The DISPLAY OPTIONS window located in the bottom right corner of the screen, displays the current part and contains the following commonly used functions.
RESET
Restores all options to the default.
LINE (toggle)
Toggles the lines ON and OFF.
SURFACE (toggle)
Toggles the surfaces ON and OFF.
ELEMENT (toggle)
Toggles the elements ON and OFF.
SHRINK (toggle)
Creates a plot with elements reduced in size by 20%. SHRINK ELEMENTS is also useful for locating any missing elements in a shell or solid structure.
NORMAL (toggle)
This function enables the user to display the normal direction of an element with an arrow that is at the center of the element and perpendicular to the surface of the element. For a solid element, the arrow points toward the bottom surface of the element.
NODE (toggle)
Toggles the nodes ON and OFF.
HIDDEN (toggle)
This function improves the integrity of the 3D simulation of a model. The user may toggle the hidden lines ON/OFF while using the SHADING and HIDDEN SURFACE commands. This effect creates opaque elements that prevent objects in the background from showing through objects in the foreground.
FILL COLOR (toggle)
The FILL COLOR function fills the displayed elements with a designated color. This function, when used alone, is unable to accurately represent the depth perspective of a model. The parts may appear to warp or penetrate each other. However, the FILL COLOR command displays an accurate 3D perspective of the parts when used in conjunction with the HIDE PLOT option that is described in the following section.
SHADE (toggle)
Displays the elements as if they were illuminated by a light source. Elements that are not directly exposed to the light source are appropriately shaded to imitate actual shading.