Tecplot Getting Started Guide 2010

Tecplot, Inc.
Bellevue, WA
2010

Getting Started Manual

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TecplotFocus
TM
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10F021
Rev 04/2010
3
Table of Contents
1 Introduction ............................................................................ 7
2 Overview .................................................................................... 9
Interface........................................................................................ 10
Menubar....................................................................................... 10
Sidebar ............................................................................................... 11
StatusLine......................................................................................... 22
TecplotFocusWorkspace ................................................................... 22
DataHierarchy............................................................................ 22
Frames ............................................................................................... 22
Datasets ............................................................................................. 23
Zones ................................................................................................. 23
DataStructure ............................................................................. 23
OrderedData..................................................................................... 23
FiniteElementData .......................................................................... 23
CreatingPlots .............................................................................. 25
OutputFormats........................................................................... 26
3 Engine RPM Data Tutorial ........................................... 27
Introduction................................................................................. 27
LoadanExcelDataFile(Windows
Only)...................................... 27
LoadanExcelDataFile(Unix,WindowsOptional)....................... 30
PasteStylefromStylesheet................................................................ 32
TriangulatetheData ......................................................................... 33
ModifytheZoneDisplay................................................................... 34
WritetheDatasettoaFile................................................................. 35
Conclusion................................................................................... 36
Table of Contents
4
4 Gas Burner Tutorial ......................................................... 37
Introduction................................................................................. 37
WritingaMacroFiletoAutomatePlotSetup ........................ 37
SetUpaMacro.................................................................................. 37
RecordtheMacro............................................................................... 38
SavetheMacroFile ........................................................................... 40
EdittheMacroFile............................................................................ 41
Add$!LooptotheFile ....................................................................... 41
Addan$!IFStatement ...................................................................... 42
LayingOuttheFrames .............................................................. 43
LoadyourMacroFile ........................................................................ 43
TiletheFrames .................................................................................. 44
AdjustingtheAxisSettingsSimultaneouslyinAllFrames . 45
AdjusttheXAxisSettings ............................................................... 46
AdjusttheYAxisSettings ............................................................... 47
AdjusttheZAxisSettings ............................................................... 47
RotatetheAxisView......................................................................... 48
MagnifytheFrames .......................................................................... 49
PreparingaStylesheet................................................................ 50
SelectOneFrame............................................................................... 50
ChangeActiveLayersandaddaContourLegend............................ 50
AddaContourLegend ...................................................................... 50
SavetheStylesheettoaFile............................................................... 52
LoadtheStylesheet ............................................................................ 52
AdjustContourRanges ............................................................. 53
ResettheContourRange................................................................... 53
ChangeContourRangeUsingaMaximum,Minimum,andSteps. 54
ChangeContourRangeUsingaMinimum,Maximum,andDelta. 55
FinalResult .................................................................................. 57
ExportYourResults.......................................................................... 57
Conclusion................................................................................... 58
5 Performance Envelope Tutorial .............................. 59
Introduction................................................................................. 59
LoadingtheDataset ................................................................... 59
LoadaTecplotFocusDataFile ........................................................ 59
SetthePlotType ............................................................................... 60
ModifyingAxisDetails.............................................................. 61
AdjusttheXAxisRange .................................................................. 61
AdjusttheYAxisRange .................................................................. 62
TurnonPreciseDotGrid ................................................................. 62
ActivatingValueBlanking......................................................... 63
TurnonValueBlanking.................................................................... 64
ValueBlankingConstraint1 .......................................................... 64
5
AddingaFloodedContourPlot ............................................... 67
ChangetheActivePlotLayers .......................................................... 68
SpecifytheContourVariable............................................................. 68
AdjusttheFirstContourLevelforaContourVariable .................... 68
ActivatingContourLinePlots .................................................. 70
AssignContourVariables ................................................................. 70
ChangetheContourPlotType.......................................................... 71
AssignContourVariablestoZones .................................................. 71
ChangeZonesLinePatterns ............................................................ 72
CopyPlottoClipboard ...................................................................... 73
Conclusion................................................................................... 74
6 Transient Tutorial ............................................................. 75
Introduction................................................................................. 75
DatasetBackground .......................................................................... 75
TutorialSummary ............................................................................. 76
GettingStarted............................................................................ 76
LoadtheDataset ................................................................................ 76
InitialPlotSettings ........................................................................... 77
ViewDataSetInformation................................................................ 78
HurricaneSwath......................................................................... 78
AddaVectorLayer............................................................................ 78
LimittheNumberofVectorsPlotted................................................. 79
AnimatetheHurricaneMotion......................................................... 80
HurricanePath............................................................................ 81
CreateaNewFrame .......................................................................... 81
AdjusttheFrameSize ....................................................................... 81
ChangetheXandYAxes.................................................................. 82
AdjusttheAxisRanges..................................................................... 82
InserttheMapImage ........................................................................ 84
ModifytheImageDimensions .......................................................... 84
CreateaNewVariable ....................................................................... 86
AddaContourLayer......................................................................... 87
AddaContourColorCutoff .............................................................. 88
AddDynamicText ............................................................................ 89
AnimatetheHurricaneoverTime .................................................... 91
References&Resources ............................................................. 92
Conclusion................................................................................... 92
Table of Contents
6
7
1
Introduction
TecplotFocusisanadvancedengineeringplottingsoftwarewithextensiveXY,Polar,2D,and3D
capabilities.Itenablesyoutoanalyzeandexplorecomplexdatasets,arrangemultipleXY,Polar,2D,and
3Dplots,andthencommunicateyourresultstocolleaguesandmanagementwithbrilliant,highquality
output.
TheuserdocumentationforTecplotFocusisdividedintotheseninebooks:
GettingStartedManual(thisdocument)NewTecplotFocususersareencouragedtowork
throughthetutorialsprovidedintheGettingStartedManual.Thetutorialshighlighthowto
workwithkeyfeaturesinTecplotFocus.
UsersManualThismanualprovidesacompletedescriptionofworkingwithTecplotFocus
features.
ScriptingGuideThisguideprovidesMacroandPythoncommandsyntaxandinformationon
workingwithMacroandPythonfilesandcommands.
QuickReferenceGuideThisguideprovidessyntaxforzoneheaderfiles,macrovariables,
keyboardshortcuts,andmore.
DataFormatGuideThisguideprovidesinformationonoutputtingsimulatordatatoTecplot
Focusfileformat.
AddonDevelopersKitUsersManualThismanualprovidesinstructionsandexamplesfor
creatingaddonsforTecplotFocus.
AddonDevelopersKitReferenceManualThismanualprovidesthesyntaxforthe
functionsincludedintheaddonkit.
InstallationInstructionsTheseinstructionsgiveadetaileddescriptionofhowtoinstall
TecplotFocusonyourmachine.
ReleaseNotesThesenotesprovideinformationaboutnewand/orupdatedTecplotFocus
features.
TecplotTalkAusersupportedforumdiscussingTecplotFocus,Tecplot360,Pythonscripting,
Addondevelopment,TecIOandmore.Visitwww.tecplottalk.comfordetails.
Thefirsttutorialtakesapproximately1015minutestocomplete.Eachoftheremainingtutorialstakes
approximately2530minutestocomplete.
Introduction
8
EngineRPMDataTutorialThistutorialincludesimportingaMicrosoft
Excel
spreadsheet
andperformingtriangulation.
PerformanceEnvelopeTutorialThistutorialincludesvalueblankingandworkingwith
multiplecontourplots.
GasBurnerTutorialThistutorialincludesworkingwithmacros,framelinking,and
stylesheets.Thistutorialisalsoavailableinvideoformonourwebsiteat:http://
www.tecplot.com/support/focus/getting_started.aspx.
TransientTutorialThistutorialincludesanimation,importinggraphics,anddataalteration
throughequations.
Filesassociatedwitheachtutorialarelocatedin$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials
1
.
ForindepthinformationonthetopicscoveredintheGettingStartedManual,pleaserefertotheUsers
ManualincludedinyourTecplotFocusinstallationdirectory.TheUsersManualandadditional
documentationisalsoavailableonourwebsiteat:http://www.tecplot.com/support/focus/docs.aspx.
1. $TEC_FOCUS_2010 is the installation directory. For Windows
users, this is typically C:\Program Files\Tec-

plot\TecFocus 2010.
9
2
Overview
TecplotFocusfeaturesallowyoutovisualizecomplexgraphsandengineeringplotsthroughthefollowing
methods:
Applyingmultipleconstraintstodefineandcreateperformanceenvelopes
Creatingplotswithmultipledependentand/orindependentaxes
Creatingplotswithmultiplelayers,suchasplottingvectorsonafloodedcontourplot
Gaininggreaterunderstandingofyourdatawithmultidimensionalparametricplots
Plottingirregularlyspaceddata
UsingmultipleframestodisplayaseriesofplotsthatcanincludeanycombinationofXY,
Polar,2D,or3Dplottypes
Aftercreatingyourplots,youcancommunicateyourresultsclearlyandeffectivelyby:
UsingtheCopyPlottoClipboardcommandtopasteaplotdirectlyintoMicrosoft
PowerPoint
,MicrosoftWord
,andotherMicrosoftOffice
applications
AnimatingtoafileforuseinaPowerPointpresentation,awebpage,oraFramer(AVI,Flash
,
orRasterMetafile)
UsingthePublishcommandtoshareresultsdirectlyontheWeb
Exportingpresentationqualityvectorandrasterformats(JPEG,PNG,TIFF,BMP,WMF,
Adobe
PostScript
,orEPS)
Youmayalsosavetimeandeffortbyautomatingroutineanalysesandplottingoperationsthroughthese
methods:
Customizingtheinterfacetoyourworkflow
Creatingmacrosbyrecordingorwritingscripts
UsingtheQuickMacroPaneldialogforoneclickmacroaccess
Batchprocessplottingandprinting
ExtendingTecplotFocusfunctionalitywiththeAddonDevelopersKit
Overview
10
2 - 1 Interface
FourmajorsectionsmakeuptheTecplotFocusinterface:
2 - 2 Menubar
TheMenubaroffersrapidaccesstomostTecplotFocusfeatures.
TecplotFocusfeaturesareorganizedintothefollowingmenus:
FileUsetheFilemenutoreadorwritedatafilesandplotlayouts,printandexportplots,and
setconfigurationpreferences.
EditUsetheEditmenutoselect,undo,cut,copy,paste,andclearobjects,opentheQuick
Editdialog,andchangethedraworderforselecteditems(pushorpop).
ViewUsetheViewmenutomanipulatethepointofviewofyourdata,includingscale,view
range,and3Drotation.YoucanalsousetheViewmenutocopyandpasteviewsbetween
frames.
TheViewmenuincludesthefollowingconvenientsizingoptions:
FitEverything(3DOnly)Thisoptionsresizesplotssothatalldatapoints,text,and
geometriesareincludedintheframe.
Cut, Copy, and Paste work only within Tecplot Focus. To place a graphic image of your
layout into another program, use Copy Plot to Clipboard. This option is available on
Windows
and Macintosh
platforms.
Sidebar
Menubar
TecplotFocus
StatusLine
11
Menubar
FitSurfaces(3DOnly)Thisoptionresizesplotssothatallsurfacesareincludedinthe
frame,excludinganyvolumezones.
FittoFullSizeThisoptionfitstheentireplotintotheframe.Thisoptiondoesnot
affecttheaxisranges.
NiceFittoFullSizeThisoptionsetstheaxisrangetobeginandendonmajoraxis
increments(ifaxesaredependent,theverticalaxislengthisadjustedtoaccommodatea
majortickmark).
DataFitThisoptionfitsthedatapointstotheframe.
MakeCurrentViewNiceThisoptionmodifiestherangeonaspecifiedaxistofitthe
minimumandmaximumofthevariableassignedtothataxis,andthensnapsthemajor
tickmarkstotheendsoftheaxis.(Ifaxisdependencyisnotsetasindependent,thismay
affecttherangeonanotheraxis.)
