Description
The ANSYS ACT extension allows efficient change of graphical preferences of multiple result Figures located in the Mechanical Outline tree. The Figures properties (like name, view, deformed scale, min/max symbols, legend etc.) for each Figure are displayed in a synoptic table and can be changed all at once by multiple row selection. The extension can be used for preparing sets of Figures with the same graphical style and properties for reporting purposes.
Demonstration video (version 3.1)
Download the ANSYS ACT Extension Figures Manager
You can download the ANSYS ACT extension Figures Manager and use it for your own purposes.
Current release
Figures Manager (3.2) (17.10.2024)
ANSYS compatible versions: ANSYS 2022R2, 2023R1, 2023R2, 2024R1 and 2024R2.
What’s new:
- ANSYS 2024 R2 is now supported
- Support of Auto deformed scale factor
- Bug fixes
Any comments or suggestions are welcome.
Please do not hesitate to contact us.
Version History
Figures Manager (1.1) (18.10.2019)
First stable release.
ANSYS compatible versions: 2019 R2, 2019 R3.
Figures Manager (1.2) (24.1.2020)
ANSYS compatible versions: 2019 R2, 2019 R3, 2020 R1.
What’s new:
- Support of ANSYS 2020 R1.
- Minor bug fixes.
Figures Manager (2.0) (17.4.2020)
ANSYS compatible versions: ANSYS 2021 R1, ANSYS 2021 R2 and ANSYS 2022 R1
What’s new:
- New Figures Selection table has been implemented which enables a user to select Figures of interest and reduce time-consuming collection of Figures graphics-related properties.
- New Export Figures tool has been implemented which enables a user to easily export Figures to the image files. The tool provides various options for exporting.
- Progress bar has been added to the Figures Manger table to inform a user about the progress of data collection.
Figures Manager (2.1) (15.7.2020)
ANSYS compatible versions: 2020 R1, 2020 R2
What’s new:
- Support of ANSYS 2020 R2.
Figures Manager (2.2) (14.10.2020)
ANSYS compatible versions: 2020 R1, 2020 R2
What’s new:
- Result objects from other ACT extensions are supported now.
- The new option „White background“ has been added to the Export Figures window. This option forces white color of the image background.
Figures Manager (2.3) (22.03.2021)
ANSYS compatible versions: 2020 R1, 2020 R2 and 2021 R1
What’s new:
- Support of ANSYS 2021 R1.
- Information about the resolution ratio has been added to the Export Images window.
- In the Export Images window, the actual export settings are stored when the user clicks on the Export button. These settings will be initialized the next time the Export Images window will be opened.
- Display of results on the model was not updated when the legend style had been changed. This error occurred for the Result objects defined by another ACT extensions. This has been fixed.
Figures Manager (2.4) (15.09.2021)
ANSYS compatible versions: ANSYS 2020 R1, 2020 R2, 2021 R1 and 2021 R2.
What’s new:
- ANSYS 2021 R2 is now supported.
Figures Manager (2.5) (30.03.2022)
ANSYS compatible versions: ANSYS 2020 R1, 2020 R2, 2021 R1, 2021 R2 and 2022 R1.
What’s new:
- ANSYS 2022 R1 is now supported.
- In the export window, the columns with analysis, loadstep, substep and time/frequency have been added.
Figures Manager (2.6) (11.10.2022)
ANSYS compatible versions: ANSYS 2020 R1, 2020 R2, 2021 R1, 2021 R2, 2022 R1 and 2022R2.
What’s new:
- ANSYS 2022 R2 is now supported.
Figures Manager (3.0) (12.09.2023)
ANSYS compatible versions: ANSYS 2020 R1, 2020 R2, 2021 R1, 2021 R2, 2022 R1, 2022R2, 2023R1 and 2023R2
What’s new:
- ANSYS 2023 R1 and 2023 R2 are now supported.
- Figures are supported on all levels in Outline Tree – it is possible to process figures from Model, Connections, Analysis etc.
Figures Manager (3.1) (19.03.2024)
ANSYS compatible versions: ANSYS compatible versions: ANSYS 2022R2, 2023R1, 2023R2 and 2024R1.
