Create and modify charts

This example demonstrates how to create and work with charts in Result Explorer:

• Chart creation using the ChartDefinition and ChartResult objects to define result series with filters and field selections.

• Multi-result charts combining equivalent stress, temperature, and contact pressure results in a single chart.

• Chart display options to control legend visibility, table display, and active series selection.

• Chart updates to add or modify result series in an existing chart.

• Snapshot capture to save chart visualizations as images.

Import the Result Explorer dependencies.

from ansys.result_explorer.core import (
    ChartDefinition,
    ChartResult,
    Field,
    Filter,
    ResultFieldName,
    ResultType,
    ShellPosition,
    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 a transient analysis result file with multiple time steps. Print the solution to inspect available results and configurable chart types.

rst_path = get_example_file(ExampleKeys.RST_CP_TRANSIENT)

sol = rx.create_solution(
    name="Chart Example Solution",
    file_path=rst_path,
)
print(f"Created solution: {sol.name}")
print(f"  Time steps: {sol.n_sets}")
print(sol)

Created solution: Chart Example Solution
  Time steps: 15


======================================================================
Solution: Chart Example Solution
======================================================================
ID:                      c41ea68b-2590-4038-af2f-25389206ec48
Description:             N/A

Status:
  Ready:                   Yes
  Live:                    No

Result Files:
  - /home/runner/work/pyresultexplorer/pyresultexplorer/tests/data/cp_trans/file.rst (key: rst)

Analysis Information:
  Physics Type:            mechanical
  Analysis Type:           transient
  Solver Version:          24.2
  Unit System:             MKS: m, kg, N, s, V, A, degC

Mesh Information:
  Num Elements:            122
  Num Nodes:               406
  Num Named Selections:    13
  Num Bodies:              10
  Distance Unit:           m

Results Information:
  Num Sets:                15
  Available Results:       24
  Time/Freq Unit:          s

Available Plot Results:
  Displacement
    - total_displacement
    - displacement [X, Y, Z]
  Stress
    - stress_tensor [XX, YY, ZZ, XY, YZ, XZ]
    - equivalent_von_mises_stress
    - principal_stress_1 [1]
    - principal_stress_2 [2]
    - principal_stress_3 [3]
  Velocity
    - total_velocity
    - velocity [X, Y, Z]
  Acceleration
    - total_acceleration
    - acceleration [X, Y, Z]
  Temperature
    - temperature
  Heat Flux
    - total_heat_flux
    - heat_flux [X, Y, Z]
  Structural Temperature
    - structural_temperature
  Contact
    - contact_status
    - contact_pressure
    - contact_penetration
    - contact_sliding_distance
    - contact_gap_distance
    - contact_friction_stress
    - contact_total_stress
    - contact_fluid_penetration_pressure
    - contact_surface_heat_flux
  Newton Raphson Residual
    - total_force
    - total_moment
  User Defined

Solver Text Outputs (Logs):
  - solve.out
  - file.err
  - file.gst
  - file.cnd
======================================================================

Create a workspace

workspace = rx.create_workspace(name="Chart Example Workspace")

Create a chart

Build a chart that plots equivalent von Mises stress, temperature, and contact pressure over all time steps. Filter.max keeps only the maximum value per step so the chart shows peak results.

chart = sol.create_chart(
    ChartDefinition(
        name="Stress, Temperature & Contact Pressure Over Time",
        all_sets=True,
        results=[
            ChartResult(
                result_type=ResultType.stress,
                name="Stress",
                location="Nodal",
                fields=[Field(ResultFieldName.equivalent_von_mises_stress)],
                filters=[Filter.max],
                shell_position=ShellPosition.all,
            ),
            ChartResult(
                result_type=ResultType.temperature,
                name="Temperature",
                location="Nodal",
                fields=[Field(ResultFieldName.temperature)],
                filters=[Filter.max],
            ),
            ChartResult(
                result_type=ResultType.contact,
                name="Contact",
                location="Nodal",
                fields=[Field(ResultFieldName.contact_pressure)],
                filters=[Filter.max],
            ),
        ],
    )
)

print(f"\nCreated chart view: '{chart.name}'")
print(f"Chart definition id: {chart.definition.id}")

Created chart view: 'Stress, Temperature & Contact Pressure Over Time'
Chart definition id: 1e1fecc7-783a-422e-89d6-9aebdddd76a0

Assign the chart to a viewport

Assign the chart view to a viewport and wait for it to finish rendering.

viewport = workspace.assign_view(view=chart, wait=True)
print(f"\nViewport assigned: {viewport.id}")

Viewport assigned: 7db10ccf-f959-4f18-9be3-e650cb684d28

Inspect chart display options

Read the available series and chart names provided by the server after rendering, then print them so you can reference them by name.

opts = viewport.display_options

print(f"\nAvailable series: {opts.series_names}")
print(f"Available charts: {opts.chart_names}")
print(f"Active series:    {opts.active_series}")

Available series: ['Time/Frequency', 'Stress: Max Equivalent Von Mises Stress', 'Temperature: Max Temperature', 'Contact: Max Contact Pressure']
Available charts: ['Stress, Temperature & Contact Pressure Over Time']
Active series:    ['Stress: Max Equivalent Von Mises Stress', 'Temperature: Max Temperature', 'Contact: Max Contact Pressure']

Configure display options

Enable the legend and show the data table beneath the chart.

opts.show_legend = True
opts.show_table = True

Select active series

Restrict the viewport to display only the stress series so temperature and contact pressure are hidden.

if opts.series_names:
    opts.active_series = opts.series_names[1:2]
    print(f"\nActive series (stress only): {opts.active_series}")

viewport.save_snapshot(
    file_path="030-chart-stress-only.png",
    settings=get_example_snapshot_settings(),
)

Active series (stress only): ['Stress: Max Equivalent Von Mises Stress']

Restore all series

Re-activate all available series.

opts.active_series = opts.series_names[1:]

viewport.save_snapshot(
    file_path="030-chart-with-all-quantities.png",
    settings=get_example_snapshot_settings(),
)

List charts in the solution

sol.charts now returns a list of native ChartDefinition objects.

print("\nCharts in solution:")
for c in sol.charts:
    print(f"  {c.name!r} — {len(c.results)} result series")

rx.stop()

Charts in solution:
  'Min/Max Displacement Over Time' — 1 result series
  'Min/Max Equivalent Stress Over Time' — 1 result series
  'Temperature Over Time' — 1 result series
  'Stress, Temperature & Contact Pressure Over Time' — 3 result series