cfx_post

CFX-Post

Notice

This document and the CFX software products described or referred toin it are confidential and proprietary products of AEA Technology plc.or its licensors. They are provided under, and are subject to, the termsand conditions of a written license agreement between AEATechnology plc. or its licensors, and their customers, and must not betransferred, disclosed or otherwise provided to third parties unlessotherwise permitted by that agreement.

CFX is a registered trademark of AEA Technology plc.

CFX is a trademark of Sony Corporation in Japan.

MSCMSC/PATRANAVS/EXPRESS

and all other trademarks and service marks mentioned are the propertyof their respective owners.

Copyright © 1996-2002 by AEA Technology plc. All rights reserved.

AEA Technology Engineering Software LtdCFX InternationalThe Gemini Building, Fermi AvenueHarwell International Business CentreDidcot Oxfordshire OX11 OQRUnited Kingdom

Website: http://www.software.aeat.com/cfx

Any enquiries regarding copyright should be directed toCFX International at the address shown above, or by e-mail [email protected] .

CFX-Post

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Contents

Overview of CFX-Post

• Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2• Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2• The Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3• Graphic Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3• The Graphical User Interface (GUI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4• Starting CFX-Post from the command line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5• Advanced Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6• The CFX-Post Command Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

File Menu

• Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10• CFX-Post File Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

• File Menu Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13• Load Results File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13• Save State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14• Load State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16• Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17• Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22• Loading Recently Accessed Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23• Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Edit Menu

• Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26• Edit Menu Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

• Undo and Redo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27• Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Session Menu

• Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38• Session Menu Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

• Play Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39• New Session. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39• Start and Stop Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Create Menu

• Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44• Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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• Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49• Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51• Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55• Isosurface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58• Polyline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60• Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63• Vector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65• Surface Group Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67• Contour Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68• Coordinate Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72• Clip Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76• Streamline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79• Instancing Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86• Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91• Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93• Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95• Wireframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103• Boundary and Subdomain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Viewer Menu

• Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108• Viewer Menu Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Tools Menu

• Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114• Object Selector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115• Object Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116• Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124• Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127• Mesh Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138• Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141• Timestep Selector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148• Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149• Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151• Command Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157• Macro Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158• Arrange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

CFX Command Language

• Overview of the CFX Command Language (CCL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164• CCL Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

• Simple Syntax Details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166• Object Creation and Deletion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172• CFX Expression Language (CEL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

• CEL Functions, Constants and System Variables . . . . . . . . . .174

Command Actions

• Overview of Command Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186• File Operations from the Command Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

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• Loading a Results File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188• Creating Session Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188• Reading Session Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191• Saving State Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192• Reading State Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194• Creating Hardcopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197• Importing External File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197• Exporting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200

• Quantitative Calculations in the Command Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . 201• Function Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201

• Other Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Power Syntax

• Power Syntax Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210• Examples of Power Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212• Predefined Power Syntax Subroutines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Line Interface Mode

• Line Interface Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222• Batch Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

• Example: Pressure Calculation on Multiple Files using Batch Mode226

CCL Details

• CCL Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230• UNIT SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230• STREAMLINE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230• ROOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234• LIBRARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237• POINT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237• POLYLINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240• SUBDOMAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242• BOUNDARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244• WIREFRAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246• VECTOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247• SYMBOL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249• ISOSURFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250• USER SURFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252• PLANE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254• CLIP PLANE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257• VOLUME. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259• LINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262• CONTOUR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .263• SURFACE GROUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265• HARDCOPY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267• DATA READER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270• EXPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271• SESSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .272• STATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .272

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• VIEWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273• DOMAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274• VECTOR VARIABLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274• SCALAR VARIABLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275• USER SCALAR VARIABLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277• EXPRESSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278• ANIMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278• KEYFRAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280• GROUP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280• DEFAULT INSTANCE TRANSFORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281• INSTANCE TRANSFORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282• REFLECTION PLANE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .283• CAMERA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .284• LEGEND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285• TEXT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286• COORD FRAME. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288• CHART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289• CHART LINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .290• CALCULATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291• MESH CALCULATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .294• EXPRESSION EVALUATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .295

• CCL Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297• Absolute Tolerance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297• Animate Camera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297• Animation Filename . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297• Animation Frame Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297• Animation Hardcopy Filename . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297• Animation Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298• Apply Instancing Transform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298• Apply Reflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298• Apply Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298• Apply Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298• Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298• Axis 3 Point X Coord. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299• Axis 3 Point Y Coord. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299• Axis 3 Point Z Coord. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299• Axis Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299• Background Colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299• Base Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300• Border Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300• Bound Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300• Boundary List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300• Boundary Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300• Boundary Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300• Camera Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301• Chart Axes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301• Chart Font. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301• Chart Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301• Chart Legend Margin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302

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• Chart Line Colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302• Chart Line List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302• Chart Line Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302• Chart Symbol Colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303• Chart Symbol Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303• Chart Text Colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303• Chart Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303• Chart Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304• Chart Viewport Colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304• Chart X Axis Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304• Chart X Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304• Chart Y Axis Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304• Chart Y Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305• Clip Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305• Clip Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305• Colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305• Colour Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305• Colour Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306• Colour Variable Boundary Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306• Component Bounds Flag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306• Component Clip Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306• Component Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306• Component Long Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307• Component Lower Bounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307• Component MMS Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307• Component Short Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307• Component Upper Bounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307• Constant Contour Colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307• Contour Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307• Coord Frame Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .308• Cross Periodics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .308• Culling Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .308• Current File Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .308• Current Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309• Current Results File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309• Current Results File Version. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309• Current Timestep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309• Current Timevalue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309• Custom Units Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310• Default Vulnerability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310• Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310• Direction 1 Bound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310• Direction 1 Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310• Direction 1 Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .310• Direction 2 Bound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .311• Direction 2 Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .311• Display Chart Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .311• Display Chart Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .311• Domain List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .311

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• Draw Contours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312• Draw Faces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312• Draw Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312• Draw Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312• Draw Symbols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312• Edge Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313• Evaluated Expression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313• Export File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313• Expression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313• Flip Normal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313• Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313• Font. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314• Frame Increment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314• Fringe Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314• Full Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314• Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315• General Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315• Grid Tolerance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315• Hardcopy Filename. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315• Hardcopy Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315• Hardcopy Tolerance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .316• Has Hybrid Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .316• HybridMax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .316• HybridMin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .316• Image Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .316• Include Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317• Inclusive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317• Input File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317• Instancing Transform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317• Interface Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317• Intermediate File Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318• Invert Plane Bound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318• Isovolume Intersection Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318• JPEG Image Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318• Keep Intermediate Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319• Keyframe Filename. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319• Keyframe List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319• Keyframe Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319• Legend Aspect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319• Legend Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .319• Legend Plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320• Legend Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320• Legend Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320• Legend Shading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320• Legend Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320• Legend Ticks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321• Legend X Justification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321• Legend Y Justification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321• Light Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321

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• Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321• Line Colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322• Line Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322• Line Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322• Line Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322• Line Width. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323• Load Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323• Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323• Location List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323• Long Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323• Looping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323• Looping Cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .324• MMS Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .324• MPEG Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .324• Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .324• Max Result . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .324• Max X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325• Max Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325• Member List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325• Mesh Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325• Min . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325• Min Result. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326• Min X. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326• Min Y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326• Node Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326• Normal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326• Normalized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327• Null Token. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327• Number Of Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327• Number of Contours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327• Number of Copies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327• Number of Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328• Number of Hexahedra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328• Number of Nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328• Number of Pyramids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328• Number of Samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328• Number of Sides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328• Number of Tetrahedra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329• Number of Wedges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329• Opposite Boundary List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329• Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329• Origin X Coord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329• Origin Y Coord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329• Origin Z Coord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330• Output to Jobfile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330• Output to Postprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330• Overlay Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330• Overwrite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330• Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330

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• Paper Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331• Paper Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331• Periodicity Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331• Physical Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331• Pivot Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331• Plane 13 Point X Coord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .332• Plane 13 Point Y Coord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .332• Plane 13 Point Z Coord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .332• Plane Bound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .332• Plane Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .332• Playback Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333• Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333• Point 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333• Point 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333• Point 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334• Point Symbol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334• Position Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334• Precision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334• Preferred Units System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334• Principal Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335• Print Line Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335• Print Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335• Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335• Projection Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336• Quantity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336• Quantity Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336• Radius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336• Random Seed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336• Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336• Range Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337• Read State Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337• Recipe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337• Reduction Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337• Reference Coord Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338• Reflection Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338• Result . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338• Result Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338• Ribbon Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338• Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339• Rotation Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339• Rotation Axis From . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339• Rotation Axis To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339• Rotation Axis Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339• Rotation Quaternion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340• Save Hardcopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340• Save State Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340• Save State Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340• Scale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340• Screen Capture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341

Page x Contents CFX-5.5.1

CFX-Post

• Separator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341• Session Filename . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341• Show Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341• Slice Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341• Solver Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .342• Specular Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .342• Standard View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .342• State Filename . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .342• Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .342• Stream Ribbon Initial Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .343• Streamline Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .343• Streamline Maximum Periods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .343• Streamline Maximum Segments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .343• Streamline Maximum Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .343• Streamline Solver Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344• Surface Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344• Surface Sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344• Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344• Symbol Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344• Symbol Start Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345• Symbol Stop Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345• Symbol Time Interval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345• Symbol Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345• Temporary Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345• Tensor Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .346• Text Colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .346• Text Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .346• Text Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .346• Text Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .346• Text String . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347• Timestep Interpolation Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347• Tolerance Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347• Translation Vector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347• Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347• Tube Diameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348• Under Relaxation Factor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348• Update Units to Preferred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348• User Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348• User Level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .348• User Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349• Value. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349• Value 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349• Value 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349• Value List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349• VarMax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .350• VarMin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .350• Variable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .350• Variable Boundary Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .350• Variable Class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .350

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CFX-Post

• Variable Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351• Variable Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351• Variable List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351• Variable Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351• Vector Brackets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351• Vector Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352• Vector Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352• Verbose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352• Visibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352• Volume Intersection Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352• White Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353• Write Session Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353• X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353• X Justification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353• Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .354• Y Justification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .354• Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .354

Page xii Contents CFX-5.5.1

CFX-Post

CFX-Post

Overview of CFX-Post

• Introduction (p. 2)

• Functionality (p. 2)

• The Viewer (p. 3)

• Graphic Objects (p. 3)

• The Graphical User Interface (GUI) (p. 4)

• Starting CFX-Post from the command line p. 5

• The CFX-Post Command Line (p. 7)

CFX-5.5.1 Page 1

CFX-PostBasics

Introduction

CFX-Post is a flexible state-of-the-art post-processor for CFX-5 andother CFX products. It is designed to allow easy visualisation andquantitative post-processing of the results of CFD simulations. Thischapter of the documentation includes the following sections.

FunctionalityThe current release of CFX-Post includes the core of the commandprocessing, data handling and graphics generation capabilities of thepost-processing engine. Additional functionality will be available infuture releases of CFX-Post. Current functionality includes thefollowing:

• Reads CFX-5.4, CFX-5.4.1, CFX-5.5, CFX-5.5.1 Definition (*.def)and Results (*.res) files and CFX-4 dump files (*.d*mp*). CFX-5.4.1or later Results files are necessary to access some of thequantitative functionality.

• Command-line, session file or state file input through the CFXCommand Language (CCL). Includes support for ‘Power Syntax’ toallow fully programmable session files.

• Generates a variety of graphical and geometric objects. SeeGraphic Objects (p. 3) for the complete list. The following can becontrolled on each graphics object:

• Visibility• Transparency• Colour (constant or coloured by any variable, with range control)• Line/Face rendering

Functionality Presentation of the abilities of CFX-Post

The Viewer Basic functions

Graphic Objects Planes, Vector Plots, Isosurfaces etc.

The Graphical User Interface(GUI)

An introduction to the Graphical UserInterface

The CFX-Post Command Line How to access more functionality

Page 2 Introduction CFX-5.5.1

CFX-PostBasics

• User-defined variables.

• A variety of exact quantitative calculations over objects. SeeQuantitative Calculations in the Command Editor (p. 201 inCFX-Post) for the complete list.

• Mesh Visualisation tools. Calculate a range of values to examinemesh quality and highlight problem areas.

• Transient Rotor/Stator support. Node locations are repositionedbased on the position for the current timestep. This feature isdemonstrated in the Axial tutorial. Please see Flow in an AxialRotor/Stator Arrangement (p. 363 in CFX-5 Tutorials) .

• Volume Object features. PlaneVolume, IsoVolume andSphereVolume objects are supported.

• Grouped surface objects can be created to apply consistent colourranges to a group of objects.

• Solution units are imported from the solution, and can be modifiedlocally.

• Partial integration with the CFX Expression Language (CEL).

• Hardcopy output to Postscript, JPEG, various bitmap formats andVRML.

• Standard interactive viewer controls (rotate, zoom, pan, zoom box)as well as predefined viewer camera control.

The ViewerAll graphical output from CFX-Post is plotted in the associated viewerwindow. The viewer that is used in CFX-Post is that same as the viewerused in CFX-TASCflow, and all mouse actions are the same asTASCflow. The mouse controls for the viewer are presented in MouseMapping (p. 28) .

Graphic ObjectsThe CFX-Post processor supports a variety of graphical and geometricobjects which are used to create post-processing plots, and definelocations for quantitative calculation. The post-processor currentlysupports the following types of graphical objects:

CFX-5.5.1 Introduction Page 3

CFX-PostBasics

• Boundary

• Wireframe

• Plane - Full or bounded

• Vector Plot

• Isosurface

• Point

• Line

• Surface Group Plots - Colour a group of objects at the same time.

• Polyline - Read a line from an external data file, or create one byintersecting a boundary.

• Clip Plane - View a certain section of the geometry that lies on oneside of a plane.

• User Surface - Read a faceted surface from an external data file orcreate one by intersecting a boundary.

• User Scalar Variables - Define your own new variables on the fly

• Legends

• Text - 2D or 3D text annotation

• Coordinate Frames - Used to define axes and directions forquantitative calculations

The details of all the possible objects and associated parameters thatcan be defined in CFX-Post are described in a separate document“CCL Content Definition for the CFX-Post processor”. This documentis provided in PDF format in the ‘documentation’ subdirectory ofCFX-Post export.

The Graphical User Interface (GUI)The Graphical User Interface provides you with an easy way to accessthe functionality that CFX-Post has to offer. Most interaction withCFX-Post will be carried out using the GUI. The GUI acts as a layer thatprovides commands to the CFX-Post engine.


CFX-PostBasics

For information about specific menus and icons please choose areference from the CFX-Post Basics (p. i) table of contents.

Starting CFX-Post from the command lineCFX-Post can be started from the command line by executing<CFXROOT/bin/5.5.1/cfx5post .

There are a number of optional command line flags which aresummarised in the table below:

Argument Alternative form Usage

-batch<filename.cse>

Starts CFX-Post in batch mode, running the session fileyou enter as an argument

-gui Starts CFX-Post in graphical user interface (GUI) mode.

-line Starts CFX-Post in line interface (CFX-Post command line)mode. See Line Interface Mode (p. 221) for more details.

-remote <host> Specify a remote host to run on needed. This option alsorequires the -port and -viewerport options to be specified,and requires the host machine to be running CFX-Post withthe -server option. For more details, please see theinstructions below this table.

-port <number> Specify the port number for GUI-engine communication(used for -remote mode)

-viewerport<number>

Specify the port for the viewer (used for -remote mode).

-graphics -gr Specify the graphics system (options are ogl and mesa)

-cuedir <file> Specify the filepath of the CFX-Post installation

-t <file.cst> Start CFX-Post and load the state file <file.cst>.

-s <file.cse> Start CFX-Post and load the session file <file.cse>

-server Specify the current machine as a server. Please see belowfor more details

-v Verbose dump environment

<resfile> Start CFX-Post and load the results file <resfile>


CFX-PostBasics

CFX-Post can be run on a remote machine, and requires the followingsteps to run successfully.

• The host machine (server) must first be set up to run as a server.cfx5post -server

• The server machine will then produce output which will indicate howto connect to it from a guest machine (client).

Running CFX-Post engine in server mode.A remote GUI can now be connected to the engine by running:

cfx5post -remote machine1 -port 35007 -viewerport 35008

Waiting for GUI connection...

• The client machine operator (running on, for example, machine2 )can then enter the following:cfx5post -remote machine1 -port 35007 -viewerport35008

If the connection is successful, CFX-Post will start on the clientmachine and the message

Connection arrived from host machine2

will be displayed in the command window of the server machine.

The machine name can be entered as an IP address (for example ifyou are not connecting across a local network). It is recommended thatthe host machine be of the same operating system type as the guestmachine, although machines with the same byte ordering can belinked. For example, Intel and Alpha platforms which use little endianordering can be linked, and Sun, SGI, IBM and HP which use bigendian ordering can be linked.

Advanced FeaturesThe advanced section of the CFX-Post documentation contains helpon:

• CFX Command Language (CCL) - the internal command languageused within CFX-Post. CCL is used to create objects or performactions. Please see Overview of the CFX Command Language(CCL) (p. 164) .


CFX-PostBasics

• CFX Expression Language (CEL) - CEL is a powerful expressionlanguage used to create user-defined variables, expressions, etc).Please see CFX Expression Language (CEL) (p. 173) .

• Power syntax - Power Syntax provides integration of the Perlprogramming language with CCL to allow creation of advancedsubroutines. Please see Power Syntax Overview (p. 210) .

• Line interface mode - Please see Line Interface Mode (p. 222) .Some user interaction (for example with some advanced features)with the post-processor is through the CFX command line. This isdenoted by the (CFX) > command line prompt. At the command lineprompt the user can issue CFX Command Language (CCL) actionsand issue a few command line specific commands.

• Batch Mode - CFX-Post can be run in batch mode (often using asession file as the basis for a series of actions which will beexecuted). For further details, please see Batch Mode (p. 226) .

The CFX-Post Command LineSome user interaction (for example with some advanced features) withthe post-processor is through the CFX command line. This is denotedby the (CFX) > command line prompt. At the command line prompt theuser can issue CFX Command Language (CCL) actions (Overview ofCommand Actions (p. 186 in CFX-Post) ), create CCL objects (CCLObjects (p. 230 in CFX-Post) ), and issue a few command line specificcommands.

By default, any entry on the command line is assumed to be a CCLaction, and is immediately processed by CFX-Post.The table belowprovides a complete list of special commands that are accepted by thepost-processor, but are not actually CCL actions. Please refer toCommand Actions (p. 185) for information on CCL actions that canbe used on the command line.

Action(Abbreviation)

Arguments Behaviour

help (h) none Lists all valid command-line and CCLactions.


CFX-PostBasics

Since a full post-processing session may require a large amount oftyping, and because of the flexibility of the CCL Power Syntax, it isexpected that most input to the post-processor will be via session files.A session file can be specified at start-up via the -session <filename>option, or on the post-processor command line using the readsessioncommand (see Reading Session Files (p. 191) ).

getstate (s) <Object Name> Without an argument, lists all currentlydefined objects.With an argument, shows details ofthe definition of the named object.

enterccl (e) none Enters CCL Object definition mode.Allows the user to type CCL objectdefinitions. Ctrl-e processes the objectdefinition, Ctrl-x aborts.

! <command> Executes a Power Syntax (Perl)command

% <command> Executes a system command (UnixOnly)

Action(Abbreviation)

Arguments Behaviour


CFX-Post

CFX-Post

File Menu

• Introduction p. 10

• Load Results File p. 13

• Save State p. 14

• Load State p. 15

• Export p. 16

• Print p. 21

• Loading Recently Accessed Files p. 22

• Quit p. 23

CFX-5.5.1 Page 9

CFX-PostFile Menu

Introduction

The options available from the File menu are outlined below with asummary of the function performed by each option.

CFX-Post File TypesThis section describes the file types used and produced by CFX-Post.

CFX-5 Results File

A CFX-5 Results File is produced by the CFX-5 Solver and isassociated with a .res file extension. It contains the mesh and theresults from a simulation. Results files from CFX-5.4 or later can beread into CFX-Post, however some quantitative functionality is onlyavailable with CFX-5.4.1 or later Results files.

CFX-5 Definition File

A CFX-5 Definition File is produced by CFX-Build and contains themesh which can be visualised in CFX-Post. Definition files fromCFX-5.4 or later are supported in CFX-Post.

Load Results File Loads a CFX results file (*.res), Definition file (*.def) Transient File(*.trn) CFX-4 dump file (*.d*mp*) or backup file (*.bak) into CFX-Post.See Load Results File (p. 13) .

Load State Load a State file (*.cst) into CFX-Post. See Load State (p. 15) .

Save State Save the current settings to the existing State file (*.cst). See SaveState (p. 14) .

Save State As Save the current settings to a new State file (*.cst). See Save State(p. 14).

Export Export results to a data file. See Export (p. 16) .

Print Enables you to print the image shown in the Viewport to a file. SeePrint (p. 21) .

Recent Results files Load a recently used results file.

Recent State Files Load a recently used state file.

Recent Session files Load a recently used session file.

Quit Exit CFX-Post. See Quit (p. 23) .


CFX-PostFile Menu

CFX-4 Results file

CFX-Post can load dump files (*.d*mp*) created by CFX-4. There aresome important limitations with CFX-4 results files which should benoted.

• The CFX-4 Solver does not output min/max ranges for each of thecalculated variables. These ranges are calculated when the resultsfile is loaded by CFX-Post. Calculating the range for a very largeproblem would, however, require prohibitively large amounts ofCPU time. As a result, range values are calculated for the loadedtimestep only. This means that values which appear as globalrange, are in fact ranges that exist for that timestep only .

• The CFX-4 solver uses a cell-based solution method, whereas theCFX-5 solver uses a node-based solution method. Data on nodesare interpolated from cell centres in CFX-Post. Consider thefollowing diagram:

The interpolation procedure encounters a problem at the nodelocation where the wall intersects the inlet boundary. To workaround the problem, a priority number is assigned to each "patch"by CFX-Post. This means that, for example with the above diagram,if the wall has a higher priority number than the inlet, the value forthe node is interpolated from the wall value of the CFX-4 solution.When considering a situation in 3D, the priority of all faces is readand interpolation occurs from the face(s) with the highest priority.CFX-Post will use the same default values for every problem, so

O

O

XX

X

Wall

Inlet X CFX-5 node

O CFX-4 cell centre


CFX-PostFile Menu

there are cases in which accuracy can be compromised. The errorscan be minimised by refining the grid density in the region aroundproblem areas. You will be allowed to modify the assigned prioritynumbers in future releases of CFX-Post.

• Quantitative calculations can suffer a loss of accuracy due to thelimitation described above. The results of Mass Flow calculationsshould therefore be assumed to be approximations for the purposesof quantitative analysis.

• Particle tracking and heat flux are not available for CFX-4 resultsfiles for this release of CFX-5.

Session File

Session files are produced by CFX-Post and contain CCL commands.You can record the commands executed during a session to a file andthen play back the file at a later data. You can also write your ownSession files in a text editor. See Session Menu (p. 37) for furtherdetails.

State File

State files are produced by CFX-Post and contain CCL commands.They differ from session files in that only a snap-shot of the currentstate is saved to a file. You can also write your own State files usingany text editor. See Save State (p. 14) and Load State (p. 15) formore information.


CFX-PostFile Menu

File Menu Items

Load Results File

To load a results file select Load Results... from the File menu, thenbrowse to the file you wish to load and click Open . CFX-5 Results Filesand CFX-5 Definition Files can be loaded from this panel, seeCFX-Post File Types (p. 10) for information on valid results anddefinition files.

CFX-5 Results files (*.res), backup files(*.bak) CFX-5 Definition files (*.def),full transient results files (*.trn),*.res.err files and CFX-4 results (dmp)files can be read by CFX-Post. SeeCFX-Post File Types (p. 10 in CFX-Post) for details of valid files.

☞ More Help:• File Menu (p. 9 in CFX-Post)• CFX-Post File Types (p. 10 in CFX-Post)• Load Results File (p. 13 in CFX-Post)• DATA READER (p. 270 in CFX-Post)

Browse to find the fileyou require, then clickOpen to load the datainto CFX-Post. The DATAREADER object containssettings for loading aresults file, see DATAREADER (p. 270 inCFX-Post) for details.

CFX-5.5.1 File Menu Items Page 13

CFX-PostFile Menu

When a results file is loaded, all Domain, Boundary and Variableobjects associated with the results file are automatically created orupdated. This would typically include the wireframe model of thegeometry and all of the boundary condition created in CFX-Build. Thedata associated with a variable is not loaded until the variable isactually used.

If you have created objects (e.g. Planes, Vector plots) with one set ofresults, and then load a new results file into CFX-Post, the new resultswill be plotted on all objects previously created.

Save State

Enable the Save All Objectstoggle to write the current stateof all Objects to the State file.

When the Save All Objects toggle isdisabled, you can select the Objects tosave to the State file by clicking oneach Object’s Name.

State files should be savedwith a .cst file extension.

☞ More Help:• Load State (p. 16 in CFX-Post)• File Menu (p. 9 in CFX-Post)• STATE (p. 272 in CFX-Post)

Page 14 File Menu Items CFX-5.5.1

CFX-PostFile Menu

Selecting Save State produce a CCL file of the current CFX-Post state.All Objects listed in the Object Selector window along with their currentsettings are saved to the State file by default. A State file is linked tothe results file from which it was created by an absolute path, thereforethe location of the results file should not be changed. The state filedoes not contain the geometry, mesh or any results, these are loadedfrom the results file into CFX-Post.

If you have not saved a State file during your current CFX-Postsession, selecting Save State will open the Save State dialog windowwhere you can enter a file name.

State files should be saved with a .cst file extension. If you havealready saved a previous state, selecting Save State will overwrite thatfile. To save a state to a different file name you should select SaveState As... from the file menu.


CFX-PostFile Menu

Load State

Selecting Load State opens an existing state file.

Overwrite and Append

You can choose to either Overwrite or Append to the current state inCFX-Post. You can also choose to load the results file from which theState file was created. The result of these combinations is outlinedbelow.

• Overwrite enabled and Load RES File enabled: the results fileused to create the State file is opened, all existing Objects aredeleted and new Objects which are defined in the state file arecreated. The results are plotted on the new Objects.

State File should have a .cst fileextension. The extension will beadded to a file if State Files isselected as the File type

Enable the Load RES filetoggle to replace the existingresults with those linked tothe selected State File.

Enable Overwrite to delete existing Objects andcreate those defined in the State File.Enable Append to add the Objects defined in theState File to the existing Object Selector list. SeeOverwrite and Append (p. 16) for a detaileddiscussion on the behaviour of Overwrite and Append.

☞ More Help:• Overwrite and Append (p. 16 in CFX-Post)• Save State (p. 14 in CFX-Post)• File Menu (p. 9 in CFX-Post)• STATE (p. 272 in CFX-Post)


CFX-PostFile Menu

• Overwrite enabled and Load RES File disabled: all existingObjects are deleted and new Objects which are defined in the statefile are created. The results are plotted on the new Objects using theexisting results.

• Append enabled and Load RES File enabled: the results file usedto create the State file is opened. All Objects defined in the State fileand all existing Objects are plotted with the new results. If Objectsin the State file have the same name as existing Objects, theexisting Objects are replaced by those in the State file.

• Append enabled and Load RES File disabled: all Objects definedin the State file are created and plotted using the current results.Existing Objects are not removed unless they have the same nameas an Object in the State file, in which case they are replaced.Loading a State file in this way allows you to use a number of Statefiles as building blocks for Objects that you commonly use.

ExportThe Export action allows you to export your results to a data file whichcan then be used by other applications. You can export results for anyavailable variable in CFX-Post on any defined locator. Results formultiple variables on multiple locators can be simultaneously written toa single file.


CFX-PostFile Menu

Export: Options

Whenever Save is clicked, the file existence is checked. If the filenamealready exists, you will be asked if you wish to overwrite the file.

Click to browse for a file to exportthe results to, or enter a new filename.

Select the Variables to exportresults for. You can use the <Ctrl>key to select more than oneVariable and the <Shift> key toselect a block of Variables.

Click to reverse the ordering ofthe list of Variables.

Select the Locators on which theresults of your Variable will bewritten. You can use the <Ctrl>key to select more than oneLocator and the <Shift> key toselect a block of Locators.

Click Save to write the selectedVariable(s) on the selectedLocator(s) to a data file.

Click to reverse the ordering ofthe list of Locators.

☞ More Help:• Export (p. 17 in CFX-Post)• File Menu (p. 9 in CFX-Post)• Export: Formatting (p. 20 in CFX-Post)• EXPORT (p. 271 in CFX-Post)


CFX-PostFile Menu

Each line in the exported data file contains the values for all theselected Variables at a single point on a Locator. Variables are writtento each line in the data file in the order in which they appear in theSelected Variable(s) list from top to bottom. For example, the firstVariable on each line in the exported file is that which appears closestto the top of the Selected Variable(s) list (except X, Y and Z which willalways appear first, if selected).

If more than one Locator is selected, the Variables values are writtenfor all nodes on the first Locator before values for nodes on subsequentLocators are written. This results in a ‘block’ structure to the exportedfile with respect to Locators, i.e. the variable values at all points onLocator 1 are written before variable values on Locator 2 are written.Results are exported for Locators in the order in which they appear inthe Locators list from top to bottom.

The Variable values written to the data file are the values at each pointon the selected locator. The data points on a Slice Plane locator, forexample, are the points where the Slice Plane cuts through a meshedge.

Enter the name of the file (with a .datextension).

☞ More Help:• File Menu (p. 9 in CFX-Post)• CFX-Post File Types (p. 10 in CFX-Post)• Export (p. 17 in CFX-Post)

Browse to a convenient directory.


CFX-PostFile Menu

Export: Formatting

Null Token

When a variable value is undefined, a Null Token is used in its place.You can select the item used as a Null Token from a predefined list. Avariable is undefined when a value does not exist for it, examplesinclude Velocity in a Solid Sub-domain and a variable value on a pointoutside the solution domain (as can be created using a Polyline,Sampling Plane or Surface locator). Some variables, including Yplusand Wall Shear, are only calculated on the boundaries of the domainand are assigned zero values elsewhere. Since a value exists for thesevariables they will not use the Null Token away from a boundary in thebulk of the domain.

Select the symbol used to denoteundefined variable values. SeeNull Token (p. 20) for anexplanation of when a variable isundefined.

Select the object used to separatevector components and multiplevariable entries. See Separator(p. 21) for details.

Set the Precision with which yourresults are exported. SeePrecision (p. 21) for details.

Select Components to writeeach component of a vector to thedata file. The components willappear inside the selectedBrackets .Select Scalar to write only themagnitude of a vector quantity. Inthis case the Brackets are notrequired.Enable to include a header in the

data file. The header includes thedata and time generated and theformat, locators and variables used.

☞ More Help:• Export (p. 17 in CFX-Post)• File Menu (p. 9 in CFX-Post)• Export: Options (p. 18 in CFX-Post)• EXPORT (p. 271 in CFX-Post)


CFX-PostFile Menu

Separator

The Separator option allow you to select the symbol(s) used toseparate numbers in the exported data file. The Separator token isused to separate variable values when you have selected to write morethan one variable to the data file. It is also used to separate thecomponents of vector variables.

Precision

The data is exported in scientific number format, and precision sets thequantity of numbers that appear after the decimal point. For example,13490 set to a precision of 2, will output 1.35e+04. The same numberset to a precision of 7 will yield 1.3490000e+04.

Exporting data to be read back in as a Polyline

Polylines (Polyline (p. 60) ) can be created from data files or fromboundary intersections. The data format for a Polyline is described indetail in POLYLINE Data Format (p. 198) . The instructions belowshow how to save data using the Export form.

It should be noted that you must NOT choose to export any variableswith a "null" value as they will not be read.

• Choose a suitable filename for the data.

• Select X, Y and Z as the variables to export.

• Click on the Formatting tab menu.

• Use Space as the Separator

• Select Scalars as the Vector Variables option

• Select Include Header.

• Click Save to write the data to the file.


CFX-PostFile Menu

Print

Selecting File>Print allows you to print the current contents of theviewer to a file. The available file formats can be seen by clickingnext to the Format box.

To print to a file you can enter a file name and path into the File: box,or click the icon and browse to the directory in which the file will besaved.

File Formats for Printing

• PostScript (*ps) and Encapsulated PostScript (*eps) arerecommended for output to a printer or line drawings.

☞ More Help:• Print (p. 22 in CFX-Post)• File Menu (p. 9)• HARDCOPY (p. 267 in CFX-Post)

Click to open a Print Dialog Window where you canenter a file name. Click Save in this window to set thefilename (this does not save the image file). You canalso type a file path and name into the File: box.

Select an image file format. See FileFormats for Printing (p. 22 in CFX-Post)

Enable to colour white objects black andblack objects white in the image file(except VRML). All objects are affected bythis toggle and slightly off-white and off-black objects are also inverted.

Choose between 0 (lowest) and 99(highest) image quality (JPEG only).

Default tolerance is 0.0001. A non-dimensional tolerance used in face sortingwhen generating hardcopy output. Smallervalues will result in faster printing times, butmay cause defects in the resulting output.

When toggled, a screen capture of theViewer is saved to the output. Note thatFace Culling affects printouts done usingScreen Capture mode only.


CFX-PostFile Menu

• JPEG (*jpg) is a compressed file format developed for compressingraw digital information. File sizes are small but it is notrecommended for line drawings.

• Bitmap (*bmp) files are usually large and do not adjust well toresizing or editing. They do retain all of the quality of the originalimage and can be easily converted to other formats.

• Portable Network Graphics (*png) is a file format intended to replacethe GIF format. It was designed for use on the WorldWide Web andretains many of the features of GIF with new features added.

• Portable Pixel Map (*ppm) is similar to the Bitmap format.

• Virtual Reality Modelling Language (*wrl) is used to presentinteractive three-dimensional views and can be delivered across theWorldWide Web.

Loading Recently Accessed Files

Recent Results files

CFX-Post saves the file paths of the last five results files opened. Tore-open a recently used file select it from the drop-down list thatappears when the mouse is over Recent Results Files .

Enter the name of the file..

☞ More Help:• File Menu (p. 9 in CFX-Post)• CFX-Post File Types (p. 10 in CFX-Post)• Print (p. 22 in CFX-Post)



CFX-PostFile Menu

Recent State Files

CFX-Post saves the file paths of the last five state files opened. To re-open a recently used file select it from the drop-down list that appearswhen the mouse is over Recent State Files

Recent Session files

CFX-Post saves the file paths of the last five session files opened. Tore-open a recently used file select it from the drop-down list thatappears when the mouse is over Recent Session Files

QuitTo exit from CFX-Post select Quit from the file menu. Objects createdduring your CFX-Post session are not automatically saved, you shouldcreate a State (Save State (p. 14 in CFX-Post) ) or Session (NewSession (p. 39) ) file if want to save the Objects before quitting.


CFX-Post

CFX-Post

Edit Menu


• Undo and Redo p. 27

• Options p. 27

CFX-5.5.1 Page 25

CFX-PostEdit Menu

Introduction

The options available from the Edit menu are outlined below with asummary of the function performed by each option

Undo Return to the state immediately before the last time Apply wasexecuted or a Viewer icon was pressed. See Undo and Redo (p. 27) .

Redo Reverses an Undo action. See Undo and Redo (p. 27) .

Options Allows you to control the appearance of the Graphical User Interface(GUI), set Mouse Mapping options, set Units options and select theAuto Apply mode. See Options (p. 27) .


CFX-PostEdit Menu

Edit Menu Items

Undo and RedoCFX-Post includes an infinite undo feature, limited only by the availablememory on your machine. Selecting undo will return you to the stateimmediately prior to when the last Apply action was executed. Furtherselections of undo will return you to consecutively prior states. TheUndo stack is cleared whenever a new file is loaded. This means thata load cannot be undone.

Undo will also reverse geometry manipulation where the named viewicons located at the top of the Viewer window have been used. Rotate,Zoom and Translate action performed using the mouse are notaffected by selecting undo.

The redo feature is used to reverse an undo action. Redo can beselected repeatedly to reverse as many undo actions as have beenapplied.

OptionsSelecting Options from the Edit menu allows you to set various Viewerand Appearance options in CFX-Post.

Options: Viewer

The current Viewer background colour is displayed next to thebackground widget. You can set the background colour of the Viewerby clicking on the icon next to the background widget to display theSelect colour panel.

Double Buffering

Double Buffering is a feature supported by most OpenGLimplementations. It provides two complete colour buffers that swapbetween each other to animate graphics smoothly. If yourimplementation of OpenGL does not support double buffering you candeselect this toggle.

The line colour of any objects displayed in the Viewer is not changedby setting the Background colour.

CFX-5.5.1 Edit Menu Items Page 27

CFX-PostEdit Menu

Mouse Mapping

The Mouse Mapping options allow you to control which Viewermanipulation actions map to keyboard and mouse short-cuts. Thedefault mouse mapping is given in the table below.

The default setting can be changed so that any action is mapped to anyof the modifier key/mouse button combinations listed in the abovetable. A diagram of the default mouse mapping is given below and canbe printed out to use as a quick reference.

Modifier Key Mouse Button Action

None Left Rotate

None Middle Zoom

None Right Translate

Shift Left Zoom Box

Shift Middle Zoom In

Shift Right Zoom Out

Control Left Rotate Z

Control Middle Set Pivot Point

Control Right Move Light

Select a backgroundcolour.

Toggle the visibility ofthe reference axes inthe Viewer.

Toggle double buffering. For infoplease see Double Buffering(p. 27 in CFX-Post)

☞ More Help:• Edit Menu (p. 25 in CFX-Post)

Page 28 Edit Menu Items CFX-5.5.1

CFX-PostEdit Menu

A description of each action follows.

• Rotate: rotates the view about all three axes.

• Zoom: drag the pointer up to zoom out and down to zoom in.

• Translate: translates the view.

• Zoom Box: draw a rectangle around the area of interest, startingfrom the top left corner and ending at the bottom right corner. Theselected area will fill the Viewer when the mouse button is released.

• Zoom In: click the mouse button to zoom in step-by-step centred onthe location of the mouse pointer.

• Zoom Out: click the mouse button to zoom out step-by-step centredon the location of the mouse pointer.

• Rotate Z: rotate the view about the z-axis.

• Set Pivot Point: sets the point about which the Rotate and Rotate Zactions pivot. The point selected must be on an object in the Viewer.

Rotate

<Shift> Zoom Box

<Ctrl> Rotate Z

Zoom

<Shift> Zoom In

<Ctrl> Set Pivot Point

Translate

<Shift> Zoom Out

<Ctrl> Move Light

Default Mouse Mapping for View Manipulation.


CFX-PostEdit Menu

• Move Light: move the lighting angle for the Viewer. Drag the mouseleft or right to move the horizontal lighting source and up or down tomove the vertical lighting source. The Light Angle hold two angularvalues between 0 - 180.

Any of the actions can be customised to the mouse-keyboard combinations. Simply select the command fromthe drop-down menu that you wish to assign to a mouse-keyboard combination. See Mouse Mapping (p. 28 inCFX-Post) for a description of each action.

Press Apply to confirm thechanges without closing theoptions menu.

☞ More Help:• Mouse Mapping (p. 28 in CFX-Post)• Options: Viewer (p. 27 in CFX-Post)• Options (p. 27 in CFX-Post)


CFX-PostEdit Menu

Options: Appearance

The appearance of the GUI can be controlled from the Appearanceoptions. CFX-Post will set the default GUI Style to that of your machine,for example on Windows the GUI will have a Windows look to it. If, forexample, you prefer an SGI appearance to the GUI, then you canselect to use this instead of the Windows style. Any of the followingappearances can be used on any machine:

• Windows• Motif• Motif Plus• SGI• Platinum• CDE

The default font used within the GUI can also be set by clicking on theFont button to open the Select Font panel.

Choose a GUI stylebased on the platformof your choice.

Choose a font styleand size. Clickinghere opens up theSelect Font menu.

Clicking Restore will returnthe settings to those storedin the database (i.e. tothose committed last timeApply or Ok was pressed).

Click Apply to changethe settings withoutclosing the window.

☞ More Help:• Options (p. 27 in CFX-Post)• Edit Menu (p. 25 in CFX-Post)


CFX-PostEdit Menu

When a new font is selected, the size of each panel within the GUI willadjust to accommodate the font selected.

