To create or edit a display group, you can perform Boolean operations on selected model components and the contents of the current viewport. ABAQUS/CAE offers the following Boolean operations in the Display Group toolset: Replace, Add, Remove, Intersect, and Either.
As an example of a simple Boolean operation, assume the current viewport shows the entire model. If you select a single element set and then apply the Remove operation, that element set is eliminated from the display in the current viewport.
For each Boolean operation you perform to create or edit a display group, you can select only one type of model component: part instances, geometry (cells, faces, or edges), datum geometry (points, axes, planes, or coordinate systems), elements, nodes, surfaces, previously saved display groups, or the entire model. For a given display group, ABAQUS/CAE initially assumes that you want to include all nodes connected to all elements in the group. However, if you select particular nodes, all subsequent operations on that display group include only the nodes you have selected.
An explanation of each of the Boolean operations follows. In the icons below, the circle on the left represents the items in the current viewport; the circle on the right represents your selection. The cross-hatching represents the resulting display group. All of these Boolean operations except the last one, Replace All, are available in the Create Display Group dialog box; the toolbar provides access to the Replace, Remove, and Replace All Boolean operations.
Replace
Use the Replace operator to replace the current viewport contents with your selection.
Add
Use the Add operator to add your selection to the current viewport contents.
Remove
Use the Remove operator to remove your selection from the current viewport contents. If your selection includes one or more elements or surfaces, the nodes connected to those items are also removed, provided that you have not specifically operated to include those nodes in the display group.
Intersect
Use the Intersect operator to display only those items common to your selection and the display in the current viewport.
Either
Use the Either operator to display only model components that are either in your selection or in the current viewport but not in both.
Replace All
Use the Replace All operator to replace your display group and display all entities in the current viewport.
