Choosing a highlight method

The highlight method controls how Abaqus/CAE displays highlighting in the viewport while you interact with the model. The effect of changing the highlight method is most apparent when you use the view manipulation tools to rotate the model or while sketching a profile in the Sketch module. Hardware Overlay provides the best graphics performance; however, this option is not supported by all graphics adapters.

Related Topics
Using display lists
Choosing a translucency mode
Controlling drag mode
Choosing background colors

Context:

In most circumstances you should not have to change the default highlight method setting. When you start a session, Abaqus/CAE detects the graphics hardware installed on your system and selects the appropriate highlight method. However, if you are using a graphics adapter that is not supported, the default setting selected by Abaqus/CAE may not be optimal.

  1. Locate the highlight method options.

    From the main menu bar, select ViewGraphics Options.

    Abaqus/CAE displays the Graphics Options dialog box.

  2. From the Highlight method menu, select one of the following:

    • Hardware Overlay. This option appears only if it is supported by the graphics adapter on your system. It uses graphics hardware to display the highlighting layer. If your workstation supports this option, choosing Hardware Overlay provides the optimum quality and performance.

    • XOR. This option uses software to emulate the highlighting layer. Choosing the XOR option uses a Boolean pixel operation to simulate the drawing operations but can produce different colors depending on the color of the underlying pixels.

    • Software Overlay. This option also uses software to emulate the highlighting layer and provides good quality at reasonable performance. However, on some systems selecting this option results in poor performance.

    • Blend. The Blend method combines the color of the underlying pixel with the desired color producing an approximation of the transient graphics. You should choose this option only if none of the other options are satisfactory. Performance and quality may be affected if you choose the Blend option.

  3. Click OK to implement your changes and to close the dialog box.

    Your changes are saved for the duration of the session.