D3PLOT 22.1

Main Menu Commands

CT_CONTINUOUS_TONE
Continuous tone (solid) contour plot
LC_LINE_CONTOURS
Line contour plot
CL_CLOUD_PLOT
"Cloud" (points) plot
ISO_SURFACE_PLOT
Iso-surface contour plot
VELOCITY_PLOT
Velocity arrows plot
CRITERION_PLOT

Criterion mode plot

The syntax is:

COMPONENT <data>
Defines the data component <data> to plot
ATTRIBUTE <attr>
Defines the attributes of the criterion analysis. Valid <attr>s are:

LENGTH <length> Symbol length
COLOUR <colour>

Symbol colour. Valid <colour>s are:

DATA_VALUE Scale colours with data values
FIXED_COLOURS Sets fixed colours
SYMBOL <symbol>

Symbol type. Valid <symbol>s are:

HIERARCHY

MAX stress has normal arrow head

MID stress has flat T arrowhead

MIN stress has inverted arrow head

ALL_LINES
All components drawn using plain lines
GO Perform the criterion plot
EXPLAIN
Further help
STATUS
Show the current settings
SI_SHADED_IMAGE

Shaded image plotting options

The syntax is:

SHININESS <%age>

Set the object shininess

SATURATION <%age> Set the object colour saturation
OVERLAY_COLOUR <colour> Set the overlay colour
LM_LIGHTING_MODEL <switch> Turn lighting model ON or OFF
BRIGHTNESS <%age>
Set directional lighting intensity
AMBIENT_LIGHT_LEVEL <%age>
Set ambient light level
SHADING_TYPE <option> Set smooth or flat shading. Valid <option>s are:

FLAT Flat shading
SMOOTH <angle>

Smooth shading with an edge angle <angle>


DS_DITHER_SHADING <switch> Turn dithered shades ON or OFF
GOURAD_SHADING <option> Set solid or fuzzy contour bands. Valid <option>s are:

ON
Fuzzy bands
OFF Solid bands

DC_DITHER_CONTOURS <switch>
Turn contour dithering ON or OFF
COLOUR_MAP Draw the current colour map
GO
Execute the plot
STATUS
Show the current settings
EXPLAIN
Further help
INTERFACE_PLOTTING

Plot sliding interface results

The syntax is:

COMPONENT <data>

Define the <data> component to plot

LC_LINE_CONTOURS Line plot
CT_CONTINUOUS_TONE Continuous tone contour plot
SI_SHADED_IMAGE Shaded contour plot
VECTOR_PLOT
Vector force plot
HATCHING_SWITCH <switch> <switch> hatching ON or OFF
OPACITY_SWITCH <switch> <switch> opacity ON or OFF
EXPLAIN
Further help
BP_BEAM_PLOTTING

Plots beam data

The syntax is:

CT_CONTINUOUS

Continuous tone contour plot

DP_DIAGRAM_PLOT

Bending moment diagram plot

COMPONENT <data> Defines the data component <data> to plot
INTG_POINT Set H-L beam extra dat integration point
R2_REVERSE_END_2 Set the reverse end 2 switch on or off
THICKNESS
Set the CT plot beam thickness
ATTRIBUTES <attr> Defines the attributes of the DP plot. Valid <attr>s are:

SIZE <size> Size of the maximum diagram vector in screen units
HATCHING <hatch>

Intervals between the intermediate lines in screen units

PROJECTION <proj>

How the diagram is projected. Valid <proj>s are:

SCREEN
Always in the screen XY plane
LOCAL
In the local YY or ZZ plane
LABEL_VALUES Set the label switch on or off

OPACITY_SWITCH Set the opacity switch on or off
EXPLAIN
Further help
WARNING
Some notes and caveats
STATUS
Show the current settings
OTHER_PLOTTING

Plots other (LSDA) data

The syntax is:

CT_CONTINUOUS

Continuous tone contour plot

SI_SHADED_IMAGE

Shaded contour plot

COMPONENT <data> Defines the data component <data> to plot
GREYSCALE

Draw a solid shaded plot

The syntax is:

SHININESS <%age>

Set object shininess level

SATURATION <%age> Set object colour saturation
OVERLAY_COLOUR <colour>
Set overlay colour
LM_LIGHTING_MODEL <switch>
Turn lighting model ON or OFF
BRIGHTNESS <%age> Set directional light intensity
AMBIENT_LIGHT_LEVEL <%age> Set ambient light level
SHADING_TYPE <option> Set smooth or flat shading. Valid <option>s are:

FLAT
Flat shading
SMOOTH <angle> Smooth shading with an edge angle <angle>

DS_DITHER_SHADING <switch>
Turn dithered shades ON or OFF
GO
Execute the plot
STATUS
Show the current settings
EXPLAIN
Further help
ENVELOPE_PLOT
COMPONENT <type>

Select the type of value to plot. Valid <type>s are:


OFF
Turn envelope plotting off
MAX_VALUE

Plot max values

TIME_OF_MAX_VALUE
Plot time of the max values
MIN_VALUE
Plot min values
TIME_OF_MIN_VALUE
Plot time of min values
ABS_VALUE
Plot absolute value
TIME_OF_ABS_VALUE
Plot time of absolute values

STATES <list> Give a <list> of state numbers to be used

MAX_MIN

Controls max / min value plotting

The syntax is:

OFF
Turn off display of max/min values
ON_DATA_PLOTS Turn on display of max/min values on data bearing plots
ON_ALL_PLOTS Turn on display of max/min values on all plots
NUMBER_OF_VALUES Set the number of values shown
(NO_)MAX_LIST Turn on/off max values in a list
(NO_)MAX_LABEL Turn on/off max labels on plot
(NO_)MAX_VALUES Turn on/off max values on plot
(NO_)MIN_LIST Turn on/off min values in a list
(NO_)MIN_LABEL Turn on/off min labels on plot
(NO_)MIN_VALUES Turn on/off min values on plot
COMPONENT <data> Defines the data component <data> to plot
STRESS_CONTROL

