Vic-2d

Software Manual

Version 7.0
Contents

1 Vic-2D Manual 5
1.1 Navigating the Online Help System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2 Getting More Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.3 Bug Reports and Feature Requests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2 Overview 7
2.1 File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2 Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.3 Project Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.4 Calibration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.5 Data Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.6 Plot Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.7 Window Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.8 Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.9 Main Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.10 Animation Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.11 Other Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3 The Start Page 13

3.1 Common Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.2 Recent Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

4 Projects in Vic-2D 15
4.1 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

5 The Project Toolbar 17

5.1 The Images Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.2 The Data Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.3 The Extractions tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.4 The Calibration Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

6 Speckle Images 23
6.1 Viewing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.2 Animating Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

7 The Reference Image 27

1
2 CONTENTS

7.1 Selecting an Area-of-Interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

7.2 Cutouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
7.3 Choosing the Subset and Step Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
7.4 Placing start points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

8 Calibration Images 33
8.1 Viewing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
8.2 Removing Calibration Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

9 Calibration 35

10 Initial Guess Selection 37

10.1 Placing Start Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
10.2 Editing Initial Guesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
10.3 Initial Guesses from Corresponding Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

11 Running the Correlation 45

11.1 The File Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
11.2 Selecting Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
11.3 Backup copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
11.4 Output directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
11.5 The Options Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
11.6 Subset weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
11.7 Interpolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
11.8 Criterion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
11.9 Low-pass filter images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
11.10Incremental correlation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
11.11Fill boundary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
11.12Processor Optimizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
11.13The Thresholding Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
11.14Consistency threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
11.15Confidence margin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
11.16Matchability threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
11.17The Post-Processing Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
11.18Strain Computation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
11.19Correlation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

12 Postprocessing tools 53
12.1 Strain Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
12.2 Removing Rigid Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
12.3 Applying Functions to Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
12.4 Calculating Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
12.5 Rotation Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
12.6 Smoothing Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
12.7 Deleting Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
CONTENTS 3

12.8 Time Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

12.9 Time Averaging Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
12.10Math Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

13 Exporting Data 79
13.1 Exporting All Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
13.2 Exporting Grid-Based Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
13.3 Calculating Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

14 Plots 85
14.1 Plot Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
14.2 Editing Plot Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
14.3 Inspector Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
14.4 Animating Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
14.5 Saving the Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
14.6 The Plot Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
14.7 Exporting Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
14.8 Extraction Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
14.9 Complex plot extractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

15 Data Visualization in iris 109

15.1 Overview of the iris Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
15.2 Pages, Templates and Backgrounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
15.3 Graphic Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
15.4 Working with Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
15.5 Working with Keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
15.6 Document Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
15.7 Exporting iris Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

16 Quick Start 165

16.1 What’s New in Vic-2D 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

17 Technical Support 167

17.1 Bug Reports and Feature Requests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Chapter 1

Vic-2D Manual

1.1 Navigating the Online Help System

This document is also available in the Vic-2D software and can be accessed by selecting the
Help menu entry. This will open up a help window to view the documentation. The help viewer
provides a contents tree view that can be expanded and collapsed to navigate the sections of
this manual. Double-clicking on items in the content tree will display the corresponding page.
Furthermore, a keyword search is provided in the Index panel and a full-text search can be
accessed by clicking on the Search tab.
Context-sensitive help is available for many dialogs by pressing the F1 key while the dialog is
active. This will automatically display the corresponding section in the manual.

Vic-2D uses context menus that can be activated by right-clicking on many user
interface elements (lists, image views, plots etc.) to provide quick access to common
functions. Before searching the help, a right-click may reveal how to access the sought
for functionality.

1.2 Getting More Help

If you cannot find an answer to your question in this manual, please do not hesitate to contact
our technical support at support@correlatedsolutions.com. You can also find contact information
at our web site at www.correlatedsolutions.com.
We will be happy to assist with topics such as:

• Designing digital image correlation experiments

• Calibration
• Troubleshooting errors
• Interpreting test data
• Achieving optimal results

5
6 CHAPTER 1. VIC-2D MANUAL

1.3 Bug Reports and Feature Requests

If you encounter a bug in Vic-2D, please let us know about it. Send a short description of the
problem to support@correlatedsolutions.com along with any project or image files you think may
help us reproduce the bug.
Also, if you think Vic-2D can be improved by adding a particular feature you would find
helpful, let us know about it. We will try to incorporate your requests in our future updates of
the software.
Chapter 2

Overview

The user interface of Vic-2D has many of the familiar control elements found in other applications.
The image below illustrates the user interface. The most commonly used functions can be accessed
by clicking on tool buttons on the Tool Bar. The windows, such as the AOI Editor and Plot
windows are grouped inside a Workspace. The List View on the left of the main window
provides a quick overview of image and data files.

Figure 2.1: Vic-2D Application Window

7
8 CHAPTER 2. OVERVIEW

2.1 File Menu

The File Menu provides the following functions:

• New - creates a new project

• Open - open an existing project
• Open recent - select from recently accessed projects
• Save - save the current project
• Save As... - save the current project under a new file name
• Mode - select a Vic-2D project type
• Install module licenses - use this menu entry to activate software modules you have
purchased
• Quit - quit Vic-2D

2.2 Edit Menu

The Edit Menu provides the following functions:

• Undo - undo the last editing operation in the reference image

• Redo - redo the last editing operation in the reference image
• AOI tools - each AOI tool is selectable from this menu.

2.3 Project Menu

The Project Menu provides the following functions:

• Speckle images- adds speckle images to the project for analysis

• Calibration images - adds calibration images to the project.
• Speckle image groups - add a group of speckle images with the same prefix
• Calibration image groups -add a group of calibration images with the same prefix
• Data files - adds pre-existing output data files to the project
• Analog data - adds analog data files from Vic-Snap
• Video clip - adds generated AVI files

2.4 Calibration Menu

The Calibration Menu provides the following functions:

• Calibrate scale - use a calibration image to create a pixel:mm scale calibration

• Distortion correction - use an analyzed distortion sequence to create a parametric
distortion correction
• Clear distortion - removes the current set distortion map
• More - set advanced parameters [i.e., aspect ratio]
2.5. DATA MENU 9

2.5 Data Menu

The Data Menu provides the following functions:

• Start analysis - shows the Run dialog to begin analysis

• Postprocessing tools - shows a submenu to choose from various postprocessing calcula-
tions
• Export - various options for exporting full data set or reductions

2.6 Plot Menu

The Plot Menu provides the following functions:

• New plot- adds a new plot window to the work space

• Inspector- allows choice of various data inspection tools

2.7 Window Menu

The Window Menu provides the following functions:

• Cascade - organizes all MDI windows in a cascade

• Tile - tiles all MDI windows

2.8 Help Menu

The Help Menu provides the following functions:

• User manual - show this manual.

• About - show version information.

2.9 Main Toolbar

Figure 2.2: The main toolbar.

The buttons on the main toolbar control commonly used Vic-2D functions. From left to
right:
File tools:

• New project
10 CHAPTER 2. OVERVIEW

• Open project
• Save project
• Add speckle images
• Add calibration images
• Calibrate stereo system
• Start analysis

Histogram control
Plotting tools:

• Zoom in/out
• Undo/redo

Postprocessing tools:

• Calculate strain
• Calculate velocity
• Time filter data
• Calculate in-plane rotation
• Apply a custom function
• Remove variables
• Remove rigid motion

The histogram control displays the gray level distribution for the currently displayed image.
The red bars on the histogram may be used to adjust the image display. Double-click on the
histogram to automatically adjust the balance, or drag the red bars to set the black and white
levels manually. Double click again to remove the balance adjustment.
The balance control is for display only and does not affect image analysis or stored images.

2.10 Animation Toolbar

Figure 2.3: Animation toolbar.

The buttons on the animation toolbar allow stepping through and animating image files or
plots. The controls, from left to right:

• Play - begins automatically stepping through images/plots.

• Stop - stops the animation.
2.11. OTHER FUNCTIONALITY 11

• Step Back / Step Forward - goes to previous or next image/plot.

• Loop - toggles between looping from last image to first, and bouncing from forward to
backward animation.
• Frame rate - selects the speed of the animation.

2.11 Other Functionality

In the right corner of the status bar at the bottom of the main window, the cursor position and
image grey value is displayed when the mouse is moved inside the reference image or a deformed
image. On the left side of the status bar, a short description of tool buttons and menu items is
displayed when the mouse moves over them.
In the list view on the left side of the main window, some functions can be activated by
right-clicking. Details can be found in the appropriate sections of this menu.
Chapter 3

The Start Page

The start page in Vic-2D gives convenient access to frequently-used tasks, recent projects, and
project type selection.

Figure 3.1: Vic-2D start page.

13
14 CHAPTER 3. THE START PAGE

3.1 Common Tasks

This section duplicates common tasks from the menu bar. Click to open a project, add speckle
or calibration images, or view this user manual.

3.2 Recent Files

This section contains a list of the most recently accessed projects. Click on an icon open the
project; mouse over an icon to see recent plots and images.
Chapter 4

Projects in Vic-2D

In Vic-2D, all the files and information associated with a test are stored in a project.
Initially, projects are blank. Before completing a Vic-2D analysis, the project must contain:

• One or more speckle images , including a reference image

• One or more areas of interest

Note: Adding speckle images to the project adds them by filename reference only; they are
not copied or moved on the disk.
When you run a Vic-2D analysis, the output files are stored on a disk and added (by reference)
to the project file. If the project file is not saved or if the data files are manually removed, they
will remain on the disk.
In addition to the items above, you can also choose to add auxiliary data references to the
project file:

• Generated video clips

• Analog data files from Vic-Snap

4.1 Notes
• In general, it is good practice to save project files often to avoid losing changes.

15
Chapter 5

The Project Toolbar

The project toolbar is displayed at the left side of the work area by default. It contains information
about image files, data, and calibration for the current project.

5.1 The Images Tab

This tab shows all speckle and calibration images associated with the project.
To add speckle images, select Images... Speckle images from the menu bar, or click the
speckle images icon on the main toolbar. The small red arrow indicates the reference image; to
set an image as the reference, right click and click Set as reference.
To add calibration images, select Images... Calibration images from the menu bar, or click
the calibration images icon on the main toolbar.
To remove an image or series of images, select them, right click, and click Remove or Remove
selected.

5.2 The Data Tab

The Data tab lists all output data, analog data, and video files associated with the project.
All generated output files are added to the Current data list. Output files not associated
with current speckle images are added to Other data. Double-click on a data file to view a plot.
Analog data from Vic-Snap is listed under Analog data. To add an analog data file, select
File... Add Files... Add Data Files from the main menu. To view a spreadsheet of the data,
double-click the filename.
Generated video files from 2D animations are added to the Video files list. Double-click on a
video to display it in an external viewer.

5.3 The Extractions tab

Any inspector extractions that are created will be listed here. These extractions are saved in the
project file and will be available in the iris workspace.

17
18 CHAPTER 5. THE PROJECT TOOLBAR

Figure 5.1: Project toolbar files tab.

5.3. THE EXTRACTIONS TAB 19

Figure 5.2: Project toolbar data tab.

20 CHAPTER 5. THE PROJECT TOOLBAR

Figure 5.3: Project toolbar data tab.

5.4. THE CALIBRATION TAB 21

5.4 The Calibration Tab

Figure 5.4: Project toolbar calibration tab.

This tab is a static display of the current calibration information for the project. This will
consist of a calibration scale; a unit; and the camera’s aspect ratio.
Chapter 6

Speckle Images

In Vic-2D, speckle images are image or set of images taken of a specimen as it undergoes load or
motion. You may add one or multiple speckle images by selecting the Speckle images entry from
the Project menu, or by clicking the icon on the main tool bar.
If more than 300-400 images are to be added, select Project... Speckle image groups to add
sets of images from a specified folder. Select a folder to see a checklist of image prefix groups;
select one or more to add as speckle images. (Trying to add too many images directly through
the normal Speckle images dialog may result in an error due to operating system limitations.)
After adding speckle images to the project, they will be displayed in the workspace and listed
in the Images tab of the project bar as shown in the figure below.

6.1 Viewing Images

Deformed images can be displayed in the workspace by double-clicking on an entry in the image
list view. Alternatively, clicking the right mouse button on an entry of the list view will show a
popup menu providing different options, one of which is View.
When viewing deformed images, you can use the zoom in/zoom out entries in the Edit menu
or the corresponding tool buttons to change the scale of the displayed image.

6.2 Animating Images

To animate speckle images, display an image and then use the controls on the Animation Toolbar
to animate the sequence.
Removing Images
Speckle images can be removed by selecting one or multiple images in the list view, and
right-clicking on your selection. Select Remove or Remove selected to remove images from the
list.

23
24 CHAPTER 6. SPECKLE IMAGES

Figure 6.1: Project image panel showing speckle images.

6.2. ANIMATING IMAGES 25

Figure 6.2: Calibration image list in project panel.

Chapter 7

The Reference Image

The term Reference Image is used in this manual to describe the image of the specimen taken
while no load was applied. All displacement analyses in Vic-2D are with respect to this reference
image, i.e., the displacements are obtained in a Lagrangian coordinate system.
To select a reference image, right-click on it in the Speckle images list, and select Set as
reference.

Figure 7.1: Speckle image list right-click menu.

After the reference image has been selected, it will be indicated with a red arrow in the
images list.
When the reference image is displayed, the Aoi tool buttons become active.

27
28 CHAPTER 7. THE REFERENCE IMAGE

Figure 7.2: Reference image indicator

Figure 7.3: Aoi tool box.

7.1 Selecting an Area-of-Interest

Vic-2D supports the following types of AOIs:

• Rectangle: Points are contained in a rectangular area.

• Polygon: Points are contained in an arbitrary polygon.
• Circle: Automatically creates a roughly circular polygon.

To specify a particular type of AOI, select the corresponding entry in the Edit menu or the
appropriate button on the tool bar. The selected AOI type will be indicated by the mouse cursor.
After selecting the AOI type, move the cursor to the desired position in the reference window
and click the left mouse button. You can now move the mouse to the next position, e.g. the
end of the line or the second corner of the rectangle. Clicking the left mouse button again
7.1. SELECTING AN AREA-OF-INTEREST 29

will complete the AOI selection for all AOI types except polygons. For polygon selection, a
double-click is used to specify the last point of the polygon.

Figure 7.4: Selecting an area-of-interest.

Editing AOIs
To edit an existing AOI, select the Pan/Select tool. Mouse over any of the white nodes in
your AOI; the mouse cursor changes to indicate node movement. Click and drag to move. You
can delete a node by clicking the icon, then clicking the desired node.
If the merge polygons icon ( ) is selected, any overlapping polygons will be merged with
each other. If the icon is not selected, overlapping AOIs will remain separate.
30 CHAPTER 7. THE REFERENCE IMAGE

7.2 Cutouts
For rectangular and polygon AOIs, the scissors tool can be used to cut areas from the AOI. This
feature is most commonly used if the specimen has cracks, holes, or other areas where correlation
is impossible.
To cut an area from an AOI, click the scissors button on the tool bar or select Edit... Cut
region. The selection of the area to be cut works like selecting a polygon AOI, i.e., corner points
of a polygon can be added by single-clicking the left mouse button, and the last point is specified
by a double-click. Once the cut is complete, new nodes are added to your AOI; these may be
moved like other nodes.