CenterThisoptionmovestheplotimagesothatthedatapointsarecenteredwithin
theframe.(Onlythedataiscentered;text,geometries,andthe3Daxesarenot
considered.)
PlotUsethePlotmenutocontrolthestyleofyourplots.Themenuitemsavailableare
dependentupontheactiveplottype(chosenintheSidebar).
InsertUsetheInsertmenutoaddtext,geometries(polylines,squares,rectangles,circles,and
ellipses),orimagefiles.Ifyouhavea3Dzone,youmayalsousetheInsertmenutoinserta
slice.Iftheplottypeissetto2Dor3DCartesian,youmayinsertastreamtrace.
AnimateUsetheAnimatemenutoanimateIJKPlanes,IJKBlanking,isosurfaces,mappings,
slices,streamtraces,time,andzones.
DataUsetheDatamenutocreate,manipulate,andexaminedata.Typesofdata
manipulationavailableinTecplotFocusincludezonecreation,interpolation,triangulation,
andcreationoralterationofvariables.
FrameUsetheFramemenutocreate,edit,andcontrolframes.
OptionsUsetheOptionsmenutocontroltheattributesofyourworkspace,includingthe
colormap,papergrid,displayoptions,andrulers.
ScriptingUsetheScriptingmenutoplayorrecordmacros,andtoaccesstheQuickMacros
Paneldialog.
ToolsUsetheToolsmenutolaunchtheQuickEditdialogoranaddon.
HelpChooseTecplotFocusHelpfromtheHelpmenutogetspecific,completehelpon
featuresoroperationswithinTecplotFocus.BychoosingAboutTecplotFocusfromthis
menu,youcanobtainspecificinformationaboutyourlicense.
2 - 2.1 Sidebar
TheSidebarprovideseasyaccessforfrequentlyusedplotcontrols.ThefunctionsavailableintheSidebar
dependontheplottypeoftheactiveframe.For2Dor3DCartesianplottypes,youcanaddorsubtract
zonelayersandderivedobjectsfromyourplot.For3DCartesianplots,youmayalsoaddorsubtractzone
effectsfromyourplot.Forlineplots(XYandPolar)youcanaddorsubtractmappinglayers.
Tocustomizeyourplot,simply:
ChoosethedesiredplottypefromthePlotTypesmenuintheSidebar.
UsethetoggleswitchestoaddandsubtractZoneLayers/MapLayersor
ZoneEffects.UsetheZoneStyle/MappingStyledialogstofurthercustomizeyourplotby
addingorsubtractingzonesfromspecificplotlayers/mappings,changingthewayazoneor
groupofzonesisdisplayed,orchangingvariousplotsettings.
Overview
12
Plot Types
Theplottype,combinedwithaframesdataset,activelayers,andeachlayersassociatedattributes,define
aplot.Eachplottyperepresentsoneviewofthedata.Therearefiveplottypesavailable:
3DCartesian3Dplotsofsurfacesandvolumes
2DCartesian2Dplotsofsurfaces,wheretheverticalandhorizontalaxesarebothdependent
variables(i.e.x=f(A)andy=f(A),whereAisanothervariable)
XYLineLineplotsofindependentanddependentvariablesonaCartesiangrid;typically
withthehorizontalaxis(x)astheindependentvariableandtheverticalaxis(y=f(x))asa
dependentvariable
PolarLineLineplotsofindependentanddependentvariablesonapolargrid
PlotTypesMenu
ZoneLayers/MapLayers
ZoneEffects
(3DOnly)
Figure21. TheTecplotFocus
Sidebarforafieldplot
(left)andalineplot
(right).Thefeatures
availableinthe
Sidebararedependent
upontheplottype.
For3DCartesian
plots,youmayadd
andsubtractzone
layersandeffectsfor
yourplot.For2D
Cartesianplots(not
shown),youmayadd
andsubtractzone
layersforyourplot.
Forlineplotsyoumay
addandsubtractmap
layers.XYlineplots
havemoreavailable
13
Menubar
SketchPlotswithoutdata,suchasdrawings,flowcharts,andviewgraphs
Zone Layers/Map Layers
Alayerisawayofrepresentingaframesdataset.Thecompleteplotisthesumofalltheactivelayers,
axes,text,geometries,andotherelementsaddedtothedataandplottedinthelayers.Therearesixzone
layersfor2Dand3DCartesian,fourmaplayersforXYLine,twomaplayersforPolarLine,andnolayers
forSketch.
Thefollowingsixzonelayersareoptionsfor2Dand3DCartesianplottypes:
MeshLinesconnectingthedatapointswithineachzone
ContourLineshavingaconstantvalue,theregionbetweentheselines(contourflooding),or
both
VectorArrowsindicatingthedirectionandmagnitudeofphysicalquantities
ScatterSymbolsatthelocationofeachdatapoint
ShadeTheeffectusedtotinteachzonewithaspecifiedsolidcolor,ortoaddlightsource
shadingtoa3Dsurfaceplot.WhenusingthiseffectinconjunctionwiththeLightingzone
effect,youmaysetPaneledorGouraudshading.Whenusingtheshadeeffectinconjunction
withtheTranslucencyzoneeffect,youmaycreateatranslucentsurfaceforyourplot.
EdgeZoneedgesandcreasesforordereddataandcreasesforfiniteelementdata
ThefourXYLinemaplayersare:
LinesLinesthatplotapairofvariables(XandY)asasetoflinesegmentsorafittedcurve
SymbolsApairofvariables(XandY)thatareindividualdatapointsandarerepresentedby
asymbolthatyouspecify
BarsApairofvariables(XandY)asahorizontalorverticalbarchart
ErrorBarsAnoptionthatallowsyoutoadderrorbarstoyourplot
ThetwoPolarLinemaplayersare:
LinesApairofvariables(RandTheta)thatareasetoflinesegmentsorafittedcurve
SymbolsApairofvariables(RandTheta)thatareindividualdatapointsrepresentedbya
symbolthatyouspecify
Zone Effects
For3DCartesianplottypes,usetheSidebartoturnLightingandTranslucencyonoroff.Onlyshadedand
floodedcontoursurfaceplottypesareaffected.
Snap Modes
SnaptoGrid Constrainsobjectmovementtowholestepsontheaxisgrid.This
canbeusefulforaligningtextandgeometrieswithspecificplotfeatures.
SnaptoPaper Constrainsobjectmovementtowholestepsonthepapersruler
grid.Thiscanbeusefulforpositioningframespreciselyforprinting,orfor
absolutepositioningoftext,geometries,andotherplotelements.
Overview
14
Redraw Buttons
Theredrawbuttonsallowyoutokeepyourplotuptodate:RedrawAllCTRLDredrawsallframes,
SHIFTRedrawAllcausesTecplotFocustocompletelyregeneratetheworkspace,andRedrawCTRLR
redrawsonlythecurrentframe.
Auto Redraw
UseAutoRedrawWhentoggledon,TecplotFocuswillautomaticallyredrawtheplotwheneverstyleor
datachanges.Someusersprefertoturnthisoptionoffwhilesettingmultiplestylesettingsandthen
manuallyclickingTecplotFocussRedraworRedrawAllbuttonontheSidebartoseeafullplot.
Cache Graphics
TecplotFocususesOpenGL
torenderplots.OpenGLprovidestheabilitytocachegraphicinstructionsfor
renderingandcanrerenderthecachedgraphicsmuchfasterthanhavingTecplotFocussendthe
instructionsagain.Thisisparticularlytruefortheinteractivemanipulationofaplot.However,this
performancepotentialcomesatthecostofusingmorememory.Ifthememoryneedistoohigh,theoverall
performancecouldbeless.TecplotFocushasthreegraphicscachemodes:cacheallgraphics,cacheonly
lightweightgraphicsobjects,anddonotcachegraphics.
WhenCacheGraphicsistoggledonintheSidebar,TecplotFocusassumesthereisenoughmemoryto
generatethegraphicscache.Assumingthisistrue,TecplotFocussrenderingperformancewillbeoptimal
fortheinteractivemanipulationofaplot.
Whenmemoryconstraintsareverylimited,considertogglingoffCacheGraphics.Ifyouintendto
interactwiththeplotunderlimitedmemoryconstraints,alsoconsidersettingthePlotApproximation
modetoAllFramesAlwaysApproximated.
SeeSectionGraphicsCacheintheUsersManualformoreinformation.
Plot Approximations
IfPlotApproximationistoggledonandthenumberofdatapointsisabovethepointthreshold,Tecplot
Focuswillrendertheapproximateplotforstyle,data,andinteractiveviewchangesfollowedimmediately
bythefullplot.Thisoptionprovidesforgoodinteractiveperformancewiththefinalplotalways
displayedinthefullrepresentation.
Tools
Eachofthetoolsrepresentedinthetoolbarchangesthemousemodeandallowsyoutoedityourplot
interactively.
An auto redraw can be interrupted at any time with a mouse click or key press.
Double-click on a tool to launch the Details dialog associated with that tool.
15
Menubar
Selector Tool
UsetheSelectortooltoselectobjectsinyourworkspace.TheobjectscanbemodifiedusingtheQuickEdit
dialogwhentheQuickEditbuttonischosenintheSidebarbeforeanobjectisselected.
Thefollowingobjectscanbemoved(translated)usingtheSelectortoolitself:
Frames
AxisGridArea
Text
Geometries
ContourLabels
Streamtraces
StreamtraceTerminationLine
Legends
3DFrameAxis
Toselectanobjectandopenthatobjectsattributesdialog,eitherdoubleclickonthedesiredobjectordrag
thecursortoselectagroupofobjectstocalluptheGroupSelectdialog.ClickOK,andthenclickthe
ObjectDetailsbuttonintheSidebar.
Adjustor Tool
UsetheAdjustortooltoperformthefollowingspecificmodificationstoyourplotanddata:
Changethelocationofindividualorgroupsofdatapointsinthegrid
Modifythevaluesofthedatasetvariablesataparticularpoint
Changethelengthorplacementofindividualaxes(2DCartesianandXYLineplottypesonly)
Changethespacingbetweenanaxislabelanditsassociatedaxis(2DCartesianandXYline
plottypesonly)
Changetheshapeofapolyline
Exceptfortheaboveactions,thebehavioroftheAdjustortoolisidenticaltothatoftheSelectortool.
Toselectmultiplepoints,youcaneitherSHIFTclickafterselectingyourinitialpointtoselectadditional
points,oryoucandrawagroupselectbandtoselectthepointswithintheband.(InLineplots,youcan
selectpointsfromonlyonemappingatatime.)
Onceyouhaveselectedalldesiredpoints,movetheAdjustorovertheselectionhandlesofoneofthe
points,thendragtothedesiredlocationofthechosendatapoint.Otherselectedpointswillmoveasaunit
withthechosendatapoint,maintainingtheirrelativepositions.
The Adjustor tool can alter your data. Be sure you want to use the Adjustor tool before
dragging points in the data region.
For XY Line plots: If several mappings are using the same data for one of the variables,
adjusting one of the mappings will result in simultaneous adjustments to the others. You
can avoid this by pressing the H or V keys on your keyboard while adjusting the selected
point. The H and V keys restrict the adjustment to the horizontal and vertical directions,
respectively.
Overview
16
Group Select
TheGroupSelectdialogisopenedwhenyouselectagroupofobjectswiththeSelectororAdjustortools.
Dragtocreatearectanglearoundtheobjectsyouwanttoselect.UsetheGroupSelectdialogtospecify
whichtypesofobjectswithinthespecifiedselectionregionshouldbeselected.
