Method and system for processing and displaying sheet-metal-forming simulation parameters

In a method for the numerical simulation of sheet-metal-forming processes, performed by a processor of a computing system by means of a simulation program wherein the numerical simulation and further aspects of the operation of the simulation program are controlled by a set of sheet-metal-forming simulation parameters, a method for displaying the sheet-metal-forming simulation parameters, the method comprising the steps of:

• importing, from one or more computer-readable data files stored on a computer-readable medium, result data representing the results of a numerical simulation of a sheet-metal-forming process and active value data representing a set of active values of the parameters used in performing the same numerical simulation;
• importing, from one or more further computer readable data files stored on a computer-readable medium, a representation of a data set defining standard values, that can be used as a reference;
• maintaining in computer storage a set of type flags indicating, for each of the parameters, whether the parameter is of type “standard” or “nonstandard”;
• maintaining in computer storage data representative of one or more display groups, each display group having assigned to it one or more parameters or other display groups;
• by the processor, determining for each of the parameters a status of the parameter, the status being either “compliant” or “noncompliant”, the status being “noncompliant” if and only if the parameter is of type “standard” and if and only if the active value of the parameter is not equal to a standard value of the parameter, as determined by the set defining standard values for the parameter;
• by the processor, determining for each of one or more display groups the status of the display group, the status being “noncompliant” if and only if the status of at least one of the parameters or other display groups assigned to the display group is “noncompliant”;
• displaying on a display device of the computing system, in a graphical user interface (GUI), at least one of
• graphical user interface elements showing the active values of the parameters, and
• graphical user interface elements associated with a display group;
• displaying on the display device, in the graphical user interface, for each of the graphical user interface elements, a visual indication of the status of the corresponding parameter or display group;
• and
• displaying on the display device, in the graphical user interface, a graphical representation of the result data.