The software (2014) lets the user specify the maximum and minimum value for the contour legend. I would like the capability to specify values at intermediate tick marks.
A good example is a model that includes contact (or gap elements) where some of the elements have a value of 0. Since a color in a normal contour plot covers a range of values, it is not easy to know which points have no contact. The situation is even more difficult when the model includes compression gap elements and tension gap element, such as the following image.
Model with beam, compression gap elements, and tension gap elements (loose elements). With the automatic range, it is not possible to know which elements have no contact (value = 0).
By specifying a value at desired tick marks, the user can "highlight" specific values in the model. In this photoshop example, the 6th and 7th tick marks in the legend were set to "0". Thus, elements that are shaded in yellow are locations that are not in contact or tension.
Model with beam, compression gap elements, and tension gap elements. With a user-specified values for some of the tick marks, it is possible to know which elements have no contact: all of the elements in yellow (value = 0).
Another example would be to "show" elements that exceed a certain criteria such as the yield strength, allowable stress, etc. The current method is to change the maximum value so that all results above color N are above the criteria. In some situation, it is desirable to show the maximum value in the legend instead of changing it.
User-entered tick marks also "expand" the color range.
The UI should let the user change any of the tick mark values.
John Holtz
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