Control stress plotting

The syntax is:

PART_IGNORED_SW

Do / do not average across parts

BLANKING_IGNORED_SW

Do / do not include blanked elements

CLIPPING_IGNORED_SW Do / do not include clipped elements
AVERAGE_SWITCH
Do / do not average stress at nodes
GLOBAL_COORDINATES Use global coordinates
LOCAL_COORDINATES Rotate to local element coordinates
CYLINDRICAL_COORDINATES Rotate to cylindrical coordinates
USER_DEFINED_COORDINATES
Rotate to user defined coordinates
PLY_LOCAL Rotate to ply local system
MATERIAL
Rotate to material axes coordinate system
SURFACE <surface>

Select a shell surface or layer. Valid <surface>s are: 

TOP, MIDDLE, BOTTOM, MAX, MIN, MAG or a layer number if present

PLY_SELECT <list>

Select a <list> of ply(s) to plot data on

EXPLAIN
Further help
STATUS
Show the current settings
CONTOUR

Control contour settings

The syntax is:

NUMBER_OF_LEVELS <levels>

Defines the number of contour levels

AUTOMATIC

Autoscales the levels

MANUAL_MAX_MIN <min> <max> Manually sets the minimum <min> and maximum <max>
USER_DEFINED

Define each contour line

REVERSE

Reverse the contour colours

LINEAR_SCALE
Convert to linear scale
LOG_SCALE
Convert to logarithmic scale
RESOLUTION <res>

Define the contour resolution. Valid <res>s are:

LOW, MEDIUM or HIGH

FORCE_LABELS
Force line labelling on LC plots
LABEL_FREQUENCY <freq>

Set the labelling frequency on LC plots to <freq>

LIMITING_VALUES <switch> <low> <high>
(on new line) <action>
Define what is contoured by upper and lower bound limits.

Where:

<switch> Is either ON or OFF

<low> Is the lower limit

<high> Is the upper limit

<action> Is the exclusion behaviour and can be:

OMIT, OUTLINE or BLACK

COLOURS <band>
(on new line) <colour>
Set the colour of an individual contour band
OVERLAY_COLOUR <colour> Set the overlay colour
ARROW_LENGTH <length> Set the length of arrows
FORMAT_NUMBER <option> Set the format of the numbers on the contour bar. Valid <option>s are:

AUTOMATIC
D3PLOT will set it automatically
SCIENTIFIC
Scientific format
GENERAL
General format
MANUAL
Manual format
EXPONENT_VALUE <value> Set the exponent value
DECIMAL_PLACES <value> Set the number of decimal places

TSHELL_OPTS <opt> Set the thick shell contour method. Valid <opt>s are:

INTERPOLATED or SIMPLE

STATUS
Show the current settings
DISPLAY_OPTIONS

Set display parameters

The syntax is:

UNDEFORMED_SWITCH

Do / do not draw undeformed geometry

BF_SWITCH

Do / do not draw back faces

IF_SWITCH
Do / do not draw internal faces
LOCAL_TRIAD_SWITCH
Do / do not draw triad
CLOCK_SWITCH

Do / do not draw clock

HEADER_SWITCH
Do / do not draw title header
DISP_MAG_SWITCH
Do / do not draw displacement magnifications
CONTOUR_BAR_SWITCH

Do / do not draw contour bar

NASTRAN_CASES_SW

Do / do not draw nastran cases/freqs

DATE_SWITCH
Do / do not draw date on plots
BORDER_SWITCH
Do / do not draw border
GRATICULE_SWITCH
Do / do not draw graticule
GRID_SWITCH
Do / do not draw graticule grid
G3D_GRATICULE
Turn on / off the 3D graticule
X_GRATICULE
Turn on / off the 3D X graticule plane
Y_GRATICULE
Turn on / off the 3D Y graticule plane
Z_GRATICULE
Turn on / off the 3D Z graticule plane
X_GRAT_POS <pos> Set the position of the X graticule to <pos>
Y_GRAT_POS <pos> Set the position of the Y graticule to <pos>
Z_GRAT_POS <pos> Set the position of the Z graticule to <pos>
GRAT_NUMBER_FORMAT <option> Set the number format on the graticule. Valid <option>s are:

AUTOMATIC
D3LOT will set it automatically
SCIENTIFIC
Scientific format
GENERAL
General format
MANUAL
Manual format
EXPONENT <value> Set the exponent value
DECIMAL_PLACES <value>

Set the number of decimal places


GRAT_PLANE_COLOUR <col> Set the colour of the graticule plane to <col>
GRAT_LINE_COLOUR <col> Set the colour of the graticule lines to <col>
GRAT_TEXT_COLOUR <col> Set the colour of the graticule text to <col>
MODEL_BOX_SWITCH Do / do not draw box round model
ALL_NODES_SWITCH Do / do not draw all nodes
LABEL_SWITCH
Control node / element labelling
ENTITY_SWITCH
Control entity visibility
HO_HIDDEN_LINE_OPT
<option>
Set hidden line options. Valid <option>s are:

PAINTER
Use "painter" algorithm
RIGOROUS

Use "rigorous" algorithm

RESOLUTION <x> <y> Set the resolution to <x> x <y>

FREE_FACE_OPTIONS <option> Set how free edges are displayed. Valid <option>s are:

OFF
Turn free edges off
ON

Turn free edges on

BE_BLANK_EDGES
Blanking does create free edges
BN_BLANK_NO_EDGES Blanking does not create free edges
CE_CLIP_EDGES
Clipping does create free edges
CN_CLIP_NO_EDGES Clipping does not create free edges
PE_PART_EDGES Part boundaries create edges
PN_PART_NO_EDGES
Part boundaries do not create edges
SE_SURF_EDGES Surface boundaries create edges
SN_SURF_NO_EDGES Surface boundaries do not create edges