TheGroupSelectdialogallowsyoutospecifythefollowingobjecttypestobeselected(iftheselection
rectangledoesnotincludeaspecificobject,itsassociatedcheckboxisinactive):
Text
Geometries
Frames
Zones
AxisGridArea
ContourLabels
Streamtraces
TheGroupSelectdialogoffersthefollowingattributefilters:
GeomsofTypeChoosegeometriesofaparticulartypefromthemenu.
GeomswithLinePatternChooseallgeometrieshavingaparticularlinepattern.
TextwithFontChoosealltextdisplayedinaparticularfont.
ObjectswithColorChooseallobjectsofaparticularcolor.(Choosetheappropriatecolor
fromtheSelectColordialog.)
Zoom Tool
Thistoolenableszoomingintoorawayfromaplot.
Withthezoomtoolselectedasthemousemode,whenamouseclickoccurs(withoutdragging),the
zoomingiscenteredatthelocationofyourclick.
Therearetwozoommodes:plotzoomingandpaperzooming.
Forplotzooming,dragthemagnifyingglasscursortodrawaboxabouttheregionthatyouwanttofitinto
theframe.Theboxmaybelargerthantheframe.Drawingaboxlargerthantheframezoomsawayfrom
theplot.Theregionwithintheviewboxwillberesizedtofitintotheframe.
Toreturntothepreviousview,chooseLastfromtheViewmenu(CTRLL).Torestoretheoriginal2D
view,chooseFittoFullSize(CTRLF)fromtheViewmenu.
Theresultsofplotzoomingforthe2DplottypearedependentupontheaxismodeselectedintheAxis
Detailsdialog(accessedviathePlotmenu):
2DIndependentAxisModeTheindependentaxismodeallowstheselectedregionto
expandtoexactlyfitintheframe.Theaxesarerescaledindependentlytofitthezoombox.
2DDependentAxisModeIndependentmode,theaxesarenotfitperfectlytothezoombox.
Thelongestdimensionfromthezoomboxisappliedtotheassociatedaxis,andtheotheraxis
isresizedaccordingtothedependencyrelation.
If Snap to Grid is toggled-on in the Sidebar, you cannot make the zoom box larger than
the grid area.
17
Menubar
Forpaperzooming,SHIFTdragthemagnifyingglasscursortodrawaboxabouttheregionthatyouwant
tomagnify.Theplotisresizedsuchthatthelongestdimensionofthezoomboxfitsintotheworkspace.
YoucanfitoneorallframestotheworkspacebyusingtheFitSelectedFramestoWorkspaceorFitAll
FramestoWorkspaceoptionsfromtheView>Workspacemenu.Toreturntothedefaultpaperview,
chooseFitPapertoWorkspacefromtheView>Workspacemenu.
Translate Tool
UsetheTranslate/Magnifytooltotranslateormagnifydatawithinaframeorthepaperwithinthe
workspace.
WhileinTranslate/Magnifymode,dragthecursortomovethedatawithrespecttotheframe,orSHIFT
dragtomovethepaperwithrespecttotheworkspace.
Three-dimensional Rotation
TecplotFocusallowsyoutorotateyourdatainavarietyofways.Chooseoneofthesixpossible3D
rotationmousemodes,thendragthepointerintheworkspacetorotateyour3Dimage.Thesixrotation
mousemodescanbeengagedbyselectingoneofthesesixtools:
Spherical DragthemousehorizontallytorotateabouttheZaxis;dragthemouse
verticallytocontrolthetiltoftheZaxis.
Rollerball Dragthemouseinthedirectionyouwanttomovetheplotwithrespectto
thecurrentorientationonthescreen.Inthismode,yourmouseactsmuchlikearollerball.
Twist Dragthemouseclockwisearoundtheimagetorotatetheimageclockwise.Drag
themousecounterclockwisearoundtheimagetorotatetheimagecounterclockwise.
Xaxis DragthemousetorotatetheimageabouttheXaxis.
Yaxis DragthemousetorotatetheimageabouttheYaxis.
Zaxis DragthemousetorotatetheimageabouttheZaxis.
Onceyouhaveselectedarotationmousemode,youcanquicklyswitchtoanyoftheotherrotation
capabilitiesorrotationmodesusingthefollowingkeyboardshortcuts:
Use the center mouse button to zoom smoothly into or out of the plot.
Clicking anywhere in your plot while the zoom tool is active zooms in on the plot and
centers that zoom around your click.
Use the right mouse button to translate objects within a frame interactively.
Rescale image: You can rescale your image by choosing the translate tool and pressing
+ to magnify or - to shrink.
Rescale paper: To rescale the paper, first SHIFT-drag to move the paper, and then use
the rescale buttons + or - to magnify or shrink the paper, respectively.
Drag
Rotateaboutthedefinedrotationoriginwith
yourcurrentRotatetool.
ALTdrag
Rotateabouttheviewerpositionusingyour
currentRotatetool.
Middleclick Smoothzoominandoutofthedata.
Overview
18
Slice Tool
UsetheSlicetooltocontrolyourslicerenderinginteractively.
Thefollowingkeyboard/mouseoptionsareavailablewhentheSlicetoolisactive:
Rightclick Translatethedata.
O
Moverotationorigintoprobedpointofdata.
Thisshortcutcanbeusedwithoutfirstselecting
arotationmousemode.Hoveroveryour
intendedpointoforigin,typeO,andthen
CTRLrightclickanddragtorotatetheimage.
R SwitchtoRollerballrotation.
S SwitchtoSphericalrotation.
T SwitchtoTwistrotation.
X SwitchtoXaxisrotation.
Y SwitchtoYaxisrotation.
Z SwitchtoZaxisrotation.
+
PrimarySlices,Start/EndSlicesactiveTurnon
intermediateslices(ifnotalreadyactive)andadda
slice.
PrimarySlicesactive[ONLY]TurnonStart/EndSlices
andaddaslice.
Start/EndSlicesactive[ONLY]TurnonStart/End
Slicesandaddaslice.
PrimarySlices,Start/EndSlicesactiveRemovestart
andendslices.
PrimarySlicesactive[ONLY]Removetheprimary
slice.
Start/EndSlicesactive[ONLY]RemovetheStartand
EndSlices.
Clickdrag
Updatethepositionoftheprimaryslice(ifactive).If
onlystartandendslicesarevisible,clicktoupdatethe
positionofthesliceclosesttotheclick.
ALTclick/ALTdrag
DeterminetheXYZlocationbyignoringzonesand
lookingonlyatderivedvolumeobjects(streamtraces,
slices,isosurfaces).
SHIFTclick
Placethestartorendslice(whicheverisclosesttothe
initialclicklocation).ShowStart/EndSlicesasactivated,
ifnecessary.
SHIFTdrag
Movethestartorendslice(whicheverisclosesttothe
initialclicklocation).ShowStart/EndSlicesasactivated,
ifnecessary.
I,J,K(orderedzones
only)
SwitchtoslicingconstantI,J,orKplanesrespectively.
19
Menubar
Add Streamtrace
ChoosetheAddStreamtracetooltoaddastreamtraceinteractivelybyclickinganywhereinyourplot.
Selectthenumberofstreamtracestoincludewitheachclick(rake)using19onthekeyboard.
Streamtrace Termination Line
SelecttheAddStreamtraceTerminationLinetooltoaddastreamtraceterminationlineinteractively.
TodrawaStreamtraceTerminationLine:
1. Movethecursorintothedataregion.
2. Clickonceatthedesiredstartingpointfortheline.
3. Clickagainateachdesiredbreakpoint.
4. Whenthepolylineiscomplete,doubleclickonthelastpointofthepolyline,presstheESC
keyonyourkeyboard,orrightclick.
Thepolylinewillendanystreamtrace(s)thatpassthroughit.
Add Contour Level
ChoosetheAddContourLeveltooltoaddacontourlevelinteractivelybyclickinganywhereinthe
currentdataregion.Anewcontourlevel,passingthroughthespecifiedlocation,iscalculatedanddrawn.
YoucanusethefollowingkeyboardandmouseshortcutswhentheAddContourLeveltoolisselected:
X,Y,Z SwitchtoslicingconstantX,Y,orZplanesrespectively.
18
Numbersonethrougheightswitchtothe
correspondingslicegroup.
Refer to the Chapter 15: Streamtraces in the Users Manual for more information
about using streamtraces.
D Switch to streamrods
R Switch to streamribbons
S Switch to surface lines
V Switch to volume lines
1-9 Change the number of streamtraces added when placing a rake of streamtraces
SHIFT Draw a rake on concave 3D volume surfaces. These rakes are normally not
drawn, as they occur outside of the data.
ALTclick Placeacontourlinebyprobingonastreamtrace,slice,orisosurface.
Click Placeacontourline.
CTRLclick Replacethenearestcontourlinewithanewline.
Drag Movethenewcontourline.
SwitchtotheDeleteContourLeveltool.
Overview
20
Delete Contour Level
ChoosetheDeleteContourLeveltooltodeleteacontourlevelinteractivelybyclickinganywhereinthe
currentdataregion.Thecontourlinenearestthespecifiedlocationisdeleted.
Add Contour Labels
ChoosetheAddContourLabeltooltoswitchtotheContourLabelmode,whichenablesyoutoadda
contourlabelinteractively(byclickinganywhereinthecurrentdataregion).
Acontourlabelisaddedtotheplotatthespecifiedlocation;itslevelorvalueinformationistakenfrom
thenearestcontourline.Thisallowsyoutoplacelabelsslightlyoffsetfromthelinesthattheylabel.
Probe Tool
ChoosetheProbetooltoprobeforvaluesofthedatasetsvariablesataparticularpoint.
Toobtaininterpolatedvaluesofthedatasetvariablesatthespecifiedlocation,chooseanypointinthedata
region.Toobtainexactvaluesforthedatapointnearestthespecifiedlocation,CTRLclickatthedesired
location.
Insert Text
Toaddtexttoanyframe,clicktheAddTexttoolanddrawatextboxintheselectedframe.TheText
Detailsdialogwillbelaunchedautomatically.Useittoassignandmodifytext.
Insert Geometries
Usethecorrespondinggeometrybuttonsinthetoolbartoinsertgeometriesintoyourplot:
Polylines
Squares
Rectangles
Use the + key to switch to the Add Contour Level tool and the - key to switch back
to the Delete Contour Level tool.
The Contour Type must be Lines or Both Lines & Flood in order for this tool to be
active. You can set the Contour Type on the Contour page of the Zone Style dialog.
For XY plots - When you move into the axis grid area, the cursor crosshair is
augmented by a vertical or horizontal line, depending on whether you are probing along
the X-axis or the Y-axis. You can change the axis to be probed by pressing X to probe the
X-axis or Y to probe the Y-axis.
21
Menubar
Circles
Ellipses
Selectageometryshapeforinsertion,andthendragintheworkspacetocreatetheshapeofdesiredsize.
Create New Frame
SelecttheCreateNewFrametooltocreateanewframe.
Toaddaframe,dragintheworkspacetocreateaframeofdesiredsizeandshape.
Extract Discrete Points
ChoosetheExtractDiscretePointstooltoextractselectedpointstoadatafileoranewzone.
Toselectpoints:
1. Leftclickateachlocationwhereyouwouldliketoextractapoint.
2. Toendextraction,eitherdoubleclickonthelastpoint,presstheESCkey,orrightclick.
3. TheExtractDataPointsdialogappears;useittospecifyhowmanypointstoextractandhow
tosavethedata.
Extract Points along Polyline
ChoosetheExtractLinetooltoextractpointsalongaspecifiedpolylinetoadatafileoranewzone.
Toselectpoints:
1. Clickyourlefthandmousebuttonateachlocationwhereyouwouldliketoextractapoint
alongapolyline.
2. Toendextraction,eitherdoubleclickonthelastpoint,presstheESCkey,orrightclick.
3. TheExtractDataPointsdialogappears;useittospecifyhowmanypointstoextractandhow
tosavethedata.
