnSight startup path.

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Shown below is the commented Python code. Notice in particular the block of comment lines starting with

#ENSIGHT_USER_DEFINED_BEGIN and ending with #ENSIGHT_USER_DEFINED_END. These specially formatted

Python comments are what EnSight looks for at startup. They specify the name of the function to call when this file is

loaded. That “factory” function is responsible for creating instances of the menu object and returning them to EnSight.

# This comment block is required to identify the file for loading at

# startup by EnSight. The function named by FACTORY= (in this case

# 'ctor' is called by EnSight on startup. Note: the file is loaded

# as a module in EnSight and the path to this file is added to sys.path.

#ENSIGHT_USER_DEFINED_BEGIN

#FACTORY=ctor

#ENSIGHT_USER_DEFINED_END

# Import the parent class for all user-defined menus and the ensight module

import ensight

from ensight.core.menu_extension import menu_extension

# Define a menu class, a subclass of the menu_extension class

class hello_menu(menu_extension):

# Construct the menu with reasonable defaults

def __init__(self,name,parent,text="",tooltip="",desc="",icon=None):

menu_extension.__init__(self,name,__file__,1.0)

if (parent): parent.addChild(self)

if (icon): self.setIcon(icon)

self.setText(text)

self.setDesc(text)

self.setTooltip(text)

# Method that is called when the menu is selected

def run(self):

C:\Users\username\.ensight102\extensions\user_defined\examples

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# Do whatever operation this menu should do, replace with your own code

print "Hello, these parts are selected:"

for part in ensight.query_parts(client=1):

print part[3]

# Construct a list of menu objects to be added to the global list of

# user-defined menus

def ctor(parent):

list = []

# Create the actual menu object, giving it a unique name an

# onscreen name and a text description

p = hello_menu("hello_menu",parent,"Hello menu","Menu description")

list.append(p)

return list

Context-sensitive, Hierarchial Menus

Shown below is a more complex menu example. Again, it can be installed in the same manner as described above

and the resulting menus are illustrated in the following image.

This example builds on the previous one. First, it demonstrates that a single Python file can generate as many menus

as it wants. It also demonstrates the ability to define a hierarchy out of those menus. In this example, the menus

themselves have expressed the desire to only be displayed in specific contexts, e.g. when a specific type of part has

been selected. Finally, several other menu options are set, the name of the “vendor” for the menu and an icon are

specified. More options are documented in the Interface Manual.

The basic file structure is the same as before. There is a header block followed by the various class definitions

followed by the factory function.

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# This comment block is required to identify the file for loading at

# startup by EnSight. The function named by FACTORY= (in this case

# 'ctor' is called by EnSight on startup. Note: the file is loaded

# as a module in EnSight and the path to this file is added to sys.path.

#ENSIGHT_USER_DEFINED_BEGIN

#FACTORY=ctor

#ENSIGHT_USER_DEFINED_END

# Import the parent class for all user-defined menus and the ensight module

import ensight

from ensight.core.menu_extension import menu_extension

# Define a "separator" menu class used to put a dividing line between menus

class sep_menu(menu_extension):

def __init__(self,name,parent):

menu_extension.__init__(self,name,__file__,1.0)

self.setSeparator(True)

if (parent): parent.addChild(self)

# Define a menu class, a subclass of the menu_extension class

class part_menu(menu_extension):

# Construct the menu with reasonable defaults

def __init__(self,name,parent,text="",tooltip="",desc="",icon=None):

menu_extension.__init__(self,name,__file__,1.0)

if (parent): parent.addChild(self)

if (icon): self.setIcon(icon)

self.setText(text)

self.setDesc(text)

self.setTooltip(text)

self.setVendor("John Q. Public")

# Method that is called when the menu is selected

def run(self):

# We are constructing two instances of this class. They differ by

# name. We use the name to perform different operations for each

# of the instances. This could also be done with any other class

# data, including user defined data members.

if (self._name == "allpart_menu"):

print "All parts hello!"

else:

print "Model part specific hello!"

