Etap Plot Manager | 2024 |

1. Core Identity: What Plot Manager Really Is

| Tab | Parameter | What it actually does | |------|-----------|------------------------| | | "Interpolation method" | For unequal time steps (e.g., variable-step TS solver), chooses linear (fast) vs. cubic spline (smooth but may overshoot). | | Axes | "Synchronize X-axis across all plots" | Locks pan/zoom so that when you scroll time on one rotor angle plot, all other plots move identically – essential for fault analysis. | | Legend | "Show at cursor position" | Floating legend that follows mouse – saves screen space. | | Annotations | "Add stability margin line" | For voltage stability, draws a horizontal line at 0.8 p.u. with a label "Undervoltage threshold". | | Export | "Batch to PDF – one plot per page" vs. "N-up" | Creates report-ready compilations. | etap plot manager

| Misconception | Reality | |----------------|---------| | "Plot Manager stores results" | No – it stores pointers to results. Results are in .rps or the project database. | | "You need to re-run the study to change plot scales" | False – after a plot is created, you can change axes, colors, labels, even the plotted variable (if the result file contains that variable). | | "Only time-series plots are supported" | False – Plot Manager handles bar, scatter, polar (for relay characteristics), and 3D surface (for contingency analysis). | | "Plots are static" | Actually, right-click > Animate will cycle through time steps in a transient stability plot (shows waveform evolution). | | | Axes | "Synchronize X-axis across all

At its simplest, the ETAP Plot Manager is a centralized output management module. But conceptually, it is far more: it is a that decouples result computation from result presentation . Unlike traditional tools where you re-run a study to see updated graphs, Plot Manager stores plot definitions (metadata: what data, on what element, for which study, with what axes) separately from the raw simulation results. with a label "Undervoltage threshold"