Options: General

CFX-Post includes an auto-save function which backs up work at settime intervals. To configure the settings for the Auto Save feature clickon General to open the panel.

You may select the frequency of the Auto Save feature by picking avalue from the drop-down menu. Auto Save can be disabled byselecting Never from the list.

To select the temporary directory click on the icon and browse toyour chosen directory.


CFX-PostEdit Menu

The Timeout value is an advanced feature. It sets the delay betweena mouse control action and its execution.

You should not enter a file name here.

☞ More Help:• Edit Menu (p. 25 in CFX-Post)• Options: General (p. 32 in CFX-Post)• State File (p. 12 in CFX-Post)

Browse to a convenient directoryto which the Autosave feature willsave state files.

☞ More Help:• Options: General (p. 32 in CFX-

Post)• Options (p. 27 in CFX-Post)• Edit Menu (p. 25 in CFX-Post)

The Timeout value is anadvanced feature. It sets thedelay between a mouse controlaction (ie Play, Stop duringanimation)and its execution.

Choose how often the state filewill be automatically saved. Youmay select Never, which turns offautomatic state file writing.

Select where you wish the auto-save state files be written to.


CFX-PostEdit Menu

Options: Units

The Units panel allows you to select the units you wish to use for anyavailable variables. The units are also grouped into categories, such asSI, British , Custom , etc.

You cannot change any of the predefined unit groups, but selecting theCustom option will allow you to specify any valid units for your variable.For example, you may wish to display Temperature in K (SI unit), butPressure in bar .

The units you select for a variable will appear wherever the variable isused. As an example, if you choose F as the unit of Temperature , andthen create a plot coloured by Temperature, you would specify a UserSpecified temperature range in degrees F.

Note: Setting units in the Variable Editor will override the actual setting for thatvariable.

You can save your units settings and apply them to every CFX-Postsession by enabling the Always convert units to Preferred Unitstoggle.


CFX-PostEdit Menu

Select a unit grouptype.

When using theCustom units group,select the units yourequire for eachvariable

☞ More Help:• Options: Units (p. 34 in CFX-Post)• Edit Menu (p. 25 in CFX-Post)• UNIT SYSTEM (p. 230 in CFX-Post)

Click here to setmore variable units.

Enabling this togglewill save the unitssettings and usethem for allsubsequentsessions.


CFX-PostEdit Menu

When using the Custom unitsgroup, select the units yourequire for each variable

☞ More Help:• Options: Units (p. 34 in CFX-Post)• Edit Menu (p. 25 in CFX-Post)


CFX-Post

CFX-Post

Session Menu


• Play Session p. 39

• New Session p. 39

• Start and Stop Recording p. 41

CFX-5.5.1 Page 37

CFX-PostSession Menu

Introduction

The options available from the Session menu are outlined below witha summary of the function performed by each option.

Session files contain a record of the commands issued during aCFX-Post session. Actions that will cause commands to be written to asession file include:

• Creation of new objects and changes to an Object committed byclicking Apply in the Object Editor window.

• Commands issued in the Command Editor window.

• Calculations performed in the Calculator window.

• Viewer manipulation performed using the icons located at the top ofthe Viewer window.

• Creation of new Cameras, selecting a Camera View and selecting aClip Plane.

• All actions available from the File and Edit menus.

• Creation of Expressions and User Variables.

• Creation of Chart Lines and Viewing Charts.

Play Session Play an existing Session file.

New Session Create a new Session file.

Start Recording Start recording to the current Session file.

Stop Recording Stop recording the current Session file.



Session Menu Items

Play SessionSelecting Session > Play Session or clicking on the icon opensthe Play Session File dialog window where you can select the Sessionfile to play. The commands listed in the selected Session file are thenexecuted. Existing Objects with the same name as Objects defined inthe Session file are replaced by those in the Session file.

New SessionSelecting Session > New Session or clicking on the icon opensthe Set Session dialog window where you can enter a file name for yoursession file. Once you have clicked Save in the dialog window, that filebecomes the current Session file. Commands are not written to the fileuntil you select Start Recording .

Browse to the directorycontaining the Session File

Click Open to play the Session file

File types that appear in the windowcan be filtered to show only .cse files.

☞ More Help:• Session Menu (p. 37 in CFX-Post)• SESSION (p. 272 in CFX-Post)

CFX-5.5.1 Session Menu Items Page 39


If you create more than one Session file during a CFX-Post session,the most recently created file is by default the current Session file. Youcan set a different file to be the current Session file by selecting anexisting file from the Set Session File window and then clicking Save.The following message will then appear:

If Overwrite is selected the existing Session file will be deleted andthen a new file created in its place. If Append is selected commandswill be added to the end of the existing Session file when recordingbegins.

Browse to the directory in which youwish to create the Session File, thenenter a name for the file ending with a.cse extension.

Click here to create the file. This will notstart recording to the Session file, youmust select Session>Start Recordingto do this.

File types that appear in the window can be filtered to showonly .cse files The extension will be added automaticallywhenever Session Files is selected as the File Type .

☞ More Help:• Session Menu (p. 37 in CFX-Post)• Start and Stop Recording (p. 41 in CFX-Post)• SESSION (p. 272 in CFX-Post)

Page 40 Session Menu Items CFX-5.5.1


Start and Stop RecordingThe Start Recording action will activate recording of CCL commandsissued to the current Session file. A Session file must first be set beforeyou can Start Recording. Stop Recording terminates recording of CCLcommands to the current Session file. You can Start and StopRecording as many times as necessary to a Session file.

CFX-5.5.1 Session Menu Items Page 41


Page 42 Session Menu Items CFX-5.5.1

CFX-Post

CFX-Post

Create Menu


CFX-5.5.1 Page 43

CFX-PostCreate Menu

Introduction

The Create menu is used to create new Objects in CFX-Post. Whenyou select any of the Objects from the Create menu, a New Objectwindow appears in which you can either accept the default name orenter a new one for the Object (in this case a Plane). The name shouldbe different from any current Object of the same type to avoidoverwriting the existing Object. CFX-Post will not let you create Objectswith the same name but different types.

Click OK or press Enter to open the relevant Object Editor window.The Object does not exist in the database until you have clicked Applyon the Object Editor window. For information on how to create objectsfrom the Command Line see Object Creation and Deletion (p. 172 inCFX-Post) .

Point Create a new Point

Line Create a new Line

Plane Create a new Plane

Volume Create a new Volume

Isosurface Create a new Isosurface

Polyline Create a new Polyline

Surface Create a new Surface

Vector Create a new Vector

Surface Group Plot Create a new Colour Plot

Contour Plot Create a new Contour Plot

Coordinate Frame Create a new Coordinate Frame

Clip Plane Create a new Clip Plane

Streamline Create a new Streamline Plot


CFX-PostCreate Menu

Common Widgets

Some of the panels and options available in the Object Editor windoware common to all or most of the graphic objects in CFX-Post (colourproperties for example). Wherever a common window or panel isshared, links to the appropriate section can be found.

InstancingTransformation

Create a new Instancing Transformation

Legend Add a Legend

Text Add Text

Chart Create a new Chart

Wireframe Description, modification options

New Opens the New object panel to create any of the above objects


CFX-PostCreate Menu

Point

A Point is marked by highlighting the mesh element in which the Pointis placed. To create a Point select Create>Point from the main menuor click on the icon from the toolbar. For more information aboutvalid CCL parameters for a Point, see POINT (p. 237 in CFX-Post) .

Point: Geometry

Disable to make the point invisible in theViewer.

When defining the point using XYZcoordinates. This is the only option available.You can type in values, use the embeddedsliders (which have maximum and minimumvalues set to the corresponding maximum andminimum X, Y and Z values in the domain), orpick a point from the Viewer by clicking the

icon.

Click Apply to create (ormodify) the point.

☞ More Help:

• Point (p. 46 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• POINT (p. 237 in CFX-Post)

Pick a Symbol to display the location of thePoint and a Symbol Size between 0 - 10(10 being a similar scale to yourgeometry).

Points can be created at XYZ coordinates,min or max values of a chosen variable, or agiven node number.

When creating at a Node Number, select thedomain(s) and the node number.

When creating the point at a VariableMinimum or Maximum, select the domain(s).Choose the locator and the variable.

Page 46 Point CFX-5.5.1

CFX-PostCreate Menu

Domains

See Selecting Domains (p. 117 in CFX-Post) for details.

Point Definition

Points can be created in the following ways:

• Using the XYZ option and entering three coordinates. Thecoordinates can be typed in, set using the embedded sliders orpicked from the Viewer by clicking the icon located on the rightside of the Geometry panel and then clicking a point in theViewer.When picking a point from the Viewer you must select apoint on the geometry and can not simply pick a point of thebackground. The Viewer will default to Picking Mode when thePick from Viewer icon is selected. The point can lie outside of thedomain.

• Variable Minimum/Variable Maximum . You can plot the pointwhere a variable is at its maximum or minimum value on any namedlocator. Select the domain(s) and then select the locator name andthe variable of interest. When more than one domain is selected, apoint is created for the maximum/minimum value of the variablewithin each domain.

• Node Number . To plot a point at a nodal location, choose thedomain(s) and enter the node number. When more than one domainis selected, a point is created for the specified node number in eachdomain (if it exists). If the node number does not exist in one domainbut exists in another, you should select only the domain in which thenode exists, or an error message will be displayed.

Point Translation using Picking Mode

You can use Picking Mode (Picking Mode (p. 109) ) to select ortranslate any point in the viewer which was created using the XYZmethod. To move a point, select picking mode by clicking on theicon and drag the plane to a new location. The point properties willautomatically update in the Object Editor.

Note: You cannot move points which have been defined using Variable Min/Maxor Node Number .

CFX-5.5.1 Point Page 47

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Point: Colour

The Colour settings can be changed by clicking on the Colour tab, seeObject Editor: Colour Tab (p. 118) .

Point: Render

The Rendering settings can be changed by clicking on Render tab, seeObject Editor: Render Tab (p. 121) .

Page 48 Point CFX-5.5.1

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Line

A line locator can exist between 2 points anywhere within or outside thedomain. To create a Line, select Create>Line from the main menu baror click the icon.

Line: Geometry

Domains

See Selecting Domains (p. 117 in CFX-Post) for details.

Choose a Cut or Sample method. Cut willextend the line in both directions until itreaches the edge of the domain. Points onthis line exist where the line intersects witha mesh element face. A Sample line existsbetween the 2 points entered. It is meshindependent, and the number of pointsalong the line corresponds to the valueyou enter in the Samples box.

Two Points is the only method available todefine a line

Click Apply to create (ormodify) the point.

☞ More Help:

• Line: Geometry (p. 49 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• LINE (p. 262 in CFX-Post)

Enter the co-ordinates, use the embeddedsliders, or use the picking icon to select apoint in the domain.

CFX-5.5.1 Line Page 49

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Line Definition

Lines are created by specifying two points. These points can either beentered into the Point 1 and Point 2 boxes, selected using theembedded sliders or picked by clicking on the picking mode icon ,and selecting a point within the domain.

Line Type

Two options are available for the type of line.

Cut will extend the line until it reaches the edge of the domain in bothdirections. It is similar to the way that a Slice Plane behaves, in thatpoints on the line correspond to points where the line intersects a meshelement face. As a result, the number of points on the line is indirectlyproportional to the mesh spacing.

Sample will draw the line between the 2 points you have specified. Thenumber of points along the line will correspond to the value you enterin the Samples box. The Sample line is a set of evenly-spacedsampling points which are independent of the mesh spacing.

Line Translation using Picking Mode

You can use Picking Mode (Picking Mode (p. 109) ) to select ortranslate a line in the viewer. To move a line, select picking mode byclicking on the icon and drag the plane to a new location. The lineproperties will automatically update in the Object Editor.

Line: Colour


Line: Render

You can change the Line Width and the Instancing Properties for aLine. Both these settings are documented in Object Editor: RenderTab (p. 121)

Page 50 Line CFX-5.5.1

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Plane

A plane is a two-dimensional area that exists only within theboundaries of the computational domain. To create a new plane selectCreate>Plane from the main menu or click on the icon from thetoolbar. For more information about valid CCL parameters for a Plane,see PLANE (p. 254 in CFX-Post) .

Plane: Geometry

Choose the Domain(s) to plot the plane in. You canchoose more than one Domain by typing the Domainnames separated by a comma. See SelectingDomains (p. 117 in CFX-Post) for details.

Define the plane using:

• YZ Plane: a Plane normal to the X axis• ZX Plane: a Plane normal to the Y axis• XY Plane: a Plane normal to the Z axis• Point and Normal : define a point on the plane and a

normal vector to the plane.• Three Points : define three points on the plane.See Plane Definition (p. 52) for details.

Select the option to define the boundaries of the planefrom None , Circular or Rectangular . See PlaneBounds (p. 53) for details on setting the values for eachoption.

Click the ‘minus’ symbol to minimise a section of thepanel. Note that when the ’plus’ symbol is used tomaximise a section, the other sections are automaticallyminimised (not shown here).

Disable to make the planeinvisible in the Viewer.

Select either a Slice or Sample Plane. For a SamplePlane you must enter the number of Samples to takealong each coordinate direction of the Plane. See PlaneType (p. 53) for details on selecting a Plane Type andsetting the associated values.

☞ More Help:• Plane (p. 51 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• PLANE (p. 254 in CFX-Post)

CFX-5.5.1 Plane Page 51

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In the Object Editor window, the Geometry panel is used to define thelocation and extent of a plane.

Domains

See Selecting Domains (p. 117) for details.

Plane Definition

Planes can be created by choosing an XY, ZX or YZ plane. You canalso define custom planes by specifying three points on the plane, or asingle point on the plane and a vector normal to the plane. The pointscan be typed in, set using the embedded sliders or picked from theViewer by clicking the icon located on the right side of theGeometry panel and then clicking a point in the Viewer.

The default planes use the current axes as a basis. For example,choosing a ZX plane will produce a plane that is normal to the Y axisand choosing a YZ plane will produce a plane that is normal to the Xaxis.

When picking points from the Viewer for the Point and Normal orThree Points options, you must select a point on the geometry andcan not simply pick a point of the background. When entering valuesusing the keyboard or the sliders for the Normal vector, the Pointdefinition is not used since the values entered form the components ofthe vector.

For the Three Point option the normal vector to the plane is calculatedusing the right-hand rule. The first vector is from Point 1 to Point 2 andthe second is from Point 1 to Point 3 as shown in the diagram below.The direction of this vector might be important if you are using the planeto define, for example, a Clip Plane.

Point 1

Point 3

Point 2v1

v2

n = v1 x v2

n

Page 52 Plane CFX-5.5.1

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Plane Bounds

The Plane Bounds can be set to None , Circular (where a radius isrequired) or Rectangular (where an X and Y Size and an X Angle arerequired).

When None is selected the Plane cuts through a complete cross-section of each domain specified in the Domains list. The Plane is onlybounded by the limits of the domain.The Circular option defines the bounds of a Plane as a circle centredat the Point used in the Plane Definition . The radius of the circle canbe entered as a value or, by clicking the Expression icon to the right ofthe Radius widget, as an expression. The Plane is undefined in areaswhere the circle extends outside of the domains specified in theDomains list.

For the Rectangle option the plane bounds are defined by a rectanglecentred about the Point selected in the Plane Definition with lengths inthe x and y-directions of X Size and Y Size respectively. The size iswith determined with reference to the plane centre (i.e. the plane isresized around its centre). The X Angle value will rotate the planecounter-clockwise about its normal by the specified number ofdegrees.

Both the Circular and Rectangular options have an Invert PlaneBounds toggle. If this toggle is enabled, the area defined by theRectangle or Circle is used as a cut-out area from a Slice Plane whichis bounded only by the domain(s). The area inside the bounds of theRectangle or Circle does not form part of the plane, but everything onthe Slice Plane outside of these bounds is included.

Plane Type

You can set the Plane Type to either Slice or Sample .

A Slice Plane differs from a Sampling Plane in several ways. ASampling Plane is a set of evenly-spaced sampling points which areindependent of the mesh. When you create a Slice Plane, you have nocontrol over the sampling points; they are placed at places on the planewhere the Slice Plane intersects an edge of the mesh. Hence thedensity of sampling points in a Slice Plane is related to the length scaleof the mesh.

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When you use the Slice Plane for Vector Plots, the seeds are the pointswhere the plane intersects a point on the edge of three mesh elements.You can view the seeds by turning on the Draw Lines option on theRender panel for the Plane.

When creating a sampling plane, the Plane Bounds must be eitherCircular or Rectangular. For the Circular option, the density of samplingpoints is then determined by the radius of the plane specified in thePlane Bound panel, and the number of Radial and Circumferentialsampling points. For Rectangular bounds, you should specify the sizeof the bounds for your plane in each of the plane directions. The densityof sampling points depends on the size of the plane and the number ofSamples .in each of the two coordinate directions that describe theplane.

Certain types of plots will show small differences across GGIinterfaces. This is to be expected when the nodes of the computationalgrids on each side of a GGI connection do not match. For example,contour lines or fringe lines may not match exactly across a GGIinterface. This is usually a very minor effect and is not an indicator ofany problem.

Plane Translation using Picking Mode

You can use Picking Mode (Picking Mode (p. 109) ) to select ortranslate a plane in the viewer. To move a plane, select picking modeby clicking on the icon and drag the plane to a new location. Theplane properties will automatically update in the Object Editor.

Plane: Colour


Plane: Render


Page 54 Plane CFX-5.5.1

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Volume

A Volume is a collection of mesh elements and can be createdanywhere within the domain. A variable can then be plotted on thesurface of the Volume (e.g. a surface plot of temperature), or theVolume can be used as a locator for other objects such as Vector plots,and calculations such as averages, integrals etc. can be performed onthem. When using the Volume as a locator, seeds are created on thesurface and in the internal space of the Volume. Click on the iconin the toolbar to create a volume. For more information about valid CCLparameters for a Volume, see VOLUME (p. 259 in CFX-Post) .

Volume: Geometry

Select the Domain(s) for the Volume to exist in.

The options available for are Sphere, From Surface andIsovolume (used when creating PlaneVolumes).

Enter the coordinates for the centre of the Volume. Youcan also pick the point directly from the Viewer byclicking on the picking icon and then clicking on a pointof your geometry in the Viewer.Choose the Surface if you selected From Surface asthe Method. If you selected Isovolume, select theVariable and its Value.

Enter a radius for the Volume.

Restore the valuesstored in the database.

Return to the CFX-Postdefault settings.

☞ More Help:• Volume: Geometry (p. 55 in CFX-Post)• Volume (p. 55 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• VOLUME (p. 259 in CFX-Post)

Choose a Mode for the Volume.

• For a Spherevolume or From Surface Method,Intersection will plot on the elements that intersectyour region only. Above and Below Intersection willplot above and below those values respectively.

• For an Isovolume, Above and Below Values will plotabove and below the value of the variablerespectively. At Value plots at the value of thevariable. Between Values requires you to specify twovalues, between which the Isovolume will be created.

The Inclusive toggle will plotat the intersection of yourspecified location as well asabove or below., depending onthe Mode you have chosen.

CFX-5.5.1 Volume Page 55

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Domains


Volume Definition

Volumes will not be displayed as perfect shapes (e.g. a perfect sphere)because mesh elements are either included or excluded from theVolume. You can choose to create a Sphere, Plane or Isovolume.

To create a SphereVolume, select Sphere as the method. You canthen enter a centre point and radius for the sphere. Any volumeelements whose geometric centres lie on the surface described by yourinput settings will be drawn. You may also fill any areas of the domainthat lie within this radius. Above intersection will fill any part of thedomain that describes a variable value greater than the one specified.(for example, it will fill the domain anywhere where the radius is greaterthan 1m for the settings on this form).

If you wish to create a Planevolume, you can:

• Create an Isovolume using Isovolume as the Method. You can thenchoose a value of X Y or Z as the Variable. This method limits youto plotting on the global axes, but will allow you to plot the areabetween two planes (by using the Between Values Mode).

• Plot on an existing plane (see Plane (p. 51) ) and then select FromSurface as the Method. Using this method you have a greaterflexibility in the location of the plane.

To create an Isovolume you can:

• Create an Isovolume directly by selecting Isovolume as the methodand entering a variable and its value. With this method you can plotbetween 2 different values (by using the Between Values mode).

• Plot on an existing Isosurface by choosing the From SurfaceMethod.

When using the Isovolume method, you may also plot between 2values of any variable.

Choose whether to also plot the intersecting elements by enabling theInclusive toggle.

Page 56 Volume CFX-5.5.1

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Volume: Colour


Volume: Render


CFX-5.5.1 Volume Page 57

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Isosurface

An Isosurface is a surface upon which a particular variable has aconstant value, called the “level”. For instance, an Isosurface ofpressure would be a surface consisting of all the points in the geometrywhere the pressure took a value of 1.32e+05 Pa for example. InCFX-Post, Isosurfaces can be defined using any variable. You mayalso colour the Isosurface using any variable or choose a constantcolour.

You should not select the Local Range option when colouring anIsosurface with the variable used to define it. In this case the LocalRange is zero by definition and a plot would only highlight round-offerrors.

To create a new Isosurface select Create>Isosurface or click on the icon from the toolbar. For more information about valid CCL

parameters for an Isosurface, see ISOSURFACE (p. 250 in CFX-Post) .

Isosurface: Geometry

The Geometry panel describes the location and extent of theIsosurface.

Domains


Variable and Value

Choose the plot variable for the isosurface from the Variable menu.Choose whether to use Hybrid or Conservative values (see Hybridand Conservative Variable Values (p. 153) for more details), andthen select a value for the variable either by typing it into the Value boxdirectly or using the embedded slider.

Page 58 Isosurface CFX-5.5.1

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Isosurface: Colour


Isosurface: Render


Select the domain(s) for the Isosurfaceto exist in. You can select multipledomains by typing their namesseparated by commas.

Select a variable from the list.

Enter a value for your variable or click onthe expression button to enter anexpression. A surface connecting alllocations with the value entered of theselected variable will be plotted

☞ More Help:• Isosurface (p. 58 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• ISOSURFACE (p. 250 in CFX-Post)

Return to the system default settings.

Restore the values stored in the database.

Click Apply to create theIsosurface.

Choose Hybrid or Conservative variablevalues.

CFX-5.5.1 Isosurface Page 59

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Polyline

A Polyline is a line connecting a series of points. The points may havelocal (path) variables associated with them. The polyline can interactwith CFD data and can be coloured using path variables or domainvariables.

To create a Polyline select Create>Polyline or click on the icon inthe toolbar. For more information about valid CCL parameters for aPolyline, see POLYLINE (p. 240 in CFX-Post) .

Polyline: Geometry

Boundary Intersection Method

The Boundary Intersection method is the simplest way to create aPolyline. It uses the intersecting line between one or more of thepredefined boundaries in your problem and any 2-D locator.

The Domains pull-down menu is used to select the Domain(s) for thePolyline to exist in, see Selecting Domains (p. 117) for further details.

After choosing the domain(s), select one of the pre-existing boundaries(anywhere a boundary condition was defined in the problem set-up)from the Boundary List menu.

Select one of the graphic objects which intersects the boundary fromthe Location menu.

From File Method

You may not always be able to create the required Polyline using theBoundary Intersection Method. A more versatile option is to use thedata read from a file. The From File method is used For details of therequired format for a Polyline data file, see POLYLINE Data Format(p. 198 in CFX-Post) . The following form will appear for you to selectthe file:

Page 60 Polyline CFX-5.5.1

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Enter the name of the file or select itfrom the list. Files should have a .datextension.

☞ More Help:• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• Polyline (p. 60 in CFX-Post)• Surface (p. 63 in CFX-Post)• POLYLINE Data Format (p. 198 in CFX-Post)• USER SURFACE Data Format (p. 199 in CFX-

Post)


Select a Method from:

• From File . Reads points from a datafile. See POLYLINE Data Format(p. 198 in CFX-Post) for details ofthe file format.

• Boundary Intersection : Creates theline of intersection between a Boundaryand a locator.

Select the Domain(s) in which thePolyline will exist.

Select the Boundary (boundaries) whichwill intersect the Location to define thePolyline.

Select the Location which will intersectthe Boundary to define the Polyline.

Restore the values stored in thedatabase.

Return to the CFX-Post default settings.

☞ More Help:• Polyline (p. 60 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• POLYLINE Data Format (p. 198 in CFX-Post)• POLYLINE (p. 240 in CFX-Post)

CFX-5.5.1 Polyline Page 61

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Polyline: Colour


Polyline: Render


Page 62 Polyline CFX-5.5.1

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Surface

A user surface can be defined either from a file or from the intersectionof a Boundary List and a Locator. For information about the data formatfor a user surface defined from a file see USER SURFACE DataFormat (p. 199 in CFX-Post) .

When a user surface is created using the Boundary Intersectionmethod, a line of intersection between the Boundary List and theLocator is created. Any mesh elements through which the line ofintersection passes form part of the user surface. This will usuallyresult in a narrow surface with a varying width. The fluctuation in widthwill become more noticeable as the mesh becomes more coarse.

To create a user surface, select Create>Surface or click on theicon from the toolbar. For more information about valid CCLparameters for a Surface, see USER SURFACE (p. 252 in CFX-Post) .

Surface: Geometry

Choose a method. Available options areFrom File and Boundary Intersection .See Surface (p. 63 in CFX-Post) fordetails.

Select the Domain(s) for the User Surfaceto exist in.

Pick the Boundary List. A line ofintersection is formed between theseBoundaries and the Location. Each meshelement that the line passes through formspart of the User Surface. You can selectmore than one Boundary by typing in theirnames separated by commas, or clickingthe icon to open the Location Editor.

Choose the locator to intersectthe Boundary List.

☞ More Help:• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• USER SURFACE Data Format (p. 199 in CFX-Post)• USER SURFACE (p. 252 in CFX-Post)

CFX-5.5.1 Surface Page 63

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See Selecting Domains (p. 117) for details on picking the Domain(s)for the User Surface to exist in.

After choosing the domain, select one or more of the pre-existingboundaries (anywhere that a boundary condition was defined in theproblem setup) from the Boundary List menu.

Select one of the graphic objects which intersects the boundary fromthe Location menu.

Surface: Colour


Surface: Render


Page 64 Surface CFX-5.5.1

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Vector

A Vector Plot is a collection of vectors drawn to show the direction andmagnitude (optional) of a vector variable on a collection of points.These points are known as “seeds”, and are defined by a locator.

To create a vector plot select Create>Vector or click on the iconfrom the toolbar. For more information about valid CCL parameters fora Vector, see VECTOR (p. 247 in CFX-Post) .

When post-processing a GGI simulation, the velocity vectors can beplotted in the local frame of reference for each domain ("Velocity" fieldselection)., or in the absolute frame of reference for each domain("Velocity in the Stationary Frame"). These two choices produce thesame plot in all stationary frame domains, but plot either the rotating(relative) frame or absolute frame velocity vectors in domains that arein the rotating frame of reference.

Vector: Geometry

Domains


• Enter the name of the locator on which you wish to plot.

• The Symbol Size and Transparency can be altered by enteringvalues in the appropriate boxes.

• Enter the Variable name (e.g. for velocity simply enter Velocity )

• Choose whether to use Hybrid or Conservative values (see Hybridand Conservative Variable Values (p. 153) for more details).

• There are a number of options available for vector projection.Normal will project vectors normal to the object, Tangential will plottangential to the object and Coord Frame will plot tangential to aglobal axis of X Y or Z.

• You can select from a range of vector symbols including arrows,cross-hairs and octahedra from the Symbol submenu.

CFX-5.5.1 Vector Page 65

CFX-PostCreate Menu

Vector: Colour


Vector: Render


Select the Domain(s) for the Vector plot to exist in.

Select the locator(s) to provide seeds for the vectors.A vector will be plotted at each point on the locator(s).

Select the vector variable to plot. Scalar variables arenot available.

The Symbol Size determines the length of the vectors.

Enable the normalised toggle to make all vector equalin length. With the toggle disabled the length of avector in the Viewer is proportional to the magnitude ofthe vector variable.

Select a symbol to display the vectors

☞ More Help:• Vector (p. 65 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• VECTOR (p. 247 in CFX-Post)

Choose to project the vectors Normal to the object,Tangential to the object, or Tangential to a userdefined Coord frame. You can then specify X, Y or Zas the coordinate frame.

Select Hybrid or Conservative values on which to basethe vector plot.

Page 66 Vector CFX-5.5.1

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Surface Group Plot

A surface group plot allows you to colour several objects at a time. Tocreate a Colour plot, select Create>Surface Group from the mainmenu bar or click the icon.

Surface Group: Definition

Domains

See Selecting Domains (p. 117) for picking the domain.

Location

Select the locator on which you wish to plot. To select multiple locators,click the icon and hold down the <Ctrl> key as you select eachlocator.

Surface Group: Colour


Surface Group: Render


Select the Domain for the Surface Group Plot.

Click here to create the Surface Group Plot.

☞ More Help:• Surface Group: Definition (p. 67 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• SURFACE GROUP (p. 265 in CFX-Post)

Choose the Location. If you wish to use multiplelocators, click the icon and hold down the<Ctrl> key as you select each locator from the list

CFX-5.5.1 Surface Group Plot Page 67

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Contour Plot

A Contour Plot is a series of lines linking points with equal values of agiven variable. For example, contours of height exist on geographicalmaps and give an impression of gradient and land shape.

Contour Plot: Definition


• Select a Location for the contour plot from the list.

• Choose a Variable for the contour plot from the list.

• Select the Range over which the contour plot will be based. Optionsavailable are Global, Local, User Specified and Value List. ValueList is a list separated by commas that allows you to specify theactual values at which contours should be plotted. For example, if

Select the name of the object to create aLegend for.

Toggle visibility on or off.

Click here to create the Contour Plot.

☞ More Help:• Contour Plot (p. 68 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• CONTOUR (p. 263 in CFX-Post)

Set the number of contours.

Choose the Location for the Contour Plot

Select a plot variable.

Select a Range over which to plot

Choose Hybrid or Conservative values

Page 68 Contour Plot CFX-5.5.1

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plotting temperature in a combustor you might try a value list of300, 500, 700, 900 and 1100K. It should be noted thatentering a value list will override the number specified in the # ofContours box (see below).

• Select Hybrid or Conservative values (see Hybrid andConservative Variable Values (p. 153) .

• You can choose the number of contours to appear on the plot byentering a value into the box using the embedded slider or theincremental arrows.

Contour Plot: Labels

• The Show Numbers checkbox toggles whether numbers will appearon the plot. To view the values of the plotted variable at eachcontour number, create a legend of the contour plot (see Legend(p. 91) for more information).

• If you wish to change the size of the text that appears, enter a newvalue into the Text Height box or use the embedded slider.

• Change the text font by selecting a font from the Text Font list.

• To change the text colour, click on the icon and choose acolour.

Alter the text height to change its size.


☞ More Help:• Contour Plot: Render (p. 70 in CFX-Post)• Contour Plot (p. 68 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• CONTOUR (p. 263 in CFX-Post)

Select a text font from the list

Click here to select a colour for the text.

This setting adds numbers to the contourlines.

CFX-5.5.1 Contour Plot Page 69

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Contour Plot: Render

• Draw Faces shades the area between contour lines with a colourthat corresponds to a value midway between the upper and lowercontour line value. For example, for a contour line at 1000 Pa and acontour line at 1200 Pa, the shaded area will have a colour thatcorresponds to 1100 Pa. It is controlled by a toggle switch. If youhave created a legend for the contour plot, you will notice that thelegend adopts flat shading between 2 contour levels. By referring tothe legend, the variable values can quickly be associated with theshaded regions of the plot.

• The options available for shading are Smooth Shading and None .

• You can turn off the visibility of the lines by switching off the DrawLines toggle.

Page 70 Contour Plot CFX-5.5.1

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• To view the contour lines as a single colour, turn on the ConstantColour toggle, and select a colour from the list (by clicking ).

Alter the transparency by choosing a valuebetween 0 and 1.



☞ More Help:• Contour Plot: Render (p. 70 in CFX-Post)• Contour Plot (p. 68 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• CONTOUR (p. 263 in CFX-Post)

Toggle constant colouring

Select a shading option. Options availableare Smooth Shading and None

Toggle lighting on or off

Select a line width if drawing lines

Choose a colour for constant colouring.

Toggle for drawing contour lines

This setting toggles shading betweencontour lines

Change the instancing options. Please seeInstancing Transformation (p. 86 in CFX-Post) and Applying InstancingTransforms to objects (p. 123 in CFX-Post) for further information.

CFX-5.5.1 Contour Plot Page 71

CFX-PostCreate Menu

Coordinate Frame

It may be necessary to define a new coordinate frame with certaintypes of geometry. This can be done easily in CFX-Post by selectingCreate>Coord Frame or clicking on the icon in the toolbar. Formore information about valid CCL parameters for the COORD FRAMEobject see COORD FRAME (p. 288 in CFX-Post) .

Coordinate Frame: Definition

CFX-Post allows for the creation of a completely independentcoordinate system. A different coordinate frame can be used insituations where the default system is unsuitable for creating therequired objects.

In CFX-Post the new Cartesian axes are labelled using the followingcolours:

• Axis 1 is labelled RED

• Axis 2 is labelled GREEN

☞ More Help:• Coordinate Frame (p. 72 in CFX-Post)• Coordinate Frame Example (p. 74 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• COORD FRAME (p. 288 in CFX-Post)

Enter the points into the boxes, use theembedded sliders or click on the iconand pick a point directly from the viewer(the Viewer will default into Picking Mode).

Select coordinates for the Origin of the newcoordinate frame.

Pick a point on the positive Axis 3 in thenew frame.

Pick a point on the Axis 1-Axis 3 plane.See Coordinate Frame (p. 72 in CFX-Post) for a detailed explanation.

Select the type of Coordinate frame.

Disable to make the CoordFrame invisible in the Viewer.

Click here tocreate the point.

Page 72 Coordinate Frame CFX-5.5.1

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• Axis 3 is labelled BLUE.

The coordinate frame is created by specifying three points. It isimportant to understand the way in which these three points are usedin order to create the desired coordinate frame.

The first point defined is the origin for the new coordinate frame(labelled Origin in the Coord Frame panel). The second point definedis used to create Axis 3 in the new frame. A vector is calculated fromthe Origin to the point defined in the Axis 3 Pt box and used as thethird axis of the new coordinate frame. The plane normal to Axis 3 isnow set and will contain both Axis 1 and Axis 2.

A third point entered into the 1-3 Plane Pt box is needed to define thelocation of Axis 1 and Axis 2 in the plane normal to Axis 3. The1-3 Plane Pt point, along with the two points already specified, definea plane which lies in the Axis 1-Axis 3 plane (see diagram below).Since Axis 1 must now lie in both the Axis 1-Axis 3 plane and the planenormal to Axis 3 its location must be the line of intersection betweenthe two planes. The positive direction for Axis 1 is the same side as the1-3 Plane Pt point lies with respect to Axis 3.

Axis 3

OriginAxis 1 and Axis 2 must exist inthe plane normal to Axis 3.

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Finally Axis 2 must be perpendicular to both Axis 1 and Axis 3; itspositive direction is determined by the right-hand rule.

If 1-3 Plane Pt is specified such that it lies on Axis 3 an error will beraised since the two planes will coincide.

Coordinate Frame Example

In the example below the coordinate frame to the left of the Viewer hasAxis 1, Axis 2 and Axis 3 defined to coincide with the default X, Y andZ axes in CFX-Post with an origin at (0,0,0). The coordinate frame tothe right side of the Viewer has a different origin and axes directionsdefined as follows:

• The Axis 1 points along the Y axis.

• The Axis 2 points along the Z axis.

• The Axis 3 points along the X axis.

The first step is to define the origin. In this example coordinates of(1,1,0) were entered into the Origin box.

Axis 2

Axis 1

Axis 3

Origin

Plane normal to Axis 3

A Plane containing the Origin,Axis 3 and 1-3 Plane Pt.

Point 1-3 Plane Pt. Its locationrelative to Axis 3 is irrelevant.Its projection onto the planenormal to Axis 3 will form thepositive Axis 1.

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The second step is to define a point on Axis 3, we require Axis 3 topoint along the default X axis. Any point which has the same Y and Zvalues as the Origin and an X value greater than that of the Origin (>1)will work. If the X value was less than 1, Axis 3 would point along thedefault negative X axis. The point (2,1,0) is used as the Axis 3 Pt inthis example.

The final step is to define a point in on the Axis 1-Axis 3 plane. In thisexample the X value entered is irrelevant since Axis 3 is parallel to theX axis. We require Axis 1 to point along the default Y axis. Any pointwith a Z value equal to that of the Origin (0) and a Y value greater thatthat of the Origin (1) will work. If the Y value was less than 1, Axis 1would point along the negative default Y axis. The point (2,2,0) is usedin this example as the 1-3 Plane Pt .

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Clip Plane

A Clip Plane allows you to define a plane which hides all Objectsdisplayed in the Viewer which lie to one side of the plane. For example,you could use an XY plane and clip it at Z=1 so that Objects are onlyvisible where Z is less than or equal to 1 (or greater than or equal to 1if the Flip Normal toggle is enabled).

Note: A Clip Plane will act on all Objects in the Viewer, including the wireframe, butwill not affect other functions such as calculations (i.e. a calculation will still use theentire location, whether visible or not).

To create a Clip Plane select Create>Clip Plane or click on theicon in the toolbar. For more information about valid CCL parametersfor a Clip Plane, see CLIP PLANE (p. 257 in CFX-Post) .

Clip Plane: Geometry.

You can specify the position of a Clip Plane by choosing one of the 3default plane definitions (XY, YZ or XZ) and then picking a location onthe Z, X or Y axes to set the planes position along that axis.

Custom Planes can also be defined using the Point and Normal andThree Points methods. For more details on creating these planes, seePlane: Geometry (p. 51) .

If you have already defined another Slice Plane that you would like touse for clipping, select From Slice Plane from the Method list and thenchoose the plane you wish to use.

The following form shows a composite of the four available ways todefine a Clip Plane. You will only see one of the four options at any onetime.

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By default the Flip Normal toggle is disabled. With this settingeverything in the Viewer to the side in which the positive normal vectorpoints is hidden. For the YZ, ZX and XY options the normal vectorpoints along the positive third axis (i.e. along the X, Y or Z axis

When selecting the YZ, ZX or XY Planeoptions, a Clip Plane is created using thedefault coordinate frame. You must then setan X, Y or Z value to use as a point on theClip Plane. If you use an expression for thisvalue it must return a single scalar value(e.g. sqrt(7.5)).

Choose a default plane (YZ, ZX or XY) ordefine a Point on the Clip Plane and avector Normal to the plane. See PlaneDefinition (p. 52 in CFX-Post) for details.

Define three points on the Clip Plane. Formore details please see Plane Definition(p. 52 in CFX-Post) .

You can create a Clip Plane using any otherslice plane that you have created. Select theSlice Plane from the list or click on the

icon to use the Location Editor.

When disabled all Objects above the plane(the direction in which the normal vectorpoints) are clipped. When enabled Objectsbelow the plane are clipped. For the YZ, ZXand XY options, the normal vector pointsalong the positive X, Y or Z axisrespectively.

Click Apply to create the clip plane andactivate it. To deactivate the clip plane,select No Clipping from the clippingselector at the top of the viewer..

Clip Planes can bedeactivated by selectingNo Clipping from the pulldown menu in the top leftof the Viewer.

☞ More Help:• Clip Plane (p. 76 in CFX-Post)• Plane: Geometry (p. 51 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• CLIP PLANE (p. 257 in CFX-Post)

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respectively). For the Point and Normal option and the Three Pointsoptions the behaviour is the same as when creating a Plane (seePlane: Geometry (p. 51) for details). For the From Slice Plane optionthe normal vector defined for that Slice Plane is used.

As an example, using the XY Plane option with a Z value of 4 will clipObjects for any values of Z greater than 4. If you wish to clip Objectswhere Z is less than 4, you should enable the Flip Normal toggle.

After creating your Clip Plane it will become active and the Clip Planeselector at the top of the viewer will change to show the name of thenew clip plane. It can be de-activated by selecting No Clipping fromthe drop-down list.

