Review Flexible Body Results

Review and animate flexible body results including local deformations, stress, and strain apart from the rigid body results.

To view flexible body results, you must create a flexible body and run a motion analysis first.

  1. Select Review Flexible Body Results on the Run menu.

  2. Select a Result Type in the Analysis Explorer.
    Note: Displacement results are always included by default. Stress and Strain results will only be available if they were selected as options when creating the flexible body.

Animation Toolbar

Use the animation toolbar to play, record, and configure the animation.



Figure 1. Animation Toolbar
Animation Settings
Click to open the Animation Settings.
Play and Record/Stop Recording
Click the button to begin recording the results; the icon changes to red to indicate that it is recording. Click the icon again to stop recording.
Start Animation/Pause Animation
Click the button to start or pause the animation. Use the arrow buttons to jump the first or last frame in the animation.
Move to First/Previous/Next/Last Step
These buttons allow you to step through the animation frame-by-frame. If you hold down the Previous or Next button, it will auto-repeat. If you want to skip frames, use the Increment By feature in the Animation Settings; hold Ctrl to temporarily override this behavior.
Slider
Drag the slider on the toolbar to view a particular point during the analysis; use the arrow keys to move frame-by-frame through the animation.
Current Step
Displays the current time or frame. You can also enter a value to go to the nearest time/frame.
Connection Results (structures only)
Click to extract reaction forces at fasteners. This option is only avaiable for structural analysis.
Make Current Frame the New Design Position (motion analysis only)
Click to use the current position of the mechanism as the model's starting point for the next run. This option is only avaiable for motion analysis.
Display the Plot Manager (motion analysis only)
Open the Plot Manager to browse and plot motion results data, create cross plots (data vs. data), define pages in different layouts, and save the plots you've defined as a template for reuse. This option is only avaiable for motion analysis.
Display Linear Modes Table (motion linear analysis only)
Open the Linear Modes table to view the results of a linear analysis in complex number form with natural frequencies and damping ratio. This option is only avaiable for linear motion analysis.
Note: The animation toolbar has Previous and Next buttons with an auto-repeat feature, allowing you to step through the animation frame-by-frame by holding down the button. In addition, the Animation Settings include an option to Reverse Playback.

Show Options

Determine what is made visible in the modeling window when viewing analysis results. You can show or hide the initial shape, loads and supports, deformation, and/or contours.

Option Description Note
Show/Hide Initial Shape Show/hide the initial shape as a reference.  
Show/Hide All Loads and Supports Show/hide loads and supports. You can also show only the current loads and supports.  
Show/Hide Deformed State Show/hide the deformed shape as a reference.  
Show/Hide Contours Show/hide contours.  
Options
  • Interpolate during animation: Animate the result contour.
  • Blended contours: Toggle between blended and nonblended contours.
  • Element contour: Show contours based on elements rather than nodes. This option is only available for results types that are based on elements.
  • Vector plot: Display the direction vectors for the displacement result type.
  • Smooth Lattice: For lattice optimization results, create radii between the lattice beams.
 
Show/Hide Elements Show/hide the element edges. This icon appears under the view controls in the lower left of the modeling window, but only when the Analysis Explorer is active.

Callout Options

Add visual callouts to show points of interest on your analysis results.

Callout Icon Description Note
Create, Show, and Hide Callouts

Select to create callouts; select to show and hide callouts.
  • Click the icon, then click a point on the model to create a callout.
  • After creating callouts, click the icon to show/hide the callouts in the modeling window.
List Callouts

Display in a table all of the callouts that have been created, with the result types and values. Each callout is specific to the selected run and load case.

  • Click the icon to show/hide the callout in the modeling window.
  • Select a row to select the callout in the modeling window.
  • Click a column header to sort the column. Click to toggle between ascending and descending order.
  • Right-click a column header to change the result type that is shown, and to sort the order of the columns.

Min/Max Callouts

Create a callout showing where the minimum/maximum value occurs for the selected result type.
Note: When factor of safety is selected, the minimum value is shown.
  • When you click the icon, the callout is automatically generated on the model.
  • Click the min/max callout in the modeling window to create a regular callout at the same location.
Plot Display time history plots for callouts defined for structural analysis. Changes made to the Result Types option are synchronized with the setting on the Analysis Explorer. Using this option allows you to put multiple plots of mixed types on a single page. This option is only available for motion part analysis results.
Dynamic Callouts

Display the results of various result types in existing callouts.
Note: If you enable the Compare Results feature in a callout, the callout becomes static.
After creating a callout for a particular result type, click the icon, then select a different result type. The value in the callout reflects the new result type.

Compare Results in a Table

Compare the results of multiple analysis runs in a table. The Compare Results button is located at the bottom of the Analysis Explorer.

For analysis, you can compare results across all runs and load cases for the selected result type. You can also compare result types at a point of interest where you have placed a callout.

View the analysis results in the Analysis Explorer.
  1. Select the Show Analysis Results tool on the Analyze icon, if not already active.
  2. Click the Compare Results button located at the bottom of the Analysis Explorer.


    The table for comparing results appears at the bottom of the modeling window.

  3. Select the row to display the results for that run and load case.
    • Double-click a cell in the table to show that result in the modeling window.
    • Click the chevron next to the table title to select a different result type or a callout.
    • Click the chevron on a column header to filter results.
    • Click a column header to sort the column.
    • Right-click a column header to change what result types, run parameters, or callouts are shown in the table.
    • Click the top left corner of the table to copy the contents of all cells. This can then be pasted into Excel.

Additional columns can be added to show additional result types and parameters from the Run Analysis window. The red-blue color bands correspond to the legend in the Analysis Explorer; the width of the band indicates the magnitude of the result. Changes to the upper and lower bound in the Analysis Explorer are automatically reflected in the Compare Analysis Results table.