Create a new chart

Create a new chart

1. Click Chart/Select on the main toolbar.
2. Under Selection Stages, click Chart .

3. Click Single or Advanced Property at the top of the axis tab.

4. Specify the attribute or attribute expression to be used for the axis:
   1. (Optional) select a Category to filter the number of attributes displayed.
   2. Select the Attribute. Click on the list and scroll down to see all available attributes. Click on the list and start typing to quickly scroll down to attributes beginning with those letters.
      • If you want to use an attribute that is not available in the list, click Advanced to create an attribute expression.
5. Adjust the axis settings, if required.
6. For functional data attributes, set the parameter values.
7. Click OK.

Edit the chart axis settings

1. Click Stage Settings on the Chart stage toolbar.
2. In the Stage Settings dialog, edit the settings you require.

Plot a performance index on the chart axis

In the Stage Settings dialog box:

1. Select Performance Index Finder at the top of the axis tab.

2. Select a Function and Loading component from the list.

   • The performance index figure and description will be shown.  The Equation for the Performance Index is displayed, and whether the index should be Minimized or Maximized

3. Select the other component definition settings, if required. They will only be active if a further choice of settings is applicable

4. If applicable, select Cyclic loading.

   Cyclic loading only applies to performance indices for strength limited designs, and should be selected when the component is subjected to a high level (10^7 cycles) of cyclic loading. When selected, the performance index uses the fatigue strength (at 10^7 cycles) in place of the yield strength.

   If cyclic loading is not selected, then the loading condition is taken as static. Note: the cyclic loading setting is only visible if you have the option to set it. In the situations where cyclic loading is always true, the setting will not be visible.

5. Adjust the axis settings, if required.

Axis settings

Axis title

By default, the Axis Title is the name of the selected attribute. You can edit this, if required.

Absolute values / Relative values

If a reference record has been set, you can select Absolute values to display values on the chart as absolute numerical values, or select Relative values to display values relative to the reference record, so that the chart is plotted with the reference record at (1,1). This allows easy comparison of other material records to the reference record. Click to see an example of Absolute and Relative valuesClick to see an example of Absolute and Relative values

Axis scale

If the attribute to be plotted is numeric, you can set the axis scale type and range:

1. Set the scale type to Logarithmic or Linear.

   • A warning will appear on a chart axis if a selected attribute contains negative values that cannot be plotted on a log scale.

2. To let the range for the scale be calculated automatically, click Autoscale. To set the range for the scale manually, click Set and type in the minimum and maximum values.

Parameters

If the attribute to be plotted is dependent on parameters (because it is a functional data attribute or an expression), the values for all the parameters upon which the attribute value depends must fixed in order to make a selection.

To set parameters for functional attributes:

1. Select Project Defaults to use project default or individual stage parameter values.
2. Click Edit to set the parameter values.