Visualize Scaled Beam Deformations

[jgerstmayr]

Discussed in https://github.com/jgerstmayr/EXUDYN/discussions/70

^{Originally posted by **SimonAndreas** June 19, 2024} Currently I am using 2D beam elements (ObjectBeamGeometricallyExact2D) and I would like to visualize scaled beam deformations (e.g. exaggerated beam deflection) such that it is easier to interpret small deformations using the SolutionsViewer(). Should I use “SC.visualizationSettings.bodies.deformationScaleFactor” for this purpose or does a different function exist? Namely, I tried the beforementioned function but unfortunately nothing changed in the visualization; the deformations were still very small. Is it possible that I made a mistake when using this setting? Thank you in advance.

[jgerstmayr]

the deformationScaleFactor is only available for FFRF and FFRFreducedOrder objects. If you like to draw your solution magnified, you have to do that manually using the solution data.

In a static solution, you can just scale the displacements of nodes by a certain factor (keeping the reference values unchanged). If you only have beams in your model, you could just do something like:

systemContainer=exudyn.SystemContainer()
mbs = systemContainer.AddSystem()

#Assemble, solve system
...

#get solution and magnify
u = mbs.systemData.GetODE2Coordinates() #take current solution

#magnify solution by factor 10:
mbs.systemData.SetODE2Coordinates(10*u, configuration=exudyn.ConfigurationType.Visualization)

exu.StartRenderer()
mbs.WaitForUserToContinue()
exu.StopRenderer()