By default, Abaqus/CAE automatically computes the limits of the values shown in your contour plot. You can control the minimum and maximum values Abaqus/CAE displays; for example, to eliminate extremes or to examine variations within a fixed set of bounds.
Contour limits, once set, remain in effect for the duration of the session. To learn how to display the minimum and maximum values associated with your contour plot, see “Customizing the legend,” Section 56.1.
You can override the contour limits if you use custom contour interval values; see “Customizing contour intervals,” Section 44.5.12, for more information. When you use a custom contour interval, Abaqus/CAE uses the maximum and minimum interval values that you specify in the Edit Intervals dialog box as the contour limits for the contour plot.
To set the contour limits:
Locate the Contour Limits options.
Select Options
Contour from the main menu bar or click 
in the toolbox; then click the Limits tab in the dialog box that appears. The contour Limits options become available.
In the area labeled Max, choose one of the following options:
Select Auto-compute to request that Abaqus compute the maximum contour value.
Select Specify to specify the maximum value yourself; then enter the maximum value of your choice in the Specify text field.
In the area labeled Min, choose one of the following options:
Select Auto-compute to request that Abaqus compute the minimum contour value.
Select Specify to specify the minimum value yourself; then enter the minimum value of your choice in the Specify text field.
Click Apply to implement your changes.
In the contour plot in the current viewport, Abaqus displays contour values within the limits you have specified. The contour legend, if active, changes to show the limits you have specified. If you have specified a maximum value that is less than the actual maximum or if you have specified a minimum value that is greater than the actual minimum, Abaqus displays the actual maximum or minimum value (respectively) in the legend. For more information on the contour legend, see “Customizing the legend,” Section 56.1. To learn how to control the color of values that exceed your limits, see “Customizing contour colors,” Section 44.5.10.
By default, your changes are saved for the duration of the session and will affect all subsequent contour plots. If you want to retain your changes for subsequent sessions, save them to a file. For more information, see “Saving customizations for use in subsequent sessions,” Section 55.1.1.
