Sampling Data Values Using Reports and Monitors

This workflow incorporates the roles of both reports and monitors.

Decide on the data values that you want to extract, and create reports according to those values:

Specific types -- with some types, such as force, the scalar is inherently defined for use with certain physics models.
Statistical -- you can apply quantitative definitions, such as minimum and maximum, to the scalar of your choice.
System -- these reports allow you to assess performance-related information.
An expression report is available that depends on a combination of reports other than system reports.

Prepare derived parts and any field functions that are necessary to compute the data.

To set up a report:

To create a report, right-click the Reports node and select New Report, followed by the type of report that you wish to create.
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ adds the corresponding child object. In addition, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ adds a field function by which you can access the report value in other field functions or expressions. The report field function name begins with Report: . For details on working with a report-based field function, see Using Reports as Field Functions.
If necessary, rename the report to reflect its purpose within the simulation. The corresponding field function name updates to reflect the change. For example, Mass Flow at Inlet.
Set Parts to the geometry parts, regions, or derived parts from which this report derives its data for the selected computation.
- If your simulation includes parts-based interfaces, you can report on those interfaces. See Working with Parts-Based Interfaces in Reports.
- If you choose multiple parts, the report returns the total value for all parts and also itemizes values for each part.
- If you choose multiple parts, and create a monitor for this report, you can choose to report values on a per-part basis. See Monitoring Report Results on a Per-Part Basis.
To change the frame of reference of a report, switch the Coordinate System property from the default Laboratory setting to a coordinate system, if applicable. This option is available for only certain types of reports. For more details, see Using Coordinate Systems with Force and Moment Reports.
Set any other properties that the report requires:
- For system reports, such as Solver Iteration CPU Time, you can select the units in which Simcenter STAR-CCM+ reports the quantity.
- For statistical reports, such as Maximum, Sum, or Surface Integral, you typically select the reporting surface, the scalar field, and the units. For details, see Statistical Reports.
- Expression reports are designed to operate on the results of one or more other reports in the simulation. For details, see Expression Report.
- When you activate the Account for Idealization property on reports that have it, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ uses the periodic interfaces in the computational domain to obtain calculations for the idealized whole domain. For details, see Obtaining Whole Domain Reports through Idealizations.
To add flexibility in force and moment calculations, divide the object into bands. See Using Bands with Force and Moment Reports.
For a Minimum or Maximum report, you can add other field functions at the location of the primary field function of the report. See Reporting Additional Field Functions at Maximum or Minimum.

Reports can be monitored while the solution is iterating by creating a monitor. This capability is useful when you are interested in the history of the quantity as the solution evolves, or if you want to use this report as one of your stopping criteria. Report monitors can also be plotted. See What Is a Report-Based Monitor?.

To set up report-based monitors, and (optionally) plots:

To create a monitor from a report, right-click on the report node and choose Create Monitor from Report.
The default name of the monitor will be based on the report type. However, renaming the monitor is possible.
To create a monitor plot simultaneously with a report-based monitor, right-click on the report node and choose Create Monitor and Plot from Report.

With a statistics report, you can perform an analysis of a report-based monitor. See Reporting Statistics.

Special types of monitors exist for sampling field function data.

To set up field function monitors:

To create a field function monitor, right-click the Monitors node and select the type you wish to create from the New Monitor pop-up menu.
Rename the field function monitor if you wish.
If you are using anything other than alphanumeric characters to name a field function monitor, you need to use curly brackets ({}). For example, if a field function monitor happens to have the name Mass Flow * 2, its corresponding field function can be interpreted by Simcenter STAR-CCM+ to multiply the mass flow by 2 in the calculations. Therefore the field function monitor would need to be renamed {MassFlow} * 2. These brackets are also necessary for names that include characters from non-Western alphabets.
Set properties of the field function monitor, including additional sampling features that are described in the following sections:
- Using a Sliding Sample Window
- Specifying When Data Collection Stops

Set up monitors generally:

Set any properties that the monitor requires:
- Change the trigger event. See Changing the Trigger Event and Sampling Frequency.
- If you are using a monitor plot, set the upper limit on the number of points that appear in that plot. See Setting Maximum Plot Samples.
- To adjust normalization, see Normalizing the Monitor Data.

Work with the reports:

Run the simulation.
To generate the report results in the Output window, right-click the report node and selecting Run Report.

Simcenter STAR-CCM+ reports generate error messages when they lack sufficient data or when something else is wrong. See Understanding Report Errors.

The results appear in the Output window sorted alphabetically, first by region, then by boundary. This order is the same as the order used in the parts selector for regions and boundaries.

With specific report types, the result of the report is printed to a new tab in the Output window, which you can work with like any Output tab.

If you have already run the report once before, then subsequent runs send the results to the same tab that was created with the first execution of the action.
To run all the reports in your simulation file with a single command, right-click the Reports node and select Run all reports.
The results of all the reports appear in the Output window, in a separate tab for each report.
To display the sampled value on a scene, create a report annotation:
1. Right-click the relevant report node and choose Create Annotation from Report.
  This action adds an annotation node with the same name to the Tools > Annotations node.
2. Add the annotation to the scene. See Annotations Workflow.
To copy properties of reports:

It is possible to copy properties among similar reports of all categories except for system reports, which do not have properties.

Among reports of the same type, this operation causes all of the properties of the source report to be applied except for Force Option, which must be set separately for the destination report.

It is not possible to copy properties between different types of reports.
To delete a report:

Reports may be deleted using the standard methods, unless a monitor is using the report. When you attempt to delete a report in such a case, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ opens a warning dialog about the dependency. For details, see Object Dependencies.

Work with the monitors:

Copy a field function monitor within a simulation or between simulations.
When a field function monitor is copied within a simulation, its properties are copied. If you copy this object between simulation files, some or all of the properties may get copied, depending on the model selections of the destination simulation.
To delete a report-based monitor or field function monitor:

Report-based monitors can only be deleted if they are not used by a monitor plot.

Field function monitors can only be deleted if they are not displayed in an XY plot or used to define a stopping criterion.