Creating a Display Group

You can display subsets of your model by creating display groups. These subsets can contain element sets, node sets, or surfaces from the output database associated with the current analysis case. Abaqus for CATIA V5 automatically creates these sets and surfaces for “picked” geometry, for example, when you select a face on a geometric part as the support for a pressure load. You can use display groups as selections for images.

When you attach an output database file to an analysis case, any existing display groups in the analysis case are updated to apply to the contents of the new output database, if possible. If the sets or surfaces used in the display group do not exist in the new output database, the display group is deleted.

By default, Abaqus for CATIA V5 automatically creates display groups for the mesh parts and Surface Group definitions in your analysis when you run an Abaqus job. The creation of these display groups makes it easier to create a results image for a subset of your model, particularly on its surface. If desired, you can customize this behavior so that Abaqus for CATIA V5 automatically creates display groups for contact surfaces only, or you can disable the behavior for all surfaces in your model. To customize the automatic creation of surface display groups, navigate to Tools>Options, display the Analysis & Simulation options, and from the Automatic Creation of Surface Display Group options, select All Surfaces, Contact Surfaces, or No surface.

This task shows you how to create a display group.

  1. Click the Create Display Group icon .

    The Create Display Group dialog box appears, and a Display Group object appears in the specification tree under the Display Groups objects set for the current analysis case.

    Note:  If no output database file is associated with the current analysis case, an error message appears.

  2. You can change the identifier of the display group by editing the Group Name field.

  3. Toggle on Show internal sets to display only internal sets and surfaces in the Name field, or toggle off this option to display user-created sets and surfaces.

  4. Select the type of item you wish to use to create the display group from the list on the left side of the Create Display Group dialog box: Node Sets, Element Sets, or Surfaces.

    A list of the available set or surface names in your model appears on the right side of the Create Display Group dialog box.

  5. Select one or more set or surface names from this list. To verify your selection, toggle on Highlight in viewport. (The sets or surfaces are highlighted on the undeformed model.)

  6. Click OK in the Create Display Group dialog box.