Modelica.Mechanics.MultiBody.Visualizers.Advanced

Visualizers that require basic knowledge about Modelica in order to use them

Information

Package Visualizers.Advanced contains components to visualize 3-dimensional shapes with dynamical sizes. None of the components has a frame connector. The position and orientation is set via modifiers. Basic knowledge of Modelica is needed in order to utilize the components of this package. These components have also to be used for models, where the forces and torques in the frame connector are set via equations (in this case, the models of the Visualizers package cannot be used, since they all have frame connectors).

Content

Arrow	Visualizing an arrow where all parts of the arrow can vary dynamically:
DoubleArrow	Visualizing a double arrow where all parts of the arrow can vary dynamically:
Shape	Visualizing an elementary object with variable size. The following shape types are supported:
Surface	Visualizing a moveable parameterized surface:
PipeWithScalarField	Visualizing a pipe with a scalar field represented by a color coding:

Extends from Modelica.Icons.Package (Icon for standard packages).

Package Content

Name	Description
Arrow	Visualizing an arrow with variable size
DoubleArrow	Visualizing a double arrow with variable size
Vector	Visualizing a vector quantity (force, torque, etc.)
Shape	Visualizing an elementary object with variable size; all data have to be set as modifiers (see info layer)
Surface	Visualizing a moveable, parameterized surface; the surface characteristic is provided by a function
PipeWithScalarField	Visualizing a pipe with a scalar field
SurfaceCharacteristics	Functions returning surface descriptions

Modelica.Mechanics.MultiBody.Visualizers.Advanced.Arrow

Visualizing an arrow with variable size

Information

Model Arrow defines an arrow that is dynamically visualized at the defined location (see variables below). If you want an arrow representing something that is not a relative position, use Vector instead.

The dialog variables R, r, r_tail, r_head, color, specularCoefficient, and headAtOrigin are declared as (time varying) input variables. If the default equation is not appropriate, a corresponding modifier equation has to be provided in the model where an Arrow instance is used, e.g., in the form

Visualizers.Advanced.Arrow arrow(r_head = {sin(time),cos(time},0});

Variable color is an Integer vector with 3 elements, {r, g, b}, and specifies the color of the shape. {r, g, b} are the "red", "green" and "blue" color parts. Note, r, g and b are given in the range 0 … 255. The predefined type MultiBody.Types.Color contains a menu definition of the colors used in the MultiBody library together with a color editor.

Parameters

Modelica.Mechanics.MultiBody.Visualizers.Advanced.DoubleArrow

Visualizing a double arrow with variable size

Information

Model DoubleArrow defines a double arrow that is dynamically visualized at the defined location (see variables below). Nonetheless, visualizing physical vectors by means of Vector can be better option in many cases.

The dialog variables R, r, r_tail, r_head, color, specularCoefficient, and headAtOrigin are declared as (time varying) input variables. If the default equation is not appropriate, a corresponding modifier equation has to be provided in the model where an Arrow instance is used, e.g., in the form

Visualizers.Advanced.DoubleArrow doubleArrow(r_head = {sin(time),cos(time},0})

Variable color is an Integer vector with 3 elements, {r, g, b}, and specifies the color of the shape. {r, g, b} are the "red", "green" and "blue" color parts. Note, r, g and b are given in the range 0 … 255. The predefined type MultiBody.Types.Color contains a menu definition of the colors used in the MultiBody library together with a color editor.

Parameters

Modelica.Mechanics.MultiBody.Visualizers.Advanced.Vector

Visualizing a vector quantity (force, torque, etc.)

Information

Model Vector defines a vector that is dynamically visualized at the defined location (see variables below). The vector length does not represent a physical length, but a different 3-dimensional quantity (such as force, torque, speed, …), except for RelativePosition. That allows the vectors of similar quantities to be scaled appropriately during post-processing. This is useful, even for RelativePosition and in that case to disable or exaggerate the relative positions.

The dialog variables R, r, coordinates, color, specularCoefficient, quantity, headAtOrigin, and twoHeadedArrow are declared as (time varying) input variables. If the default equation is not appropriate, a corresponding modifier equation has to be provided in the model where a Vector instance is used, e.g., in the form

Visualizers.Advanced.Vector vectorForce(coordinates = {sin(time),cos(time),0});

Variable color is an Integer vector with 3 elements, {r, g, b}, and specifies the color of the shape. {r, g, b} are the "red", "green" and "blue" color parts. Note, r, g and b are given in the range 0 … 255. The predefined type MultiBody.Types.Color contains a menu definition of the colors used in the MultiBody library together with a color editor.

Extends from ModelicaServices.Animation.Vector (Animation of a moveable vector-quantity (the length is not fixed in meters)), Modelica.Utilities.Internal.PartialModelicaServices.Animation.PartialVector (Interface for 3D animation of a vector quantity (force, torque etc)).

Parameters

Modelica.Mechanics.MultiBody.Visualizers.Advanced.Shape

Visualizing an elementary object with variable size; all data have to be set as modifiers (see info layer)

Information

Model Shape defines a visual shape that is shown at the location of its reference coordinate system, called 'object frame' below. All describing variables such as size and color can vary dynamically (with the only exception of parameter shapeType). The default equations in the declarations should be modified by providing appropriate modifier equations. Model Shape is usually used as a basic building block to implement simpler to use graphical components.

