[Paraview] Data range problem

Tue Oct 14 17:35:03 EDT 2008

In ParaView CVS there is an experimental CSV reader. You might want to  
give that a try.

Trying to get your data into ParaView can run the gamut of easy to  
difficult. It all depends on what type of data you have...

Is it a structured grid on data at regular intervals with a scalar  
value at each point?
Is is a free form cloud of points defined by X,Y,Z coordinates with a  
scalar value at each point?
Is it on a semi-regular grid?

The ascii files are easy to write and human readable so they serve a  
nice purpose to help people get their data into ParaView quickly. How  
large then can get depends on your data. I have a few data files that  
are a couple of hundred megabytes in vtk ascii format but they do load.

The last resort (or first for some) is to just write a custom reader  
plugin for your data. There are also other formats that might be  
available to your experiments such as Xdmf (xml + hdf5) that might be   
usable. That format has the advantage that you probably do NOT need to  
bring all of VTK/ParaView into your experimental code.

Just keep asking questions and the community will try to help as best  
we can.
_________________________________________________________
Mike Jackson                  mike.jackson at bluequartz.net
BlueQuartz Software                    www.bluequartz.net
Principal Software Engineer                  Dayton, Ohio

On Oct 14, 2008, at 5:16 PM, Lester Anderson wrote:

