Neutral Format

  

The neutral plotfile generated by FEMGV is described below.

Each instruction (except End plot) will consist of two or more records; a header record containing the instruction code number, followed by the data record(s) containing the data for the instruction.

The instruction code numbers and the contents of the data records are as follows:

Code Function

1 New plot

2 Draw line (pen up)

3 Draw line (pen down)

4 Select line style

5 Select colour

6 Draw characters

7 Colour fill a polygon

8 End plot

9 Draw a poly-line

10 Context

11 Draw a symbol

12 Define a colour

13 Define the plotting range

14 Define a character size

15 Select a character size

All header records can be read as follows:

READ( ) ICODE, NRECS
FORMAT(2I2)

Where:

ICODE = instruction code number

NRECS = number of data records to be read

The data records associated with each instruction code are as follows:

Code Contents of Data Record Format

1 - Prog, Vers, Level, Ncols 4I4 - see note 5

- Title of Plot 80A1

2 - X co-ordinate 2I4 - Y co-ordinate

3 - X co-ordinate 2I4 - Y co-ordinate

4 - Line style I2 = 1 for full line = 2 for short dashed line

5 - Colour No. 2I2 - Palette No.

6 - Number of characters I2

- Character string 80A1 -two records

7 - Number of vertices I4

- X co-ords of vertices 20I4

- Y co-ords of vertices -continued as required

8 -- --

9 - Number of vertices I4

- X co-ords of vertices 20I4

- Y co-ords of vertices -continued as required

10 - Context code I2 = 1 for Error messages (not plotted) = 2 for the Model = 3 for the Frame = 4 for the Command Echo (not plotted) = 5 for the Command Menu (not plotted) = 6 for Table headers = 7 for Table contents = 8 for Input buffer comment (not plotted) = 9 for Results presentation (except Tables) = 10 for the Contour legend = 11 for the Results Monitor including Text = 12 for Mesh labels = 13 for the Axes = 14 for the Cursor echo (not plotted) = 15 for Program Status Monitor and Help info. = 16 for added Pointers and Text Annotation

Code Contents of Data Record Format

11 - Symbol number I2 = 1 for plus sign = 2 for asterisk = 3 for cross = 4 for square = 5 for diamond = 6 for crossed square = 7 for circle

12 - Colour No. 3I2 - Palette No. - Definition Type No. = 1 for RGB definition :

- Setting of Red Gun 0-9999 3I4 - Setting of Green Gun 0-9999 - Setting of Blue Gun 0-9999

13 - Min X 0-9999 4I4 - Max X 0-9999 - Min Y 0-9999 - Max Y 0-9999

14 - character size code I2,2I4,I2 - X width character Cell 0-9999 - Y height character Cell 0-9999 - character style

15 - character size code I2

Notes:

1.

Picture Dimensions
Each picture sent to the plotfile is drawn within a border whose height and width will be somewhere in the region 0 - 9999 units. These dimensions of the border will be calculated according to the aspect ratio of the graphics display being used to generate the plots. When processing the plotfile the user may scale the plot information to his own requirements. Also, it is at this stage that further annotation may be added; for example, a company name or other reference information. If it is not required, the frame need not be drawn, and this can be implemented using the context identification of information in the plotfile.

2.

Colour Selection
The `Select Colour' command may be sent to the plotfile regardless of whether a plotter has a colour facility or not. The information can still be used to select, for example, different pen thicknesses to provide contrasting lines on the plot. In general, 9 standard colour palettes are defined, and each of these has 8 master colours, and a number of redefinable colours, depending upon the colours available with the current graphics display. If the user wishes to select 14 colours for the contouring and shading palettes as was provided at FEMVIEW version 4.0, this may be done by selecting 'UTILITY SETUP PLOTTER COLOURS 14'. Palette numbers are negative for FEMGV .

3.

Colour Definitions
For typical 16 colour devices, the colours and standard palette definitions are as shown in the following tables :

All Palettes : Master colours

1 White

2 Red

3 Orange

4 Yellow

5 Green

6 Blue

7 Violet

8 Black

Palette -1 : Contouring colours :

9 Very Dark Blue

10 Dark Blue

11 Blue

12 Light Blue

13 Very Light Blue

14 Blue - Green

15 Green

16 Yellow - Green

17 Yellow

18 Yellow - Orange

19 Orange

20 Red - Orange

21 Red

22 Bright Red

Palette -2 : Default (reduced) shading colours (Blue light) :

9 Very Dark Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 9

10 Very Dark Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 9

11 Very Dark Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 9

12 Dark Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 10

13 Dark Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 10

14 Dark Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 10

15 Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 11

16 Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 11

17 Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 11

18 Light Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 12

19 Light Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 12

20 Light Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 12

21 Very Light Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 13

22 Very Light Blue - e.g. palette 1 colour 13

Palette -3 : Shading colours (White light) :

9 Very Dark Grey - through to -

22 Very Light Grey

Palette -4 : Shading colours (Red light) :

9 Very Dark Red - through to -

22 Very Light Red

Palette -5 : Shading colours (Orange light) :

9 Very Dark Orange - through to -

22 Very Light Orange

Palette -6 : Shading colours (Yellow light) :

9 Very Dark Yellow - through to -

22 Very Light Yellow

Palette -7 : Shading colours (Green light) :

9 Very Dark Green - through to -

22 Very Light Green

Palette -8 : Shading colours (Blue light) :

9 Very Dark Blue - through to -

22 Very Light Blue

Palette -9 : Shading colours (Violet light) :

9 Very Dark Violet - through to -

22 Very Light Violet

4.

Context Information
The `Context' information is added to the plotfile to help the user determine which parts of the plotfile correspond to the various parts of the displayed picture. This information makes it possible for the writer of the plotter program to modify the appearance of the plot to his own particular requirements. For example, if the current context is 3 (i.e. the Frame) the program may be written to ignore all information until the next context setting. The user may then output his own frame with perhaps additional information, such as Company name and job number, outside the drawing area.

5.

Upward Compatibility
The first record at the start of each plotfile has the program identifier, the version code, the level code, and an integer giving the number of colours available on the device for which the plotfile was made. In addition, the `NRECS' parameter in the header record has been included for future generality. The user can make the plot program upward compatible by trapping out unrecognised instruction codes and skipping the appropriate number of data records.