The following shapes are supported via parameter shapeType (e.g., shapeType="box"):
 

 
The dark blue arrows in the figure above are directed along variable lengthDirection. The light blue arrows are directed along variable widthDirection. The coordinate systems in the figure represent frame_a of the Shape component.

Additionally, external shapes can be specified as (not all options might be supported by all tools):

• "1", "2", …
  define external shapes specified in DXF format in files "1.dxf", "2.dxf", … The DXF-files must be found either in the current directory or in the directory where the Shape instance is stored that references the DXF file. This (very limited) option should not be used for new models. Example:
  shapeType="1".
  
• "modelica://<Modelica-name>/<relative-path-file-name>"
  characterizes the file that is stored under the location of the <Modelica-name> library path with the given relative file name. Example:
  shapeType = "modelica://Modelica/Resources/Data/Shapes/Engine/piston.dxf".
  
• "file://<absolute-file-name>"
  characterizes an absolute file name in the file system. Example:
  shapeType="file://C:/users/myname/shapes/piston.dxf".

The supported file formats are tool dependent. Most tools support at least DXF-files but may support other format as well (such as stl, obj, 3ds). Since visualization files contain color and other data, the corresponding information in the model is usually ignored. For information about DXF files, see Wikipedia. As a default it is assumed that the DXF coordinates are in the "frame_a"-system and in meters, and that the 3dfaces are two-sided. Some tools support only 3dface (for geometry) and layer (for advanced coloring).

The sizes of any of the above components are specified by the length, width and height variables. Via variable extra additional data can be defined:

Parameter color is a vector with 3 elements, {r, g, b}, and specifies the color of the shape. {r, g, b} are the "red", "green" and "blue" color parts. Note, r, g, b are given as Integer[3] in the ranges 0 … 255, respectively. The predefined type MultiBody.Types.Color contains a menu definition of the colors used in the MultiBody library together with a color editor.

The dialog variables shapeType, R, r, r_shape, lengthDirection, widthDirection, length, width, height, extra, color, and specularCoefficient are declared as (time varying) input variables. If the default equation is not appropriate, a corresponding modifier equation has to be provided in the model where a Shape instance is used, e.g., in the form

Visualizers.Advanced.Shape shape(length = sin(time));

Extends from ModelicaServices.Animation.Shape (Different visual shapes with variable size; all data have to be set as modifiers (see info layer)), Modelica.Utilities.Internal.PartialModelicaServices.Animation.PartialShape (Interface for 3D animation of elementary shapes).

Parameters

Modelica.Mechanics.MultiBody.Visualizers.Advanced.Surface

Visualizing a moveable, parameterized surface; the surface characteristic is provided by a function

Information

Model Surface defines a moveable, parametrized surface in 3-dim. space that is used for animation. This object is specified by:

• The surface frame (orientation object "R" and origin "r_0") in which the data is specified.
• A set of two parameters, one in u- and one in v-direction, that defines the control points.
• A time-varying position of each control point with respect to the surface frame.

The parameter values (u,v) are given by the ordinal numbers of the corresponding control point in u- or in v-direction, respectively. The surface is then defined by the replaceable function "surfaceCharacteristic" with the interface partialSurfaceCharacteristic that returns the x-, y-, z- coordinate of every control point in form of 3 arrays X, Y, Z, and an optional color array C, if every control point shall have a different color:

Real X[nu,nv], Y[nu,nv], Z[nu,nv], C[nu,nv,3];

An example of a parameterized surface with color coding is shown in the next figure:

Models Torus, VoluminousWheel, PipeWithScalarField, demonstrate how new visualizer objects can be constructed with the Surface model.
The direct usage of the Surface model, as well as of the Torus and the VoluminousWheel models, are demonstrated with example Examples.Elementary.Surfaces.

Extends from Modelica.Mechanics.MultiBody.Icons.Surface (Surface icon), Modelica.Utilities.Internal.PartialModelicaServices.Animation.PartialSurface (Interface for 3D animation of surfaces), ModelicaServices.Animation.Surface (Animation of a moveable, parameterized surface; the surface characteristic is provided by a function).

Parameters

Modelica.Mechanics.MultiBody.Visualizers.Advanced.PipeWithScalarField

Visualizing a pipe with a scalar field

Information

Model PipeWithScalarField visualizes a pipe and a scalar field along the pipe axis. The latter is shown by mapping scalar field to color values with a color map and utilizing this color at the perimeter associated with the corresponding axis location. Typically the scalar field value is a temperature, but might be also another quantity. Predefined color maps are available from MultiBody.Visualizers.Colors.ColorMaps and can be selected via parameter "colorMap". A color map with the corresponding scalar field values can be exported as vector-graphics in svg-format with function MultiBody.Visualizers.Colors.colorMapToSvg. The position and orientation of the center of the circle at the left end of the pipe is defined via parameters "r_0" and "R", respectively. The pipe axis is oriented along the x-axis of the local coordinate system described by "R", see figure below:

The color coding is shown in the next figure. It was generated with MultiBody.Visualizers.Colors.colorMapToSvg using the following call:

colorMapToSvg(Modelica.Mechanics.MultiBody.Visualizers.Colors.ColorMaps.jet(),
              height=50, nScalars=6, T_max=100, caption="Temperature in C");

Parameters

Connectors