Visualization Script Examples

This page presents a comparison of ParaView, Visit, and Ensight scripting for the same analysis problem.

Conceptual description of problem analysis steps

 Open c:\myDirectory\data\can.exo
 Change geometry to look down the +X axis
 clip
 snapshot to c:\myDirectory\snapshots\picture1.jpg

Ensight Record file Script for problem

 VERSION 8.26
 prefs: user_defined_input OFF
 prefs: macro_panel ON
 prefs: part_panel ON
 prefs: user_input_zoomsens 1.000000
 prefs: user_input_postranssens 1.000000
 prefs: user_input_valtranssens 1.000000
 prefs: user_input_rotateusing mixed_mode
 prefs: user_input_rotatesens 1.000000
 prefs: user_defined_input OFF
 prefs: macro_panel ON
 prefs: part_panel ON
 prefs: user_input_zoomsens 1.000000
 prefs: user_input_postranssens 1.000000
 prefs: user_input_valtranssens 1.000000
 prefs: user_input_rotateusing mixed_mode
 prefs: user_input_rotatesens 1.000000
 data: binary_files_are big_endian
 data: format MultiExodusII
 data: reader_option 'Use distribution factors' ON
 data: reader_option 'Ignore side sets' OFF
 data: reader_option 'Ignore node sets' OFF
 data: reader_option 'Use node and element maps' ON
 data: reader_option 'Verbose mode' OFF
 data: reader_option 'Use higher-order elements' ON
 data: reader_option 'Ignore constant variables' OFF
 data: reader_option 'NaN filter input data' ON
 data: reader_option 'Clip overlapping timesteps' OFF
 data: reader_option 'Autodetect spatial decomp' OFF
 data: reader_option 'Use undef value for missing vars' ON
 data: reader_option 'Ignore elment attribute vars' OFF
 data: reader_option 'Epsilon' 1.000000e+000
 data: reader_option 'Scale factor' 1.000000e+000
 data: shift_time 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000
 data: replace C:/alan/demos/Training/can.ex2
 view_transf: view_recall +Y
 view_transf: view_recall -Y
 clip: select_default
 part: modify_begin
 clip: tool plane
 clip: plane 1 -4.727466e+000 -9.445257e-001 -5.110948e+000
 clip: plane 2 5.161586e+000 -9.445257e-001 -5.110948e+000
 clip: plane 3 5.161586e+000 8.944526e+000 -5.110948e+000
 part: modify_end
 tools: plane ON
 clip: select_default
 part: modify_begin
 clip: domain inside
 clip: tool plane
 part: modify_end
 view_transf: function plane
 view_transf: axis y
 view_transf: rotate 0.000000e+000 -9.000000e+001 0.000000e+000
 frame: select_begin
 0
 frame: select_end
 part: select_begin
  1 2
 part: select_end
 clip: begin
 clip: domain inside
 clip: tool plane
 clip: plane 1 2.170597e-001 -1.008669e+000 -1.011961e+001
 clip: plane 2 2.170605e-001 -1.008669e+000 -1.022791e-001
 clip: plane 3 2.170605e-001 9.008667e+000 -1.022791e-001
 clip: end
 clip: create
 part: select_begin
  6 7
 part: select_end
 part: modify_begin
 clip: domain outside
 clip: tool plane
 part: modify_end
 file: image_format jpg
 file: image_format_options Quality 75
 anim_recorders: render_offscreen ON
 file: image_numpasses 1
 file: image_stereo current
 file: image_screen_tiling 1 1
 file: image_file C:\alan\work\junk6\deleteMe5.jpg
 file: save_image

ParaView XML Record and Save State Files for Sample Problem

ParaView Record File

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<pqevents>
  <pqevent object="MainWindow/menubar/menuFile/menuRecentFiles" command="activate" arguments="C:\alan\demos\Training\can.ex2" />
  <pqevent object="MainWindow/objectInspectorDock/1pqProxyTabWidget0/qt_tabwidget_stackedwidget/objectInspector/ScrollArea/qt_scrollarea_viewport/PanelArea/Editor/Variables/1QHeaderView0" command="mousePress" arguments="1,1,0,0,0,0" />
  <pqevent object="MainWindow/objectInspectorDock/1pqProxyTabWidget0/qt_tabwidget_stackedwidget/objectInspector/ScrollArea/qt_scrollarea_viewport/PanelArea/Editor/Variables/1QHeaderView0" command="mouseRelease" arguments="1,0,0,0,0,0" />
  <pqevent object="MainWindow/objectInspectorDock/1pqProxyTabWidget0/qt_tabwidget_stackedwidget/objectInspector/Accept" command="activate" arguments="" />
  <pqevent object="MainWindow/cameraToolbar/1QToolButton3" command="activate" arguments="" />
  <pqevent object="MainWindow/commonFilters/1QToolButton2" command="activate" arguments="" />
  <pqevent object="MainWindow/objectInspectorDock/1pqProxyTabWidget0/qt_tabwidget_stackedwidget/objectInspector/Accept" command="activate" arguments="" />
  <pqevent object="MainWindow/menubar/menuFile" command="activate" arguments="actionFileSaveScreenshot" />
  <pqevent object="MainWindow/FileSaveScreenshotDialog" command="filesSelected" arguments="C:/alan/work/junk6/deleteMe4" />
</pqevents>

The ParaView state file is too big an complicated to bother to list here.

