Averaging

Controlling data averaging across adjacent elements

By default data for contour plots is averaged across adjacent elements of the same type, regardless of their material, etc.

These settings allow you to modify this behaviour.

The averaging control settings have the following meanings:

Averaging	Switches averaging on or off (default on). If turned off then no data averaging occurs for contour plots: this results in a "patchwork quilt" effect for area contour plots and no results at all for line contour plots.
Part ignored	By default this is on and the part is not considered when averaging. If you switch this off then averaging will not take place across adjacent elements if they are in different parts.
Blanking ignored	By default this is on and blanked elements are still included in the averaging process even though they are not visible. This means that blanking elements will not change the values used for contouring on those that remain. If you switch this off then results from blanked elements are not included when results are averaged at nodes.
Clipping ignored	By default this is on and elements that have been volume-clipped from the display are still included in the averaging process even though they are not visible. If you switch this off then results from volume-clipped elements are not included when results are averaged at nodes (i.e. same logic as is applied to blanked elements above).

Notes on data averaging:

Note 1:	Averaging of element data at nodes for contouring only takes place for element derived data, e.g. stresses. Where the data being plotted is nodally derived, e.g. velocity, then averaging is not used and the settings above have no effect.
Note 2:	Averaging has an effect beyond plotting: it can also influence how element-derived scalar data is computed at nodes for WRITE and XY_DATA output.
Note 3:	Averaging never takes place over dissimilar element types. For example where a node is common to both a solid and a shell data at the node is computed separately for the "parent" element types, even if the data component type is valid for both types.
Note 4:	Averaging is applied if requested, even if it might not be sensible to do so: this can be an issue when directional components are plotted in element local systems. For example if LOCAL X_DIRECT_STRESS is used where two shells meet at a right angle (i.e. a flange meets a web) you may be averaging stresses in directions that are 90 degrees apart.
Note 5:	A related error is to average across shells, using top or bottom surface data, when adjacent shells have inverted surfaces; i.e. their outward normals (local Z axes) point in opposite directions. This is usually the result of a meshing error, and it can produce strange contours. (To check outward normals turn on the element local triads with DISPLAY_OPTIONS , LOCAL_TRIAD; or do a continuous-tone ( CT ) plot of the element outward normals using (geometric) component ON_OUTWARD_NORMAL .)

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