AnalysisWindow Object

AnalysisWindow Object

The AnalysisWindow object is used to insert a PC-DMIS Graphical Analysis window into a label template or into a custom report. Then, in the Report window, PC-DMIS displays a graphical analysis of dimensions that use a report template, using the label template with an analysis object in it.

For information on the Analysis window, see "Inserting Commands Related to the Analysis Window" in the "Inserting Report Commands" chapter.

The AnalysisWindow object functions only with Feature Control Frame dimensions. It does not function with Legacy dimensions.

Manipulating the Object

You can double-click on this object to activate it in the Report window. This lets you manipulate its display in the Report window on the fly. Once activated, you can use your mouse wheel to zoom in or out on the object's graphical display and change its rotation. Double-clicking outside of the object deactivates it. You can also right-click on the object in the Report window to access the Graphical Analysis Options dialog box described below.

If you need to revert a rotated graphical display in the object back to its original orientation, right-click on the object, and select Restore View from the View menu on the shortcut menu. This restores the orientation of the displayed graphical information in the object to its original vector.

Restore View menu item

The other menu items in the View menu, Flip Horizontal and Flip Vertical, flip the horizontal or vertical orientation of the object.

Using with Point Info Boxes in Custom Reports

When adding an AnalysisWindow object to a custom report, you can use the following two properties to control what point information is displayed and how it should look by defining the label template to use:

PC-DMIS remembers the selected template and uses it for subsequent AnalysisWindow objects that are added into the Custom Report editor. The defined template is also stored in the LastUsedPointInfoLabel entry under the Reporting section of the PC-DMIS Settings Editor.

If you do not define any label template in this property, any Point Info boxes used are generated the same as if you had dragged a PointInfo object onto the Custom Report editor. In that case, it does not use a label template, but is created internally.

Some label templates to consider using are: ga_point_info.lbl, ga_point_info2.lbl, and ga_point_info_devonly.

To clear this property, open the Browse Files dialog box, remove the filename listed in the File name box, and click Cancel.

If you do not have one defined, then the standard Edit Point Info dialog box appears:

Edit Point Info dialog box

If you do have one defined, then a slightly different Edit Point Info with Label dialog box appears:

Edit Point Info with Label dialog box

These dialog boxes are similar, but if you have defined a label, you can only choose to hide or display leader lines using the Point info format area. This is because the other items do not apply if you are using a customized label template. For information on the available items in either of these dialog boxes, see the "Inserting Point Info Boxes" topic in the "Inserting Report Commands" chapter.

Changing Properties

To determine what this object displays, you can modify its many properties. You can also use the (Settings Dialog) property to access the Graphical Analysis dialog box inside the template editor. This dialog box lets you set many of the AnalysisWindow object's properties. There are two tabs:

Graphical Analysis dialog box

Analysis Options tab

For a description of the options on this tab, see "Dimension Options" in the "Inserting Report Commands" chapter. (The Template name near the top of the tab appears only if you edit an AnalysisWindow object within the Report window. For information on how to edit directly within the Report window, see "Edit Graphical Analysis".)

Reporting Options tab

For a description of the options on this tab, see the corresponding properties under the "Available Properties" subtopic below.

Here are the properties that are tied to the options on this tab:

Line color (measured) - see "MeasuredLineColor"

Line style (measured) - see "MeasuredLineStyle"

Line color (nominal) - see "NominalLineColor"

Line style (nominal) - see "NominalLineStyle"

Line style (deviation) - see "DeviationLineStyle"

Sphere size - PC-DMIS only enables this option when you are in Line mode. This value defines the diameter of the line's tip in mm. If you run PC-DMIS in inch units, the software converts the value you enter to mm for display purposes only.

You can set this value in the Settings Editor with the AnalysisViewLollipopSphereSizeInMM setting. For details on this setting, see "AnalysisViewLollipopSphereSizeInMM" in the PC-DMIS Settings Editor documentation.

You can view this and other properties of the analysis object on the report. For example, select File | Reporting| New | Custom Report and then create the analysis object on the report. Then right-click the object and select Properties. PC-DMIS lists all the properties related to the analysis object report:

Example of the analysis object report properties

Show trihedron - see "TrihedronShow"

Min/Max ball size - see "MaxMinSize"

Minimum ball color - see "MinColor"

Maximum ball color - see "MaxColor"

Background color - see "BackColor"

Line Size - see "PenWidth"

Leaderline termination - see "LeaderTermination"

Show Deviation - see "DeviationShow"

Show Title - see "TitleShow"

Show Border - see "BorderShow"

Available Properties

The available properties for this object are listed below:

All properties are used in Custom Reports unless otherwise stated. Those properties followed by an asterisk (*) are also used in Report Template Builder.

(Settings Dialog) *
Displays the Graphical Analysis Options dialog box for the selected AnalysisWindow object.

