Position Graphics for Report (OutTol Column)

Position Graphics for Report (OutTol Column)

There are two different position graphics that can be displayed in the OutTol column. These graphics are for True and Bilateral Position reports which can be found in the GD&T section of the Report ribbon bar. To display these graphics they must be enabled in preferences. Details to enable this preference can be found under the section of this page labeled "Preference Options". True and Bilateral Position graphics are only displayed for particular features. Details on which features are compatible, an further explanation of the graphics, and export details can be found below.  

True Position Graphics

Circle

The circle true position graphic has one indicator (dot) to show the circle's position. This graphic helps to visualize the scale and direction of the true position deviation of the actual circle from the nominal/reported circle. A few images of the true position graphic for circle can be seen below.
Explanation of graphic features:
  1. Target Center
    1. This represents the reported, or nominal, position of the circle
  2. Position Indicator (Gray dot)
    1. The actual position of the circle relative to the reference frame that was used for reporting
  3. Target Diameter
    1. The diameter of the circle graphic represents the tolerance value that is also displayed in the UpTol column
    2. A position indicator inside the circle, the white portion, is in tolerance, while a position indicator outside the circle, the colored portion, is out of tolerance
  4. Background Color
    1. Represents the deviation to tolerance percentage similar to the color bar. The colors correspond the tolerance colors set in the preference
It is often beneficial to display the coordinate deviation for the true position report to further understand true position deviation. The coordinate deviation will also display which reference frame axes are used for the deviation. The first deviation, which will either be X or Y axis and is shown as dx or dy in the coordinate deviation line, is used for the horizontal portion of the graphic. The second deviation, which will be Y or Z axis and is shown as dy or dz in the coordinate deviation line, is used for the vertical portion of the graphic. The direction of the target center to the position indicator will always be correct in order to understand the deviation direction. 
Notes
If the deviation is within tolerance, the scale of the position indicator to the target center will be correct relative to the tolerance value; however, if the deviation is significantly out of tolerance, the scale will be shrunk in order to ensure that the dot is displayed in the graphic. The second report in the image above has a large deviation, but the position indicator is still viewable. This allows the direction that the true position is off to be visualized

Cone and Cylinder

The cylinder and cone true position graphics is the same as the circle true position graphics with an additional indicator. An image of the cylinder and cone true position graphic can be seen below.

  1. Dot Position Indicator
    1. The actual base point position of the cylinder or cone
  2. "X" Position Indicator
    1. Length point of the cylinder or cone
    2. Defined by the base point, the axis vector, and the reference length of the cylinder or cone
By displaying both of these indicators, the skew of the axis can be visualized to better understand the true position of the cylinder. The background color and out of tolerance status is based on the point with the largest deviation whose value is displayed in the Dev column of the report. The coordinate deviation is also based on the point that is most out of tolerance. There is no way to get the deviation of the other point.

The image below shows a cylinder with the base point, marked as a black dot, and the length point, marked as a black "X". The red cylinder is defined as a cylinder with the same base point, axis vector, and reference length as the nominal cylinder, but with a diameter of the tolerance value. The black dashed line represents the cylinder axis. Think of the report graphic above as a top down view of this image where the graphics circle is the top/bottom of the red cylinder and everything else projected onto the plane of that circle. 

Bilateral Position Graphic

The bilateral position graphic is displayed for bilateral position reports when the feature is a cone, cylinder, or any type of slot. Some examples of the report for cylinder and slot features can be seen below.

  1. Dashed Line
    1. Reported reference frame axis from the position of the feature
  2. Solid Thinner lines
    1. Out of tolerance border lines that are half a tolerance value away from the dashed line
    2. The tolerance value is displayed in the UpTol value
  3. Dot Indicators
    1. Cylinder and cone
      1. The left dot is the position indicator for the base point of the actual cylinder or cone while the right one is the position indicator for the length point of the actual cylinder or cone
    2. Slots
      1. Represent the positions of either end of the actual slot
  4. Solid Thicker Line
    1. Connects the two dot position indicators. This represents the axis of the feature
  5. "X" Indicator
    1. Represents the center point of the feature. This is useful to understand the skew of the position
  6. Background Color
    1. Represents the deviation to tolerance percentage similar to the color bar. The colors correspond the tolerance colors set in the preferences
When looking at this graphic it is important to understand the perspective from which to view it. Bilateral tolerance report uses a reference frame and axis selection to create the report. The view plane is that of the selected axis and the axis that is closest to nominal axis of the feature. The axis selected in the bilateral position report is used for comparison, the dotted line, to that of the feature axis, the solid line. 
Notes
The feature line slope is not value accurate but is correct in being either positive or negative slope allowing for visualization of the skew 
Notes
The dots will not be on the screen if the positions are significantly out of tolerance. The line may still be visible if it crosses over the reported nominal axis  
The image below helps to further understand how this graphic is made. The dashed blue line is the reference frame axis that is used to report, in this case it is the Z axis that is used as a reference. The red lines represent the tolerance lines. The dashed black line represents the actual feature axis. In this case the Y was selected in the bilateral position report, thus we are viewing the features from the YZ plane as depicted by the green and blue Y and Z axes.

Preference Options

Position Graphics are display in the OutTol column of applicable reports when the the "Show Position Graphics" option is enabled. This option can be found one the Preference>General>Report>More>Others page under the OutTol column. This preference option can be seen in the red rectangle below.

Notes
When enabling this preference with an existing program report items may need to be recreated in order to see the graphics in Teach-On mode
When this option is enabled and when a report item has an applicable graphic, the graphic will overwrite the option set in the OutTol Column dropdown in preferences within the built in CMM-Manager report.

Exporting Graphics

The True and Bilateral Position graphics will be exported if they are in the CMM-Manager report for PDF and HTML. Other reports will export according to the preference set in the dropdown (Color Bar, Tolerance String, or None). 

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