Recently, I have been asked on a couple of occasions how to ‘isolate’ the Simulation results in an assembly. After running an analysis, we can certainly visualize the results on the entire assembly, but what if we wanted to localize those results on a single component for reporting purposes? The first thing people try to use is the Isolate command. The problem is that once you isolate the component, as soon as you select the study tab at the bottom, Isolate is turned off.
The actual process to get this to work is simple. In the first picture below, you will see the final results on the entire assembly. Now in order to view results on the upper arm of the pliers, you will need to follow these 4 simple steps:
The actual process to get this to work is simple. In the first picture below, you will see the final results on the entire assembly. Now in order to view results on the upper arm of the pliers, you will need to follow these 4 simple steps:
- Select the Model tab at the bottom
- Right click on the upper arm and choose Invert Selection from the shortcut menu
- Right click on any highlighted component and Hide
- Return to the study and show your result plots (Double Click)
Another option would be to create an exploded view. Again, you will need to click on the Model tab, activate the exploded view, return to the study tab, and re-show your result plots. It’s that simple. You now have results on isolated components for your reports.
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I used to use hide all other components but now I use Isolate from within the (eg stress) results. Problem is if I click on one component and choose "Isolate" I then have to switch to "displacement" and back to "stress" plot before it only shows the isolated component. I need a "refresh" or "rebuild" button after "isolate" (or SW just does it automatically) so I dont have to go out and back in (or open plot properties, do nothing, and close) to show only the one component. Is there a better way?
As this is an old blog post, there is a better way today of creating a plot/result on a single part. Instead of using ISOLATE, you can now just edit the definition of the plot itself. In the property manager, under the Advanced Options, you will find an option for 'Show Plot Only On Selected Entities'. Let me know if this is what you are looking for. Regards.