7.3 Choosing the Subset and Step Size

The subset and step size can be selected after an area of interest is created. Both are adjusted
using the spin boxes in the AOI Toolbar.

Figure 7.5: Subset and step size control.

The subset size controls the area of the image that is used to track the displacement between
images. The subset size has to be large enough to ensure that there is a sufficiently distinctive
pattern contained in the area used for correlation. If you change the subset size, you will see the
current size illustrated by a grid briefly displayed on the AOI. To have Vic-2D suggest a subset
size, click the icon:
Vic-2D will choose a subset size which is calculated to give an optimal match confidence of
0.01 pixel for a given assumed noise level. The default of 8 works well for most cameras. To
accept the suggested size, click Ok; to return without making a change, click Cancel. The step
size controls the spacing of the points that are analyzed during correlation. If a step size of 1 is
chosen, a correlation analysis is performed at every pixel inside the area-of-interest. A step size
of 2 means that a correlation will be carried out at every other pixel in both the horizontal and
vertical direction, etc. Note that analysis time varies inversely with the square of the step size;
i.e., a step size of 1 takes 25 times longer to analyze than a step size of 5.
To cause subset and step size changes to apply to every AOI, check the Apply to all box. If
this box is cleared, subsets and steps can vary between AOIs.

7.4 Placing start points

In some situations, start points may be need for the correlation. To place a start point, click the
icon. The Initial Guess Selection page has more information about selecting end editing start
points.
To remove a start point, click the icon, then click the start point.
7.4. PLACING START POINTS 31

Figure 7.6: Subset size suggestion dialog.

32 CHAPTER 7. THE REFERENCE IMAGE

• Use the scroll wheel to adjust the size of the image.

• When using multiple AOIs for one image, click on an AOI with the pan/select
tool to activate it.
• During AOI selection, the image can be scrolled by moving the mouse outside
the reference image window. This will cause the image to auto scroll if the
image does not fit on the display.
• You can use the Undo/Redo buttons to undo AOI selection and other operations.
The Undo/Redo buttons in the Edit menu will indicate what changes can be
undone/redone.
Chapter 8

Calibration Images

Calibration images can be added by selecting the Calibration images entry from the Images
menu, or by clicking the icon on the main tool bar.
After adding calibration images to the project, they will be listed in the Images tab of the
project bar, as illustrated below.

Figure 8.1: Project image panel showing calibration images.

33
34 CHAPTER 8. CALIBRATION IMAGES

8.1 Viewing Images

Calibration images can be displayed in the workspace by double-clicking on an entry in the list
view on the left. Alternatively, clicking the right mouse button on an entry of the list view will
show a popup menu providing different options, one of which is View.

Figure 8.2: Calibration image list right-click menu.

When viewing calibration images, you can use the zoom in/zoom out entries in the Edit
menu or the corresponding tool buttons to change the scale of the displayed image.

8.2 Removing Calibration Images

Calibration images can be removed by selecting one or multiple images in the list view, and
right-clicking on your selection. Select Remove or Remove selected to remove images from the
list.
Chapter 9

Calibration

The scale calibration dialog may be used to establish a physical scale for your measurements.

Figure 9.1: Scale calibration with manual points.

There are three tools for scale calibration.

• Manually select: this tool is used to select two manually identified points.
• Snap to cross: this tool is used to select two quadrant markers.
• Snap to circle: this tool is used to select two elliptical markers.

The known distance between the two points is entered in the Point distance field. Once a
calibration is present, correlation results will be presented as metric locations and displacements.

35
Chapter 10

Initial Guess Selection

In Vic-2D, initial guesses will be needed very rarely. Some instances where they may still be
necessary include:

• Large rotations between successive images

• Very fine or indistinct speckle patterns
• Poor calibration.

In the absence of these conditions, you can generally run the correlation immediately after
selecting an AOI. If the correlation fails or runs very slowly, an initial guess may be needed.

Even if an initial guess is not required, placing a start point in an appropriate location
(see below) can make the analysis faster. This is the case even if the start point
location is not pre-computed for all images before correlation analysis.

10.1 Placing Start Points

A start point may be placed by clicking the icon in the Mask tools box from the AOI Editor.
Once a start point is placed, Vic-2D will start looking for initial guesses in the background. If
initial guesses are not automatically found, manual editing may be required.

37
38 CHAPTER 10. INITIAL GUESS SELECTION

Generally, it is best to place a start point in the area of the image that undergoes
the least amount of motion during the test. For instance, if a specimen is tested in
a tensile frame, the start point should be placed as close to the stationary grip as
possible. Placing the seed point this way will help ensure fully automatic correlation.
If a specimen is expected to fail or crack, it may help to put start points on either
side of the specimen so that once failure occurs there will still be a start point on
both surfaces.
For very large transformations or rotations, it can be very helpful to place fiducial
marks on the surface. This can be integrated into a printed pattern or simply drawn
on the surface with a marker. These marks may be located much more easily than
the random pattern especially if, i.e., one image is rotated 180 degrees from the other.

10.2 Editing Initial Guesses

The initial guess dialog can be accessed by double clicking on the icon in the AOI editor, or
right-clicking and selecting Edit guesses. The Initial Guess Editor will appear.

Figure 10.1: Initial guess editor.

The two windows on the left show the reference image on the left and the selected deformed
image on the right. The small windows at the upper right show the zoomed-in guess for the
same two images. The list at the lower left shows all the deformed images; where a guess is
10.3. INITIAL GUESSES FROM CORRESPONDING POINTS 39

already present, the marker will be green. A yellow marker indicates a guess exists for only one
image of that pair, and a red marker means no guess exists.
To add a guess, drag the corresponding square from the stereo or deformed image until it
is in the same spot as the reference image (at left). To make control easier, you can zoom in
and out of the image with the mouse wheel, or by clicking the icon and drawing a box; or
click the icon to zoom into the current guess area. A histogram control is provided for the
reference and deformed images. Adjust the red bars to control image balance; this can be useful
for finding detail in very dark images. Double click the histogram to automatically set/reset the
limits.
Below, the deformed image guess has been dragged to the approximate correct location:

To check the guess, click the icon, or just right-click in the desired image:
If the correct match is found, you will be prompted to right-click again to accept it. If the
match is not found, you can check the location and try again; but where severe scaling or shear
is present, you may need to add more details by adding more points or setting scaling/shear
with the control nodes.

10.3 Initial Guesses from Corresponding Points

Initial guesses, including deformation components, can be set using corresponding control points.
Control points may be added to the reference image by clicking the icon and then clicking
on an easily identifiable image feature, e.g. the center of a speckle. Up to three points can be
added:
The control point locations are automatically shown in the deformed views based on the
current guess parameters. These points may be dragged to the correct location by clicking on
them and then dragging the mouse while keeping the button pressed. Note that Vic-2D will not
allow points that are too close together, or too close to colinear. Control points may be deleted
by first clicking and then clicking on the point to remove.
While you are dragging, you will see that the small view to the upper right changes to reflect
the transformed subset. When the match is good, the two views will look very similar:
You may also drag the control points on the red rectangle to adjust the transform more
directly. The upper left control point affects rotation; the left and bottom points control X and
Y scaling; and the upper right and lower right points control shearing.
40 CHAPTER 10. INITIAL GUESS SELECTION

Figure 10.2: Approximate guess location.

10.3. INITIAL GUESSES FROM CORRESPONDING POINTS 41

Figure 10.3: Initial guess found.

42 CHAPTER 10. INITIAL GUESS SELECTION

Figure 10.4: Setting control points.

10.3. INITIAL GUESSES FROM CORRESPONDING POINTS 43

Figure 10.5: Red rectangle control points.

Figure 10.6: Comparison view of reference and resampled deformed subset.

Chapter 11

Running the Correlation

To run the displacement analysis, select the Run Correlation entry from the Data menu, or press

the button on the tool bar.

11.1 The File Tab

This tab displays the following options:

11.2 Selecting Images

The deformed images to use for correlation analysis can be selected from the list box on the
dialog. Selected images are indicated by a check mark. Above the list box, buttons are available
to select/deselect all image files contained in the list box. To select 1 data file from every 2, 5,
10, or n , right-click in the file list and choose the desired option.
If no images are selected, only the reference image is analyzed.

11.3 Backup copies

When this option is checked, Vic-2D will make backup copies of existing output files by replacing
their file extension with bak.

11.4 Output directory

The directory in which the output files are stored can be selected by clicking the folder icon.

11.5 The Options Tab

This tab displays the following options:

45
46 CHAPTER 11. RUNNING THE CORRELATION

Figure 11.1: Analysis dialog file tab

11.6 Subset weights

This option controls the way pixels within the subset are weighted. With Uniform weights,
each pixel within the subset is considered equally. Selecting Gaussian weights causes the subset
matching to be center-weighted. Gaussian weights provide the best combination of spatial
resolution and displacement resolution.

11.7 Interpolation
To achieve sub-pixel accuracy, the correlation algorithms use gray value interpolation, representing
a field of discrete gray levels as a continuous spline. Either 4-, 6-, or 8-tap splines may be
selected here.
11.8. CRITERION 47

Figure 11.2: Analysis dialog options tab

Generally, more accurate displacement information can be obtained with higher-order splines.
Lower-order splines offer faster correlation at the expense of some accuracy.

11.8 Criterion
There are three correlation-criteria to choose from:

• Squared differences: Affected by any lighting changes; not generally recommended.

• Normalized squared differences: Unaffected by scale in lighting (i.e., deformed subset is
50% brighter than reference.) This is the default and usually offers the best combination
of flexibility and results.
• Zero-normalized squared differences: Unaffected by both offset and scale in lighting (i.e.,
deformed subset is 10% brighter plus 10 gray levels.) This may be necessary in special
situations. However, it may also fail to converge (produce a result) in more cases than the
NSSD option.
48 CHAPTER 11. RUNNING THE CORRELATION

11.9 Low-pass filter images

The low-pass filter removes some high-frequency information from the input images. This can
reduce aliasing effects in images where the speckle pattern is overly fine and cannot be well
represented in the image. (These aliasing effects are often visible as a moire-type pattern in the
output data.)

11.10 Incremental correlation

With incremental correlation, each image is compared to the previous image rather than the
reference image. This can be useful in cases of pattern breakdown or extremely high strains
(>100%). This comes at the expense of an increase in noise for later images, because the noise
continues to add over each successive correlation.

11.11 Fill boundary

Checking this option will cause Vic-2D to interpolate subset gradients to fill displacement data
out to the very edge of the AOI.

11.11.1 Exhaustive Search

Enabling this option will cause Vic-2D to repeat a coarse search for matches after each time
the correlation fails. This may result in more data recovery at the expense of vastly increased
processing time.

11.12 Processor Optimizations

This option controls the number of processors/cores Vic-2D uses for analysis. In most cases this
will be correctly determined automatically by Vic-2D.

11.13 The Thresholding Tab

This tab provides options for removing any data that is bad or suspect while maximizing the
amount of retained data. Four thresholding options are available. For a typical test, the default
values will work very well, but when conditions are unusual or substandard (blur; debris; poor
lighting; etc), some adjustment may be required.

11.14 Consistency threshold

After Vic-2D analyzes the seed point, the analysis is propagated to each of its four neighbors,
and so on. Each point is fed with a prediction of its approximate match. After the match is
11.15. CONFIDENCE MARGIN 49

Figure 11.3: Analysis dialog thresholding tab

made, a back-prediction is calculated. If the back-prediction does not closely match the actual
location of the prior neighbor, this threshold will remove the data.

11.15 Confidence margin

For each match, Vic-2D calculates a statistical confidence region, in pixels, using the covariance
matrix of the correlation equation. If the confidence region exceeds this threshold, the data will
be removed.

11.16 Matchability threshold

This option automatically removes subsets that show a very low contrast, i.e, subsets that don’t
contain very much information. Increase this value to remove more data; reduce to retain more
data, i.e., if lighting conditions were poor.

11.17 The Post-Processing Tab

The tab on the dialog displays the following options:
50 CHAPTER 11. RUNNING THE CORRELATION

Figure 11.4: Analysis dialog post-processing tab

11.18 Strain Computation

Checking this option performs a strain computation as each image is processed; results can be
viewed in the preview.

11.19 Correlation Results

After you begin the correlation, the following window appears.
The window contains an overview of correlation progress and results.
File - the progress and total number of files to analyze.
Points - the number of data points calculated for the image.
Error - this is the average confidence margin for the data set; lower numbers indicate a
better quality match.
Time - The amount of time spent on correlation analysis in seconds.
Progress bar - indicates the progress of each individual file as it is correlated.
This window also contains a preview of the output data. This data may be viewed and
manipulated as with a standard plot.
When the analysis is complete, you may click View Report to see a summary of the above
data.
11.19. CORRELATION RESULTS 51

Figure 11.5: Analysis progress during correlation.

52 CHAPTER 11. RUNNING THE CORRELATION

For more information on interpreting correlation results and troubleshooting errors, please
contact Technical Support.
Chapter 12

Postprocessing tools

Once the initial position and displacement fields are calculated, several tools are available for
processing the data.

• Calculate strain - calculate surface strain tensors

• Remove rigid motion - removes overall object motion, leaving only deformation
• Apply function - apply arbitrary user-defined functions to create new variables
• Calculate velocity - uses time information to calculate velocity and strain rate
• Calculate in-plane rotation - calculates local surface rotation
• Smooth - smooths data over a user-specified diameter
• Delete variables - remove variables created with other postprocessing tools
• Apply math operation - applies simple math operations to discrete variables

12.1 Strain Calculation

To calculate strain for one or more data sets, select Data. . . Postprocessing options. . . Calculate
strain from the main menu. This will show the strain computation dialog as illustrated in Fig. 12.1.
Note that strains may also be computed during the correlation analysis, see Section 11.18 for
details.

12.1.1 Selecting Data Files for Processing

The available data files are displayed in the Data Files list box. To select which files to
process, click on the data file you want to select/deselect. This will toggle the check mark
indicating whether the file is selected or not. For convenience, the buttons labeled All and None
select/deselect all files, while Invert reverses your selection.

12.1.2 Preview
To view the effects of the calculation for a single data file, highlight the file and click the Preview
button. You may view the plot in 2D or 3D (in Vic-3D) as with a standard data plot.

53
54 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

Figure 12.1: Strain dialog.