Create Rectangular Zone (2D Only)
ChoosetheCreateRectangularZonetooltoaddnew2DrectangularzonestothecurrentTecplotFocus
dataset.
Tocreatearectangularzone:
1. Clickonceinthecurrentdataregiontoanchoronecornerofthezone.
2. Dragthediagonalcorneruntilthezoneisthedesiredsizeandshape.Thenewzonecreatedis
IJordered.
If you have data loaded into Tecplot Focus and you create a new frame, you can attach
the existing dataset to the new frame by changing the plot type to match that of the
existing dataset.
Overview
22
TospecifythemaximumIindexandJindex,usetheCreateRectangularZonedialog(accessedvia
Data>CreateZone>Rectangular).
Create Circular Zone (2D Only)
SelecttheCreateCircularZonetooltoaddnew2DcircularzonestothecurrentTecplotFocusdataset.
Tocreateacircularzone:
1. Clickonceinthecurrentdataregiontospecifythecenterofthezone.
2. Draguntilthezonehasthedesiredradius.ThenewzonecreatedisIJordered.
TospecifythemaximumIindexandJindex,usetheCreateCircularZonedialog(accessedvia
Data>CreateZone>Circular).
2 - 2.2 Status Line
Thestatusline,runningalongthebottomoftheTecplotFocuswindow,giveshoverhelp.Whenyou
movethepointerovereitheratoolinthetoolbar,abuttonontheQuickEditdialog,oramenuitem,a
descriptionofthecontrolappears.
2 - 2.3 Tecplot Focus Workspace
Theworkspaceistheportionofyourscreeninwhichyoucreatesketchesandplots.Eachsketchorplotis
createdwithinasubwindowcalledaframe.Thecurrentstateoftheworkspacemakesupalayout,
includingthesizingandpositioningofframes,thelocationofthedatafilesusedbyeachframe,andall
currentattributesforallframes.Bydefault,theworkspacedisplaysarepresentationofthepaperTecplot
Focusissetuptodrawon,aswellasareferencegridandrulers.Theactiveframeinwhichyouare
currentlyworkingisontop.Allmodificationsaremadetotheactiveframe.
2 - 3 Data Hierarchy
TecplotFocusstructuresdataintwolevels:datasetsandzones.Datasetsarecontainedwithinframes.Each
datasetiscomposedofazoneorgroupofzones,andeachzonecontainsavariableorgroupofvariables.
Allzonesinadatasetcontainthesamesetofvariables.
2 - 3.1 Frames
YoucancreatemultipleplotssimultaneouslyinTecplotFocususingsubwindowscalledframes.By
default,oneframeisopenwhenyoulaunchTecplotFocus.Youcanaddframestotheworkspaceusingthe
Framemenu.Datasetscanbeuniquetotheframeorsharedbetweenframes.Linkingdatabetweenframes
allowsyougenerateuniqueplotsofthesamedata.Formoreinformationonworkingwithframes,please
refertotheUsersManual.
The current frame must have a dataset attached to it in order for this tool to be active.
(This option is only available in 2D Cartesian plots.)
The current frame must have a dataset attached to it in order for this tool to be active.
(This option is only available in 2D Cartesian plots.)
23
Data Structure
2 - 3.2 Datasets
Adatasetisdefinedasalloftheinformationdatainaframe.Startingwithanemptyframe,adatasetis
createdandassignedtotheactiveframewhenyoureadoneormoredatafilesintoTecplotFocus,orwhen
youcreateazonewithinTecplotFocus.
2 - 3.3 Zones
Zonesareasubsetofdatasets.Adatasetcanbecomposedofasinglezoneorseveralzones.Zonesare
eitherdefinedinthedatafileorcreateddirectlyinTecplotFocus.Thenumberofzonesinaconcatenated
datasetisthesumofthenumberofzonesineachofthedatafilesthatareloaded.
Typically,adatafileisdividedintozonesbasedonitsphysicalcoordinates.Forexample,adatasetofan
airplanemayconsistofazoneforeachwing,eachwheel,thenose,andsoforth.Alternatively,zonesmay
bedefinedbasedonthematerial.Forexample,adatasetofafluidtankmayhaveazoneforthetankitself
andadditionalzonesforeachfluidtherein.
2 - 4 Data Structure
TecplotFocusaccommodatestwodifferenttypesofdata:orderedandfiniteelement.Thedatastructureis
definedwithinthedatafile.Eachzoneiscomposedofonedatatype.
2 - 4.1 Ordered Data
Ordereddataisasetofpointslogicallystoredina1D,2D,or3Darray,whereI,J,andKaretheindex
valueswithinthearray.Thenumberofdatapointsistheproductofallofthedimensionswithinthearray.
1Darray(Iordered,Jordered,orKordered)Asingledimensionalarrayofdatapoints,
whereonedimension(I,J,orK)isgreaterthanorequaltoone,andtheotherdimensionsare
equaltoone.Inaonedimensionalarray,thetotalnumberofdatapointsisequaltothelength
ofthesingleorderedarray.Forexample,anIordereddatasetwithI=5,J=K=1hasfivedata
points.
2Darray(IJordered,JKordered,IKordered)A2Darrayofdatapoints,wheretwoofthe
threedimensions(I,J,orK)aregreaterthanone,andtheotherdimensionisequaltoone.The
numberofdatapointsina2Dordereddatasetistheproductoftheallofthedimensions.For
example,inanIJordereddataset,thenumberofdatapointsisequaltoIxJ(whereK=1).
3Darray(IJKordered)A3Darrayofdatapoints,whereallthreeofthedimensions(I,J,and
K)greaterthanone.ThenumberofdatapointsistheproductoftheI,J,andKdimensions.
2 - 4.2 Finite Element Data
Whilefiniteelementdataisusuallyassociatedwithnumericalanalysisformodelingcomplexproblemsin
3Dstructures(heattransfer,fluiddynamics,andelectromagnetics),italsoprovidesaneffectiveapproach
fororganizingdatapointsinoraroundcomplexgeometricalshapes.Forexample,youmaynothavethe
samenumberofdatapointsondifferentlines,theremaybeholesinthemiddleofthedataset,orthedata
pointsmaybeirregularly(randomly)positioned.Forsuchdifficultcases,youmaybeabletoorganize
yourdataasapatchworkofelements.Eachelementcanbeindependentoftheotherelements,soyoucan
Overview
24
groupyourelementstofitcomplexboundariesandleavevoidswithinsetsofelements.Thefigurebelow
showshowfiniteelementdatacanbeusedtomodelacomplexboundary.
Finiteelementdatadefinesasetofpoints(nodes)andtheconnectedelementsofthesepoints.The
variablesmaybedefinedeitheratthenodesoratthecell(element)center.Finiteelementdatacanbe
dividedintothreetypes:
Linedataisasetoflinesegmentsdefininga2Dor3Dline.UnlikeIordereddata,asingle
finiteelementlinezonemayconsistofmultipledisconnectedsections.Thevaluesofthe
variablesateachdatapoint(node)areenteredinthedatafilesimilarlytoIordereddata,
wherethenodesarenumberedwiththeIindex.Thisdataisfollowedbyanothersetofdata
definingconnectionsbetweennodes.Thissecondsectionisoftenreferredtoasthe
connectivitylist.Allelementsarelinesconsistingoftwonodes,specifiedintheconnectivity
list.
Surfacedataisasetoftriangularorquadrilateralelementsdefininga2Dfieldora3Dsurface.
Infiniteelementsurfacedata,youcanchoose(byzone)toarrangeyourdatainthreepoint
(triangle),orfourpoint(quadrilateral).Thenumberofpointspernodeandtheirarrangement
aredeterminedbytheelementtypeofthezone.Ifamixtureofquadrilateralsandtrianglesis
necessary,youmayrepeatanodeinthequadrilateralelementtypetocreateatriangle.
Figure22. Thisfigureshowsfiniteelementdatausedtomodelacomplex
boundary.Thisplotfile,feexchng.plt,islocatedinyourTecplot
Focusdistributionundertheexamples/2Dsubdirectory.
25
Creating Plots
Volumedataisasetoftetrahedralorbrickelementsdefininga3Dvolumefield.Finite
elementvolumecellsmaycontainfourpoints(tetrahedron)oreightpoints(brick).Thefigure
belowshowsthearrangementofthenodesfortetrahedralandbrickelements.
Inthebrickformat,pointsmayberepeatedtoachieve4,5,6,or7pointelements.Forexample,
aconnectivitylistofn1n1n1n1n5n6n7n8(wheren1isrepeatedfourtimes)resultsina
quadrilateralbasedpyramidelement.
InTecplotFocus,eachFEdatazonemustbecomposedexclusivelyofoneelementtype.
However,youmayuseadifferentdatapointstructureforeachzonewithinadataset,aslong
asthenumberofvariablesdefinedateachdatapointisthesame.
Section45FiniteElementDataintheDataFormatGuideprovidesdetailedinformation
abouthowtoformatyourFEdatainTecplotsdatafileformat.
2 - 5 Creating Plots
ThebasicstepsforcreatingaplotinTecplotFocusarethefollowing:
1. Defineyourdatasetbyusingoneofthefollowingmethods:
a. UsetheLoadDataFile(s)commandfromtheFilemenutoloadanytypeofdatafile.
b. UsetheOpenLayoutcommandfromtheFilemenutoloadlinkedlayoutorlayout
packagefiles.
c. UseanycombinationoftheoptionsintheCreateZonesubmenuoftheDatamenuor
theInsertmenutocreateyourdatasetsdirectlywithinTecplotFocus.
2. Choosetheplottype(3D,2D,XYLine,PolarLine,orSketch)fromtheSidebar.
3. ToggleonanymappingorzonelayersfromtheSidebar(forexample,contourzonelayeror
symbolsmappinglayer).UsetheDetailsbuttontocustomizezonelayers.
4. [OPTIONAL,3Donly]Toggleonzoneeffects(translucencyandlighting).
5. [OPTIONAL]UsetheZoneStyleorMappingStyledialogstooptzonesinandoutofplot
layersortheentireplot.
6. [OPTIONAL,2Dor3Donly]Addderivedobjects(slices,streamtraces,orisosurfaces).Use
theDetailsbuttontocustomizeanyderivedobjects.
For cell-based element types (triangular, quadrilateral, tetrahedral, or brick), you can
simulate zones with mixed element types by repeating nodes as necessary. For
example, a triangle element can be included in a quadrilateral zone by repeating one
node in the elements connectivity list, and tetrahedral, pyramidal, and prismatic
elements can be included in a brick zone by repeating nodes appropriately.
N1
N2
N3
N4
Tetrahedralconnectivityarrangement Brickconnectivityarrangement
Figure23. ConnectivityarrangementsforFEvolume
Overview
26
YouarenotlimitedtoworkingwithonlyoneplotatatimeinTecplotFocus.Youcancreatemultiplefiles
atonceusingframesandframelinking.
Onceyouhaveloadedyourdata,youcanusetheoptionsinthePlotmenu(suchasBlankingorAxis
Details)tocustomizehowyourdataisdisplayed.YoucanalsousetheoptionsintheDatamenu(suchas
SpecifyEquationsorInterpolation)toalterthedataset.
2 - 6 Output Formats
Onceyouhavecompletedyourplot(s),youcanuseanyofthefollowingmediatodistributeorpublish
yourplot(s)outsideofTecplotFocus:
PrintingUsethePrintoptionfromtheFilemenutoprintyourplots.
ExportingtoanimagefileUsetheExportoptionfromtheFilemenuandchoosethe
desiredimageformatintheExportdialog.
ExportingtoananimationfileAccessthisexportoptionviaanyoftheAnimationdialogsby
choosingToFileintheAnimatefield,orbychoosingamoviefileformatfromtheExport
dialog(accessedviatheFilemenu).
PublishingUsethePublishoptionfromtheFilemenutosaveyourplotsinHTMLformat.