# Construct a hierarchy of menus. A parent "roll-over" menu and two

# children with a separator between them. These menus use context

# sensitive filtering. The parent is only displayed in EnSight "Part" mode.

# One child is always display and the other is only displayed when the

# currently selected part is a "Model" part. Note: this filtering could

# also be performed by overriding the "validFilter()" method on the menu

# object to perform any custom filtering operation.

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def ctor(parent):

# The factory method always returns a list of object to be added.

# In this example, we only return menu_extension subclass instances,

# but the list can include any combination of object subclassed from

# the core_extension class.

list = []

# Create the parent roll-over menu

p = menu_extension("placeholder",None)

# Create an icon for the menu (this is optional). In this case, we

# access one of the icons embedded in EnSight itself. See the Qt

# resource management documentation for details.

p.setIcon(":/ensight/ens_icn_small")

# Set the EnSight mode filter to only display in "Part" mode.

p.setMode("Part")

p.setText("Simple part tools")

p.setTooltip("Example part tools")

if (parent): parent.addChild(p)

list.append(p)

# Create the instance of the part_menu class that should be displayed

# for any part that is selected.

m = part_menu("allpart_menu",p,"All part menu","Menu description")

list.append(m)

# Add a horizontal separator line between the child menus.

m = sep_menu("sep1",p)

list.append(m)

# Create an instance of the part_menu class that is only displayed

# when a "Model" part is selected.

m = part_menu("modelpart_menu",p,"Model part menu","Menu description")

# Set the EnSight part type filter to "Model" parts.

m.setPartType("Model")

list.append(m)

return list

Other examples

The example source code shown here is included in the $CEI_HOME/ensight102/src/user_defined_ext/

examples directory, but many other examples exist. The source code to all of the built-in menus is included in the

$CEI_HOME/ensight102/site_preferences/extensions/user_defined directory. Some other example

objects are included in $CEI_HOME/ensight102/site_preferences/extensions/user_defined/Tools/

QuickTools/Examples. While these are user-defined tools instead of menus, the extension mechanisms for both

share a large number of common features and techniques that work in both. There are a pair of tools examples

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located in the user-defined tool Advanced Usage that demonstrate the ability of all user-defined extensions to

generate and execute custom command language and make use of external icon files.

To get the most out of this mechanism, menu developers are encouraged to utilize Python scripts and convert

command language scripts into Python using the provided tools. The Python interface is largely documented in the

Interface manual Python EnSight module interface.

SEE ALSO

EnSight Interface Manual

Mouse and Keyboard Preferences

Produce Customized Access to Tools & Features

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Produce Customized Access to Tools & Features

INTRODUCTION

EnSight allows users to define toolbox items, that are accessed by selecting the "User Defined" toolbox feature icon.

These items are collections of custom Python code that perform common operations. These tools can include full

interfaces and can interact with all of EnSight’s core features. The mechanism opens up EnSight to specific

customization to meet a particular site or individual user’s needs.

Tool are written as Python objects that are dynamically loaded from when EnSight starts up. There is a formal

mechanism (EnSight extension mechanism) through which EnSight users may add their own, custom tools.

BASIC OPERATION

The user defined tool icon should be displayed by default. If it is not, it can be turned ON by right clicking on the

Feature Icon Bar and selecting Customize Feature Toolbar... To access the user-defined tools, click the icon to bring

up the dialog and make a selection from the dialog by double clicking.

1. Click on the User Tools Icon.

2. The User Defined Tools Window appears.

The EnSight QuickTools are a collection of common

operations that would normally take many steps to

complete in EnSight, packaged in a simpler form.

There are six folders, each with a collection of related

tools:

a) Analyze - Tools designed to perform multi-step

Engineering Analysis

b) EnSight interfaces - Tools that demonstrate

alternative EnSight Front-end s.

c) File import/export - Import or Export data to/from

the EnSight client in various formats

d) Presentation tools - Export visualizations or Run

the current visualization in one of EnSight’s free post-

postprocessing tools.

e) Utilities - Support, development, raw core object

access, development tools and Python

documentation.

f) Visualize - Tools that animate, move, enhance

visualization, or create visualization entities.

g) Web installed tools - Customized tools installed by

EnSight’s package manager from external sources.

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1. Click on the User Tools Icon.