12.1.3 Compute Principal Strains

Check this box to add principal strains and principal strain angle to the calculated output data.

12.1.4 Overwrite Variables

Check this option to overwrite any existing strain calculations. If this box is clear, more data
fields will be added to the output data set each time strain is calculated.

12.1.5 Compute Tresca/von Mises strain

Select these options to compute the Tresca/von Mises strain criterion along with the strain
tensor calculation.
12.1. STRAIN CALCULATION 55

12.1.6 Filter size/type

Calculated strains are always smoothed using a local filter. The Filter box allows selection of a
smoothing method. The decay filter is a 90% center-weighted Gaussian filter and works best for
most situations; the box filter is a simple unweighted averaging filter.
The Filter size box controls the size of the smoothing window. Since the filter size is given
in terms of data points rather than pixels, the physical size of the window on the object also
depends on the step size used during correlation analysis.

12.1.7 Raw Gradients

This option can be used to output the components of the deformation gradient tensor F. Note
that the deformation gradient tensor is computed in the local tangential plane of the surface,
and the x-direction is taken as the projection of the global x-coordinate onto this plane.

12.1.8 Tensor Type

Select the desired strain tensor. The default is Lagrangian finite strain. Note that in the case of
Vic-3D, strains are computed in the local tangential plane of the surface, and the x-direction is
taken as the projection of the global x-coordinate onto this plane. All strain tensors are derived
from the deformation gradient tensor F. Some of the definitions below use the Cauchy-Green
deformation tensor

C = FT · F
which is computed from the deformation gradient tensor F.

Lagrange
This is the default strain tensor and is given by
1
E= (C − I)
2
Hencky
The Hencky strain, also called logarithmic or true strain, is given by
1
EH = ln (C)
2
Euler-Almansi
The Euler-Almansi tensor is given by
1 
e= I − F−T · F−1
2
Logarithmic Euler-Almansi
The logarithmic Euler-Almansi strain is computed according to
1  
el = ln F · FT
2
56 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

Engineering
In order to avoid non-sensical strains due to rigid body rotations, the engineering strain
6 dU/dX. To
is not computed directly from the derivatives of the displacement, i.e., x =
access the plain derivatives, see Section 12.1.7 above. To make the strains insensitive to
arbitrary rigid-body motion, the engineering strains are computed from the Lagrange strain
tensor in the following manner:
q
x = (1 + 2Exx ) − 1
q
y = (1 + 2Eyy ) − 1
 
2Exy
xy = sin −1 √
(1+2Exx )(1+2Eyy )

Biot
The Biot strain tensor is given by
EB = C1/2

12.2 Removing Rigid Motion

This tool is used to remove rigid-body displacement from deformed images, leaving only defor-
mation components of displacement.
Once the displacement fields have been calculated from the speckle images, this tool can be
started by selecting Data... Remove displacements.

12.2.1 Data File Selection

The available data files are displayed in the list box. To select which files to process, click on the
data file you want to select/deselect. This will toggle the check mark indicating whether the file
is selected or not. For convenience, the buttons labeled All and None select/deselect all files; the
Invert button inverts the selection.

12.2.2 Processing Method

To remove all rigid body displacement, select Use average transformation. This will calculate
the average transformation for each image, and invert it to obtain an image with an average
displacement/rotation of 0. Only object deformation will be reflected in the transformed U, V,
and W displacements. This is useful for visualizing displacement fields in tests where deformation
is obscured by larger, rigid-body motions.
To keep a single point stationary, select Keep 1 point fixed and click the desired point in the
image. Only points within the data set (highlighted in blue) may be selected. With this method,
the selected point will become stationary, with all other displacements remaining relative to this
point. Any initial rotation will still be present after the operation.
To keep three points stationary, select Keep 3 points fixed; then, click three desired points in
the image to define the fixed points. With this method, all displacements and rotations will be
12.3. APPLYING FUNCTIONS TO DATA 57

Figure 12.2: Rigid motion removal dialog.

relative to the three selected points, which will become stationary. The point- and three-point
displacement options are useful for, i.e., determining deformation of a test subject relative to
fixed mounting points or standoffs.
If the three points you select are in three different AOI’s, you will be given the option to use
the entire AOI for the operation. This will be useful if, for example, you have small AOIs on top
of three separate fixed posts of a test fixture.
Click Compute to proceed with the computation.
Strain calculation
Note that these transforms will not affect calculated strain, nor are they necessary in
order to correctly calculate strain; the strain algorithm is, by nature, insensitive to rigid-body
displacements.

12.3 Applying Functions to Data

Vic-2D and Vic-3D support the generation of new variables based on equations applied to the
data. This feature may be used, for instance, to compute engineering strains from Lagrange
58 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

strains, to compute stresses from strains or to compute thinning of a strained specimen of known
thickness based on the Poisson’s effect or volume conservation during plastic deformation.
Functions may be created, modified, and applied to data by selecting Data. . . Postprocessing
options. . . Apply function from the main menu.

Figure 12.3: Apply function dialog.

A previously defined function may be selected from the Function pull-down menu in the
upper left corner of the dialog. Each function may have one or more constants that are used in
its equations. When a function is selected, the corresponding constants are displayed next to
their current values. Some constants may contain pre-defined options for the value. Selecting
any of the options in the value combo-box will set the constant to that value.

12.3.1 Creating and Editing Functions and Constants

New functions and constants can be created and existing ones can be edited. Click on the
Edit. . . button to open up the Edit Functions dialog.
All available functions and constants are listed. Constants local to a function and the outputs
of a function are listed underneath the function they belong to.
The four buttons underneath the list allow for the creation, editing and deletion of functions
or constants. Each of the buttons are as follows:
12.3. APPLYING FUNCTIONS TO DATA 59

Figure 12.4: Edit functions dialog.

• Opens the wizard to create a new function.

• Opens the wizard to create a new constant.
• Opens a wizard to edit the selected function or constant. If an output is selected it
opens the function wizard to the edit outputs page.
• Deletes the selected function or constant. If an output is selected it deletes the function
it belongs to.

Double-clicking on any item in the list will open the respective wizard for editing.

12.3.2 Selecting Data Files for Processing

The available data files are displayed in the Data Files list box. Files to be processed can be
selected in the list at the top left by checking or unchecking. There all also buttons to select and
deselect all files and to invert the current selection.

12.3.3 Preview
The effects of the calculation on a single data file may be previewed by highlighting the file and
clicking the Preview button. You may view the plot in 2D or 3D as with a standard data plot.

12.3.4 The Function Wizard

Functions and their output variables can be defined and edited in the function wizard. The
wizard is a multi-page dialog that allows the user to enter all information required to define a
60 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

function with one or more output variables.

12.3.4.1 Function Information

The first page of the function wizard is for entering a brief description of the function and the
scope in which the function is stored. The Global scope option stores the function in the program
settings where it can be used by any project. The Project stores the function in the project
itself. If the project option is selected, then the function and it’s local constants are stored in
the current project and is only accessible by the current project.

Figure 12.5: Function wizard information page.

12.3.4.2 Define Equations

The next page is where the actual equations are entered. There can be multiple equations and
they are separated by a new line; each should be in the form (variable)=(function definition).
Double click on a variable at left to insert it at the cursor.
After you enter your equations and click Finish, any errors will be announced and corrections
will be required before proceeding. For details on the equation syntax and built-in math functions,
please refer to Section 12.3.6.
12.3. APPLYING FUNCTIONS TO DATA 61

Figure 12.6: Function wizard equation page.

12.3.4.3 Define Output Variables

Every function must have at least one output variable. The output variable is the information
that is stored in the data files of the project. To add one, simply click Add an output. . . There
are two things to be entered for each output. The first is the actual variable itself as used in
equations. The second is a brief description of the variable - this will be displayed in plot context
menus. The ‘X’ icon is the delete button. Clicking it will delete the associated output.

12.3.5 The Constant Wizard

Constants for use along with predefined values can be created and edited in the function wizard.

12.3.5.1 Constant Information

The label defines what is to identify a given constant in an equation. The scope defines whether
or not the constant is accessible to all functions (Global) or if it is only accessible to a specific
function. The description is used to note the purpose of the constant.

12.3.5.2 Define Options

Defining options is not necessary but it can be helpful; for instance, a preselected group of
material property constants, as in the example below. There are two values for each option: a
62 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

Figure 12.7: Function wizard outputs page.

description and a value.

12.3.6 Equation Format, Operators and Built-in Functions

The following table lists the functions that can be used in equations in Vic-2D and Vic-3D and
the number of arguments they require.

Function name Argument count Explanation

sin 1 sine function
cos 1 cosine function
tan 1 tangens function
asin 1 arcus sine function
acos 1 arcus cosine function
atan 1 arcus tangens function
sinh 1 hyperbolic sine function
cosh 1 hyperbolic cosine
tanh 1 hyperbolic tangens function
asinh 1 hyperbolic arcus sine function
acosh 1 hyperbolic arcus cosine function
atanh 1 hyperbolic arcus tangens function
log2 1 logarithm to the base 2
12.4. CALCULATING VELOCITY 63

Function name Argument count Explanation

log10 1 logarithm to the base 10
log 1 logarithm to the base 10
ln 1 natural logarithm to base e (2.71828...)
exp 1 e raised to the power of x
sqrt 1 square root of a value
sign 1 sign function -1 if x<0; 1 if x>0
rint 1 round to nearest integer
abs 1 absolute value
min var. min of all arguments
max var. max of all arguments
sum var. sum of all arguments
avg var. mean value of all arguments

The table below lists the binary operators available in Vic-2D and Vic-3D in order of priority
(higher values mean higher priority).

Operator Meaning Priority

and logical and 1
or logical or 1
xor logical xor 1
<= less or equal 2
>= greater or equal 2
!= not equal 2
== equal 2
> greater than 2
< less than 2
+ addition 3
- subtraction 3
* multiplication 4
/ division 4
ˆ raise x to the power of y 5

12.4 Calculating Velocity

Vic-2D and Vic-3D can calculate rates for displacement and strain, using either a specified time
interval or time retrieved from a .CSV log file.
Once the displacement fields have been calculated from the speckle images, velocities may
be calculated by selecting the Calculate Velocity entry on the Data menu. (If strain rates are
desired, strain should be calculated before opening the Calculate Velocity dialog.) This will
display the dialog shown in Fig. 12.10.
64 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

Figure 12.8: Constant wizard information page.

Figure 12.9: Constant wizard options page.

12.4. CALCULATING VELOCITY 65

Figure 12.10: Velocity dialog.

12.4.1 Data File Selection

The available data files are displayed in the list box. To select which files to process, click on the
data file you want to select/deselect. This will toggle the check mark indicating whether the file
is selected or not. For convenience, the buttons labeled All and None select/deselect all files; the
Invert button inverts the selection.

12.4.2 Velocity Calculation

If a Vic-Snap .CSV log file exists for the project, you may select “Time From File” from the
dropdown and select the file, if necessary. Otherwise, select “Constant Time Step” and enter the
known time increment, or select “Constant Frame Rate” to enter a known frame rate, e.g., for
data from a high-speed camera.
Click Start to begin; the progress bar will indicate completion. For each strain and displace-
ment variable in the dataset, a derivative in time will be added and can be viewed as a contour
overlay.
66 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

12.5 Rotation Calculation

To calculate local in-plane rotation for a set of data, select Data. . . Postprocessing options. . .
Calculate in-plane rotation from the main menu. This displays the dialog illustrated in Fig. 12.11.

This function computes the in-plane rotation around the local surface normal. To
compute rigid-body rotation angles for the entire data set or selected areas (Vic-3D
only), see Section 14.9.1.

Figure 12.11: Rotation computation dialog.

12.5.1 Selecting Data Files for Processing

The available data files are displayed in the Data Files list box. The files that will be processed
are indicated with a check mark on the left. Selections can be made by clicking on the check
boxes or by selecting one or multiple entries and pressing Space or Enter. The context menu
provides further options for selecting a subset of data files. For convenience, the buttons labeled
All and None select/deselect all files, while Invert reverses the current selection.
12.6. SMOOTHING DATA 67

12.5.2 Filter Size

The Filter size box controls the size of the window over which the rotation is computed. Note
that a Gaussian weight function is applied to the window. Since the filter size is given in terms
of data points rather than pixels, the physical size of the window on the object also depends on
the step size used during correlation analysis.

12.5.3 Overwrite Variables

This box can be checked to overwrite any existing rotation variables from a previous computation.
If this box is not checked, more data fields will be added to the output data set each time
rotation is calculated.

12.5.4 Preview
To view the effects of the calculation for a single data file, highlight the file and click the Preview
button. Note that the context menu of the plot can be used to switch between 2D and 3D
plotting modes.

12.6 Smoothing Data

A smoothing filter may be applied to one or more data files by selecting Data. . . Postprocessing
options. . . Smooth variable from the main menu.

12.6.1 Selecting Data Files for Processing

The available data files are displayed in the Data Files list box. To select which files to
process, click on the data file you want to select/deselect. This will toggle the check mark
indicating whether the file is selected or not. For convenience, the buttons labeled All and None
select/deselect all files, while Invert reverses your selection.

12.6.2 Preview
The effects of the calculation for a single data file may be displayed by highlighting the file and
clicking the Preview button. The resulting plot may be viewed in 2D or 3D (for Vic-3D) as with
a standard data plot.

12.6.3 Filter Size and Type

Data is smoothed using a local filter. The Method box allows selection of a smoothing method.
The decay filter is a 90% center-weighted Gaussian filter and works best for most situations.
The box filter is a simple unweighted averaging filter.
The Filter size box controls the size of the smoothing window. Since the filter size is given
in terms of data points rather than pixels, the physical size of the window on the object also
depends on the step size used during correlation analysis.
68 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

Figure 12.12: Smoothing dialog.

By default, 3D plots display deformed data - the sum of each point’s X,Y,Z location
and its U,V,W displacement. Because of this, creating a smooth plot of 3D data like
the one above requires smoothing both Z and W.

12.7 Deleting Variables

User-generated variables can be deleted from data files.

! Use this functionality with caution. Once removed, variables cannot be restored other
than by reprocessing.

To remove variables from data files, select Data. . . Postprocessing tools. . . Delete variables
from the main menu.
12.8. TIME FILTER 69

Figure 12.13: Delete variables dialog.

12.7.1 Selecting Data Files for Processing

Clicking Select files will bring up a standard file selection dialog, allowing the choice of some
or all files to be processed.

12.7.2 Selecting Variables

The available variables are listed in the list box on the right of the dialog. Checking the box
next to a variable will cause it to be deleted.

Only user-generated variables such as strain, velocity, etc. may be deleted. Displace-
ment, position, etc., may not be removed.

