Results Overview

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

Update of Results

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. Select the check box to keep the plots unchanged until you explicitly update the plot using the button (

). 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 (


	Even when the Only plot when requested check box is selected, some changed style settings, such as the color table, are updated when you click a plot node, for example. Changes to style settings do not require that the COMSOL Multiphysics software reevaluates the plot data.

Select the check box to compute a solution and the data for the dependent plots in one step. This can be convenient when it takes a long time to generate the data for the plots.

Select the check box to update the values of all derived values in evaluation groups (see About Evaluation Groups) when the solver finishes. Such an automatic update makes it easier to manage the contents of the evaluation group tables as you know that the data is up to date. It can also be convenient to make the solution and evaluation into one single step.

Changing the Automatic Update of Plots

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 (corresponds to selecting the check box).

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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.

Clearing Plot Data

To activate automatic updates of plots for the current model (if it has been turned off), clear the check box in the window for the node.


	If you want to access postprocessing variables or data export features, for example, when working with models created in earlier versions, you must first re-solve the model or update the solution.

Saving Plot Data in the Model

It is possible to save plot data in the model. When you open such a model, the stored plot data is used instead of the plot data being recomputed. Saving the plot data in the model is useful for plots that take a long time to recompute but do not contain a large amount of data. Examples include 1D plots (for example, a plot of an entity over time, which can take some time to generate but correspond to very little plot data), far-field plots (each point on the plot corresponds to an integral over the geometry), and slice plots over BEM solutions.

From the list, choose one of the following options:

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(the default), which saves plot data for plots that take a long time to recompute but do not contain a large amount of data.

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, to always save plot data in the model.

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, to never save plot data in the model.

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, to control the saving of plot data in the model for each plot group. If you choose , the main plot group node’s window includes a section, where you select the check box to save that plot group’s plot data in the model (by default, the plot data is not saved).

If you have saved data in the model, you can clear it by right-clicking the node and choosing or by clicking the button (

) on the ribbon toolbar.

The Main Results Analysis and Visualization Tools

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

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Configurations. Configurations define multiple or single solutions; that is, multiple or a single time, eigenvalue, or parameter value that you can use in subsequent plots, data evaluations, and data export.

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

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Derived Values, Evaluation Groups, 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 Table nodes 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 datasets 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 and Presentations. 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, datasets, 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.


	To display the Views node under Results (), click the Show More Options button () and select Views in the Show More Options dialog box. This is useful, for example, when 2D axisymmetric revolved plots or 2D cut plane plots for 3D models are created. For details, see User-Defined Views.

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Results Toolbar and Plot Group Contextual Toolbar

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Results in the COMSOL Multiphysics Programming Reference Manual