Pages and Windows

The main display area of the user interface is called a page. Each page can contain up to 16 windows.

Any window on a page can display an HM model (HyperMesh), MBD model (MotionView), animation (HyperView), 2D plot (HyperGraph), 3D plot (HyperGraph 3D), text (TextView), or media file (MediaView).

All pages and windows are created and stored in a hierarchical list in the Session Browser. You can create unlimited pages in a session; however, only one page can be displayed at a time.

The current page number and the total number of pages in the session are displayed in the upper-right corner of the application with the page navigation tools.


Figure 1.
Navigate between pages by clicking the left and right arrows, or enter a desired page number into the text field to go directly to that page and display it in the modeling window.
Tip: Hold Ctrl and left-click an arrow to jump directly to the first or last page.

Create and Modify Pages

Create pages or modify an existing page's properties, such as name, publish settings, and layout.

  1. In the Session Browser, right-click and select Create from the context menu.
    A new page is created, and the Entity Editor opens with the page's corresponding properties.
  2. In the Entity Editor, edit the page's properties.
Edit an existing page's properties at any time by selecting the page from the Session Browser.
Another way to create, delete, rename, and navigate between pages is using the page navigation tools in the upper-right corner.


Figure 2.

Using the page title drop-down, you can insert pages at the desired location.

Change Page Layout

Change the layout of each page to suit your needs.

A typical layout might consist of a large window on the left displaying an animation with two smaller windows on the right tracking relevant data points on corresponding plots. There are 20 possible page arrangements.

The default layout is a single window; however a different default layout can be specified using the *SetDefaultPageLayout() statement in the preferences.mvw file.

  1. Click (Page Layout) on the page navigation tools.
  2. Select a layout from the list of options.


    Figure 3. Page Layout Menu
The selected layout is applied to the current page.

Borders in a Multi-window Layout

Borders distinguish active from inactive windows.

When using a multi-window page layout, a visible border is displayed around the active window. Hover your mouse over an inactive window to display a faint border around it.


Figure 4. Visible border around the active window


Figure 5. Visible border around the active window, and a faint border around the inactive window

Maximize/Restore Windows

On pages that contain more than one window, you can maximize and restore windows.

Click one of the following icons in the top-right corner of a window's graphics area.
  • - Maximize the active window so that it's full screen.

    Maximized windows are reduced to their original size if you turn the page.

  • - Restore the maximized window to the normal page layout.

Swap Windows

Exchange the active window's position with another window on the same page.

For example, you can swap the upper left window with the lower right window in a six-window layout.
Restriction: You cannot swap in single window layouts.
  1. Select a window.
  2. Left-click and hold the drag icon in the top-right of the window's graphics area.
  3. While holding-left click, position you cursor over a different window.
  4. Release left-click.

    The first window exchanges places with the second window.

Copy/Paste Pages and Windows

  1. In the Session Browser, right-click on the page/window to copy and select Copy from the context menu.
  2. Paste page/window.
    Option Description
    Paste page Right-click and select Paste from the context menu.

    A new page, with the same name and contents as the copied page, is created.
    Paste window Right-click on the window where you want to paste the copied window (the window can be on the same page or a different page), and select Paste from the context menu.

    The contents of the window are replaced with the contents of the copied window. The original contents of the window are discarded.

    When a window is copied, the model retains its orientation when it is pasted into the new window and it is automatically scaled to fit the window. The animation is not re-loaded in the second window; rather, it is a linked copy of the original. Entity attributes such as color and transparency are shared between windows, but the models can be oriented independently.
    Restriction: This feature is only applicable in HyperView, HyperGraph and TextView.

Overlay Pages and Windows

  1. In the Session Browser, right-click on the page/window to copy and select Copy from the context menu.
  2. Overlay two pages/windows.
    Option Description
    Overlay two pages Right-click on another page with the same page layout, containing windows of corresponding types, and select Overlay from the context menu.
    Overlay two windows Right-click on another window of the same type and select Overlay from the context menu.

