Created in COMSOL Multiphysics 6.

Curve Digitizer

This Application is licensed under the COMSOL Application License 6.2.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. See www.comsol.com/trademarks.
Introduction
It is useful to digitize or extract curves in printed images when numerical values are not
accessible. This application provides an easy way to digitize a variety of 1D plots with
different axes in Cartesian or Polar coordinate systems.

User Interface
The following image shows the application’s user interface and explains the main
components of the Curve Digitizer application.
Step 1: Import an image
Step 2: Select coordinate system
Step 3: Set axis and tick marks
Step 4: Add new curve and define curve points
Step 5: Export curve data

Visualization of imported and digitized curves

Curve list and coordinates of the selected curve

Switch on and pick a point as axis tick mark

Set the coordinate value of the tick mark
Example of axis tick mark setting

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Using the Curve Digitizer App

STEP 1: IMPORT AN IMAGE

By default, the application starts with an example curve image. To import a new one, click
Import Image and choose File, then select an image file in the Improt dialog. There are also
several other built-in image examples to help you get started easily.

STEP 2: SELECT COORDINATE SYSTEM

The application supports both Cartesian (one y-axis or two y-axes) and Polar coordinate
system. The default is the Cartesian coordinate system with one y-axis.

STEP 3: SET AXES AND TICK MARKS

In this step, define axis tick marks according to the schematic figure shown at the bottom
of the Axis Settings panel. To define a tick mark, do as follows:

1 Switch on the toggle button of an axis tick mark in the Axis Settings panel.
2 Click the corresponding axis tick mark on the imported image in the Graphics window.
By default, the tick mark point with annotation will show in the Graphics window.
3 Give a value to the corresponding tick mark.

Repeat steps 1–3 to set all tick marks.

Finally, check x-axis log scale, y-axis log scale, or Secondary y-axis log scale if the x-axis,
y-axis, or secondary y-axis is defined on a logarithmic scale.

STEP 4: ADD NEW CURVE AND DEFINE CURVE POINTS

Add a new curve and define data points by clicking the curve shown in the Graphics
window. A new curve can be added by clicking the Add New Curve ribbon button or the
Add toolbar button at the bottom of the Curves section. The data points can be added one
at a time by clicking the Add Curve Point ribbon button or be added continuously by
selecting the Keep Adding toggle ribbon button. The coordinates of the added points are
shown in the table in the Coordinates section.

You can delete a specific point by selecting the Pick and Delete Point ribbon button and
then clicking around that point. The data points can also be easily reordered, deleted, or
cleared by clicking the toolbar items located at the bottom of the Coordinates table. You
can add curves and points as many as you want.

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STEP 5: EXPORT CURVE DATA
All the digitized curves and data points can be exported to an MPH-file or a text file by
clicking the Export ribbon button. You can also save the data points table of the selected
curve as a text file by clicking the Save toolbar button under the Coordinates table.

Advanced Usage of the Curve Digitizer App

DEFINE CURVE AS INTERPOLATION FUNCTION

It is useful to define a curve as an Interpolation Function when the curve describes a material
property. To do this, check the Define curve as an interpolation function in the dialog when
creating or editing a monotonic curve. Three interpolation methods — Linear, Piecewise
cubic, and Cubic spline — are available for defining a curve. This function does not support
Polar coordinate systems.

DIGITIZE CURVES IN A DEFORMED IMAGE

The app can digitize curves from a deformed (rotated, stretched, or squeezed) image in a
Cartesian coordinate system. The procedures are the same as those described before. For a
Polar coordinate system, the app supports digitizing curves in rotated images, but not in
stretched or squeezed images.

Application Library path: COMSOL_Multiphysics/Applications/curve_digitizer

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