SEAT_BELT_OPTIONS <option> Set how seat belt elements are displayed. Valid <option>s are:

BELT_WIDTH <width> Set the visual width
RETRACTOR_SIZE <size>

Set the visual retractor size

SLIP_RING_SIZE <size> Set the visual slip ring size

SPRING_SYMBOL <option> Set how spring elements are displayed. Valid <option>s are:

ZIG_ZAG Display springs as a zig-zag
LINE
Display springs as a line

BEAM_SYMBOL <option> Set how beam elements are displayed. Valid <option>s are:

LINE
Display beams as a thin line
THICK_LINE
Display beams as a thick line

WINDOW <option> Define the image window setting. Valid <option>s are:

FULL_SCREEN The plot occupies the full screen
PART_SCREEN

The plot will not overwrite title or contour key

REPORT_FORMAT
The colour hard-copied the image will be the same size as a Laser A4 plot
USER_DEFINED
Define the plot window with cursor

STATUS Show the current settings
PROPERTIES

Set model properties

The syntax is:

SAVE <mod>
(on new line) <filename>
Save a properties file for model <mod> to <filename>
LOAD <mod>
(on new line) <filename>
Load a properties file for model <mod> from <filename>
DISPLAY_MODE <entity> <list>
(on new line) <mode>
Set the display mode of a <list> of <entity> types to <mode>. Valid <mode>s are:

WIRE
Wireframe mode
HIDDEN

Hidden Line mode

SHADED
Shaded mode
CURRENT Current mode

COLOUR <entity> <list>
(on new line) <col>
Set the colour of a <list> of <entity> type to <col>
TRANSPARENCY <entity> <list>
(on new line) <trans>
Set the transparency of a <list> of <entity> type to <trans> %
BRIGHTNESS <entity> <list>
(on new line) <bright>
Set the brightness of a <list> of <entity> type to <bright> %
SHININESS <entity> <list>
(on new line) <shine>
Set the shininess of a <list> of <entity> type to <shine> %
OC_OVERLAY_COLOUR <entity> <list>
(on new line) <col>
Set the overlay colour of a <list> of <entity> type to <col>
OM_OVERLAY_MODE <entity> <list>
(on new line) <mode>
Set the overlay mode of a <list> of <entity> types to <mode>. Valid <mode>s are:

NONE
No overlay
FREE_EDGES

Overlay on free edges

FULL
All overlay
CURRENT
Current overlay

More info on valid <list> arguments can be found here
VIEW_OPTIONS

Store and get views from a file

The syntax is:

STORE <view id>
(on new line) <name>

Store the current view in <view id> with the name <name>

GET <view id>

Get the view <view id>

DIRECTORY
List the stored views
RENAME <view id>
(on new line) <name>
Rename a stored view <view id> to <name>
DELETE <view id>
Delete view <view id>
FILE_NAME <file_name> Change the name of the file the views are stored in to <file_name>
PERSPECTIVE <option> Set perspective options. Valid <option>s are:

ON
Turn perspective on
OFF

Turn perspective off

DISTANCE <distance>
Set the eye to centre distance to <distance>

WE_WRITE_EXPLICIT Display the explicit centre and scale
RE_READ_EXPLICIT <x, y, z> <scale> Set the explicit centre to the coordinates <x y z> and the scale to <scale>
STATUS
Show the current settings
EXPLAIN
Further help
BLANK

Blank / unblank entities

The syntax is:

<entity> <list>
Blank the <list> of entities of type <entity>
ON
Switch blanking on
OFF
Switch blanking off
ALL
Blank all entities except nodes
UNBLANK <entity> <list>
Unblank the list of entities of type <entity>
REVERSE
Reverse the blanking
STATUS
Show the current setting

More info on valid <list> arguments can be found here
UNBLANK

Unblank entities 

The syntax is:

<entity> <list>

Unblank the <list> of entities of type <entity>

ALL
Unblank all entities

More info on valid <list> arguments can be found here
VOLUME_CLIPPING

Clip display by volume

The syntax is:

CREATE <option> Create a clipping volume. Valid <option>s are:

CARTESIAN <x_c, y_c, z_c>
(on new line) <x, y, z>
(on new line) <orient>

Define a box.

Where:

<x_c, y_c z_c>

Defines the centre of the box

<x, y z>

Defines the dimensions of the box
<orient>

Defines the orientation of the volume and can be:

BASIC_MODEL or DEFORMED_MODEL


NODE_CARTESIAN <nid>
(on new line) <x, y, z>
(on new line) <orient>

Define a box.

Where:

<nid>

Is a node that defines the centre of the box

<x, y z>

Defines the dimensions of the box
<orient> Defines the orientation of the volume and can be:

BASIC_MODEL or DEFORMED_MODEL



CYLINDRICAL <x_c, y_c, z_c>
(on new line) <rad> <min_height> <max_height>
(on new line) <H_axis>
(on new line) <orient>

Define a cylinder

Where:

<x_c, y_c, z_c>

Defines the centre of the cylinder
<rad> Defines the radius of the cylinder
<min_height> <max_height> Define the height of the cylinder
<H_axis> Is the global axis to align the cylinder with and can be X, Y or Z
<orient> Defines the orientation of the volume and can be:

BASIC_MODEL or DEFORMED_MODEL



NODE_CYLINDRICAL <nid>
(on new line) <rad> <min_height> <max_height>
(on new line) <H_axis>
(on new line) <orient>

Define a cylinder

Where:

<nid>

Is a node that defines the centre of the cylinder
<rad> Defines the radius of the cylinder
<min_height> <max_height> Define the height of the cylinder
<H_axis> Is the global axis to align the cylinder with and can be X, Y or Z
<orient> Defines the orientation of the volume and can be:

