Refining curved edges and faces

If your model contains quadratic elements, cubic elements, 2-node spring elements, or analytical rigid surfaces having curved segments, you can control the refinement with which Abaqus/CAE displays these curved model components. Similarly, if your model contains 2-node dashpot elements, you can control the refinement of the symbol used to represent those elements. Click the General tab in the ODB Display Options dialog box to choose a refinement level between extra coarse and extra fine for the display of curved edges and faces. When you select Extra Coarse refinement, Abaqus/CAE displays curved elements using straight lines; midside nodes have no effect on the shape displayed for these elements. Extra Coarse refinement will treat springs and dashpots as straight lines. For example, in Figure 1 the Extra Coarse refinement level was used to create the undeformed plot on the left, and the Extra Fine refinement level was used to produce an undeformed plot of the same model on the right.

See Also
Sweeping and extruding your model

Context:

Note:

As the refinement level increases, the display performance will decrease. The Medium setting should produce acceptable results for most models.

Figure 1. Model plotted with different refinement levels (extra coarse and extra fine).

  1. Locate the Curved Lines & Faces options.

    From the main menu bar, select ViewODB Display Options. Click the General tab in the dialog box that appears. The Curved Lines & Faces options are at the top of the General page.

  2. Click the Refinement level button to reveal the refinement options.
  3. In the refinement list, click the level you want. Extra fine produces the smoothest curves but may slow plotting; conversely, coarse refinement gives a rough appearance but plots most quickly.

    The refinement level you specify appears on the Refinement Level button.

  4. Click Apply to implement your changes.

    Curved edges and faces for all plot states change to reflect your refinement specification, which is saved for the duration of the session. If you want to retain the changes you applied for subsequent sessions, save them to a file. For more information, see Saving customizations for use in subsequent sessions.