29.2.7 Modifying the Rendering Options

Depending on the objects in your display window and what kind of graphics hardware and software you are using, you may want to modify some of the rendering parameters listed below. All are listed under the Rendering heading in the Display Options dialog box (Figure  29.2.2).

Graphics and Animations Options...

After making a change to any of these rendering parameters, click the Apply button to re-render the scene in the active graphics window with the new attributes. To see the effect of the new attributes on another graphics window, you must redisplay it or make it the active window (see Section  29.2.2) and click Apply again.

Line Width:   By default, all lines drawn in the display have a thickness of 1 pixel. If you want to increase the thickness of the lines, increase the value of Line Width.

Point Symbol:    By default, nodes displayed on surfaces and data points on line or rake surfaces are represented in the display by a + sign inside a circle. If you want to modify this representation (e.g., to make the nodes easier to see), you can select a different symbol in the Point Symbol drop-down list.

Animation Options:    There are two animation options which you can choose from. They are as follows:

All   uses a solid-tone shading representation of all geometry during mouse manipulation.

Wireframe   uses a wireframe representation of all geometry during mouse manipulation. If your computer has a graphics accelerator, you may not want to use this option; otherwise, the mouse manipulation may be very slow.

Double Buffering:    Enabling the Double Buffering option can dramatically reduce screen flicker during graphics updates. Note, however, that if your display hardware does not support double buffering and you turn this option on, double buffering will be done in software. Software double buffering uses extra memory.

Outer Face Culling:   This option allows you to turn off the display of outer faces in wall zones. Outer Face Culling is useful for displaying both sides of a slit wall. By default, when you display a slit wall, one side will "bleed'' through to the other. When you turn on the Outer Face Culling option, the display of a slit wall will show each side distinctly as you rotate the display. This option can also be useful for displaying two-sided walls (i.e., walls with fluid or solid cells on both sides).

Hidden Line Removal:   If you do not use hidden line removal, ANSYS FLUENT will not try to determine which lines in the display are behind others; it will display all of them, and a cluttered display will result for most 3D mesh displays. For most 3D problems, therefore, you should turn on the Hidden Line Removal option. You should turn this option off (for optimal performance) if you are working with a 2D problem or with geometries that do not overlap.

Hidden Surface Removal:   If you do not use hidden surface removal, ANSYS FLUENT will not try to determine which surfaces in the display are behind others; it will display all of them, and a cluttered display will result for most 3D mesh displays. For most 3D problems, therefore, you should turn on the Hidden Surface Removal option. You should turn this option off (for optimal performance) if you are working with a 2D problem or with geometries that do not overlap.

You can choose one of the following methods for performing hidden surface removal in the Hidden Surface Method drop-down list. These options vary in speed and quality, depending on the device you are using.

Hardware Z-buffer   is the fastest method if your hardware supports it. The accuracy and speed of this method is hardware-dependent. Note that if this method is not available on your computer, selecting it will cause the Software Z-buffer method to be used.

Painters   will show fewer edge-aliasing effects than Hardware-Z-buffer. This method is often used instead of Software-Z-buffer when memory is limited.

Software Z-buffer   is the fastest of the accurate software methods available (especially for complex scenes), but it is memory-intensive.

Z-sort only   is a fast software method, but it is not as accurate as Software-Z-buffer.

Graphics Device Information

If you need to know which graphics driver you are using and what graphics hardware it recognizes, you can click the Info button in the Display Options dialog box. The graphics device information will be printed in the text (console) window.