Results Overview

The branch in the COMSOL Multiphysics model tree contains tools for postprocessing and analyzing the results from your simulations, including visualizations, animations, and data analysis. The main node contains all nodes that you create for such purposes. The window contains the following section:

The default is to update all plots automatically when you, for example, recompute the solution, click the plot node, or change the color table for a plot. Clear the check box to keep the plots unchanged until you explicitly update the plot using the button (

), for example. This can be useful, for example, for large models with complex plots where you do not want to update the plots directly when opening the model or when solving. A blue asterisk in the upper-right corner of the plot node’s icon indicates that the plot is not updated (

There are preference settings that you can use to avoid automatic updates of plots when opening or creating models. Open The Preferences Dialog Box and click . Under you can set the preferences to update result plots.

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Select the check box to always disable the automatic update of plots for new models that you create.

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Select the check box to always disable the automatic update of plots for models that you open from file, such as models in the Application Libraries. The automatic update of plots is then disabled initially, regardless of the setting in the model.

To activate automatic updates of plots for the current model, select the check box in the window for the node.

The branch groups the tools into the categories. During results analysis and visualization, there are these main operation types:

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Data Sets. Data sets provide the source of data for plotting, for example, by indicating a solution and geometry or by transforming another data set (for combining solutions or evaluating data along a cut line, for example).

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Derived Values and Tables. Derived values define the evaluation of integrals, maximum and minimum values, values of variables in points, and values of global variables. The evaluation results are stored in Tablenodes under and displayed in the window.

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Plot Groups and Plots. A plot group is a collection of plots to display simultaneously in the window. The plot groups include 1D plots (graphs), 2D plots (surface plots, for example), and 3D plots (volume plots, for example) with many different plot types and options. You can enable or disable plots in a plot group to determine the most applicable final image for your model or project. The physics interfaces create suitable default plots grouped in descriptive plot groups. Use a combination of data sets and plot groups to create cross-section plots.

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(see Exporting Data and Images): Export data, images, and animations from plot groups to files or use a player to visualize dynamic data.

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Reports. Create reports as HTML and Microsoft® Word documents that contain settings, selections, comments, plots, and other information about the model for easy viewing.

For quick single-click access to the functionality in the branch, the toolbar is available for adding plot groups, data sets, data evaluation tools, reports, and other results and visualization tools. When you select a plot group, a plot group contextual toolbar, with the same name as the plot group, appears. From that toolbar you can, for example, add new plots to the plot group and control the window to plot in.