BASIC_MODEL or DEFORMED_MODEL



SPHERICAL <x_c, y_c, z_c>
(on new line) <rad>
(on new line) <orient>

Define a sphere

Where:

<x_c, y_c, z_c>

Defines the centre of the sphere
<rad> Defines the radius of the sphere
<orient> Defines the orientation of the volume and can be:

BASIC_MODEL or DEFORMED_MODEL



NODE_SPHERICAL <nid>
(on new line) <rad>
(on new line) <orient>

Define a sphere

Where:

<nid>

Is a node that defines the centre of the sphere
<rad> Defines the radius of the sphere
<orient> Defines the orientation of the volume and can be:

BASIC_MODEL or DEFORMED_MODEL



CANCEL

Cancels the clipping volume

ORIENT
Defines the orientation of the volume and can be:

BASIC_MODEL or DEFORMED_MODEL

DO_DISCARD_OUTSIDE
Remove elements outside the volume
DI_DISCARD_INSIDE Remove elements inside the volume
OFF
Turn the clipping off
ON

Turn the clipping on

DRAW_OFF Turns drawing of volume off
DRAW_ON
Turns drawing of volume on
FNODE_OFF
Turns the follow node switch off
FNODE_ON
Turns the follow node switch on
LOCATION_PLOT Draw 4 views of the model to visualise the volume
STORE <volume id>
(on new line) <name>
Store the current volume in <volume id> with the name <name>
GET <volume id>
Retrieve the stored volume <volume id>
RENAME <volume id>
(on new line) <name>
Rename a stored volume <volume id> to <name>
DELETE <volume id>
Delete volume <volume id>
DIRECTORY
List stored volumes on file
FILE_NAME <file_name> Change the name the volumes are stored in to <file_name>
STATUS
Show the current settings
EXPLAIN
Further help



CUT_SECTIONS

Define a section that cuts through the model. Note that currently only the first non parallel direction is supported. For automation using these options for multiple directions please use the JavaScript API.

The syntax is:

OFF

Turn the cut section off

ON

Turn the cut section on

CREATE <option> Create a cut section. Valid <option>s are:

LS_DYNA_METHOD
<x_nt, y_nt, z_nt>
(on new line) <x_nh, y_nh, z_nh>
(on new line) <x_eh, y_eh, z_eh>
(on new line) <orient>

Define normal and edge coordinates

Where:

<x_nt, y_nt, z_nt>

Defines the Normal Tail coordinate
<x_nh, y_nh, z_nh>

Defines the Normal Head coordinate

<x_eh, y_eh, z_eh> Defines the Edge Head coordinate
<orient> Orientation of cutting plane and can be:

BASIC_MODEL, DEFORMED_MODEL



OV_ORIGIN_&_VECTORS <x_o, y_o, z_o>
(on new line) <x_x, y_x, z_x>
(on new line) <x_xy, y_xy, z_xy>
(on new line) <orient>

Define an origin, local x axis and local xy plane

Where:

<x_o, y_o, z_o>

Defines the origin
<x_x, y_x, z_x> Defines the local x axis
<x_xy, y_xy, z_xy> Defines the local xy plane
<orient> Orientation of cutting plane and can be:

BASIC_MODEL, DEFORMED_MODEL



N3_THREE_NODES <N1, N2, N3>
(on new line) <orient>

Define a plane with three nodes

Where:

<N1, N2, N3>

Defines the three nodes
<orient> Orientation of cutting plane and can be:

BASIC_MODEL, DEFORMED_MODEL



X_CONSTANT <x>
(on new line) <orient>

Define a plane of constant X

Where:

<x>

Defines the x coordinate
<orient> Orientation of cutting plane and can be:

BASIC_MODEL, DEFORMED_MODEL



Y_CONSTANT <y>
(on new line) <orient>

Define a plane of constant Y

Where:

<y>

Defines the y coordinate
<orient> Orientation of cutting plane and can be:

BASIC_MODEL, DEFORMED_MODEL



Z_CONSTANT <z>
(on new line) <orient>

Define a plane of constant Z

Where:

<z>
Defines the z coordinate
<orient>
Orientation of cutting plane and can be:

BASIC_MODEL, DEFORMED_MODEL



CANCEL
Cancels the cut section
SYSTEM <orient> Define the orientation of the cutting plane. Valid <orient>s are:

BASIC_MODEL
Tied to model space, undeformed geometry
DEFORMED_MODEL

Tied to model space, deformed geometry


FSYS <system>

Define the system for force and moment calculations. Valid <system>s are:


AUTOMATIC
Basic space will use global coordinates, deformed and screen space will use local coordinates
GLOBAL

Local coordinates

LOCAL
Global coordinates

POSITIVE_ACTION <action> Action for elements on positive side of the section. Valid <action>s are:

OMIT
Do not draw the elements
OUTLINE

Draw the elements in outline

NORMAL
Draw the elements in the display mode

NEGATIVE_ACTION <action> Action for elements on negative side of the section. Valid <action>s are the same as above
THICK_CUT

<thickness>

Set the plane thickness, eg:
thick_cut 100.0
thick_cut off

or
OFF

CAPPING <action> Action for capping 2D elements. Valid <action>s are:

OFF
Do not cap 2D elements
TRUE_THICKNESS <factor>

Cap 2D elements with their true thickness * <factor>

FIXED_THICKNESS <value> Cap 2D elements with a fixed thickness of <value>

LOCATION_PLOT
Draw 4 views of the model to visualise the section
VIEW_PLANE
Change view to normal to plane
SKETCH
Sketch the section
FORCE
Calculate forces on current section
WRITE_FORCES <name> Write forces to csv file <name>
STORE <section id>
(on new line) <name>
Store the current section in <section id> with the name <name>
GET <section id>
Retrieve the stored section <section id>
RENAME <section id>
(on new line) <name>
Rename a stored section <section id> to <name>
DELETE <section id>
Delete section <section id>
DIRECTORY List stored sections on file
FILE_NAME <file_name> Change the name the sections are stored in to <file_name>
STATUS Show the current settings
EXPLAIN
Further help