2. Open the Analyze folder.

a) Calculator tool. Use a python

calculator

b) Force tool. Sum the net force

(either part by part or total) from

pressure, force vectors, or

shear. All variables are stored in

a Force folder in the variables

area. Optionally a .csv

spreadsheet file can be written

out which contains the net force components, force coefficients, etc. per part.

c) Min max tool. Find the min/max of the selected parts of the colored variable

d) Moment tool. Using the Force variables calculated in the Force tool above,

calculate the moment about a single point entered by the user.

e) Part constant query tool. Create a query (and optionally plot it) from a constant

calculated on a clip, isosurface, or isovolume as the clip/isosurface/isovolume

is swept from min to max. For example, calculate the mean, min, or max

temperature on a X-clip and plot the value vs. x-location as the clip is swept

from xmin to xmax.

f) Simple calc tool. Calculates constants from a subset of the calculator

functions.

g) Timestep tool. Resample transient data to a uniform timestep

3. Open the View alternative EnSight Graphical User Interfaces.

4. Open the File import/export folder.

a) Export Collada (DAE) format. This is a 3D XML

geometry format exported from the EnSight client.

b) Export data to a Reveal .csf file and then

translates to OpenJT format.

c) Import a CSV text file as an EnSight Query

d) Export VRML format.

e) Export X3D format. X3D is an open-source XML 3D geometry format which is a

follow on to VRML. This tool exports surface geometry and coloration from the

client simultaneously into two files: a Reveal file and an x3d geometry file. See

Web3D Consortium for more details.

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5. Open the Presentation tools folder. Note that each of the tools is designed to

export the current visualization to one of EnSight’s free, post-post processing

application: This would bypass the step of saving a file then starting up the

appropriate application as follows:

a) EnLiten or Reveal to view 3D geometry with results,

b) EnVe to perform simple video editing on a running animation,

c) EnVideo to play a movie animation.

6. Utilities - EnSight Advanced and Python programmer tools. For example, there

is a support tool, a ceishell logger, a graphics window resize tool, a stereo tool, a

graphics performance testing tool, and an EnSight Python Developer subfolder.

7. Visualize

a) Create Analytical Rigid Body surfaces by automatically extruding or rotating

line parts read in from ABAQUS ODB data. You must check the box in the format

options of the ABAQUS ODB data reader dialog to read in this type of part in order

to then use this tool to make these parts.

b) Movie tool. This will import a movie as a texture that is placed on a rectangular

annotation box. The movie will interpolate with the transient steps of your data, so

if the beginning and ending times are the same, the playback will roughly synch.

c) Rigid body motion tool. This was intended to be a demonstration of the Rigid

Body Motion capability of EnSight. Read in an EnSight Case Gold file, select the

parts of interest, then run this tool and choose the rigid body rotation parameters

and it will create a case gold file containing those parts with the appropriate

transient rigid body files (See EnSight Rigid Body File Format and See Euler

Parameter File Format).

d) Skybox - Using a specially formatted image, called a cubemap image (which is a

panoramic background scene containing the five interior sides of a cube) a

background skybox is automatically created using the box tool for placement.

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ADVANCED USAGE

This section describes how to create custom user-defined tools as explained by EnSight extension mechanism in

the Interface Manual. This section assumes familiarity with the Python language, as well as object-oriented

programming. Custom tools have the same capabilities as the built-in tools because both are built on the same

interface. By default, your custom tools will appear below EnSight’s built-in list of tools in the user-defined toolbox.

EnSight includes two well-documented, example Python files to demonstrate the process of creating custom, user-

defined tools. As an exercise to show how to customize EnSight, these two files can be moved from their existing

location to a directory where they will automatically load into EnSight at startup and change EnSight’s tool list.

How EnSight Loads Menus

System directory - CEI installed tools

EnSight scans for Python tools in the

$CEI_HOME/ensight102/site_preferences/extensions/user_defined/Tools

directory. Note that because EnSight caches the files in this directory in order to speed up the start up process, new

tools put in this directory may not be recognized and loaded when you restart EnSight. In that situation, simply restart

EnSight from the command line with no preferences and it will reload and recache the python files from this directory.

ensight102 -no_prefs

$CEI_HOME - python files developed by your company for all your users

EnSight scans the $CEI_HOME directory for subdirectories containing a file named product.xml. Python files are

loaded in this directory according to the product.xml and internal parentage coding. Contact CEI support for more

details.