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Streamline

A Streamline, in steady state flow, is the path that a particle of zeromass would take through the fluid domain driven by a vector field. Thepath is calculated using a Runge-Kutta method of vector variableintegration with variable time step control. Streamlines start at eachnode on a given locator.

The assumption of steady state flow is assumed when a streamline iscreated, even with a transient simulation. Although the CFX-Poststreamline algorithm is very efficient, the calculation of large numbersof streamlines in a large domain can still take a long time. It is advisablewhen calculating streamlines for the first time on a solution to startdrawing a few streamlines, and then to increase the number when youknow how long it is likely to take.

If you are starting your streamlines on an Inlet , or an Outlet , or a SlicePlane , you are advised to use the Reduction Factor parameter toreduce the number of streamlines to a few. If your solution is likely tocontain recirculation areas, or regions of high vorticity, you are advisedto reduce the Max Segments number (for example, to a few hundred).If the streamlines stop part of the way through the domain, increase theMax Segments gradually.

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Streamline: Geometry


• Select the locator from where the streamlines begin from theLocation list.

• Set the type of stream plot from the Type list.

• Select a variable from the list by clicking on the icon. It is usuallynot useful to select a variable other than a velocity for streamlines.

• Select Hybrid or Conservative values (see Hybrid andConservative Variable Values (p. 153) .

Select the domain(s) for the Streamlinesto exist in. You can select multipledomains by typing their namesseparated by commas.

Select a Location from the list.

☞ More Help:• Streamline (p. 79 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• STREAMLINE (p. 230 in CFX-Post)

Select the direction the streamlines willbe drawn. Forward means in the positivegradient direction for that variable.

Click Apply to create theStreamlines.

Choose a type of streamline.

Choose a streamline variable from thelist..

Toggles whether streamlines stop atperiodic boundaries or re-enter at theopposite boundary.

Choose a reduction level. (e.g. entering2 would draw only every second line)

Choose Hybrid or Conservative values.

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Choose a Streamline direction. If you choose Forward, streamlines aredrawn from the specified locator in the positive variable direction. Forexample, a plane locator between the entrance and exit will producestreamlines flowing from the plane to the exit, when velocity is specifiedas the variable. Other options are Backwards and Backwards andForwards

• Reduction allows you to decrease the number of streamlines drawn.This can be useful when there are too many streamlines to clearlyobserve a flow pattern. The number of streamlines is reduced by theinteger entered in the box. .For example, entering 5 will only drawevery fifth streamline.

• The Cross Periodics toggle defaults to OFF. When it is OFF,streamlines stop at periodic boundaries. When it is ON, streamlinesexiting at periodic boundaries re-enter at the opposite boundary. Forthis case ’Periodic Boundary’ means both a Boundary of type'Periodic' and a Boundary of type 'Interface' with a Domain Interfacewith type Periodic.


CFX-PostCreate Menu

Streamline: Colour

The Colour settings can be changed by clicking on the Colour tab, seeThere are two options for colouring streamlines not available on otherobjects. These are Time and Unique . Time colours the streamline bythe amount of time a massless particle would take to get to each pointof the streamline, starting at the location. Unique gives eachstreamline a different colour along its whole length, and is used to trackindividual streamlines through a domain. For help on the other options,please refer to Object Editor: Colour Tab (p. 118) .

Streamline: Symbol

The Symbol feature adds markers to each streamline at given timeintervals. The time intervals are set by the user.

☞ More Help:• Streamline: Colour (p. 82 in CFX-Post)• Streamline (p. 79 in CFX-Post)• Object Editor (p. 116 in CFX-Post)

Sets the colour Mode to Constant , Variable , Use PlotVariable , Time and Unique . The Variable optionscolours the object based on the selected Variable valueat each point on the object. Use Plot Variable sets thisVariable to be the same as that used on the GeometryTab Panel.Time colours the streamline by the amountof time a massless particle would take to get to eachpoint of the streamline, starting at the location. Uniquegives each streamline a different colour along its wholelength, and is used to track individual streamlinesthrough a domain.

Select the Variable with which to colour the object.

Set the Range option to Global, Local or User Specified.See Range (p. 119 in CFX-Post) for details.

Pick a colour for any locations on the object wherevariable values do not exist, see Undefined Colour(p. 120 in CFX-Post) .


CFX-PostCreate Menu

• Toggle the visibility of symbols by checking/unchecking the DrawSymbols box.

• In the Start box set the lower limit of the time where symbolsappear. A real value or an expression can be entered. To enter anexpression, click on the icon.

• In the End box set the upper limit of the time where the symbolsappear. A real value or an expression can be entered.

• Set how frequently the symbols appear in time by entering a valuein the Interval box. A real value or an expression can be entered.

Streamline: Limits

The Limits capability allows modification of the tolerance, segmentsand maximum time settings.

Toggle the visibility of symbols.

☞ More Help:• Streamline (p. 79 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• STREAMLINE (p. 230 in CFX-Post)Click Apply to create the

Streamlines.

Choose an end (stop) time.

Enter the incremental value for drawingof each symbol..

Choose a start time.

Toggle the visibility of Streamlines.


CFX-PostCreate Menu

Tolerance is used to control the accuracy of the streamline calculation.If the Tolerance is reduced, then the streamlines will be more accuratebut will take longer to calculate.

In order to ensure the accuracy of streamlines, whenever thestreamline algorithm generates a new step (i.e. a new segment of thestreamline) , the accuracy of the step is checked by taking a backwardstep from the new point. The backward step must lie within a givendistance of the original position for the step to be accepted. If it is not,then a smaller step will be used.

• If Absolute is used, the backstep must lie within the distancespecified of the original point to be accepted. If Grid Relative isused, then it must lie within the specified fraction of the local grid cellsize.

Choose whether the tolerance is set toGrid Relative or Absolute .

☞ More Help:• Streamline: Limits (p. 83 in CFX-Post)• Streamline (p. 79 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• STREAMLINE (p. 230 in CFX-Post)

Click Apply to create theStreamlines.

You can set the maximum number ofsegments. The default value is 10000..

Set the maximum time to be representedby the streamlines. A time of 0s in thiscase represents infinite time (since 0swould actually plot nothing).

Choose the tolerance value.

When Cross Periodics is switched on (onthe Geometry tab) this sets the maximumnumber of times streamlines will re-enterthrough the periodic boundary.


CFX-PostCreate Menu

• Choosing a Grid Relative tolerance means that the tolerance isdirectly proportional to the mesh spacing. In areas where the meshhas been refined (such as areas where the flow pattern changesquickly), the tolerance is reduced. This in turn produces moreaccurate streamlines in these areas.

• The Segment limit is used to ensure that the calculation of astreamline that never exits the domain does in fact terminate. If youbelieve that your streamlines may not exit the domain, then youwould be advised to reduce the Max Segments , and to increase itgradually until enough length of streamlines is drawn for your case.The default is 10000.

• Max Time is the real time over which a streamline is drawn. Thedefault time is 0s, which, for the purposes of this form, representsan indefinite (maximum) time.

• Max Periods specifies the maximum number of times a singlestreamline will exit a periodic boundary and re-enter. When thisnumber is reached, the streamline will stop the next time it exits aperiodic boundary. If the number is negative, then there is no limiton the number of periodic boundary crossings. The default is set to20. For this case ’Periodic Boundary’ means both a Boundary oftype 'Periodic' and a Boundary of type 'Interface' with a DomainInterface with type Periodic.

Streamline: Render

The Colour settings can be changed by clicking on the Render tab, seeObject Editor: Render Tab (p. 121) .


CFX-PostCreate Menu

Instancing Transformation

Instancing Transformations are used to replicate sections of thecomputational domain. A good example of the use of an instancingtransformation is in the copying of a blade passage to produce a plot ofan entire rotor or stator. Due to rotational symmetry, only one bladepassage is solved for, reducing computing cost and time. CFX-Postcan create instancing transformations using rotation, translation andreflection.

Normally, to apply a transformation to an object, you will set aninstancing transformation up using the Create Menu and then apply itto an object using its Render form.

By default, an instancing transformation called Default Transform(which is set to apply no instancing by default) is applied to all objectswhere instancing transformations are possible. As a result, editing thedefinition of Default Transform will cause all plots and objects to betransformed (unless you turn off instancing for that object). SeeApplying Instancing Transforms to objects (p. 123) for moredetails.

It should be noted that in this release of CFX-Post, instancing is purelygeometric (in the viewer). This means that quantitative calculations canonly be carried out for the original geometry.

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Instance Transform: Definition

It should be noted that only the setup for instancing transforms isdescribed here. An instancing transformation can applied to one ormore objects; hence applying the transform is carried out using theRender form for that particular object. Please see ApplyingInstancing Transforms to objects (p. 123) .

The appearance of the form will change depending on which type ofinstancing you are working with. To expand the form for the type ofinstancing you wish to plot, click on the + sign next to Rotation ,Translation or Reflection .

Choose the number of times the domain will bereplicated.

Click Apply to create theTransform.

Choose a plane in which reflection will occur..

Choose a principal axis or define your own usingtwo points..This box will change depending on the method.For a Principal axis, choose between X, Y and Z.For a Rotation axis, enter co-ordinates of twopoints on the axis..

Check to toggle rotation.

Check to toggle Full Circle rotation..

Enter an Angle if Full Circle is switched off..

Check to toggle translation.

Enter the Translation vector.

Check to toggle reflection.

☞ More Help:• Rotation (p. 88 in CFX-Post)• Translation (p. 88 in CFX-Post)• Reflection (p. 88 in CFX-Post)• Instancing Transformation (p. 86 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• INSTANCE TRANSFORM (p. 282 in CFX-Post)

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Rotation, Translation and Reflection can be coupled (for example youcan combine rotation and reflection to simulate reflection in 2 planes.

Note: Coupling is carried out in the same order each time: Rotation, Translationand finally Reflection (depending on which type of instancing is applied). Forexample, if Rotation and Translation are chosen, the object is rotated before it istranslated.

An instancing example is given at the end of this section; please seeInstancing Transformation: Example (p. 89) .

• Choose the Number of copies by entering a value or using theslider/incrementer (not used for Reflection).

Rotation

• Check the box if you wish to Apply Rotation .

• You can choose either a Principal Axis (X, Y or Z) or define acustom Rotation Axis by entering two points.

• Choose a rotation Angle or choose Full Circle . If you choose FullCircle , the angle between each copy will be adjusted to uniformlydistribute copies in 360 degrees. When applying an Angle for acase with rotational periodicity, enter the angle in degrees (relativeto the axis of rotation for the problem) between the the two periodicboundaries. The resulting copies will be plotted adjacent to theoriginal domain, around the axis of rotation.

Translation

• Check the box if you wish to Apply Translation .

• In the Translation boxes, enter vector co-ordinates for X, Y and Z.

Reflection

• Check the box if you wish to Apply Reflection .

• Choose a Plane from the list as the reflection plane. (You will needto define the plane separately. Please see Plane (p. 51) .


CFX-PostCreate Menu

Instancing Transformation: Example

The following example shows how coupling of rotation and reflectioninstancing can be used to simulate reflection in 2 planes using arandom geometry.

The axis of rotation is defined using the Rotation Axis feature on theRotation section of the Instance Transform Definition form. An axisparallel to the y-axis at Z=1 and X= -1 was set. Rotation only wasapplied initially. An angle or 180 degrees was implemented.

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The next step involves creating an XY plane (called Plane 1) at X= -1and Z=1. For information on creating planes, please see Plane (p. 51) .After clicking on the panel to expand the Reflection sub-menu,reflection is applied on Plane 1.


CFX-PostCreate Menu

Legend

Legends can be plotted in the viewer to show the relevance of plottedcolours and give an approximate quantitative prediction of variablevalues on a locator. Select Create>Legend or click on the icon inthe toolbar. For more information about the valid CCL parameters for aLegend, see LEGEND (p. 285 in CFX-Post) .

Legend: Definition

To create a Legend first select the name of the plot. CFX-Post willautomatically find the units associated with the selected plot. The exactposition of the plot can be changed by entering values in the LegendPosition box, or using the embedded sliders. You can set the X and Yjustification of the plot to None, Centre, Left and Right. TheAppearance of the Legend can be changed by clicking on theAppearance tab (Legend: Appearance (p. 92) )

Select the name of the object to create aLegend for.

Set the x and y-position of the Legend. IfNone is selected you should enter an x ory-position for the Legend. The Positionvalues represent a fraction of the Viewerwidth from the left side for x-position, or afraction of the Viewer height from thebottom for y-position.


Click here to create the legend. ☞ More Help:• Legend (p. 91 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• LEGEND (p. 285 in CFX-Post)

CFX-5.5.1 Legend Page 91

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Legend: Appearance

The height and width of the legend can be changed by entering values(or using the embedded sliders) in the Legend Size and Legend Aspectrespectively. You can change the precision of your legend. Changingthe Precision number changes the number of integers that will appearon your Legend. You may choose a format of Scientific or Fixed

To change text Font select one of the available fonts. Legend Tickssets the number of graduations (with labels) that will appear on theLegend. For example, for a scale ranging from 0 to 10, setting 3 Tickswill produce graduations at 0, 5 and 10. For a Legend Plot, eachnumber assigned to a contour line will appear on the legend, and itsassociated variable value.

Sets the size of the Legend as a fraction ofthe Viewer height. Higher values increaseboth the size and width of the Legend.

The Legend Aspect controls the width ofthe colour range bar displayed with theLegend.

Set the number of tick labels shown in theLegend.


Click here to create the legend.

☞ More Help:• Legend: Appearance (p. 92 in CFX-Post)• Legend (p. 91 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• LEGEND (p. 285 in CFX-Post)

Set the font used for the tick labels and thetitle displayed with the Legend.

Select a colour for the tick labels and title.

Select the accuracy of values that willappear on the Legend (number ofintegers). Choose a scientific or fixednumber format.

Page 92 Legend CFX-5.5.1

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Text

Text can be added to the viewer e.g. for annotation or comments inCFX-Post. Select Create>Text or click on the icon in the toolbar.For more information about valid CCL parameters for a Text object,see TEXT (p. 286 in CFX-Post) .

Text: Definition

• Text: Definition (p. 93 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• TEXT (p. 286 in CFX-Post)

☞ More Help:

Type the text to be displayed in the Viewerhere

Enter the X (horizontal) and Y (vertical)position for the text in the Viewer. If Noneis selected you can use the Positionboxes to enter the text location as afraction of the Viewer width or height.

The Two Coords option positions text at afixed X-Y location in the Viewer. Thebottom left corner of the Viewer acts as anorigin. See below for the Three Coordsoption

The Three Coords option positions textas a fixed X-Y-Z location attached to yourgeometry. It will rotate and translate withthe geometry (but always face forward soit is readable).

Select the X-Y-Z Position on yourgeometry to attach the text to. Set aRotation value in degrees. A value of 0positions the text horizontally reading fromleft to right.

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To create text first enter it into the Text String box. The text can bepositioned by defining either 2 or 3 co-ordinates. If the text is definedwith a Position Mode of 2 co-ordinates enter its position into the TextPosition boxes or use the embedded sliders. The co-ordinates definethe X-Y position on the Viewer window. Alternatively, choose an X and/or Y justification of (None) , Centre , Left or Right .

When the text is entered with a Position Mode of 3 co-ordinates its 3-D position is required. Enter the coordinates into the Text Positionboxes or use the embedded sliders. The text can be rotated by enteringa value in degrees into the Text Rotation box or using the embeddedslider.

Click on the Appearance tab for more properties (see Text:Appearance (p. 94) )

Text: Appearance

To change the text size enter a value into the Text Height box, or usethe embedded slider. Choose a colour by clicking the icon andselecting from the palette and finally select a font from the Font list.

• Text: Appearance (p. 94 in CFX-Post)• Text: Definition (p. 93 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• TEXT (p. 286 in CFX-Post)

☞ More Help:

Enter the text height as a fraction of theViewer height.

Select a font.

Click the icon to open the Select Colourpanel where you can pick a colour for thetext

Return all settings to the CFX-Postdefaults.

Return to the settings last time Applywas pressed.

Page 94 Text CFX-5.5.1

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Chart

Charts are designed to produce graphs of a comparison of twovariables along a Polyline locator (for more information on Polylinesplease see (p. 60)). In the example Chart: Example (p. 99) at the endof this section, we use an existing plane to create a Polyline using theBoundary Intersection method. The Polyline can then be used as auseful locator for plotting the velocity profile at the exit of a static mixer.

To create a Chart, select Create>Chart or click on the icon in thetoolbar. For more information on valid CCL parameters for a Chart, seeCHART (p. 289 in CFX-Post) and CHART LINE (p. 290 in CFX-Post) .

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Chart: Chart Panel

The Chart tab panel is used to define the range and labelling for a Chartand to select the line(s) to plot.

To create a new chart you must first define a line to plot on the chart.Click on the icon, or right click in the area displaying the currentChart Lines and select New... to create a new line. The Chart Line:Line Panel (p. 98) window will open up.

Enter a Title to be displayed when youview the chart.

Existing Chart Lines are displayed here.Highlight the lines you want to plot in yourchart. You can use the <Shift> and <Ctrl>keys to highlight multiple lines.

Create a new Chart Line. See Chart Line:Line Panel (p. 98 in CFX-Post)

Enter a title for the Y axis.

Select the axes to display with your chart(note that if your plot lies completely in asingle quadrant you may not see anychange).

Select the Automatic or Manual rangeoption. For the Manual option enter thelimits for the X and Y axes. Entering asmaller max than min will invert the chartfor that particular axis.

☞ More Help:• Chart (p. 95 in CFX-Post)• Chart: Example (p. 99 in CFX-Post)• Chart Line: Line Panel (p. 98 in CFX-Post)• CHART (p. 289 in CFX-Post)

Delete the highlighted Chart Line.

Edit the highlighted Chart Line. See ChartLine: Line Panel (p. 98 in CFX-Post)

Enter a title for the X axis.

Click Apply to create a chart of the highlightedChart Lines. A Portable Bitmap (.pbm) file iscreated. Click View to open a viewer displayingthe Chart. You can alter the settings on this paneland click Apply to interactively modify the Chartdisplayed in the chart viewer.

Page 96 Chart CFX-5.5.1

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After you have created the lines you wish to plot, you can create theChart object by highlighting the lines to include in your Chart and thenclicking on the Apply button — a Portable Bitmap file (*.pbm) will becreated. You can view the Chart bitmap by clicking on the View button.If you wish to modify the Chart bitmap, you can make the requiredchanges and then click Apply to automatically update the Chart Viewer.

It should be noted that the default filename Chart.pbm is saved into thetemporary directory (please see Options: General (p. 32) for moreinformation about the temporary directory).

Chart: Appearance Panel

The Appearance tab panel allows you to include a legend on yourChart and select other appearance properties. A legend will display thename of each line in your plot along with the line colour shown next tothe name. This can be useful when plotting multiple lines on a Chart.

Enable to display a legend when youview the chart. This will show the linename with the corresponding line colourused on the plot.

If Display Legend is enabled, set thedistance (as a fraction of the ChartViewer window width) to place thelegend from the right side.

Choose a font to use for the chart title,axes labels and legend labels.

Choose the text colour for the chart titleand axes labels.

Pick a colour for the chart Frame (theoutside border of your chart and axesnumbering labels).

☞ More Help:• Chart: Appearance Panel (p. 97 in CFX-Post)• Chart (p. 95 in CFX-Post)• Chart: Chart Panel (p. 96 in CFX-Post)• Chart: Example (p. 99 in CFX-Post)• CHART (p. 289 in CFX-Post)

Click Apply to create a chart of the lineshighlighted on the Chart tab panel. APortable Bitmap (.pbm) file is created. ClickView to open a viewer displaying the Chart.You can alter the settings on this panel andclick Apply to interactively modify the Chartdisplayed in the chart viewer.


CFX-PostCreate Menu

Chart Line: Line Panel

The Chart Line window is used to create lines to plot in your Chart. Youshould complete the form as follows:

• Enter a name for your Chart Line, this will be used to identify the linein a legend.

• Choose a Polyline Locator for your Chart Line. The points on aPolyline are numbered consecutively from the start to the end of theline making them suitable for producing Chart Lines.

• Select the plot variables for your X and Y axes. You can selectChart Count to plot a variable against the point numbers on yourPolyline. The Polyline point numbers are integers starting from zero.Note that this is not the distance from the start of the Polyline — ifthe sampling points along your Polyline are concentrated in aparticular area this will not be reflected in your Chart. You can plotthe X, Y or Z variables on one axis to obtain a plot of a variableversus distance.

Enter a name for the chart line. Thisname will appear in the legend if youselect to display one.

Select the Polyline Locator to createyour Chart Line from. You cannotselect more than one Locator.

Pick a variable to plot along the X-Axis.The variable value at each point on thePolyline Locator will be plotted againstthe Y-Axis variable.

☞ More Help:• Chart Line: Line Panel (p. 98 in CFX-Post)• Chart: Chart Panel (p. 96 in CFX-Post)• Chart (p. 95 in CFX-Post)• Chart: Example (p. 99 in CFX-Post)• CHART LINE (p. 290 in CFX-Post)

Pick a variable to plot along the Y-Axis.The variable value at each point on thePolyline Locator will be plotted againstthe X-Axis variable.


CFX-PostCreate Menu

To set appearance properties for your line click on the Appearance tab(for details please see Chart Line: Appearance Panel (p. 99) )

Chart Line: Appearance Panel

The Chart Line Appearance panel allows you to control the line andsymbol settings for your Chart Line.

Chart: Example

In this example a Polyline will be created along a diameter of the exit(in the X-axis direction) of the Static Mixer tutorial example. You canuse a results file obtained from Tutorial 1 (p. 11 in CFX-5 Tutorials) ,Tutorial 2 (p. 85 in CFX-5 Tutorials) or the results file <CFXROOT>/examples/5.5.1/StaticMixer.res . The Polyline locator will beused to construct a chart showing the velocity profile in this region.

Select a line colour from the list orpick Auto colouring.

Select a line style from the list.

Toggle the visibility of the Chart Lineon or off.

Select a colour for the symbol fromthe list or pick Auto colouring.

Select from a list of symbol styles

Enable to display a symbol at thedata points used to produce theChart Line.

☞ More Help:• Chart Line: Line Panel (p. 98 in CFX-Post)• Chart (p. 95 in CFX-Post)• Chart Line: Appearance Panel (p. 99 in CFX-Post)• Chart: Example (p. 99 in CFX-Post)• CHART LINE (p. 290 in CFX-Post)


CFX-PostCreate Menu

• Create a Plane using the point and normal method. Select the Pointto be (0,0,0) and the Normal as (0,1,0) so that the Plane is normalto the Y-axis. For detailed information on Planes, please see Plane:Geometry (p. 51) .

• Create a Polyline using the Boundary Intersection method. Use theoutlet (coloured white in the image below) as the Boundary Listand the Plane you just created in the Location box. For detailedinformation on Polylines, please see Polyline: Geometry (p. 60) .

• Create a new Chart by clicking on the Chart icon. Enter a name forthe Chart.

• In the Object Editor click on to bring up the Chart Line window.

• Enter a name for the New Line.

• Select the Polyline you just created as the Locator .

• Select the variable X to plot along the X-axis . The X coordinatedirection is parallel to the Polyline in this example so the plot willshow a variable profile across the outlet.


CFX-PostCreate Menu

• Select Velocity as the Y axis variable.

• Leave the settings for Appearance at their default values.

• Click OK to close the Chart Line window.

• In the Chart window, enter “Velocity Profile at Outlet” as the Title .

• Enter X in the X Axis Label box and Velocity in the Y Axis Labelbox.

• Click on the line name to highlight it then press Apply . A Chart ofthe highlighted lines will be created as a Portable Bitmap file.

• To view the Chart, click View (see the Chart Viewer below).

• You can save a chart by selecting File>Save Image As from theChart Viewer main menu, then selecting a file format.

The Chart Viewer

The Chart Viewer is launched whenever a created chart is viewed.

Once inside the chart viewer you can save the current chart in a varietyof formats by selecting File>Save image from the menu bar.Previously saved charts can be loaded into the Viewer by selectingFile>Open .

The Edit menu allows you to copy and paste, rotate, flip and convertthe image between 1, 8 and 32 bit formats.

The Options menu contains more functionality; you can change thecolour and dither properties of your image, as well as the scale andcolour context.


CFX-PostCreate Menu


CFX-PostCreate Menu

Wireframe

The Wireframe object contains the surface mesh for your geometryand is created as a default object when you load a file into CFX-Post.You can change how much of the surface mesh you wish to see byaltering the Edge Angle (see following section) and change the linethickness and colour. You cannot create additional Wireframe objects.

Wireframe:Definition

To change how much of the wireframe is drawn, you can change theedge angle. The Edge Angle is the angle between one edge of a meshface and its neighbouring face. Setting an Edge Angle in CFX-Post willdefine a minimum angle for drawing parts of the surface mesh. Forexample, if an edge angle of 30 degrees was chosen, any edgesshared by faces with an angle between them of 30 degrees or more willbe drawn.

The visibility of the wireframe can be toggled on and off by clicking onthe check-mark.

The Edge Angle is the angle between one edge ofa mesh face and its neighbouring face. Setting anEdge Angle in CFX-Post will define a minimumangle for drawing parts of the surface mesh. Forexample, if an edge angle of 30 degrees waschosen, any edges shared by faces with an anglebetween them of 30 degrees or more will bedrawn.

Reducing the Edge Angle will show more of theSurface Mesh in the Viewer.Select a Colour and a width (in pixels) for theWireframe lines.

☞ More Help:• Wireframe (p. 103 in CFX-Post)• Create Menu (p. 43 in CFX-Post)• WIREFRAME (p. 246 in CFX-Post)• Instancing Transformation (p. 86 in CFX-Post)

Click to Apply Instancing.

Select an Instancing Transform from the list. Youwill need to first create an instancing transformbefore you can apply it to an object. Please seeInstancing Transformation (p. 86 in CFX-Post)for more information.

CFX-5.5.1 Wireframe Page 103

CFX-PostCreate Menu

Instancing transforms are created separately in the Create menu. Forinformation on creating instancing transforms, please see InstancingTransformation (p. 86) . The option Apply Instancing is selected bydefault and Default Transform is selected. To apply a differenttransform, first create it using the Create Menu and then select it fromthe list. Click Apply to create the transformation.

Page 104 Wireframe CFX-5.5.1

CFX-PostCreate Menu

Boundary and Subdomain

The Boundary and Subdomain object types are default objects definedduring pre-processing and created in CFX-Post when a file is loaded.You cannot create additional Boundary or Subdomain objects duringpost-processing, or delete the existing ones.

A Boundary object will exist for each boundary condition defined inCFX-Build. Any surfaces of your geometry which were not specificallyassigned a boundary condition will appear in a single Boundary objectnamed Default.

If you have created any Thin Surface boundary conditions, then eachwill have two locators defined by default. These locators will be namedwith the same names as the relevant boundary condition in CFX-Buildfollowed by a 1 or a 2. One default locator is created for each side ofeach Thin Surface.

If you have a complex geometry which has a large region of defaultboundary condition, it may be worth defining named boundaryconditions on parts of this surface within CFX-Build, even though youstill apply the default boundary condition to this named surface. Youwill then have convenient boundary objects created in CFX-Post uponwhich you can view variables when you come to view the results.

Subdomain objects will only exist if a Fluid Subdomain was definedduring pre-processing (Solid Subdomains appear as a separateDomain).

You can edit both the Colour and Render properties of Boundary andSubdomain objects. See Object Editor: Colour Tab (p. 118) andObject Editor: Render Tab (p. 121) for details.

CFX-5.5.1 Boundary and Subdomain Page 105

CFX-PostCreate Menu

Page 106 Boundary and Subdomain CFX-5.5.1

CFX-Post

CFX-Post

Viewer Menu


• Viewer Menu Items (p. 109)

CFX-5.5.1 Page 107

CFX-PostViewer Menu

Introduction

The Viewer Menu contains many of the features that control the way inwhich the viewer works. All of the viewer menu items are action optionswhich in some way manipulate the viewer or the objects within.

Viewing Mode Change the current mode to Viewing Mode.

Picking Mode Change the current mode to Picking Mode.

Highlighting Turn highlighting for objects on and off.

Perspective Look at objects using a perspective view mode.

Orthographic Look at objects using an orthographic view mode.

Views Select from a list of preset view orientations.

Fit View Change the size of objects to fit in the viewer in a central position.

Restore CameraView

Recall a previously saved camera view.

New Camera View Create a new camera and save the current view to that camera.

Save Camera View Set the current view to the currently selected camera.

Delete CameraView

Delete the selected camera. The view can no longer be recalled.

Camera Views Select from a list of saved camera views.

Clipping Planes Select from a list of clipping planes or deactivate clipping.


CFX-PostViewer Menu

Viewer Menu Items

Viewing Mode

Sets the viewer mode to Viewing Mode . Mouse actions such as zoom,rotate etc are effective during viewing mode.

Picking Mode

Sets the viewer mode to Picking Mode . Picking mode can be used toselect and/or drag certain objects in the viewer.

Selecting Objects

The mouse is used to select objects (e.g. points, boundaries,...) fromthe Viewer. When a number of objects overlap, the one closest to thecamera is picked.

Moving Objects

Point, Plane and Line objects can be moved in the viewer by draggingand dropping the object to a new location. When an object is moved,its definition is updated in the Object Editor. Any other plots that arelocated on these movable objects are automatically updated.

Highlighting

This sets the highlighting mode on or off. The current object selectedin the Object Selector is highlighted with a red box.

Perspective

Activates the Perspective mode of viewing objects.

Orthographic

Activates the Orthographic mode of viewing objects.

CFX-5.5.1 Viewer Menu Items Page 109

CFX-PostViewer Menu

Views

Enables you to select one of the preset views illustrated in the figurebelow.

Fit View

Fit View will change the size of the objects in the viewer to make themfully visible in the centre of the viewer.

Restore Camera View

Restore Camera View has the effect of restoring the view saved underthe currently selected camera. Please see Camera Settings (p. 125)for further details.

New Camera View

New Camera View will create a new camera and save the current viewto that camera. Please see Camera Settings (p. 125) for furtherdetails.

Save Camera View

Saves the current view to the currently selected camera. It willoverwrite the previous view settings for that camera. Please seeCamera Settings (p. 125) for further details.

Delete Camera View

Erases the current camera from memory.

Page 110 Viewer Menu Items CFX-5.5.1

CFX-PostViewer Menu

Camera Views

Shows a list of cameras; the current camera is highlighted with acheckmark. Click on a different camera to change from one camera toanother. Please see Camera Settings (p. 125) for further details.

Clipping Planes

Shows a list of created clip planes. The currently active clip plane ishighlighted with a check mark. To change clipping settings click on anew clip plane or to deactivate, click on No Clipping .

CFX-5.5.1 Viewer Menu Items Page 111

CFX-PostViewer Menu

Page 112 Viewer Menu Items CFX-5.5.1

CFX-Post

CFX-Post

Tools Menu


• Object Selector (p. 115)

• Object Editor (p. 116)

• Viewer (p. 124)

• Calculator (p. 127)

• Mesh Calculator (p. 138)

• Animation (p. 141)

• Timestep Selector (p. 148)

• Expressions (p. 149)

• Variables (p. 151)

• Command Editor (p. 157)

• Macro Calculator (p. 158)

• Arrange (p. 162)

CFX-5.5.1 Page 113

CFX-PostTools Menu

Introduction

The Tools menu controls which windows are currently visible in theCFX-Post display. Windows which are currently visible in the displayhave a checkmark or depressed button (depending on the GraphicalUser Interface (GUI) style) alongside them in the Tools menu. Clickingon any of the available windows in the list will toggle the visibility of theselected window on or off.

The height of any window can be adjusted by holding the mousepointer over to top or bottom edge and dragging the window to therequired height. The width of the Viewer window can be adjusted in asimilar way, but the width of other windows is fixed by the font used inthe GUI.

Each window can be moved by dragging the window bar, andminimised or closed using the controls located on the right side of thewindow bar. The windows will snap into position when dragged closeto the edges of the display area in the GUI.

The position of each window is saved at the end of your session andreloaded next time you start CFX-Post. You can restore the defaultwindow layout by selecting Tools>Arrange from the main menu bar.

Object Selector Lists the current objects for selection or editing.

Object Editor Change the properties of an object.

Viewer Displays the geometry and objects created in CFX-Post.

Calculator Quantitative data analysis.

Animation Create and view animation sequences. Write MPEGs for viewing inMPEG players.

Timestep Selector Choose a timestep for a transient run.

Expressions Define expressions to use in CFX-Post.

Variables Create new variables and modify existing variables.

Command Editor Edit objects using CFX Command Language.

Macro Calculator Use predefined macros for quantitative post-processing.

Arrange Arrange the windows in CFX-Post.


CFX-PostTools Menu

Object Selector

The Object Selector window initially contains a list of objects that werecreated when the problem was defined (e.g. Boundaries andSubdomains). New objects that you create will appear in the ObjectSelector window.

Clicking on either of the Name and Type buttons will toggle betweenalphabetically ordered lists and reverse alphabetical order lists. TheFilter allows you to list only particular types of graphic objects (e.g. onlyboundaries) at any one time. Right-clicking on any of the objects willdisplay a pop-up menu which will allow you to edit the definition of theobject, delete the object or create a new object. You can also edit theobject by double-clicking on the object Name or Type , or clicking onthe Edit icon when the object is highlighted.

To the left of each object that can be viewed is a visibility toggle.Checking the box will turn on visibility for that object.

You can use the Filter to list only specific objecttypes in the Object Selector.

Click on the Name or Type button to toggle theordering of the lists (either A-Z or Z-A).

Right-clicking on an object brings up this menu:

• New...: opens the New Object panel where youcan enter a name and select the type of object tocreate.

• Edit: displays the selected object in the ObjectEditor panel.

• Delete: deletes the selected object• Edit in Command Editor: opens the Command

Editor window and displays the definition of theobject and its parameter settings. You can edit thesettings to change the object.

☞ More Help:• Object Selector (p. 115 in CFX-Post)• Tools Menu (p. 113 in CFX-Post)• CFX Command Language (p. 163 in CFX-Post)

Edit the highlighted object.

Create a new object.

Delete the highlighted object. Delete is disabled forsystem defined object (Boundaries, Wireframe e.t.c.)

Toggle object visibilityusing the check-box

CFX-5.5.1 Object Selector Page 115

CFX-PostTools Menu

Object Editor

The Object Editor window is used to define or edit the properties of anobject. For most objects the window contains three tabs — Geometry ,Colour and Render . For some objects only one or two of these tabsare available, while for others, tabs unique to that object are used.Clicking on each of the tabs displays the tab panel associated witheach area.

The options available in each of the tab panels will depend upon whichgraphic object is selected. For example, when changing the propertiesof an Isosurface, the Geometry tab will allow specification of thedomain, the variable and the value to be plotted.

The widgets located at the bottom of the Object Editor window areavailable from any of the tabs. A description of each widget follows:

• The Visibility toggle can be enabled or disabled to display or hideobjects in the Viewer.

• The Apply button commits the changes made to all the tab panelsand updates the object in the Viewer. Objects which depend on theedited Object are also updated (for example, altering a Plane wouldalso change a

• which uses that Plane).

• The Reset button returns the settings for the object to those storedin the database. The settings are stored in the database each timethe Apply button is pressed.

• The Defaults button restores the system default setting.

Object Editor: Geometry Tab

Definition of the geometry is unique for each graphic object and as aresult is discussed in detail for each object in File Menu (p. 9) . Thebasic procedures for geometry setup involve defining the size andlocation of the object, with most other properties being object specific.Options which are common to several of the Geometry definition tabpanels are described here.

Page 116 Object Editor CFX-5.5.1

CFX-PostTools Menu

Selecting Domains

For Point, Plane, Volume Isosurface, Polyline, Surface and Vectorobjects you can select the Domains in which the object should exist. Toselect the domain pick a domain name from the drop-down Domainsmenu. To define the object in more than one domain, you can type inthe names of the domains separated by commas.

Domains created in CFX-Build containing a Solid Subdomains areactually written to the Results file as two separate domains. ThereforeSolid Subdomains are available in CFX-Post in the Domains list, andFluid Domains will not contain Solid Subdomains.

When more than one domain has been used for a GGI simulation(requiring GGI connections in the problem definition), most plottingfunctions can be applied to the entire computational domain, or to aspecific named domain.

CFX-5.5.1 Object Editor Page 117

CFX-PostTools Menu

Object Editor: Colour Tab

The colour options control the colour of graphic objects in the Viewer.The colouring can be either constant or based on a variable, and canbe selected from the Mode pull-down menu.

Mode: Constant

To specify a single colour for an object, you should select the Constantoption from the Mode pull-down menu. To choose a colour, click on the

icon to the right of the Colour widget and select one of theavailable colours.

☞ More Help:• Object Editor: Geometry Tab (p. 116 in CFX-Post)• Object Editor: Render Tab (p. 121 in CFX-Post)• Tools Menu (p. 113 in CFX-Post)• Colour (p. 305 in CFX-Post)

Sets the colour Mode to Constant , Variableor, for some objects, Use Plot Variable . TheVariable options colours the object based onthe selected Variable value at each point onthe object. Use Plot Variable sets thisVariable to be the same as that used on theGeometry Tab Panel.

Select the Variable with which to colour theobject.Set the Range option to Global, Local or UserSpecified. See Range (p. 119 in CFX-Post)for details.

Pick a colour for any locations on the objectwhere variable values do not exist, seeUndefined Colour (p. 120 in CFX-Post) .

Press Apply to createor modify the object.

Return to the settings storedin the database for this entireobject (not just this panel).

Return to the CFX-Post default settings.

Select whether to plot Hybrid or Conservativevalues. For an explanation of these termsplease see Hybrid and ConservativeVariable Values (p. 153 in CFX-Post)


CFX-PostTools Menu

Mode: Variable and Use Plot Variable

You may wish to plot a variable on an object, e.g. Temperature on aPlane. To do this, you should select the Variable option from the Modepull-down menu. This will display additional options, including theVariable pull-down menu where you can choose the variable you wishto plot.

The list of variables will contain User Level 1 variables only. These aredefined in CFX-Build; for a complete list of variables and their userlevels, please see List of Variables (p. 134 in CFX-5 Solver andSolver Manager) . For a full list of variables, click on the icon.

For Isosurface and Vector plot, the Use Plot Variable option is alsoavailable. This sets the Variable used to colour your plot to the sameas that used to define it.

Range

The Range widget allows you to plot over the Global , Local or UserSpecified range of a variable. This will affect the variation of colourused when plotting the object in the Viewer. The lowest values of avariable in the selected range are shown in blue in the Viewer, thehighest values are shown in red.

• The Global range option uses the variable values from the resultsin all domains (regardless of the domains selected on the Geometrytab panel) and all timesteps (when applicable) to determine theminimum and maximum values.

• The Local range option uses only the variable values on the currentobject at the current timestep to set the maximum and minimumrange values. This option is useful to utilise the full colour range onan object.

• The User Specified range option allows you to specify your ownmaximum and minimum range values. This can be used toconcentrate the full colour range in a specific variable range.

Hybrid/Conservative

Select whether the object you wish to plot will be based on hybrid orconservative values. For an explanation of these terms, please seeHybrid and Conservative Variable Values (p. 153) .


CFX-PostTools Menu

Undefined Colour

Any areas in which the results can not be plotted because the variableis not defined (e.g. when a section of an object lies outside of thecomputational domain) will use the colour specified in the Undef.Colour box. Clicking the icon to the right of this box will allow youto change the undefined colour. Values written to the Results file aszeros will be coloured as such and will not be undefined (e.g. Yplus andWall Shear values away from a wall boundary).


CFX-PostTools Menu

Object Editor: Render Tab

The appearance of the Render tab panel will depend on what type ofobject is plotted in the viewer.

