seldom i have to draw support (standard, special) starting from caesar model and not from isos: i see support on caesar model and then i draw them on dwg file.

when caesar file is full of support, is easy to forget one.

actually all caesar support have same color (es: green) and you can change their clor all together and not one by one.

in future program release, it would be useful to be able to change support color one by one. this color change would be only a graphical aspect, no add in database. example: i will color every support i've already studied as red color, so the support to be studied are still green and i will never "forget" a support.

important: this change in only graphic so i have NOT to run calculus again every time i change a support color.

do you think is possible?

Hi,

Graphics colors are actually the user' "taste" or options matter...so, you may easily change the colors from Input Spreadsheet / "Plot Properties" button.

Once you've finished the settings change, the new settings remain valid for any *.CAESAR II file regardless the *.CFG file option.

CII old versions used to have dark red/maroon default color for restraints, while pipes were colored in blue.
Maybe someone else would like pink or orange color for restraints, so why to change the settings (again!) to a specific color? It really doesn't matter...


Regards,

In addition to my previous post, please consider the followings:

- the program cannot "know" which support "was analyzed" and which one "will be analyzed", so that such discrimination is not possible to be done from graphics settings, even if additional colors would possibly be added;

- it appears that coloring each support differently, as per user discretion, it would require to introduce a new input option/variable for each node where a restraint/support is defined - e.g. WHAT COLOR to be used for the attached restraints?

- however, the initial post suggests the stress analysis process is an iterative one, consisting in repeated CII runs and restraints' color change in accordance with "supports analysis" progress stage. This would probably mean that after each iteration, the user would need to change for the "newly analyzed supports", the restraints color input variable/option value...In my opinion, this would mean an additional task that is not necessarily an improvement and/or an efficiency increase...

Personally, I have not seen in any other FEA or pipe stress analysis software such approach or "facility". I believe that for large models, the engineer should employ a suitable nodes' numbering approach and should keep the restraints' qualification progress tracking in a proper manner.

It would be however possible to discriminate between translations and rotations' restraints by coloring them differently...

Regards,

i'm sorry not to be clear. you didn't understand.

in my company sometime they order me to draw on paper/autocad supports starting directly from caesar. no iso printing, no plot plan. nothing. only caesar to see where are supports.

so i have ONLY caesar and all support green.
So it is easy to forget one support in a cloud of green support. it has already happened.

i was asking only if is possible to color che support as i wish. only to "mark" what i have already worked and what i haven't. only a visual mark.

i mean:
- i see a support and i make the drawing (autocad or paper)
-i click on the support inside caesar.
-i change color to mark i've "done" it.
-i repeat procedure with next support.
stop.
no more.

logically this color change does NOT change the model so i have NOT to recalculate the system after every support color change.

I do not know if it will be possible, but until then you may want to add tags to each support you have checked so when you display node numbers for restraints only you can switch to show tags. All supports with tags would be the checked ones and ones with node numbers only, the not checked ones.

I would just print the restraint list (i.e. from the input echo), and mark the support I have "done".
It's easy, quick and more traceable.