Copyingtheplottoaclipboard(WindowsandMacintoshoperatingsystemsonly)Usethe
CopyPlottoClipboardoptionfromtheEditmenutopasteyourplotintowordprocessing
software.
27
3
Engine RPM Data Tutorial
3 - 1 Introduction
ThistutorialwalksyouthroughthebasicstepsofloadingdatafromaMicrosoft
Excel
spreadsheetand
performingtriangulation.Thistutorialtakesapproximately1015minutestocomplete.
Step 1 Load an Excel Data File (Windows
Only)
A. LoadtheaddinintoExcelusingtheinstructionslaidoutin
$TEC_FOCUS_2010\util\excel\readme.txt
1
.
ExcelVersion2007Onceyouhavesuccessfullyinstalledtheaddin,Tecplotwillappearin
ExcelundertheAddInsmenu.
Step 1 is platform dependent. The Excel add-in is available for Windows platforms ONLY.
Unix users should use the Import option located in the File menu. See instructions for
Unix platforms next in Step 1 Load an Excel Data File (Unix, Windows Optional).
1. $TEC_FOCUS_2010 is the installation directory. On Windows
machines, it is typically: C:\Program Files\Tec-

plot\TecFocus 2010.
28
ExcelVersion2003orOlderOnceyouhavesuccessfullyinstalledtheaddin,Tecplotwill
appearinExcelundertheToolsmenu.
B. InExcel,loadthefile$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials\engine\data\engine_data.xls.
29
Introduction
C. HighlightcellsA1:C42.
D. ChooseTecplotfromtheTools/AddIns(Excel2003/Excel2007)menu.ThislaunchesTecplot
Focuswiththedatasetloaded.
If you have both Tecplot 360 and Tecplot Focus installed on your computer, choosing the
Tecplot Add-in within Excel will launch Tecplot 360. This tutorial can be completed in
either program.
30
Theplotwilllookasfollows:
E. ProceedtoStep2PasteStylefromStylesheet.
Step 1 Load an Excel Data File (Unix, Windows Optional)
A. GotoFile>LoadDataFile(s).
B. IntheSelectImportFormatdialog,chooseExcelLoaderandclickOK.
31
Introduction
C. IntheReadExcelFiledialog,navigateto$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials\engine\data,choose
engine_data.xls,andclickOpen.
D. IntheImportExcelFileStep1dialog,choosetheTable radiobuttonandthenclickthe
Next>button.
E. IntheImportExcelFileStep2dialog,acceptthetablesettingsandclicktheFinishbutton.
32
Step 2 Paste Style from Stylesheet
Forsimplicity,wehaveincludedastylesheetforyou.Thestylesheetincludesagridforthetriangulation.
A. GotoFrame>PasteFrameStyleFromFile.
B. InthePasteFrameStyleFromFiledialog,navigateto
$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials\engine\data,chooseengine.styandthenclickOpen.
33
Introduction
Afterthestylesheetisloaded,theframewilllookasfollows:
Step 3 Triangulate the Data
A. GotoData>Triangulate.
B. IntheTriangulatedialog,click1:Zone001asthesourcezone.
C. AcceptallotherdefaultsandclicktheComputebutton.AnewzonenamedTriangulation
willbecreated.
The data is not currently visible because the mesh layer has been toggled-off in the
stylesheet.
34
D. ClickOKintheInformationdialog.
E. ClosetheTriangulatedialog.
Step 4 Modify the Zone Display
WewouldliketochangetheappearanceoftheplotbymodifyingafewofthezoneattributesviatheZone
Styledialog.
A. LaunchtheZoneStyledialog(eitherbychoosingZoneStylefromthePlotmenu,clicking
theZoneStylebuttonintheSidebar,orbydoubleclickingontheplot).
B. SwitchtotheContourpageoftheZoneStyledialog.
After triangulation has been completed (above), triangulation will show up as a source
zone in the Triangulate dialog.
35
Introduction
C. ChoosetheTriangulationzoneandchooseBothLines&FloodfromtheContourType
button.
D. IntheZoneStyledialog,withtheTriangulationzonestillselected,chooseDashDotfromthe
LinePttrnbutton.
E. ClosetheZoneStyledialog.
Thefinalresultwilllookasfollows:
Step 5 Write the Dataset to a File
A. ChooseWriteDataFilefromtheFilemenu.
36
B. IntheWriteDataFileOptionsdialog,acceptthedefaultsettingsbyclickingOK.
C. EnterthedesiredfilenameintheWriteDataFiledialogandclickSave.
Youhavenowsavedyourdatalayout(datafile)forfutureuseinTecplotFocus.
3 - 2 Conclusion
ThisconcludestheEngineRPMDataTutorial.Havingcompletedthistutorial,youshouldnowbefamiliar
withloadingExceldataintoTecplot,modifyingtheZoneDisplaybyusingtheZoneStyledialog,
performingtriangulation,andwritingadatasettoafile.RefertotheUsersManualfordetailsregarding
anyofthesefeatures.
37
4
Gas Burner Tutorial
4 - 1 Introduction
Thistutorialwalksyouthroughthebasicstepsofworkingwithmultipleframes,adjustingthecontour
levelvalues,andusingstylesheets.Completingthistutorialtakesapproximately2530minutes.
Allassociatedfiles,includingthelayoutfilethatdisplaysthefinalresultsofthetutorial,arelocatedat:
$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorial\gas_burner
1
.
4 - 2 Writing a Macro File to Automate Plot Setup
Thedatasetinthistutorialisstoredinthesefour.pltfiles:burner_1.plt,burner_2.plt,burner_3.plt,and
burner_4.plt.Becausewewouldliketoviewthesedatafilesinfourframessimultaneously,themost
efficientprocedureistowriteasimplemacrofilethatloadsallofthedatafilesandlabelstheframes.
MacrofilesthatareexecutableinTecplotFocuscanbecreatedinanytexteditorandsavedwiththe
extension*.mcr.Alternatively,youcanuseTecplotFocussmacrorecordfeaturetosaveamacrofileof
youractions.
Step 1 Set Up a Macro
A. ChooseRecordMacrofromtheScriptingmenu.

plot\TecFocus 2010.
This portion of the tutorial is optional. If you do not wish to write the macro, proceed to
Step 7 Load your Macro File and use the macro file load_4_files.mcr (located
in:$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials\gas_burner\data).
Gas Burner Tutorial
38
B. EnterafilenameforyourmacrofileandclickSave.
C. Beforeyoubeginrecording,thefollowingwarningwillappear.
D. ClickOK.
Step 2 Record the Macro
TheMacroRecorderdialogwilllaunchandremainopenthroughouttherecordingprocess.
The remainder of the tutorial assumes your macro filename is gasburner.mcr.
The Auto Redraw capability of Tecplot Focus redraws your plot after every change you
make. When Auto Redraw is toggled-off, you can redraw your plot by clicking the
Redraw or Redraw All buttons from the Sidebar. The Redraw button redraws the active
frame and the Redraw All button redraws all frames in the workspace.
39
Writing a Macro File to Automate Plot Setup
A. GotoFile>NewLayout.(Saveyourcurrentlayoutfile,ifneeded,beforelaunchingtheMacro
Recorderdialog.)
B. GotoFile>LoadDataFile(s).
C. IntheSelectImportFormatdialog,chooseTecplotDataLoaderandclickOK.
D. Navigateto$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials\gas_burner\data.
E. Chooseburner_1.pltandclicktheOpenbutton.
Gas Burner Tutorial
40
F. IntheSelectInitialPlotdialog,settheInitialPlotTypeto3DCartesianandclickOK.
G. GotoFrame>EditActiveFrame.
H. IntheEditActiveFramedialog,changetheFrameNametoBurner1andclickClose.
Step 3 Save the Macro File
A. ClicktheStopRecordingbuttonintheMacroRecorderdialog.
You can change the plot type at any time using the Plot Type menu in the Sidebar.
Because Auto Redraw is turned off during the recording process, you will not see your
changes until the recording has ended.
It would have been more efficient to continue to modify the plot before ending the
recording session. The macro ends here for the purposes of this tutorial.
41
Writing a Macro File to Automate Plot Setup
B. ClicktheOKbuttonintheresultingQuestiondialog.
Step 4 Edit the Macro File
Asyouprobablynoticedwhenwenavigatedtothedatafile,thereare4filesintotalforthisdataset.In
ordertoavoidrepeatingthesamestepsforeachfile,wewilladdaloopfunctiontothemacrofile.This
featurebecomesextremelyusefulwhenworkingwithlargedatasetsthatincludemultipledatafiles.
A. Openyourmacrofileinatexteditor(suchasMicrosoft
Notepad
).
B. Thetextwilllookasfollows:
Line1Allmacrofilesmuststartwiththisline.
Line3ThisisanoptionallineautomaticallywrittenbyTecplotFocuswhichcreateda
variableforthefilelocation(TecplotFocushomedirectory).
Line4Thislineresetstheworkspace.Toensureforwardcompatibility,macrofilesmust
containthiscommand.
Line5Thislineloadsthedatafile(s)inthestring.
Line13Thislinesetstheinitialplottypeoftheloadeddatafile(s).
Line15Thislinechangesthenameoftheactiveframe.
Step 5 Add $!Loop to the File
The$!LOOPcommandhasthefollowingsyntaxintheTecplotFocusmacrolanguage:
$!LOOP<int>
...macrocommands
$!ENDLOOP
Withinthe$!LOOPcommand,theloopvariablecanbecalledusing|LOOP|.Usethe
followingstepstoadda$!LOOPcommandtoyourfile:
Line1 #!MC1120
Line2 #CreatedbyTecplotFocusbuild11.30539
Line3 $!VarSet|MFBD|='C:\ProgramFiles\Tecplot\TecFocus2010'
a
Line4 $!NEWLAYOUT
Line5 $!READDATASET'"|MFBD|\tutorials\gas_burner\data\burner_1.plt"'
Line6 READDATAOPTION=NEW
Line7 RESETSTYLE=YES
Line8 INCLUDETEXT=NO
Line9 INCLUDEGEOM=NO
Line10INCLUDECUSTOMLABELS=NO
Line11VARLOADMODE=BYNAME
Line12ASSIGNSTRANDIDS=YES
Line13INITIALPLOTTYPE=CARTESIAN3D
Line14VARNAMELIST='"X""Y""U/Umax""V4""V5""V6""V7""V8""V9"
"V10""V11"'
Line15$!FRAMENAME='Burner1'
Line16$!RemoveVar|MFBD|
a. The directory value is the Tecplot Focus installation directory. The value
in your file will reflect the installation directory on your machine.
Gas Burner Tutorial
42
A. Add$!LOOP4belowLine4($!NEWLAYOUT).
B. Add$!ENDLOOPbelowLine15($!FRAMENAME).
C. OnLine5($!READDATASET),replaceburner_1.pltwithburner_|LOOP|.plt.
D. OnLine15($!FRAMENAME),replaceBurner1withBurner|LOOP|.
Themacrofilewillnowlookasfollows:
Lines5and17havebeenadded,andlines6and16havebeenchangedinordertoadda$!Loop
tothefile.
Step 6 Add an $!IF Statement
IfweleftthemacrofileasitisinStepStep5,thedataintheframewouldbeoverwrittenwitheverystepof
theloop.Toavoidthis,wewilladdthe$!CREATENEWFRAMEcommandtothemacrofile.Withthe
$!CREATENEWFRAMEcommand,thenewframebecomestheactiveframe,soeachnewdatasetwillbe
loadedintoanewframe.
Because$!NEWLAYOUTcreatesframe1,weonlyneedtousethe$!CREATENEWFRAMEcommandfor|LOOP|=24.
The$!IFcommandhasthefollowingsyntax:
$!IF<conditional_expression>
...macrocommands...
$!ENDIF
SeetheScriptingGuideforacompletelistingofthesyntaxavailableforconditional_expression.
