Contour Mode
Contours can be displayed as Filled regions (the default), Lines, Filled (with Lines), or they can be completely turned Off. Turning contours Off can be useful when you wish to view information without the contours (e.g. deformation vectors, yielded elements, etc.)
The Materials mode turns off the contours and displays the material colours. This allows the user to check on the material assignments without having to return to the modeler.