Mechanical APDL Basic Analysis Guide - Ansys

Establishing separate Y-axis scales for different curves. If you want to graph two or more different items on
one display, you might find that the numerical values of the different graphed items differ so significantly
that no meaningful information can be obtained from some of the curves. An example would be a time-
history graph of an applied force (with magnitude ~10 3 ) superimposed over a time-history graph of a resulting
deflection (with magnitude ~10 -1 ). The deflection curve would appear to be a straight line if plotted to the
same scale as the applied force.
To solve this problem, use different Y-axis scales for each curve. You can activate such a feature with the
/GRTYP command (Utility Menu> PlotCtrls> Style> Graphs). /GRTYP,2 displays up to three separate 2-D
curves, while /GRTYP,3 displays up to six separate 3-D curves. You must also make sure that automatic Yaxis
scaling is set to its default value of ON (/GROPT,ASCAL,ON) for this feature to work.
Uniform scaling of separate Y axes. If you want to label separate Y-axes distinctly, but want all of them to use
the same Y axis scale, you must turn automatic Y-axis scaling off (/GROPT,ASCAL,OFF).
Creating "data slice" graph curves (curves that have Z-direction "thickness"). Separately-scaled curves can be
separated and given Z-direction thickness with the /GRTYP,3 command. (To see this effect, you must change
your display's viewing angle and distance - for instance, via /VIEW,1,2,2,3 and /DIST,1,.88 (Utility Menu>
PlotCtrls> Pan, Zoom, Rotate). The color-fill option must also be set on via the /GROPT,FILL,ON command.)
Setting line thickness for axes, grid lines or graph curve lines. You can accentuate graph items by increasing
their line thickness, using the AXIS, GRID, and CURVE labels in the /GTHK command (Utility Menu> Plot
Ctrls> Style> Graphs).
Turning the grid on or off (in the XY plane). You can add a grid to your graph displays, using the /GRID command
(Utility Menu> Plot Ctrls> Style> Graphs). If you add a grid, it can be either a full grid (horizontal
and vertical grid lines) or a partial grid (horizontal or vertical grid lines).
Producing a dashed tolerance curve about the displayed curve. You might want to indicate a range of data
spread, tolerance, or uncertainty on your graph curves. You can do so using the SPREAD command (Main
Menu> TimeHist Postpro> Settings> Graph).
Color-filling areas under curves. You can enhance the visual impact of your graph curves by using the FILL
label on the /GROPT command to fill the areas under the curves with color.
Changing the color of curves (and color-filled areas under curves). The CURVE label on the /COLOR command
(Utility Menu> PlotCtrls> Style> Colors> color type) allows you to control the color of each curve in
your graph.
Filling the areas under curves with grids. If you have turned on the color-fill option and have also turned on
the grid option, then you can cause the grid to appear in the color-filled areas under curves by issuing
/GROPT,CGRID,ON.
Coloring the XY, XZ, and/or YZ grid planes. The GRBAK label on the /COLOR command allows you to control
the color of the XY, YZ, and ZX planes.
Coloring the window background. The WBAK label on the /COLOR command enables you to control the
background color of each window in your display.
15.2.2. Labeling Your Graph
Labeling the axes. You can label the X and Y axes using the /AXLAB command.
Command(s): /AXLAB
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15.2.2. Labeling Your Graph
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