☞ More Help:• Object Editor: Colour Tab (p. 118 in CFX-Post)• Object Editor: Geometry Tab (p. 116 in CFX-Post)• Tools Menu (p. 113 in CFX-Post)• Instancing Transformation (p. 86 in CFX-Post)• INSTANCE TRANSFORM (p. 282 in CFX-Post)• DEFAULT INSTANCE TRANSFORM (p. 281 in CFX-Post)

Press Apply to confirmthe settings.

Set the transparency value for the faces of theobject. Enter a value between 0 (opaque) and 1(transparent) or use the embedded slider.

Select a Shading setting. Options available are:

• None - colours the object black.• Flat Shading - each face is a constant colour.• Smooth Shading - colours are interpolated

between points.

Toggle Draw Lines on to display the linesconnecting the points on the object.

Enter a Line Width between 1 and 99. You canuse the graduated arrows, the embedded slider ortype in a value.

Pick a line colour.

Return to the settingsstored in the database.

Toggle Lighting of the object on or off.

Click to Apply Instancing.

Select an Instancing Transform from the list. Youwill need to first create an instancing transformbefore you can apply it to an object. Please seeInstancing Transformation (p. 86 in CFX-Post)for more information.

Toggle Specular Lighting of the object on or off.

Toggle Culling (turning off visibility) for the Front orBack of the Object, or select No Culling. Note thatimages will not appear with face culling unless theScreen Capture mode is used,.


CFX-PostTools Menu

The top half of the panel controls the Draw Faces options. This toggleis enabled by default and draws the faces of the elements which makeup an object. The faces are coloured using the settings on the Colourtab panel.

The transparency of an object can be altered by entering a value fortransparency using the embedded slider or keyboard input. Valuesbetween 0 and 1 are valid, 0 corresponding to completely opaque and1 corresponding to completely transparent.

Shading

Shading properties can be changed to either None , Flat Shading orSmooth Shading .

• None : no shading is applied to the object, i.e. it appears black.

• Flat Shading : each element is coloured a constant colour. Colourinterpolation is not used across or between elements.

• Smooth Shading : Colour interpolation is applied which results incolour variation across an element based on the colour ofsurrounding elements.

Lighting

• Lighting can be turned on and off by checking/unchecking theLighting toggle. Specular lighting , when enabled, treats the objectas a reflector of light.

Culling

• Object Culling allows you to turn off visibility for element faces ofobjects that either face the viewer or point away from the viewer.Domain boundaries always have a normal vector that points out ofthe domain. The two sides of a thin surface have normal vectors thatpoint towards each other.

• Selecting Front will turn off visibility for all outward-facingelement faces (the faces on the same side as the normal vector).This would, for example, turn off visibility for one side of a planeor the outward facing elements of a cylinder locator. Whenapplied to a volume object, the first layer of element faces thatpoint outwards are rendered invisible. You will usually want touse this option when viewing values on thin surface boundaries.


CFX-PostTools Menu

This is useful when rendering thin surfaces (turning on faceculling for both surfaces will produce clear plots for both sides).

• Selecting Back will turn off visibility for inward-facing elementfaces (the faces on the opposite side to the normal vector). Whenapplied to volume objects, the effect of back culling is not alwaysvisible in the viewer, since the object elements that face theoutward will obscure the culled faces. It can, however, reduce therender time when further actions are performed on the object.The effect of this would be most noticeable for large volumeobjects. In the same way as for Front Face culling, it will turn offvisibility of one side of surface locators.

• No culling turns visibility for all element faces back on.

Note that Face Culling affects printouts performed using use ScreenCapture method only.

• Draw Lines can be activated to show the edge lines of the elementsin an object. The line width can be changed by entering a value inthe Line Width between 1 and 99. When the box is active the upand down arrow keys on your keyboard can be used to incrementthe value. Line colour can be changed by clicking on the icon tothe right of the Colour box and selecting a colour.

Applying Instancing Transforms to objects

Instancing transforms are created separately in the Create menu. Forinformation on creating instancing transforms, please see InstancingTransformation (p. 86) . The option Apply Instancing is selected bydefault and Default Transform is selected. To apply a differenttransform, first create it using the Create Menu and then select it fromthe list. Click Apply to create the transformation.


CFX-PostTools Menu

Viewer

The Viewer is the window in which the graphics object will appear.Whenever the Viewer is maximised to fill the display, the otherwindows automatically assume an “always on top” status so that theviewer does not obscure them.

☞ More Help:• Camera Settings (p. 125 in CFX-Post)• Tools Menu (p. 113 in CFX-Post)• VIEWER (p. 273 in CFX-Post)• CAMERA (p. 284 in CFX-Post)

Viewer manipulation icons. For detailsplease see Viewer Manipulation(p. 125 in CFX-Post)

Create a new camera tostore a view in.

Set Clippingoption. NoClipping is thedefault option.When you createClip Plane objectsthey are added tothis menu.

Return to the view storedin the selected camera.

Select a camera view.

Switch between Perspectiveand Orthographic views.

Enable highlight mode tohighlight the object shown in theObject Editor.

Switch between Viewing and Pickingmode. Use Viewing mode to rotate,zoom and pan the view. Use Pickingmode to select objects from the Viewer.

Save the current view tothe selected camera.

Delete currentcamera view

Page 124 Viewer CFX-5.5.1

CFX-PostTools Menu

Viewer Manipulation

There are a number of icons along the top of the viewer which canchange the view orientation and change between object picking andviewing modes.

Camera Settings

CFX-Post allows you to save a particular view to a camera object andthen restore the view at another time. If you shut down CFX-Post, youcan save the cameras and their positions by saving your state. Whena desired view is achieved, click on the Save view icon in the viewertoolbar to save the view to the selected Camera object. A single defaultCamera (called Camera 1) is always available, but a number ofdifferent views can be saved by creating additional cameras. To savea view to a different camera, click on the New view icon and entera name in the New View window. If you wish to return to a saved view,

Icon Description

Sets the Viewer into Viewing Mode. The mouse is used to rotate,zoom and pan the view.

Sets the Viewer into Picking mode. The mouse is used to selectobjects (e.g. points, boundaries,...) from the Viewer. When a numberof objects overlap, the one closest to the camera is picked.

Sets the Viewer to look along the positive x axis.

Sets the Viewer to look along the negative x axis.

Sets the Viewer to look along the positive y axis.

Sets the Viewer to look along the negative y axis.

Sets the Viewer to look along the positive z axis.

Sets the Viewer to look along the negative z axis.

Displays the Isometric View.

Centres the object in the Viewer.

CFX-5.5.1 Viewer Page 125

CFX-PostTools Menu

click on the Restore view icon or select the view from thedrop-down menu by clicking the arrow to the right of the current cameraname. To delete an unwanted camera view, click on the DeleteCamera icon.

Page 126 Viewer CFX-5.5.1

CFX-PostTools Menu

Calculator

The calculator can be used to provide quantitative information aboutthe results. The Function pull-down menu allows you to select afunction to evaluate, the Location menu will list all of the availablelocators that can be used for the calculation. The Variable list showsall available variables for the calculation.

For most functions you can click in the Variable box and enter anexpression to use as the Variable. The expression can include otherVariables and any valid CEL (CFX Expression Language) function (seeCEL Functions, Constants and System Variables (p. 174 in CFX-Post) ), for example abs(Velocity u) could be entered so that thecalculation is performed using the absolute values of the variableVelocity u .

Click to calculate the result☞ More Help:• Function Selection (p. 128 in CFX-Post)• CFX Expression Language (CEL) (p. 173 in CFX-Post)• CEL Functions, Constants and System Variables (p. 174 in CFX-Post)• Quantitative Calculations in the Command Editor (p. 201 in CFX-Post)• Calculator (p. 127 in CFX-Post)• CALCULATOR (p. 291 in CFX-Post)• Tools Menu (p. 113 in CFX-Post)

Select the function from this list. See Function Selection(p. 128 in CFX-Post) for a description of the calculationsperformed by each function.

Choose the Location for the calculation.Only Locations valid for the selectedFunction will be available.

If applicable to the Function, pick a variablefrom the list. You can click in the box to enteran expression for most Functions. See CFXExpression Language (CEL) (p. 173 inCFX-Post) for information on validexpressions. User Variables are alsoavailable, see Variables (p. 151 in CFX-Post) for details on creating User Variables.

Select the direction if applicable to theFunction. For some Functions None isavailable. See Direction or Axis Selection(p. 128 in CFX-Post) for more details.

If applicable to the Function select the Fluidto perform the calculation on.

Choose whether to base thecalculation on Hybrid orConservative values. SeeHybrid and ConservativeVariable Values (p. 153 inCFX-Post) for more details.

CFX-5.5.1 Calculator Page 127

CFX-PostTools Menu

For multiphase results you can select which fluids to use in yourcalculation. This option is available with the force , forceNorm ,massFlowAve , massFlow and torque functions. The All Fluidsoption can be selected to perform the calculation using all the fluids inthe results.

Direction or Axis Selection

Some Functions require a direction to be specified before thecalculation can be performed. The use of the direction in the calculationvaries between functions.

• The areaInt function projects the Location onto a plane normal tothe specified direction (if the direction is not set to NONE), and thenperform the calculation on the projected Location (directionspecification can also be None ). The direction of the normal vectorsfor the Location is important and will cancel out for surfaces such asclosed surfaces.

• The force and forceNorm functions calculate the force in thedirection specified.

• The torque function calculates the torque about the selected axis.

Function Selection

The available quantitative functions are outlined in the table below.

Important: Most quantitative calculations are best performed usingthe conservative variable values. An explanation is given in Hybridand Conservative Variable Values (p. 153 in CFX-Post) .

Important: There are some important limitations concerningcalculations performed on CFX-4 Results Files. For more detailsplease see CFX-4 Results file (p. 11) .

Function Name Operation

area (p. 129) Area of location

areaAve (p. 130) Area-weighted average

areaInt (p. 130) Area-weighted integral (can be projected to adirection)

Page 128 Calculator CFX-5.5.1

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area

The area function is used to calculate the area of a 2-D location. Thefollowing example demonstrate use of the function.

• Function: area, Location: Plane1.This example will calculate the total area of the locator Plane1.

ave (p. 131) Arithmetic average

count (p. 132) Number of calculation points

force (p. 132) Force on a surface in the specified direction

forceNorm (p. 133) Length normalised force on a curve in the specifieddirection

length (p. 133) Length of a curve

lengthAve (p. 134) Length-weighted average

lengthInt (p. 134) Length-weighted integration

massFlow (p. 134) Total mass flow

massFlowAve (p. 134) Mass Flow-weighted average

massFlowInt (p. 135) Mass Flow-weighted integral

maxVal (p. 135) Maximum Value

minVal (p. 135) Minimum Value

probe (p. 135) Value at a point

sum (p. 136) Sum over the calculation points

torque (p. 136) Torque on a surface about the specified axis

volume (p. 136) Volume of a 3-D location

volumeAve (p. 137) Volume-weighted average

volumeInt (p. 137) Volume-weighted integral

Function Name Operation


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areaAve

The areaAve function calculates the area-weighted average of anexpression on a 2-D location. The area-weighted average of a variableis the average value of the variable on a location when the meshelement sizes are taken into account. Without the area weightingfunction, the average of all the nodal variable values would be biasedtowards variable values in regions of high mesh density. The followingexamples demonstrate use of the function.

• Function: areaAve, Location: outlet, Variable: Velocity.This example will calculate the average magnitude of the Velocityon the outlet location. Note that flow direction is not consideredsince the magnitude of a vector quantity at each node is calculated.You can use the scalar components of Velocity (e.g. Velocity u) toinclude a directional sign, for example:

• Function: areaAve, Location: outlet,Variable: max(Velocity u, 0.0[m s^-1]).This example will calculate the area-weighted average value ofVelocity u , with negative values of the variable replaced by zero.Note that this is not the average positive value since zero values willcontribute to the average.

areaInt

The areaInt function integrates a variable over the specified 2-Dlocation. To perform the integration over the total face area, the Noneoption should be selected from the Axis drop-down menu. If andirection is selected, the result is an integration over the projected areaof each face onto a plane normal to that direction. Each point on alocation has an associated area which is stored as vector and thereforehas direction. By selecting a Direction in the Function Calculator youare using only a single component of the vector in the area-weightingfunction. Since these components can be positive or negative,depending on the direction of the normal on the location, it is possiblefor areas to cancel out. An example of this would be on a closedsurface where the projected area will always be zero (the resultsreturned will not in general be zero since the variable values differ overthe closed surface). On a flat surface the normal vectors always pointin the same direction and will never cancel out. The following examplesdemonstrates the function.


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• Function: areaInt, Location: Plane1, Variable: Pressure,Direction: NoneThis example integrates Pressure over Plane1. The results returnedis the total Pressure force acting on Plane1. The magnitude of eacharea vector is used and so the direction of the vectors is notconsidered.

• Function: areaInt, Location: Plane1, Variable: Pressure,Direction: Global X.This example integrates Pressure over the projected area of Plane1onto a plane normal to the X-axis. The result is the Pressure forceacting in the X-direction on Plane1. This differs slightly from usingthe force function to calculate the X-directional force on Plane1 —the force function includes forces due to the advection ofmomentum when calculating the force on an internal arbitrary planeor a non-wall boundary (inlets e.t.c.).

ave

The ave function calculates the arithmetic average (the mean value) ofa variable or expression on the specified location. This is simply thesum of the values at each node on the location divided by the numberof nodes. Results will be biased towards areas of high nodal density onthe location. To obtain a mesh independent result you should use thelengthAve , areaAve , volumeAve or massFlowAve functions. Thefollowing example demonstrates use of the function.

The average of a vector value is calculated as an average of itsmagnitudes, not the magnitude of component averages. As anexample, for velocity,

where

v avev1 v2+

2----------------------=

vi vxi2

vyi2

vzi2

+ +( )=


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• Function: ave, Location: MainDomain, Variable: Temperature.This example calculates the mean temperature at all nodes in theselected domain.

count

The count function returns the number of nodes on the specifiedlocation. An example is given below.

• Function: count, Location: MainDomain.This example returns the number of nodes in the specified domain.

force

This function returns the force exerted by the fluid on the specified 2-Dlocator in the specified Direction.

The force on a boundary is calculated using momentum flow data fromthe Results file. To include the required momentum flow data in yourResults file to calculate forces on boundaries, you should set the theoption Output Equation Flows to ON on the Solver Control Form inCFX-Build (please see Output Equation Flows (p. 1291 inCFX-Build: Chapter 10) for more information).

The result returned for wall boundaries includes pressure and viscousforces acting on the wall. The force on a wall boundary can be positiveor negative indicating the Direction of the force.

The force on a location other than a wall boundary includes thePressure force and the force due to the advection of momentum. Theresult returned is the total force acting on the Location in the specifiedDirection. At boundaries through which fluid flows (e.g. inlets), theExpert Control Parameter described above must be included to allowthe force to be calculated. The results will be equal to the boundarycontribution to the momentum flows (these values are printed at theend of a CFX-5 Solver run under the U - Mom, V - Mom andW - Mom headings).

A force calculation at an arbitrary internal location (e.g. a Slice Plane)returns the same forces as at a non-wall boundary (forces due topressure and the advection of momentum). However, the force due tothe advection of momentum is approximated and the Expert ControlParameter OUTPUT EQ FLOWS is not needed to perform thesecalculations.


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The force function allows you to select the Fluid(s) to use whenperforming your calculation. The result returned is the force on thelocator due to that fluid. Since the pressure force is the same at eachnode irrespective of the Fluid choice, the only difference is in theviscous forces (on wall boundaries) or the forces due to the advectionof momentum (non-wall boundaries and internal locations).

Forces arising as a results of the Reference Pressure are not includedin the force calculation. Examples:

• Function: force, Location: Default, Direction: Global X,Fluid: All Fluids.This will calculate the total force on the Default wall boundaries inthe x-direction. Pressure and viscous forces are included. Theresults file must contain the momentum flux data from the ExpertControl Parameter OUTPUT EQ FLOWS.

• Function: force, Location: inlet1, Direction: Global X,Fluid: Water at RTP.This will calculate the forces on inlet1 due to pressure and theadvection of momentum. The results file must contain themomentum flux data from the Expert Control Parameter OUTPUTEQ FLOWS.

forceNorm

Returns the per unit width force on a line in the direction of the specifiedaxis. It is only available for a Polyline created by intersecting a locatoron a boundary. Momentum data must also be available. Themagnitude of the value returned can be thought of as the force in thespecified direction on a Polyline if the Polyline were 2-D with a width ofone unit.

The forceNorm function allows you to select the Fluid(s) to use whenperforming your calculation. Example:

• Function: forceNorm, Location: Polyline1, Direction: Global X,Fluid: All Fluids.The result from this calculation is force per unit width on Polyline1 inthe x-direction.

length

Computes the length of the specified line as the sum of the distancesbetween the points making up the line. Example:


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• Function: length, Location: Polyline1.Calculates the length of the Polyline.

lengthAve

Computes the length-based average of the variable on the specifiedline. This is the 1-D equivalent of the areaAve function. The results isindependent of the nodal distribution along the line since a weightingfunction assigns a higher weighting to areas of sparse nodal density.Example:

• Function: lengthAve, Location: Polyline1, Variable: Velocity.This will calculate the average Velocity on the location Polyline1using a length-based weighting function to account for thedistribution of points along the line.

lengthInt

Computes the length-based integral of the variable on the specifiedline. This is the 1-D equivalent of the areaInt function.

massFlow

Computes the mass flow through the specified 2-D location. ThemassFlow function allows you to select the Fluid(s) to use whenperforming your calculation. The result returned is the mass flow of theselected Fluid(s) through the locator.

• Function: massFlow, Location: outlet2, Fluid: All Fluids.This will calculate the mass flow for all fluids in the domains throughthe location outlet2.

massFlowAve

Computes the average of a variable on the specified 2-D location andweights each value based on the mass flow assigned to the point onthe locator. The massFlowAve function allows you to select theFluid(s) to use when performing your calculation. The result returned isthe average variable value weighted by the mass flow of the selectedFluid(s) assigned to each point on the locator.


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• Function: massFlowAve, Location: Plane1, Variable: Velocity,Fluid: All FluidsThis example calculates the average Velocity on Plane1 weightedby the mass flow for all fluids assigned to each point on Plane1.

massFlowInt

This function integrates a variable over the specified 2-D location. Aweighting function is applied to the variable value at each point basedon the mass flow assigned to that point. You can also specify theFluid(s) used to calculate the mass flow at each locator point. Thefollowing example demonstrates the function.

• Function: massFlowInt, Location: Plane1, Variable: Pressure,Fluid: All FluidsThis example integrates Pressure over Plane1. The result is thePressure force acting on Plane1 weighted by the mass flowassigned to each point on Plane1.

maxVal

Returns the maximum value of the specified variable on the specifiedlocator. You should create a User Variable if you want to find themaximum value of an expression.

• Function: maxVal, Location: Default, Variable: Yplus.This will return the maximum Yplus value on the Default wallboundaries.

minVal

Returns the minimum value of the specified variable on the specifiedlocator. You should create a User Variable if you want to find theminimum value of an expression. Example:

• Function: minVal, Location: MainDomain, Variable: Temperature.These settings will return the minimum Temperature in the domain.

probe

Returns the value of the specified variable on the specified PointObject. Example:


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• Function: probe, Location: Point1, Variable: Density.Returns the density value at Point1.

sum

Computes the sum of the specified variable values at each point on thespecified location. Example:

• Function: sum, Location: SubDomain1,Variable: Volume of Finite Volume.Returns the sum of the Finite Volumes assigned to each node in thelocation SubDomain1. In this case this sums to the volume of thesubdomain.

torque

Returns the torque on a 2-D locator about the specified axis. The forcecalculated during evaluation of the torque function has the samebehaviour as the force function (see force (p. 132)). You can selectthe Fluid(s) to perform your calculation with, the result returned in thetorque on the location due to the selected Fluid(s).

To include the required momentum flow data in your Results file tocalculate torques, you should set the the option Output EquationFlows to ON on the Solver Control Form in CFX-Build (please seeOutput Equation Flows (p. 1291 in CFX-Build: Chapter 10) for moreinformation).

• Function: torque, Location: Plane1, Axis: Global Z,Fluid: .All Fluids.This example calculates the torque on Plane1 about the z-axis dueto all fluids in the domain.

volume

The volume function is used to calculate the volume of a 3-D location.Example:

Important: This calculation should only be performed for pointlocators described by single points. Incorrect solutions will beproduced for multiple point locators.


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• Function: volume, Location: Volume1.Returns the sum of the volumes of each mesh element included inthe location Volume1.

volumeAve

The volumeAve function calculates the volume-weighted average ofan expression on a 3-D location. This is the 3-D equivalent of theareaAve function. The volume-weighted average of a variable is theaverage value of the variable on a location weighted by the volumeassigned to each point on a location. Without the volume weightingfunction, the average of all the nodal variable values would be biasedtowards values in regions of high mesh density. The followingexamples demonstrates use of the function.

• Function: volumeAve, Location: Volume1, Variable: Density.This example calculates the volume-weighted average value ofDensity in the region enclosed by the location Volume1.

volumeInt

The volumeInt function integrates the specified variable over thevolume location. This is the 3-D equivalent of the areaInt function.Example:

• Function: volumeInt, Location: Volume1, Variable: Density.This will calculate the integral of density (the total mass) in Volume1.


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Mesh Calculator

The mesh calculator offers a variety of tools to check the quality of yourmesh. The results of each calculation are printed to the output window.Each calculated variable is also added to the list of available variables,which allows you to use them as a basis for creating new plots. It isimportant to note that these variables are evaluated on nodes ratherthan elements, based on the criteria described below.

Maximum Face Angle

This is the greatest face angle for all faces that touch the node. Foreach face, the angle between the two edges of the face that touch thenode is calculated. The largest angle from all faces is returned. Themaximum face angle can be considered to be a measure of skewness.

Minimum Face Angle

This is the smallest face angle for all faces that touch the node.

• Mesh Calculator (p. 138 in CFX-Post)• Tools Menu (p. 113 in CFX-Post)• MESH CALCULATOR (p. 294 in CFX-Post)

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The output window contains the results of thespecified calculation.

If the calculated variable does not already exist, it willbe created. This will allow you to create plots of thecalculated variable.

Select a function to calculate. Options available are:

Maximum Face Angle (p. 138 in CFX-Post)Minimum Face Angle (p. 138 in CFX-Post)Edge Length Ratio (p. 139 in CFX-Post)Connectivity Number (p. 139 in CFX-Post)Element Volume Ratio (p. 139 in CFX-Post)Mesh Statistics (p. 139 in CFX-Post)

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Edge Length Ratio

This is a ratio of the longest edge of a face divided by the shortest edgeof the face. For each face,

is calculated for the two edges of the face that touch the node. Thelargest ratio is returned.

Connectivity Number

Connectivity number is the number of elements that touch a node.

Element Volume Ratio

Element Volume Ratio is defined as the ratio of the maximum volumeof an element that touches a node, to the minimum volume of anelement that touches a node. The value returned can be used as ameasure of the local expansion factor.

Mesh Statistics

The Mesh Statistics option will return the number of nodes andelements in your volume mesh. It will also list the number of elementsof each element type. As an example, the mesh for the following outputcontained two domains, one using hexahedral elements and the othercontaining tetrahedral elements. The domains were connected using aGGI interface:

Number of Nodes: 71680

Number of Elements: 139862

Tetrahedra: 75265

Wedges: 31395

Pyramids: 0

Hexahedra: 33202

max l1 l2,( )min l1 l2,( )---------------------------

CFX-5.5.1 Mesh Calculator Page 139

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Mesh Visualisation Advice

The following table gives some guidelines for checking mesh quality. Ifthere are elements which have mesh quality parameters greater or lessthan those listed, you may find problems with using the mesh in theCFX-5 Solver

Element Type Elements may be a problem ifthey have any of:

Tetrahedrons (4 nodes) Edge Length Ratio > 100Max Face Angle > 170˚Min Face Angle < 1˚Element Volume Ratio > 5Connectivity Number < 50

Pyramids (5 nodes) Edge Length Ratio > 100Max Face Angle > 170˚Min Face Angle < 1˚Element Volume Ratio > 5

Prisms (6 nodes) Edge Length Ratio > 100Max Face Angle > 170˚Min Face Angle < 1˚Element Volume Ratio > 5Connectivity Number < 12

Hexahedrons (8 nodes) Edge Length Ratio > 100Max/Min Edge Length > 100Min Face Angle < 10˚Element Volume Ratio > 5Connectivity Number < 24

Page 140 Mesh Calculator CFX-5.5.1

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Animation

In CFX-Post Keyframes are used to produce animations. Keyframesdefine the start and end points of each section of animation. Keyframesare linked together by drawing a number of intermediate frames, thenumber of which is set in the Animation Editor.

The basic approach to creating an animation sequence is to configurethe problem in a particular state and then save this state as aKeyframe.. Next, change one or more aspects of the problem state, forexample change the viewer orientation by rotating the viewer object.You can then save this state as a second Keyframe.

Animations are created by interpolating the change in state of theviewer position, linearly, between Keyframe states. By default, 10frames are created between Keyframe states, but this is easilyadjustable. If the camera position changes between keyframes, theview is interpolated between the two positions at each frame.

Every widget and button that is accessible when Animation is active willincrement by one for each of the ten frames between the two states.For example, if one key frame has 10 contour levels, and the next has20 contour levels, then the number of contour levels will increment byone for each of the ten frames between the two states. Objects that arebinary in state are toggled at the end of the Keyframe sequence (forexample visibility of an object).

Note: If you have 2 keyframes with 10 frames between them, there are a total of11 steps between keyframes.

CFX-5.5.1 Animation Page 141

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Animation Editor

The basic steps to creating an animation are as follows:

• Animation Editor (p. 142 in CFX-Post)• Animation Editor: Options panel (p. 146 in CFX-Post)• Animation Editor: Control buttons (p. 145 in CFX-Post)• Animation (p. 141 in CFX-Post)• ANIMATION (p. 278 in CFX-Post)

☞ More Help:

Select Loop or Bounce as the Looping type. Bounce playsbackwards and forwards, Loop plays only forwards

Select how many cycles the loop will contain or chooseInfinite for continuous looping

Select Animate Camera if you want the camera tomove with the animation.

Check to create an MPEG file while playing theanimation. Browse to a directory using the MPEG Filebox to specify the location of the saved file

Choose a frame increment. (e.g a frame increment of 2will play every second frame).

Create a new Keyframe

Delete the selected Keyframe

Set current state to the selected Keyframe

Change the order of Keyframes to be played byhighlighting one and moving it up or down.

Edit a Keyframe

When a keyframe is selected, changing this value andclicking on the Set Keyframe option will change thenumber of frames between the selected Keyframe andthe next.

Opens theoptions panel.

Load or Save a previouslycreated animation. AllKeyframes and settings canbe saved as a .can file andreloaded when needed.

The Control buttons located at the top of the panel aredescribed in Animation Editor: Control buttons(p. 145 in CFX-Post)

Page 142 Animation CFX-5.5.1

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• Once you have manipulated the GUI into a chosen start position,click on the icon to set the current state as Keyframe 1 . TheKeyframe becomes visible in the Keyframe Creation and Editingwindow.

• Change the viewer and/or object parameters to obtain the secondrequired state and click the icon to create Keyframe 2.

• When you click on a Keyframe to highlight it, the other options to theright of the keyframe list become active.

• To display the highlighted Keyframe in the viewer, click on the EditKeyframe icon or double-click on the keyframe itself. To applychanges in the viewer to the highlighted Keyframe, click on the SetKeyframe button. If more than 2 Keyframes exist and you wishto change their order, you can move a Keyframe up and down byclicking on the green arrows. To delete a Keyframe, click on theicon.

• Clicking on any Keyframe except the final one will allow you to setthe number of intermediate interpolated frames in the # of Framesbox.

• After a second Keyframe has been created, the top of the panelbecomes available to set further options.

• The Looping option allows you to specify whether you want theanimation to play in one direction during each Cycle or play forwardsand backwards. For example, selecting 3 Cycles on the Loopsetting will play the animation 3 times, jumping from the lastKeyframe back to the first at the end of the first two cycles. SelectingBounce for the same number of Cycles will cause the animation toplay forwards, then backwards before playing forwards once more.

• The Animate Camera feature toggles whether the camera positionis moved (interpolated) with the animation. If it is switched off andKeyframes have different camera positions, everything else will beanimated except for the camera.


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When Save Animation Movie is toggled and a file specified in theMPEG file box, the animation is saved to an MPEG file the next timethat the Play button is pressed. To select a file, click on the icon andbrowse to a convenient location. Click Save to set the filename.

• The Frame Incr. box sets how many frames to increment when theanimation is played. Setting the value to 2 would cause everysecond frame to be played.

You can load or save your animation state as a .can (CFX Animation)file. It saves the current status of all of the animation settings.

Enter the name of the file. You shouldsave the file as a .mpg type.

☞ More Help:• Tools Menu (p. 113 in CFX-Post)• Animation (p. 141 in CFX-Post)• Animation Editor (p. 142 in CFX-Post)

Browse to a convenient directoryfor saving the MPEG.

Enter the name of the file or select it usingthe mouse and click Load ..


Browse to a convenient directory to load thefile.


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Animation Editor: Control buttons

A general explanation of the buttons at the top of the Animation Editoris given below.

Enter the name of the file. You shouldsave the file as a .can (CFX Animation)type.


Browse to a convenient directoryto save the file.

Go to firstKeyframe

Go back oneKeyframe

Go back oneframe

Shows currentframe position. Itcan be dragged to anew position..

Showscurrent framenumber

Play inreverse

Stop Play

Go to lastKeyframe

Go forward oneKeyframe

Go forwardone frame.

Shows currentkeyframenumber


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Animation Editor: Options panel

The Animation Options panel is invoked by clicking on the Options...button at the bottom of the Animation Editor Form.

• The Timestep setting is effective only for transient simulations andcontrols the way in which frame speed is calculated. SequentialInterpolation divides all timesteps evenly over the total number offrames. Timestep interpolation interpolates relative to the transienttimestep number. TimeValue interpolation interpolates to the actualtime value of the transient timevalues.

• Timeout value is an advanced feature that allows you to set thedelay between when an action command (such as Play, moveforward one frame etc) is issued and when the command isexecuted. For example, if the delay is large enough you can cancel

Choose between Timestep InterpolationTimeValue Interpolation and SequentialInterpolation .

Select either a JPEG or PPM image format forcreation of the MPEG.

Toggles whether each frame that makes up theMPEG is kept or deleted.

Select how many frames per second will appear inthe MPEG.

The Scale Factor is the percentage size of theimages that make up the JPEG relative to thecurrent viewer size.

Toggles between a white/black background.

• Animation Editor: Options panel (p. 146 in CFX-Post)

• Animation Editor (p. 142 in CFX-Post)• CCL Objects (p. 230 in CFX-Post)• ANIMATION (p. 278 in CFX-Post)

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This toggle, when enabled, will take a screencapture of the viewer for each animation keyframe.This option should be enabled if you wish to viewface culling in an animation.


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a Stop command by issuing a Play command immediatelyafterwards. There will be no change to the executed command inthis case. This feature is most effective when incrementing forwardsor backwards as it allows you to move ahead or back many framesbefore actually loading the set frame.

• The format of the images that make up the MPEG can be chosen.The choices are .jpg files and .ppm files.

• The toggle Keep Intermediate Graphics Files allows you to selectwhether each frame image is kept after creation of the MPEG. Whenthe toggle is off, the image files are deleted. The files are stored inthe temporary directory (see Options: General (p. 32) for moredetails). They will be overwritten next time you animate. If you wishto preserve the files, they should be copied to another directory.

• The Frame Rate is the rate (in frames per second) at which theMPEG will be generated. The MPEG viewer will also dictate theplayback rate.

• The Scale Factor is the percentage size of each image in theMPEG relative to the current viewer size. Reducing the factor canreduce the file size of the MPEG.

• You may also wish to use a white background in your MPEG bychecking the White MPEG Background toggle.

• By default all image files are created using an internal (software-based) rendering engine. In some situations it is desirable to createan exact copy of the screen image, as rendered by the graphicshardware on the computer. This is possible by enabling the UseScreen Capture toggle. For very complex images, this option canbe significantly faster. It is important to note that this is a true screencapture, and on some machines and graphics cards it will beimportant to make sure that there are no other undesired windowsor screen objects overlapping the viewer window at the time that theimage file is created. These unwanted windows can, in some cases,become part of the MPEG.


CFX-PostTools Menu

Timestep Selector

For a transient results file, the Timestep Selector allows you to load theresults for different timesteps. This is important when generating key-frames for animation and allows easy study of time-dependent propertychanges.

When the Timestep Selector is opened it will display all the availabletimesteps that can be loaded. Select one of these and click Apply toload the results for that timestep.

The timestep selector will re-read and re-import the mesh if necessary.This feature allows CFX-Post to support transient rotor/statorproblems. A complete demonstration of this capability is given in Flowin an Axial Rotor/Stator Arrangement (p. 363 in CFX-5 Tutorials) .

The Time Step list displays the time stepnumber in the transient simulation. TheFull-Final timestep is the full results filefrom the last timestep calculated.

Highlight a Time Step, then click on Applyto load the results for that Time Step.

☞ More Help:• Tools Menu (p. 113 in CFX-Post)• Load Results File (p. 13 in CFX-Post)• DATA READER (p. 270 in CFX-Post)

The Time Value list shows the real timeduration corresponding to the Time Step.The units are always seconds (even ifother units were specified in the problemsetup).

The Type list displays if the results filecorresponding to that Time Step is aPartial or a Full results file.

Page 148 Timestep Selector CFX-5.5.1

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Expressions

The Expression Editor window is used to create and evaluateexpressions in CFX-Post. The expressions you create can be used todefine object properties, new variables or in place of any numeric valueused in CFX-Post (as long as the correct units are returned by theexpression). Selecting Tools>Expressions displays the ExpressionsEditor window shown below.

A list of valid CEL expressions and constants can be found in CELFunctions, Constants and System Variables (p. 174 in CFX-Post) .

Click to create a new expression. TheNew Expression window will appearwhere you should enter a unique namefor your expression.

Click on the Name or Definition button to togglethe ordering of the lists (either A-Z or Z-A).

Click to edit the highlighted expression.You can then alter the entry in theDefinition box.

Click to copy the highlighted expressionsdefinition to a new expression. The NewExpression window will appear where youshould enter a new name.

Delete the highlighted expression.

Click Apply to commit any changes orentries made in the Definition box.

You can evaluate the highlightedexpression if it does not containvariables. The results is shown in theValue box.

Enter the definition of a new expression oredit the definition of an existingexpression. See CFX ExpressionLanguage (CEL) (p. 173 in CFX-Post) fordetails on valid expression syntax.

Restore the expression definition storedin the database. Use this to undochanges before you have pressed Apply.

☞ More Help:• Expressions (p. 149 in CFX-Post)• Tools Menu (p. 113 in CFX-Post)• CFX Expression Language (CEL) (p. 173 in CFX-Post)

CFX-5.5.1 Expressions Page 149

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There are some guidelines regarding expressions that you should beaware of:

• You cannot create an expression with the same name as an object.

• You cannot create an expression with the same name as a variable.

• Within the CFX Expression Language some variables are known byshort names to save typing in the full variable name. For example,p refers to Pressure . Although it is possible to create an expressionwith the same name as an abbreviated variable, it will be ignored.For example, 2p will return the value 2*Pressure in all cases.

Expression Editor Example

In this example you will create an expression which you can use in thenext example to define a new User Variable (you cannot use a UserVariable to define an expression).

• Open the Expression Editor window using Tools>Expressions .

• Click the icon to create a new expression. When the NewExpression window appears enter the name radial and click OK.

• In the Definition box enter the expression sqrt(X^2+Y^2) . Thisexpression gives the distance of a point in the X-Y plane from theZ-axis. Click Apply to create the expression.

You will use this expression in the next example, see Variable EditorExample (p. 152) .

Further Expressions

After completing the Variable Editor example you can try modifying thisexpression. You may want to try sqrt(X^2+Z^2) to define a distancefrom the Y-axis or sqrt(X^2+Y^2+Z^2) to define a sphere. Trymoving the location of the sphere by adding values to the X, Y or Zcomponents; for example sqrt(X^2+Y^2+(Z-0.5[m])^2) movesthe sphere a distance of 0.5m in the positive Z direction. Note that youmust always provide units inside square brackets for constant valuestyped into an expression.

Page 150 Expressions CFX-5.5.1

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Variables

The Variables Editor is used to create new User Variables and modifythe existing Variables.

Editing a Variable

You can edit both Fundamental and User Variables by clicking on theEdit icon. For User Variables you can select the expression used todefine the Variable from a list of existing expressions. The expressionsavailable from this list are those which you have created in theExpressions Editor (see Expressions (p. 149) for details on creatingexpressions).

Click to create a new Variable. The New Variablewindow will appear where you should enter aunique name for your Variable.

Click to edit the highlighted Variable. See Editing aVariable (p. 151) for details.

Click to copy the highlighted Variable definition to anew Variable. The New Variable window willappear where you should enter a new name.

Delete the highlighted Variable.

Click Apply to commit anychanges or entries made inthe Definition box.

For User Variables select the Expression used todefine the Variable. See Expressions (p. 149 inCFX-Post) for details on creating expressions.

Restore the Variable settingsstored in the database. Usethis to undo changes beforeyou have pressed Apply .

☞ More Help:• Variable Editor Example (p. 152 in CFX-Post)• Variables (p. 151 in CFX-Post)• Expressions (p. 149 in CFX-Post)• Tools Menu (p. 113 in CFX-Post)• USER SCALAR VARIABLE (p. 277 in CFX-Post)

For Fundamental Variables, you can select theunits by clicking on the edit icon and choosing fromthe drop-down list.

Set all variables to Hybrid or Conservative values.

Select Hybrid or Conservative values for currentvariable. See Hybrid and Conservative VariableValues (p. 153 in CFX-Post) for more details.

CFX-5.5.1 Variables Page 151

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For Fundamental Variables you can change the units. This means, forexample, that you could create a Legend in the Static Mixer examplewhich uses alternative Temperature units (such as degrees Celsius).Simply click on the edit icon and select new units.

Note: These settings will override the global units setting (defined in the EditMenu).

The variable type used will effect all quantitative calculations and plotsin CFX-Post.

• You cannot create a variable with the same name as an expression.For example, if you have an expression named Radius , you mustchoose a different variable name for that expression.

Variable Editor Example

In this example you will use the expression created in the previousexample (see Expression Editor Example (p. 150) ) to create anIsosurface which has fixed radial distance from an axis or point.

• Open the Variables Editor window using Tools>Variables .

• Click on the icon to create a new Variable. When the NewVariable window appears type the name Radial Distance thenclick OK.

• In the Variables Editor, use the drop down menu to select theexpression radial which you create earlier. Click Apply to create thenew Variable.

This variable will now appear in the list of available variables and canbe used like any other variable. Notice that the variable Type is listedas User .

You can now create an Isosurface using this variable.

• Select Create>Isosurface , enter a name then click OK on the NewIsosurface window.

• In the Geometry tab panel for the Isosurface select the Variable tobe Radial Distance .

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• Enter a value of 1 m in the Value box. This is a suitable value forresults from Tutorial 1: Flow in a Static Mixer, you may need to alterthis value to something sensible depending on the results you areviewing.

• Click the Colour tab and set the Mode option to Variable . Select asensible variable (e.g. Temperature or Velocity) to colour yourIsosurface with.

• Set the Range option to Local so that the full colour range is usedon your Isosurface. Click Apply to create the object.

You should now see a cylindrical shaped Isosurface centred about theZ-axis. All points on the Isosurface are a distance of 1 m (or whatevervalue you used in the Value box) from the Z-axis. Some otherexpressions to try are given in Further Expressions (p. 150) .

Hybrid and Conservative Variable Values

The CFX-5 Solver calculates the solution to your CFD problem usingFinite Volume elements, which are NOT the same as mesh elements.Each node in the mesh is at the centre of a finite volume element. Fulldetails of how the Finite Volume elements are used in the solutionprocess can be found in Numerical Discretisation (p. 327 in CFX-5Solver and Solver Manager) .