Usethefollowingstepstoaddan$!IFlooptoyourfile:
A. AfterLine4($!LOOP4),add$!IF|LOOP|<>1.
Line1 #!MC1120
Line4 $!NEWLAYOUT
Line5 $!LOOP4
Line6 $!READDATASET
'"|MFBD|\tutorials\gas_burner\data\burner_|LOOP|.plt"'
Line7 READDATAOPTION=NEW
Line8 RESETSTYLE=YES
Line9 INCLUDETEXT=NO
Line10INCLUDEGEOM=NO
"V10""V11"'
Line16$!FRAMENAME='Burner|LOOP|'
Line17$!ENDLOOP
<> is used to denote not equal to in the Tecplot Focus macro language.
43
Laying Out the Frames
B. Onthenextline,add$!CREATENEWFRAME.
C. Onthenextline,add$!ENDIF.
Themacrofilewillnowlookasfollows:
Lines6,7,and8havebeenaddedtocreatean$!IFstatementtothe$!LOOPinyourfile.
D. Saveyourmacrofileandexityourtexteditor.
4 - 3 Laying Out the Frames
Nowthatyouhavewrittenyourmacrofile,youarenowreadytoloadyourmacrointoTecplotFocusand
tiletheresultingframes.
Step 7 Load your Macro File
MacrofilescanbeloadedintoTecplotFocususinganyoneofthefollowingmethods:
GotothePlayMacroorScriptFiledialog(accessedviaScripting>PlayMacro/Script),choose
themacrofile,andclicktheOpenbutton.
UsethemacrotolaunchTecplotFocusbysimplydoubleclickingonthemacrofile(Windows
andMacintosh
Only).
Line1 #!MC1120
Line4 $!NEWLAYOUT
Line5 $!LOOP4
Line6 $!IF|LOOP|<>1
Line7 $!CREATENEWFRAME
Line8 $!ENDIF
Line9 $!READDATASET'
"|MFBD|\tutorials\gas_burner\data\burner_|LOOP|.plt"'
Line10READDATAOPTION=NEW
Line11RESETSTYLE=YES
Line12INCLUDETEXT=NO
Line13INCLUDEGEOM=NO
"V10""V11"'
Line19$!FRAMENAME='Burner|LOOP|'
Line20$!ENDLOOP
It it not necessary to record your macro within Tecplot Focus in order to play it back in
Tecplot Focus. You can simply write the macro commands by using a text editor and
saving the file with the extension *.mcr. If you write your macro in this manner, we
recommend loading your macro file using the Macro Viewer dialog (accessed via
Scripting>View/Debug Macro). The Macro Viewer dialog allows you to step
through and debug your macro.
Gas Burner Tutorial
44
GototheMacroViewerdialog(accessedviaScripting>View/DebugMacro),clicktheLoad
Macrobutton,andnavigatetoyourmacrofile.EitherclicktheStepbutton(toviewlineby
line)ortheGobutton(toplaytheentirefileatonce).
Step 8 Tile the Frames
Theresultingmacrofileplacedeachframedirectlyontopofoneanother,sowewouldliketotilethe
frames.
A. ChooseQuickMacrosfromtheScriptingmenu.
B. ClickTileFramesintheQuickMacroPaneldialog.
C. Enter2intheEnterTextStringdialog.
D. ClickOKtoapplythechangesandclosethedialog.
E. ClickClosetoclosetheQuickMacroPanel.
If you decided to skip the section on writing a macro file, use the
$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials\gas_burner\data\load_4_files.mcr file.
45
Adjusting the Axis Settings Simultaneously in All Frames
4 - 4 Adjusting the Axis Settings Simultaneously in All
Frames
Wewillnowadjustthe3DPlotView(axesrangesandrotation)inoneframe.Inthiscase,wewouldliketo
modifytheaxisrangesinallframes.Whenyouaremakingchangestooneframethatyouwouldalsolike
toseechangedinotherframes,itisusuallybesttouseframelinking.Thisautomaticallypropagates
changesmadetooneframetoallotheropenframes.
A. ChooseFrameLinkingfromtheFramemenu.
B. IntheSetLinksforActiveFramedialog,toggleon3DPlotView.
C. ApplysettingstoallframesinthisgroupbyclickingtheApplySettingstoAllFrames,ofthis
groupbuttonandclosethedialog.
D. ClicktheClosebutton.
Gas Burner Tutorial
46
Thefinalresultwilllookasfollows:
Step 9 Adjust the X-Axis Settings
ClickAxisfromthePlotmenutolaunchtheAxisDetailsdialog.
TheX,Y,andZbuttonsatthetopofthedialogallowyoutonavigatebetweenaxes.
A. ClicktheXbuttonatthetopoftheAxisDetailsdialog.
B. ToggleonShowXAxis.
C. OntheRangepage,enterthefollowingvalues:
i.Min=2.
ii.Max=2.
47
D. SettheDependencytoXYDependent(thischangewillbereflectedontheRangepagefor
eachaxis).
Step 10 Adjust the Y-Axis Settings
A. ClicktheYbuttonatthetopoftheAxisDetailsdialog.
B. ToggleonShowYAxis.
C. OntheRangepage,enterthefollowingvalues:
i.Min=2.
ii.Max=2.
Step 11 Adjust the Z-Axis Settings
A. ClicktheZbuttonatthetopoftheAxisDetailsdialog.
B. OntheRangepage,enterthefollowingvalues:
i.Min=0.
ii.Max=1.
Gas Burner Tutorial
48
C. ClicktheClosebutton.
Step 12 Rotate the Axis View
A. ChooseRotatefromtheViewmenu.
B. AdjustthecenterofrotationbymakingthefollowingchangesintheCenterofRotation
regionofthe3DRotatedialog:
i.SetX=1.
ii.SetY=1.
iii.SetZ=0.5.
C. SpecifysphericalanglesbymakingthefollowingchangesintheSphericalAnglesregionof
the3DRotatedialog:
i.SetPsi=25.
ii.SetTheta=225.
iii.SetAlpha=0.
D. ClickClose.
You can also use the tool (located in the Menubar) for spherical rotation. Use the
dialog to achieve precise rotation angles.
49
Step 13 Magnify the Frames
A. ChooseTranslate/MagnifyfromtheViewmenu.
B. SettheMagnificationFactorto0.8.
Theframeswillnowlookasfollows:
You can also use the tool (located in the Menubar) to zoom into the plot. Use the
dialog for precise magnification.
Gas Burner Tutorial
50
4 - 5 Preparing a Stylesheet
Thereareadditionalchangesthatwewouldliketomaketooneframeandpropagatetotheotherframes.
Thesechangesarenotavailablethroughframelinking,sowewillusestylesheetsinstead.
Step 14 Select One Frame
A. SwitchthemousemodetotheSelectortoolbyselectingthe buttonfromtheMenubar.
B. Selectaframe.
Step 15 Change Active Layers and add a Contour Legend
ToggleontheContourlayer.
Step 16 Add a Contour Legend
A. OpentheContourDetailsdialog(byeitherchoosingContour/MultiColoringfromthePlot
menuorbyclickingtheDetailsbuttontotherightofContourintheSidebar).
B. IntheContourDetailsdialog,chooseU/UmaxastheContourVariable.
C. ClicktheMore>>buttontoexpandtheContourDetailsdialog.
D. SwitchtotheLegendpage.
All of the changes made in Section 4 - 4, Adjusting the Axis Settings Simultaneously in
All Frames can be propagated among frames using stylesheets.
51
Preparing a Stylesheet
E. ToggleonShowContourLegend.
F. ChangetheLegendPosition:
i.SetX(%)to95.
ii.SetY(%)to65.
X(%) and Y(%) values position the anchor point of the legend as a percentage of the
frame size.
Gas Burner Tutorial
52
iii.ChoosetheNoBoxradiobuttonintheLegendBoxregion.
G. ClickClose.
Step 17 Save the Stylesheet to a File
A. ChooseCopyFrameStyletoFilefromtheFramemenu.
B. Navigatetothedesireddirectoryandsavethefile(forexample,mystyle.sty).
Step 18 Load the Stylesheet
Now,thestylesheetyoucreatedcanbeusedtoquicklymodifyeachoftheremainingframes.
A. Selectoneoftheremainingframes.
B. ChoosePasteFrameStylefromFilefromtheFramemenu.
C. NavigatetothestylesheetyoucreatedinStep17SavetheStylesheettoaFileandclickthe
Openbutton
D. RepeatStepsAthroughCfortheremaining2frames.
Alternatively, you can load gas_burner.sty located at:
$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials\gas_burner\data.
53
Adjust Contour Ranges
Thefinalresultwilllooksimilartothefollowingimage:
4 - 6 Adjust Contour Ranges
Thefinalstepistoadjustthecontourrangeofeachframesothatthedatafitswithintheframe.For
illustrativepurposes,thefollowingstepswalkyouthroughthreedifferentmethodsofadjustingthe
contourrange.Anyofthemethodsareavalidwaytochangethecontourrangeforanyoftheplots.
Step 19 Reset the Contour Range
A. ClicktheBurner2frame(tomakeittheactiveframe).
B. OpentheContourDetailsdialogandselectU/UmaxastheContourVariable.
C. SwitchtotheLevelspageofthedialog.
D. Clickthe1button,thenclicktheResetLevelsbutton.TheResetLevelsbuttonadjuststhe
contourlevelsbasedontheminimumandmaximumvaluesofthecontourvariable.
The contour ranges (and therefore the coloring) will vary depending upon which frame
you used to create the stylesheet. Burner 1 was used for this illustration.
The following steps assume Burner 1 was used to create the stylesheet.
Gas Burner Tutorial
54
E. Enter10intheEnterValuedialogforthenumberofContourLevels,andclickOKtoclose
thedialog.
F. ClickClosetoclosetheContourDetailsdialog.
TheBurner2framewilllookasfollows:
Step 20 Change Contour Range Using a Maximum, Minimum, and
Steps
C. Clickthe>>buttontoexpandtheContourDetailsdialog.
D. ClicktheNewLevelsbutton.TheNewLevelsbuttonadjuststhecontourlevelsbasedonuser
inputminimumandmaximumvalues.
55
Adjust Contour Ranges
E. ChoosetheMin,Max,andNumberofLevelsradiobutton(default)intheEnterContour
LevelRangedialog:
F. Enterthefollowingvalues:
i.MinimumLevel=.02.
ii.MaximumLevel=.96.
iii.NumberofLevels=10.
iv.ClickOKtoapplythechangesandclosethedialog.
G. ClicktheClosebuttontoclosetheContourDetailsdialog.
TheplotforBurner3willlookasfollows:
Step 21 Change Contour Range Using a Minimum, Maximum, and
Delta
C. ClicktheMorebuttontoexpandtheContourDetailsdialog.
Gas Burner Tutorial
56
D. ClicktheNewLevelsbutton.TheNewLevelsbuttonadjuststhecontourlevelsbasedonuser
inputminimumandmaximumvalues.
E. ChoosetheMin,Max,andDeltaradiobuttonintheEnterContourLevelRangedialog:
F. Enterthefollowingvalues:
i.MinimumLevel=.02.
ii.MaximumLevel=.4.
iii.Delta=.025.
G. ClickClosetoclosetheContourDetailsdialog.
TheplotforBurner4willlookasfollows:
57
Final Result
4 - 7 Final Result
Theentireworkspacewilllookasfollows:
Step 22 Export Your Results
ThereareseveralwaystoexportyourresultsinTecplotFocus.Inthistutorialwewilldemonstratehowto
exportyourplotasaJPEGimage.