Arrow Best Value
Defines the number of best deviations for which to display arrows.

Arrow Density Options
Determines how to handle arrow density.

0 - by Percent - This uses the percentage defined in the Dimension Analysis Options dialog box's Arrow density slider.

1 - by Worst - This uses the Arrow Worst Value property.

2 - by Best - This uses the Arrow Best Value property.

Arrow Worst Value
Defines the number of worst deviations for which to display arrows.

ArrowHeads *
Same as the Show Arrow Heads check box in the dialog box.

AutoScaleToFit
Scales the information being analyzed so it fits within the boundaries of the object.

BackColor *
Common Properties

BorderShow *
Shows or hides the AnalysisWindow object's border.

Bottom *
Common Properties

CadNominalStepValue
Defines the density of the points projected along the polyline to the CAD interpolation for the points inserted from the CAD model in the GenerateCadNominal property.

CircularityMaxMinDiameters *
Same as the Show Best Fit, Max Inscribed, and Min Circumscribed Diameters check box in the dialog box.

DeviationLineStyle
Defines the deviation line style.

Cylinder - Deviation lines are drawn as a cylinder terminated with an arrowhead.

Line - Deviation lines are drawn as simple lines.

DeviationShow
Shows or hides the deviation lines. By default these are drawn as arrows.

Enable *
Common Properties

GenerateCadNominal
Generates a smoother nominal polyline by projecting additional points onto the CAD model as needed in order to see a line that more closely matches the CAD model. The density of these additional points can be increased or decreased using the CadNominalStepValue property.

GridShow *
Displays the 3D grid-like backdrop for the Analysis window.

LabelOffset
Positions a user-defined Point Info label at the specified offset distance from the hit location. The label to use is defined in the PointInfoLabel property.

LeaderTermination
Sets the termination location for any leader lines between Point Info boxes and their associated point locations:

End of Arrow - The leader lines point to the end-of-arrow locations.

Nominal - The leader lines point to the nominal point locations.

Measured - The leader lines point to the measured point locations.

Left *
Common Properties

MaxColor
Determines the sphere point color for maximum deviations. The default is red (0.0.225).

MaxMin *
Same as the Show Max/Min Deviations check box in the dialog box.

MaxMinSize
Determines the diameter of the sphere point that marks the Max/Min points in the AnalysisWindow object. The default is 0.

MeasuredLineColor
When lines are displayed between the measured hits, this determines the line color used.

MeasuredLineStyle
When lines are displayed between the measured hits, this determines the style used. You can choose Solid or Dashed.

MinColor
Determines the sphere point color for minimum deviations. The default is blue (255.0.0).

NominalLineColor
Determines the color of the nominal graphical line.

NominalLineStyle
Determines the style of the nominal graphical line. You can choose Solid or Dashed.

PC-DMIS Command Objects
Common Properties

PC-DMIS Reference
Common Properties

PenWidth
Sets the line size for the lines in the analysis object. The default is 0. The maximum line width is determined by your graphics card and driver.

PenWidth of 8 (top), and 0 (bottom)

PointInfoLabel
Selects the label template to use for Point Info boxes tied to the AnalysisWindow object. Use-defined labels in this object cannot be moved except by using the LabelOffset property.

ProfileMeasured *
Same as the Show Lines Between Measured Hits check box in the dialog box.

ProfileNominal *
Same as the Show Lines Between Nominals check box in the dialog box.

ProfileOptions *
Same as selecting one of the option buttons from the Profile Dimensions area in the dialog box.

ProfileTolerances *
Same as the Show Tolerance Lines check box in the dialog box.

Right *
Common Properties

RulerElemX
Same as Number of elements XYZ boxes discussed in the Analysis Grid Options dialog box.

RulerElemY
Same as Number of elements XYZ boxes discussed in the Analysis Grid Options dialog box.

RulerElemZ
Same as Number of elements XYZ boxes discussed in the Analysis Grid Options dialog box.

Scale
Scales the Analysis window by a specific ratio. The format is n1:n2 where n1 and n2 are two numbers. For example, a value of 1:3 would display the info in the Analysis window at three times its normal size, and a value of 2:1 would display the info at half its normal size. The property also displays the current zoom ratio if you zoom using the mouse buttons.

The AutoScaleToFit property must be set to No for the Scale property to work.

SelectPointInfo
Displays a dialog box so that you can select the point information to display in Point Info boxes in the AnalysisWindow object.

TitleShow *
Shows or hides the text of the items being dimensioned at the top of the AnalysisWindow Object.

Top *
Common Properties

TPDiameters *
Same as the Show Diameters check box in the dialog box.

Transparent
Disables any color defined in the BackColor property and makes the object transparent, showing other objects behind it.

TrihedronShow
Shows or hides the trihedron symbol. Alternately, you can select Ruler to show a ruler along each axis.

Visible *
Common Properties