The result of this is that the values of some variables on the boundarynodes (i.e. on the edges of the geometry) are not precisely equal to thespecified boundary conditions (e.g. the value of velocity on a node onthe wall will not be precisely zero).

For visualisation purposes, it can be more helpful if the nodes at theboundary do contain the specified boundary conditions. Hence hybridvalues should usually be used when displaying a plot of a variable.CFX-Post uses hybrid values (“corrected boundary node values”) bydefault for most variables. Hybrid values are obtained by taking theresults produced by the CFX-5 Solver and over-writing the results onthe boundary nodes with the specified boundary conditions. This willensure, for example, that the velocity is displayed as zero on no-slipwalls.


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However, for quantitative calculations, the original values - known asconservative values - (which do not contain exactly the specifiedboundary conditions on the boundary nodes) will give more accurateresults and should usually be used. If you wish to use these values inCFX-Post, you can select them from the Variables Editor window asdescribed above. By default, CFX-Post will use conservative valueswhen a Calculate command is issued.

The difference between hybrid and conservative values at wallboundaries is demonstrated in the figure below.

Using velocity as an example, the velocity value calculated at a meshnode is based upon the ‘average’ in the control volume surroundingthat node. For calculation purposes the entire control volume is thenassumed to possess that velocity. At a boundary node its surroundingcontrol volume includes an area in the bulk of the fluid (this area ishighlighted around the boundary node marked 1). Hence theconservative velocity calculated at the wall is not zero, but an ‘average’over the control volume. This works well for calculation purposes sincequantities such as mass flow are calculated correctly — a velocity ofzero would produce zero mass flow through the control volume whichis clearly inaccurate.

Hybrid values correct the wall node velocity to its true value of zero.These values are used to produce plots so that when you view a ploton a wall the correct value is seen.

Velocity Profile

Point Velocity

Mesh Nodes

Control Volumeboundaries

1


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Solid-Fluid Interface Variable Values

At a solid-fluid interface duplicate nodes exist. The solid-side nodeholds variable values averaged over the half on the control volume thatlies inside the solid. The fluid-side node holds variable values averagedover the half of the control volume that lies in the fluid.

Consider the example of heat transfer from a hot solid to a cool fluidwhen advection dominates within the fluid. If you create a plot acrossthe solid-fluid interface using conservative values of temperature, thenyou will see a sharp change at the interface in the temperature values.This is because values are interpolated from the interface into the bulkof the solid domain using the value for the solid-side node at theinterface. Values are interpolated from the interface into the bulk of thefluid domain using the value for the fluid-side node at the interface.This results in a temperature discontinuity at the interface.

When creating plots using hybrid variable values (the default inCFX-Post), the interface is single valued and takes the solid-sidevalue. You can therefore expect to see the same plot within the solid,but the temperature profile between the interface and the first node inthe fluid will be interpolated between the solid-side interface value andthe first fluid node value. In this case a discontinuity does not existsince all nodes are single valued.

Conservative values should still be used for all quantitativecalculations.

Boundary Value Only Variables

Some variables in the CFX-5 Results File only take meaningful valueson the boundaries of the geometry. The four examples of this sort ofvariable are Yplus, Wall Shear, Heat Transfer Coefficient and WallHeat Flux - see The CFX-5 Output File (p. 106 in CFX-5 Solver andSolver Manager) for more details about how these variables aredefined.

You will usually only obtain sensible plots when using these variablesif they are used to colour a boundary object. If, for example, you try tocolour a Slice Plane through the centre of the geometry with of one ofthese variables, you will see a large area of colour which ismeaningless. Only at the very edges of the geometry will there beuseful colouration.


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For boundary value only variables, only hybrid values exist since theyare undefined away from a boundary.

Note on Hybrid Values for Other Post-processors

If you are using the CFX-5 Export Utility to export your results for usein another post-processor, by default the boundary-node correctedvalues are used, if you are using the CFX-5 Solver Manager. You canchoose to export the original, uncorrected values by toggling UseSurface Data on Boundary Nodes OFF on the CFX-5 SolverManager Export form. If you are running CFX-5 Export from thecommand line, then the default is to use the uncorrected values unlessyou specify the command line option -c . See Running CFX-5 Exportfrom the CFX-5 Solver Manager (p. 141 in CFX-5 Solver and SolverManager) and Running CFX-5 Export from the Command line(p. 150 in CFX-5 Solver and Solver Manager) for more details.


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Command Editor

The Command Editor can be used to change or create any of thegraphic objects using the CFX Command Language. In addition,Power Syntax (see Power Syntax (p. 209 in CFX-Post) ) and any validCCL command (see CFX Command Language (p. 163 in CFX-Post) )can be entered and processed in the Command Editor window. TheCommand Editor can be brought up by selecting it directly from theTools menu or by right-clicking on an object in the Object Selectorwindow and selecting Edit in Command Editor . When you open theCommand Editor by the right-click method, the CCL definition of thatobject is automatically displayed and can be edited to alter the objectproperties.

Please see CCL Objects (p. 230 in CFX-Post) for more details.

• Command Actions (p. 185 in CFX-Post)• CFX Command Language (p. 163 in CFX-Post)• Power Syntax (p. 209 in CFX-Post)• CCL Objects (p. 230 in CFX-Post)• Tools Menu (p. 113 in CFX-Post)

☞ More Help:

Click in the editor window to entercommands. See CFX CommandLanguage (p. 163 in CFX-Post) for details.Action commands should be preceded bythe “>” symbol, see Command Actions(p. 185 in CFX-Post) for details. PowerSyntax commands should be proceeded bythe “!” symbol, see Power Syntax (p. 209in CFX-Post) for more information.

Click here to process a command

Clear all text from the window by clickinghere

CFX-5.5.1 Command Editor Page 157

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Macro Calculator

The Macro Calculator is a demonstration feature for this release ofCFX-Post. It provides a sample of the some of the results that can beachieved by using the quantitative post-processing ability of CFX-Postembedded into Power Syntax sub-routines (see Power Syntax (p. 209in CFX-Post) for details on Power Syntax). The macros are providedas CFX-Post Session files containing a subroutine. The optionsavailable from the Macro Calculator simply define the arguments withwhich the subroutine is called. You can view the macro definitions in atext editor, they are located in <CFXROOT>/cfxpost/<release>/etc/ and have a .cse file extension.

For the current release of CFX-Post, two pre-defined Macro Functionshave been provided, the Compressor Performance and the Cp Polarmacro (we expect additional macros to be provided in future releases).Details about these macros are provided on the following pages.

You can execute a macro by clicking the Calculate button. AnyObjects, User Variables and Expression defined in the macro will becreated. A report is also generated by the Macro Function using PowerSyntax and can be viewed by clicking on View Report . The ReportViewer window will display the results; this window must be closed byclicking OK before you can continue using CFX-Post.

Select a Macro Function from:

• Compressor Performance (p. 159)• Cp Polar (p. 161)

Click to open the Report Viewer. Thisdisplays results and charts of thecalculations performed.

The options which must be set vary for eachfunction. Follow the above links forinformation on setting the options for eachfunction.

Click to perform the calculationsdefined in the macro.

☞ More Help:• Compressor Performance (p. 159 in CFX-Post)• Cp Polar (p. 161 in CFX-Post)

Page 158 Macro Calculator CFX-5.5.1

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Compressor Performance

The Compressor Performance macro performs a series of calculationsusing the data set in the Macro Calculator. The following informationmust be specified:

• Inlet Region: the locator used to calculate inlet quantities.

• Outlet Region: the locator used to calculate outlet quantities.

• Blade Region: the locator used to calculate Torque (one blade)about the Machine Axis.

• Machine Axis: the axis or rotation of the compressor.

• Rot. Speed: the rotational speed of the compressor.

• Tip Radius: the distance of the tip from the axis of rotation. This isused to calculate the tip velocity.

• Num. Blades: some quantities calculated for a single blade aremultiplied by the number of blades to produce total (all blade)values.

• Fluid Gamma: the ratio of Specific Heat Capacity at ConstantPressure to Specific Heat Capacity at Constant Volume (Cp / Cv).

The following Average Quantities are calculated at the inlet and theoutlet (the definitions show the inlet as the location used). The ratio ofOutlet / Inlet is also provided in the report.

Average Quantity Definition

Temperature massFlowAve(Temperature)@inlet

Total Temperature massFlowAve(Total Temperature in StnFrame)@inlet

Pressure massFlowAve(Pressure)@inlet

Total Pressure massFlowAve(Total Pressure in StnFame)@inlet

Enthalpy massFlowAve(Static Enthalpy)@inlet

Total Enthalpy massFlowAve(Total Enthalpy in StnFrame)@inlet

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The following specific values are calculated and written to the report.

Value Definition

Torque (one blade) torque_<Machine Axis>()@BladeRegion

Torque (all blades) Torque (one blade) * Num.Blades

Power (all blades) Torque (all blades) * Rot.Speed

Dimensionless massflow (theta)

massFlow()@inlet * Num.Blades * sqrt(R *tTotalIn / gamma) / (pTotalIn * pi *rTip^2)where tTotalIn is the Total Temperature at the inlet,pTotalIn is the Total Pressure at the inlet and rTip isthe Tip Radius.

Dimensionlessimpeller tip speed(mu)

vTip/sqrt(gamma*R*tTotalIn)where tTotalIn is the Total Temperature at the inlet.

Flow Coefficient (phi) theta/mu

Head Coefficient(psis)

2/((gamma-1)*mu^2)*((pTotalOut/pTotalIn)^((gamma-1)/gamma)-1)where pTotalOut and pTotalIn are the TotalPressure at outlet and inlet defined as above.

Total pressure loss#1

(pTotalIn-pTotalOut)/(pTotalIn)


(pTotalIn-pTotalOut)/(pTotalOut)


(pTotalIn-pTotalOut)/(pTotalIn-pIn)


(pTotalIn-pTotalOut)/(pTotalOut-pOut)

Static Enthalpy Loss(zeta)

(HOut-HSOut)/vTip^2where HOut is the Static Enthalpy at outlet, HSOut isthe Isentropic enthalpy at the outlet and vTip is the tipvelocity.

Total Enthalpy Loss(delta Q)

(HTOut-HTSOut)/vTip^2where HTOut is the Total Enthalpy at the outlet andHTSOut is the Isentropic total enthalpy and the outlet.

Total-to-total isen.efficiency

(1-(pTotalOut/pTotalIn)^((gamma-1)/gamma))/(1-tTotalOut/tTotalIn)

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Cp Polar

The Cp Polar macro produces a Polar Plot of the pressure coefficient(Cp) along a Polyline. The macro creates the Polyline using theBoundary Intersection method (see Boundary Intersection Method(p. 60 in CFX-Post) ). The boundary and intersecting Slice Plane aredefined in the Macro Calculator and passed to the subroutine asarguments. The boundaries selected as the Boundary List in theMacro Calculator make up one surface for the intersection. The secondsurface is a Slice Plane created using the X, Y or Z normal axis to theplane (Slice Normal ) and a point on that axis (Slice Position ).

The User Variable called cp is created by the macro from anexpression also called cp . The cp expression is defined in the macroas:

cp = (Pressure - $pref [Pa])/dynHead

where $pref is the Ref. Pressure set in the Macro Calculator anddynHead a reference dynamic head (evaluated at the inlet) defined as:

dynHead = 0.5 * areaAve(Density)@inlet *areaAve(Velocity)@inlet^2

The Inlet Region selected in the Macro Calculator is used as theinlet location in the calculation of dynHead .

Next, a Chart Line of the User Variable cp versus the axis selected asthe Plot X Axis is created and then plotted in a Chart. The report whichis generated contains the Chart and the settings from the MacroCalculator.

Total-to-static isen.efficiency

(1-(pOut/pTotalIn)^((gamma-1)/gamma))/(1-tTotalOut/tTotalIn)

Total-to-total poly.efficiency

((gamma-1)/gamma)*log10(pTotalOut/pTotalIn)/log10(tTotalOut/tTotalIn)

Total-to-static ploy.efficiency

((gamma-1)/gamma)*log10(pOut/pTotalIn)/log10(tTotalOut/tTotalIn)

Value Definition

CFX-5.5.1 Macro Calculator Page 161

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Arrange

Arrange is a command that will organise windows conveniently. Theviewer will move to the left and all other panels will move to the right.The width of the panels depends on the size of text chosen in theOptions panel of the Edit menu (please see Options p. 27 for moredetails). The viewer width will fill the rest of the available width.

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CFX-Post

CFX Command Language

• Overview of the CFX Command Language (CCL) p. 164

• CCL Syntax (p. 165)

• Object Creation and Deletion (p. 172)

• CFX Expression Language (CEL) (p. 173)

CFX-5.5.1 Page 163

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Overview of the CFX Command Language (CCL)

The CFX Command Language (CCL) is the internal communicationand command language of CFX-Post. It is a simple language that canbe used to create objects or perform actions in the Post-processor. AllCCL statements can be classified into one of three categories:

1. Object and parameter definitions.

2. Actions.

3. Power Syntax.

Object and parameter definitions are discussed in Object Creationand Deletion (p. 172 in CFX-Post) . A list of all objects and parametersthat can be used in CFX-Post can be found in CCL Details (p. 229 inCFX-Post) .

CCL actions are commands which perform a specific task (e.g. readinga Session file). These commands are discussed in Command Actions(p. 185 in CFX-Post) .

CCL supports programming through Power Syntax. This utilises thePerl programming language to allow loops, logic and custom macros(subroutines). Power Syntax allows Perl commands to be embeddedinto CCL to achieve powerful quantitative Post-processing. Details canbe found in Power Syntax (p. 209 in CFX-Post) .

State and Session files contain object definitions using CCL. In additionSession files can contain CCL action commands. The CCL written tothese files can be viewed and modified in a text editor. You can alsouse a text editor to create your own Session and State files to read intoCFX-Post using CCL.

Advanced users can interact with CFX-Post directly through CCL byentering it in the Command Editor window (see Command Editor(p. 157 in CFX-Post) ) or by running CFX-Post in Line Interface mode(see Line Interface Mode (p. 221 in CFX-Post) for details).

Details of the CCL syntax are discussed on the following pages.

Page 164 Overview of the CFX Command Language (CCL) CFX-5.5.1

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CCL Syntax

Basic Terminology

The following is an example of a CCL object to define an isosurface.

ISOSURFACE: Iso1Variable = PressureValue = 15000 [Pa]Colour = 1,0,0Transparency = 0.5

END

• ISOSURFACE is an object type

• Iso1 is an object name

• “Variable = Pressure ” is a parameter

• Variable is a parameter name

• Pressure is a parameter value

• If the object type ISOSURFACEdoes not need a name it is called asingleton object. Only one object of a given singleton type can exist.

The Data Hierarchy

Data is entered via parameters, these are grouped into objects whichare stored in a tree structure.

OBJECT1: object namename1 = valuename2 = value

END

Objects and parameters may be placed in any order, provided that theinformation is set prior to being used further down the file. If data is setin one place and modified in another the latter definition overrides thefirst.

In CFX-Post, all object definitions are only one object level deep (i.e.Objects contain parameters, but not other objects).

CFX-5.5.1 CCL Syntax Page 165

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Simple Syntax DetailsThe following applies to any line that is not a Power Syntax or Actionline, i.e. does not start with a “!” or “>”.

Case Sensitivity

Everything in the file is sensitive to case.

Case sensitivity is not ideal for users typing in many long parameternames, but it is essential for bringing the CFX Expression Language(CEL) into CCL. This is because some names used to define CCLobjects (such as Fluids, Materials and Additional Variables) are usedto construct corresponding CEL names. Case sensitive CEL nameshave been in use since CFX-5.2 (e.g. t = time and T = temperature).

For simplicity and consistency, we recommend the followingconvention is used in the standard code and its documentation:

• singletons and object types use upper case only

• parameter names , and pre-defined object names , are mixed case.We try to follow the following conventions: (1) Major words start withan upper case letter, while minor words such as prepositions andconjunctions are left in lower case, e.g “Mass Flow in” (2) case ispreserved for familiar names, e.g. for variables “k” or “r”, or forabbreviation “RNG”.

• user object names conventions are left to the user to choose.

CCL Names Definition

Names of singletons, types of object, names of objects, and names ofparameters all follow the same rules:

• In simple syntax, a CCL name must be at least one character. Thisfirst character must be alphabetic; there may be any number ofsubsequent characters and these can be alphabetic, numeric,space or tab.

• The effect of spaces in CCL names is:

• Spaces appearing before or after a name are not consideredto be part of the name.

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• Single spaces appearing inside a name are significant.• Multiple spaces and tabs appearing inside a name are treated

as a single space.

Indentation

Nothing in the file is sensitive to indentation. The indentation will beused, however, when displaying contents of the file for easier reading.

End of line comment character

The “#” character is used for this. Any text to the right of this characterwill be treated as comments. Any characters may be used withincomments.

Continuation character

If a line ends with the character “\” the following line will be linked to theexisting line. There is no restriction on the number of continuation lines.

Named Objects

A named object consists of an object type at the start of a line, followedby a “:” followed by an object name. Subsequent lines may defineparameters and child objects associated with this object. The objectdefinition is terminated by the string “END” on a line by itself.

Object names must be unique within the given scope, and the namemust not contain an underscore.

Singleton Objects

A singleton object consists of an object type at the start of a line,followed by a “:”. Subsequent lines may define parameters and childobjects associated with this object. The object definition is terminatedby the string “END” on a line by itself.

The difference between a singleton object and a named object is that(after the data has been processed), a singleton can appear just onceas the child of a parent object, whereas there may be several instancesof a named object of the same type defined with different names.


CFX-PostAdvanced

Parameters

A parameter consists of a parameter name at the start of a line followedby an “=” character followed by a parameter value. A Parameter maybelong to many different object types. For example U Velocity =1.0 [m/s] may belong to an initial value object and U Velocity =2.0 [m/s] may belong to a boundary condition object. Both refer tothe same definition of U velocity in the rules file.

Lists

Lists are used within the context of parameter values and are commaseparated.

Parameter values

All parameter values are initially handled as data of type String, andshould first of all conform to the following definition of allowed Stringvalues:

String

• Any characters can be used in a parameter value.

• String values or other parameter type values are normally unquoted.If any quotes are present, they are considered part of the value.Leading and trailing spaces are ignored. Internal spaces inparameter values are preserved as given, although a givenapplication is free to subsequently assume a space condensationrule when using the data.

• The characters '$' and '#' have a special meaning. A stringbeginning with '$' is evaluated as a Power Syntax variable, even if itoccurs within a simple syntax statement. This is useful forperforming more complex Power Syntax variable manipulation, andthen using the result as part of a parameter or object definition. Theappearance of '#' anywhere in the CCL file denotes the start of acomment.

• The characters such as ’[’ ’]’ ’{’ ’}’ are special only if used inconjunction with ’$’. Following a ’$’, such characters will terminatethe preceding Perl variable name.


CFX-PostAdvanced

• Other characters that might be special elsewhere in power syntaxare escaped automatically when they appear in parameter values.For example, ’@’ ’%’ and ’&’ are escaped automatically.

• Parameter values can contain commas, but if the string isprocessed as a List or part of a List then the commas may beinterpreted as separators (see below under List data types).

Some examples of valid parameter values using special characters inpower syntax are:

Estimated cost = \$500Title = Run\#1Sys Command = "echo ’Starting up Stress solver’ ; fred.exe &"Pressure = $myArray[4]Option = $myHash{"foo"}Fuel = C${numberCatoms}H${numberHatoms}

Parameter values for data types other than String, will additionallyconform to one of the following definitions.

String List

A list of string items separated by commas. Items in a String List shouldNOT contain a comma unless contained between parentheses. Oneexception can be made if the String List to be is interpreted as a RealList (see below). Otherwise each item in the String List follows thesame rules as String data.

Integer

Sequence of digits containing no spaces or commas. If a real isspecified when an integer is needed the real is rounded to the nearestinteger.

Integer List

List of integers, comma separated.

Example: names = one, two, three, four


CFX-PostAdvanced

Real

A single precision real number which may be specified in integer,floating point or scientific format, followed optionally by a dimension.Units use the same syntax as CEL.

Expressions are allowed to include commas inside function callargument lists. Example usage:

a = 12.24a = 1.224E01a = 12.24 [m s^-1]

A real may also be specified as an expression such asa = myvel^2 + ba = max(b,2.0)

Real List

List of reals, comma separated. Note that all items in the list must havethe same dimensions. Those items which are expressions, are allowedto include commas inside function call argument lists, and the enclosedcommas will be ignored when the list is parsed into individual items.Example usage:

a = 1.0 [m/s], 2.0 [m/s], 3.0 [m/s], 2.0*myvel, 4.0 [cm/s]

The list syntax 5*2.0 used in CFX-Build to represent 5 entries of thevalue 2.0 is not supported within CCL and hence within CFX-Post. InCFX-Build the data is expanded prior to being written to the CCL file.

Logical

Several forms are acceptable: YES or TRUE or 1 or ON are allequivalent; NO or FALSE or 0 or OFF are all equivalent; initial lettervariants Y, T, N, F are accepted (O is not accepted (for On/Off); all casevariants are accepted. The preferred form, recommended for GUIoutput files and for user documentation is, Yes/No. Logical strings arealso case insensitive (YeS, nO)

Logical List

List of Logicals, comma separated.


CFX-PostAdvanced

Escape character

The “\” character to be used as an escape character, for example toallow ’$’ or ’#’ to be used in strings.


CFX-PostAdvanced

Object Creation and Deletion

You can create objects in CFX-Post by entering the CCL definition ofthe object into the Command Editor window, or by reading the objectdefinition from a Session or State file. The object will be created andany associated graphics shown in the viewer. For a list of valid CCLobjects see CCL Details (p. 229 in CFX-Post) .

You can modify an existing object by entering the object definition withthe modified parameter settings into the Command Editor window.Only those parameters which are to be changed need to be entered.All other parameters will remain unchanged.

There may be a significant degree of interaction between objects inCFX-Post. For example, a vector plot may depend on the location of anunderlying plane, or an isosurface may depend on the definition of aCEL expression. If changes to one object affect other objects, the otherobjects will be updated automatically.

To delete an object, type >delete <ObjectName> . If you delete anobject that is used by other objects, warnings will result, but the objectwill still be deleted.

Page 172 Object Creation and Deletion CFX-5.5.1

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CFX Expression Language (CEL)

The CFX Expression Language (CEL) is integrated into CFX-Post. Youcan use an expression defined with CEL in place of any number inCFX-Post. Within the post-processor you can:

• Create new expressions.

• Set any numeric parameter in a CFX-Post object based on anexpression (and the object will update if the expression resultchanges).

• Create user-defined variables from expressions.

• Directly use the post-processor quantitative functions in anexpression.

• Specify units as part of an expression.

You cannot (yet):

• Automatically read CEL expressions from pre-processing set-up inthe results file.

All expressions in the post-processor are defined in theEXPRESSIONS singleton object. Each expression is a simplename = expression statement within that object. New expressionsare added by defining new parameters within the expressions object(the EXPRESSIONS object is special, in that it does not have a pre-defined list of valid parameters).

Important: Since Power Syntax uses Perl mathematical operators,you should exercise caution when combining CEL with Power Syntaxexpressions. For example, in CEL, is represented as 2^2 , but inPerl, would be written 2**2 . If you are unsure about the validity of anoperator in Perl, please consult a Perl reference guide.

22

CFX-5.5.1 CFX Expression Language (CEL) Page 173

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CEL Functions, Constants and System Variables

Quantitative Functions in CEL

The quantitative functions available from the Function Calculator in theCFX-Post GUI are integrated into CEL and can be used in anyexpression. The general syntax used for these functions in CEL is:

[<Fluid>.]<function>[_<Axis>[_<Coord Frame>]]([<Expression>])@<Location>

where terms in [ ] can be optional depending on the function used andterms in < > should be replaced with the required entry. Someexamples are given below.

area()@inletarea_x()@inletareaAve(Pressure - 10000 [Pa])@outletWater at RTP.force_z()@Default

• [<Fluid>.] is always an optional argument which will default to allfluids in the domain if not specified. For multiphase results it can beset to any single fluid in the domain by entering the fluid namefollowed by a period before the function definition. See the tablebelow for a list of functions that accept this option.

• <function> specifies the quantitative function to evaluate. See thetable below for a list of functions.

• [_<Axis>_[<Coord Frame>]] can be an optional or a requiredargument depending on the function evaluated.[_<Axis>_[<Coord Frame>]] can be replaced with _x, _y or _z(lower case only) to specify the default X, Y and Z axis and shouldfollow the function name. You can use an axis from a differentcoordinate frame by following the axis specification with the name ofthe Coordinate Frame, e.g. _x_CoordFrame1 .

• ([<Expression>]) is a required argument for some functions andshould be left blank as in the above area example (i.e. ())for otherfunction (see the table below for a list). Any valid expression orvariable can be used. You can also use a variable as part of anexpression as shown in the above areaAve example.

• @<Location> is required for all quantitative functions.

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Consistent units must be maintained when adding, subtracting orcomparing values.

The following table contains the quantitative function available for usewith CEL. The operation performed by the function and the argumentsaccepted are also shown. A detailed description of the calculationperformed by each function is not provided here, see FunctionSelection (p. 128) for this information.

Function Name Operation RequiredArguments

OptionalArguments

area (p. 176) Area projected to axis (noaxis specification returnstotal area)

@<Location> _<Axis>

areaAve (p. 176) Area-weighted average <Expression>@<Location>

_<Axis>

areaInt (p. 177) Area-weighted integral <Expression><Location>

_<Axis>

ave (p. 177) Arithmetic average <Expression>@<Location>

count (p. 177) Number of calculation points @<Location>

force (p. 177) Force on a surface in thespecified direction

_<Axis>@<Location>

<Fluid>.

forceNorm (p. 178) Length normalised force ona curve in the specifieddirection

_<Axis>@<Location>

<Fluid>.

length (p. 178) Length of a curve @<Location>

lengthAve (p. 178) Length-weighted average <Expression>@<Location>

lengthInt (p. 179) Length-weighted integration <Expression>@<Location>

massFlow (p. 179) Total mass flow @<Location> <Fluid>.

massFlowAve (p. 179) Mass-weighted average <Expression>@<Location>

<Fluid>.

massFlowInt (p. 179) Mass-weighted integral <Expression>@<Location>

<Fluid>.

maxVal (p. 179) Maximum Value <Expression>@<Location>


CFX-PostAdvanced

areaarea[_<Axis>]()@<Location>

An error is raised if the location specified is not a 2-D Object. If an axisis not specified the total area of the location is calculated. See area(p. 129) for a function description.

areaAveareaAve[_<Axis>](<Expression>)@<Location>

An error is raised if the location specified is not a 2-D Object. SeeareaAve (p. 130) for a function description.

minVal (p. 179) Minimum Value <Expression>@<Location>

probe (p. 180) Value at a point <Expression>@<Location>

sum (p. 180) Sum over the calculationpoints

<Expression>@<Location>

torque (p. 180) Torque on a surface aboutthe specified axis

_<Axis>@<Location>

<Fluid>.

volume (p. 180) Volume of a 3-D location @<Location>

volumeAve (p. 180) Volume-weighted average <Expression>@<Location>

volumeInt (p. 180) Volume-weighted integral <Expression>@<Location>

Example: area()@Isosurface1 calculates the total area of thelocation Isosurface1 .

Example: area_y()@Isosurface1 calculates the projected areaof Isosurface1 onto a plane normal to the Y-axis.

Example: (Pressure - 1[bar])/(0.5*Density*(areaAve(Velocity)@inlet)^2)calculates the Pressure coefficient Cp. You can create an expressionusing this, and then create a User Variable using the expression. TheUser Variable can then be plotted on objects like any other variable.

Function Name Operation RequiredArguments

OptionalArguments


CFX-PostAdvanced

areaIntareaInt[_<Axis>](<Expression>)@<Location>

An error is raised if the location specified is not a 2-D Object. Axis isoptional and if not specified the integration is performed over the totalface area. If axis is specified, then the integration is performed over theprojected face area. See areaInt (p. 130) for a function description.

aveave(<Expression>)@<Location>

The ave function can be used on Point, 1-D, 2-D and 3-D locations.See ave (p. 131) for a function description.

countcount()@<Location>

The count function is valid for point, 1-D, 2-D and 3-D locations. Seecount (p. 132) for a function description.

force[<Fluid>.]force_<Axis>()@<Location>

Example: areaInt_y_Frame2(Pressure)@boundary1calculates the pressure force acting in the y-direction of thecoordinate frame Frame2 on the locator boundary1 . This differsfrom a calculation using the force function which calculates the totalforce on a wall boundary (i.e. viscous forces on the boundary areincluded).

Example: ave(Yplus)@Default calculates the mean Yplusvalues from each node on the default walls.

Example: count()@Polyline1 returns the number of points onthe specified Polyline locator.


CFX-PostAdvanced

Force calculations on boundaries require additional momentum flowdata. This can be include in the Results file by adding the ExpertControl Parameter output eq flows and setting its value to T. Seeforce (p. 132) for a function description.

forceNorm[<Fluid>.]forceNorm_<Axis>()@<Location>

Returns the per unit width force on the specified line in the direction ofthe specified axis. An error will be raised if the location specified is notone-dimensional. See forceNorm (p. 133) for a function description.

lengthlength()@<Location>

A 1-D location should be specified (specifying a 2-D location will notproduce an error, the sum of the edge lengths from the elements in thelocator will be returned). Note that when using this function in PowerSyntax the leading character should be capitalised to avoid confusionwith the Perl internal command “length”. See length (p. 133 in CFX-Post) for a function description.

lengthAvelengthAve(<Expression>)@<Location>

A 1-D or 2-D location must be specified. See lengthAve (p. 134) fora function description.

Example: Water at RTP.force_x()@wall1 returns the totalforce in the x-direction acting on wall1 due to the fluid Water at RTP.

Example: forceNorm_y()@Polyline1 calculates the per unitwidth force in the y-direction on the selected Polyline.

Example: length()@Polyline1 returns the length of thePolyline.

Example: lengthAve(T)@Polyline1 calculates the averageTemperature on Polyline1 weighted by the distance betweeneach point (T is the System Variable for Temperature).


CFX-PostAdvanced

lengthIntlengthInt(<Expression>)@<Location>

A 1-D location must be specified. See lengthInt (p. 134) for afunction description.

massFlow[<Fluid>.]massFlow()@<Location>

Computes the mass flow through the specified 2-D location. SeemassFlow (p. 134) for a function description.

massFlowAve[<Fluid>.]massFlowAve(<Expression>)@<Location>

An error is raised if the location specified is not 2-D. SeemassFlowAve (p. 134) for a function description.

massFlowInt[<Fluid>.]massFlowInt(<Expression>)@<Location>

An error is raised if the location specified is not 2-D. SeemassFlowInt (p. 135) for a function description.

maxValmaxVal(<Expression>)@<Location>

Point, and one, two and three-dimensional locators can be specified.See maxVal (p. 135) for a function description.

minValminVal(<Expression>)@<Location>

Point, and one, two and three-dimensional locators can be specified.See minVal (p. 135) for a function description.

Example: Air at STP.massFlow()@DegassingOutletcalculates the mass flow of Air at STP through the selected location.

Example: massFlowAve(Density)@Plane1 calculates theaverage Density on Plane1 weighted by the mass flow at each pointon the location.


CFX-PostAdvanced

probeprobe(<Expression>)@<Location>

Valid only for Point locators, this will return the value of a variable at agiven location. See probe (p. 135) for a function description.

sumsum(<Expression>)@<Location>

One, two and three-dimensional locators can be specified. See sum(p. 136) for a function description.

torque[<Fluid>.]torque_<Axis>()@<Location>

An error is raised if the location specified is not 2-D.See torque(p. 136) for a function description.

volumevolume()@<Location>

An error is raised if the location specified is not a 3-D Object. Seevolume (p. 136) for a function description.

volumeAvevolumeAve(<Expression>)@<Location>

An error is raised if the location specified is not a 3-D Object. Anyvariable or valid expression (see CEL Functions, Constants andSystem Variables (p. 173 in CFX-Post) ) can be used as the<Expression> argument. See volumeAve (p. 137) for a functiondescription.

volumeIntvolumeInt(<Expression>)@<Location>

A 3-D Object must be selected as the location. See volumeInt(p. 137) for a function description.

Example: volumeInt(Density)@StaticMixer calculates thetotal fluid mass in the domain StaticMixer.


CFX-PostAdvanced

CEL Standard Functions

The following is a list of standard functions that are available inCFX-Post. In the table below:

Note: [ ] denotes a dimensionless quantity. [a] denotes any dimensions of firstoperand.

CEL Constants

The following predefined constants can be used within CELexpressions.

Result Function Operands

[ ] sin ([radian])

[ ] cos ([radian])

[ ] tan ([radian])

[radian] asin ([ ])

[radian] acos ([ ])

[radian] atan ([ ])

[radian] atan2 ([ ],[ ]))

[ ] exp ([ ])

[ ] loge ([ ])

[ ] log10 ([ ])

[a] abs ([a])

[a^0.5] sqrt ([a])

[ ] step ([ ])

[a] min ([a],[a])

[a] max ([a],[a])

Constant Units Description

e <none> Constant : 2.7182817

g m^2 s^-2 Accn. due to gravity : 9.806

pi <none> Constant : 3.1415927


CFX-PostAdvanced

CEL System Variables

The following System Variables are available for use with CEL whendefining expressions:

R m^2 s^-2 K^-1 Universal Gas Constant : 8314.5

Name Meaning

x Direction 1 in Reference Coordinate Frame

y Direction 2 in Reference Coordinate Frame

z Direction 3 in Reference Coordinate Frame

rRadial spatial location,

theta Angle, arctan(y/x)

t Time

u Velocity in the x coordinate direction

v Velocity in the y coordinate direction

w Velocity in the z coordinate direction

p (absolute) Pressure

vf Volume Fraction

ke Turbulent kinetic energy

ed Turbulent eddy dissipation

eddy viscosity Eddy Viscosity

T Temperature

sstrnr Shear strain rate

density Density

viscosity Dynamic Viscosity

Cp Specific Heat Capacity at Constant Pressure

cond Thermal Conductivity

enthalpy Specific Enthalpy

Constant Units Description

r x2

y2

+=


CFX-PostAdvanced

The r, theta t and subdomain values in the above table can only beused if the variables associated with them are output from the solver. rand theta are not calculated by CFX-Post from x, y, z but expressionsto do so can be defined. subdomain is not usually defined inCFX-Post.

Where appropriate, fluid or component names may be prefixed tothese variables i.e. Water at STP.v .

beta Thermal Expansivity

speedofsound Local speed of sound in fluid

subdomain Subdomain variable(1.0 in Subdomain, 0.0 elsewhere)

mean diameter Mean Diameter

deneff Effective Density

AV name Additional Variable name

Name Meaning


CFX-PostAdvanced


CFX-Post

CFX-Post

Command Actions

• Overview of Command Actions p. 186

• File Operations from the Command Editor p. 188

• Quantitative Calculations in the Command Editor p. 201

CFX-5.5.1 Page 185

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Overview of Command Actions

The Command Editor in CFX-Post can be used to edit or creategraphics objects, perform some typical user actions (e.g. reading orcreating session and State files) and entering Power Syntax. Thissection describes the typical user actions you can perform from theCommand Editor.

For an introduction to the Command Editor see Command Editor(p. 157 in CFX-Post) .

For details on editing and creating graphics objects using the CFXCommand Language in the Command Editor see CFX CommandLanguage (p. 163 in CFX-Post) .

Power Syntax commands are preceded by the “!” symbol, for details onusing Power Syntax in the Command Editor see Power Syntax (p. 209in CFX-Post) .

Action statements are used to force CFX-Post to undertake a specifictask, usually related to the input and output of data from the system. Allactions entered into the Command Editor must be proceeded with the“>” symbol. Actions in Session files are also be preceded by the “>”character.

When running CFX-Post in Line Interface mode, the “CFX>” commandprompt is shown in a DOS window or UNIX shell. All the actionsdescribed in this section along with some additional commands can beentered at the command prompt. You do not have to precedecommands with the “>” symbol when running in Line Interface mode.Details on using Line Interface mode can be found in Line InterfaceMode (p. 221 in CFX-Post) .

Many actions require additional information to perform their task (e.g.the name of a file to load, the type of hardcopy file to create). Bydefault, these actions get the necessary information from a specificassociated CCL singleton object. For convenience, some actionsaccept a few arguments that be used to optionally over-ride thecommonly changed object settings. If multiple arguments for an actionare specified, they must be separated by a comma (,).

Page 186 Overview of Command Actions CFX-5.5.1

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For example, all the settings for >print are read from the HARDCOPY:object. However, if the user desires, they can specify the name of thehardcopy file as an argument to >print . The following CCL exampledemonstrates this behaviour of actions.

# Define settings for printing

HARDCOPY:Hardcopy Format= jpgHardcopy Filename = default.jpgImage Scale = 70White Background = Off

END

#Creates an output file based on the settings in HARDCOPY>print

#Creates an identical output file with a different filename.>print another_file.jpg

CFX-5.5.1 Overview of Command Actions Page 187

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File Operations from the Command Editor

Loading a Results File>load [filename=<filename>][timestep=<timestep>]

Loading a results file is performed using the >load command. Theparameters settings for loading the file are read from the DATAREADER object (see DATA READER (p. 270 in CFX-Post) ). Forsimplicity, some parameters may be set via optional parameters aspart of the load command.

When a Results file is loaded, all Domain , Boundary and Variableobjects associated with the results file are created or updated.Variable objects are created, but the associated data is not actuallyread into the post-processor until the variables are used (load-on-demand). Variables will be pre-loaded if specified in the DATAREADER.

load Command Examples

The following are example >load commands with the expectedresults.

>load filename=c:/CFX5/tutorials/Buoyancy2DVMI_002.res, timestep=3

This command loads the specified Results file at timestep 3. If atimestep is not specified a value of -1 is assumed (this corresponds tothe Final State). If going from a Transient to Steady State Results fileyou should specify the timestep to be -1 if this is not the current setting.If you do not you will get a Warning message stating that the existingtimestep does not exist. The -1 timestep will then be loaded.

>load timestep=4

This command loads timestep 4 in the existing Results file.

Creating Session FilesFirst, it is necessary to set the name of the file to which your sessioncommands will be saved. This can be done by entering the CCL for theSingleton object SESSION. (for more information please seeSESSION (p. 272 in CFX-Post) .

Page 188 File Operations from the Command Editor CFX-5.5.1

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In the command window enter

SESSION:Session Filename = <filename.cse>

END

This will set up the session file to prepare for recording of commands.To begin recording commands, enter the following line into theCommand Editor:

>session start [mode=<none | overwrite | append>, filename=<filename>]>session stop

Session files can be used to quickly reproduce all the actionsperformed in a previous CFX-Post session on any Results file. Sessionfiles can be generated manually using a text editor, or from withinCFX-Post by recording a Session. The commands required to write tothese files from the Command Editor are described below.

The >session command handles all Write Session features. Thefollowing options are available to support the functionality:

• The start option initiates the saving of a session. The followingoptions are available for starting a session:

mode = <none | overwrite | append>If mode is set to none (the default value), an error will be raised ifthe file already exists. If mode is set to overwrite , the file will bedeleted and newly created if it already exists. If mode is set toappend , the new session will be appended to the end of the existingfile.

filename = <filename>This sub-option indicates the filename and path to which the sessionwill be written. If no filename is specified, the SESSION singleton(see SESSION (p. 272 in CFX-Post) ) indicates the filename andthe mode to use for overwriting/appending. If no SESSION singletonexists, an error is raised indicating that a filename must be specified.

• The stop option terminates the saving of a session, and closes thesession file. No sub-options are accepted with this option.