Local directory - python files for your own personal use

EnSight then looks in the user specific EnSight Defaults Directory. This directory differs on each platform:

Linux: ~/.ensight102/extensions/user_defined/Tools

Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/EnSight102/extensions/user_defined/Tools

Windows Vista, Windows 7: C:\Users\username\.ensight102\extensions\user_defined\Tools

Windows XP: %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\(username)\.ensight102\extensions\user_defined\Tools

To find out your %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH% do Help>Online Support, click the System Into tab, and look at the

Prefs Dir. This is where EnSight looks for user defined tools.

When EnSight finds a candidate Python file, it loads it into a private Python module and calls a “factory” function

specified in the file. The factory function returns a list of objects that are registered with EnSight. The objects can be

user-defined tools, menus and s, based on the extension class they subclass from. A registry of user-defined tools is

maintained by EnSight. It is normally displayed as a tree-list in the noted in the previous section. Applications are

free however to invoke any tool using its run method and tools that implement custom command language may be

called directly from the command parser, even in batch mode.

In the next two sections, we walk through two simple examples of writing custom EnSight user-defined tools.

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“Hello world” tool

Shown below is perhaps the simplest example tool extension implementation. It can serve as a template for more

useful tools. This example Python file is included with your EnSight installation in the following folder $CEI_HOME/

ensight102/src/user_defined_ext/examples. Copy the entire folder to the extensions/user_defined

subfolder under your user specific EnSight Defaults Directory (see above) and restart EnSight. The figure that follows

shows the new tool item generated from this Python code, as well as the dialog it generates. It also illustrates the

directory structure for placing the files into the user specific EnSight startup path.

Shown below is the commented Python code. Notice in particular the block of comment lines starting with

#ENSIGHT_USER_DEFINED_BEGIN and ending with #ENSIGHT_USER_DEFINED_END. These specially formatted

Python comments are what EnSight looks for while scanning for extensions at startup. They specify the name of the

function to call when this file is loaded. That “factory” function is responsible for creating instances of the tool objects

and returning them to EnSight.

# This comment block is required to identify the file for loading at

# startup by EnSight. The function named by FACTORY= (in this case

# 'ctor' is called by EnSight on startup. Note: the file is loaded

# as a module in EnSight and the path to this file is added to sys.path.

#ENSIGHT_USER_DEFINED_BEGIN

#FACTORY=ctor

#ENSIGHT_USER_DEFINED_END

# Import the parent class for all user-defined tools and the generic dialog

from cei.qtgenericdlg import *

from ensight.core.tool_extension import tool_extension

# Define a tool class, a subclass of the tool_extension class

class hello_tool(tool_extension):

# Construct the menu and set up common information

def __init__(self,parent=None):

tool_extension.__init__(self,"hello_tool",__file__,1.0)

self.setText("Hello world tool")

self.setDesc("Say hello to the world from a tool")

self.setTooltip("Say hello to the world from a tool")

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if (parent): parent.addChild(self)

# We have a PNG icon in the same directory as this file

dir = os.path.dirname(__file__)

self.setIcon(os.path.join(dir,"hello_world.png"))

# Method that is called when the tool is selected

def run(self):

# Do whatever operation this menu should do, replace with your own code

# In the example, we use the "generic" dialog to display "Hello world!"

items = []

items.append(['textval',ITEM_TEXT,"Hello world!","A tooltip..."])

dlg = CeiQtGenericDialog(items,None,"Hello world","Ok",cancel=None)

ret = dlg.doit()

if (ret > 0):

# If the user pressed ok, do something...

pass

# Construct a list of menu objects to be added to the global list of

# user-defined tools

def ctor(parent):

list = []

obj = hello_tool()

list.append(obj)

return list

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Batch-aware tool with custom command language

Shown below is a more complex tool example. Again, it can be installed in the same manner as described above and

the resulting tool is illustrated in the following image.