A. GotoFile>Export.
Gas Burner Tutorial
58
B. IntheExportdialog,chooseJPEGfromtheExportFormatmenu.
C. ChangetheRegion toAllFrames.
D. ClickOK.
E. IntheSelectExportFiledialog,specifythefilename(forexample,gas_burners).
F. ClickSave.Yourfileisnowreadytobeimportedintoyourpresentationsoftware.
4 - 8 Conclusion
ThisconcludestheGasBurnerTutorial.Youshouldnowbefamiliarwithrecordingandeditingamacro
file,adjustingplotaxissettings,addingacontourlegend,usingastylesheet,settingcontourlevels,and
exportingyourplotasanimage.RefertotheUsersManualfordetailsregardinganyofthesefeatures.
59
5
Performance Envelope Tutorial
5 - 1 Introduction
Acommonuseofperformanceenvelopesistodescribetheperformancecharacteristicsofanairplane.In
thisexample,weshowthevariablePsbasedonthemachnumberandturnrate.
Inthistutorial,wewillcovervalueblankingtoisolateseveralregionsofthedatasetandcontourplotsof
multiplevariables.Thistutorialtakesapproximately2530minutestocomplete.
Allassociatedfiles,includingthelayoutfilethatdisplaysthefinalresultofthetutorial,arelocatedat:
$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials\perf_envelope
1
.
5 - 2 Loading the Dataset
FirstwewillloadadatasetusingtheTecplotDataLoader.
Step 1 Load a Tecplot Focus Data File

plot\TecFocus 2010.
60
B. ChooseTecplotDataLoaderfromtheSelectImportFormatdialog.
C. Selectthedatafiletoload.Goto$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials\perf_envelope\dataandselect
perf_envelope.plt.ClicktheOpenbuttontoloadthefile.
Step 2 Set the Plot Type
Ensurethattheinitialplottypeissetto2DCartesianandclickOK.
61
Modifying Axis Details
Thedatawilllookasfollows:
5 - 3 Modifying Axis Details
Inordertohaveabetterviewofthedataset,wewilladjusttheaxesranges.
Step 3 Adjust the X-Axis Range
A. GotoPlot>Axis.
B. IntheAxisDetailsdialog,makethefollowingchanges:
C. ClicktheXbutton.
62
i.SetMin=0.
ii.SetMax=1.6.
iii.ChangetheDependency toIndependent.
Step 4 Adjust the Y-Axis Range
IntheAxisDetailsdialog,makethefollowingchanges:
A. ClicktheYbuttontoswitchtotheYaxis.
B. SetMin=0.
C. SetMax=32.
Step 5 Turn on Precise Dot Grid
A. SwitchtotheGridpageoftheAxisDetailsdialog.
To change the attributes of the X or Y axis, click its corresponding button X or Y at the top
of the Axis Details dialog. Then switch to the Range, Grid, Ticks, Label, Title, Line, or
Area pages to work with the options for each axis.
63
Activating Value Blanking
B. ToggleonShowPreciseDotGrid.
C. ClicktheClosebutton.
5 - 4 Activating Value Blanking
Inordertoviewthedatasetproperly,weneedtoaddaseriesofValueBlankingconstraints.Tecplot
FocussValueBlankingfeatureallowsyoutoremovedatapointsfromyourplot(basedontheirvalue)
withoutremovingthedatapointsfromthedatafileitself.Inthistutorial,wewillchoosetotrimallcells
alongtheconstraintboundaryinordertohaveasmoothplot.
If you activate Precise Dot Grid for one axis, Tecplot 360 also activates it for the other
axis.
64
Step 6 Turn on Value Blanking
A. SelectBlanking>ValueBlankingfromthePlotmenu.
B. IntheValueBlankingdialog:
i.ToggleonIncludeValueBlanking.
ii.ChooseTrimcellsalongconstraintboundary.
Step 7 Value Blanking - Constraint 1
Inthefollowingsteps,wewillactivatesixdifferentvalueblankingconstraints.
Thisconstraintidentifiesthemaximumspeed.
65
Activating Value Blanking
A.ToggleonActivetoactivatethenewconstraint.
B.ChooseMachNumberfromthemenu.
C.Settheconditionto:isgreaterthanorequalto.
D.ChoosetheConstantradiobutton.
E.Enter1.25inthetextfield.
F.ToggleonShowConstraintBoundary.
Thisconstraintidentifiesthestallspeed.
A.Click2toaddanotherconstraint.
B.ToggleonActivetoactivatethenewconstraint.
C.SelectMachNumberfromthemenu.
D.Settheconditionto:islessthanorequalto.
Thisconstraintidentifiesthelimitofturnrateasspeed
increasesduetostructuralintegrity.
C.ChoosecircURfromthemenu.
D.Settheconditionto:islessthanorequalto.
E.Enter50inthetextfield.
Thisconstraintshowstherelationshipbetweenturnrateandmachnumberoncethestall
speedhasbeenexceeded.
66
C.ChoosecircLRfromthemenu.
D.Settheconditionto:isgreaterthanorequalto.
E.Enter29inthetextfield.
Thisconstraintidentifiesthemaximumallowableturnrate.
C.ChooseTurnRatefromthemenu.
Thisconstraintisanadditionalstructuralconstraint.
C.Chooseparafromthemenu.
G.ClicktheClosebutton.
67
Adding a Flooded Contour Plot
Afterall6constraintshavebeenappliedtotheplot,theplotwilllookasfollows:
Theplotisnowconstrainedinseveralareas.Tothefarleft,weseethattheplaneneedsto
maintainaminimumairspeedtogeneratelift.(Turningisgovernedbythehorizontal
componentoflift.)
Asspeedincreases,asharperturnrateisallowed.Asspeedfurtherincreases,theturnrate
mustdeclinebecauseoflimitsinstructuralintegrity(shownbythedecliningcurve).Atthefar
rightisthemaximumspeedoftheaircraft,governedbyitsengineoutputandstructural
limitations.
5 - 5 Adding a Flooded Contour Plot
Wewillnowaddacontourlayertotheplottohelpusvisualizethedata.
ActiveConstraint
Boundaries
68
Step 13 Change the Active Plot Layers
ToggleontheContourlayer.TheSidebarwilllookasfollows:
Step 14 Specify the Contour Variable
LaunchtheContourDetailsdialog(byeitherchoosingContour/MultiColoringfromthePlotmenuor
byclickingtheDetailsbuttontotherightofContourintheSidebar).ChooseV7fromthemenutoset
thecontourvariabletoV7.
Step 15 Adjust the First Contour Level for a Contour Variable
A. ExpandtheContourDetailsdialogbyclickingthe>>button.
B. OntheLevelspageoftheContourDetailsdialog,clicktheNewLevelsbutton.
69
Adding a Flooded Contour Plot
C. IntheEnterContourLevelRangedialog,enterthefollowingvalues:
i.MinimumLevel=60.
ii.MaximumLevel=900.
iii.NumberofLevels=115.
TheLevelspageofthedialogwillreflectthechanges:
D. ClickClose.
70
5 - 6 Activating Contour Line Plots
TecplotFocusallowsyoutoestablishuptoeightindependentcontourvariables.WeestablishedContour
Group1intheprevioussteps.Inthefollowingsteps,wewilladjustthesettingsforcontourvariablestwo
throughfourandaddeachvariabletotheplot.
Step 16 Assign Contour Variables
B. Clickthe2buttonandassignTurnRate(deg/sec)asthevariableforContourGroup2.
C. Clickthe3buttonandassigncircURasthevariableforContourGroup3.
71
Activating Contour Line Plots
D. Clickthe4buttonandassigncircLRasthevariableforContourGroup4.
E. ClicktheClosebutton.
Step 17 Change the Contour Plot Type
Inordertoviewseveraldifferentcontourvariablesinthesameregionsimultaneously,wewillchangethe
contourplottypestolinesforthreeofthecontourplots.
A. LaunchtheZoneStyledialog(eitherbychoosingZoneStylefromthePlotmenu,clicking
theZoneStylebuttonintheSidebar,orbydoubleclickingonyourplot).
B. IntheZoneStyledialog,switchtotheContourpage.
C. UsingtheSHIFTkey,selectZones24.
D. SelectLinesfromtheContourTypebutton.
Step 18 Assign Contour Variables to Zones
A. OntheContourpageoftheZoneStyledialog,selectZone2only.
72
B. SelectC2:TurnRate(deg/sec)fromtheLinesBybutton.
C. RepeatforZone3byassigningitC3:circUR.
D. RepeatforZone4byassigningitC4:circLR.
Step 19 Change Zones Line Patterns
A. OntheContourpageoftheZoneStyledialog,selectZone3only.
B. SelectDashedfromtheLinePttrnbutton.
C. ChooseZone4only.
D. SelectDashDotDotfromtheLinePttrnbutton.
AftermakingthechangesfromStepStep17throughStepStep19,theContourpageofthe
ZoneStyledialogwilllookasfollows:
E. ClosetheZoneStyledialog.
73
Activating Contour Line Plots
Thefinalplotwilllookasfollows:
Step 20 Copy Plot to Clipboard
Nowthatyourplotiscomplete,youcancopyittotheTecplotFocusclipboardtobepastedintoother
software(suchasPowerPoint
).
A. GotoEdit>CopyPlottoClipboard.
B. IntheCopyPlottoClipboarddialog,selectActiveFramefromtheRegionmenu.
74
C. ClickOK.Theplotcannowbepastedintoothersoftware,suchasMicrosoft
Word
.
5 - 7 Conclusion
ThisconcludesthePerformanceEnvelopeTutorial.Youshouldnowbefamiliarwithloadingadataset,
modifyingaxisdetails,activatingvalueblanking,addingacontourlayer,andcopyingyourplottothe
clipboard.RefertotheUsersManualfordetailsregardinganyofthesefeatures.
75
6
Transient Tutorial
6 - 1 Introduction
ThistutorialillustrateshowtouseTecplotFocustovisualizethemovementofahurricane.Wewillgo
throughthestepsofhowtoworkwithvectors,modifyaxes,importanimagefile,andanimatethemotion
ofthehurricane.
6 - 1.1 Dataset Background
HurricaneFrancesbecameatropicaldepressiononAugust25,2004,about655milesWSWoftheCape
VerdeIslands.Bymiddayonthe26
th
,itreachedhurricanestrength.
FrancesmadelandfallontheeasternFloridacoastonSeptember5
th
.Propertydamagewasestimatedtobe
$9billion
1
.
Figure61. ThepathofHurricaneFrancesfromAugust29September6,
2004takenfromthe[HurricaneResearchDivision].Usedwith
Transient Tutorial
76
6 - 1.2 Tutorial Summary
Thistutorialwilltakeapproximately2530minutestocomplete.Allassociatedfiles,includingthelayout
filethatdisplaysthefinalresultsofthetutorial,arelocatedat:$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials\hurricane
1
.
6 - 2 Getting Started
Theinitialdatasetcontains28samplesofsurfacewindmeasurementstakenfromAugust25toSeptember
8,2004.ForthepurposesofthistutorialthedatasetwasconvertedtoTecplotFocusformat
2
.
Step 1 Load the Dataset
B. ChooseTecplotDataLoaderfromtheSelectImportFormatdialogandclickOK.
C. IntheTecplotDataLoaderdialog,navigatetothe
$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials\hurricane\datadirectory.
D. Highlightallofthefilesinthedirectorybyselectingthefirstfile(andusingtheSHIFTkey)
thenselectingthelastfilewithinthewindow.
1. The datasets provided are preliminary research data, courtesy of the Hurricane Research Division (HRD) of
NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory; Director, Hurricane Research Division; Atlan-
tic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory; 4301 Rickenbacker Cswy; Miami, Florida 33149. Thanks
also to Dr. John Knaff, NESDIS/STAR - RAMMB, CIRA/Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, for
technical assistance.

plot\TecFocus 2010.
2. For information on converting datasets to Tecplot Focus format, refer to Step 5 Write the Dataset to a File in
Chapter 3: Engine RPM Data Tutorial.