12.8 Time Filter

Time filters can be used to filter the full-field data along the time axis. Currently, filters for
removing outliers and for smoothing are provided. The time filter dialog provides the ability
to select multiple filters to create a filter chain. This can be used to, e.g., remove outliers and
smooth data in a single pass. The time filter dialog is shown below.
To apply time filters to a data sequence, select Data. . . Postprocessing options. . . Time
filter from the main menu.
70 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

Placing an inspector point prior to opening the dialog will allow visualization of the
filtering effect on the data.

Figure 12.14: Time filter dialog

12.8.1 Validation
On startup, the time filter dialog validates the data files in the project. A progress bar in the
bottom left corner indicates the progress of this operation. For projects with a large number of
data files, this process may take some time to complete.

12.8.2 Preview
The time filter dialog can provide a preview that is updated in real time. This preview is
available if inspector points, discs or rectangles have been added to any of the contour plots in
the project. Note that the preview only becomes available after validation of the input files and
after a variable for filtering has been selected.
12.8. TIME FILTER 71

12.8.3 Variables
In the variable box, one or more variables can be selected to which the filters are applied. The
Replace variables check box can be used to overwrite the existing variables with the filtered
results instead of creating new variables. The Add filter names to variables check box indicates
whether the variable names of the filtered data should contain a description of the filter chain or
not.

12.8.4 Filter Selection and Filter Chains

The type of filter to be applied can be selected in the drop-down box in the top-left corner of the
dialog. By clicking the Add button, a second or third filter can be added to the filter chain. The
Remove button can be used to remove an unwanted filter from the filter chain. Note that the
filters are applied in the order they are added, as indicated by the number for the filter displayed
on the tab bar.

12.8.5 Binomial Filter

The binomial filter is useful to apply moderate amounts of smoothing to the data. The binomial
filter is a simple convolution filter. For a filter size of 3, the convolution mask is 1/4[1 2 1], and
the larger filter masks can be obtained by repeated convolution of this mask with itself. The
filter options for the binomial filter are shown below.

Figure 12.15: Binomial filter options.

12.8.6 Median Filter

The median filter is useful for removing outliers from the data. The filter computes the median
value in a neighborhood with user selectable size (see figure below). If the median filter is used
in a filter chain, it should always be selected as the first filter so that outliers do not contribute
to the results of the other smoothing operations.

12.8.7 Recursive Low-Pass Filter

The recursive low-pass filter can be used to efficiently provide a large amount of smoothing. As
illustrated below, the filter provides a user-selectable cut-off frequency and order. The cut-off
72 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

Figure 12.16: Median filter options

frequency is the (normalized) frequency at which the transfer function has a value of 50%. The
order determines the steepness of the fall-off. Note that for very low cut-off frequencies, this
filter does not preserve the mean value of the data.

Figure 12.17: Recursive low-pass filter options.

12.8.8 Spline Fit Filter

The spline fit filter can be used to provide large amounts of smoothing. Depending on the order
of the spline (linear, quadratic or cubic), this filter fits a curve consisting of multiple segments
with c0, c1 or c2-continuity between the segments. The lower the number of segments, the more
smoothing is accomplished. Note that the number of segments must be lower than the number
of data points. The options panel for the spline fit filter is shown below.

12.9 Time Averaging Data

The Time Averaging dialog is used for dealing with data which requires time averaging to
eliminate certain biases or provide extra accuracy.
This functionality is designed to work with data which has been acquired in a specific way:
for each specimen state, n image pairs should be acquired. For instance, 10 images taken at the
reference state, 10 images taken at the first load step, etc. Next, the data including all images
should be analyzed as usual. With the data below, we have taken 5 images at each of 8 load
states, including the reference state.
12.9. TIME AVERAGING DATA 73

Figure 12.18: Spline fit filter options.

Once the data is calculated from the speckle images, click Data. . . Postprocessing tools. . .
Time Average Data on the main menu.

Figure 12.19: Time average dialog.

74 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

12.9.1 Options
If the First group as reference box is checked, the first set of data will be averaged to create
a new reference configuration; then, this reference configuration will be subtracted from later
groups, in effect re-referencing all of the data to a new, averaged meta-reference image.
The Group size indicates the number of images taken at each stage. Only divisors of the
data file count may be selected so it is important that the correct number of input data files are
present (an even multiple of n from above).
The new data files are prefixed with the selected Output prefix.

12.9.2 Selecting files

The available data files are displayed in the list box. To select which files to process, click on the
data file you want to select/deselect. This will toggle the check mark indicating whether the file
is selected or not. For convenience, the buttons labeled All and None select/deselect all files; the
Invert button inverts the selection.
To begin the computation, click the Start button.

12.9.3 Results
Once the computation is finished, a new set of averaged data files will appear in the project
panel under Other data as illustrated in Fig. 12.20. These data files contain the time averaged
(and re-referenced, if selected) data. For plotting purposes, each averaged file is linked to a single
input image so that 2D plots will display correctly.

12.9.4 Usage notes

The time average function can be used for any data that is noisy over time. Examples would
include data which has pixel noise due to low light/high gain, as well as data which is corrupted
by refractive heat waves. The specimen itself should be in exactly the same position for each
of the n images to avoid any bias; ideally, the only thing changing within an image set is the
relevant noise.

12.10 Math Operations

The Math operations dialog allows manipulation of output data by basic math operations. Open
this dialog by selecting Data... Math Operations from the main menu bar.

12.10.1 Data File Selection

The available data files are displayed in the list box. To select which files to process, click on the
data file you want to select/deselect. This will toggle the check mark indicating whether the file
is selected or not. For convenience, the buttons labeled All and None select/deselect all files; the
Invert button inverts the selection.
12.10. MATH OPERATIONS 75

Figure 12.20: Project data panel showing time average data.

12.10.2 Operation
Choose Add, Subtract, Multiply, or Divide to perform the specified operation.

12.10.3 Arguments
The Variable box is used to select the variable to operate on. Any variable in the data set may
be selected.
To use a constant argument, select the Constant radio button and enter the value. For
example, the selections below will multiply the u-displacement value from each data file by 10.
To use the data from an output file, click Data and select a data file. For example, the
selections below will subtract the Z shape from the first data file, from all data files.
Click Start to begin; the progress bar will indicate completion. For each strain and displace-
ment variable in the dataset, a derivative in time will be added and can be viewed as a contour
overlay.
76 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

Figure 12.21: Math operations dialog.

12.10. MATH OPERATIONS 77

Figure 12.22: Math operation using a constant input.

78 CHAPTER 12. POSTPROCESSING TOOLS

Figure 12.23: Math operation using a data file as input.

Chapter 13

Exporting Data

Calculated position and displacement data, along with transformed and post-processed variables,
can be exported via several different options:

• All data - export entire data set

• Pixel grid data - sample data set on a pixel grid
• Metric node data - place surface nodes using metric coordinates, e.g., for FE comparisons
• Aggregate statistics - export mean, median, deviation, min, max for selected files and
variables

When viewing exported data, keep in mind that X, Y, and Z are the reference position
of each point. In Vic-3D, these values are displayed as changing through time for
visualization, but in exported data, these values will be constant through time.

13.1 Exporting All Data

For efficient file access, data is stored in a binary file format. To use the data with other programs
for post-processing and plotting, the data can be exported by selecting the Export item from the
Data menu or using the keyboard shortcut CTRL+E. The dialog shown in Fig. 13.1 will appear.

13.1.1 Selecting Files for Exporting

The available data files are displayed in the list box. To select which files to export, click on the
data file you want to select/deselect. This will toggle the check mark indicating whether the file
is selected or not. For convenience, the buttons labeled All and None select/deselect all files.

13.1.2 File Formats

The data files can be exported to the following formats:

79
80 CHAPTER 13. EXPORTING DATA

Figure 13.1: Export data dialog.

13.2. EXPORTING GRID-BASED DATA 81

Comma-Separated Variable
Data entries are separated by commas. This format is understood by most spreadsheet
programs and plotting packages. Variable names are stored in the data file as comma-
separated strings in quotation marks. Exported files will have the extension csv.
Tecplot
Used for plotting the data with Amtec’s (www.amtec.com) plotting program Tecplot(TM).
Exported files will have the extension dat.
Plain ASCII
This format is plain, space-delimited ASCII text data with one data point per line. Note:
There are no variable names in the data file, and data from different AOIs is concatenated.
Exported files will have the extension txt.
STL Format
This format provides a triangulated surface compatible with many CAD programs.
Matlab V4
This format provides compatibility with Matlab and many other programs capable of
reading Matlab files. Note that if multiple AOIs are present in a datafile, unique names for
each of the matrices are generated by appending increasing numbers to the variable names.
For instance, the X-coordinate for the first AOI will appear as X in the matlab file, and
for the second AOI it will appear as X_0 and so forth.

If none of the available file formats fit your needs, please contact sup-
port@correlatedsolutions.com. We will gladly implement data exporting to a format
that best suits your needs.

13.2 Exporting Grid-Based Data

This option can be used to export your data, sampled at regular intervals spatially (in the image
domain) and for each data file, to a single text file. To begin, select Export Grid Data from the
Data menu.

13.2.1 Data File Selection

The available data files are displayed in the list box. To select which files to process, click on the
data file you want to select/deselect. This will toggle the check mark indicating whether the file
is selected or not. For convenience, the buttons labeled All and None select/deselect all files; the
Invert button inverts the selection.

13.2.2 Options
To change the sample interval in pixels, adjust the Sample step value. A value of 1 will sample
every pixel; higher values will result in a sparser data set.
82 CHAPTER 13. EXPORTING DATA

Figure 13.2: Extract grid data dialog.

To export blank values to the output file, with a value of 0, check the Export blanks box. If
this box is cleared, blank data points will not be present in the output file.

13.2.3 Extracting Data

To begin, click Start. You will be prompted for an output .csv file name. A progress bar will
appear; when extraction is complete, the dialog will close.

13.3 Calculating Statistics

To export statistics for calculated variables and data files, select Data. . . Statistics from the
main menu bar.

13.3.1 Statistics
Check the desired item to include or exclude the statistic from the output file.

13.3.2 Variables
Check the desired variables to add them to the calculation. By default, all metric variables are
included, while correlation and pixel variables are excluded.
13.3. CALCULATING STATISTICS 83

Figure 13.3: Statistics dialog.

84 CHAPTER 13. EXPORTING DATA

13.3.3 Data File Selection

The available data files are displayed in the list box. To select which files to process, click on the
data file you want to select/deselect. This will toggle the check mark indicating whether the file
is selected or not. For convenience, the buttons labeled All and None select/deselect all files; the
Invert button inverts the selection.

13.3.4 Exporting
To complete the calculation, click Ok. You will be prompted for a filename, and the data will be
exported as a .CSV file.
Chapter 14

Plots

A plot of the data can be displayed by double-clicking on a data file in the list view to the left of
the workspace. A plot will be displayed in the workspace as shown below.

14.1 Plot Options

Plot options can be accessed by right-clicking in the plot window.
The Contour variable submenu can be used to select the variable to display.
The Show min. value and Show max. value options will flag the minimum and maximum
valued data points.
By default, data is displayed in the deformed location on the deformed image. To show the
reference position for the data, click Show reference data.
Click Change legend orientation to toggle between a horizontal and vertical legend.
Click Statistics to view a summary of data for the current image, for the currently selected
contour variable.
Copy copies the current plot to the clipboard; Save allows saving the plot as an image file.
Select Export video to save an animated video.
Click Detach to keep this plot static instead of updating it each time a new data file is clicked
in the Data tab.

14.2 Editing Plot Parameters

To edit other plot parameters, use the plot toolbar.

14.3 Inspector Tools

Tools for probing and extracting data are located in the Inspector Toolbar, and can also be
selected by clicking Plot... Inspector in the main menu bar.
From left to right, the tools are:

• Pan/Select: Pans around the contour image, when zoomed in; selects existing extract
points. To select an item, click on the small square handle.

85
86 CHAPTER 14. PLOTS

Figure 14.1: 2D contour plot display.

14.3. INSPECTOR TOOLS 87

Figure 14.2: 2D plot context menu.

Figure 14.3: Inspector tools

88 CHAPTER 14. PLOTS

• Inspect point: select this tool and click to probe at a single point. The value for the
currently selected contour variable, at the chosen point, will be displayed.
• Inspect line: select this tool and click once to start a line; click again to finish. The value
will be displayed at each node.
• Inspect polyline: select this tool and click to create line nodes; double-click to finish. The
value will be displayed at each node.
• Inspect circle: select this tool and click to define a center; click again to define a disc. The
value at the center will be displayed.
• Inspect rectangle: select this tool and click to define a center; click again to define a
rectangle. The value at the center will be displayed.
• Extensometer: select this tool and click two points; this tool shows the extension (change
in length divided by initial length) between the two points.
• Delete: choose this tool and click on an existing point/line/area to remove it.
• Extract: click to open the Extraction dialog.

Once a tool is selected, you can place it on the plot by clicking.

• For the point tool, click once to place the point.

• For the circle, rectangle, and line tools, you can click once to place the first point, and
again to define the shape.

Once a tool is placed, you can use the Pan/Select tool to move the inspector or to adjust the
control points.

14.4 Animating Plots

To animate contour plots, bring up the plot display and then use the controls on the Animation
Toolbar to animate the sequence.

14.5 Saving the Plot

The displayed plot can be saved as a BMP, PNG, or JPG image file by selecting Save from the
context menu. To copy the plot to the clipboard, select Copy.

14.6 The Plot Toolbar

The plot toolbar is displayed at the top left edge of the work area by default. It contains options
and controls for contour plots.

14.6.1 Auto-Scaling
This tab controls auto-scaling. Check or clear the boxes to enable auto-rescaling of contour
overlay limits. Check Grow ranges only to allow ranges to get larger but not smaller. With
14.6. THE PLOT TOOLBAR 89

Figure 14.4: Auto-scaling tab.

this box checked, you can animate through all images to set the limits to the minimum and
maximum over all data files. This is useful for producing consistent animations and videos.

14.6.2 Contour

Figure 14.5: Contour tab.

This tab allows control of the contour overlay of 2D plots. To automatically scale these values
to fit the data, check the Auto-rescale contour box. To manually set the limits, clear this box
and enter the desired values.
90 CHAPTER 14. PLOTS

Use the strain unit control to determine how strain values are displayed; the default is unity,
i.e., mm/mm.

14.6.3 Color

Figure 14.6: Color tab.

Use this tab to control the display of contour overlays. The Color map box chooses the
overall color set for the plot. The Opacity box sets the opacity of the overlay; this option affects
2D plots only. The Levels box sets the n box sets the number of discrete contour levels. The
Level labels box controls the number of numeric level indicators.

14.6.4 Iso-lines
Use this tab to display iso-lines on the contour plot.
If many levels are present, you can increase the Level skip to reduce clutter. The thickness of
the isolines and the color can also be adjusted.