This example builds on the previous one. When the tool is invoked, it brings up a more complex dialog that prompts

the user for information including integer parameters and a filename. If the ‘Ok’ button is clicked, it creates a snapshot

of the current rendering and saves it to disk. More importantly, it generates custom command language (shown in the

Command dialog window) that when executed in batch mode will perform the same operation. All user-defined

extensions (tools, menus, and even “core”) automatically extend EnSight command language in this fashion. The

super-classes provide a scaffolding that makes it easy to enforce the separation between interface and function. For

example, the tool Python file could easily be extended to provide an interface to the same functionality as a user-

defined menu by adding a menu_extension subclass to the same file. The example uses an icon from the built-in

EnSight icon resources. Finally, this example is “persistent”, that is it stores state (in the case the values entered in

the dialog) and uses it to repopulate the dialog. A major advantage of EnSight extensions is that they can store state

and have both private data and method members.

The basic file structure is the same as before. There is a header block followed by the various class definitions

followed by the factory function.

# This comment block is required to identify the file for loading at

# startup by EnSight. The function named by FACTORY= (in this case

# 'ctor' is called by EnSight on startup. Note: the file is loaded

# as a module in EnSight and the path to this file is added to sys.path.

#ENSIGHT_USER_DEFINED_BEGIN

#FACTORY=ctor

#ENSIGHT_USER_DEFINED_END

# Import the parent class for all user-defined tools, the ensight module

# and the generic dialog

from cei.qtgenericdlg import *

from ensight.core.tool_extension import *

import ensight

# Define a tool class, a subclass of the tool_extension class

class snapshot_tool(tool_extension):

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# Construct the tool and set up common information

def __init__(self,parent=None):

tool_extension.__init__(self,"snapshot",__file__,1.0)

self.setText("Snapshot the current image")

self.setDesc("Save the current image to a disk file")

self.setTooltip("Save the current image to a disk file")

if (parent): parent.addChild(obj)

# Create an icon for the menu (this is optional). In this case, we

# access one of the icons embedded in EnSight itself. See the Qt

# resource management documentation for details.

self.setIcon(":/ensight/image")

# This is where we store the current command language parameters

# We start with some defaults...

self._params = {'file':'untitled.png','xsize':640,'ysize':480}

# A user-defined method that performs the desired operation taking its

# parameters from a Python dictionary. This method can be called from

# interactive operation or in batch, so it should not display anything.

def compute(self,params):

# Render and save an image to disk. This is only an example.

# A deeper example can be found in the ensight.core.qtimageutils

# module found in:

# $CEI_HOME/ensight92/site_preferences/extensions/core/qtimageutils.py

img = ensight.render(x=params['xsize'],y=params['ysize'])

fname = params['file']

# The render method returns an EnVe image object, simplifying saving.

if (img.save(fname) == 0):

return True

if (img.errstr().find("Unknown file format") >= 0):

fname += ".png"

if (img.save(fname) == 0):

return True

return False

# Method that is called when the tool is selected interactively

def run(self):

# Do whatever operation this tool should do, replace with your own code

# In the example, we use the "generic" dialog to prompt the user for

# and image size and a filename.

items = []

items.append(['file',ITEM_FILE,"Filename",

"Name of file to save",self._params['file'],OPT_FILE_SAVE])

items.append(['xsize',ITEM_INT,"Width",

"Width of the image in pixels",self._params['xsize'],10,2048])

items.append(['ysize',ITEM_INT,"Height",

"Height of the image in pixels",self._params['ysize'],10,1536])

dlg = CeiQtGenericDialog(items,None,"Save a snapshot")

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ret = dlg.doit()

# If the user pressed ok, we will continue.

if (ret > 0):

# Build a dictionary of output values

for key in self._params:

self._params[key] = dlg.getValue(key)

# Try to perform the operation

if (self.compute(self._params)):

# The operation succeeded, so we need to record custom

# command language to place the operation into the journaled

# output.

self.cmdRecord("xsize '%d'" % self._params['xsize'])

self.cmdRecord("ysize '%d'" % self._params['ysize'])

self.cmdRecord("file '\""+self._params['file']+"\"'")

self.cmdRecord("compute")

