Preparing the Post-Processing

The Electronics Cooling Toolset allows you to analyze the solution while the simulation is running, as well as when it completes.

Field functions provide access to raw simulation data, and to data computed from the raw data. See Field Functions Reference. These field functions can be analyzed using three general strategies:

  • Visualizing the data in scenes in the Graphics window. Displayers are the basic building blocks used to build a scene. A displayer can display geometry, scalar, or vector data. These data can be displayed on QuickPart Surfaces or on drawables, which are: plane sections, isosurfaces, or streamlines. The pre-defined scene Electronics Cooling 1 visualizes the geometry of all Construction Geometries and QuickParts that you create. See Scenes Reference.
  • Plotting sets of data that are extracted from the solution in XY plots. XY plots are two-dimensional graphs that display scalar values from the set of available solution variables. For an XY plot, you choose derived data items—point probes or line probes—from which the solution data is extracted. See Results Reference.
  • Creating reports of specific quantities. A report displays various statistical functions of solution data—maximum, minimum, average, and total values. The report item can be a QuickPart, a QuickPart Surface, or a derived data item. See Results Reference.
NoteIf you create scenes or plots before you run the simulation, they are updated continuously as the solution progresses.

Before creating scenes, plots, or reports for post-processing, be clear on what quantities you want to analyze, and define the objects from which you want to extract the quantities.

To visualize the solution in a scene:

  1. If existing QuickPart Surfaces are not sufficient for you to use in visualizing data, create additional drawable items:
    1. Right-click the Scenes > Drawable node and select New > [drawable], where [drawable] is one of the following drawable items:
      • Section
      • IsoSurface
      • Streamlines
    2. In the Edit dialog, set the properties of the respective drawable item as required. See Drawables Reference.
    3. Click OK.
  2. If you want to add a text label to a scene:
    1. Right-click the Scenes > Scene Annotations node and select New.
    2. In the Edit dialog, set Name and Annotation Text. See Scene Annotations Reference.
    3. Click OK.
  3. Create a scene:
    1. Right-click the Scenes node and select New Scene.
    2. Right-click the [scene] > [displayer] node, where [scene] is the created scene and [displayer] is the displayer within the scene, and select Edit Displayer.
    3. In the Edit dialog for the displayer, click the Drawable Items box and select the QuickPart Surfaces, Drawables, and Annotations that you want to display. Set the other displayer properties to suit your analysis, see Scenes Reference.
    4. Click OK.
    5. If you want to add additional displayers to the scene, right-click the [scene] node and select New Displayer.
      The Edit dialog for the diaplyer opens automatically.
    6. If you want to render a displayer visible or invisible in the visualization display, right-click the respective displayer node and select Toggle Visibility.
To plot sets of data in an XY plot:
  1. Define the points from which you want to extract solution data:
    1. Right-click the Results > Derived Data node:
      1. To extract data from evenly spaced points along a line, select New > Quick Line Probe.
      2. To extract data from a single point location, select New > Quick Point Probe.
    2. In the Edit dialog, set the properties of the respective derived data item (see Results Reference—Derived Data). Alternatively, you can position the probe interactively in the Graphics window (see Using the Line Tool or Using the Point Tool).
    3. Click OK.
  2. Create a plot:
    1. Right-click the Results > Plots node and select New.
    2. In the in-place dialog, set Derived Data Items to the respective point or line probes and set the properties of the plot as required. See Results Reference—Plots.
  3. Right-click the plot node and select Open.
    The plot is displayed in the Graphics window.
To report specific quantities:
  1. If the quantity of interest is sourced from discrete points, create Quick Point Probes or Quick Line Probes as described in step 5.
  2. Create a report:
    1. Right-click the Results > Reports node and select Create Post Report.
    2. In the Edit dialog, set the Name, Report Field, and Report Items as required (see Results Reference—Reports).
    3. Click OK.