14.6.5 Vector
This tab controls display of strain and displacement vectors.
Skip and scale control the size and density of the vectors. The use solid color checkbox
causes the vectors to be displayed in a single color rather than the underlying plot color; the
color selector button can be used to choose this color.
14.7. EXPORTING VIDEOS 91

Figure 14.7: Iso-lines tab.

Figure 14.8: Vector tab.

14.6.6 Legend
These controls affect the format of the contour legend. Select a Format from Number, Scientific
(exponential notation), or Best (most concise method). Select a number of Digits, or Automatic
to use as much precision as necessary.

14.7 Exporting Videos

To export an animation from a 2D plot, right-click in the plot and select Export Video.
If the auto-rescaling feature is enabled for contours or axes, you will see a warning:
When rescaling is on, the animation may not appear as expected because each frame will be
scaled differently. Click Yes to continue or Cancel to correct the condition. When complete,
92 CHAPTER 14. PLOTS

Figure 14.9: Legend tab.

Figure 14.10: Warning message when auto rescaling enabled.

the following dialog appears:

14.7.1 File
Click the icon to select a filename for saving.

14.7.2 Encoder
• To use the built-in codecs, select AVI.
• To use a choice of external codecs with a supported external encoder, select External
converter.
• Select Image Sequence to export a sequence of numbered individual images rather than a
video.
14.8. EXTRACTION PLOTS 93

Figure 14.11: Video export dialog

14.7.3 Format
Select from available compression formats; options will vary based on system configuration and
installed codecs.
For videos which will be recompressed, select RGB Uncompressed to make a very large but
lossless video.

14.7.4 Data File Selection

The available data files are displayed in the list box. To select which files to process, click on the
data file you want to select/deselect. This will toggle the check mark indicating whether the file
is selected or not. For convenience, the buttons labeled All and None select/deselect all files; the
Invert button inverts the selection.
To begin, click Export; a progress bar will indicate completion.

14.8 Extraction Plots

Extraction plots can be generated for the dataset as a whole, or for lines, points, and areas
by using the Inspector Tools in a 2D plot. An extraction data plot as illustrated in Fig. 14.12
will be shown when the Extract button ( ) is pushed while viewing a 2D Plot. Note that an
94 CHAPTER 14. PLOTS

extraction plot can be generated even if no inspector items are present. In this case, only the
average values will be available for plotting. Depending on the types of inspector items that
have been added to the contour plot, different plot types will be available:

• Points (default) for average, points, area averages.

• Line slices for lines and polylines.
• Extensometers.
• Points and Extensometers.

Figure 14.12: Extraction plot.

A long press on the ( ) button will allow selection of Complex plot extraction

14.8.1 Selecting X/Y Data for Plotting

Each X/Y data pair shown in the plot will be listed in the Extraction tools tool box (see Fig. 14.13)
and shown in the plot’s legend (if configured, see Section 14.8.8). The X/Y data that is shown
14.8. EXTRACTION PLOTS 95

in the plot can be edited in the tool box.

Figure 14.13: Extraction plot tool box.

To select the variables for a new or an existing X/Y pair, the X/Y data source and variable
can be selected from the drop-down menus below the list box. Available data sources are:
• Average corresponds to the average value from the entire data set.
• P0, R0, C0, etc. are the values corresponding to inspector tools (points, rectangles, circles
etc).
• Analog data corresponds to CSV data added to the project. This is normally a file generated
by Vic-Snap.
After the variables for X or Y have been selected from the menus, the apply button on the
right must be pressed to apply the changes. Note that the change applies to all X/Y pairs
selected in the list box.
To delete an X/Y pair, the item must first be selected in the list box, followed by pressing
the Delete button.
New X/Y data pairs can be added to the plot by first selecting the New item in the list box
at the top. Then, the data source and variables can be selected from the drop-down menus and
the new X/Y pair is finally created by clicking the Add button.
To export plot data, the Export button can be pressed to bring up the Export data wizard.

14.8.2 The Extractions Menu

Only present in Vic-3D 9 the extractions menu allows for deleting of extractions as well as
re-opening past extractions.
96 CHAPTER 14. PLOTS

The main purpose of this workspace is to open past extractions to manipulate the data for
use in the iris workspace.

Figure 14.14: Extractions menu.

14.8.3 Navigating in the Plot

Use the mouse wheel to zoom in or out on the plot. Click and drag to pan; double click to fit
the plot to the window.
To adjust a single axis scale, mouse over that axis; the cursor will change to indicate the axis
is active. Then, use the mouse wheel to zoom only that axis.
To zoom to a selected box, hold the shift key and drag to indicate the zoom area.

14.8.4 The Context Menu

Right-click in the plot to access options.

• Cursor: select from axis indicators for X, Y, or both axes; select Snap Cursor to display
the value reading closest to the cursor.
• Copy: copies the plot to the clipboard.
• Save: select to save the plot as a graphics file.
• X/Y axis scale: submenus allow changing between linear and logarithmic axis scaling.
• Settings: click to access the plot settings.
• Quick help: display a brief overview of the plot navigation controls.

14.8.5 Point Extractions

By default, extraction plots are shown in Point mode, which displays the average data as well
as data generated by inspector items of type point and those that average over an area (discs,
rectangles etc.). The plot type can be selected from the drop-down menu at the top of the
extraction tool box, see Fig. 14.13.
14.8. EXTRACTION PLOTS 97

14.8.6 Line Slice Extraction and Plotting

Line slices may be plotted only when an extraction line or polyline is present. They can be
created using the Inspector Tools to add lines ore polylines to a 2D contour plot. An example of
a line slice inspector item is illustrated in Fig. 14.15.

Figure 14.15: Line slice in contour plot.

After clicking the Extract button ( ) an extraction plot will appear in the workspace,
98 CHAPTER 14. PLOTS

but will initially show the available Point extractions. To display the line extraction, the entry
Line slices must be selected from the pull-down menu in the extraction tool box as illustrated in
Fig. 14.16.

Figure 14.16: Extraction tool box for lines slices.

On the plot, a series of lines will be shown that shows the extracted data at different times.
The line for the currently selected data file will be highlighted, as illustrated in Fig. 14.17. The
number of lines that are shown in the plot can be configured in plot settings, see Section 14.8.8.

14.8.7 Extensometer Extraction and Plotting

Extensometer plotting will be available when one or more extensometers have been created using
the Inspector Tools in a 2D plot view as illustrated in Fig. 14.18.

Clicking the Extract button ( ) brings up the plot window. To switch the display to
extensometers, the entry Extensometers must be selected from the pull-down menu at the top
of the extraction tool box as illustrated in Fig. 14.19. If both points and extensometers are
present, the entry Points and extensometers will also be available to show extensometer and
point extraction data in a single plot.

14.8.7.1 Extensometer Variables

The extensometer plot can be used to show a number of variables that are available for each
extensometer extraction, including the relative change in length as illustrated in Fig. 14.20.
The available extensometer variables are:
14.8. EXTRACTION PLOTS 99

Figure 14.17: Line slice plot.

• ∆L/L0: The change in length divided by the initial length; unitless.

• ∆L: The change in length, in display units.
• L1: The deformed length, in display units.
• L0: The initial length, in display units.

The strain displayed here will not necessarily match the strain computed in the Strain
dialog, depending on the tensor you have selected. The extensometer strain is a simple
length calculation and does not account for bending, etc.

14.8.8 Plot Settings

The plot settings can be accessed from the context menu of the plot (see Section 14.8.4). This
displays a dialog with different options to control the plots as illustrated in Fig. 14.21.
The first tab controls graph display settings.

• Graph style: select from lines, points, or both. If Points is selected, you can use the snap
100 CHAPTER 14. PLOTS

Figure 14.18: Extensometer in contour plot.

14.8. EXTRACTION PLOTS 101

Figure 14.19: Extraction plot tool box for extensometers.

cursor to evaluate values at specific locations in the plot. With Lines selected, the snap
cursor will give an interpolated value.
• Show legend: click to show or hide the legend.
• Legend position: select the location of the displayed legend on the plot.
• Theme: choose from a white background scheme (“Daytime”) or a black background
scheme (“Midnight”).

The second tab applies to time extraction only. You can select whether to highlight the
currently displayed data file; and select which data files to plot. All are plotted by default.
The third tab applies to line slice extractions only.
Under Mode, you can choose to display lines for the current file and the select files; only the
current file; or only the selected files (select files from the list below). You can also adjust the
style of the non-selected lines as well as the color for them.
Select the files to be extracted from the list at the bottom.
By default, 200 points are created along the extracted line. Since the line does not necessarily
pass through exact data points, data points are interpolated at equidistant intervals along the
line. The number of sample points can be changed by pressing the Change button. This will
display an spin box control where the desired number of points can be selected. Note that
changing the number of points results in the data being extracted again. The progress of this
operation is indicated in a progress bar at the bottom of the plot window.

14.8.9 Exporting Slice Data

To export data, click Export in the extraction tool box. The Export Data Wizard will appear.
102 CHAPTER 14. PLOTS

Figure 14.20: Extensometer extraction plot.

• Output file: click the folder icon to choose an output file.

• Data type: choose from line slice or time extraction.
• Format: select from comma separated (typical for use with Excel) or tab separated.
• Ordering: select row index to have a row for each file (most common), or column index to
have a column for each file (useful for making waterfall type plots).
• Coordinates: if you select reference coordinates, the XYZ values will not change over time.
Select deformed coordinates to add UVW deformation to the XYZ values, making them
change with time.

14.9 Complex plot extractions

Holding the button will allow selection of Complex plot extractions via a dialog box.
While the simple extraction is limited to average values, complex extractions allow selection
of statistical functions (minimum, maximum, mean, median, standard deviation) with the
Statistics group.
The Data Files group allows selecting a subset of data.
14.9. COMPLEX PLOT EXTRACTIONS 103

Figure 14.21: Plot settings style tab.

Extracting a limited number of data files can improve extraction speed when accessing
a slow or networked drive.

14.9.1 Rotation angles

Rotation angles may be calculated by checking Add rotation angles. This computes rigid-
body transformation (rotation) angles for area-type inspector items (discs, rectangles etc.). The
transformation matrix can be computed from the pitch, yaw and roll angles α, β and γ as follows:
 
cos(β) cos(γ) sin(α) sin(β) cos(γ) − cos(α) sin(γ) cos(α) sin(β) cos(γ) + sin(α) sin(γ)
R =  cos(β) sin(γ) sin(α) sin(β) sin(γ) + cos(α) cos(γ) cos(α) sin(β) sin(γ) − sin(α) cos(γ) 
− sin(β) sin(α) cos(β) cos(α) cos(β)
104 CHAPTER 14. PLOTS

Figure 14.22: Plot settings time slice tab.

The translation component of the rigid body transformation can be computed from the location
of the area’s centroid X0 , Y0 , Z0 and the average displacement as follows:
     
Ū

 
 
X0 
 X0

 

T= V̄ + Y0 − R Y0
 
    

W̄

Z0  
Z0 

Note that the transformation given by R and T transforms reference coordinates into the
deformed state.
Check Add deformation to shape to add the variables Xd, Yd and Zd to the data set.
These are the deformed values (X +U ), (Y +V ) and (Z +W ).
14.9. COMPLEX PLOT EXTRACTIONS 105

Figure 14.23: Plot settings line slice tab.

106 CHAPTER 14. PLOTS

Figure 14.24: Extraction plot export wizard.

14.9. COMPLEX PLOT EXTRACTIONS 107

Figure 14.25: Complex extraction settings.

Chapter 15

Data Visualization in iris

The iris visualization framework provides a workspace for generating both static and animated
plots of DIC and imported data, e.g., FE meshes. Some of the features include:

• High resolution rendering for bitmap content and scalable fonts and graphics for publication-
quality output
• Most properties can be animated, e.g., position, opacity, rotation, viewing angles etc.
• Motion-tweening with a variety of easing functions
• Adaptive motion blurring for realistic video output
• Data can be interpolated in time to provide smooth high framerate video output from
sparse data
• Document and page templates

To begin using iris, click the icon on the toolbar.

For more information, see the following topics:

• Overview of the iris Workspace

• Pages, templates, and backgrounds
• Graphic elements
• Working with Sequences
• Working with Keyframes
• Document Properties
• Exporting iris Content

15.1 Overview of the iris Workspace

The iris workspace contains all of the tools and controls for creating iris documents. The
workspace replaces the analysis workspace when the icon is clicked in the toolbar. An
overview of the workspace is shown in Fig. 15.1.
The iris workspace contains:

• Main toolbar - has controls for inserting new objects like plots and images; alignment
controls; and buttons for exporting PDF and video.

109
110 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.1: Overview of main window.

• Page/template/backgrounds organizer - the left sidebar shows a graphical list of

pages, templates, and backgrounds, selectable from the pulldown.
• Properties editor - the right sidebar has a list of adjustable properties for the currently
selected item.
• Timeline - the timeline area at the bottom of the window shows all the timelines and
keyframes in the project and allows scrolling through time.
• Main work area - where all objects/text/graphics will be placed and manipulated.

15.1.1 Editor Context Menu

Right clicking inside the iris editor allows for quick adjustment of view, inserting of plot elements,
alignment, and exporting. The context menu is shown in Fig. 15.2.

• Fit Page - Fits the page size to fill the screen

• Fit to content - Fits all of the elements in your workspace to fill the screen
• Export video - Opens the video export dialog
• Export PDF - Opens the PDF export dialog
• Sequence Manager - Opens the sequence manager dialog
15.1. OVERVIEW OF THE IRIS WORKSPACE 111

Figure 15.2: Detail of Context menu.

15.1.1.1 Insert Submenu

The Insert submenu can be used to conveniently add objects to the page. Note that the inserted
object’s top-left corner will be placed where the context menu was opened by clicking. The insert
menu is illustrated in Fig. 15.3.

Figure 15.3: Detail of Insert submenu.

• Text boxes
• 2D plots
• 3D plots
• Extraction plots
• Static images
• Image sequences

15.1.1.2 Align Submenu

The Align submenu can be used to align objects to the page or relative to each other. To align
objects relative to each other, multiple objects must be selected. The last object selected will be
112 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

the stationary object, i.e., all other objects in the selection are aligned to the last object selected.
The align menu is shown in Fig. 15.4.

Figure 15.4: Detail of Align submenu.

• Center horizontally - Centers the selected objects horizontally with respect to the page
• Center vertically - Centers the selected objects vertically with respect to the page
• Align left - Aligns the left side of the selected objects
• Align center horizontally - Centers the selected objects horizontally with each other

• Align right - Aligns the right side of the selected objects

• Align top - Aligns the top side of the selected objects
• Align center vertically - Centers the selected objects vertically with each other

• Align bottom - Aligns the bottom side of the selected objects

15.1.2 Shortcut Keys in iris

Shortcut keys can be used to simplify common operations in iris.