DEFORM

Modify or deform the geometry

The syntax is:

EXPLODE <action> Separate parts. Valid <action>s are:

DEFINE <parts>
(on new line) <x, y, z>
Define the list of <parts> to explode along the vector <x, y, z>
CANCEL Remove the vector

MAGNIFY_DISP <x, y, z>

Magnify the displacements by <x, y, z>

FIX_NODE <action> Apply a negative translation, equal to the displacement of a node, to the whole model. Valid <action>s are:

DEFINE <node id> Define the node <node id>
CANCEL
Remove the translation

SHIFT_DEFORMED <action> Apply a negative translation and rotation equal that defined by three nodes, to the whole model. Valid <action>s are:

DEFINE <N1, N2, N3> Define the three nodes
CANCEL
Remove the translation and rotation

REF_NODE <action> Contour relative to a node or three nodes. Valid <action>s are:

SINGLE_NODE <node id> Define the node <node id>
THREE_NODES <N1, N2, N3>

Define the three nodes

GLOBAL
Contour results in global system
LOCAL
Contour results in local system defined by nodes<N1, N2, N3>
REF_VALUES Toggle on and off whether reference values should be used for WRITE and XY_DATA
SHOW_NODES_ON
Show the selected node(s) in the graphics window
SHOW_NODES_OFF
Don't show the selected node(s) in the graphics window

REF_STATE <action> Contour relative to a state. Valid <action>s are:

ON
Turn reference state on
OFF

Turn reference state off

REF_MODEL <action>

Select a reference model. Valid <action>s are:

NUMBER <model id>

Set the reference model to <model id>
CURRENT

Set the reference model to the current model

SET_REF_STATE <action>

Select a reference state. Valid <action>s are:

NUMBER <state id>

Set the reference state to <state id>
TIME_RS <time> Set the reference state to the state at time <time>
CURRENT  Use the current state
COORDS
Toggle on or off whether to apply reference to current coordinates
DATA_VALUES Toggle on or off whether to apply reference to data values
UNDEFORMED
Toggle on or off whether to apply reference to undeformed geometry

TRANSFORM <action>

TRANSLATE

Tx Ty Tz

Translate by Tx Ty Tz, eg:
translate 10.0 0.0 -100.0
translate off

or
OFF
REFLECT

Axis Distance
"Axis" is X or Y or Z, "distance" is position on axis, eg:
reflect Y -1500.0
reflect off

or
OFF
ROTATE

Tx Ty Tz  Cx Cy Cz
Tx Ty Tz are rotation angles in degrees, Cx Cy Cz is centre of rotation, eg:
rotate 0 0 30 100.0 10.0 -20.0
rotate off

or
OFF
SCALE

Sx Sy Sz
Scaling by factors Sx Sy Sz, eg:
scale 2.0 2.0 2.0
scale off

or
OFF
CANCEL

<No arguments> Turns off ALL transformations (leaving values unchanged)
STATUS


<No arguments> Shows current transformation status

STATUS
Show the current settings
EXPLAIN
Further help
ATTACHED

Find attached items

The syntax is:

APPLY

Find attached

SAVE_CURRENT Save current blanking status
RESTORE_SAVED Restore blanking status
RECURSIVE
Set recursive attached options. Valid <option>s are:

ON

Turn on recursive find

OFF
Turn off recursive find
MAX_LOOPS <n>

Set the max number of loops to <n>


SELECTION <option> Valid <option>s are:

ATTACHED_PART

Find whole parts

SINGLE_ELEM Find single elements

METHOD <option> Valid <option>s are:

VISIBLE

Find attached to what is visible

SELECTED <list> Select <list> of nodes to find attached to
More info on valid <list> arguments can be found here


THROUGH <option> Toggle on and off the entities that find attached will look for. Valid <option>s are:

NODES ON/OFF

Turn on/off finding attached through nodes

SOLIDS ON/OFF Turn on/off finding attached through solids
BEAMS ON/OFF Turn on/off finding attached through beams
SHELLS ON/OFF Turn on/off finding attached through shells
THICK_SHELLS ON/OFF Turn on/off finding attached through thick shells
SPRINGS ON/OFF Turn on/off finding attached through springs
CONNECTION_TYPES ON/OFF Turn on/off finding attached through connection types

LAYOUT

Set the page layout

The syntax is:

SAME_SIZE <action> Set switch to make tiled windows the same size. Valid <action>s are:

ON
Turn on switch to make tiled windows the same size
OFF

Turn off switch to make tiled windows the same size


WIDE

Set the page layout to be tile wide.

TALL
Set the page layout to be tile tall.
CASCADE
Set the page layout to be cascade.
ONE_X_ONE Set the page layout to be 1x1.
TWO_X_TWO
Set the page layout to be 2x2.
THREE_X_THREE
Set the page layout to be 3x3.
XY <X>
(on new line) <Y>
Set the page layout to be <X>x<Y>
CUSTOM <options> Customise the page layout. Valid <option>s are:

LAYOUT <page>
(on new line) <layout>

Set the layout of page <page> to <layout>. Valid <layout>s are:

WIDE
Tile wide
TALL
Tile tall
CASCADE Cascade
ONE_X_ONE
1x1
TWO_X_TWO 2x2
THREE_X_THREE 3x3
XY <X> <Y> <X>x<Y>

AW_ADD_WINDOW <wdw>
(on new line) <page>
Add D3PLOT window <wdw> to page <page>
RW_REMOVE_WINDOW <wdw>
(on new line) <page>
Remove D3PLOT window <wdw> from page <page>
AG_ADD_GRAPH <graph>
(on new line) <page>
Add T/HIS graph <graph> to page <page>
RG_REMOVE_GRAPH <graph>
(on new line) <page>
Remove T/HIS graph <graph> from page <page>

