Build Plots

Important: See Enable Create Curves by File Dialog for more information about using the Create Curves by File dialog, which is accessible from the Build Plots panel.

Curves can be overlaid in a single window or each curve can be assigned to a new window. Individual curves are edited using the Define Curves panel.

Open a Plot File

If you know the path and filename of the data file, you can type it directly into the field next to the file folder button and click Apply. The plot file browser can also be used to locate and load a file. To access the file browser, click the file folder button. Click the downward pointing arrow at the far right of the File field to see a list of the most recently loaded files.

When using the complex plot module, HyperGraph 2D can read the following types of complex plot data files:

Analysis
NASTRAN sol 108 and 111
General
User-defined import templates and external readers to directly read any file format.

In addition to the standard set of import templates, an open interface for creating custom import filters is provided. Using import language and external readers, you can write import templates for most any ASCII data file not directly supported in the program.

Building Plots with Complex Data Files

X Type: Select the data type for the X vectors.; Data files can consist of different types of data. The available data types depend on the data file. Use the buttons to scroll through the types of data in the open file or click on the down arrow to expand the list.; Or, click the X Type button to launch the X Type filter. This filter contains the same selections as the drop-down menu, but allows you to search for a specific request by entering a string and pressing Enter. Only the types that match the string are displayed. The search request feature is case sensitive. To clear a filter, remove the text from the field and press Enter.; Figure 2.
Y Subcase: Select the subcase for the Y vectors.
Y Node: Multiple nodes can be plotted in the same window, or plotted in individual windows. The available choices are displayed in a list. The list can be expanded by clicking the expansion button, . Select the request(s).
Y Node Filter: By default, all nodes are shown. To search for a specific node, enter a string and press Enter. Only the nodes that match the string are displayed. The search node feature is case sensitive. To clear a filter, remove the text from the field and press Enter.
Y Component: Multiple channels can be plotted in the same window, or plotted in individual windows. For some data files, each node contains different channels. Only the channels common to all selected nodes are displayed in the Y Channel list. The list can be expanded by clicking the expansion button, . Select the data channel(s).
Y Component Filter: By default, all components are shown. To search for a specific component, enter a string and press enter. Only the components that match the string are displayed. The search component feature is case sensitive. To clear a filter, remove the text from the field and press Enter.
Sorting Type, Requests, and Components: Click to sort the data in ascending order.; Click to sort the data in descending order.; Click to return the data list to its original order.

Building Plots with Nastran Punch Files

HyperGraph 2D is capable of directly reading Nastran punch files for complex displacement and Power Spectral Density (PSD) results in SORT 1 format.

Use the Complex Plot module to view the complex results and the XY Plot module to view the PSD results. The complex data is categorized by Type, Subcase, Node, and Channel. The PSD data is categorized by Type, Request, and Component.

X, Y Type
Y Subcase: A data file consisting of different data types. The available data types depend on the data file.; Y subcase applies only to complex results.
X,Y Request
Y Node: A data file consisting of different nodes on specific data types.; X request applies only to PSD results.; Once the data type has been selected, the data request set needs to be selected. To do this, use the buttons to scroll through the requests or click the down arrow to expand the list. Or, click the X Request button to launch the X Request filter. This filter contains the same selections as the drop-down menu, but allows you to search for a specific request, enter a string and press Enter. Only the requests that match the string are displayed. The search request feature is case sensitive. To clear a filter, remove the text from the field and press Enter.; Figure 3.
X,Y Component: A data file consisting of different results on specific nodes (applies only to PSD results).; To select the data component, use the buttons to scroll through the data components or click the down arrow to expand the list. Or, click the X Component button to launch the X Component dialog. This dialog contains the same selections as the drop-down menu. If you have several options in the component list, this dialog makes it easiest to view and select an option.; Figure 4.

Multiple Curves

Use Current Plot: Every curve is overlaid in the active window. When one of the following options is selected, the page layout icon becomes available.
One Plot Per Node: Each selected node is plotted in a new plot with the corresponding channels overlaid.; For example, if two Y nodes and four Y channels are selected, two plots are created with four curves in each plot.
One Plot Per Channel: Each selected NASTRAN channel is plotted in a new plot with the corresponding nodes overlaid.; For example, if two Y nodes and four Y channels are selected, four plots are created with two curves in each plot.
One Curve Per Plot: Each curve is plotted in a new plot.; For all plotting options, a new page is created. The layout of the new page can be selected from the page layout button on the Build Plots panel. When the plots are built, each window on the new page is filled. If more windows are required, another page of the same layout is created.
Apply: Click Apply to construct all the curves at once.; The application automatically generates axis labels, plot titles, and page names. They can be edited using the Axes and Headers and Footers panels and the Page List dialog.; Plots can contain up to six horizontal and six vertical axes. All curves created using the Build Plots panel are automatically assigned to the primary horizontal and vertical axes.