16.5.1 Understanding prescribed condition symbol type, color, and size

The type, color, and size of the symbols that represent prescribed conditions can vary with

Refer to Symbols used to represent prescribed conditions, Section C.1, for summaries of the significance of the symbol types and colors.

For example, Figure 16–3 displays a concentrated force applied to vertices. All of the arrows that represent the different components of the concentrated force are yellow.

Figure 16–3 A concentrated force.

On the other hand, Figure 16–4 shows a Velocity/Angular Velocity boundary condition that is applied to both translational and rotational degrees of freedom. The sandy brown arrows represent components of the boundary condition that are applied to translational degrees of freedom. The magenta arrows represent components of the boundary condition that are applied to rotational degrees of freedom.

Figure 16–4 A boundary condition applied to an edge.

Note:  When a boundary condition fixes a degree of freedom in place, the arrow representing that component lacks a stem.

Figure 16–5 displays a uniform temperature field applied to a face.

Figure 16–5 A uniform temperature field.

In general, the size of the symbols is uniform and unrelated to the magnitude of the prescribed condition. For prescribed conditions that use analytical field distributions, the symbols are scaled based on the analytical field value. Figure 16–6 shows a pressure load that uses an analytical field to specify a spatially varying magnitude.

Figure 16–6 Variation of a pressure load over a face.

In addition, for symbols other than arrows, a plus sign (+) or a minus sign (–) is displayed inside each symbol to indicate whether the magnitude of the prescribed condition is positive or negative at that location.Figure 16–7 shows a temperature boundary condition. For clarity, the symbol size has been increased.

Figure 16–7 A temperature boundary condition using an analytical field distribution.

For information on controlling symbol size and scaling, see Controlling the display of attributes, Section 76.15.

In some circumstances Abaqus/CAE displays scaled-down symbols for prescribed conditions, such as when a specified prescribed condition has no effect on the analysis or when an analytical field evaluates to zero for a portion of its region. These scaled-down symbols are noticeably smaller than the default symbol size. For example, if you specify a shear surface traction load with a direction vector normal to the surface, Abaqus/CAE cannot apply this type of load normal to the reference surface and displays very small arrow symbols to represent the load in the viewport.


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