Work with contact and convergence trackers

This example demonstrates how to work with tracker viewports in Result Explorer:

• Convergence trackers to monitor solver convergence across iterations.

• Contact trackers to visualize and analyze contact behavior in transient simulations.

• Tracker viewport metadata to read and display properties of tracker visualizations.

• Active series configuration for contact trackers to select specific analysis types.

• Display options to customize tracker visualization (legend, table, split direction).

This example uses a transient contact analysis result with convergence and contact tracking data.

Import the Result Explorer dependencies.

from ansys.result_explorer.core import (
    ContactTrackersViewportMetadata,
    launch_result_explorer,
)
from ansys.result_explorer.core.examples import (
    ExampleKeys,
    get_example_file,
    get_example_snapshot_settings,
)

Launch Result Explorer

Start a Result Explorer instance for this example.

rx = launch_result_explorer()

Load example data

Create a solution from the transient contact analysis.

rst_path = get_example_file(ExampleKeys.RST_CP_TRANSIENT)

sol = rx.create_solution(
    name="Contact Transient Analysis",
    file_path=rst_path,
)
print(f"Created solution: {sol.name}")
print(f"  Elements: {sol.n_elements}, Nodes: {sol.n_nodes}")

Created solution: Contact Transient Analysis
  Elements: 122, Nodes: 406

Find tracker views

Locate convergence and contact trackers views in the solution.

convergence_view = sol.convergence_trackers_view
contact_view = sol.contact_trackers_view

assert convergence_view is not None, "Convergence trackers view not found in solution"
assert contact_view is not None, "Contact trackers view not found in solution"

print(f"Found convergence trackers view: {convergence_view.name}")
print(f"Found contact trackers view: {contact_view.name}")

Found convergence trackers view: Convergence Trackers
Found contact trackers view: Contact Trackers

Create workspace with grid layout

Create a workspace with a 2x1 grid for tracker viewports.

workspace = rx.create_workspace(name="Tracker Viewports", rows=2, cols=1)
print(f"Created workspace with {len(workspace.viewport_ids)} viewports (2x1 grid)")

Created workspace with 2 viewports (2x1 grid)

Configure convergence trackers viewport

Assign and configure the convergence trackers view.

conv_viewport = workspace.viewports[0]
conv_viewport.set_view(convergence_view, wait=True)

conv_opts = conv_viewport.display_options
print("\nConfiguring convergence trackers viewport:")
print(f"  Selected tracker: {conv_opts.selected_tracker_name}")

conv_viewport.save_snapshot(
    file_path="020-convergence-trackers.png", settings=get_example_snapshot_settings()
)

Configuring convergence trackers viewport:
  Selected tracker: Force Convergence

Configure contact trackers viewport

Assign and configure the contact trackers view with available options.

contact_viewport = workspace.viewports[1]
contact_viewport.set_view(contact_view, wait=True)

contact_meta: ContactTrackersViewportMetadata = contact_viewport.metadata
print("\nConfiguring contact trackers viewport:")

# Show available trackers
trackers = contact_meta.contact_tracker_names
print(f"  Available contact trackers: {len(trackers)}")
for tracker in trackers:
    print(f"    - {tracker}")

# Configure active trackers
contact_opts = contact_viewport.display_options
contact_opts.active_contact_trackers = trackers

# Show available series
series = contact_meta.series_names
print(f"  Available data series: {len(series)}")
for s in series:
    print(f"    - {s}")

contact_viewport.save_snapshot(
    file_path="020-contact-trackers.png", settings=get_example_snapshot_settings()
)

Configuring contact trackers viewport:
  Available contact trackers: 2
    - (ID: 3) Frictional - Solid1 To Solid2
    - (ID: 4) Frictional - Solid1 To Solid2
  Available data series: 46
    - Number of Contact Elements in Contact
    - Number of Contact Elements in Contact (Sticking)
    - Max. Chattering Level
    - Max. Penetration/Min. Gap
    - Max. Geometric Gap
    - Max. Normal Stiffness
    - Min. Normal Stiffness
    - Max. Resulting Pinball
    - Max. Elastic Slip Distance
    - Max. Tangential Stiffness
    - Min. Tangential Stiffness
    - Max. Sliding Distance of Entire Solution
    - Max. Contact Pressure
    - Max. Friction Stress
    - Average Contact Depth
    - Max. Geometric Penetration
    - Number of Contact Points Have Too Much Penetration
    - Contacting Area
    - Max. Contact Damping Pressure
    - Max. Contact Damping Tangential stress
    - Max. Sliding Distance including near field
    - Min. Sliding Distance including near field
    - Max. normal fluid penetration pressure on contact surface
    - Max. normal fluid penetration pressure on target surface
    - Total volume loss due to wear on contact surface
    - Total strain energy due to contact
    - Frictional dissipation energy
    - Contact damping dissipation energy
    - WB contact pair ID
    - Total contact force due to pressure -x component
    - Total contact force due to pressure -y component
    - Total contact force due to pressure -z component
    - Total contact force due to tangential stress -x component
    - Total contact force due to tangential stress -y component
    - Total contact force due to tangential stress -z component
    - Number of Contact Points Have Too Much sliding
    - Contact pair force convergence norm
    - Contact pair force criterion
    - Max. tangential fluid penetration pressure on contact surface
    - Max. tangential fluid penetration pressure on target surface
    - Max. sliding distance of current substep for closed contact
    - load_step
    - substep
    - iteration
    - Time
    - Cumulative Iteration

Set display options

Configure active series and display options for the contact viewport.

contact_opts.active_series = ["Max. Normal Stiffness"]
print(f"\n  Active series set to: {contact_opts.active_series}")

with contact_viewport.update_display_options() as contact_opts:
    contact_opts.show_legend = True
    contact_opts.show_table = True
    contact_opts.split_direction = "horizontal"
    print("  Legend enabled, table enabled, split direction: horizontal")

print("\nViewport configuration complete!")
print(f"Workspace '{workspace.name}' is ready with tracker views configured.")

rx.stop()

  Active series set to: ['Max. Normal Stiffness']
  Legend enabled, table enabled, split direction: horizontal

Viewport configuration complete!
Workspace 'Tracker Viewports' is ready with tracker views configured.