Synchronize Windows

The Synchronize Windows dialog allows you to manipulate the view matrix of multiple models in multiple windows at the same time and supports the synchronization of the axis range settings of multiple 2D plotting windows on the same page.

Click on the page navigation tools.

The number of available windows on the current page is represented by colored squares (which are arranged in the same page/window layout), and the active window is also displayed.

Only windows of the client type which can be synchronized with the active client are enabled for selection/de-selection. In the figure below, an animation window is active, therefore only the two animation windows on the page can be selected. The two HyperGraph 2D XY plotting windows are blocked, which are shown in yellow.


Figure 6. Synchronize Windows dialog with two animation windows and two plot windows, one animation window active

For animation windows, the default setting for synchronization is on; for 2D plot clients, the default setting is off.

If synchronization for some animation windows on the active page is turned on, it is turned on for all animation windows on all pages that you switch to, as long as the Synchronize Windows icon displays the green active symbol. If animation windows should not be included, you must turn them off individually.

For HyperGraph 2D, XY plot windows display the reverse behavior - the default setting is turned off. If you make a plot window active and start the tool, only the plot windows are enabled for selection, but they are not active by default. Plot windows must be turned on individually to participate in the synchronization. This must be done for all the plot windows on all pages where you want this feature to be active.

Note that for HyperGraph, the synchronization applies only to zooming and panning, and axis attributes. Other plot attributes, such as background color, foreground color, and so on, can not be synched.

The following updates, when performed in any of the synchronized windows, will be performed in all synchronized windows:
  • Zooming/panning
  • Tics/grids
  • Axis format
  • Axis units
Note:
  • Updates will apply to secondary axes as well, where applicable. If a selected window is model, text or video window, then it is ignored.
  • Synchronize Windows for plots overrules the Axis panel's Fit Range option, located on the Scales and Tics tab.
  • Only windows with the same number of axes will be synced.
  • Changing the scaling and the units of an axis will be used in the synced axis of the other plots.
Once the settings are changed for a specific window, they are maintained during the session. Turning the feature on or off will not change if a window also participates for the non-active pages.


Figure 7. Synchronize Windows dialog with two animation clients and two plot clients, no plot client selected

Start Window Synchronization

  1. From the page navigation tools, click .
    The Synchronize Windows dialog is displayed.
    Note: Only windows of the client type which can be synchronized with the active client are enabled for selection/de-selection. By default, all windows are displayed in the currentmodeling window background color, indicating that these windows are active for view synchronization. Windows that are selected for synchronization are dark blue, and non-selected windows are grey. Windows which can’t be synchronized with the current active window are yellow.
  2. Click one of the rectangles (which represents a page window) to exclude it from the synchronization.
    The window's background color changes to the same color as the dialog for all windows that are excluded.
    Figure 8. Synchronized Windows Dialog with one excluded window

Stop Window Synchronization

  1. From the page navigation tools, click .
    Note: No pop-up dialog is associated with this option.
    The synchronization is stopped across all windows/pages.
  2. Click the rectangle again to include the currently excluded window in the synchronization.
    The background color changes back to the current modeling window background color.
  3. Click OK to apply the settings/changes and exit the dialog.
    Note: All activated windows synchronize the view with the active window. You can use keyboard shortcuts and also the 3D view controls to move (rotate, zoom, and so on) the model. Models in the linked windows rotate or obey the same view upon applying view actions.

    If plotting windows are selected for synchronization, you can use your mouse, keyboard shortcuts, and view controls to change the axis range settings in one window and the other windows will display the same axis settings (min/max values) independent from the units assigned to the axis.

    Changes to the window, page, and window layout (for example, adding new windows or pages) can still be made while the view synchronization is running. If a new page with animation clients is added using the Add Page or Cut/Copy/Paste options, and the synchronized view mode was on prior to the addition, then the new page (and all the animation windows on that page) will be linked by default, until the mode is changed or stopped.