Create a Pie Chart

A Pie chart is a pictorial representation of data in the form of a circular chart or pie, where each slice of the pie represents a category or subset of the data (part of the whole).

To select elements for a Pie chart:
  1. Select the group of elements.
    The following Pie chart shows the force on the equipment - broken down by equipment type in a conveyor simulation. The chute experiences the greatest force, followed by the feed conveyor.
    The amount for each category is proportional to the area of the sector and the total area of the circle is 100%. 
  2. For each element type, you can select to split the data by type or selection/bin group.
    Note:
    • When you select Type or Selection Group is selected, the categories within that selection are listed.
    • If you select Contacts and then select Type, all specific contacts are the categories listed. For example, particle x - particle x, particle x - particle y and particle y - particle y.
    • If you select Contacts and then select Selection groups, all selection and bin groups in your model are the categories listed.
    • All categories within a type or group are included in the chart by default.

Define Attributes

In a Pie chart, you can view the contribution of attribute elements or metrics to a total by displaying your data in a pie.

To define attributes:

For example, the total mass of particles of Type A compared to particles of Type B. For more information on attributes, see Attribute Definitions.

The following table shows the attributes and components available for each element.

Click the Select Attribute tab and select the element attribute and component you want to examine.
The attributes available in the list will depend on the elements previously selected. You can also select a component type for certain attributes. The component type available for most attributes is Total as this is the only component type that can be displayed using a Pie chart.
The following table shows the attributes and components available for each element.
Element Attribute Components
Contacts Contact vector 1, 2 Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Normal force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Normal overlap N/A
Number of contacts N/A
Tangential force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Tangential overlap N/A
Custom property Depends on the number of elements
Collisions Average normal force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Average tangential force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Maximum normal force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Maximum tangential force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Normal energy loss N/A
Number of collisions N/A
Relative velocity Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Relative velocity normal Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Relative velocity tangential Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Tangential energy loss N/A
Total energy loss N/A
Velocity of element A Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Velocity of element B Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Geometry Compressive force N/A
Distance N/A
Pressure N/A
Total force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Velocity Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Custom property Depends on the number of elements
Particle Angular velocity Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Compressive force N/A
Diameter N/A
Distance Define reference object*
Kinetic energy N/A
Mass N/A
Number of particles N/A
Potential energy N/A
Rotational kinetic energy N/A
Torque Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Total energy N/A
Total force Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Velocity Magnitude, X, Y, Z
Volume N/A
Custom property Depends on the number of elements
Note:
  • If the attribute is set to Distance, you must define a point or plane from which the distance is measured. When you select Distance, the Define Reference Object section of the pane will be activated. Select Point or Plane and define its position and, for a plane, its distance from the origin.

Configuring Graph Settings

You can configure the settings for elements in a particular Time Step or over a range of Time Steps.

To configure settings:
  1. To modify the Current Time Step, use the Current Time control in the Viewer control pane at the right of the screen.
    By default, the Current Time Step is selected. For example, you can plot the total number of particles in each bin in a bin group at a particular time or the total number that have been in the bins over the course of the entire simulation. Comparing the charts we can see that at t=20s most particles are in bins (2x1x1) and (2x2x1). However, this is not indicative of their location over the course of the whole simulation.
  2. Clear the Current Time Step check box to set a different Start and End time.
    Grayed-out Time Steps indicate partial saves and may not contain all the data you want to plot.
  3. Specify a title for the chart.

Select Bin Groups

A model contains a bin group that divides the model domain into 10 bins. You may want to display the number of contacts that are occurring in each bin at a given time.

To select Bin groups:
  1. Select the element and then navigate to Contact > Selection.
  2. Select Number of Contacts (Total).
  3. In the Settings tab, specify a title for the chart.
  4. In the Viewer Controls pane, select the Time Step at which you want to examine the contacts.
    Note:
    In the Settings tab, you must ensure that the Current Time Step check box is selected.
  5. Click Create Graph.
    The Pie chart and the percentage breakdown of the number of contacts occurring in each bin will be displayed in the Viewer.