[Paraview] Suggested format for open unstructured CFD including surface geometry?

Samuel Key samuelkey at bresnan.net
Wed Aug 26 19:12:29 EDT 2009


Adriano,

I use the EnSight Gold binary formats with PV for unstructured mesh, 3-D 
  solid models where the mesh deforms with time.  I actually put out two 
file sets: (1) a time=0.0 file set that contains the mesh, and node-sets 
and surface-facet-sets that are to be used with BC's, along with initial 
condition information, and (2) a transient results datum-set from the 
actual dynamic impact calculations.  In each case, I use the Ensight 
'part'-construct to place all of these in a single datum-set.  Each 
material domain (or in your case it could be mesh sub-domains of your 
choosing) is a separate EnSight "part."

The Extract Block filter can then be used to isolate just those parts 
you want to display/postprocess.

The time=0.0 file is used to check the mesh, BC's, and initial velocity 
fields when present -- a huge help in debugging a complex finite element 
model.

I have attached a Fortran-90 file that implements all of this.

Enjoy,

Sam Key

Adriano Gagliardi wrote:
> This is something I assumed they were doing, but with the limited experience
> I have using FieldView I was never sure. As you said, Tecplot and Ensight
> appear to do well enough with their open formats, and if I'm correct are
> cheaper per licence too. (On a side note, having used them both extensively
> and realise their individual merits, I believe ParaView is at least as
> capable as them both, but with more potential.)
> 
> I didn't realise that there already existed a converter in OpenFOAM to
> FieldView format. I'll take a look and keep you posted, but it may be a week
> or so before I get round to working on it.
> 
> Adriano
> 
> p.s. Ensight Gold is a solid format from my own experience and most packages
> can handle it.
> 
> ===================================
> 
> Adriano Gagliardi MEng PhD
> Project Scientist
> Computational Aerodynamics
> Aircraft Research Association Ltd.
> Manton Lane
> Bedford
> 
> Tel: 01234 32 4644
> E-mail: agagliardi at ara.co.uk
> Url: www.ara.co.uk 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: A. Austen [mailto:metallurgist at airpost.net] 
> Sent: 21 August 2009 23:10
> To: Adriano Gagliardi; Bastil2001 at yahoo.de; 'ParaView'
> Subject: RE: [Paraview] Suggested format for open unstructured CFD including
> surface geometry?
> 
> On Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:39 +0100, "Adriano Gagliardi"
> <agagliardi at ara.co.uk> wrote:
>> I was intending on writing a FieldView reader, but I couldn't find any 
>> documentation describing its formats.
> 
> This is by deliberate action of the company that makes FieldView,
> "Intelligent Light."  The documentation for the FieldView file formats is
> part of the overall documentation set which is expressly distributed under
> an "End User License Agreement" that forbids the dissemination of covered
> materials to non-licensees.  They believe that making their file formats
> open gives their competition an advantage.  I can't say that I even remotely
> agree with this (EnSight andTecplot, are just a couple of counterexamples),
> but they are probably not going to change their minds until their licensed
> users get upset and organized about lobbying them on this issue.  This is
> why I'm interested in writing a translator for my own use, so I'm not
> forever stuck with only one visualization/post-processing tool for my
> datasets.
> 
> So the consensus is that I should target the EnSight file format?  I'm
> looking at their documentation now...
> 
>  
>> ===================================
>>
>> Adriano Gagliardi MEng PhD
>> Project Scientist
>> Computational Aerodynamics
>> Aircraft Research Association Ltd.
>> Manton Lane
>> Bedford
>>
>> Tel: 01234 32 4644
>> E-mail: agagliardi at ara.co.uk
>> Url: www.ara.co.uk
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: paraview-bounces at paraview.org
>> [mailto:paraview-bounces at paraview.org]
>> On Behalf Of Bastil2001 at yahoo.de
>> Sent: 20 August 2009 21:11
>> To: A. Austen; 'ParaView'
>> Subject: Re: [Paraview] Suggested format for open unstructured CFD 
>> including surface geometry?
>>
>> Ensight is quite a common format. However I would be very interested 
>> in having a Fieldview-Reader for Paraview...
>>
>> Regards BastiL
>>
>> A. Austen schrieb:
>>> Hello all.
>>>
>>> I'm interested in using ParaView  to view unstructured CFD solutions. 
>>> I'm currently using a proprietary flow solver which outputs results 
>>> in FieldView-Unstructured format.  The nice thing about that format 
>>> is that it allows the inclusion of not just the solution grid, but 
>>> also all the boundary surface geometry.
>>>
>>> However, I'm not crazy about being stuck with FieldView as my only 
>>> option, so I'd like to write a translator to output an equivalent 
>>> dataset in a more open format.  I've looked at CGNS, but it expects 
>>> the user to link to external CAD files to provide the surface 
>>> geometry.  Is there a recommended file format supported by VTK that 
>>> is well-documented which includes the capability to include the 
>>> surface geometry as a triangular surface mesh?  The geometric body 
>>> definitions in my existing FieldView-Unstructured files consist of 
>>> triangular surface meshes, a la FACET or STL, and in fact starts out 
>>> as a FACET input into the flow solver.
>>>
>>>   
>> _______________________________________________
>> Powered by www.kitware.com
>>
>> Visit other Kitware open-source projects at 
>> http://www.kitware.com/opensource/opensource.html
>>
>> Please keep messages on-topic and check the ParaView Wiki at:
>> http://paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView
>>
>> Follow this link to subscribe/unsubscribe:
>> http://www.paraview.org/mailman/listinfo/paraview
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------
>> This email contains information that is private and confidential and 
>> is intended only for the addressee.  If you are not the intended 
>> recipient please delete it and notify us immediately by e-mailing the
> sender.
>> Note: All email sent to or from this address may be accessed by 
>> someone other than the recipient, for system management and security
> reasons.
>> Aircraft Research Association Ltd.  Registered in England, 
>> Registration No 503668 Registered Office: Manton Lane, Bedford MK41 
>> 7PF England VAT No GB 196351245
>>
>>
> 
> --
> http://www.fastmail.fm - Access all of your messages and folders
>                           wherever you are
> 
> 
> ---------------------------
> This email contains information that is private and confidential and is intended only for the addressee.  If you are not the intended recipient please delete it and notify us immediately by e-mailing the sender.
> Note: All email sent to or from this address may be accessed by someone other than the recipient, for system management and security reasons.
> Aircraft Research Association Ltd.  Registered in England, Registration No 503668 Registered Office: Manton Lane, Bedford MK41 7PF England VAT No GB 196351245
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Powered by www.kitware.com
> 
> Visit other Kitware open-source projects at http://www.kitware.com/opensource/opensource.html
> 
> Please keep messages on-topic and check the ParaView Wiki at: http://paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView
> 
> Follow this link to subscribe/unsubscribe:
> http://www.paraview.org/mailman/listinfo/paraview
> 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: zzz.f.gz
Type: application/x-gzip
Size: 16765 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www.paraview.org/pipermail/paraview/attachments/20090826/5e205ba9/attachment-0001.bin>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: samuelkey.vcf
Type: text/x-vcard
Size: 282 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www.paraview.org/pipermail/paraview/attachments/20090826/5e205ba9/attachment-0001.vcf>


More information about the ParaView mailing list