CFX-5.5.1 File Operations from the Command Editor Page 189

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session Command Examples

The following are example >session commands, and the expectedresults. If a SESSION singleton exists (see SESSION (p. 272 in CFX-Post) ), the values of the parameters listed after the sessioncommand will replace the values stored in the SESSION singletonobject. For the >session command, the filename parameter valuewill replace the session filename parameter value in the SESSIONsingleton, and the mode command parameter value will replace thewrite session mode parameter value in the SESSION singleton.

> session start, filename = mysession.cse

This action will start a new session in a filename calledmysession.cse . If mysession.cse already exists, the overwrite/append behaviour will be dependent on that set in the SESSIONsingleton. If no SESSION singleton exists, and the mysession.csefile also exists, the command will fail with an error message (i.e. defaultmode is none ).

> session start, mode = none, filename = mysession.cse

This command will start a new session file in a filename calledmysession.cse . If mysession.cse already exists, the commandwill fail with an error message.

> session start, mode = overwrite, filename = mysession.cse

This command will start a new session. If mysession.cse alreadyexists it will be deleted, and replaced with the new session. If the filedoes not already exist, it will be created.

> session start, mode = append, filename = mysession.cse

This command will start a new session. If mysession.cse alreadyexists, the new session will be appended to the end of the existing file.If the file does not already exist, it will be created.

> session start

This command will start a new session, using the mode and filenamedefined in the SESSION singleton. If the SESSION singleton does notexist, an error message will be raised indicating that a filename needsto be specified.

> session start, mode = overwrite


CFX-PostAdvanced

This command will start a new session with a filename of that specifiedin the SESSION singleton. If the specified file already exists, it will bedeleted and a new file will be created. If the SESSION singleton doesnot exist, an error message will be raised indicating that a filenameneeds to be specified.

> session start, mode = append

This command will start a new session with a filename of that specifiedin the SESSION singleton. If the specified file already exists, the newsession will be appended to the end of the existing file. If the SESSIONsingleton does not exist, an error message will be raised indicating thata filename needs to be specified.

> session start, mode = none

This command will start a new session with a filename of that specifiedin the SESSION singleton. If the specified file already exists, thecommand will be terminated with an error message. If the SESSIONsingleton does not exist, an error message will be raised indicating thata filename needs to be specified.

> session stop

This command will terminate the current session in progress, and closethe currently open session file.

Reading Session Files>readsession [filename=<filename>]

The >readsession command performs session file reading andexecuting. The following options are available to support thefunctionality:

• filename = <filename>This option specifies the filename and path to the file that should beread and executed. If no filename is specified, the SESSIONsingleton object (see SESSION (p. 272 in CFX-Post) ) will indicatethe file to use. If no SESSION singleton exists, an error will be raisedindicating that a filename must be specified.


CFX-PostAdvanced

readsession Command Examples

The following are example >readsession commands, and theexpected results. If a SESSION singleton exists, the values of theparameters listed after the session command will replace the valuesstored in the SESSION singleton object. For this command, thefilename command parameter value will replace thesession filename parameter value in the SESSION singleton.

> readsession

This command will read the session file specified in the SESSIONsingleton, and execute its contents. If the SESSION object does notexist, an error will be raised indicating that a filename must bespecified.

> readsession filename = mysession.cse

This command will read and execute the contents of themysession.cse file.

Saving State Files>savestate [mode=<none | overwrite>][filename=<filename>]

State files can be used to quickly load a previous state into CFX-Post.State files can be generated manually using a text editor, or from withinCFX-Post by saving a State file. The commands required to save tothese files from the Command Editor are described below.

The >savestate command is used to write the current CFX-Poststate to a file. The >savestate action supports the following options:

• mode = <none | overwrite>If mode is none , the executor will create a new State file, and if thespecified file exists, an error will be raised. If mode is overwrite ,the executor will create a new State file, and if the file exists, it willbe deleted and replaced with the latest state information.

• filename = <filename>Specifies the path and name of the file that the state is to be writtento. If no filename is specified, the STATE singleton object (seeSTATE (p. 272 in CFX-Post) ) will be queried for the filename. If theSTATE singleton does not exist, then an error will be raisedindicating that a filename must be specified.


CFX-PostAdvanced

savestate Command Examples

The following are example >savestate commands, and the expectedresults. If a STATE singleton exists, the values of the parameters listedafter the >savestate command will replace the values stored in theSTATE singleton object. For this command, the filename commandparameter value will replace the state filename parameter value inthe STATE singleton, and the mode command parameter value willreplace the savestate mode parameter value in the STATEsingleton.

> savestate

This command will write the current state information to the filenamespecified in the STATE singleton. If the mode in the STATE singletonis none , and the filename exists, an error will be returned. If the modein the STATE singleton is overwrite , and the filename exists, theexisting file will be deleted, and the state information will be written tothe file. If the STATE singleton does not exist, an error will be raisedindicating that a filename needs to be specified.

> savestate mode = none

This command will write the current state information to the filespecified in the STATE singleton. If the file already exists, an error willbe raised. If the STATE singleton does not exist, an error will be raisedindicating that a filename needs to be specified.

> savestate mode = overwrite

This command will write the current state information to the filespecified in the STATE singleton. If the file already exists, it will bedeleted, and the current state information will be saved in its place. Ifthe STATE singleton does not exist, an error will be raised indicatingthat a filename needs to be specified.

> savestate filename = mystate.cst

This command will write the current state information to themystate.cst file. If the STATE singleton exists, and the savestatemode is set to none , and the file already exists, the command willcause an error. If the savestate mode is set to overwrite , and thefile already exists, the file will be deleted, and the current stateinformation will be saved in its place. If the STATE singleton does notexist, then the system will assume a savestate mode of none , andbehave as described above.


CFX-PostAdvanced

> savestate mode = none, filename = mystate.cst

This command will write the current state information to themystate.cst file. If the file already exists, the command will cause anerror.

> savestate mode = overwrite, filename = mystate.cst

This command will write the current state information to themystate.cst file. If the file already exists it will be deleted, and thecurrent state information will be saved in its place.

Reading State Files>readstate [mode=<overwrite | append>][filename=<filename>, load=<true |false>]

The >readstate command loads a CFX-Post state from a specifiedfile.

If a DATA READER singleton (see DATA READER (p. 270 in CFX-Post) ) has been stored in the State file, the load action will be invokedto load the contents of the Results file.

If a State file contains BOUNDARY objects, and the State file isappended to the current state (with no new DATA READER object),some boundaries defined may not be valid for the loaded results.BOUNDARY objects that are not valid for the currently loaded Resultsfile will be culled.

>readstate supports the following options:

• mode = <overwrite | append>If mode is set to overwrite , the executor will delete all the objectsthat currently exist in the system, and load the objects saved in theState file. Overwrite mode is the default mode if none is explicitlyspecified. If mode is set to append , the executor will add the objectssaved in the State file to the objects that already exist in the system.If the mode is set to append and the State file contains objects thatalready exist in the system, the following logic will be used todetermine the final result:


CFX-PostAdvanced

If the system has an equivalent object, i.e. name and type, then theobject already in the system will be modified with the parameterssaved in the State file. If the system has an equivalent object inname only, then the object that already exists in the system will bedeleted, and replaced with that in the State file.

• filename = <filename>The path to the State file.

• load = <true | false>If load is set to true and a DATA READER object is defined in theState file, then the Results file will be loaded when the State file isread. If load is set to false , the Results file will not be loaded, andthe DATA READER object that currently is in the object Database (ifany) will not be updated.

readstate Option Actions

The following table describes the options, and what will happen basedon the combination of options that are selected.

ModeSelection

Load DataSelection

What happens to the objects? What happensto the DataReader

Overwrite True All user objects (Planes etc.) get deleted. The loadingof the new Results file will change the default objects(boundaries, wireframe etc.) including deletion of objectthat are no longer relevant to the new results. Defaultobjects that are not explicitly modified by objectdefinitions in the State file will have all user modifiablevalues reset to default values.

It gets deletedand replaced.

Overwrite False All user objects get deleted. All default objects that existin the State file will update the same objects in thecurrent system state if they exist. Default object in theState file that do not exist in the current state will not becreated. All user object in the State file will be created.

If it exists, itremainsunchangedregardless ofwhat is in theState file.


CFX-PostAdvanced

readstate Command Examples

The following are example >readstate commands, and the expectedresults. If a STATE singleton exists (see STATE (p. 272 in CFX-Post) ), the values of the parameters listed after the >readstatecommand will replace the values stored in the STATE singleton object.For this command, the filename command parameter value willreplace the state filename parameter value in the STATEsingleton, and the mode command parameter value will replace thereadstate mode parameter value in the STATE singleton.

> readstate filename = mystate.cst

The readstate mode parameter in the STATE singleton determinesif the current objects in the system are deleted before the objectsdefined in the mystate.cst file are loaded into the system. If theSTATE singleton does not exist, then the system objects are deletedbefore loading the new state information.

> readstate mode = overwrite, filename = mystate.cst

This command will delete all objects currently in the system, open themystate.cst file if it exists, and create the objects as stored in theState file.

> readstate mode = append, filename = mystate.cst

Append True No objects are initially deleted. The default objects inthe State file will replace the existing default objects.User object will:• be created if they have a unique name.• replace existing objects if they have the same name

but different type.• update existing objects if they have the same name

and type.

It is modified withnew value fromthe State file.

Append False No objects are initially deleted. Default object in theState file will only overwrite those in the system if theyalready exist. User objects have the same behaviour asthe Append/True option above.

If it exists, itremainsunchangedregardless ofwhat is in theState file.

ModeSelection

Load DataSelection

What happens to the objects? What happensto the DataReader


CFX-PostAdvanced

This command will open the mystate.cst file if it exists, and add theobjects defined in the file to those already in the system following therules specified in the previous table.

> readstate

This command will overwrite or append to the objects in the systemusing the objects defined in the file referenced by the statefilename parameter in the STATE singleton. If the STATE singletondoes not exist, an error will be raised indicating that a filename must bespecified.

> readstate mode = overwrite

This command will overwrite the objects in the system with the objectsdefined in the file referenced by the state filename parameter inthe STATE singleton. If the STATE singleton does not exist, an errorwill be raised indicating that a filename must be specified.

> readstate mode = append

This command will append to the objects in the system using theobjects defined in the file referenced by the state filenameparameter in the STATE singleton. If the STATE singleton does notexist, an error will be raised indicating that a filename must bespecified.

Creating Hardcopy>print [filename=<filename>]

The >print command creates a file of the current viewer contents.Settings for output format, quality, etc. are read from the HARDCOPYsingleton object (see HARDCOPY (p. 267 in CFX-Post) ).

The optional argument <filename> can be used to specify the nameof the output file to override that stored in HARDCOPY. HARDCOPYmust exist before print is executed.

Importing External File FormatsTwo special objects are the Polyline and User Surface objects. Thesemay be used to read line or surface data (with local variables) definedin an external file, and then plot this data in the CFX-Post Viewer. Theformat of these files is described below. The external file is specified as


CFX-PostAdvanced

an Essential Parameter of the Polyline or User Surface CCL objectwhen the From File option is selected. See POLYLINE (p. 240 inCFX-Post) or USER SURFACE (p. 252 in CFX-Post) for details onsetting the CCL parameters for these objects.

POLYLINE Data Format

A set of polylines can be defined in a simple text file with the followingformat.

## This is a comment!## List of path variables, if any.# var1Name# var2Name# ...## List of point locations with path variable values## if path variables are defined<X> <Y> <Z> <var1Data> <var2Data> ...<X> <Y> <Z> <var1Data> <var2Data> ......## Next line is a keyword to start line definitions## this section is optional# Lines<Point0> <Point1><Point1> <Point2>...

Comments in the file are preceded by ## and can appear anywhere inthe file. A single # does NOT indicate a comment, words appearingafter a single # are keywords such as Lines .

The start of the file should begin with a list of path variables (up to 256characters, spaces allowed), these are variables that are only definedon the polyline. You should make sure that the names of thesevariables do not conflict with the names of existing variables. You donot have do define any path variables (e.g. if you just want to define thelocation of a polyline), in which case your file will begin with the pointlocation values.

After the optional path variable list follows the point location list inX Y Z format. You must also include a value for each path variablethat you have defined at the start of the file (if any). You can end the fileafter the list of point locations if you want a single line to be createdjoining each point in order. Alternatively, you can specify lines by typing# Lines followed by a list of start point - end point values that


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reference the list of point locations. The list of point locations arenumbered 0,1,2....n-1 where n is the number of points in the list. Whenyou define lines, the start point and end point numbers are thesevalues.

Blank lines are ignored and can appear anywhere in the file.

USER SURFACE Data Format

The following outlines the valid data format for a user-defined surface.

## Comment line - optional.## List of path variables# <varName1># <varName2># ...## List of point locations with path variable values## Each line in the following list will be numbered 0,1,2...<X> <Y> <Z> <Var1Value> <Var2Value> ...<X> <Y> <Z> <Var1Value> <Var2Value> ...

Example: This example produces two lines, the first from [1 1 1] to[1 2 1] and the second from [2 2 1] to [2 1 1]. Two path variableshave values at each point:

# Time# MyVar1 1 1 1.2 5001 2 1 2.1 2002 2 1 3.4 3002 1 1 4.65 400

# Lines0 12 3

Example: This example simply produces a single line that passesthrough each point in the list in order:

1 1 11 1 21 1 31 2 31 3 3


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...## Next line is a keyword that starts the definition of faces# Faces## List of 3 - 6 point numbers to define faces.<Point0> <Point1> <Point2><Point1> <Point2> <Point3> <Point4> <Point5> <Point6>...

This is similar to the Polyline data format described above. Comments,the list of path variables and the point location list (with path variablevalues if defined) uses the same format as the polyline data format.

Instead of defining lines, surfaces are defined by typing # Facesfollowed by lists of 3 (triangle) to 6 (hexagon) points to define eachsurface. Each surface is automatically closed by connecting the lastpoint to the first point. The list of point locations are numbered0,1,2....n-1 where n is the number of points in the list. When you definefaces, you use these numbers to reference the points in your pointlocation list. The faces specification is NOT optional.

Exporting DataData export is controlled using the >export command. The names ofvariables to export, locations to export, filenames, etc are defined in theEXPORT singleton object (see EXPORT (p. 271 in CFX-Post) .

Example: This example defines one quadrilateral face with two pathvariables at each point of the face:

# Time# MyVar

1 1 1 1.2 5001 2 1 2.1 2002 2 1 3.4 3002 1 1 4.65 400

# Faces0 1 2 3


CFX-PostAdvanced

Quantitative Calculations in the Command Editor

When executing a calculation from the Command Editor, the result isdisplayed in the Calculator Window.

The >calculate command is used to perform function calculations inthe Command Editor. Typing >calculate alone will perform thecalculation using the parameters stored in the CALCULATORsingleton object (see CALCULATOR (p. 291 in CFX-Post) for detailsof valid CCL parameters). Entering >calculate <function name> willnot work if required arguments are needed by the function.

Function Calculation>calculate [<function name>, <arguments>]

A number of useful quantitative functions have been defined withinCFX-Post. These functions are specified in the table below, you canfollow the links in the Function Name column to see the syntax used foreach function when using them from the Command Editor. A detaileddescription of the calculation performed by each function is notprovided here, see Function Selection (p. 128 in CFX-Post) for thisinformation. When using quantitative functions as part of a CELexpression, a different syntax is required, see Quantitative Functionsin CEL (p. 174 in CFX-Post) for details.

These functions may be accessed from the Command Editor using the>calculate command, or via function calls within Power Syntax.Reference documentation on the Power Syntax functions is providedin Power Syntax (p. 209 in CFX-Post) .

When a function is evaluated, a singleton CALCULATOR object (seeCALCULATOR (p. 291 in CFX-Post) ) is created which shows theparameters and results for the most recent calculation. If the>calculate command is supplied without a <function name> or<arguments>, then the calculation is performed with the settings fromthe CALCULATOR object (which may be modified like any other objectin the Command Editor). An error is raised if the CALCULATOR objectdoes not exist.

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When evaluated as part a Power Syntax function, the results of thecalculation can be stored in a Power Syntax variable for furtherprocessing. See Examples of Power Syntax (p. 212 in CFX-Post) forexamples of using calculations within Power Syntax.

Function Name Operation Arguments<required> [<optional>]

area (p. 203) Area projected to axis (no axisspecification returns total area)

<Location>, [<Axis>]

areaAve (p. 204) Area-weighted average <Expression>, <Location>,[<Axis>]

areaInt (p. 204) Area-weighted integral <Expression>, <Location>,[<Axis>]

ave (p. 204) Arithmetic average <Expression>, <Location>

count (p. 204) Number of calculation points <Location>

force (p. 204) Force on a surface in the specifieddirection

<Location>, <Axis>, [<Fluid>]

forceNorm (p. 204) Length normalised force on a curve inthe specified direction


length (p. 205) Length of a curve <Location>

lengthAve (p. 205) Length-weighted average <Expression>, <Location>

lengthInt (p. 205) Length-weighted integration <Expression>, <Location>

massFlow (p. 205) Total mass flow <Location>, [<Fluid>]

massFlowAve (p. 205) Mass-weighted average <Expression>, <Location>,[<Fluid>]

massFlowInt (p. 205) Mass-weighted integral <Expression>, <Location>,[<Fluid>]

maxVal (p. 205) Maximum Value <Expression>, <Location>

minVal (p. 205) Minimum Value <Expression>, <Location>

probe (p. 206) Value at a point <Expression>, <Location>

sum (p. 206) Sum over the calculation points <Expression>, <Location>

torque (p. 206) Torque on a surface about thespecified axis


volume (p. 206) Volume of a 3-D location <Location>

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Expression Specification

Any variable or valid expression (see CEL Functions, Constants andSystem Variables (p. 174 in CFX-Post) ) can be used as the<Expression> argument, e.g. areaAve Pressure, myPlane isallowed.

Axis Specification

Some functions take an axis specification as an argument. The generalformat for an axis specification is:

[<Coord Frame Name>_]<X|Y|Z>

The coordinate frame name is optional, if not supplied the Global X, Y,or Z axis is used. If you wish to specify any axis that is not a global one,you must first create a COORD FRAME object with the correctorientation, and then use the name of that coord frame in the axisspecification. An underscore symbol must precede the X, Y or Zspecification (e.g. MyCoord_Y ).

Quantitative Function List

area>calculate area, <Location>, [<Axis>]

The specification of an axis is optional, if an axis is not specified thevalue held in the CALCULATOR (p. 291 in CFX-Post) object will beused. To calculate the total area of the location the axis specificationshould be left blank (i.e. a comma should be typed after the locationspecification). See area (p. 129) for a detailed function description.

volumeAve (p. 206) Volume-weighted average <Expression>, <Location>

volumeInt (p. 206) Volume-weighted integral <Expression>, <Location>

Example: >calculate area, myplane will calculate the area ofthe locator myplane projected onto a plane normal to the Axisspecification in the CALCULATOR object.

Function Name Operation Arguments<required> [<optional>]


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areaAve>calculate areaAve, <Expression>, <Location>, <Axis>

See areaAve (p. 130) for a detailed function description.

areaInt>calculate areaInt, <Expression>, <Location>, [<Axis>]

Axis is optional. If it is not specified the value held in theCALCULATOR (p. 291 in CFX-Post) object will be used. To performthe integration over the total face area the axis specification should beblank (i.e. type a comma after the location name). See areaInt(p. 130) for a detailed function description.

ave>calculate ave, <Expression>, <Location>

See ave (p. 131) for a detailed function description.

count>calculate count, <Location>

See count (p. 132) for a detailed function description.

force>calculate force, <Location>, <Axis>, [<Fluid>]

To include the required momentum flow data in your Results file tocalculate forces on boundaries, you should set the the option OutputEquation Flows to ON on the Solver Control Form in CFX-Build(please see Output Equation Flows (p. 1291 in CFX-Build:Chapter 10) for more information). See force (p. 132) for a detailedfunction description.

forceNorm>calculate forceNorm, <Location>, <Axis>, [<Fluid>]

See forceNorm (p. 133) for a detailed function description.

Example: >calculate area, myplane, will calculate the areaof the locator myplane . Note that adding the comma after myplaneremoves the Axis specification.


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length>calculate length, <Location>

Note that when using this function in Power Syntax the leadingcharacter should be capitalised to avoid confusion with the Perl internalcommand “length”. See length (p. 133) for a function description.

lengthAve>calculate lengthAve, <Expression>, <Location>

See lengthAve (p. 134) for a detailed function description.

lengthInt>calculate lengthInt, <Expression>, <Location>.

See lengthInt (p. 134) for a detailed function description.

massFlow>calculate massFlow, <Location>, [<Fluid>]

See massFlow (p. 134) for a detailed function description.

massFlowAve>calculate massFlowAve, <Expression>, <Location>,[<Fluid>]

See massFlowAve (p. 134) for a detailed function description.

massFlowInt>calculate massFlowInt, <Expression>, <Location>,[<Fluid>]

See massFlowInt (p. 135) for a detailed function description.

maxVal>calculate maxVal, <Expression>, <Location>

See maxVal (p. 135) for a detailed function description.

minVal>calculate minVal, <Expression>, <Location>

See minVal (p. 135) for a detailed function description.


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probe>calculate probe, <Expression>, <Location>

See probe (p. 135) for a detailed function description.

sum>calculate sum, <Expression>, <Location>

See sum (p. 136) for a detailed function description.

torque>calculate torque, <Location>, <Axis>, [<Fluid>]

To include the required momentum flow data in your Results file tocalculate torques, you should set the the option Output EquationFlows to ON on the Solver Control Form in CFX-Build (please seeOutput Equation Flows (p. 1291 in CFX-Build: Chapter 10) for moreinformation). See torque (p. 136) for a detailed function description.

volume>calculate volume, <Location>

See volume (p. 136) for a detailed function description.

volumeAve>calculate volumeAve, <Expression>, <Location>

See volumeAve (p. 137) for a detailed function description.

volumeInt>calculate volumeInt, <Expression>, <Location>

See volumeInt (p. 137) for a detailed function description.


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Other Commands

Deleting Objects>delete <objectnamelist>

The >delete command can be used in the Command Editor to deleteobjects. The command must be supplied with a list of Object namesseparated by commas. An error message will be displayed if the listcontains any invalid Object names, but the deletion of valid Objects inthe list will still be processed.

Viewing a Chart>chart <objectname>

The >chart command is used to invoke the Chart Viewer and displaythe specified CHART object. Chart objects and Chart Lines are createdlike other CCL objects. See CHART (p. 289 in CFX-Post) and CHARTLINE (p. 290 in CFX-Post) for details of the valid CCL parameters forthese objects.

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Power Syntax

• Power Syntax Overview p. 210

• Examples of Power Syntax p. 212

• Predefined Power Syntax Subroutines p. 217

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Power Syntax Overview

Programming constructs can be used within CCL for advanced usage.Rather than invent a new language, CCL takes advantage of the fullrange of capabilities and resources from an existing programminglanguage, Perl. Perl statements can be embedded in between lines ofsimple syntax, providing capabilities such as loops, logic, and much,much more with any CCL input file.

Lines of Power Syntax are identified in a CCL file by a special character“!” at the start of each line. In between Perl lines, simple syntax linesmay refer to Perl variables and lists.

A wide range of additional functionality is made available to expertusers with the use of Power Syntax including:

• Loops

• Logic and control structures

• Lists and arrays

• Subroutines with argument handling (useful for defining commonlyre-used plots and procedures)

• Basic I/O and input processing

• System functions

• much, much more (Object programming, WorldWide Web access,simple embedded GUIs).

Any of the above may be included in a CCL input file or CFX-PostSession file.

Important: You should be wary when entering certain expressions,since Power Syntax uses Perl mathematical operators. For example,in CEL, is represented as 2^2 , but in Perl, would be written 2**2 .If you are unsure about the validity of an operator, you should checka Perl reference guide.

22

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Lines of Power Syntax in a CCL file are indicated with the “!” characterat the beginning of the line. A preliminary example of CCL with PowerSyntax can be found in Examples of Power Syntax (p. 212) .

There are many good reference books on Perl. Two examples are“Learning Perl” (ISBN 1-56592-042-2) and “Programming Perl” (ISBN1-56592-149-6) from the O’Reilly series.

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Examples of Power Syntax

The following are some examples in which the versatility of powersyntax is demonstrated. They become steadily more complex in thelatter examples.

Some additional more complex examples of Power Syntax subroutinescan be found by viewing the Session files used for the MacroCalculator. These are located in <CFX-PostROOT>/cfxpost/<version>/etc/ and are called cpPolar.cse andcompressorPerform.cse . You can execute these subroutines fromthe Command Editor the same as calling any other Power Syntaxsubroutine. The required argument format is:

!cpPolar(<"BoundaryList">, <"SliceNormalAxis">,<"SlicePosition">, <"PlotAxis">, <"InletLocation">,<"ReferencePressure">)

!compressorPerform(<"InletLocation">, <"OutletLocation">,<"BladeLocation">, <"MachineAxis">, <"RotationalSpeed">,<"TipRadius">, <"NumBlades">, <"FluidGamma">)

These subroutines are loaded when CFX-Post is launched, so you donot need to execute the session files before using the functions.

More information about these macro functions can be found inCompressor Performance (p. 159 in CFX-Post) and Cp Polar(p. 161 in CFX-Post) .

All arguments passed to subroutines should be enclosed in quotations,for example Plane 1 must be passed as “Plane 1” , andEddy Viscosity should be entered as “Eddy Viscosity” . Any legalCFX Command Language characters that are illegal in Perl need to beenclosed in quotation marks.

Example 1: Print Pressure Drop Through a Pipe! $Pin = massFlowAve("Pressure","inlet");! $Pout = massFlowAve("Pressure","outlet");! $dp = $Pin-$Pout;! print "The pressure drop is $dp\n";

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Example 2: Using a for Loop

This example demonstrates using Power Syntax that wraps a for looparound some CCL Object definitions to repetitively change the visibilityon the outer boundaries.

# Make the outer boundaries gradually transparent in# the specified number of steps.!$numsteps = 10;!for ($i=0; $i < $numsteps; $i++) {

! $trans = ($i+1)/$numsteps;BOUNDARY:in

Visibility = 1Transparency = $trans

ENDBOUNDARY:out


ENDBOUNDARY:Default


END!}

The first line of Power Syntax simply defines a scalar variable callednumsteps . Scalar variables (i.e. simple single-valued variables) beginwith a “$” symbol in Perl. The next line defines a for loop thatincrements the variable i up to numsteps . Next, we determine thefraction we are along in the loop and assign it to the variable trans .The object definitions then use trans to set their transparency andthen repeat. Note how Perl variables can be directly embedded into theobject definitions. The final line of Power Syntax (!} ) closes the forloop.

Example 3: Creating a Simple Subroutine

This example defines a simple subroutine to make two planes atspecified locations. The subroutine will be used in the next example.

!sub makePlanes {PLANE:plane1

Option = Point and NormalPoint = 0.09,0,-0.03Normal = 1,0,0Draw Lines = On

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Line Colour = 1,0,0Colour Mode = VariableColour Variable = PressureRange = Local

END

PLANE:plane2Option = Point and NormalPoint = 0.08,-0.038,-0.0474Normal = 1,0,0Draw Faces = OffDraw Lines = OnLine Colour = 0,1,0

END!}

Although this subroutine is designed for use with the next example, youcan execute it on its own by typing !makePlanes(); in the CommandEditor.

Example 4: Creating a Complex Quantitative Subroutine

This example is a complex quantitative subroutine that takes slicesthrough the manifold geometry shown below, compares the mass flowthrough the two sides of the initial branch, and computes the pressuredrop through to the four exit locations.

! sub manifoldCalcs{

# call the previously defined subroutine (Example 3) make the

Inlet

Outlets


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# upstream and downstream cutting planes! makePlanes();## Bound the two planes so they each just cut one side of the branch.PLANE:plane1

Plane Bound = CircularBound Radius = 0.025

ENDPLANE:plane2

Plane Bound = CircularBound Radius = 0.025

END

# Calculate mass flow through each using the predefined# 'massflow' Power Syntax subroutine and output the results

! $mass1 = massFlow("plane1");! $mass2 = massFlow("plane2");! $sum = $mass1+$mass2;! print "Mass flow through branch 1 = $mass1\n";! print "Mass flow through branch 2 = $mass2\n";! print "Total = $sum\n";

# Now calculate pressure drops and mass flows through the exits

# calculate the average pressure at the inlet!$Pin = massFlowAve("Pressure","in");

# Set-up an array that holds the approximate X location of each# of the 4 exits. We then loop over the array to move the outlet# plane and re-do the pressure drop calculation at each exit.! @Xlocs = (0.15,0.25,0.35,0.45);! $sum = 0;! for ($i=0;$i<4;$i++) {

PLANE:outletOption = Point and NormalNormal = 0,-1,-1Point = $Xlocs[$i],-0.06,-0.2Plane Bound = CircularBound Radius = 0.05

END! $Pout = massFlowAve("Pressure","outlet");! $massFl = massFlow("outlet");! $sum += $massFl;! $Dp = $Pin-$Pout;! $ii = $i+1;! print "At outlet \#$ii: Dp = $Dp, Mass Flow = $massFl\n";

! } # end loop! print "Total Mass Flow = $sum\n";

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!} # end subroutine

After processing these commands to define the subroutine, you canexecute it, in the same way as any other subroutine, by typing!manifoldCalcs(); in the Command Editor.


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Predefined Power Syntax Subroutines

This section contains subroutines to provide additional Power Syntaxfunctionality in CFX-Post. You can view a list of these subroutines byentering !showSubs(); in the Command Editor. The list is printed tothe console window. The list shows all currently loaded subroutines, soit will include any custom subroutines that you have processed in theCommand Editor.

These subroutines provide access to the quantitative functionality ofCFX-Post. Most of these routines provide results in a single returnvalue. For example, if the Perl variable '$verbose = 1', then the resultis also printed to the screen. Details of the calculations performed bythe subroutines can be found in Function Selection (p. 128 in CFX-Post) .

Length(Location)real Length("Location")

area(Location)real area("Location", "Axis")

areaAve(Variable, Location)real areaAve("Variable", "Location")

areaInt(Variable, Location, Axis)real areaInt("Variable", "Location", "Axis")

ave(Variable, Location)real ave("Variable", "Location")

compressorPerform()

For details, please see Compressor Performance (p. 159) . Forexample:

compressorPerform("Inlet", "Outlet", "Blade", "X", 600,0.03, 10, 1.2)

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copyFile(string source, string target)

A utility function that copies source file to target file with Windows/Unixdependencies taken into consideration. Current assumes Unix.

count(Location)real count("Location")

cpPolar()

For details, please see Cp Polar (p. 161) . For example

cpPolar("Plane 1", "Y", 0.3, "X", "Inlet", 10000)

evaluate(Expression)real,string evaluate("Expression")

force(Location,Axis)real force("Location", "Axis")

forceNorm(Location,Axis)real forceNorm("Location", "Axis")

getValue(Object Name, Parameter Name)

A utility function that takes a CCL object and parameter name andreturns the value of the parameter.

lengthAve(Variable,Location)real lengthAve("Variable", "Location")

lengthInt(Variable,Location)real lengthInt("Variable", "Location")

massFlow(Location)real massFlow("Location")

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massFlowAve(Variable, Location)real massFlowAve("Variable", "Location")

massFlowInt(Variable, Location)real massFlowInt("Variable","Location")

maxVal(Variable, Location)real maxVal("Variable", "Location")

minVal(Variable, Location)real minVal("Variable", "Location")

probe(Variable, Location)real probe("Variable", "Location")

range(Variable, Location).(real, real) range("Variable", "Location")

showPkgs()

void showPkgs()

A content subroutine that prints a list of packages available which maycontain other variables or subroutines in Power Syntax.

showSubs()void showSubs("String packageName")

Important: This calculation should only be performed for pointlocators described by single points. Incorrect solutions will beproduced for multiple point locators.

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A content subroutine that prints a list of the subroutines available in thespecified package. If no package is specified, CFX-Post is used bydefault.

showVars()void showVars("String packageName")

A content subroutine that prints a list of the Power Syntax variables andtheir current value defined in the specified package. If no package isspecified, CFX-Post is used by default.

sum(Variable,Location)real sum("Variable", "Location")

torque(Location,Axis)real torque("Location", "Axis")

verboseOn()

Returns 1 or 0 depending if the Perl variable $verbose is set to 1.

volume(Locator)real volume("Locator")

volumeAve(Variable, Location)real volumeAve("Variable", "Location")

volumeInt(Variable, Locator)real volumeInt("Variable", "Location")

Page 220 Predefined Power Syntax Subroutines CFX-5.5.1

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CFX-Post

Line Interface Mode

• Line Interface Mode (p. 222)

• Batch Mode (p. 226)

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Line Interface Mode

All of the functionality of CFX-Post can be accessed when running inLine Interface mode. This section contains information on how toperform typical user actions (loading, printing, etc.), creating graphicalobjects and performing quantitative calculations when runningCFX-Post in Line Interface mode.

In Line Interface mode you are simply entering the commands whichwould otherwise be issued by the GUI. A Viewer is provided in aseparate window which will show the geometry and the objects thatcreate on the command line.

To run in Line Interface mode:

Windows : Execute the command<CFXROOT>\bin\cfx5post -line at the DOS command prompt(omitting the -line option will start the GUI mode).

You may wish to change the size of the MS-DOS window to view theoutput from commands such as getstate . This can be done byentering mode con lines=X at the Command Prompt BEFOREentering CFX-Post, where X is the number of lines to display in thewindow. You can choose a large number of lines if you wish to be ableto see all the output from a session (scroll bar will be used in the DOSwindow). It should be noted that filepaths entered once insideCFX-Post should contain a forward slash / and not the backslash,which is required in MS-DOS.

UNIX: Execute the command <CFXROOT>/bin/cfxpost -line atthe command prompt (omitting the -line option will start the GUImode).

In CFX-Post Line Interface mode, all commands are assumed to beactions, the > symbol required in the Command Editor is not needed.

All of the functionality available from the Command Editor window (seeCommand Editor (p. 157 in CFX-Post) ) in the GUI is available in LineInterface mode by typing enterccl or e at the command prompt.When in e mode you can enter any set of valid CCL command. Thecommands are not processed until you leave e mode by typing .e . Youcan cancel e mode without processing the commands by typing .c .

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For an explanation and list of command actions, please see Overviewof Command Actions (p. 186 in CFX-Post) (the action commandsshown in this link are preceded by the > symbol, this should be omittedwhen entering action commands at the command prompt.)

You can create objects by entering the CCL definition of the object(CCL Objects (p. 230 in CFX-Post) and CCL Parameters (p. 297 inCFX-Post) ) when in e mode, or by reading the object definition from asession or state file (File Operations from the Command Editor(p. 188 in CFX-Post) )

As a reminder, Line Interface mode differs from the Command Editorbecause Line Interface action commands are not preceded by >symbol, In the same way, when entering lines of CCL or Power Syntax,e must be typed (whereas this is not required in the Command Editor).It should be noted that these are the only principal differences, and allcommands that work for the Command Editor will also work in LineInterface mode, providing the correct syntax is used.

Some commands specific to Line Interface Mode are listed below.

Lists of commands

To call up a list of valid commands, type help at the command prompt.

Viewer “hotkeys”

The zoom, rotate, pan and other mouse actions available formanipulating the Viewer in the GUI perform identical functions in theViewer in Line Interface mode. In addition to this hotkeys can be usedto manipulate other aspects of the Viewer. For a full list of all thehotkeys available click in the Viewer to make it the active window andpress the ? key. To execute a hotkey command, click once in theViewer (or on the object, as some functions are object-specific) andtype the command.

Calculator

When evaluated on the command line, the result is simply printed tostandard output.

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For a list of valid calculator functions and required parameters, typecalculate help at the command prompt. More information is alsoavailable in Quantitative Calculations in the Command Editor(p. 201 in CFX-Post) .

getstate Command

The list of all currently defined objects can be obtained using thegetstate command. To get details on a specific object, typegetstate <ObjectName> .

Viewing a Chart

You can view a Chart object in the Chart Viewer using thechart <ChartObjectName > command. See CHART (p. 289 inCFX-Post) and CHART LINE (p. 290 in CFX-Post) for details of validCCL parameters for these objects.

Repeating CCL Commands

If you wish to carry out the last CCL command again, type =.

Executing a Shell Command

If you wish to carry out a shell command, type % directly before yourcommand. For example, %ls will list all the files in your currentdirectory.

Quitting

CFX-Post can be shut down by typing the quit command at thecommand prompt.

Example

The following example provides a set of commands that you couldenter at the CFX> command prompt. The output written to the screenwhen executing these commands is not shown. <CFX-PostROOT>should be replaced with the file path to your installation of CFX-Post.

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CFX> load filename=<CFXROOT>/examples/5.5.1/StaticMixer.resCFX> getstate DefaultCFX> eBOUNDARY:Default

Visibility = OnTransparency = 0.5

END.eCFX>

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Batch Mode

All of the functionality of CFX-Post can be accessed when running inBatch mode. When running in batch mode a Viewer window is notprovided and you cannot enter commands at a command prompt.

Commands are issued via a CFX-Post Session file (*.cse), the name ofwhich is specified when executing the command to start Batch mode.The Session file can be created using a text editor, or, more easily, byrecording a Session file while running in Line Interface or GUI mode.The last command of any Session file used in Batch mode must be>quit , if this is not the case you will become locked in Batch mode andwill have to terminate CFX-Post. You can leave a Session file recordingwhile you quit from GUI or Line Interface mode to write the >quitcommand to a Session file. Alternatively you can use a text editor toadd this command to the end of a Session file.

To run in Batch mode execute the following command at the commandprompt:

You can include the name of a results file in your session file, this isdescribed in the example below. However, you can also pass the nameof a results file and a session to CFX-Post from the command line. Thisallows you to apply a generic session file to a series of different resultsfiles. To launch CFX-Post in batch file mode, load a results file andexecute the statements in a session file use the following command:

Example: Pressure Calculation on Multiple Files using BatchMode

This example will calculate the value of Pressure at a point in each ofthree results files.

Windows <CFXROOT>\bin\5.5.1\cfx5post -batch <filename.cse>

UNIX <CFXROOT>/bin/5.5.1/cfx5post -batch <filename.cse>

Windows <CFXROOT>\bin\5.5.1\cfx5post -batch <filename.cse><filename.res>

UNIX <CFXROOT>/bin/5.5.1/cfx5post -batch <filename.cse><filename.res>

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The purpose of this example is for demonstration only. You will onlydeal with three results files in this case, and it would be faster toproduce the output by using the GUI. These features can, however, beuseful in situations where a large number of results files need to beprocessed at once.

In order to carry out this procedure, you will make use of session files,power syntax and the command editor. This example will make use ofthe results from the Static Mixer Tutorial (Flow in a Static Mixer (p. 11in CFX-5 Tutorials) ), the Buoyancy 2D Tutorial (2D Buoyant Flow ina Partitioned Cavity (p. 235 in CFX-5 Tutorials) ) and the ReactorTutorial (Reacting Flow in a Mixing Tube (p. 393 in CFX-5Tutorials) ). You can use the results from any file by making theappropriate substitutions in the following example.

You will first create a session file based on the first results file.

• First of all copy the results files to your current working directory.

• Start CFX-Post and select File>Load Results. Select the staticmixer results file StaticMixer_001.res. (Your results file may have aslightly different name).

• Select Session>New Session from the Session menu (Fullinstructions on the Session menu can be found in Session Menu(p. 37 in CFX-Post) ).

• Enter batchtest.cse as the session file name and click Save.

• Click on the icon to begin recording the session file commands.

• Select Create>Point and accept the default name Point 1.

• You will now use Power Syntax to find the value of Pressure at Point1, and print it to the command line. As well as printing the value ofpressure, it would be useful to know the name of the results file. Youwill make use of the DATA READER object to find the name of thecurrent results file.

• Select Tools>Command Editor.

• Enter the following into the command window:

! $filePath = getValue("DATA READER","Current Results File");

• Click Process to process the command.