• Page Up: Navigate to the previous page

• Page Down: Navigate to the next page
• E: Opens the Export PDF tool
• V: Opens the Export Video tool
• </>: Step forward or backward in timeline by the current time delta (default 0.1s).
Alternate shortcuts are ,/..
• t/T: Decrease/increase time delta for stepping through timeline
• 1: Fits the current page to the workspace
• 2: Fits the page contents to the workspace
15.2. PAGES, TEMPLATES AND BACKGROUNDS 113

• #: Toggles the workspace grid

• Backspace/Delete: Deletes items that have been selected
• Cursor keys: Move selected objects by 5mm (with Shift: 1mm, Alt: 0.5mm, Shift+Alt:
0.1mm).

If pressing a shortcut key does not have any effect, the editor does not have keyboard
focus. You can briefly zoom in and out with the wheel to give focus to the editor.

15.2 Pages, Templates and Backgrounds

The major elements of iris documents are pages and backgrounds. iris projects may also be
made into templates for convenient reuse. These elements can be viewed and edited using the
page navigator at the left of the workspace; the page group pulldown at the top may be
used to select pages, templates, or backgrounds.

15.2.1 Pages
All elements in the iris editor are displayed on Pages. Through the use of multiple pages,
elements like plots and images can be made to come and go from the document. All iris projects
consist of one or more pages. Each page contains an independent set of elements and timelines.
To add, edit, and remove pages, right-click on the page in the page navigator to bring up the
context menu seen in Fig. 15.5. Selecting “Page Up” or “Page Down” on the keyboard will allow
users to quickly navigate through pages.
A single blank page may also be added by clicking the icon in the toolbar.
Pages may be reordered by dragging them to the new desired position between two existing
pages or before/after the first/last page.

• The Preview size submenu controls the appearance of the preview.

• Selecting Hide will minimize the page in the navigator.
• A new page can be created by selecting Add empty page.
• A new page can be added from an existing template by selecting Insert template.
• Selecting Duplicate will copy the selected page.
• Pages may be deleted by clicking Delete page.
• The background of the selected page may be chosen from the Change background
submenu.
• The existing page may be copied for use in a Template or Background.

15.2.1.1 Transitions
Transition properties for individual pages may be accessed by selecting the page in the navigator
and editing the Page Transition settings in the sidebar at the right of the workspace.
114 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.5: Pages context menu.

Default options for transitioning from one page to the next are accessed through the Document
Properties. The duration of an empty page may also be selected there; for non-blank pages, the
duration ends after the last keyframe.
The time within the page (for preview display only) may be edited with the Time control in
the right sidebar.

15.2.2 Templates
Templates are used to simplify reproduction of iris documents for new data. Right-click on the
page in the template menu to bring up the context menu seen in Fig. 15.6.

Figure 15.6: Template context menu.

To begin using templates, click the icon on the main toolbar with no existing iris document
to view the template chooser. For more information, see Working with Templates.
15.2. PAGES, TEMPLATES AND BACKGROUNDS 115

15.2.3 Backgrounds
Backgrounds are fundamentally identical to pages, except that they are static and do not have a
timeline. Backgrounds can be used to give a consistent appearance to videos through headers,
logos, background graphics, etc. Backgrounds may be manipulated by right-clicking on the
background in the navigator to show the context menu, illustrated in Fig. 15.7.

Figure 15.7: Background context menu.

Selecting Set as default will make the chosen background the default for new pages. To
apply the selected background to all existing pages or template pages, select Set for all pages
or Set for all templates.

15.2.4 Working with Templates

15.2.4.1 Using Templates
Templates in iris are used to enable easy reuse of iris projects for new data set. A page
template is identical to a page and contains all of the same elements - plots, images, text, etc. A
document template comprises a set of page templates and some or all of the page templates may
be used. When a template is used with an existing Vic-3D project, many of the elements will be
populated automatically, and captions and extraction plots may be easily filled in.
When no iris project is present, entering the iris workspace will show the Template Chooser
shown below in Fig. 15.8.
User template documents are stored in a subfolder of the user’s Documents folder; both
built-in templates and all templates found there will be displayed in the chooser. A template
may be selected here or Empty document may be clicked to start a new blank project.
Alternately, selecting New iris document from template from the Iris Tools menu will
replace the current document with a blank document based on the selected template.
116 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.8: Template chooser.

Once a template document is chosen, the templates from the document will be displayed
under Templates in the navigator view at left. The navigator pane is shown in Fig. 15.9.
To use templates, right-click in the Pages navigator at left to bring up the pages context
menu shown in Fig. 15.10.
Selecting Insert template displays a submenu of available templates shown in Fig. 15.11.
Clicking a template will cause it to be added as a page.

• Any plots are filled with existing data.

• For extraction plots, an existing extraction must be chosen from the plot properties.
• Text boxes designated as template (see below) will be displayed as blank unless edited.

Multiple pages may be inserted by holding the icon in the toolbar, this selection is shown
in Fig. 15.12.
Single-clicking on a thumbnail will add it to the document; pressing Escape or clicking outside
the menu will close it.

15.2.4.2 Creating Templates

A new template may be created by right-clicking in the Templates navigator, shown in Fig. 15.13.
15.2. PAGES, TEMPLATES AND BACKGROUNDS 117

Figure 15.9: Template navigator.

Figure 15.10: Context menu for pages.

118 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.11: Context menu showing templates.

The template may be given a descriptive name using the Name field in the Base tools,
shown in Fig. 15.14.
Editing templates is functionally identical to editing pages in most cases. For text boxes, the
toolbar will contain a Use as template checkbox which can be seen in Fig. 15.15.
When this box is checked, the entered text becomes a placeholder, and the text will not be
included in iris output unless edited.

The placeholder text may be used for tips to the template user, e.g., “Double-click to
edit Title” or “Enter sample ID here”.

To copy an existing page for reuse as a template, right-click on the page in the Pages
15.2. PAGES, TEMPLATES AND BACKGROUNDS 119

Figure 15.12: Multiple template selection.

120 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.13: Context menu for templates.

Figure 15.14: Template base tools.

Figure 15.15: Template text tool.

15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 121

navigator and select Copy to templates. The page is added to the template navigator and
can then be chosen within the project.
To save the templates from a project as a reusable template file, select Save as iris template
from the Iris Tools menu.

Templates should be saved in the folder chosen by iris for easy access from the
Template Chooser.

15.3 Graphic Elements

Each page in an iris document comprises multiple graphical elements. Elements like drawings
and plots can be placed on the page and optionally animated using keyframes. The following
elements may be added to an iris document by clicking in the main toolbar or clicking the Iris
Tools menu:

• 2D plots
• 3D plots
• Image sequences
• Extraction plots
• Text boxes
• Static images and masks
• Mesh data sequences
• Ellipses, rectangles and polylines

15.3.1 Element Properties

For placement, an element may be clicked once, which will cause it to be surrounded by a black
border. This indicates it may then be clicked and dragged within the page. For editing, an
element may be double-clicked which will show a red border. The element is then ready for
editing (text editing, changing the angle of a 3D plot, etc.)

15.3.2 Common Properties

Many of the document elements in iris use a shared set of common tools. Common properties
include things like base size, data sources, times, and axis controls. The following common tools
are seen in iris:

• The Base tool controls positioning, alignment, scale, rotation, and depth.
• The Data tool controls data sources, time, and interpolation.
• The Legend tool sets contour variables and settings and legend settings and fonts.
• The Variable tool allows control of data sources and extractions.
• The Axis tool controls placement, format, and style of the x- and y-axes on various plots.
122 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

15.3.3 2D Plots
To insert a 2D plot in iris, click the icon, and then click once in the document workspace
to insert a 2D plot box. The 2D plot can be edited by clicking on the image once to move the
position of the entire plot and double clicking to move the image in the 2D plot window. Clicking
on the 2D plot will also bring up the 2D plot properties, which can be adjusted in the sidebar.

15.3.3.1 Plot Properties

All properties of the inserted 2D plot are adjustable in the properties editor at the right side of
the workspace. Properties are grouped into the following categories.

15.3.3.1.1 Data
The options for the 2D plot data are set using the common data tool.

15.3.3.1.2 All
The All box shown in Fig. 15.16 allows users to adjust the visual appearance of the plot.

Figure 15.16: All Tool in 2D Plot

The width and height set the overall width and height of the plot (not including the legend).
The background color will be shown anywhere in the plot area not occupied by plot data
(if the range is larger than the plot).
15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 123

The line color is the color used for all outlines and tick marks.
The tick length and with for major and minor ticks can be adjusted here; tick spacing is set
the axis tools (see below).
Select Hide axis decoration to hide the displayed range values.
Hide grid hides the grid displayed in the background along major tick lines.
Hide ticks hides the plot outline and all tick marks.

15.3.3.1.3 X and Y-Axis

The 2D plot’s X and Y-Axis properties can be set by using the common x- and y- axis tools.

15.3.3.2 Plot Positioning

The position and rotation of the 2D plot are set using the common base tool.

15.3.3.3 Legend Properties

The 2D legend properties can be adjusted from the sidebar by selecting the legend attached with
the plot and using the common legend tool.

15.3.4 3D Plots
To insert a 3D plot in iris, click the icon, and then click once in the document workspace
to insert a 2D plot box. The 3D plot can be edited by clicking on the image once to move the
position of the entire plot and double clicking to move the image in the 3D plot window. Clicking
on the 3D plot will also bring up the 3D plot properties, which can be adjusted in the sidebar.

15.3.4.1 Plot Properties

All properties of the inserted 3D plot are adjustable in the properties editor at the right side of
the workspace. Properties are grouped into the following categories.

15.3.4.1.1 Data
The different options available for the 3D plot data are set using the common data tool.

15.3.4.1.2 View
The view properties shown in Fig. 15.17 control the visual appearance of the 3D plot and
axes.
Keyframe time can be adjusted using the Time control, with values ranging from 0 to 1.
If the data needs to be displayed at a time that lands between two sequential data sets,
Interpolation will be used to calculate intermediate values. The control allows for linear
interpolation as well as disabling interpolation (nearest neighbor). Interpolation is used for
triangulated data (plots, VTK data) but not for images.
The overall size of the plot may be set with the Size control. Checking Show coordinate
system will cause the axis planes and scales to be displayed; if Show speckle image is checked,
the speckle pattern will appear as a texture on the surface.
124 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.17: View Tool in 3D Plot

15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 125

The rotation angles for the plot about the X, Y and Z axes are set with the α, β, and γ
controls, respectively. They may also be set by double-clicking in the plot and then clicking and
dragging. The rotation angles are animatable.
The font for the numbers labeled on the axis is set with Tick font while the font for the
axis value labels (X, Y, and Z) is set with the Axis label font. Colors for both are set with the
Axis label color.
Positioning of axis and tick labels can be adjusted by setting the Label margin. Changing
the Axis margin affects the distance between the boundaries of the plot and the axis planes.
The boundary ranges (minimum and maximum) for each axis are set with the X range, Y
range, and Z range controls. The X and Y axi s scales are locked; the Z axis has an independent
scaling that may be set with the Z-ratio.
The number of ticks per axis is set by the X tick marks, Y tick marks, and Z tick marks
controls. Colors may be chosen for the Axis (the grid marks displayed on the axis planes),
Plane (the axis planes themselves), and the Material.
Lighting intensity may be adjusted for the Ambient source (the amount of light everywhere in
the scene), the Diffuse source (a diffuse Light source pointed at the surface), and the Specular
source (a direct light which creates shine on the surface).

The material color is only visible if the contour overlay and speckle image display are
disabled. To view only the object without any overlaid data, disable the contour,
speckle, isolines, and coordinate system.

15.3.4.2 Plot Positioning

The position and rotation of the 3D plot are set using the base tool.

15.3.4.3 Legend Properties

The 3D legend properties can be adjusted from the sidebar by selecting the legend attached with
the plot and using the legend tool.

15.3.5 Image Sequences

To add a sequence of images, click the icon on the main toolbar. Import an image sequence
from any source to use in iris animations.
The image sequence properties are set using the data tool in the sidebar. Predefined image
sources (speckle images, calibration images) may be selected; an arbitrary image list may be
chosen by selecting Add Image Sequence from the Iris Tools menu, or by using the sequence
manager.
126 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

If you are selecting images from a DIC experiment, only one camera’s images should
be added for a smooth sequence.

The size and appearance of the image sequence and axes are set using the shared all tools,
while the position and rotation of the image sequence are set using the base tool.
The 2D plot’s X and Y-Axis properties can be set by using the common x- and y- axis tools.

The x/y axis display is off by default because an image sequence only contains pixel
coordinates, not metric data.

15.3.6 Extraction Plots

An extraction plot may be added to an iris document by clicking the icon, and then clicking
once in the document workspace. Extractions available for plotting are listed under the data
panel. The extraction plot can be edited by clicking on the image once to move the position of
the entire plot and double clicking to move the image in the 2D plot window. Clicking on the
extraction plot will also bring up the extraction plot properties, which can be adjusted in the
sidebar.

15.3.6.1 Plot Properties

The extraction plot properties can be adjusted from the sidebar.
Each X/Y data pair shown in the plot will be listed in the Charts tool box, as seen in
Fig. 15.18.
To select the variables for a new or an existing X/Y pair, the X/Y data source and variable
can be selected from the drop-down menus below the list box. Available data sources are:

• Average corresponds to the average value from the entire data set.
• P0, R0, C0, etc. are the values corresponding to inspector tools (points, rectangles,
circles etc).
• Analog data corresponds to CSV data added to the project. This is normally a file
generated by Vic-Snap.

After the variables for X or Y have been selected from the menus, the apply button on the
right must be pressed to apply the changes. Note that the change applies to all X/Y pairs
selected in the list box.
To delete an X/Y pair, the item must first be selected in the list box, followed by pressing
the Delete button.
To add multiple X/Y pairs, select the Multi. . . button. Once selected, the Options for New
Plots dialog will appear with selectable options and extraction objects, shown in Fig. 15.19.
15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 127

Figure 15.18: Charts Tool Box

Figure 15.19: Multiple extraction options dialog.

128 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

New X/Y data pairs can be added to the plot by first selecting the New item in the list box
at the top. Then, the data source and variables can be selected from the drop-down menus and
the new X/Y pair is finally created by clicking the Add button.
Selecting an X/Y data pair plotted will expand he Charts window to customize the color,
line style, line width, and markers placed, as seen in Fig. 15.20.
If Automatic Name is selected the name will be chosen based on the data; if this is cleared
a name may be entered manually and edited with the style tools. If Show in legend is selected
the name will also be displayed in the plot legend.
The interpolation control selects the interpolation (linear or nearest neighbor) used when
the plot is animated.
Line and marker colors, size, and style may be edited with the associated Line and Marker
tools. Markers may be disabled, shown everywhere, or shown only at the end of the plot. If
Running plot is selected, the plot will be displayed up to the current Time, allowing the plot
to be animated.
For line slice plots, additional time controls are displayed as shown in Fig. 15.21. If Animate
Graph is checked the graph time will be the time selected or animated via the all tools. If this
box is cleared, the plot will be displayed for the static time selected in Graph time.