# All extensions include the ability to record custom command language

# and play it back. Remember that extensions should be able to play

# back their operations in batch mode. This mechanism allows for an

# extension developer to break interaction and the actual operation

# into two parts.

# The cmdExec() method is passed all of the custom command language for

# this tool. Here we use a trick where we assume that the recorded

# command language takes the form of actual Python assignment statements.

# We break up the passed line and use the Python 'exec()' method to

# recover the information back into a dictionary.

def cmdExec(self,str):

p = str.split("'")

try:

key = p[0].strip()

if (key == 'compute'):

self.compute(self._params)

else:

exec("d = "+p[1])

self._params[key] = d

except Exception, e:

print "Error handling the command:",str,e

# Construct a list of tool objects to be added to the global list of

# user-defined tools

def ctor(parent):

list = []

obj = snapshot_tool()

list.append(obj)

return list

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Other examples

The example source code shown here is included in the $CEI_HOME/ensight102/src/user_defined_ext/

examples directory, but many other examples exist. The source code to all of the built-in tools is included in the

$CEI_HOME/ensight102/site_preferences/extensions/user_defined directory (perhaps most notably

the QuickTools subdirectory). Other example objects are included in $CEI_HOME/ensight102/

site_preferences/extensions/user_defined/Tools/QuickTools/Examples. There are a number of

user-defined menu examples included as well. While these may not be tools, the extension mechanisms for both

tools and menus share a large number of common features and techniques often work in both. There are a pair of

worked tools examples located in the user-defined tool Advanced Usage that demonstrate the ability of all user-

defined extensions to be able to create object hierarchies and to include multiple objects inside of a single Python

module.

To get the most out of this mechanism, menu developers are encouraged to utilize Python scripts and convert

command language scripts into Python using the provided tools. The Python interface is documented in the Interface

manual Python EnSight module interface.

SEE ALSO

Command Language Manual

EnSight Interface Manual

Produce Customized Pop-Up Menus

Page 543

HOW TO SETUP FOR PARALLEL COMPUTATION

Setup For Parallel Computation

INTRODUCTION

Ensight supports shared-memory parallel computation via POSIX threads on all of our supported platforms.

BASIC OPERATION

Configuration

Each executable of EnSight can be configured individually to control the number of threads used.

The following environment variables are used to specify the maximum number of threads that the

executable can use for computation.

ENSIGHT10_MAX_THREADS

The maximum number of threads to use for each EnSight server. Threads are used to

accelerate the computation of streamlines, clips, isosurfaces, and other compute-intensive

operations.

ENSIGHT10_MAX_CTHREADS

The maximum number of threads to use for each EnSight client. Threads in the client are

used to accelerate sorting of transparent surfaces.

ENSIGHT10_MAX_SOSTHREADS

The maximum number of threads to use on the server of server in order to start up server pro-

cesses in parallel rather than serially.

OTHER NOTES

The number of threads is limited to 2 (per client or server) with a Lite license and 8 (per client or server) with a

Standard license, while the upper limit for an HPC (formerly Gold) license is 128. EnSight, by default, uses threading

according to the license and the number of processors available and will echo this information out to the console at

startup.

....

Detected 2 CPU(s)

ensight102.client using 2 threads.

....

Detected 2 CPU(s)

ensight102.server using 2 threads.

When manually setting these parameters it is a good idea to take into account the number of processors on the

system. In general, you will not see benefit from setting the parameters higher than the number of total processors.

Because the server, server-of-servers and client operate in a pipelined fashion, it is not necessary to limit one in order

to apply more threads to another.

Compute intensive server operations that make use of shared memory parallel computations include isosurface,

clipping, and particle trace computations as well as most calculator functions. Client threaded operations include

transparency resort and display list creation.

Page 544

HOW TO SETUP FOR PARALLEL RENDERING

Setup For Parallel Rendering

INTRODUCTION

EnSight Gold now supports general parallel rendering for increased performance, increased display resolution, and

arbitrary screen orientations. The configuration file format and several examples are described in the User Manual.

Just click the link below to see this information.

SEE ALSO

User Manual: Remote Display and Parallel Compositing

Page 545

QUICK ICON REFERENCE

Feature Icon Bar

Part Quick Action

Annotate Legend Quick Action Annotate Line Quick Action

Annotate Dial/Gauge Quick Action Annotate Logo Quick Action

Annotate Shape Quick ActionAnnotate Shape Quick Action Annotate Arrow Quick Action

Plotters Quick Action Query (curve) Quick Action

Tools Icon Bar

Page 546

QUICK ICON REFERENCE

Viewport Quick Action

Frames Quick Action

Ensight Howto User Manual How To

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