Distributions and Group Characteristic Lines/Maps (ESDL)

Characteristic lines and maps can be related to each other by using the same set of sample points. In ASCET, such a shared set of sample point is modeled as a distribution, characteristic lines/maps that use the sample points in a distribution are referred to as group characteristic lines/maps.

A distribution is an array of sample points. Unless specified otherwise in the Editors \ Calibration \ Table Editors node of the ASCET options window, the sequence must be strictly increasing. Distributions can be used for characteristic lines and maps. Characteristic maps require a distribution for each dimension.

Using distributions and group characteristic lines/maps can significantly reduce the time and memory required for computations since interpolation factors are computed only once and can be reused over a set of characteristic lines/maps.

Adding a group characteristic lines/maps in the ESDL Editor consists of first adding a distribution and then a group characteristic lines/maps. When the group characteristic lines/maps is added, the system prompts for the corresponding distribution. Since the ESDL Editor cannot be used to reassign distributions to existing group characteristic lines/maps, distributions should always be created before adding the tables.

Like normal and fixed characteristic lines/maps, distributions and group characteristic lines/maps are adaptive in ESDL, i.e. methods are available that can be used to alter the characteristic line/map during execution of a function without user interaction. The methods are listed in Public Interface of Distributions and Group Characteristic Lines/Maps.

The table editor can be used to edit the data of both distributions and group characteristic lines/maps. Data can also be filed in from tab-delimited ASCII files.