TEMPLATE

Read and write template files 

The syntax is:

WRITE <filename> Write a template file to <filename>
READ <filename> Read a template file from <filename>
WRITE

Write data to the terminal

The syntax is:

<entity> <list>
(on new line) <component>

Write <component> data for a <list> entities of type <entity>

SCAN <entity> <nn>
(on new line) <component>

Display the maximum and minimum <nn> values of <component> for element type <entity>

GS_GLOBAL_SUMMARY <summary> Display a model summary. Valid <summary>s are:

GS_GLOBAL_SUMMARY Whole model summary
PS_PART_SUMMARY

Whole model summary by part

NRB_NODAL_RB_SUMMARY Nodal rigid body summary
IS_INTERFACE_SUMMARY Contact surfaces summary

COINCIDENT Display coincident elements
OS_OUTPUT_TO_SCREEN Switches screen output on/off
OF_OUTPUT_TO_FILE Switches file output on/off
FILE_FORMAT <option> Sets the output file format. Valid <option>s are:

TEXT
Text file format
CSV

CSV file format

XLSX
Excel XLSX file format

ENVELOPE <option> Turn envelope on. Valid <option>s are:

COMPONENT <type>

Select the type of value to write. Valid <type>s are:

OFF
Turn envelope plotting off
MAX_VALUE
Plot max values
TIME_OF_MAX_VALUE Plot time of the max values
MIN_VALUE
Plot min values
TIME_OF_MIN_VALUE Plot time of the min values
ABS_VALUE
Plot absolute values
TIME_OF_ABS_VALUE Plot time of the absolute values
STATES <list> Give a <list> of state numbers to be used 

KEYWORD <option> Write initial keyword data <option>s are:

<entity> <list>

Select a <list> of entities of type <entity>

FILENAME <fname>

Output filename

(NO_)NODE_COORDS

Turn on/off output of nodal coordinates

(NO_)NODE_CONSTRAINTS

Turn on/off output of nodal constraints

(NO_)ELEM_TOPOLOGY

Turn on/off output of element topology

(NO_)INITIAL_STRESS

Turn on/off output of initial stress

(NO_)INITIAL_STRAIN

Turn on/off output of initial strain

(NO_)INITIAL_NODAL_VEL

Turn on/off output of initial nodal velocity

APPLY Write data to the file

STATUS Show the current settings
EXPLAIN
Further help

More info on valid <list> arguments can be found here
XY_DATA

Plot XY data

The syntax is:

NODES <list>
(on new line) <component>

Plot <component> data versus time for nodes in <list>

SOLIDS <list>
(on new line) <component>
Plot <component> data versus time for solids in <list>
BEAMS <list>
(on new line) <component>
Plot <component> data versus time for beams in <list>
SHELLS <list>
(on new line) <component>
Plot <component> data versus time for shells in <list>
THICK_SHELLS <list>
(on new line) <component>
Plot <component> data versus time for thick shells in <list>
STONEWALLS <list>
(on new line) <component>
Plot <component> data versus time for stonewalls in <list>
INTERFACES <list>
(on new line) <component>
Plot <component> data versus time for interfaces in <list>
PARTS <list>
(on new line) <component>
Plot <component> data versus time for parts in <list>
AIRBAGS <list>
(on new line) <component>
Plot <component> data versus time for airbags in <list>
SURFACES <list>
(on new line) <component>
Plot <component> data versus time for surfaces
GLOBAL <component>
Plot global <component> data versus time
COMP_XY <entity> <list>
(on new line) <component1>
(on new line) <component2>
Plot <component1> data versus <component2> over time for the <list> of <entity>s
COMP_LINE <entity> <list>
(on new line) <component1>
(on new line) <component2>
Plot <component1> data versus <component2> at a given time for the <list> of <entity>s
SORT <action> Sort the COMP_LINE data points. Valid <action>s are:

NO_SORT
No sorting
LABEL

Sort by label ids

X_VALUE Sort by data x value
Y_VALUE Sort by data y value
BX_COORD
Sort by item basic x coordinate
BY_COORD
Sort by item basic y coordinate
BZ_COORD
Sort by item basic z coordinate
CX_COORD
Sort by item current x coordinate
CY_COORD
Sort by item current y coordinate
CZ_COORD
Sort by item current z coordinate

SET_INTERVALS
<start> <interval>
<finish>
Set the start time for the first state to be extracted, the time interval between states and the time of the last state to be extracted
SELECT_STATES <list>
Give a <list> of state numbers to be used
SHOW_TIMES
Show state times in .ptf file
PLOT
Turn XY plotting on or off
WRITE_CURVES
Turn curve file writing on or off
WRITE_CSV Turn csv file writing on or off
CURVE_NAMES <type> Change the default curve file names. Valid <type>s are:

GLOBAL
Global data curves
PART

Part data curves

AIRBAG
Airbag data curves
CONTACT
Contact data curves
ELEMENT
Element data curves
NODE
Node data curves
COMPOSITE
Composite curves
SECTION
Cut section curves

NUMBER_OF_CURVES <curves> Set the maximum number of curves in a .cur file to <curves>
STATUS
Show the current settings
EXPLAIN
Further help

More info on valid <list> arguments can be found here
IMAGES

Output images and animations

Select what to capture with the syntax:

ALL_PAGES
Select all the pages to capture
CURRENT_PAGE

Select the current page to capture

ONLY_WINDOW <win_num>

Select window <wiun_num> to capture

WHITE_BACKGROUND <switch> Capture images with white background ON or OFF

Select the image type with the syntax:


JPEG <filename>

Write the current image as a jpeg to <filename>

BMP_U8 <filename> Write the current image as an uncompressed 8-bit bitmap to <filename>
BMP_C8 <filename> Write the current image as a compressed 8-bit bitmap to <filename>
BMP_U24 <filename> Write the current image as an uncompressed 24-bit bitmap to <filename>
PPM <filename> Write the current image as a portable pixmap to <filename>
PNG_8BIT <filename> Write the current image as an 8-bit png to <filename>
PNG_24BIT <filename> Write the current image as a 24-bit png to <filename>
GIF <filename> Write the current image as a gif to <filename>
MP4 <filename> Write the current animation as an mp4 to <filename>
AGIF <filename> Write the current animation as a gif to <filename>
AVI_MJPG <filename> Write the current animation as a motion-jpeg to <filename>
AVI_U8 <filename> Write the current animation as an uncompressed 8-bit motion-jpeg to <filename>
AVI_C8 <filename> Write the current animation as a compressed 8-bit motion-jpeg to <filename>
AVI_U24 <filename> Write the current animation as an uncompressed 24-bit motion-jpeg to <filename>
EXPORT_3D <type> <filename> 
Sets the write format <type> and writes a compressed file for 3D viewer to <filename>
EXPORT_3D_UNCOMPRESSED <type> <filename> 
Sets the write format <type> and writes an uncompressed file for 3D viewer to <filename>
DITHER <level> Set the dithering level
FRAME_RATE <n> Set to <n> number of frames per second for animations
REPEAT <n> Set to <n> number of repeats for animations
TARGET_FILE_SIZE Target MP4 file size in megabytes
QUALITY <%age> Image quality of J/MPEG files
STATUS Show the current settings
LABEL

Display labels

The syntax is:

<entity> <list>

A <list> of <entity>s to label

LABEL
Toggle on or off if entities are labelled with their node/element number
PN_PART_NUMBER Toggle on or off if entities are labelled with their part/surface number
NE_NODES_ON_ELEMENT
Toggle on or off if nodes attached to an element are labelled
EN_ELEMENTS_ON_NODE Toggle on or off if elements attached to a node are labelled
NC_NODAL_COORDINATES Toggle on or off if nodes are labelled with their coordinates
DATA_VALUE
Toggle on or off if nodes/elements are labelled with their current data value
STATUS
Show the current settings
EXPLAIN
Further help

More info on valid <list> arguments can be found here

UTILITIES General utility commands

The syntax is:

COLOUR_OF_ENTITIES <entity> <list>
(on new line) <colour>

Set the colour of a <list> of <entity> type to <colour>

TRANSPARENCY <entity> <list>
(on new line) <%age>
Set the percentage transparency of a <list> of <entity> type to <%age>
MEASURE_DISTANCE <action>
Measure distances on screen. Valid <action>s are:

PP_POINT_TO_POINT Distance between two screen points (cursor picked)
NN_NODE_TO_NODE

Distance between two nodes (cursor picked)

NO_NODE_TO_ORIGIN Current node location (cursor picked)
NA_NODE_ANGLE
Angle between vectors n1n2 and n1n3 (cursor picked)
PA_POINT_ANGLE Angle between vectors p1p2 and p1p3 (cursor picked)

TITLE_MODIFY <title> Change the model title to <title>
UNATTACHED_NODES List any unattached nodes
TARGET_MARKERS <action> Add nodal target markers. Valid <action>s are:

RADIUS <rad> Define the radius of the marker
COLOUR <col1> <col2>

Define the two colours <col1> <col2> of the marker

CREATE <node id> Create a marker on node <node id>
DELETE <node id> Delete the marker from node <node id>
OFF Turn target markers off
ON
Turn target markers on

FAILURE_LOGIC <action>

How to handle failed elements. Valid <action>s are:


DS_DELETED_SWITCH
Toggle displaying deleted elements
DL_DELETED_LIST

List deleted elements

FH_HATCHING_SWITCH Toggle hatching deleted elements
FC_FAILED_CONTOUR <colour> Hatching colour
FL_FAILED_LIST List failed elements
CRITERION
Define failure criterion

DATA_COMPONENTS List data components
CUSTOMISE_GRAPHICS <action> Graphic options. Valid <action>s are:

LW_LINE_WIDTH <pixels> Define line width in pixels
M3D_3D_GRAPHICS

Switch to 3D mode

M2D_2D_GRAPHICS Switch to 2D mode
UPDATE_LEVEL <level> Define the update level
SOFT_CLIP_SWITCH Turn the software clipping on or off
SP_SHOW_PROJECTION Turn the box showing a representation of the projection and clipping planes on or off
WINDOW_SIZE <x> <y> Set the window size

FILE_SKIP <n> Skips <n> missing .ptf files
FAMILY_SIZE <size> Set the file member size to <size> in MBytes
SETTINGS_FILE <action> Write or read a settings file. Valid <action>s are:

Write to <filename>
Read from <filename>

PROPERTIES_FILE <action>

Write or read a properties file. Valid <action>s are:


WRITE <model>
(on new line) <filename>
Write properties of <model> to <filename>
READ <model>
(on new line) <filename>

Read properties from <filename> into <mode>


TOPAZ_FILE <To> <Tf> <Ti> <size> <header> <family> <filename> Write a topaz file

Where:

<To> is the time offset

<Tf> is the time factor

<Ti> is the time interval

<size> is the family member size in MBytes

<header> sets whether to write a header of initial data to file and can be YES or NO

<family> is the family member to start at

<filename> is the name of the file to write to

STL_FILE <filename> <type>

Write an .stl file to <filename> as a file in the format <type>

Where:

<type> is either ASCII or BINARY

EXTERNAL <action> Plot externally defined data. Valid <action>s are:

READ_FILE <filename> Read from <filename>
ON

Switch data off

OFF
Switch data on

GLOBAL_FACTORS <filename> Read <filename> for global factors
MENU_ATTRIBUTES Display the menu attributes panel
PTF_COMPRESS <action> Generate a new set of ptf files with a subset of the data. Valid <action>s are:

OUTPUT_TYPE <type> Set the output type to ORIGINAL or REORDERED
MODEL <model id> Set the current model
FILENAME <filename>