> Hi Berk
>
> Thanks for the suggestion. Would I be right in saying that the data  
> in the lookup table part have to be in a specific format i.e. 3 rows  
> of 9 floats in your example? Is there a rule of thumb about the  
> layout of the lookout table?
>
> I think the file format is fine for smallish data volumes but could  
> be a lot of work if it's a large dataset. Any possibility that a  
> future release will allow the user to load a CSV spreadsheet file  
> and generate data volumes directly ?
>
> Thanks
>
> Lester
>
>
>
> > Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:06:59 -0400
> > From: berk.geveci at kitware.com
> > To: lester_anderson1963 at hotmail.com
> > Subject: Re: [Paraview] Data range problem
> > CC: dominik at itis.ethz.ch; paraview at paraview.org
> >
> > Lester,
> >
> > Your best choice is probably going to be VTK ascii format. It is a
> > very simple format. A uniform rectilinear grid would look like:
> >
> > # vtk DataFile Version 3.0
> > vtk output
> > ASCII
> > DATASET STRUCTURED_POINTS
> > DIMENSIONS 3 3 3
> > SPACING 1 1 1
> > ORIGIN 0 0 0
> > POINT_DATA 27
> > SCALARS RTData float
> > LOOKUP_TABLE default
> > 60.7635 107.555 80.5241 85.9694 156.706 105.73 37.3531 84.1445  
> 57.1137
> > 100.634 171.37 120.395 149.785 260 169.546 77.2238 147.96 96.9844
> > 60.7635 107.555 80.5241 85.9694 156.706 105.73 37.3531 84.1445  
> 57.1137
> >
> > A curvilinear grid is easy to write as well. The only additional
> > information needed is the point coordinates.
> >
> > More detail can be found here: http://vtk.org/pdf/file-formats.pdf
> >
> > -berk
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 11:28 AM, Lester Anderson
> > <lester_anderson1963 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> > > Hi Domink
> > >
> > > Sounds like I do't know what the Paraview definition of plain  
> raw format is.
> > > I have attached the simple test file - just 3 points with a  
> scalar value. It
> > > has a header section but paraview should recognise that anyway.
> > >
> > > Anything look odd in there?
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Lester
> > >
> > >> From: dominik at itis.ethz.ch
> > >> To: lester_anderson1963 at hotmail.com
> > >> Subject: Re: [Paraview] Data range problem
> > >> Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:25:22 +0200
> > >> CC: paraview at paraview.org
> > >>
> > >> Hi, if you have tried all datatypes in Paraview then chances  
> are very high
> > >> your data is not plain raw format but includes some header etc.  
> I don't
> > >> have
> > >> anything at hand in raw format but would be surprized there is  
> none in VTK
> > >> example data.
> > >> PS. I think some little programming might often help you out.  
> You might
> > >> want
> > >> to look at python if you want to keep it at minimum (plus it  
> integrates
> > >> with
> > >> VTK and PV).
> > >>
> > >> Dominik
> > >>
> > >> On Monday 13 October 2008 11:00:22 pm Lester Anderson wrote:
> > >> > Hi Dominik
> > >> >
> > >> > I do not have Matlab to test, but there should be no issue of
> > >> > 'endianness'
> > >> > as I work on Windows and use PC-based editors. The file type  
> does not
> > >> > seem
> > >> > to be the issue, but more the data within (just guessing).
> > >> >
> > >> > I have tried all the data type variants without success:  
> other than
> > >> > being
> > >> > able to read the points in.
> > >> >
> > >> > Didn't seem to make much odds using xyzc (0 1 2 3) or (0.0  
> 1.0 2.0 3.0)
> > >> >
> > >> > Do you have an example raw data file? It would be so much more
> > >> > convenient
> > >> > to be able to load up data via CSV (but that currently  
> doesn't work).
> > >> >
> > >> > What would be the best way of loading data into Paraview that  
> does not
> > >> > require any programming or major work?
> > >> >
> > >> > Lester > From: dominik at itis.ethz.ch> To:
> > >> > lester_anderson1963 at hotmail.com>
> > >> > Subject: Re: [Paraview] Data range problem> Date: Mon, 13 Oct  
> 2008
> > >> > 09:03:58
> > >> > +0200> CC: paraview at paraview.org> > A simple test you could  
> do is to try
> > >> > to
> > >> > read the raw binary file into matlab. > there you can also  
> specify both
> > >> > endianness and precision (double, int, etc.). > I bet the  
> reason you do
> > >> > not
> > >> > get the right numbers is that you import a wrong > datatype.>  
> > Dominik>
> > >> > >
> > >> > On Sunday 12 October 2008 11:54:36 pm Lester Anderson wrote:>  
> > I have
> > >> > used
> > >> > a plain text editor to write a simple ascii structure, and  
> also> > tried
> > >> > using Surfer (Golden Sofware) to prepare .DAT file do the  
> same (eg> >
> > >> > space
> > >> > delimited or comma delimited). Basically I am testing a  
> simple ascii> >
> > >> > text file structure and it ckearly loads the data (points  
> plot where
> > >> > they>
> > >> > > should be), but it is unclear how to set the data type. If  
> we are
> > >> > dealing> > with positive an negative numbers then I assume  
> that means we
> > >> > need a signed> > integer or real number type.> >> > Perhaps  
> if you could
> > >> > show an example data file that works in the raw import> > as an
> > >> > xyz,value
> > >> > it might be clearer as to how to proceed. Thanks for the> >  
> help, I'm
> > >> > sure
> > >> > I'm missing something very obvious here just can't put my> >  
> finger on
> > >> > it
> > >> > yet!> >> > Lester> From: dominik at itis.ethz.ch> To:
> > >> > lester_anderson1963 at hotmail.com>> > Subject: Re: [Paraview]  
> Data range
> > >> > problem> Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:58:52> > +0200> CC:
> > >> > paraview at paraview.org> > How do you write the data to a file? 
> > >> >
> > >> > Dominik> > On Sunday 12 October 2008 02:36:27 pm Lester  
> Anderson wrote:>
> > >> > >>
> > >> > > Hi Dominik> >> > So how can I define the correct datatype?  
> For
> > >> > > example,
> > >> > if> > it is just signed> > integers like the test I made (-5  
> to +5), or
> > >> > real> > numbers (eg -2.54 to> > 5.55). I set the file to  
> LittleEndian as
> > >> > I'm on a> > PC> >> > Importing the data via the raw format is  
> working,
> > >> > it's
> > >> > just> > working out the> > correct type to make it work!> >>  
> > Thanks
> > >> > for
> > >> > the help>> > >> > Lester > From: dominik at itis.ethz.ch> To:
> > >> > paraview at paraview.org>> > Subject:> > Re: [Paraview] Data  
> range problem>
> > >> > Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2008> > 12:17:03 +0200>> > CC:
> > >> > lester_anderson1963 at hotmail.com> > You most likely> > imposed  
> wrong> >
> > >> > datatype when importing the raw stuff.> > Dominik> > On> >  
> Sunday 12
> > >> > October> > 2008 10:55:18 am Lester Anderson wrote:> > Hello>  
> >> >> > I
> > >> > have
> > >> > just created> > a test as a set of random values:> >> >> >> >
> > >> >
> > >> >  
> 'x 
> ','y 
> ','z','grav'0,0,0,20,0,1,30,0,2,50,1,0,-10.1.1,-30,1,2,-50.2.0,10,2,1
> > >> >> >> >>> >> >
> > >> >
> > >> > > >, 
> 20,2,2,51,0,0 
> ,-31,0,1,-41,0,2,-11,1,0,01.1.1,-21,1,2,21.2.0,11,2,1-11,2,2
> > >> >> >> >,0>
> > >> >  
> >2,0,0,02,0,1-52,0,2,-42,1,0,-12.1.1,12,1,2,22.2.0,52,2,1,42,2,2,4>> >
> > >> > > >>
> > >> > >> > It is a cube of point values (x,y,z) with a test scalar  
> (grav).
> > >> > >> > The> >
> > >> > data> >> > range of 'grav' is -5 to +5> >> > I imported the  
> data into> >
> > >> > Paraview as a> > raw(binary) format file which seemed> > ok,  
> with the> >
> > >> > extents: 0 to 2 on> > (x,y,z). The result was a Image  
> (uniform> >> >
> > >> > Rectilinear Grid)> >> > When I> > look at the data  
> information it shows
> > >> > the> > data range as 2573, 13612> >> > (min,max) - what is  
> going on
> > >> > here?>
> > >> > >> >> > Thanks> >> > Lester> >> >> >
> > >> >  
> _________________________________________________________________> >
> > >> > Make>
> > >> > > a> > mini you and download it into Windows Live Messenger>  
> >> >> >
> > >> > http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/111354029/direct/01/> > > > -- >  
> Dominik> >>
> > >> > >
> > >> > Szczerba, Ph.D.> Computational Physics Group> Foundation for  
> Research
> > >> > on>
> > >> > >> > Information Technologies in Society> http://www.itis.ethz.ch 
> > >> >
> > >> >  
> _________________________________________________________________> >
> > >> > Make
> > >> > a> > mini you and download it into Windows Live Messenger> >> >
> > >> > http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/111354029/direct/01/> > > > -- >  
> Dominik> >
> > >> > Szczerba, Ph.D.> Computational Physics Group> Foundation for  
> Research
> > >> > on> >
> > >> > Information Technologies in Society> http://www.itis.ethz.ch> >
> > >> >  
> _________________________________________________________________> >
> > >> > Make a
> > >> > mini you and download it into Windows Live Messenger> >
> > >> > http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/111354029/direct/01/> > > > -- >  
> Dominik
> > >> > Szczerba, Ph.D.> Computational Physics Group> Foundation for  
> Research on
> > >> > Information Technologies in Society> http://www.itis.ethz.ch
> > >> >  
> _________________________________________________________________
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> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> --
> > >> Dominik Szczerba, Ph.D.
> > >> Computational Physics Group
> > >> Foundation for Research on Information Technologies in Society
> > >> http://www.itis.ethz.ch
> > >
> > >
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