77
Getting Started
E. ClicktheOpenbutton.
Step 2 Initial Plot Settings
A. ClickOKtoacceptthedefaultsettingof2DCartesianintheSelectInitialPlotdialog.
Theloadeddatasetwilllookasfollows:
Wewillmakethedatasetdiscernibleinthefollowingsteps.
Transient Tutorial
78
Step 3 View Data Set Information
A. GotoData>DataSetInfotoviewinformationaboutthecurrentdataset.
Asyoucansee,thecurrentdatasethas6variables:X,Y,LAT,LON,U,andV.Wehave
individualwindcomponents(UandV),whichareinteresting,butwedliketolookata
compositevector.Thedatasetcontains35zones,eachofwhichrepresentsonetimestepinthe
hurricanepath.
B. ClickClose.
6 - 3 Hurricane Swath
TheXandYvariablesrepresentthehurricaneswath(thewidthofthehurricaneatagiventime).TheLat
andLonvariablesarethecoordinatesofthehurricane.Inthispartofthetutorial,wewillanimatethe
winddirectionwithinthehurricaneovertime.Inthenextpartofthetutorial,wewillanimatethepathof
thehurricane.
Step 4 Add a Vector Layer
A. Inthiscase,thedefaultplotsettingsobscurethedataset.ToggleofftheEdgelayerinthe
Sidebar.
79
Hurricane Swath
B. ToggleontheVectorlayerintheSidebar.
C. AcceptthedefaultvaluesintheSelectVariablesdialogbyclickingOK.
Step 5 Limit the Number of Vectors Plotted
Thevectorsintheresultingplotaretoodensetobeinformative.Wewillthinoutthedatasetbyplotting
everysixteenthvector.
A. SwitchtothePointspageoftheZoneStyledialog(accessedviatheSidebar,thePlotmenu,or
bydoubleclickingontheplot).
An asterisk (*) next to a Zone Num or Zone Name indicates that the zone is a
transient zone. The zone number is linked to the active step. As an animation runs
through these steps, the zone will change.
Transient Tutorial
80
B. ChooseEnterSkipfromtheIndexSkipbutton.
C. IntheEnterIndexSkippingdialog,enter4fortheIindexandJindexskips.ClickOKtoapply
thechanges.ClosetheZoneStyledialog.
D. Theresultingplotwilllookasfollows:
Step 6 Animate the Hurricane Motion
A. Toviewtherotationofthehurricaneovertime,gototheAnimatemenuandchooseTime.
81
Hurricane Path
B. IntheTimeDetailsdialog,clickPlay toanimatethemotiononscreen.
C. ClickClosetoclosethedialog.
6 - 4 Hurricane Path
Sincethelatitudeandlongitudeinformationwereincludedinthedataset,wecanalsoplotthehurricane
pathovertime.
Step 7 Create a New Frame
A. First,letscreateanewframeforthenewplotbygoingtoFrame>CreateNewFrame.
B. Drawaboxintheworkspacewithyourmousetosetthenewframesize.
C. ChangetheplottypefromSketchto2DCartesian(viatheplottypedropdowninthe
Sidebar)toassociatethedatasetofthelastframewiththenewframe.
Step 8 Adjust the Frame Size
Laterinthetutorial,wewillunderlaythehurricanepathwithamapfile.Wewilladjusttheframesizeto
matchtheaspectratio(width:height)ofthemapfile.
A. GotoFrame>EditActiveFrame.
B. IntheEditActiveFramedialog:
i.SettheWidthto8.25.
Alternatively, you may save the animation to a file (in AVI, Flash
, or Raster Metafile
format) via the Destination menu.
Alternatively, you can create a new frame using the New Frame button located in
the Menubar.
Transient Tutorial
82
ii.SettheHeightto5.
C. ClickClose.
Step 9 Change the X and Y Axes
Forthisplot,wewouldliketoplotthehurricanepathalonglongitudeandlatitudevariables.
A. GotoPlot>AssignXY.
B. IntheSelectVariablesdialog:
i.SetXtoLON.
ii.SetYtoLAT.
C. ClickOKtoapplyyourchangesandclosethedialog.
Step 10 Adjust the Axis Ranges
Ultimately,wewouldliketoplotthehurricanepathalongamap.Wehaveincludedamapfileforyou,
withthefollowingcoordinates:
North=37.5N
South=12.5N
West=88W East=50W
83
Hurricane Path
A. GotoPlot>AxistolaunchtheAxisDetailsdialog.
B. OntheRangepageofthedialog:
i.ClicktheXbutton.
ii.ChangetheMinto88.
iii.ChangetheMaxto50.
iv.ChangetheDependency toIndependent.
C. OntheRangepageofthedialog:
i.ClicktheYbutton.
ii.ChangetheMinto12.5.
iii.ChangetheMaxto37.5.
iv.ClicktheClosebutton.
Transient Tutorial
84
Step 11 Insert the Map Image
A. GotoInsert>Image.
B. IntheInsertImageFiledialog,navigateto$TEC_FOCUS_2010\tutorials\hurricaneandselect
map.jpgfile.
C. ClicktheOpenbuttontoimportthefile.
Step 12 Modify the Image Dimensions
A. OpentheImageGeometryDetailsdialogbyselectingtheimageandthenclickingtheObject
DetailsbuttonintheSidebar,orbydoubleclickingontheimage.
B. Inordertolineupthecoordinatesofthemapfilewithyourdataset:
i.ChangetheCoordinateSystemfromFrametoGrid.
ii.SettheXvalueoftheimageoriginto88.
85
Hurricane Path
iii.SettheYvalueoftheoriginto12.5.
C. Adjustthewidthandheightoftheimagetomatchtheaxesranges:
iv.SetWidthto38.
v.SetHeightto25.
D. SettheDrawOrdertoBeforeData.
F. ToggleofftheEdgelayerandtheShadelayerintheSidebar.
If Preserve Aspect Ratio is selected, you will not be able to enter whole numbers in the
width and height text fields. Tecplot Focus will auto-adjust one or the other to maintain
the aspect ratio of the image file.
Transient Tutorial
86
Thefinalresult(withallplotlayersdeactivated)willlookasfollows:
Step 13 Create a New Variable
Wehaveindividualwindcomponents(UandV),butwedliketolookatacompositevector.
A. GotoData>Alter>SpecifyEquations.
B. EnterthefollowingequationintheEquation(s)portionofthedialog:
{wind_vector}=sqrt({u}**2+{v}**2)*1.944
The curly braces ({}) are used to identify variables in equations. If the variable does not
exist, Tecplot Focus creates a new variable using the characters within the curly braces as
the name of the new variable (left side of the equation only).
Two asterisks are used to indicate an exponential. The power to which a number is raised
is designated after the asterisks (for example, 3**2 = 3
2
= 9, and 3**3 = 3
3
= 27).
The current dataset is in units of meters per second. Multiplying the vector by 1.944
converts the units from meters per second to knots.
87
Hurricane Path
C. SelectallzonesintheZonestoAlter window(byclickingtheAllbuttonorbyhighlightingthe
nameswithyourmouse).
D. ClicktheComputebuttontoapplytheequation.
E. AnInformationdialogwillappearconfirmingthatthecomputationwassuccessful.Clickthe
OKbutton.
F. ClicktheClosebuttontoclosetheSpecifyEquationsdialog.
Step 14 Add a Contour Layer
A. ToggleontheContourlayerintheSidebar.
Clicking the Compute button again will apply the equation to the data set a second time.
Transient Tutorial
88
B. IntheContourDetailsdialog(accessedbyeitherclickingContour/MultiColoringfromthe
PlotmenuorbyclickingtheDetailsbuttontotherightofContourintheSidebar),click1
tomanipulatefirstcontour,andselectwind_vectorasthecontourvariablefortheplot.
C. ClickClose.
Thecontourlayerwillbeappliedtoallzonesintheplot,asfollows:
Step 15 Add a Contour Color Cutoff
Inordertomaketheshapeofthezonesmatchahurricaneshape,wewouldliketoaddacontourcoloring
cutoff.Thiswillroundouttheedgesoftheplot.
B. ClicktheMorebuttontoexpandthedialog.
C. OntheColoringpageofthedialog,gototheColorCutoffregionofthedialog(bottom
third).
89
Hurricane Path
D. ToggleonCutoffColorBelowandenter33inthetextfield.Windspeedsgreaterthan33
knotsareconsideredgaleforcewinds.
Theresultwilllookasfollows:
Step 16 Add Dynamic Text
Sincewearelookingatacontourplotofthewindvelocityvector,itwouldalsobeinterestingtoknowthe
maximumvalueofthevelocityateachpointintime.WewillaccomplishthisbyaddingDynamicTextto
theplot.
A. InsertatextboxintotheactiveframebygoingtoInsert>Textorclickingthe buttonfrom
theToolbaranddrawingaboxintheframe.
If your graph does not display the rounded edge (contour cutoff) of the hurricane,
ensure that the contour you are manipulating is the first contour (choose 1) in the
Contour Details dialog.
Transient Tutorial
90
B. IntheTextDetailsdialog:
i.TypeinthetextstringMaximumWindSpeed.
ii.Pressenterandthentypeinthetextstring&(MAXC%.3f)knots.
iii.ChangethefontcolortoRed.
iv.Tocenterthetext,clicktheOptionsbuttoninTextDetailsdialog.
v.IntheTextOptionsdialog,choosethecenterradiobuttonintheTextAnchorLocation
region.
vi.CloseboththeTextDetailsandTextOptionsdialog.
Dynamic Text strings begin with an ampersand (&), followed by the variable enclosed in
parentheses. In this example, the variable MAXC identifies the maximum value of the
contour variable for the active zone.
The precision of the output can be specified using standard C formatting (optional). In
the above example, (%.3f) results in the value being displayed to the thousandth
place. See the Section 18 - 1.5 Dynamic Text in the Users Manual for a complete list of
Dynamic Text variables.
91
Hurricane Path
Theresultwilllookasfollows:
Step 17 Animate the Hurricane over Time
A. Toviewthemotionofthehurricaneovertime,gototheAnimatemenuandchooseTime.
B. IntheTimeDetailsdialog,select ToFilefromtheDestinationmenu.
C. IntheTimeDetailsdialog,clicktheGenerateAnimationFilebutton.
D. IntheExportdialog,acceptthedefaultsettingsbyclickingtheOKbutton.
Transient Tutorial
92
E. Enterthedesiredfilename(forexample,hurricane_path)intheSelectExportFiledialogand
clickSave.
ThemoviefilecannowbeimportedintoaMicrosoft
PowerPoint
presentationorplacedona
website.
6 - 5 References & Resources
1. Beven,J.L.,TropicalCycloneReport:HurricaneFrances25August8September2004.
2. Knaff,JohnA,.CIRA/ColoradoStateUniv.,Ft.Collins,CO
3. Powell,M.D.,S.H.Houston,andT.A.Reinhold,1996:HurricaneAndrewsLandfallinSouth
Florida.PartI:StandardizingMeasurementsforDocumentationofSurfaceWindFields.
WeatherandForecasting,Vol.11,pp.304328.
4. Powell,M.D.,andS.H.Houston,1996:HurricaneAndrewsLandfallinSouthFlorida.PartII:
SurfaceWindFieldsandPotentialRealtimeApplications.WeatherandForecasting,Vol.11,
329349.
6 - 6 Conclusion
ThisconcludestheTransientTutorial.Youshouldnowbeconversantinworkingwithvectors,modifying
axes,importinganimagefile,andanimatingdataovertimeincrements.RefertotheUsersManualfor
detailsregardinganyofthesefeatures.
The easiest way to insert and play SWF files into PowerPoint (versions 2003 and older) is
to download the Swiff Point Player
a free Microsoft PowerPoint add-in. This add-in can

be downloaded from http://www.globfx.com/products/swfpoint/. Microsoft PowerPoint
version 2007 has the built-in capability to play SWF files.

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