15.3.6.2 Plot Legends

A plot legend may be added to allow easy identification of different data series. The legend tools
are shown in Fig. 15.22.
Display of the legend is controlled by the Show Legend checkbox. The base position and
location may be selected with the Corner and Position alng axis tools; fine adjustments to
this position can be made with the Axis offset controls. Border appearance and style, margins,
fonts, and colors may all also be adjusted here.

The default color for the legend background has an Alpha (opacity) of 0. To make
the background color visible, increase the Alpha value in the color chooser. An Alpha
value of 255 corresponds to fully opaque.

15.3.6.3 All
The height and width of the extraction plot within the plot window as well as the appearance of
the plot and axes are controlled with the shared all tools.

15.3.6.4 X and Y-Axis

The 2D plot X and Y-Axis properties can be set by using the x and y-axis tool.

15.3.6.5 Plot Positioning

The position and rotation of the 2D plot are set using the base tool.
15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 129

Figure 15.20: Chart style tools.

130 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.21: Line slice time tools.

Figure 15.22: Plot legend tools.

15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 131

15.3.7 Text Boxes

Text boxes can be used to add captions, titles, information, and extracted data values to an iris
document. To insert a text box in iris, click the icon, and then click once in the document
workspace to insert a standard box.

15.3.7.1 Text editing

The text may then be edited by double clicking on the text box. Entering a ‘#’ at the beginning
of a line will automatically create a numbered list. Entering ‘-’ or ‘*’ at the beginning of a line
will automatically create a bullet list.

15.3.7.2 Text box tools

Text box properties may be adjusted using the sidebar tools, as shown in Fig. 15.23.

Figure 15.23: Text box tools.

The width and font size can be adjusted here, as well as the text justification.

Select text within the box by holding Shift and using the arrow keys. When text
is selected, font and style options will apply to selected text only; when no text is
selected, the entire text box will be modified.

The Time control refers to the position within the data, when numerical data is present. The
time control is animatable.

15.3.7.3 Inserting data

To display numeric data in the text box, at least one extraction must be present in the project.
You can insert the data at any location within your text by typing ${n}, replacing n with the
index of your desired data source. Text box variables without data shown below in Fig. 15.24.
132 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.24: Text box variables.

Select the extraction from the pulldown, and then choose variables and click Add to add a
data source, shown below in Fig. 15.25.
The data can now be referenced within the text by typing ${0} or ${1}.

15.3.7.4 Text box positioning

The position and rotation of the text box are set using the base tool.

15.3.8 Static Images

To add a static image, click the icon on the main toolbar.
The position and rotation of the image sequence are set using the base tool and are animatable.
The View control at right sets the base size of the image in the workspace.

15.3.9 Drawing Tools

Simple graphical elements can be added using the drawing tools in iris. Ellipses, polylines,
arbitrary polygons, rectangles, and rounded rectangles may be placed and animated as desired.
These elements can also be used for clipping.

• To add an ellipse or rectangle, click the or icon in the main toolbar. Click and then
drag in the workspace to draw the shape. Properties can be adjusted with the View tool
in the toolbar shown in Fig. 15.26.
15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 133

Figure 15.25: Text box variables, with data.

Figure 15.26: The view tool for an ellipse.

134 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

• Rectangles give one additional option for rounded corners, allowing you to adjust the radius
shown in Fig. 15.27.

Figure 15.27: The view tool for a rectangle.

The Line Color controls the color of the outline; the Brush Color controls the fill color.
The thickness of the outline is controlled by the Line Width.

• To add a polyline or polygon, click the icon. Click once in the workspace to define the
first point; click additional points to add, and then double click to finish. Properties are
adjusted with the View tool shown in Fig. 15.28.
To force the polyline segment to 45 degree angles, hold Shift while drawing.

Figure 15.28: The view tool for a polyline.

A polygon may be created by selecting Closed to join the first and last point. Checking the
Fill box will cause the interior area of the polyline to be filled with the brush color. An arrow
style and size may also be selected.
15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 135

15.3.10 Clipping iris Objects

• Using the ellipse or rectangle drawing tool, easily clip any iris objects simply by drawing a
shape over the area within the object to be clipped, selecting the objects and the drawn
shape, and then pressing “C” on the keyboard. Selecting any clipped objects and pressing
shift +“C” will unclip the objects. Objects can also be clipped by using the context menu
shown in Fig. 15.29 when right clicking on two selected objects.

Figure 15.29: The context menu for clipping.

• The before and after effect of clipping can be seen in Fig. 15.30 and Fig. 15.31.

• When clipping objects the scale and the position are animatable.

The clipped object can be animated to show or hide objects as well as bring
focus to certain areas within a 3D plot.

15.3.11 The Base Tool

Each element in iris shares a common set of controls for location, rotation, scale, etc. These
control the placement and size of the object on the page and can be animated to allow motion,
rotation, and zooming. These controls are contained within the Base tool, shown in Fig. 15.32.
The x and y controls set the object location within the page.
The Rotation tool adjusts the rotation angle of the object, in degrees.
The Scale tool scales the object, using the object’s Width and Height settings as a base.
The Depth controls the z-order within the page, determining which objects are displayed on
top of others.
The Opacity control allows objects or background to be seen through the selected object, if
set to less than 1.00. For a fully transparent (invisible) object the value should be set to 0.00.
The Origin controls are used to set the origin of the local coordinate system of the element.
This is the fixed anchor within the element position, rotation, and scaling. Note that changing
136 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.30: Rectangle and ellipse before clipping.

Figure 15.31: Rectangle and ellipse after clipping.

15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 137

Figure 15.32: Base tool.

the origin will result in a movement of the object and it is recommended to set the origin before
any animation of the object position is created. The default origin is different from the top-left
corner for some objects. For instance, 3D plots use the center of the plot as the default origin to
facilitate smooth interactive rotation of the plot.
All properties except depth and origin may be animated.

Since the Depth control is not animatable, clipping of an element may be used to
allow elements behind it to be seen in an animation

For templates to work well with different data and images, it is best to set the object
origin to center on the template pages before positioning the object. This ensures that
the object remain in a reasonable position when the template is applied to different
data with, e.g., different image aspect ratios or data ranges.

15.3.12 The Data Tool

In iris various elements are based on sequential, time-based data. Image sequences, VTK data
sequences, text boxes containing values, and contour plots all have a time element.
Depending on the data source, the data tool will have different options available. Below, the
3D triangulated data plot menu is shown in Fig. 15.33, the 2D triangulated data plot menu is
shown in Fig. 15.34, the 3D marker data plot menu is shown in Fig. 15.35, and the 2D marker
data plot menu is shown in Fig. 15.36.
138 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

15.3.13 Data Tools for Triangulated Data

Triangulated data in iris refers to either correlated data (.OUT files) or to imported model data
(VTP data).

Figure 15.33: Data tool for 3D plot of triangulated data.

For 2D and 3D plots, a Speckle image can be selected. Either the deformed or reference
speckle pattern may be chosen as a texture.
For 3D plots, a Winding control allows selection of clockwise or counterclockwise mesh
winding, or winding direction may be ignored.

Winding refers to the direction in which faces are defined and is used to determine
the illuminated face. Vic-3D data and most mesh data is clockwise wound. If the
direction is unknown, selecting Ignore usually gives a good result.

Show speckle image displays the speckle image along with the contour variable, unchecking
this will show only the color gradient. The Brightness/Contrast slider allows you to adjust
the top slider to control the minimum brightness, and the bottom slider to adjust the minimum
15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 139

and maximum grey values. Show contour enables or disables the contour variable on the 3D
plot. Show isolines enables or disables isolines on the 3D plot, individual isoline settings are
found under the Legend.
Show displacement vectors enables or disables displacement vectors on the 3D plot.
Vector skip, Vector radius, Head size factor, Head length, Length multiplier, and
vector color are all settings specific to the visualization of vectors in iris. Contour opacity
adjusts the opacity levels of the contour variable on the 3D plot. Material color is the color of
the 3D model if the contour variable and speckle image overlay is not enabled.

Figure 15.34: Data tool for 2D plot of triangulated data.

Show speckle image displays the speckle image along with the contour variable, unchecking
this will show only the color gradient. The Brightness/Contrast slider allows you to adjust
the top slider to control the minimum brightness, and the bottom slider to adjust the minimum
and maximum grey values. Show contour enables or disables the contour variable on the 2D
plot. Show isolines enables or disables isolines on the 2D plot, individual isoline settings are
found under the Legend.
Show displacement vectors enables or disables displacement vectors on the 2D plot.
Vector skip, Vector radius, Head size factor, Head length, Length multiplier, and
vector color are all settings specific to the visualization of vectors in iris. Contour opacity
adjusts the opacity levels of the contour variable on the 2D plot. Material color is the color of
the 2D model if the contour variable and speckle image overlay is not enabled.
140 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

15.3.14 Data Tools for Marker Data

In iris, markers may represent either extracted markers (ellipse/bowtie), or plot extraction points.
They are treated and displayed identically once in the iris workspace.
Properties for a single marker may be edited by selecting the marker in the Markers list
and clicking Edit. This will display the Marker Properties dialog.
Show markers displays the markers on the ends of each connection. Marker radius
adjusts the size of the markers on the ends of each connection. Show markers contour
enables or disables the contour variable on markers. Show connections enables or disables the
connections between the markers. Show connection contour enables or disables the contour
variable on the connections between the markers. Marker color is the color of the 3D markers.
Connection color is the color of the connection between the markers. Connection radius
adjusts the size of the connection between the markers. Number of tracers adds phantom
tracers in for the locations of the marker throughout time. Tracer opacity and tracer cut-off
time adjust the opacity of tracers and the length of time they remain.
Show speckle image displays the speckle image along with the contour variable, unchecking
this will show only the color gradient. The Brightness/Contrast slider allows you to adjust
the top slider to control the minimum brightness, and the bottom slider to adjust the minimum
and maximum grey values. Show markers displays the markers on the ends of each connection.
Marker radius adjusts the size of the markers on the ends of each connection. Show markers
contour enables or disables the contour variable on markers. Show connections enables or
disables the connections between the markers. Show connection contour enables or disables
the contour variable on the connections between the markers. Marker color is the color
of the 2D markers. Connection color is the color of the connections between the markers.
Connection line width adjusts the width of the connection between the markers.
The label number format and appearance may be adjusted using the Label controls. Tracers,
trajectory, or both may be displayed. Tracers are an animatable and fading indication of the
prior positions of the marker. The Trajectory indicates the path of the marker. To disable
tracers/trajectory for a single marker, the Marker Properties dialog can be used.

15.3.14.1 Data source

• For 2D, the data source will be project data (.OUT) files, extraction points and data, or
both. The current project’s data is selected by default. An arbitrary data set can be made
available by choosing Add Data Sequence from the Iris Tools menu, or by using the or
by using the sequence manager. The new data will appear in the Data source pulldown.

• For image sequences, a sequence source can be chosen. The Speckle and Calibration image
sets are always available. An arbitrary image set can be made available by choosing Add
Image Sequence from the Iris Tools menu or by using the sequence manager. The
image set will then appear in the Data source pulldown.
When project speckle images are the data source, a Camera Id control appears to allow
display of images from camera 0 or 1.
15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 141

Figure 15.35: Data tool for 3D plot of marker data.

142 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.36: Data tool for 2D plot of marker data.

15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 143

Figure 15.37: Data tool for 2D plot of marker data.

15.3.15 Marker Properties

The marker properties dialog is used to edit marker appearance and labels. It can be displayed
by selecting a marker from the data tool and clicking Edit.
The marker color and radius may be adjusted using the controls at the top of the dialog.
Checking Show contour will cause the marker to be colored in the contour color according to
its value rather than the selected color. Checking Enable tracers/trajectory will enable the
display of tracer and trajectory decorations for the marker; clearing the box will override the
global settings in the Data Tool and hide decorations for this marker.

15.3.15.1 Text editing

The default label for the marker may be edited or overriden using the line editor. Standard tools
are present for bold, italic, underline, sub/superscript, and Greek characters.
The default marker display is marker name : marker value. The formatting and displayed
values may be changed, added, or removed. A list of possible escape codes is displayed at the
bottom of the dialog; double-clicking will insert the appropriate code at the cursor position.
During rendering, the code will be replaced with the evaluated value.
144 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.38: Marker properties dialog.

15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 145

15.3.16 The Legend Tool

The legend tool controls the legend properties for both 2D and 3D plots in iris. This tool affects
the legend itself and also contains controls for the appearance of the attached plot. A 2D legend
is shown below in Fig. 15.39:

Figure 15.39: Plot with legend selected.

Clicking the relevant legend will highlight it with a black border; settings shown in Fig. 15.40
may then be edited using the toolbar at the right.

15.3.16.1 Legend Properties

Contour
The contour properties may be adjusted from the sidebar by selecting the legend attached to
the plot.
The Variable pulldown determines which variable to overlay as a contour plot. The contour
overlay may be hidden by clearing the Show contour box, and the isolines may be hidden by
clearing the Show isolines box.
The range of contour variables (minimum and maximum) is set with the Range controls.
The opacity of the overlay is set with the Opacity control; 0.00 is invisible and 1.00 is fully
opaque.
A variety of color maps may be chosen from the Color map pulldown. The number of levels
is set with the Colors control, and the number of isoline levels is set with the Isolines control.
146 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.40: Legend tool for 3D plot.

15.3. GRAPHIC ELEMENTS 147

The Line color and Line width affect the appearance of the contour legend; the Isoline color
and Isoline width control the appearance of the isolines. The size of the color scale bar is
controlled by the Bar length and Bar width.
The format, color, and font of the contour legend labels are set with Number format, Font,
and Font color.
Legend Positioning
The position and rotation of the legend are set using the base tool.

The contour variable name dispayed near the chart is an editable text box and may
contain variables, etc.

15.3.17 The Variable Tool

The variable tool shown in Fig. 15.41 controls the variable properties for both 2D and 3D plots
in iris.

Figure 15.41: Variable tool for 3D plot.

The Variable tool allows users to add different variables from the extractions created in
the 2D workspace. To add a new variable, first select the extraction plot of interest from the
extraction drop down menu. Once selected, the data source drop down will be populated with
inspect tools used in the extraction. Simply select the inspection tool of interest, the variable
from the variable drop down menu, and select Add. The variables will then be available for use
in the text box. To delete any unwanted variables, simply select the variable to remove and click
Delete.
148 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

To call on a variable from the variable tool, double click the text box and replace the text
with ${. . . }, making sure to put the number corresponding with the variable being recalled from
the variable tool. Once the text has been replaced, click outside the text box to confirm. The
data from the called variable will now appear in the text box.

