[Paraview] LiveInsituLink proxy in pvpython client

[Kolja Petersen]

More questions below...

On Thu, Oct 26, 2017 at 5:54 PM, Andy Bauer <andy.bauer at kitware.com> wrote:

> I inlined some answers below...
>
> On Wed, Oct 25, 2017 at 1:42 PM, Kolja Petersen <petersenkolja at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Thank you, Andy,
>> unfortunately your answer has shown me how little I understand about
>> Catalyst. But maybe it leads in the right direction after some work from my
>> side.
>>
>> Just to make sure that we are talking about the same thing: My pvpython
>> client is supposed to automate some of the visualization functionality of
>> the paraview GUI. The coprocessing.py is in charge of the other side of the
>> link, namely to provide data to the visualization side, if I understand
>> correctly? I rather followed what happens in the constructor
>> pqLiveInsituVisualizationManager::pqLiveInsituVisualizationManager(int
>> connection_port, pqServer* server), which creates a
>> vtkSMLiveInsituLinkProxy, not a vtkLiveInsituLink as coprocessing.py.
>>
>
> Yes, coprocessing.py should only be used on the simulation side.
>

So, did you suggest, coprocessing.py could also help to develop the
visualization side? If yes, how? Or was my first email too unclear, so that
my intention was not obvious?


>
>>
>> Now I saw that the vtkLiveInsituLink class can have ProcessType LIVE (for
>> the visualization side? as server side object of the proxy created by
>> paraview?) or INSITU (for the simulation side?). So apparently the same
>> class can take both roles? If yes, that'd clarify some of my confusion. But
>> still I don't see how coprocessing.py helps me to implement a python
>> visualization client?
>>
>>
> Yes, the same class does work in both roles with the LIVE ProcessType
> being the visualization side and the INSITU being the simulation side.
> Things get a little murkier when there is a separate pvserver from the
> client that connects to the simulation.
>

What do you mean by "murkier"? Paraview also uses a proxy (to a
vtkLiveInsituLink instance either on a pvserver or on the builtin server),
not  the class itself. Do you have an easier solution (C++ or python) by
using vtkInsituLink directly?

Are there any design documents from Kitware that show the timings and
message exchange between Catalyst, pvserver and Paraview (or other
clients)? I don't know Kitware's publishing policies. My impression was
always that you are not just developing the Paraview application but also
an open source visualization programming framework. Maybe I'm wrong, but I
am missing some kind of "Paraview Programming Guide" that goes beyond a
User's Guide, to enable others understand the concepts behind Paraview and
contribute at a deeper level than just adding filters and data processing
algorithms.
Anyway, thanks for your explanations, although I couldn't make much
progress.
Kolja
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