Paraview Python Script with PVFWrap

import PVStartup
from paraview import servermanager as SM
from PVFWrap import *
if (PVStartup.GUIClient == 0): connection = SM.Connect()
my_reader = ExodusIIReader("can2.exo")
my_clip = Clip(my_reader, clip_function="Plane")
my_view = CreateRenderView()
my_clip_rep = CreateRepresentation(my_reader, my_view)
my_view.WriteImage('canclip.png', 'vtkPNGWriter', 1)

Some notes:

• I didn't actually run the script for this data, so a couple things are missing. I'll update this after I grab the data.
• The clip is not completely defined, so I picked a plane.
• The first four lines could probably be condensed, but I'd rather not hide the connection step.

Visit XML GUI and State Files

VisIt XML GUI File

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Object name="VisIt">
    <Field name="Version" type="string">1.9.1</Field>
    <Object name="GUI">
        <Object name="FileServerList">
            <Field name="path" type="string">C:\\alan\\demos\\Training</Field>
            <Field name="filter" type="string">*</Field>
            <Field name="useCurrentDir" type="bool">false</Field>
            <Field name="automaticFileGrouping" type="bool">true</Field>
            <Field name="smartFileGrouping" type="bool">true</Field>
            <Object name="recentpaths">
                <Field name="localhost" type="stringVector">"C:\\Program%32Files\\LLNL\\VisIt%321.9.1" "C:\\Program%32Files\\LLNL\\VisIt%321.9.1\\data" "C:\\Program%32Files\\LLNL" "C:\\Program%32Files" "C:" "C:\\alan" "C:\\alan\\demos" "C:\\alan\\demos\\Training" </Field>
            </Object>
        </Object>
        <Object name="AppearanceAttributes">
            <Field name="background" type="string">#ece9d8</Field>
            <Field name="foreground" type="string">#000000</Field>
            <Field name="fontName" type="string">Helvetica,12,-1,5,50,0,0,0,0,0</Field>
            <Field name="style" type="string">windows</Field>
            <Field name="orientation" type="int">0</Field>
        </Object>
        <Field name="postWhenShown" type="bool">false</Field>
        <Object name="File open">
            <Field name="x" type="int">44</Field>
            <Field name="y" type="int">58</Field>
            <Field name="width" type="int">654</Field>
            <Field name="height" type="int">476</Field>
            <Field name="visible" type="bool">false</Field>
        </Object>
        <Object name="File selection">
            <Field name="x" type="int">88</Field>
            <Field name="y" type="int">115</Field>
            <Field name="width" type="int">895</Field>
            <Field name="height" type="int">437</Field>
            <Field name="visible" type="bool">false</Field>
        </Object>
        <Object name="Help">
            <Field name="x" type="int">-4</Field>
            <Field name="y" type="int">-4</Field>
            <Field name="width" type="int">1600</Field>
            <Field name="height" type="int">1110</Field>
            <Field name="visible" type="bool">true</Field>
            <Field name="activeTab" type="int">1</Field>
        </Object>
        <Object name="Information">
            <Field name="x" type="int">66</Field>
            <Field name="y" type="int">87</Field>
            <Field name="width" type="int">566</Field>
            <Field name="height" type="int">281</Field>
            <Field name="visible" type="bool">false</Field>
        </Object>
        <Object name="Set save options">
            <Field name="x" type="int">22</Field>
            <Field name="y" type="int">29</Field>
            <Field name="width" type="int">395</Field>
            <Field name="height" type="int">584</Field>
            <Field name="visible" type="bool">false</Field>
            <Field name="posted" type="bool">false</Field>
        </Object>
        <Object name="MainWin">
            <Field name="x" type="int">0</Field>
            <Field name="y" type="int">0</Field>
            <Field name="width" type="int">400</Field>
            <Field name="height" type="int">1102</Field>
            <Field name="SPLITTER_VALUES" type="floatVector">0.296618 0.296618 0.395169 </Field>
        </Object>
        <Field name="plotDatabases" type="stringVector">"localhost:C:\\alan\\demos\\Training\\can.ex2" </Field>
        <Object name="TimeFormat">
            <Field name="displayMode" type="string">Cycles</Field>
            <Field name="precision" type="int">5</Field>
        </Object>
        <Field name="showSelectedFiles" type="bool">true</Field>
        <Field name="allowFileSelectionChange" type="bool">true</Field>
    </Object>
</Object>

The VisIt XML State File is too big an complicated to bother the list here.

Visit Python Script

I just typed this into Visit's script interface, and it pretty much did what we wanted:

>>> OpenDatabase("/Users/kmorel/data/ParaViewData/Data/can.ex2")
Running: engine_ser1.10.0 -host 127.0.0.1 -timeout 480 -port 5600
1L
>>> AddPlot("Pseudocolor", "EQPS")
1L
>>> DrawPlots()
1L
>>> AddOperator("Clip")
1L
>>> SaveWindow()
VisIt: Message - Rendering window 1...
VisIt: Message - Saving window 1...
VisIt: Message - Saved visit0000.tif
'visit0000.tif'

Spymaster/spyplot

IN PROGRESS!

spy
PlotTime(0, 5e-5);
define main()
{
pprintf(" Plot: Cycle = %d, Time = %g\n",CYCLE,TIME);
XLimits(0,800);
YLimits(0,800);
ZLimits(0,800);
Image("Mats",WHITE, BLACK);
RotateAbout(250,500,250);
RotateZ(120);
RotateX(-60);
MatColors(BROWN,LIGHT_GRAY,NO_COLOR);
Plot3DMats();
Draw3DBlockEdges();
EndImage();
}
endspy

I never got to the step where we adjust the camera angle, but you have to admit that this script is remarkably easy for what it does.

Acknowledgments

This work was done in part at Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

SAND 2008-6528P