Set the filename

PART <list> Set a <list> of parts to output
STATES <list> Set a <list> of states to output
FAMILY_SIZE <size> Set the maximum fanily size (in KB)
APPLY Write the ptf files
ALL_ON Turn on all output
ALL_OFF Turn off all output
(NO_)VELOCITIES Turn on/off output of nodal velocities
(NO_)ACCELERATIONS Turn on/off output of nodal accelerations
(NO_)TEMPERATURES Turn on/off output of nodal temperatures
(NO_)SHELL_STRESS Turn on/off output of shell and thick shell stress tensor
(NO_)PLASTIC Turn on/off output of plastic strain
(NO_)SHELL_FORCES Turn on/off output of shell forces and moments
(NO_)SHELL_THICKNESS Turn on/off output of shell thicknesses
(NO_)SHELL_EXTRA Turn on/off output of shell extra variables
(NO_)SOLID_EXTRA Turn on/off output of solid extra variables
(NO_)BEAM_EXTRA Turn on/off output of beam extra variables
(NO_)STRAIN Turn on/off output of strain tensor
(NO_)SPH_STRESS Turn on/off output of strain tensor for SPH elements
(NO_)SPH_PLASTIC Turn on/off output of plastic strain for SPH elements
(NO_)SPH_STRAIN Turn on/off output of stress tensor for SPH elements
(NO_)AIRBAG Turn on/off output of airbag particle data
(NO_)SOLID_STRESS Turn on/off output of stress tensor for solid elements (reordered database only)
(NO_)SOLID_PLASTIC Turn on/off output of plastic strain for solid elements (reordered database only)
(NO_)SOLID_VM_STRESS Turn on/off output of Von Mises stress for solid elements (reordered database only)
(NO_)SHELL_VM_STRESS Turn on/off output of Von Mises stress for shell elements (reordered database only)
(NO_)TSHELL_VM_STRESS Turn on/off output of Von Mises stress for thick shell elements (reordered database only)
(NO_)SOLID_VM_STRAIN Turn on/off output of Von Mises strain for solid elements (reordered database only)
(NO_)SHELL_VM_STRAIN Turn on/off output of Von Mises strain for shell elements (reordered database only)
(NO_)TSHELL_VM_STRAIN Turn on/off output of Von Mises strain for thick shell elements (reordered database only)
(NO_)SHELL_ENG_STRAIN Turn on/off output of Engineering strain for shell elements (reordered database only)
(NO_)SPOTWELD Turn on/off output of Spotweld data (reordered database only)
(NO_)SPC Turn on/off output of SPC data (reordered database only)
(NO_)SPRING Turn on/off output of Spring data (reordered database only)
(NO_)SEATBELT Turn on/off output of Seatbelt data (reordered database only)
(NO)_NODES_FOR_ZTF Turn on/off output of nodes for ZTF items
(DONT)_EMBED_ZTF Do/Don't embed ztf file in database (reordered database only)

LC_COMBINATION <action> Combine Nastran linear static subcases. Valid <action>s are:

MODEL <model id> Set the current model
SUBCASE <subcase id> <factor> Add <subcase id> to the list of subcases to be combined
NAME <name> Set the combined loadcase name
APPLY
Create the combined loadcase with the currently selected subcases
READ <filename> Read a loadcase combination file
WRITE <filename> Write a loadcase combination file
RESET Clear the selected subcases

USER_DEFINED_NAME <action> Define names for entities. Valid <action>s are:

MODEL <model id> Set the current model
ADD <entity> <entity id>
(on new line) <name>
Define a <name> for entity type <entity>, id <entity id>
DELETE <entity> <entity id> Delete a defined name for entity type <entity>, id <entity id>
NAME_SWITCH <entity> <action> Toggle the display of names for enity type <entity>
READ <filename> Read a user defined names file
WRITE <filename> Write a user defined names file

More info on valid <list> arguments can be found here
GROUPS

Group options

The syntax is:

CREATE
Create a group

ADD <entity> <list> Add the <list> of entities of type <entity> to the current group
REMOVE <entity> <list>

Remove the <list> of entities of type <entity> from the current group

CLEAR Clear the current group
STORE

Store the current group

NEW <num> <name>

Store it as group number <num> and <name>
EXISTING <group> Store it in existing <group>

LIST List the contents of the current group 

SKETCH <group>
Sketch the group. <group> can be the number or name of the group.
MODIFY <group> Modify a stored group. <group> can be the number or name of the group.

ADD <entity> <list> Add the <list> of entities of type <entity> to the current group
REMOVE <entity> <list>

Remove the <list> of entities of type <entity> from the current group

CLEAR
Clear the current group
STORE

Store the current group

NEW <num> <name>

Store it as group number <num> and <name>
EXISTING <group> Store it in existing <group>

LIST
List the contents of the current group

RENAME <group> Rename a stored group. <group> can be the number or name of the group.

NAME <name> New name
NUMBER <num>

New number

APPLY
Apply the new name and/or number

DELETE <group> Delete a stored group. <group> can be the number or name of the group.
SAVE <filename> Save the stored groups as an ascii file to <filename>
READ <filename> Read the ascii file <filename>
READ_OLD <filename> Read an old style binary group file <filename>
LIST
List the stored groups

More info on valid <list> arguments can be found here
JAVASCRIPT

JavaScript interface

The syntax is:

COMPILE <filename>

Compiles the JavaScript <filename> to check it for errors

EXECUTE <filename> Executes the most recently compiled javaScript file or compiles and executes <filename> if given and different
MEMORY <size> Sets JavaScript memory arena to <size> in MBytes

STATUS
Display programme status
NEW_MODEL <filename> Open model <filename>
THF
For internal use with D3PLOT-T/HIS linked sessions. Manually entering commands within this menu is not recommended and is typically only used for automatic private use by the respective programs.
EXIT
Exit D3PLOT