Mesh (Plot)
Use a Mesh plot () to display a mesh. It is possible to plot the mesh without solving a model using a Mesh dataset. The plot can display the mesh quality (2D or 3D) or the mesh size. For 2D and 3D meshes, add Deformation, Filter, Selection (Plot Attribute), or Transparency (3D only) subnodes as needed. Right-click a plot group to add this plot type.
Go to Common Results Node Settings for links to information about these sections: Data, for all meshes, and Title, Element Filter, Shrink Elements, and Inherit Style for 2D and 3D meshes.
You can also create a Mesh plot by right-clicking the Mesh node and selecting Plot ().
The following two sections are only available in the Settings window for 1D meshes.
y-Axis
This section is only available for 1D Histogram plots and if the Two y-axes check box is selected in the Plot Settings section of the parent 1D Plot Group node’s Settings window.
Select the Plot on secondary y-axis check box to plot the y-axis data on the secondary y-axis to the right of the plot instead of the primary y-axis to the left of the plot.
Color and Style
This section is available for 1D Mesh plot nodes. From the Color list, choose a color for the 1D mesh plot (default: black). Choose Custom to pick a custom color from the color palette that appears.
The following two sections are only available in the Settings window for 2D and 3D meshes.
Level
This section is available for 2D and 3D Mesh plot nodes. Select a Level to display the mesh: All, Volume (3D only), Surface, Line, or Point. If Surface is selected, select the base Element type to visualize: All, Triangle, or Quad.
For 3D models and if Volume is selected, select the base Element type to visualize: All, Tetrahedron, Pyramid, Prism, or Hex.
Coloring and Style
This section is available for 2D and 3D Mesh plot nodes. Under Coloring and Style, use the following settings to control the coloring of the mesh plot:
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Select an Element color: Any basic color, Quality (the default) to get a mesh element quality plot, Size to get a plot of the local mesh size, Custom to select a different color from the color palette, or None to plot with no color.
If you have selected Quality from the Element color list, you can select a quality measure:
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Select a Quality measure:
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Skewness, which is the default quality measure, is a measure of the equiangular skew.
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Maximum angle, which is based on the cosine of the largest angle in the element.
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Volume versus circumradius is the default quality measure, which is based on a quotient of the element volume and the radius of the circumscribed sphere (or circle) of the element.
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Volume versus length, which is based on a quotient of element edge lengths and element volume.
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Condition number, which is based on the element dimension divided by the condition number of the matrix transforming the element to a reference element.
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 Growth rate, which is a measure of the local (anisotropic) mesh growth rate.
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Custom expression provides a Quality expression field where your can enter a custom expression for the mesh quality. The expression should provide scalar values between 0 and 1, where 1 is an element of the highest possible value. You can use it, for example, to combine some of the existing mesh quality measures. Click the Replace Expression () button to choose and insert a predefined expression to replace the contents of the Quality expression field.
For more information about mesh quality, see Mesh Element Quality and Size.
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Select a Color table for the element quality or element size. By default, the TrafficLight color table is used with the Reverse color table check box selected, so that a high element quality is indicated with a green color and elements with a poor element quality are red. If the default is not suitable for the plot, try other options.
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Also, if the element color displays the element quality or element size, select the Color legend check box (selected by default) to display a color legend next to the plot.
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By default, if the element color displays the element quality or element size, the Reverse color table check box is selected. Clear this check box, if needed, to reverse the colors in the color table so that the color for the minimum value instead indicates the maximum value, and vice versa.
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Select a Wireframe color — any basic color, Custom to select a different color, or None to plot with no color indicating the mesh element boundaries.
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Select a Resolution for the elements in mesh plots where the geometry order is greater than one: Extra fine, Finer, Fine, Normal (the default), Coarse, No refinement, or Custom. If you choose Custom, enter a positive integer (default: 1) in the Element refinement field.
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When you plot a mesh plot using a Solution dataset, you can choose an option from the Node points list (default: None) to show the node points, including those of interior nodes in higher-order elements:
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Choose Geometry shape function to plot the node points from the geometry shape discretization.
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Choose any physics field included in the Solution dataset, such as Solid mechanics: Field name: u to plot the node points for that field’s discretization.
The points are often similar for the geometry shape function and the physics field’s discretization when the geometry shape function is set to automatic (which is the default setting).
You can control the radius of the node points using the Point radius field when the Node points lists is not set to None. Enter a radius between 0 and 10 (default: 1.5).
The following section is only available in the Settings window for 1D meshes.
Expression
This section is available for 1D Mesh plot nodes. From the Expression list, choose None to display the 1D mesh as a straight line. Choose Size to plot the mesh so that the value on the y-axis is the local mesh size.