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• Now enter the following:

! $pressureVal = probe("Pressure","Point 1");! print "\nFor results file $filePath, Pressure is $pressureVal\n";

Check your terminal window to make sure the command worked asdesired.

This completes the first part of the example. Click on the icon tostop recording the session file. You may wish to close down CFX-Postat this time.

You can now run the session file on any number of results files usingthe command:

<CFXROOT>/bin/5.5.1/cfx5post -batch testbatch.cse<resfile>

where <resfile> is the name of your results file. You can re-run thecommand by typing in another results file name. For a very largenumber of results files, a simple script can be used to pass filenamesas command line arguments. As an example, this C shell script wouldpass arguments as results file names to the CFX-Post command line.

#!/bin/csh

foreach file ($argv)

<CFXROOT>/5.5.1/cfx5post -batch testbatch.cse $file

end

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CCL Details

• CCL Objects p. 230

• CCL Parameters p. 297

CFX-5.5.1 Page 229

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CCL Objects

UNIT SYSTEM

Description

Singleton Object: This object stores the preferred units.

Allowed Parameters

Essential Parameters

Preferred Units System : This specifies the Units System to use.

Optional Parameters

Update Units to Preferred : This logical indicates whether alldisplayed units should always be updated to display the preferredunits. If this is false',quantities will be converted to preferred types.'

Custom Units Setting : This is a comma delimited list of Quantitiesand their selected units for the Custom Units Setting. The list willcontain both Quantities and the units: e.g. Acceleration, m s^-2, Angle,radian, ...

STREAMLINE

Description

Named Object: Calculates streamline plots, and eventually ribbonsand tubes

Allowed Parameters


Location List : A comma delimited list of locator names.

Option : A generic parameter used to define the context setting for avariety of objects.

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Variable : The name of the variable used to create the object. Shouldbe set equal to the name of a currently defined VARIABLE object.

Streamline Maximum Segments : Stops streamline calculation whennumber of segments exceeds this

Optional Parameters

Domain List : The list of domains over which to define this object.

Streamline Direction : The direction in which streams are to becalculated

Tolerance Mode : whether Grid Tolerance or Absolute Tolerance areused

Grid Tolerance : Fraction of local grid size to use as a maximum steptolerance

Absolute Tolerance : Length to use as a maximum step tolerance

Cross Periodics : If true allows a streamline to cross a periodicboundary

Draw Symbols : Draw symbols on the streams at specified times

Draw Streams : If false do not draw streams, but allow drawing ofsymbols

Symbol Start Time : The particle age at which to draw the first symbol

Symbol Stop Time : Draw no symbols with particle age lower than this

Symbol Time Interval : Draw symbols at regular times separated bythis value

Variable Boundary Values : Sets the type of boundary values to bepresented for variables in this object (Conservative or Hybrid).

Colour Mode : Sets the mode used to colour the object. If set equal to"Constant" then the "Colour" parameter is used to determine the plotcolour. If set equal to "Variable", then the "Colour Variable" parameteris used.

Colour Variable : The name of the variable to be used in colouring theobject. Should be set equal to the name of a currently definedVARIABLE object.

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Colour Variable Boundary Values : Sets the type of boundary valuesto be presented for colour variables in this object (Conservative orHybrid).

Colour : A list of three numbers between 0 and 1, which represent theRGB (Red/Green/Blue) values to be used when colouring the faces ofan object by constant colour.

Range : Sets the method used to calculate the extents of the colourmap on an object. "Global" uses the range of values in the problemdomain. "Local" uses the range of values on the current object.

Min : The minimum value of a variable in the colourmap when using a"User Specified" range.

Max : The maximum value of a variable in the colourmap when usinga "User Specified" range.

Symbol Size : A scaling factor for all symbols in the plot.

Visibility : Toggles the visibility of this graphics object in the viewer.

Transparency : Set between 0.0 (fully opaque) and 1.0 (fullytransparent) to control the transparency of this graphics object in theviewer.

Draw Faces : Toggles the visibility filled faces for this graphics objectinthe viewer.

Surface Drawing : Sets the algorithm used to shade the faces for thisgraphics object.

Lighting : Toggles the lighting of this graphics object in the viewer.

Draw Lines : Toggles the visibility of lines around each face of thisgraphics object.

Specular Lighting : Toggles the specular lighting of this object in theviewer.

Culling Mode : Controls the face culling of this object in the viewer.

Line Width : Controls the width (in pixels) of lines drawn for thisgraphics object.


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Line Colour : A list of three numbers between 0 and 1, which representthe RGB (Red/Green/Blue) values to be used for colouring the lines ona graphics object.

Streamline Maximum Time : Stops streamline calculation whenparticle age exceeds this

Streamline Solver Type : The solver to use to calculate thestreamlines

Reduction Factor : Reduces the number of nodes of a locator to use

Instancing Transform : Defines the TRANSFORM object that is usedfor the object instancing.

Apply Instancing Transform : Toggles the instancing transformationfor this graphics object in the viewer.

Streamline Maximum Periods : Limits the number of times astreamline may cross a periodic boundary

Context Sensitive Settings

Context Controlling Parameter: Option

Allowed Context Settings: Line,Ribbon,Tube

Option = Ribbon


Ribbon Width : The initial width of stream ribbons

Stream Ribbon Initial Direction : Defines the initial plane of a streamribbon

Option = Tube


Number of Sides : The number of sides of a round'tube'

Optional Parameters

Tube Diameter : The initial width of stream tubes


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ROOT

Description

Singleton Object: The ROOT object lists all the object types that canbe defined in CFX-Post.

Allowed Sub-Objects

Optional Sub-Objects

UNIT SYSTEM : This object stores the preferred units.

STREAMLINE : Calculates streamline plots, and eventually ribbonsand tubes

LIBRARY : LIBRARY is automatically read from the VARIABLESlibrary file.

POINT : Defines a point using X, Y and Z coordinates.

POLYLINE : A locator defined by multiple sets of points read from adata file or by the intersection of a boundary and a locator.The pointsmay have local (path) variables associated with them. The polyline caninteract with CFD data and can be coloured using path variables ordomain variables.

SUBDOMAIN : A volume region of a domain defined as a subdomain.

BOUNDARY : A locator defined by a boundary condition that exists inthe results file.

WIREFRAME : Plots an outline of the domain given by edges betweenelements with greater than the specified angle.

VECTOR : Creates a vector plot on a given list of locators.

SYMBOL : An internal object representing a plotting symbol.

ISOSURFACE : A locator generated by the surface which passesthrough a constant value of a specified variable.


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USER SURFACE : Allows the user to read an external file whilecontains elements describing a general 3D surface, with local variablevalues optionally specified on each node. The surface can interact withCFD data and can be coloured using local variables or domainvariables.

PLANE : A general object to describe a plane through the domain.Slice planes (which can be bounded) and sample planes aresupported.

CLIP PLANE : Defines a plane that can be used to clip graphics in theviewer.

VOLUME : An object that contains a subset of the volume elements ofthe domains it is defined on. Options are provided to specify how thatsubset is defined.

LINE : Defines a line object.

CONTOUR : Creates a contour plot on a given list of locators.

SURFACE GROUP : Creates a group of surface plot on a given list oflocators.

HARDCOPY : This object contains the settings used to control thecreation of hardcopy output from the viewer. It is used by the "print"action.

DATA READER : This object contains the settings used to read resultsfiles into the post-processor. It is used by the "load" action.

EXPORT : Holds parameters which control the export of data to anexternal text file.

SESSION : Stores parameters used by the readsession command.

STATE : Stores parameters used by the readstate and savestatecommands.

VIEWER : This object stores the viewer settings.

DOMAIN : An automatically created object for each domain read fromthe results file.

VECTOR VARIABLE : A object used to reference the data associatedwith a vector quantity in the results file.


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SCALAR VARIABLE : A object used to reference the data associatedwith a scalar quantity in the results file.

USER SCALAR VARIABLE : A object used to reference user-defineddata.

EXPRESSIONS : This object holds the definitions of all CELexpressions in the post-processor.

ANIMATION : Defines a Keyframe animation sequence. A list ofKEYFRAME objects indicate the states between which to interpolate.

KEYFRAME : Defines a specific keyframe for an animation sequence.The actual system state is stored in a file referenced by the KeyframeFilename parameter.'

GROUP : Allows a group of multiple objects to behave as a singleobject. Currently only used internally and does not work for graphics,etc.

DEFAULT INSTANCE TRANSFORM : Specifies the default instancetransformation.

INSTANCE TRANSFORM : Specifies an instance transformation thatcan consist of a rotation,a translation, a reflection and a number ofcopies of the original object to produce. Note that applying reflectionduplicates the number of copies.

REFLECTION PLANE : This is a sub-object used for the reflectionplane definition in TRANSFORM object.

CAMERA : Defines a camera that can be used to specify the currentview in the VIEWER object.

LEGEND : Creates a labelled colour bar to show to legend associatedwith the named plot.

TEXT : A single piece of text. This text item can be attached to a pointon screen (specified in two dimensions), or attached to a point in threedimensions, following that point through any viewer transformations.Font, size, colour, rotation and justification options are provided.

COORD FRAME : Defines a coordinate frame which can be used forsetting direction and axis specifications.


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CHART : This object is used to create a chart and specify general chartparameters, including the CHART LINE objects that define the chartlines.

CHART LINE : This object defines the variable, line style, symbol style,and colours to use for a chart line.

CALCULATOR : This singleton is used by the calculate action todefine the function and arguments to be evaluated, and store theResult.

MESH CALCULATOR : This singleton is used by the mesh calculateaction to define the function to be evaluated, and store the max and minResults.

EXPRESSION EVALUATOR : This singleton evaluates the specifiedExpression and stores the Result.

LIBRARY

Description

Singleton Object: LIBRARY is automatically read from theVARIABLES library file.

POINT

Description

Named Object: Defines a point using X, Y and Z coordinates.

Allowed Parameters



Optional Parameters


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Point Symbol : Name of point symbol (non-directional) to be used forplot.


Normalized : If set On, all vectors are plotted with the same length(show direction only).








Allowed Context Settings: XYZ, Node Number, Variable Minimum,Variable Maximum

Option = XYZ

Optional Parameters

Point : An XYZ triple which defines a point in space.

Option = Node Number

Optional Parameters


Node Number :


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Option = Variable Minimum

Optional Parameters


Location : A locator name.


Option = Variable Maximum

Optional Parameters




POLYLINE

Description

Named Object: A locator defined by multiple sets of points read froma data file or by the intersection of a boundary and a locator.The pointsmay have local (path) variables associated with them. The polyline caninteract with CFD data and can be coloured using path variables ordomain variables.

Allowed Parameters



Optional Parameters


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Allowed Context Settings: From File, Boundary Intersection


CFX-PostAppendix

Option = From File


Input File : The name of the file to be read that contains the definitionof one or more polylines and associated path variables.

Option = Boundary Intersection



Boundary List : A list of boundary objects

Optional Parameters


SUBDOMAIN

Description

Named Object: A volume region of a domain defined as a subdomain.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters






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CFX-PostAppendix


BOUNDARY

Description

Named Object: A locator defined by a boundary condition that existsin the results file.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters










CFX-PostAppendix













Internal Parameters

Solver Name : The name of this object inside the RES file.

Boundary Type : Internal parameter tells the type of the boundary.

Periodicity Type : Says whether the boundary is periodic in rotation ortranslation

Rotation Axis From : An XYZ triple defining the first point of therotation axis.


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Rotation Axis To : An XYZ triple defining the second point of therotation axis.

Rotation Angle : Specifies the rotation angle.

Translation Vector : Specifies the translation vector.

Opposite Boundary List : The boundaries that form the other side ofa periodic link

Interface Type : Matches the solver CCL parameter, saying what kindof GGI interface this is

WIREFRAME

Description

Named Object: Plots an outline of the domain given by edges betweenelements with greater than the specified angle.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters

Edge Angle : The angle between two faces used to limit visible edgesin a wireframe.








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VECTOR

Description

Named Object: Creates a vector plot on a given list of locators.

Allowed Parameters




Optional Parameters









CFX-PostAppendix


Normalized : If set On, all vectors are plotted with the same length(show direction only).

Symbol : Name of symbol to be used for the plot.


Projection Type : The vector projection type to be used in creating thisplot.






Direction : The direction specification for vector coord frameprojection.

Reduction Factor : Reduces the number of nodes of a locator to use

Surface Sampling : If set On, results are displayed at a subset ofpoints in the plot.

Number of Samples : The number of random samples to be taken inthe plot.

Random Seed : The seed to be used in the sampling of points on theplot.





CFX-PostAppendix





SYMBOL

Description

Named Object: An internal object representing a plotting symbol.

Allowed Parameters


Symbol Type : The category a symbol falls under.


Context Controlling Parameter: Symbol Type

Allowed Context Settings: Arrow2D, Arrow3D, Crosshair,Octahedron, Line Arrow, Arrowhead


CFX-PostAppendix

Symbol Type = Arrow2D

Symbol Type = Arrow3D

Symbol Type = Crosshair

Symbol Type = Octahedron

Symbol Type = Line Arrow

Symbol Type = Arrowhead

ISOSURFACE

Description

Named Object: A locator generated by the surface which passesthrough a constant value of a specified variable.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters


Value : The value of the variable at which the isosurface is to beplotted.





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CFX-PostAppendix




USER SURFACE

Description

Named Object: Allows the user to read an external file while containselements describing a general 3D surface, with local variable valuesoptionally specified on each node. The surface can interact with CFDdata and can be coloured using local variables or domain variables.

Allowed Parameters



Optional Parameters






CFX-PostAppendix

















CFX-PostAppendix



Allowed Context Settings: From File, Boundary Intersection

Option = From File


Input File : The name of the file to be read that contains the definitionof one or more polylines and associated path variables.

Option = Boundary Intersection



Boundary List : A list of boundary objects

Optional Parameters


PLANE

Description

Named Object: A general object to describe a plane through thedomain. Slice planes (which can be bounded) and sample planes aresupported.

Allowed Parameters



Optional Parameters



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CFX-PostAppendix


Plane Bound : Defines plane bounding (Circular, Rectangular, None).

Bound Radius : Radius of Circular Plane Bound.

Direction 1 Bound : Length of Rectangular Plane Bound.

Direction 2 Bound : Width of Rectangular Plane Bound.

Direction 1 Orientation : Orientation of Rectangular Plane Boundlength.

Direction 1 Points : Number of Sample points in direction 1.

Direction 2 Points : Number of Sample points in direction 2.

Plane Type : Indicates if the plane is a slice or sample plane.

Invert Plane Bound : Reverses the plane bounds by selecting regionoutside plane bound.








Allowed Context Settings: XY Plane, YZ Plane, ZX Plane, Point andNormal, Three Points

Option = YZ Plane

Optional Parameters


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X : The X coordinate value for the location of this object.

Option = ZX Plane

Optional Parameters

Y : The Y coordinate value for the location of this object.

Option = XY Plane

Optional Parameters

Z : The Z coordinate value for the location of this object.

Option = Point and Normal

Optional Parameters


Normal : An XYZ triple describing the normal vector.

Option = Three Points

Optional Parameters

Point 1 : An XYZ triple defining the first point for this object.

Point 2 : An XYZ triple defining the second point for this object.

Point 3 : An XYZ triple defining the third point for this object.

CLIP PLANE

Description

Named Object: Defines a plane that can be used to clip graphics in theviewer.

Allowed Parameters



CFX-PostAppendix


Optional Parameters

Flip Normal : If this parameter is set to true, the normal of the clip planewill be flipped, effectively inverting the clipping region.



Allowed Context Settings: XY Plane, YZ Plane, ZX Plane, Point andNormal, Three Points, From Slice Plane

Option = YZ Plane

Optional Parameters


Option = ZX Plane

Optional Parameters


Option = XY Plane

Optional Parameters



Optional Parameters




Optional Parameters



CFX-PostAppendix



Option = From Slice Plane

Optional Parameters

Slice Plane : Specifies the name of the PLANE object to use for theclip plane definition.

VOLUME

Description

Named Object: An object that contains a subset of the volumeelements of the domains it is defined on. Options are provided tospecify how that subset is defined.

Allowed Parameters



Optional Parameters






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Inclusive : If this parameter set to true, then the volume for above orbelow intersection includes intersections .


CFX-PostAppendix





Allowed Context Settings: Sphere, From Surface, Isovolume

Option = Sphere

Optional Parameters


Radius : Radius distance for sphere volume.

Option = From Surface

Optional Parameters


Volume Intersection Mode : A parameter used to define the contextsetting for volume object.

Option = Isovolume

Optional Parameters

Isovolume Intersection Mode : A parameter used to define thecontext setting for isovolume object.



Value 1 : The value of the variable at which the isovolume is to beplotted.


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Value 2 : The value of the variable at which the isovolume is to beplotted it is used when the isovolume mode is between values.

LINE

Description

Named Object: Defines a line object.

Allowed Parameters



Optional Parameters









CFX-PostAppendix




Line Type : Indicates if the line is a cut or sample line.

Line Samples : Number of points in the sample line.






Allowed Context Settings: Two Points

Option = Two Points

Optional Parameters



CONTOUR

Description

Named Object: Creates a contour plot on a given list of locators.


CFX-PostAppendix

Allowed Parameters




Optional Parameters


Number of Contours : Specifies number of contour lines in a contourplot.


Contour Range : Sets the method used to calculate a contourplot."Global" uses the range of variable values in the problem domain."Local" uses the range of values on the specified list of objects. "UserSpecified" uses Min and Max parameter value. "Value List" plotscontours on the values specified in Value List parameter.



Value List : Specifies a list of variable values for a contour plot. In orderfor this list to be used, Contour Range has to be set to "Value List".






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Constant Contour Colour : If set to On, then the "Line Colour"parameter is used to determine the contour colour. Otherwise, thecontour is coloured by the contour variable.



Show Numbers : Toggles contour numbering.

Draw Contours : Enables/disables drawing of the contour lines.

Fringe Fill : If set to On, the space between contours in a contour plotis filled with fringe bands.





Text Height : The height an item of text should be, proportional to thescreen.

Font : The font name for an item of text.

Text Colour : A list of three numbers between 0 and 1, which representthe RGB (Red/Green/Blue) values to be used when colouring the text.

SURFACE GROUP

Description

Named Object: Creates a group of surface plot on a given list oflocators.


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Allowed Parameters



Optional Parameters













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HARDCOPY

Description

Singleton Object: This object contains the settings used to control thecreation of hardcopy output from the viewer. It is used by the "print"action.

Allowed Parameters


Hardcopy Format : Sets the format of hardcopy output from "print".

Optional Parameters

Hardcopy Filename : Sets the file name for the output from "print".


CFX-PostAppendix

Hardcopy Tolerance : A non-dimensional tolerance used in face-sorting when generating hardcopy output. Smaller values will result infaster printing times, but may cause defects in the resulting output.


Context Controlling Parameter: Hardcopy Format

Allowed Context Settings: ps, eps, jpg, ppm, bmp, png, vrml

Hardcopy Format = ps

Optional Parameters

Paper Size : Scales hardcopy output to the specified paper size.

Print Quality : Controls quality vs. speed of hardcopy output.

Paper Orientation : Sets the rotation of the image on the printed page.

White Background : Toggles if hardcopy output is produced on awhite or black background.

Print Line Width : The width of lines in hardcopy output. Increasingthis value may give better results on high-resolution printers.

Hardcopy Format = eps

Optional Parameters

Paper Size : Scales hardcopy output to the specified paper size.


Paper Orientation : Sets the rotation of the image on the printed page.



Hardcopy Format = bmp

Optional Parameters


CFX-PostAppendix



Image Scale : Scales the size of bitmap images to a fraction (inpercent) of the current viewer window size.


Screen Capture : Enables the screen capture mode for producingimage output.

Hardcopy Format = jpg

Optional Parameters






JPEG Image Quality : The quality factor for jpeg image output. Highervalues results in clearer, but larger, files.

Hardcopy Format = png

Optional Parameters





CFX-PostAppendix



Hardcopy Format = ppm

Optional Parameters






DATA READER

Description

Singleton Object: This object contains the settings used to readresults files into the post-processor. It is used by the "load" action.

Allowed Parameters


Current Results File : The name of the results file to be read into thepost-processor.

Optional Parameters

Current Timestep : The timestep to be used when reading a transientresults file.


CFX-PostAppendix

Current Timevalue : The time value to be used when reading atransient results file.

Temporary Directory : The path to a temporary working directorywhich CFX-Post can use for placing temporary files. This directorydoes not have to exist between runs of CFX-Post, and the contents willbe deleted when Post shuts down.

Internal Parameters

Current File Type : The type of the results file to be read into the post-processor. This is an internal parameter.

Current Results File Version : The version of the current results file.

EXPORT

Description

Singleton Object: Holds parameters which control the export of datato an external text file.

Allowed Parameters


Export File : The filename to which the exported data will be written.

Optional Parameters


Variable List : A comma delimited list of variables whose data is to beexported.

Include Header : Indicates whether a pre-defined header is appendedto the top of the export file, using `

Null Token : The string that should be used in the export file if no dataexists for a variable at a node.

Overwrite : Indicates whether, if the specified filename exists, the fileshould be overwritten with the new data.


CFX-PostAppendix

Precision : Indicates the number of decimal points of precision todisplay the exported data to.

Vector Display : Indicates the way that vector variables are to bedisplayed. Choices are: Components | Scalar.

Separator : Indicates the string to use between each variable. Thestring must be delimited by quotation marks.

Vector Brackets : Indicates the kind of brackets to use around vectordata when displayed as components. Any two character combinationis valid, where the first character will be used as the open-bracket, andthe second as the close-bracket. If "-" is specified (no quotes), nobrackets will be displayed.

SESSION

Description

Singleton Object: Stores parameters used by the readsessioncommand.

Allowed Parameters


Session Filename : The name of the session file to which session datawill be saved.

Optional Parameters

Write Session Mode : This parameter indicates whether the sessionfile should be overwritten or appended to if it exists.

STATE

Description

Singleton Object: Stores parameters used by the readstate andsavestate commands.


CFX-PostAppendix

Allowed Parameters


State Filename : The name of the state file to which state data will besaved.

Optional Parameters

Read State Mode : This parameter indicates whether the currentsystem state information should be overwritten or appended to.

Save State Mode : This parameter indicates whether the state fileshould be overwritten if it exists.

Load Data : This parameter indicates whether to load the results file ornot if a DATA READER object exists in the STATE File for aREADSTATE action.

Save State Objects : A list of objects to save to the state file. If this listis empty, then all user created objects will be saved.

VIEWER

Description

Singleton Object: This object stores the viewer settings.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters

Camera Mode : Defines the current viewer camera mode. It can beeither Standard (specified by Standard View parameter) or UserSpecified, in which case a CAMERA object has to be defined andspecified in User Camera parameter.

User Camera : Defines the CAMERA object that is used to set up thecamera view in the viewer (Note that Camera Mode has to be set toUser Specified for this parameter to have effect).

Standard View : Defines one of the standard views in the viewer (Notethat Camera Mode has to be set to Standard for this parameter to haveeffect).


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Background Colour : Defines the R, G and B values for the viewerbackground colour.

Projection : Defines the current projection mode in the viewer. It canbe either Perspective or Orthographic.

Axis Visibility : Toggles the axis visibility in the viewer.

Border Visibility : Toggles the viewport border visibility in the viewer.

Light Angle : Defines the viewer light angles in degrees. The firstangle goes from left (0) to right (180), and the second goes from up (0)to down (180).

Clip Scene : Toggles the scene clipping plane in the viewer.

Clip Plane : Defines the CLIP PLANE object that is used for sceneclipping.

DOMAIN

Description

Named Object: An automatically created object for each domain readfrom the results file.

VECTOR VARIABLE

Description

Named Object: A object used to reference the data associated with avector quantity in the results file.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters

Boundary Values : Sets the type of boundary values to be presentedfor this variable (Conservative or Hybrid).


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User Units : Specifies the preferred units to display this variable in ifdifferent from the default units setting. To use the default units, thisparameter must be empty (blank).

Internal Parameters

VarMin : The global minimum value from this variable as read from theRES file.

VarMax : The global maximum value from this variable as read fromthe RES file.

HybridMin : The global hybrid minimum value from this variable asread from the RES file.

HybridMax : The global hybrid maximum value from this variable asread from the RES file.

Variable Dimensions : The dimensions of the variable as read fromthe results file.

Base Units : The base units of a variable.

Has Hybrid Values : Internal parameter specifying whether a variablecan load Hybrid Values on boundary nodes.

User Level : Specifies the user level of the variable.

Quantity Type : Specifies the Quantity Type of the variable.

SCALAR VARIABLE

Description

Named Object: A object used to reference the data associated with ascalar quantity in the results file.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters



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Internal Parameters








Component Index : Specifies vector component to be used for thevariable.

Recipe : Contains instructions on how to build a value list for thevariable.


User Level : Specifies the user level of the variable.



Context Controlling Parameter: Recipe

Allowed Context Settings: Standard, Vector Component


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Recipe = Standard

Optional Parameters


Recipe = Vector Component

USER SCALAR VARIABLE

Description

Named Object: A object used to reference user-defined data.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters



Recipe : Contains instructions on how to build a value list for thevariable.

Internal Parameters






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Context Controlling Parameter: Recipe

Allowed Context Settings: Expression

Recipe = Expression


Expression : A CFX Expression Language expression.

EXPRESSIONS

Description

Singleton Object: This object holds the definitions of all CELexpressions in the post-processor.

ANIMATION

Description

Singleton Object: Defines a Keyframe animation sequence. A list ofKEYFRAME objects indicate the states between which to interpolate.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters

Animation Name : The name of this animation.


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Animation Filename : The name of the file to save this animation to.

Keyframe List : An ordered list of keyframe names to be used for thisanimation.

Looping : Indicates the type of looping to perform for the animation.

Looping Cycles : Indicates the number of cycles that the Animationloop should complete before stopping automatically. A value of -1 willrepeat the cycles forever.

Timestep Interpolation Method : Indicates what timestep informationto interpolate if timesteps are to be animated.

Frame Increment : The number of frames to increment the framecounter by when incrementing to go to the next frame.

Animate Camera : Indicates whether to animate the camera(flythrough)along with the other objects, or leave the camera at thecurrent position.

Save Hardcopy : Boolean indicating whether to save the currentanimation to a file, as it progresses. A filename needs to be specified.

Animation Hardcopy Filename : The path of the file to save ahardcopy to.

Intermediate File Format : The format in which to save intermediatefiles when generating animation MPEGs.

Keep Intermediate Files : Boolean indicating whether or not CFX-Post should delete the intermediate files after the MPEG generation iscomplete.

Animation Frame Rate : The Frame Rate at which to generate theAnimation MPEG.

MPEG Scale : The amount to scale the viewer image for the AnimationMPEG output.



Internal Parameters


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Current Frame : The current frame that is displayed or calculated. Thisis useful to determine where in the animation you are when steppingthrough the frames. This is an internal parameter for status displaypurposes only.

Playback Status : This parameter indicates whether the animation isstopped or playing forward or backward. This is an internal parameterfor status display purposes only.

KEYFRAME

Description

Named Object: Defines a specific keyframe for an animationsequence. The actual system state is stored in a file referenced by theKeyframe Filename 'parameter.'

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters

Keyframe Name : A string containing the name of the keyframe todisplay to the user.

Number Of Frames : The number of frames in the animation to insertbetween this keyframe and the next.

Keyframe Filename : A string containing the name of the state fileassociated with this keyframe.

GROUP

Description

Named Object: Allows a group of multiple objects to behave as asingle object. Currently only used internally and does not work forgraphics, etc.

Allowed Parameters



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Member List : A list of objects included in the group.

DEFAULT INSTANCE TRANSFORM

Description

Named Object: Specifies the default instance transformation.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters

Apply Reflection : Toggles reflection in the transformation.

Apply Translation : Toggles translation in the transformation.

Apply Rotation : Toggles rotation in the transformation.

Reflection Plane : Specifies the REFLECTION PLANE object to usein a transformation.

Rotation Axis Type : Specifies the rotation axis type in thetransformation. If it is set to `Principal Axis, Principal Axis parametersetting is used.If it is set to Rotation Axis, parameters Rotation AxisFrom and Rotation Axis To are used for the axis definition.'

Principal Axis : Specifies the principal axis used in instance rotation.




Full Circle : If set to On, the instances are placed uniformly about theinstance rotation axis. Note that the Number of Copies has to begreater than two when this option is used.


Number of Copies : Specifies the number of transformed copies.


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INSTANCE TRANSFORM

Description

Named Object: Specifies an instance transformation that can consistof a rotation,a translation, a reflection and a number of copies of theoriginal object to produce. Note that applying reflection duplicates thenumber of copies.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters

Apply Reflection : Toggles reflection in the transformation.

Apply Translation : Toggles translation in the transformation.

Apply Rotation : Toggles rotation in the transformation.

Reflection Plane : Specifies the REFLECTION PLANE object to usein a transformation.

Rotation Axis Type : Specifies the rotation axis type in thetransformation. If it is set to `Principal Axis,Principal Axis parametersetting is used.If it is set to Rotation Axis, parameters Rotation AxisFrom and Rotation Axis To are used for the axis definition.'

Principal Axis : Specifies the principal axis used in instance rotation.




Full Circle : If set to On, the instances are placed uniformly about theinstance rotation axis. Note that the Number of Copies has to begreater than two when this option is used.


Number of Copies : Specifies the number of transformed copies.


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REFLECTION PLANE

Description

Named Object: This is a sub-object used for the reflection planedefinition in TRANSFORM object.

Allowed Parameters





Allowed Context Settings: XY Plane, YZ Plane, ZX Plane, Point andNormal, Three Points

Option = YZ Plane

Optional Parameters


Option = ZX Plane

Optional Parameters


Option = XY Plane

Optional Parameters



Optional Parameters


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Optional Parameters




CAMERA

Description

Named Object: Defines a camera that can be used to specify thecurrent view in the VIEWER object.

Allowed Parameters





Allowed Context Settings: Pivot Point and Quaternion, Pivot Pointand Rotation

Option = Pivot Point and Quaternion

Optional Parameters

Pivot Point : Defines the center of rotation (pivot point) for the camera.

Rotation Quaternion : Defines the camera rotation quaternion.


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Scale : Defines the relative scale of the camera view. With the defaultscale (1.0), the scene completely fills the viewer window.

Pan : Defines the camera pan in screen (X, Y) coordinates, withpositive X pointing right and positive Y pointing up.

Option = Pivot Point and Rotation

Optional Parameters

Pivot Point : Defines the center of rotation (pivot point) for the camera.

Rotation : Defines the camera rotation in terms of angles about X, Yand Z axis, respectively. X axis is pointing right, Y is pointing up and Ztowards the user.

Scale : Defines the relative scale of the camera view. With the defaultscale (1.0), the scene completely fills the viewer window.

Pan : Defines the camera pan in screen (X, Y) coordinates, withpositive X pointing right and positive Y pointing up.

LEGEND

Description

Named Object: Creates a labelled colour bar to show to legendassociated with the named plot.

Allowed Parameters


Legend Plot : Name of the locator for which to provide information.

Optional Parameters

Legend X Justification : Specifies the horizontal justification of a textor overlay item.

Legend Y Justification : Specifies the vertical justification of a text oroverlay item.

Legend Position : XY position of the legend.


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Legend Size : Scale factor to apply to legend.

Legend Ticks : Number of points to provide variable values next to theLegend bar.

Legend Resolution : Number of colour subdivisions on the legendbar.

Legend Shading : Controls interpolated shading of colour on thelegend bar.


Legend Aspect : Legend bar width control parameter



Legend Format : Parameter to modify string format of values onlegend.

TEXT

Description

Named Object: A single piece of text. This text item can be attachedto a point on screen (specified in two dimensions), or attached to apoint in three dimensions, following that point through any viewertransformations. Font, size, colour, rotation and justification options areprovided.

Allowed Parameters


Text String : The contents of an item of text.

Position Mode : Defines whether a text item is attached to two-dimensional screen coordinate, or a three-dimensional spatialcoordinate.


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Optional Parameters

Text Position : The location an item of text should be placed.

Text Height : The height an item of text should be, proportional to thescreen.


Overlay Size : A factor by which to scale the size of a two-dimensionaloverlay.




Context Controlling Parameter: Position Mode

Allowed Context Settings: Two Coords, Three Coords

Position Mode = Two Coords

Optional Parameters

X Justification : Specifies the horizontal justification of a text oroverlay item.

Y Justification : Specifies the vertical justification of a text or overlayitem.

Position Mode = Three Coords

Optional Parameters

Text Rotation : Counter-clockwise rotation, in degrees, to be appliedto a text item.


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COORD FRAME

Description

Named Object: Defines a coordinate frame which can be used forsetting direction and axis specifications.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters

Reference Coord Frame : The Coordinate Frame in which thephysical locations used to set this coordinate frame are described.

Coord Frame Type : The orthonormal space used to define thecoordinate frame.

Origin X Coord : The X location of the coordinate frame origin.

Origin Y Coord : The Y location of the coordinate frame origin.

Origin Z Coord : The Z location of the coordinate frame origin.

Axis 3 Point X Coord : The X location of the point in the Z axis of thecoordinate frame.

Axis 3 Point Y Coord : The Y location of the point in the Z axis of thecoordinate frame.

Axis 3 Point Z Coord : The Z location of the point in the Z axis of thecoordinate frame.

Plane 13 Point X Coord : The X location of the a point in the XZ planeof the coordinate frame.

Plane 13 Point Y Coord : The Y location of the a point in the XZ planeof the coordinate frame.

Plane 13 Point Z Coord : The Z location of the a point in the XZ planeof the coordinate frame.



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CHART

Description

Named Object: This object is used to create a chart and specifygeneral chart parameters, including the CHART LINE objects thatdefine the chart lines.

Allowed Parameters


Chart Type : Specifies the kind of chart to create.

Optional Parameters

Chart Title : Specifies the title for the chart.

Chart Font : The name of the font to use for this chart.

Chart Text Colour : The colour of the chart title and X & Y Axis Labels.

Chart Viewport Colour : The colour of the chart viewport includingaxes, tick marks, and axis numbering.


Context Controlling Parameter: Chart Type

Allowed Context Settings: XY

Chart Type = XY

Optional Parameters

Chart Line List : A comma delimited list of names of CHART LINEobjects that the user wishes to have displayed on the chart.

Chart Legend : Specifies whether a legend should be displayed or not.

Chart Legend Margin : Indicates a proportion of the screen space thatshould be used to display the Legend. The default value of 0.2indicates that 20% of the chart, at the right side of the window, shouldbe allocated to the Legend.


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Chart Axes : Indicates whether the X=0 or Y=0 lines should bedisplayed on the chart. Neither, either or both may be displayed.

Chart X Axis Label : The label to use for the X-Axis.

Chart Y Axis Label : The label to use for the Y-Axis.

Range Selection : Indicates whether the Min/Max X and Y valuesshown on the chart will be automatically or manually selected.

Max X : If the Range Selection parameter is set to `Manual,thisparameter will indicate the maximum X value to display.'

Min X : If the Range Selection parameter is set to `Manual,thisparameter will indicate the minimum X value to display.'

Max Y : If the Range Selection parameter is set to `Manual,thisparameter will indicate the maximum Y value to display.'

Min Y : If the Range Selection parameter is set to `Manual,thisparameter will indicate the minimum Y value to display.'

CHART LINE

Description

Named Object: This object defines the variable, line style, symbolstyle, and colours to use for a chart line.

Allowed Parameters

Optional Parameters

Line Name : The name of this chart line. This string will be used as thelabel in the Legend if one is displayed.


Chart X Variable : Specifies the name of the X-Axis variable to chart.The default value of `Chart Count indicates that the X-Axis will be alocator point counter.'

Chart Y Variable : Specifies the name of the Y-Axis variable to chart.


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Display Chart Line : Indicates whether or not to display a lineconnecting the data points.

Chart Line Style : Specifies the line style to use if the Chart LineToggle is True.

Chart Line Colour : Specifies the colour of the line. The Default valueof Auto will cause the Engine to automatically pick a colour differentfrom any colour already used.

Display Chart Symbol : Indicates whether or not to display a symbolat each data point on the chart.

Chart Symbol Style : Specifies the symbol style to use if the ChartSymbol Toggle is True.

Chart Symbol Colour : Specifies the colour of the symbol. The Defaultvalue of Auto will cause the Engine to automatically pick a colourdifferent from any colour already used.

CALCULATOR

Description

Singleton Object: This singleton is used by the calculate action todefine the function and arguments to be evaluated, and store theResult.

Allowed Parameters


Function : The context controlling parameter for the CALCULATORobject, which defines the name of the function to be evaluated.


Optional Parameters

Verbose : Controls if the result of a calculation is written to the screen.

Internal Parameters


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Result : The internal parameter for the CALCULATOR andEXPRESSION EVALUATOR object used to store the results of afunction evaluation.

Result Units : The internal parameter for the CALCULATOR andEXPRESSION EVALUATOR object used to store the units of theresults of a function evaluation.


Context Controlling Parameter: Function

Allowed Context Settings: area, areaAve, areaInt, ave, count, force,forceNorm, length, lengthAve, lengthInt, massFlow, massFlowAve,massFlowInt, maxVal, minVal, probe, sum, torque, volume,volumeAve, volumeInt

Function = massFlow

Optional Parameters

Fluid : The fluid specification for multiphase quantitative calculations.

Function = massFlowAve



Optional Parameters


Function = area

Optional Parameters

Axis : The axis specification for directional quantitative calculations.

Function = areaAve




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Function = areaInt



Optional Parameters


Function = ave



Function = sum



Function = minVal



Function = maxVal



Function = probe



Function = force



Optional Parameters


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Function = forceNorm

Optional Parameters


Function = torque



Optional Parameters


Function = lengthInt



Function = lengthAve



MESH CALCULATOR

Description

Singleton Object: This singleton is used by the mesh calculate actionto define the function to be evaluated, and store the max and minResults.

Allowed Parameters



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Mesh Function : The context controlling parameter for the MESHCALCULATOR object, which defines the name of the function to beevaluated.

Internal Parameters

Max Result : The internal parameter for the MESH CALCULATORobject used to store the max result of evaluation.

Min Result : The internal parameter for the MESH CALCULATORobject used to store the min result of evaluation.


Number of Nodes : The internal parameter for the MESHCALCULATOR object used to store the number of nodes.

Number of Elements : The internal parameter for the MESHCALCULATOR object used to store the number of elements.

Number of Tetrahedra : The internal parameter for the MESHCALCULATOR object used to store the number of tetrahedra.

Number of Wedges : The internal parameter for the MESHCALCULATOR object used to store the number of wedges.

Number of Pyramids : The internal parameter for the MESHCALCULATOR object used to store the number of pyramids.

Number of Hexahedra : The internal parameter for the MESHCALCULATOR object used to store the number of hexahedra.

EXPRESSION EVALUATOR

Description

Singleton Object: This singleton evaluates the specified Expressionand stores the Result.

Allowed Parameters



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Evaluated Expression : A CFX Expression Language expression forusage in EXPRESSION EVALUATOR.

Internal Parameters

Result : The internal parameter for the CALCULATOR andEXPRESSION EVALUATOR object used to store the results of afunction evaluation.



CFX-PostAppendix

CCL Parameters

Absolute ToleranceDescription: Length to use as a maximum step tolerance

Parameter Type: Real

Animate CameraDescription: Indicates whether to animate the camera(flythrough)along with the other objects, or leave the camera at thecurrent position.

Parameter Type: Logical

Default Value: On

Animation FilenameDescription: The name of the file to save this animation to.

Parameter Type: String

Animation Frame RateDescription: The Frame Rate at which to generate the AnimationMPEG.


Allowed Values: 24, 25, 30, 50, 60

Default Value: 24

Animation Hardcopy FilenameDescription: The path of the file to save a hardcopy to.


CFX-5.5.1 CCL Parameters Page 297

CFX-PostAppendix

Animation NameDescription: The name of this animation.


Apply Instancing TransformDescription: Toggles the instancing transformation for this graphicsobject in the viewer.