What’s new:
- ANSYS 2024 R1 is now supported
- Speed-up of loading figures data
- Sort rows in table by column with focused cell
- Regex filter for `Figure Name` column
- Reordered ID and figure name on export
- Option to use current graphics on export
- Speed-up of export
- Option to hide ANSYS logo on export
- Dark mode icon pack
Documentation
The extension functionality is accessible using the Figures Manager toolbar, see Figure 1. The toolbar contains four buttons which can be used to perform the following actions:
- Setting up of the Figures properties using the Figures Manager table
- Exporting Figures
- Setting options
- Accessing help and support
Setting up of the Figures properties using the Figures Manager table
The Figures Manager table enables a user to easily manage multiple result Figures.
In the first step, after pressing the Figures Manager table button (see Figure 1), the Figures Selection table is displayed (see Figure 2). The Figures Selection table has been implemented in order to reduce collection of the Figures properties in the following step which may be time-consuming for more Figures. The reduction can be performed by:
- selecting Figures of interest in the table – Figures properties will be collected only for selected Figures,
- or by unchecking “Collect properties of selected figures” checkbox (see Figure 2) – data collection will not be performed, and the actual Figures properties will not be displayed.
You can select the rows more effectively with sorting and filtering functionality. Using buttons “A-Z” and “Z-A” you can sort rows you can sort in ascending or descending order. Sorting will be done based on the values in the column whose cell is active. You can also filter rows according Figure Names using RegEx pattern.
In the second step, the Figures Manager table is shown. It contains Figures (selected in the Figures Selection table) and their properties in the synoptic table (see Figure 3). If the “Collect properties of selected figures” option was checked, the Figures Manager table collects actual Figures properties and displays them; otherwise “Do not change” values are displayed. The Figure properties are organized in the table columns. Change of a property for more Figures can be easily performed by using multiple rows selection.
The following Figure properties are displayed:
- Figure Name
- Analysis [read-only]
- Parent Name [read-only]
- Parent Type [read-only]
- Load Step [read-only]
- Substep [read-only]
- Time/Frequency [read-only]
- View
- Deformed Scale (Negative values for auto scale)
- Display Type
- Contour Type
- Edge Display
- Max Symbol
- Min Symbol
- Legend
The Outline tree and the Figure objects which correspond to the listed Figures in the Figures Manager table (see Figure 3) are shown in Figure 4.
Exporting Figures
Export Figures tool provided by this ACT Extension (see Figure 5) enables a user to easily export Figures to image files. Export Figures provides the following options:
- Image Format (PNG, JPG, BMP)
- Use current graphics
- White background (forces white background color)
- Resolution (if current graphics is disabled)
- Width
- Height
- Common (only common resolution can be set)
- Text style
- Font
- Font Style (Regular, Italic)
- Size
- Visibility of
- Legend
- Ruler
- Triad
- Coordinate System
- ANSYS logo
- Figures selection (provides an option to select Figures to export)
Setting options
Settings of Figures Manager extension can be maintained in the Settings window (see Figure 6). The Settings window can be displayed by pressing the Settings button located in the Figures Manager toolbar. The Settings window contains “Use only predefined legends” option. If the option is checked, only the predefined legends (using the Named Legends) will be available together with “Default” legend and “Do not change” option which assures that the legend will not be changed. If it is not checked, all legends will be available. It is checked by default.
Accessing help and support
The About button displays a window in which the hyperlinks to the website of the developers company and this help are available.
Known Issues and Limitations (related to version 3.1)
When a project contains more result Figures, collecting of the Figures properties can be time consuming. It is due to the fact that the Figure must be rendered on the screen to get its graphics-related properties. Each Figure rendering is performance-intensive; therefore, the progress bar has been added to the Figures Manger table to inform a user about the progress of data collection. For many Figures in the project, it is recommended:
- to select only the Figures of interest in the Figures Selection table (see Figure 2),
- or uncheck “Collect properties of selected figures” checkbox in the Figures Selection table (see Figure 2). Thus, no data collection will be performed, but the actual Figures properties will not be displayed.