Use a 2D Plot Group () to combine one or more 2D plots, such as surface plots and contour plots, and visualize the plots simultaneously. Use a 3D Plot Group () to combine one of more 3D plots, such as volume plots and slice plots, into one to visualize the plots simultaneously. The datasets that you can use are solution datasets for 2D and 3D solutions, respectively, but also, for example, cut planes from a 3D model in a 2D plot group or a revolved 2D axisymmetric solution in a 3D plot group.

Select a Dataset. From the lists below select the solution to use. For Parametric Sweep studies, select, for example, a Parameter value as needed. For time-dependent problems, select a Time. For eigenvalue and eigenfrequency analyses, select an Eigenvalue or Eigenfrequency. For solutions that contain multiple eigenvalues, the list includes entries such as 3241 (1) and 3241 (2) for selecting either of the two eigenmodes associated with the same eigenvalue. You can step through time, eigenvalues or eigenfrequencies, or parameter values using the Plot Previous () and Plot Next () buttons at the top of the plot group nodes and their plot nodes. You can also use the F6 and F7 keyboard shortcuts to step to the previous or next solution, respectively. To move to the solution associated with the first or last time, eigenvalue, or parameter value, click the Plot First () or Plot Last () button. For models with multiple levels of parameters and time, for example, use the list to the right of the Plot Last button to choose the level for which you want to step through the solutions (see the figure below).

By default, the plots in the plot group are active in the entire geometry. Using a selection defined in this section, you can limit the plots to some geometric entities (parts of the geometry). From the Geometric entity level list, choose Entire geometry (the default), Domain, Boundary, Edge (3D only), or Point.

For all levels except Entire geometry, you can choose a selection of entities at that level from the Selection list:

The following settings are also available for all levels except Entire geometry:

By default, the Propagate to lower dimensions check box is selected. If you clear it, only plots defined on the selected entity level will appear (for domains, a surface plot would then not appear, for example).

Select the Apply to dataset edges check box to only display dataset edges for the chosen selection of entities instead of for the entire geometry.

Select Save plot data to save the plot data in the model. This section only appears for the manual setting of the option for saving plot data. See Saving Plot Data in the Model.

The Title type is automatically generated by default. Select Custom, Manual, Label, or None as needed. See Plot Titles for Plot Groups and Plot Types for more information.

From the Color list, choose Custom to define a custom color for the title, or choose one of the predefined colors (the default is Black).

To turn off the display of the color legends, clear the Show legends check box. If the Show legends check box is selected, you can control the look and feel and position of the color legend using the settings below.

You can show or hide the maximum and minimum values for the plotted quantity that appear above and below the color legend using the Show maximum and minimum values check box. Turning off the maximum and minimum values can save screen space in the vertical direction.

To display a unit for the values of the color legend, select the Show units check box. The unit appears above the color legend.

Specify the location of the color legends (color scales) for the plots for this plot group. The Position list contains the following positions for the color legends:

From the Text color list, choose Custom to define a custom color for the text in the color legend, or choose one of the predefined colors (the default is Black).

To override the automatic formatting of the numbers in the color legend, select the Manual color legend settings check box. Then adjust the formatting using the following settings:

From the Notation list, choose Automatic to let the program choose decimal notation or scientific notation (E-notation) depending on the values of the displayed numbers. Choose Engineering to use engineering notation, or choose Scientific to only use scientific notation.

Select the Use common exponent check box (selected by default) to use a common exponent above the color legend. Clear this check box to instead display the full numbers, including the exponents, next to the corresponding levels in the color legend. One of these formats may be better suited to display the color legend if the plot window is small, for example.

Select the Show trailing exponent check box to display all numbers based on the precision used, including trailing zeros (for example, 5 is then displayed as 5.00 when the precision is set to 3).

In the Precision field, enter a positive integer (default: 3) for the numerical precision (number of digits displayed).

To override the automatic formatting of the numbers on the grid axes, select the Manual axis settings check box (2D) or Manual grid settings (3D). Then adjust the formatting using the following settings:

From the Notation list, choose Automatic to let the program choose decimal notation or scientific notation (E-notation) depending on the values of the displayed numbers. Choose Engineering to use engineering notation, or choose Scientific to only use scientific notation.

Select the Use common exponent check box (selected by default) to use a common exponent at the end of each axis. Clear this check box to instead display the full numbers, including the exponents, next to the corresponding axis tick. One of these formats may be better suited to display the grid if the plot window is small, for example.

Select the Show trailing exponent check box to display all numbers based on the precision used, including trailing zeros (for example, 5 is then displayed as 5.000 when the precision is set to 4).

In the Precision field, enter a positive integer (default: 3) for the numerical precision (number of digits displayed).

Select the Enable check box to activate the plot array functionality. All plot subnodes under the plot group node then get a Plot Array section (see Plot Array Settings for Plot Nodes), and by default its Belongs to array check box is selected, so that all plots in the plot group are included in the plot array.

From the Array shape list, choose Linear (the default) or Square. By default, the size of the square array is the smallest square that the number of plots (which belong to the array) in the plot group would fit into. For example, with four plot subnodes, selecting Square yields a 2-by-2 array. With five plot subnodes, selecting Square yields a 3-by-3 array. For a linear plot array, choose an array axis (such as x, y, or z in 3D) from the Array axis list. For a square plot array, instead choose an array plane (3D only), such as xy, from the Array plane list. You can also choose, from the Order list, if the ordering of the plots in a square plot array should be a row-major (the default) or column-major order. Choose Row-major (the default) to first fill the available rows, or choose Column-major to first fill the available columns. The order of the plots reflects the order of the plot nodes in the plot group, unless you have used a manual indexing for any of the plots. If you change the order, the plot array will reflect the new order when it is replotted.

From the Padding list, choose Relative (the default) or Absolute to control the padding between the plots in the plot array.

The default relative padding length is 0.3 (that is, 30% of the plot size). For a linear array, enter the value in the Relative padding field; for a square array, enter padding values in the Relative row padding and Relative column padding fields.

The absolute padding length (SI unit: m) makes it possible to set a padding suitable to the overall absolute size of the plot array. For a linear array, enter the value in the Padding length field; for a square array, enter padding values in the Row padding length and Column padding length fields.

To add plots to a group, right-click the 3D Plot Group or the 2D Plot Group node to select as many as needed. Each plot group can have several plots combined to create a meaningful representation of the data.