Default Value: On

Apply ReflectionDescription: Toggles reflection in the transformation.


Default Value: false

Apply RotationDescription: Toggles rotation in the transformation.


Default Value: true

Apply TranslationDescription: Toggles translation in the transformation.



AxisDescription: The axis specification for directional quantitativecalculations.

Page 298 CCL Parameters CFX-5.5.1

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Axis 3 Point X CoordDescription: The X location of the point in the Z axis of the coordinateframe.


Default Value: 0

Axis 3 Point Y CoordDescription: The Y location of the point in the Z axis of the coordinateframe.


Default Value: 0

Axis 3 Point Z CoordDescription: The Z location of the point in the Z axis of the coordinateframe.


Default Value: 1

Axis VisibilityDescription: Toggles the axis visibility in the viewer.


Default Value: true

Background ColourDescription: Defines the R, G and B values for the viewer backgroundcolour.

Parameter Type: Real List


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Default Value: 0, 0, 0

Base UnitsDescription: The base units of a variable.


Border VisibilityDescription: Toggles the viewport border visibility in the viewer.



Bound RadiusDescription: Radius of Circular Plane Bound.


Default Value: 0.5

Boundary ListDescription: A list of boundary objects

Parameter Type: String List

Boundary TypeDescription: Internal parameter tells the type of the boundary.


Boundary ValuesDescription: Sets the type of boundary values to be presented for thisvariable (Conservative or Hybrid).



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Allowed Values: Conservative, Hybrid

Default Value: Conservative

Camera ModeDescription: Defines the current viewer camera mode. It can be eitherStandard (specified by Standard View parameter) or User Specified, inwhich case a CAMERA object has to be defined and specified in UserCamera parameter.


Allowed Values: Standard, User Specified

Default Value: Standard

Chart AxesDescription: Indicates whether the X=0 or Y=0 lines should bedisplayed on the chart. Neither, either or both may be displayed.


Allowed Values: None, X Only, Y Only, Both

Default Value: Both

Chart FontDescription: The name of the font to use for this chart.


Default Value: Roman

Chart LegendDescription: Specifies whether a legend should be displayed or not.


Default Value: False


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Chart Legend MarginDescription: Indicates a proportion of the screen space that should beused to display the Legend. The default value of 0.2 indicates that 20%of the chart, at the right side of the window, should be allocated to theLegend.


Default Value: 0.2

Chart Line ColourDescription: Specifies the colour of the line. The Default value of Autowill cause the Engine to automatically pick a colour different from anycolour already used.


Allowed Values: Auto, Black, Red, Yellow, Green, Aquamarine, Pink,Wheat, Grey, Brown, Blue, Blueviolet, Cyan, Turquoise, Magenta,Salmon, White

Default Value: Auto

Chart Line ListDescription: A comma delimited list of names of CHART LINE objectsthat the user wishes to have displayed on the chart.


Chart Line StyleDescription: Specifies the line style to use if the Chart Line Toggle isTrue.


Default Value: 1


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Chart Symbol ColourDescription: Specifies the colour of the symbol. The Default value ofAuto will cause the Engine to automatically pick a colour different fromany colour already used.


Allowed Values: Auto, Black, Red, Yellow, Green, Aquamarine, Pink,Wheat, Grey, Brown, Blue, Blueviolet, Cyan, Turquoise, Magenta,Salmon, White

Default Value: Auto

Chart Symbol StyleDescription: Specifies the symbol style to use if the Chart SymbolToggle is True.


Default Value: 1

Chart Text ColourDescription: The colour of the chart title and X & Y Axis Labels.


Allowed Values: Black, Red, Yellow, Green, Aquamarine, Pink,Wheat, Grey, Brown, Blue, Blueviolet, Cyan, Turquoise, Magenta,Salmon, White

Default Value: White

Chart TitleDescription: Specifies the title for the chart.


Default Value: Title


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Chart TypeDescription: Specifies the kind of chart to create.


Allowed Values: XY

Default Value: XY

Chart Viewport ColourDescription: The colour of the chart viewport including axes, tickmarks, and axis numbering.


Allowed Values: Black, Red, Yellow, Green, Aquamarine, Pink,Wheat, Grey, Brown, Blue, Blueviolet, Cyan, Turquoise, Magenta,Salmon, White

Default Value: Yellow

Chart X Axis LabelDescription: The label to use for the X-Axis.


Default Value: X Axis

Chart X VariableDescription: Specifies the name of the X-Axis variable to chart. Thedefault value of `Chart Count indicates that the X-Axis will be a locatorpoint counter.'


Default Value: Chart Count

Chart Y Axis LabelDescription: The label to use for the Y-Axis.


CFX-PostAppendix


Default Value: Y Axis

Chart Y VariableDescription: Specifies the name of the Y-Axis variable to chart.


Clip PlaneDescription: Defines the CLIP PLANE object that is used for sceneclipping.


Clip SceneDescription: Toggles the scene clipping plane in the viewer.



ColourDescription: A list of three numbers between 0 and 1, which representthe RGB (Red/Green/Blue) values to be used when colouring the facesof an object by constant colour.


Default Value: 1.0, 1.0, 1.0

Colour ModeDescription: Sets the mode used to colour the object. If set equal to"Constant" then the "Colour" parameter is used to determine the plotcolour. If set equal to "Variable", then the "Colour Variable" parameteris used.



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Allowed Values: Use Plot Variable, Constant, Variable, Time, Unique

Default Value: Constant

Colour VariableDescription: The name of the variable to be used in colouring theobject. Should be set equal to the name of a currently definedVARIABLE object.


Colour Variable Boundary ValuesDescription: Sets the type of boundary values to be presented forcolour variables in this object (Conservative or Hybrid).



Default Value: Hybrid

Component Bounds FlagParameter Type: String

Component Clip FactorsParameter Type: Real List

Component IndexDescription: Specifies vector component to be used for the variable.


Allowed Values: 1, 2, 3

Default Value: 1


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Component Long NamesParameter Type: String List

Component Lower BoundsParameter Type: Real List

Component MMS NamesParameter Type: String List

Component Short NamesParameter Type: String List

Component Upper BoundsParameter Type: Real List

Constant Contour ColourDescription: If set to On, then the "Line Colour" parameter is used todetermine the contour colour. Otherwise, the contour is coloured by thecontour variable.


Default Value: Off

Contour RangeDescription: Sets the method used to calculate a contour plot."Global"uses the range of variable values in the problem domain. "Local" usesthe range of values on the specified list of objects. "User Specified"uses Min and Max parameter value. "Value List" plots contours on thevalues specified in Value List parameter.


Allowed Values: Global, Local, User Specified, Value List


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Default Value: Global

Coord Frame TypeDescription: The orthonormal space used to define the coordinateframe.


Allowed Values: Cartesian

Default Value: Cartesian

Cross PeriodicsDescription: If true allows a streamline to cross a periodic boundary


Default Value: Yes

Culling ModeDescription: Controls the face culling of this object in the viewer.


Allowed Values: No Culling, Back Faces, Front Faces

Default Value: No Culling

Current File TypeDescription: The type of the results file to be read into the post-processor. This is an internal parameter.


Allowed Values: CFX5, CFX4


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Current FrameDescription: The current frame that is displayed or calculated. This isuseful to determine where in the animation you are when steppingthrough the frames. This is an internal parameter for status displaypurposes only.

Parameter Type: Integer

Current Results FileDescription: The name of the results file to be read into the post-processor.


Current Results File VersionDescription: The version of the current results file.


Current TimestepDescription: The timestep to be used when reading a transient resultsfile.


Default Value: -1

Current TimevalueDescription: The time value to be used when reading a transientresults file.


Default Value: 1


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Custom Units SettingDescription: This is a comma delimited list of Quantities and theirselected units for the Custom Units Setting. The list will contain bothQuantities and the units: e.g. Acceleration, m s^-2, Angle, radian, ...


Default VulnerabilityDescription: Default vulnerability for non-permanent solver data.


DirectionDescription: The direction specification for vector coord frameprojection.


Direction 1 BoundDescription: Length of Rectangular Plane Bound.


Default Value: 1.0

Direction 1 OrientationDescription: Orientation of Rectangular Plane Bound length.


Default Value: 0 [degree]

Direction 1 PointsDescription: Number of Sample points in direction 1.



CFX-PostAppendix

Default Value: 10

Direction 2 BoundDescription: Width of Rectangular Plane Bound.


Default Value: 1.0

Direction 2 PointsDescription: Number of Sample points in direction 2.


Default Value: 10

Display Chart LineDescription: Indicates whether or not to display a line connecting thedata points.


Default Value: True

Display Chart SymbolDescription: Indicates whether or not to display a symbol at each datapoint on the chart.



Domain ListDescription: The list of domains over which to define this object.


Default Value: All Domains


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Draw ContoursDescription: Enables/disables drawing of the contour lines.


Default Value: On

Draw FacesDescription: Toggles the visibility filled faces for this graphics objectinthe viewer.


Default Value: On

Draw LinesDescription: Toggles the visibility of lines around each face of thisgraphics object.


Default Value: Off

Draw StreamsDescription: If false do not draw streams, but allow drawing ofsymbols


Default Value: Yes

Draw SymbolsDescription: Draw symbols on the streams at specified times


Default Value: No


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Edge AngleDescription: The angle between two faces used to limit visible edgesin a wireframe.



Evaluated ExpressionDescription: A CFX Expression Language expression for usage inEXPRESSION EVALUATOR.


Export FileDescription: The filename to which the exported data will be written.


Default Value: export.dat

ExpressionDescription: A CFX Expression Language expression.


Flip NormalDescription: If this parameter is set to true, the normal of the clip planewill be flipped, effectively inverting the clipping region.



FluidDescription: The fluid specification for multiphase quantitativecalculations.


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FontDescription: The font name for an item of text.


Allowed Values: Serif, Sans Serif

Default Value: Sans Serif

Frame IncrementDescription: The number of frames to increment the frame counter bywhen incrementing to go to the next frame.


Default Value: 1

Fringe FillDescription: If set to On, the space between contours in a contour plotis filled with fringe bands.


Default Value: Off

Full CircleDescription: If set to On, the instances are placed uniformly about theinstance rotation axis. Note that the Number of Copies has to begreater than two when this option is used.


Default Value: On


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FunctionDescription: The context controlling parameter for the CALCULATORobject, which defines the name of the function to be evaluated.


General AvailabilityParameter Type: String List

Default Value: No

Grid ToleranceDescription: Fraction of local grid size to use as a maximum steptolerance


Default Value: 0.01

Hardcopy FilenameDescription: Sets the file name for the output from "print".


Default Value: cfxOutput

Hardcopy FormatDescription: Sets the format of hardcopy output from "print".


Allowed Values: ps, eps, jpg, ppm, bmp, png, vrml

Default Value: ps


CFX-PostAppendix

Hardcopy ToleranceDescription: A non-dimensional tolerance used in face-sorting whengenerating hardcopy output. Smaller values will result in faster printingtimes, but may cause defects in the resulting output.


Default Value: 0.001

Has Hybrid ValuesDescription: Internal parameter specifying whether a variable canload Hybrid Values on boundary nodes.


Default Value: Yes

HybridMaxDescription: The global hybrid maximum value from this variable asread from the RES file.


HybridMinDescription: The global hybrid minimum value from this variable asread from the RES file.


Image ScaleDescription: Scales the size of bitmap images to a fraction (in percent)of the current viewer window size.


Default Value: 100


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Include HeaderDescription: Indicates whether a pre-defined header is appended tothe top of the export file, using `


Default Value: True

InclusiveDescription: If this parameter set to true, then the volume for above orbelow intersection includes intersections .



Input FileDescription: The name of the file to be read that contains the definitionof one or more polylines and associated path variables.


Default Value: data.txt

Instancing TransformDescription: Defines the TRANSFORM object that is used for theobject instancing.


Default Value: Default Transform

Interface TypeDescription: Matches the solver CCL parameter, saying what kind ofGGI interface this is


Allowed Values: Fluid Fluid, Fluid Solid, Solid Solid, Periodic


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Intermediate File FormatDescription: The format in which to save intermediate files whengenerating animation MPEGs.


Allowed Values: jpg, ppm

Default Value: jpg

Invert Plane BoundDescription: Reverses the plane bounds by selecting region outsideplane bound.


Default Value: Off

Isovolume Intersection ModeDescription: A parameter used to define the context setting forisovolume object.


Allowed Values: At Value, Below Value, Above Value, BetweenValues

Default Value: At Value

JPEG Image QualityDescription: The quality factor for jpeg image output. Higher valuesresults in clearer, but larger, files.


Default Value: 80


CFX-PostAppendix

Keep Intermediate FilesDescription: Boolean indicating whether or not CFX-Post shoulddelete the intermediate files after the MPEG generation is complete.


Default Value: Off

Keyframe FilenameDescription: A string containing the name of the state file associatedwith this keyframe.


Keyframe ListDescription: An ordered list of keyframe names to be used for thisanimation.


Keyframe NameDescription: A string containing the name of the keyframe to displayto the user.


Legend AspectDescription: Legend bar width control parameter


Default Value: 0.06

Legend FormatDescription: Parameter to modify string format of values on legend.



CFX-PostAppendix

Default Value: %9.6f

Legend PlotDescription: Name of the locator for which to provide information.


Legend PositionDescription: XY position of the legend.


Default Value: 0.02, 0.15

Legend ResolutionDescription: Number of colour subdivisions on the legend bar.


Default Value: 256

Legend ShadingDescription: Controls interpolated shading of colour on the legendbar.


Allowed Values: Smooth, Flat

Default Value: Smooth

Legend SizeDescription: Scale factor to apply to legend.


Default Value: 0.75


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Legend TicksDescription: Number of points to provide variable values next to theLegend bar.


Default Value: 5

Legend X JustificationDescription: Specifies the horizontal justification of a text or overlayitem.


Allowed Values: None, Center, Left, Right

Default Value: Left

Legend Y JustificationDescription: Specifies the vertical justification of a text or overlay item.


Allowed Values: None, Center, Top, Bottom

Default Value: Center

Light AngleDescription: Defines the viewer light angles in degrees. The first anglegoes from left (0) to right (180), and the second goes from up (0) todown (180).


Default Value: 110, 110

LightingDescription: Toggles the lighting of this graphics object in the viewer.


CFX-PostAppendix


Default Value: true

Line ColourDescription: A list of three numbers between 0 and 1, which representthe RGB (Red/Green/Blue) values to be used for colouring the lines ona graphics object.



Line NameDescription: The name of this chart line. This string will be used as thelabel in the Legend if one is displayed.


Default Value: New Line

Line SamplesDescription: Number of points in the sample line.


Default Value: 10

Line TypeDescription: Indicates if the line is a cut or sample line.


Allowed Values: Cut, Sample

Default Value: Sample


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Line WidthDescription: Controls the width (in pixels) of lines drawn for thisgraphics object.


Default Value: 1

Load DataDescription: This parameter indicates whether to load the results fileor not if a DATA READER object exists in the STATE File for aREADSTATE action.


Default Value: True

LocationDescription: A locator name.


Location ListDescription: A comma delimited list of locator names.


Long NameParameter Type: String

LoopingDescription: Indicates the type of looping to perform for the animation.


Allowed Values: Bounce, Loop


CFX-PostAppendix

Default Value: Loop

Looping CyclesDescription: Indicates the number of cycles that the Animation loopshould complete before stopping automatically. A value of -1 will repeatthe cycles forever.


Default Value: 1

MMS NameParameter Type: String

MPEG ScaleDescription: The amount to scale the viewer image for the AnimationMPEG output.


Default Value: 100

MaxDescription: The maximum value of a variable in the colourmap whenusing a "User Specified" range.


Max ResultDescription: The internal parameter for the MESH CALCULATORobject used to store the max result of evaluation.



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Max XDescription: If the Range Selection parameter is set to `Manual,thisparameter will indicate the maximum X value to display.'


Default Value: 1.0

Max YDescription: If the Range Selection parameter is set to `Manual,thisparameter will indicate the maximum Y value to display.'


Default Value: 1.0

Member ListDescription: A list of objects included in the group.


Mesh FunctionDescription: The context controlling parameter for the MESHCALCULATOR object, which defines the name of the function to beevaluated.


Allowed Values: Maximum Face Angle, Minimum Face Angle, EdgeLength Ratio, Connectivity Number, Element Volume Ratio, MeshStatistics

Default Value: Maximum Face Angle

MinDescription: The minimum value of a variable in the colourmap whenusing a "User Specified" range.


CFX-PostAppendix


Min ResultDescription: The internal parameter for the MESH CALCULATORobject used to store the min result of evaluation.


Min XDescription: If the Range Selection parameter is set to `Manual,thisparameter will indicate the minimum X value to display.'


Default Value: -1.0

Min YDescription: If the Range Selection parameter is set to `Manual,thisparameter will indicate the minimum Y value to display,this parameterwill indicate the minimum Y value to display.'


Default Value: -1.0

Node NumberDescription: the node number which the point plot will be drawn


Default Value: 0

NormalDescription: An XYZ triple describing the normal vector.


Default Value: 1.0,0.0,0.0


CFX-PostAppendix

NormalizedDescription: If set On, all vectors are plotted with the same length(show direction only).


Default Value: Off

Null TokenDescription: The string that should be used in the export file if no dataexists for a variable at a node.


Default Value: <null

Number Of FramesDescription: The number of frames in the animation to insert betweenthis keyframe and the next.


Default Value: 10

Number of ContoursDescription: Specifies number of contour lines in a contour plot.


Default Value: 10

Number of CopiesDescription: Specifies the number of transformed copies.


Default Value: 1


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Number of ElementsDescription: The internal parameter for the MESH CALCULATORobject used to store the number of elements.


Number of HexahedraDescription: The internal parameter for the MESH CALCULATORobject used to store the number of hexahedra.


Number of NodesDescription: The internal parameter for the MESH CALCULATORobject used to store the number of nodes.


Number of PyramidsDescription: The internal parameter for the MESH CALCULATORobject used to store the number of pyramids.


Number of SamplesDescription: The number of random samples to be taken in the plot.


Default Value: 10

Number of SidesDescription: The number of sides of a round 'tube'


Default Value: 4


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Number of TetrahedraDescription: The internal parameter for the MESH CALCULATORobject used to store the number of tetrahedra.


Number of WedgesDescription: The internal parameter for the MESH CALCULATORobject used to store the number of wedges.


Opposite Boundary ListDescription: The boundaries that form the other side of a periodic link


OptionDescription: A generic parameter used to define the context settingfor a variety of objects.


Origin X CoordDescription: The X location of the coordinate frame origin.


Default Value: 0

Origin Y CoordDescription: The Y location of the coordinate frame origin.


Default Value: 0


CFX-PostAppendix

Origin Z CoordDescription: The Z location of the coordinate frame origin.


Default Value: 0

Output to JobfileParameter Type: Logical

Default Value: No

Output to PostprocessorParameter Type: Logical

Default Value: No

Overlay SizeDescription: A factor by which to scale the size of a two-dimensionaloverlay.


Default Value: 1

OverwriteDescription: Indicates whether, if the specified filename exists, the fileshould be overwritten with the new data.



PanDescription: Defines the camera pan in screen (X, Y) coordinates,with positive X pointing right and positive Y pointing up.


CFX-PostAppendix



Paper OrientationDescription: Sets the rotation of the image on the printed page.


Allowed Values: Landscape, Portrait

Default Value: Landscape

Paper SizeDescription: Scales hardcopy output to the specified paper size.


Allowed Values: Letter, A4

Default Value: Letter

Periodicity TypeDescription: Says whether the boundary is periodic in rotation ortranslation


Allowed Values: Rotation,Translation

Physical AvailabilityParameter Type: String List

Default Value: No

Pivot PointDescription: Defines the center of rotation (pivot point) for the camera.



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Plane 13 Point X CoordDescription: The X location of the a point in the XZ plane of thecoordinate frame.


Default Value: 1

Plane 13 Point Y CoordDescription: The Y location of the a point in the XZ plane of thecoordinate frame.


Default Value: 0

Plane 13 Point Z CoordDescription: The Z location of the a point in the XZ plane of thecoordinate frame.


Default Value: 0

Plane BoundDescription: Defines plane bounding (Circular, Rectangular, None).


Allowed Values: None, Circular, Rectangular

Default Value: None

Plane TypeDescription: Indicates if the plane is a slice or sample plane.


CFX-PostAppendix


Allowed Values: Slice, Sample

Default Value: Slice

Playback StatusDescription: This parameter indicates whether the animation isstopped or playing forward or backward. This is an internal parameterfor status display purposes only.


Allowed Values: Stopped, Forward, Backward, Paused

Default Value: Stopped

PointDescription: An XYZ triple which defines a point in space.



Point 1Description: An XYZ triple defining the first point for this object.



Point 2Description: An XYZ triple defining the second point for this object.




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Point 3Description: An XYZ triple defining the third point for this object.



Point SymbolDescription: Name of point symbol (non-directional) to be used forplot.


Default Value: Crosshair

Position ModeDescription: Defines whether a text item is attached to two-dimensional screen coordinate, or a three-dimensional spatialcoordinate.


Allowed Values: Two Coords, Three Coords

Default Value: Two Coords

PrecisionDescription: Indicates the number of decimal points of precision todisplay the exported data to.


Default Value: 8

Preferred Units SystemDescription: This specifies the Units System to use.



CFX-PostAppendix

Default Value: SI

Principal AxisDescription: Specifies the principal axis used in instance rotation.


Allowed Values: X, Y, Z

Default Value: Z

Print Line WidthDescription: The width of lines in hardcopy output. Increasing thisvalue may give better results on high-resolution printers.


Default Value: 1

Print QualityDescription: Controls quality vs. speed of hardcopy output.


Allowed Values: Draft, Medium, High

Default Value: High

ProjectionDescription: Defines the current projection mode in the viewer. It canbe either Perspective or Orthographic.


Allowed Values: Perspective, Orthographic

Default Value: Perspective


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Projection TypeDescription: The vector projection type to be used in creating this plot.


Allowed Values: None, Coord Frame, Normal, Tangential

Default Value: None

QuantityParameter Type: String

Quantity TypeDescription: Specifies the Quantity Type of the variable.


RadiusDescription: Radius distance for sphere volume.


Default Value: 1.0

Random SeedDescription: The seed to be used in the sampling of points on the plot.


Default Value: 1

RangeDescription: Sets the method used to calculate the extents of thecolour map on an object. "Global" uses the range of values in theproblem domain. "Local" uses the range of values on the currentobject.


CFX-PostAppendix


Allowed Values: Global, Local, User Specified

Default Value: Global

Range SelectionDescription: Indicates whether the Min/Max X and Y values shown onthe chart will be automatically or manually selected.


Allowed Values: Automatic, Manual

Default Value: Automatic

Read State ModeDescription: This parameter indicates whether the current systemstate information should be overwritten or appended to.


Allowed Values: Overwrite, Append

Default Value: Overwrite

RecipeDescription: Contains instructions on how to build a value list for thevariable.


Allowed Values: Standard, Vector Component, Expression

Default Value: Standard

Reduction FactorDescription: Reduces the number of nodes of a locator to use



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Default Value: 1.0

Reference Coord FrameDescription: The Coordinate Frame in which the physical locationsused to set this coordinate frame are described.


Default Value: Coord 0

Reflection PlaneDescription: Specifies the REFLECTION PLANE object to use in atransformation.


ResultDescription: The internal parameter for the CALCULATOR andEXPRESSION EVALUATOR object used to store the results of afunction evaluation.


Result UnitsDescription: The internal parameter for the CALCULATOR andEXPRESSION EVALUATOR object used to store the units of theresults of a function evaluation.


Ribbon WidthDescription: The initial width of stream ribbons



CFX-PostAppendix

RotationDescription: Defines the camera rotation in terms of angles about X,Y and Z axis, respectively. X axis is pointing right, Y is pointing up andZ towards the user.


Default Value: -90, 0, 0

Rotation AngleDescription: Specifies the rotation angle.



Rotation Axis FromDescription: An XYZ triple defining the first point of the rotation axis.



Rotation Axis ToDescription: An XYZ triple defining the second point of the rotationaxis.



Rotation Axis TypeDescription: Specifies the rotation axis type in the transformation. If itis set to `Principal Axis,Principal Axis parameter setting is used. If it isset to Rotation Axis,parameters Rotation Axis From and Rotation AxisTo are used for the axis definition.'



CFX-PostAppendix

Allowed Values: Principal Axis, Rotation Axis

Default Value: Principal Axis

Rotation QuaternionDescription: Defines the camera rotation quaternion.


Default Value: -0.707107, 0, 0, 0.707107

Save HardcopyDescription: Boolean indicating whether to save the current animationto a file, as it progresses. A filename needs to be specified.


Default Value: Off

Save State ModeDescription: This parameter indicates whether the state file should beoverwritten if it exists.


Allowed Values: None, Overwrite

Default Value: None

Save State ObjectsDescription: A list of objects to save to the state file. If this list isempty, then all user created objects will be saved.


ScaleDescription: Defines the relative scale of the camera view. With thedefault scale (1.0), the scene completely fills the viewer window.


CFX-PostAppendix


Default Value: 1.0

Screen CaptureDescription: Enables the screen capture mode for producing imageoutput.


Default Value: Off

SeparatorDescription: Indicates the string to use between each variable. Thestring must be delimited by quotation marks.


Default Value: " "

Session FilenameDescription: The name of the session file to which session data will besaved.


Default Value: session.cse

Show NumbersDescription: Toggles contour numbering.


Default Value: On

Slice PlaneDescription: Specifies the name of the PLANE object to use for theclip plane definition.


CFX-PostAppendix


Solver NameDescription: The name of this object inside the RES file.


Specular LightingDescription: Toggles the specular lighting of this object in the viewer.


Default Value: Off

Standard ViewDescription: Defines one of the standard views in the viewer (Notethat Camera Mode has to be set to Standard for this parameter to haveeffect).


Allowed Values: +X, +Y, +Z, -X, -Y, -Z, Isometric

Default Value: +Y

State FilenameDescription: The name of the state file to which state data will besaved.


Default Value: state.cst

StatusParameter Type: String

Allowed Values: P,D,DR,M


CFX-PostAppendix

Stream Ribbon Initial DirectionDescription: Defines the initial plane of a stream ribbon

Parameter Type: Direction

Default Value: 0.0,0.0,1.0

Streamline DirectionDescription: The direction in which streams are to be calculated


Allowed Values: Forward, Backward, Forward and Backward

Default Value: Forward

Streamline Maximum PeriodsDescription: Limits the number of times a streamline may cross aperiodic boundary


Default Value: 20

Streamline Maximum SegmentsDescription: Stops streamline calculation when number of segmentsexceeds this


Default Value: 10000

Streamline Maximum TimeDescription: Stops streamline calculation when particle age exceedsthis



CFX-PostAppendix

Streamline Solver TypeDescription: The solver to use to calculate the streamlines


Allowed Values: Euler, RungeKutta2, RungeKutta4

Default Value: RungeKutta2

Surface DrawingDescription: Sets the algorithm used to shade the faces for thisgraphics object.


Allowed Values: None, Flat Shading, Smooth Shading

Default Value: Smooth Shading

Surface SamplingDescription: If set On, results are displayed at a subset of points in theplot.


Default Value: Off

SymbolDescription: Name of symbol to be used for the plot.


Default Value: Line Arrow

Symbol SizeDescription: A scaling factor for all symbols in the plot.



CFX-PostAppendix

Default Value: 1.0

Symbol Start TimeDescription: The particle age at which to draw the first symbol


Default Value: 0.0

Symbol Stop TimeDescription: Draw no symbols with particle age lower than this


Default Value: 0.0

Symbol Time IntervalDescription: Draw symbols at regular times separated by this value


Default Value: 0.0

Symbol TypeDescription: The category a symbol falls under.


Allowed Values: Arrow2D, Arrow3D, Crosshair, Octahedron, LineArrow, Arrowhead

Default Value: Line Arrow

Temporary DirectoryDescription: The path to a temporary working directory which CFX-Post can use for placing temporary files. This directory does not haveto exist between runs of CFX-Post, and the contents will be deletedwhen Post shuts down.


CFX-PostAppendix


Tensor TypeParameter Type: String

Allowed Values: SCALAR,VECTOR,SYMTEN2

Default Value: SCALAR

Text ColourDescription: A list of three numbers between 0 and 1, which representthe RGB (Red/Green/Blue) values to be used when colouring the text.



Text HeightDescription: The height an item of text should be, proportional to thescreen.


Default Value: 0.02

Text PositionDescription: The location an item of text should be placed.


Default Value: 0, 0.96, 0

Text RotationDescription: Counter-clockwise rotation, in degrees, to be applied toa text item.



CFX-PostAppendix

Default Value: 0

Text StringDescription: The contents of an item of text.


Default Value: Text

Timestep Interpolation MethodDescription: Indicates what timestep information to interpolate iftimesteps are to be animated.


Allowed Values: Timestep, TimeValue, Sequential

Default Value: Timestep

Tolerance ModeDescription: whether Grid Tolerance or Absolute Tolerance are used


Allowed Values: Grid Relative, Absolute

Default Value: Grid Relative

Translation VectorDescription: Specifies the translation vector.



TransparencyDescription: Set between 0.0 (fully opaque) and 1.0 (fully transparent)to control the transparency of this graphics object in the viewer.


CFX-PostAppendix


Default Value: 0.0

Tube DiameterDescription: The initial width of stream tubes


Under Relaxation FactorParameter Type: Real

Update Units to PreferredDescription: This logical indicates whether all displayed units shouldalways be updated to display the preferred units. If this isfalse',quantities will be converted to preferred types.'



User CameraDescription: Defines the CAMERA object that is used to set up thecamera view in the viewer (Note that Camera Mode has to be set toUser Specified for this parameter to have effect).


User LevelDescription: Specifies the user level of the variable.


Allowed Values: 1, 2, 3

Default Value: 1


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User UnitsDescription: Specifies the preferred units to display this variable in ifdifferent from the default units setting. To use the default units, thisparameter must be empty (blank).


ValueDescription: The value of the variable at which the isosurface is to beplotted.


Default Value: 0.0

Value 1Description: The value of the variable at which the isovolume is to beplotted.


Default Value: 0.0

Value 2Description: The value of the variable at which the isovolume is to beplotted it is used when the isovolume mode is between values.


Default Value: 0.0

Value ListDescription: Specifies a list of variable values for a contour plot. Inorder for this list to be used, Contour Range has to be set to "ValueList".



CFX-PostAppendix


VarMaxDescription: The global maximum value from this variable as readfrom the RES file.


VarMinDescription: The global minimum value from this variable as readfrom the RES file.


VariableDescription: The name of the variable used to create the object.Should be set equal to the name of a currently defined VARIABLEobject.


Variable Boundary ValuesDescription: Sets the type of boundary values to be presented forvariables in this object (Conservative or Hybrid).



Default Value: Hybrid

Variable ClassDescription: Solver variable class



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Variable DescriptionParameter Type: String

Default Value: Long Name

Variable DimensionsDescription: The dimensions of the variable as read from the resultsfile.


Variable ListDescription: A comma delimited list of variables whose data is to beexported.


Default Value: X, Y, Z

Variable TypeParameter Type: String

Allowed Values: Unspecified, Volumetric, Specific

Default Value: Unspecified

Vector BracketsDescription: Indicates the kind of brackets to use around vector datawhen displayed as components. Any two character combination isvalid, where the first character will be used as the open-bracket, andthe second as the close-bracket. If "-" is specified (no quotes), nobrackets will be displayed.


Default Value: ()


CFX-PostAppendix

Vector DisplayDescription: Indicates the way that vector variables are to bedisplayed. Choices are: Components | Scalar.


Allowed Values: Components, Scalar

Default Value: Components

Vector VariableDescription: The vector variable to be used in creating this plot.


Default Value: Velocity

VerboseDescription: Controls if the result of a calculation is written to thescreen.


Default Value: Off

VisibilityDescription: Toggles the visibility of this graphics object in the viewer.


Default Value: true

Volume Intersection ModeDescription: A parameter used to define the context setting for volumeobject.


Allowed Values: Intersection, Below Intersection, Above Intersection


CFX-PostAppendix

Default Value: Intersection

White BackgroundDescription: Toggles if hardcopy output is produced on a white orblack background.


Default Value: Off

Write Session ModeDescription: This parameter indicates whether the session file shouldbe overwritten or appended to if it exists.


Allowed Values: None, Overwrite, Append

Default Value: None

XDescription: The X coordinate value for the location of this object.


Default Value: 0.0

X JustificationDescription: Specifies the horizontal justification of a text or overlayitem.


Allowed Values: None, Center, Left, Right

Default Value: Center


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YDescription: The Y coordinate value for the location of this object.


Default Value: 0.0

Y JustificationDescription: Specifies the vertical justification of a text or overlay item.


Allowed Values: None, Center, Top, Bottom

Default Value: None

ZDescription: The Z coordinate value for the location of this object.


Default Value: 0.0


CFX-Post

CFX-5.5

2-CFX-Post

Index

Master Index

AAnimation 141

Editor 142control buttons 145Options panel 146

appearanceof the GUI 31

Append, when loading State files 17area function 129, 176, 203areaAve function 130, 176, 204areaInt function 130, 177, 204ave function 131, 177, 204

BBackground 27batch mode 221bitmap (bmp) 23Boundary object 105boundary value only variables 155

CCalculator 127case sensitivity, in syntax 166CCL (CFX Command Language) 163

names definition 166overview 164syntax 165

CEL (CFX Expression Language) 173constants 181functions 181functions and constants 174system variables 182

CFXCommand Language 163

overview 164Expression Language (CEL) 173

CFX-5 Definition Fileversions supported 10

CFX-5 Results Fileversions supported 10

cfx5post 226

CFX-Postintroduction 2

Chartcreating 95viewing using the Command Line 207

Clip Planecreating 76

Colour 118undefined 120

Command Editor 157action commands 186creating Session files 188exporting data 200file operations 188function calculation 201importing data from 197loading a Results file 188printing from 197quantitative calculations 201reading Session files 191reading State files 194Readstate option actions 195saving State file 192

Command Line 7, 163mode 221object creation and deletion 172

comment character, in syntax 167compressor performance macro 159connectivity number 139conservative variable values 153constants 181continuation character, in syntax 167Contour Plot

creating 68control buttons, in Animation Editor 145coordinate frame

creating 72corrected boundary node values 153count function 132, 177, 204Cp polar macro 161Create

Chart 95Clip Plane 76Contour Plot 68Coordinate Frame 72

.1 Index Page i

Page ii

CFX-Post

2-CFX-Post

Index

Instancing Transformation 86Isosurface 58Legend 91menu 43Plane 51Point 46Polyline 60Streamline 79Surface 63Text 93Vector 65Volume 55

creatingobject using the Command Line 172

Ddefault objects 105Definition File

versions supported 10deleting

object using the Command Line 172Double Buffering 27

Eedge length ratio 139Edit menu 25

Options 27Undo and Redo 27

element volume ratioMesh Calculator

Element Volume Ratio 139Encapsulated PostScript (eps) 22examples

calculate area 203load command 188power syntax 212readsession command 192readstate command 196savestate command 193session command 190

exporting 17data using the Command Editor 200

Expression Editor 149

example 150Expression Language 173

Fface angle

Mesh CalculatorFace Angle 138

FileExport 17Load Results 13Load State 16menu 9operations, from the Command

Editor 188Print 22Quit 24Save State 14types 10

force function 132, 177, 204forceNorm function 133, 178, 204function calculation using the Command

Editor 201functionality 2functions and constants

CEL 174

GGeometry 116global range 119graphic objects 3GUI (Graphical User Interface)

appearance 31introduction 4

Hheat transfer coefficient 155hybrid variable values 153

Iimporting

data from the Command Editor 197

Index CFX-5.5.1

CFX-Post

CFX-5.5

2-CFX-Post

Index

polyline data 198surface data 199

Instancing Transformationcreating 86

introductionfunctionality 2graphic objects 3the Command Line 7the GUI (Graphical User Interface) 4

Isosurfacecreating 58

JJPEG (jpg) 23

LLegend

creating 91length function 133, 178, 205lengthAve function 134, 178, 205lengthInt function 134, 179, 205line interface mode 221lists

in syntax 168load command examples 188loading

Results file 13Results file from the Command

Editor 188State File 16

local range 119

MMacro Calculator 158

compressor performance 159Cp polar 161

massFlow function 134, 179, 205massFlowAve function 134, 179, 205massFlowInt function 135, 179, 205maxVal function 135, 179, 205menu

Create 43

Edit 25File 9Session 37Tools 113Viewer 107

Mesh Calculator 138connectivity number 139Edge Length Ratio 139

mesh statisticsMesh Calculator

Mesh Statistics 139minVal function 135, 179, 205Mouse Mapping 28Move Light 30

Nnamed objects

in syntax 167New

Session 39

OObject Editor 116

Colour 118Geometry 116Render 121

Object Selector 115Options

appearance of the GUI 31Background 27Double Buffering 27Edit menu 27Mouse Mapping 28Viewer 27

Overwritewhen loading State files 16

Pparameter values, in syntax 168parameters, in syntax 168Plane

creating 51

.1 Index Page iii

Page iv

CFX-Post

2-CFX-Post

Index

PlaySession 39

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) 23Point

creating 46Polyline

creating 60importing data for 198

Portable Network Graphics (PNG) 23Portable Pixel Map (ppm) 23PostScript (ps) 22power syntax 209

examples 212overview 210subroutines 217

ppm (Portable Pixel Map) 23printing 22

from the Command Editor 197probe function 135, 180, 206ps (PostScript) 22

Qquantitative

calculations using the CommandEditor 201

subroutines 217quantitative functions 127

in the Macro Calculator 158quitting

from the file menu 24

Rrange, global, local, user specified 119reading State files using the Command

Editor 194readsession command examples 192Readstate

option actions 195readstate command examples 196Recording

Start and Stop 41Redo and Undo 27Render 121

Results Fileversions supported 10

Results fileloading 13loading from the Command Editor 188

Rotate 29running

in batch mode 221in line interface mode 221

Ssavestate command examples 193saving

Save State 14State file using the Command

Editor 192seeds 65Select Font Panel 31Session

filescreating 188reading 191

menu 37New 39Play 39

session command examples 190Set Pivot 29singleton objects 167Start

Recording 41State File

Append option 17Load RES file option 16loading 16Overwrite option 16reading 194saving using the Command

Editor 192saving using the Save State form 14

StopRecording 41

Streamlinecreating 79

subdomain

Index CFX-5.5.1

CFX-Post

CFX-5.5

2-CFX-Post

Index

object 105subroutines 217sum function 136, 180, 206Surface

creating 63importing data for 199

syntaxcase sensitivity 166continuation character 167end of line comment character 167indentation 167lists 168name objects 167parameter values 168parameters 168simple details 166singleton objects 167

system variables 182

TText

creating 93thin surfaces

default boundary objects 105Timestep

Selector 148Tools

Animation 141Calculator 127Command Editor 157Expression Editor 149Macro Calculator 158menu 113Mesh Calculator 138Object Editor 116Object Selector 115Timestep Selector 148Variable Editor 151Viewer 124

torque function 136, 180, 206Translate 29

Uundefined

colour 120values 120

Undo and Redo 27user specified range 119

VVariable Editor 151

example 152variables

boundary value only 155hybrid and conservative values 153

Vectorcreating 65

Viewer 27, 124menu 107

Virtual Reality Modelling Language(VRML) 23

Volumecreating 55

volume function 136, 180, 206volumeAve function 137, 180, 206volumeInt function 137, 180, 206VRML (Virtual Reality Modelling

Language) 23

Wwall heat flux 155wall shear 155Wireframe object 103wrl (VRML file extension) 23

YYplus 155

ZZoom 29

.1 Index Page v

Page vi

CFX-Post

2-CFX-Post

Index

Index CFX-5.5.1

cfx_post

Documents

cfxpost command line

cfxpost line

cfx command language

starting cfxpost

cfx software products

post introduction

cfxpostnoticethis document

te menu introduction