In order to add or use a variable in the variable tool, the user must first create an
extraction in the 2D workspace.

15.3.18 The Axis Tool

In iris, 2D plots, images, and extractions have associated x- and y-axis ticks and labels. The
placement, format, and style of these axes are controlled with a common Axis tool as shown in
Fig. 15.42.
The Range control sets the axes ranges. For extraction plots, this will be in data units; for
2D plots, the value is in pixels.
To reverse the given axes, check Invert axis
The Ticks label margin adjusts the distance between the plot and the numbered tick
labels.
The Major ticks and Minor ticks boxes control the number of major ticks for the entire
range, and the number of minor ticks between each major tick.
The Tick Font, tick font size pulldown, and Tick Font Color controls affect the numbers
displayed alongside each tick.
Formatting of numerical values is selected with the Ticks Number Format control; select
Scientific notation, Number for positional notation, or Best to select based on data. Precision
can be selected with the adjoining pulldown.
The Label Position pulldown allows top/bottom or left/right placement of the tick label
depending on axis.
The Label Alignment pulldown allows the option of left, right, or center alignment for the
label along the axis. The Label Margin control adjusts the margin between the numbered tick
labels and the axis label.
Checking Hide Label hides the axis label.
IF Automatic Label is selected, the label will match the data. A custom label can be
entered by clearing the checkbox and entering the text in the text edit at the bottom of the axis
control.
The Label Font, font size pulldown, and Label Font Color controls affect the appearance
of the associated axis label. Controls are also available for text formatting and symbol entry,
when using a custom label.

15.4 Working with Sequences

All time-based data in iris is considered to be a sequence. Existing sequences can be viewed and
edited by clicking Sequences Manager under the Iris Tools menu. The sequence manager
15.4. WORKING WITH SEQUENCES 149

Figure 15.42: X and Y Axis Tools.

can be seen below in Fig. 15.43.

Examples of sequence types include:

• Speckle and calibration images

• Triangulated data (output files, VTK data)
• Extraction data
• Image sequences
• Marker tracking data

Sequences may be added by selecting “New”. Once a sequence is added to the iris project,
it may be selected as a data source for the relevant element (images for image sequences,
triangulated data for 3D plots, etc.)
In cases where sequences have a differing number of frames (e.g., if data was only run for
every other image), the Sync: pulldown may be used to synchronize the animation. The relevant
sequences should be synchronized to the sequence with the fewest frames. When objects based
150 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.43: The sequence manager.

on the synchronized sequences are added to the workspace and given the same keyframes and
easing, they will be synchronized to each other in time.

Synchronization is accomplished by referencing associated camera 0 filenames. Because

of this, the synchronization feature is mainly useful with data files (.OUT files) and
corresponding images and extractions.

15.4.1 Mesh Data Sequences

iris supports import of several 3D mesh file formats, including VTP files (VTK polygon data)
and Vic-3D OUT files. VTK is a very flexible package that allows import and conversion of STL,
OUT, or FE mesh files.
Mesh files are added under iris tools dropdown box at the top toolbar, by using “Add File
Sequence” shown in Fig. 15.44. Once selected, the user will be prompted to select a file and then
name the sequence in the “Select Sequence Name” window shown in Fig. 15.45. This sequence
name will be the data source recalled for the 3D plot.
Once the sequence name is given, the dialog window shown in Fig. 15.46 will appear.
Prompting the user for additional information regarding the data source. If “Coordinates are
deformed” is selected, then the displacement variable selection will be disabled.
15.4. WORKING WITH SEQUENCES 151

Figure 15.44: Add File Sequence menu.

Figure 15.45: Selecting sequence name.

To insert a 3D VTK plot in iris, click the icon, and then click once in the document
workspace to insert a 3D plot box. The 3D plot can be edited by clicking on the image once
to move the position of the entire plot and double clicking to move the image in the 3D plot
window.

The data source of the 3D plot may be changed in the plot properties.

15.4.1.1 Plot Properties

The source, interpolation, time, and winding for the mesh data are set using the common data
tool.

15.4.1.2 View
The visual appearance of the 3D plot and axes are set using the shared view tool.

15.4.1.3 Plot Positioning

The position, size, and rotation of the 3D plot are set using the shared base tool.
152 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.46: Edit VTK File Sequence dialog.

15.5 Working with Keyframes

A keyframe in iris is a position within the timeline where a user-defined value is specified.
Examples of values that can be specified are:

• The position within the page of a text box

• The size of a graphic
• The ‘time’ parameter of a data plot

If a property value is specified at two or more keyframes, iris will smoothly interpolate the
value between keyframes to create an animation of text moving, a graphic zooming in, a plot
animating through time, etc. The Interpolation can be linear, or easing options can be selected
for more natural appearing transitions.
Every value or attribute that can be animated using keyframes is indicated with an icon
next to the relevant control, and these attributes are referred to as animatable in this manual.

15.5.1 Adding Keyframes

Keyframes are added by clicking the icon next to the desired value (Here in Fig. 15.47 the
Time attribute for a 3D plot), and selecting Add keyframe from the dropdown.
15.5. WORKING WITH KEYFRAMES 153

Figure 15.47: Time control showing keyframe icon.

A keyframe indicator will appear in the timeline at the bottom of the workspace, shown in
Fig. 15.48.

Figure 15.48: Timeline showing single keyframe.

The keyframe is indicated by time (here, 0 seconds) as well as the element and keyed property
(3D plot, data/time). The entire timeline can be scrolled by clicking and dragging the times at
the top. The current position within the timeline can be adjusted by dragging the small square,
shown in Fig. 15.49:

Figure 15.49: Timeline showing dragging.

On returning to the Time control, the key attribute has been disabled because the timeline
is not currently at a keyframe, shown in Fig. 15.50:

Figure 15.50: Timeline showing dragging.

To insert another keyframe at the new position in the timeline, the icon can be clicked
again and Add keyframe selected. The time attribute becomes editable; here, it has been set to
1.00, shown in Fig. 15.51:
The new keyframe also appears on the timeline, shown in Fig. 15.52.
The document now contains a single element: an animation of a 3D plot of the test data,
from the first frame to the last, with a duration of 5 seconds.
154 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.51: Timeline showing dragging.

Figure 15.52: Timeline showing dragging.

When exporting video, the animation will always begin at the first keyframe regardless
of its position on the timeline. If the first keyframe is placed at 10 seconds, the video
will start immediately there rather than being blank for 10 seconds. Blank video and
transitions may be managed with the Page Transition settings.

There is no limit on the number of keyframes; a third keyframe could be added to

show the data returning to the start position, etc.

15.5.2 Adding more timelines

Multiple different attributes can be animated; each time a new attribute is keyed, a new timeline
is added to the editor. In Fig. 15.53, an animated rotation has been added after the time
animation.

Figure 15.53: Timeline showing dragging.

15.5.3 Animating other items

Multiple items can be animated, and these too will be added to the timeline. If an object with
keyframes is currently selected, the relevant row will be highlighted in red, shown in Fig. 15.54.
A document item may be selected by double-clicking it at the left of the timeline.

Objects which are invisible or behind other items may be easily selected in this way.
15.5. WORKING WITH KEYFRAMES 155

Figure 15.54: Timeline showing dragging.

15.5.4 Keyframe shortcuts

For common operations, adding keyframes can be simplified by selecting a shortcut from the
pulldown.

• For data plots, a simple forward, reverse, or forward-then-reverse animation of the data can
be selected. For instance, “Forward 5s” repeats the operation described above to animate
a 3D plot over 5 seconds, with a single click.

• For most position and miscellaneous attributes, a simple placement of keyframes at common
time intervals can be selected. The values must be adjusted manually.

• For the opacity control, there are predefined fade-in and fade-out settings.

The shortcuts will not overwrite or interfere with existing keyframes; if not enough
blank space is available on the timeline, a warning will be displayed and the timeline
will remain unchanged.

15.5.4.1 Easing Options

To control the interpolation and resulting visual effect for each animation, right-clicking on the
keyframe at the end of the specified animation will allow selecting an easing option.
In animation, easing is used to make motion look more natural. A linear motion with an
instaneous start and stop will appear artificial; adding smooth start and stop, acceleration, or
“bounce” effects can remedy this.
Easing options may be selected by right-clicking the keyframe indicator at the end of the
relevant animation and choosing from the Easing submenu. Six main categories of predefined
easing options are available:
Linear - motion uses linear interpolation only (no easing).
Quad - quadratic curves for motion.
Cubic - cubic curves for motion.
Elastic - ‘spring’ effects.
Bounce - ‘bounce’ effects with rebound.
Back - adds an overshoot.
156 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Each easing option can affect the beginning motion (In), the end motion (Out), both
(InOut), or work from the center out (OutIn).
Selecting Customize allows further customization of the exact parameters of the easing
curve, as well as being a convenient way to preview the nature of each easing curve.

Figure 15.55: Customize Easing Options.

15.6 Document Properties

Each iris document has a set of global properties that control page size, transitions, grid settings,
document defaults, and graph styles. These document properties may be edited by clicking
Document Properties in the Iris Tools menu, or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P.

15.6.1 Page size

A list of standard page sizes can be selected as shown in Fig. 15.56, or a Width and Height
can be entered in the desired units (selected using the pulldown).
15.6. DOCUMENT PROPERTIES 157

Figure 15.56: Page size tab.

15.6.2 Page transitions

The duration of each blank page is controlled with the Empty page duration value. For each
transition, a start and end fade style can be chosen, along with a fade duration. These selections
are shown in Fig. 15.57.

15.6.3 Grid
A grid can be overlaid on the main workspace by checking Show grid, or pressing the “#” key
on the keyboard. Grid spacing and appearance is set by using the controls shown in Fig. 15.58.

15.6.4 Default Settings

Default settings for each iris element may be modified by selecting the desired element from the
Category pulldown. These options are shown in Fig. 15.59.
158 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.57: Page transitions tab.

If the checkbox to the left of a property is clear, a global default will be used. If it is checked,
the value entered will be used for the property for new objects.

15.6.5 Graph Styles

Default settings for each graphing style may be modified within the graph styles tab. Select Ok
to save the changes. These options are shown in Fig. 15.60.

Graph style 12 is reserved for background traces.

15.7. EXPORTING IRIS CONTENT 159

Figure 15.58: Grid tab.

15.7 Exporting iris Content

iris documents may be exported to video by selecting Export video from the iris tools menu, by
clicking the icon in the main iris toolbar, or by pressing the “V” key on the keyboard. The
export content dialog box can be seen in Fig. 15.61.

15.7.1 Output
A filename and folder may be chosen by clicking the folder icon.
Choose a video resolution by selecting from the Video format pulldown; Frame rate allows
selecting from standard frame rates for video, and Quality controls the compression factor and
resulting video quality.
160 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.59: Default settings tab.

Higher resolutions and frame rates will take longer to render and result in larger file
sizes.

The Adaptive motion blur checkbox enables a motion blur for realistic appearing motion.
This is calculated by interpolating a number (Max. blur samples) of frames between each
existing frame. The blurring will be applied when motions greater than the Min. blur length
are present anywhere in the frame.

15.7.2 Global transition Settings

These settings control the display length of an empty page, and the duration and style of the start
and end fades. Clicking the Fade background checkbox will cause the selected background to
be faded in and out as well, rather than static.
15.7. EXPORTING IRIS CONTENT 161

Figure 15.60: Graph styles tab.

15.7.3 Exporting iris Content as a PDF

A PDF of the content created with iris can be exported by selecting Export PDF from the iris
tools menu, by clicking the icon in the main iris toolbar, or by pressing the “E” key on the
keyboard. The export dialog is shown in Fig. 15.62.

15.7.3.1 Output File

The filename for the exported PDF can be entered in the File input box. Clicking the folder
icon allows selection of the output folder.

15.7.3.2 Settings
The Settings box in the export window allows export of All pages, the Current page, or the
current Selection. The resolution for export (in dots per inch) can also be found here.
162 CHAPTER 15. DATA VISUALIZATION IN IRIS

Figure 15.61: iris Export dialog.

15.7. EXPORTING IRIS CONTENT 163

Figure 15.62: iris PDF Export dialog.

The maximum selectable resolution depends on the rendering capability of the PC

and the size of the document.

When Selection is chosen, a scalable SVG file may be created by checking Generate svg
file.

SVG files are scalable and are the best choice for inclusion in Word® documents, etc.

To omit any background present in the page, check Omit background. For SVG export
and when Selection is chosen, the background is always omitted.
If Include children in selection is checked any child objects of the selected object will
also be exported (e.g., contour legends for a data plot.)

To enable SVG export, Inkscape must be installed. Information about Inkscape as

well as the latest installer may be found at inkscape.org.
Chapter 16

Quick Start

There are only a few steps involved in obtaining shape and deformation measurements from your
images. If you are using Vic-2D for the first time, take a look at the example provided with the
program. Then, try to go through the following steps yourself to quickly familiarize yourself
with the program usage:

1. Add a reference image and select your area of interest.

2. Add more speckle images, if applicable.

3. Run the correlation analysis.

4. Plot the results

If you encounter any difficulties, please do not hesitate to contact our technical support
department.

16.1 What’s New in Vic-2D 7

The all-new Iris graphics engine brings a host of new functionality to the already versatile Vic-2D
software. It delivers extremely high resolution still and moving images with multiple page PDFs
or MP4 presentations, all from within. Some of these exciting new features are listed below:

• Create multiple-page, high-resolution, publication-ready plots in PDF and ultra-high-

definition video formats (from 720p to 4K)
• View high-resolution isolines on plots with scalable fonts
• Edit labels with Unicode support
• All new user-friendly graphics engine for animating object position, scale, opacity, rotation,
and much more
• Create high-quality videos using the multi-threaded rendering engine (see iris export)
• Create life-like animations using integrated adaptive motion blurring for fast-moving objects
• Animate object position, scale, opacity, rotation, and much more with an all-new user-
friendly graphics engine

165
166 CHAPTER 16. QUICK START

• Import Finite Element data for visualization and comparison to measurement data into
new graphics framework
Chapter 17

Technical Support

If you cannot find an answer to your question in this manual, please do not hesitate to contact
our technical support at support@correlatedsolutions.com. You can also find contact information
at our web site at www.correlatedsolutions.com.
We will be happy to assist with topics such as:

• Designing digital image correlation experiments

• Calibration
• Troubleshooting errors
• Interpreting test data
• Achieving optimal results

17.1 Bug Reports and Feature Requests

If you encounter a bug in Vic-2D, please let us know about it. Send a short description of the
problem to support@correlatedsolutions.com, along with any project or image files you think
may help us reproduce the bug.
Also, if you think Vic-2D can be improved by adding a particular feature you would find
helpful, let us know about it. We will try to incorporate your requests in our future updates of
the software.

167