User’s Manual

Tecplot 360 EX 2019 Release 1

Tecplot, Inc. Bellevue, WA 2019

Tecplot 360 EX User’s Manual is for use with Tecplot 360 EX 2019 R1.

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5
6
 Table of Contents

Introduction to Tecplot 360 EX

1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 17
Welcome Screen ................................................................................................................18
Input Devices .....................................................................................................................18
Interface ...............................................................................................................................20
Getting Help.......................................................................................................................34

2 Using the Workspace ............................................................................... 37

Data Hierarchy ..................................................................................................................37
Interface Coordinate Systems ......................................................................................39
Frames ..................................................................................................................................40
Workspace Management Options...............................................................................47
View Modification ...........................................................................................................49
Edit Menu ...........................................................................................................................52

3 Data Structure .............................................................................................. 55

Connectivity List ..............................................................................................................55
Ordered Data .....................................................................................................................56
Finite Element Data .........................................................................................................59
Variable Location (Cell-centered or Nodal) .............................................................60
Face Neighbors..................................................................................................................61
Working with Unorganized Datasets ........................................................................62

7
 Loading Your Data
4 Loading Data .................................................................................................. 67
Loading Data Using a Loader ......................................................................................68
All Files and All Supported Files ................................................................................75
CGNS Loader ....................................................................................................................75
CONVERGE Out File Loader.......................................................................................79
DEM Loader .......................................................................................................................79
DXF Loader ........................................................................................................................80
EnSight Loader..................................................................................................................81
Excel Loader .......................................................................................................................82
FEA Loader ........................................................................................................................86
FLOW-3D Loader .............................................................................................................92
FLUENT Loader ...............................................................................................................96
FVCOM Loader ..............................................................................................................101
General Text Loader ......................................................................................................102
HDF Loader .....................................................................................................................111
HDF5 Loader ...................................................................................................................112
Kiva Loader ......................................................................................................................114
PLOT3D Loader ..............................................................................................................115
PLY Loader .......................................................................................................................121
Tecplot-Format Loader .................................................................................................121
Tecplot Subzone Loader ...............................................................................................122
Tecplot Layout Loader ..................................................................................................123
Telemac Data Loader ....................................................................................................123
Text Spreadsheet Loader..............................................................................................124
TRIX Loader .....................................................................................................................125
VTK Data Loader ...........................................................................................................125
Loading Remote Data using the Tecplot SZL Server .........................................126
Overwriting Data Files .................................................................................................131

Creating Plots
5 Creating Plots .............................................................................................. 135
Creating Plots ..................................................................................................................135
Data Journaling ...............................................................................................................136
Data Sharing ....................................................................................................................137
Data Set Information .....................................................................................................137
Color Chooser..................................................................................................................142

6 XY and Polar Line Plots ......................................................................... 145

Mapping Style and Creation ......................................................................................146
Line Map Layer ...............................................................................................................150

8
 Symbols Map Layer .......................................................................................................163
XY Line Error Bars .........................................................................................................165
XY Line Bar Charts ........................................................................................................168
I, J, and K-indices............................................................................................................169
Line Legend......................................................................................................................170

7 Field Plots ........................................................................................................ 175

Field Plot Modification and the Zone Style Dialog.............................................176
Time Aware ......................................................................................................................181
Data Point and Cell Labels ..........................................................................................182
Three-dimensional Plot Control ................................................................................184

8 Mesh Layer and Edge Layer ............................................................. 191

Mesh Layer .......................................................................................................................191
Edge Layer ........................................................................................................................193

9 Contour Layer .............................................................................................. 197

Contour Layer Modification .......................................................................................198
Contour & Multi-Coloring Details ...........................................................................199
Extract Contour Lines ...................................................................................................211

10 Vector Layer .................................................................................................. 213

Vector Variables ..............................................................................................................213
Vector Plot Modification ..............................................................................................214
Vector Details ...................................................................................................................216

11 Scatter Layer ................................................................................................ 221

Scatter Plot Modification .............................................................................................221
Scatter Size/Font .............................................................................................................223
Scatter Legends ...............................................................................................................224

12 Shade Layer .................................................................................................. 225

Shade Layer Modification ...........................................................................................225

13 Translucency and Lighting ................................................................. 227

Translucency ....................................................................................................................228
Blanking.............................................................................................................................228
Lighting Effects ...............................................................................................................228
Three-dimensional Light Source ...............................................................................229

14 Slices .................................................................................................................. 231

Interactively Created Slices .........................................................................................231

9
 Extracting Slices to Zones ............................................................................................237

15 Streamtraces ................................................................................................ 239

Streamtrace Details dialog ..........................................................................................240
Surface Streamtraces on No-slip Boundaries ........................................................251
Streamtrace Extraction as Zones ...............................................................................251
Streamtrace Errors .........................................................................................................251

16 Iso-surfaces .................................................................................................. 253

Iso-Surface Groups ........................................................................................................253
Iso-Surface Definition ...................................................................................................254
Iso-Surface Contour and Shade .................................................................................255
Iso-Surface Mesh and Vector ......................................................................................256
Iso-Surface Animation ..................................................................................................256
Iso-Surface Extraction ...................................................................................................257

17 Axes .................................................................................................................... 259

Axis Display .....................................................................................................................259
Axis Variable Assignment ...........................................................................................259
Axis Range Options for XY and 2D/3D Plots........................................................260
Axis Range Options for Polar Plots ..........................................................................262
Axis Grid Options ..........................................................................................................264
Tick Mark Options .........................................................................................................265
Tick Mark Label Options .............................................................................................266
Axis Title Options ..........................................................................................................268
Axis Line Options ..........................................................................................................269
Grid Area Options .........................................................................................................271
Time/Date Format Options .........................................................................................272

18 Text, Geometries, and Images ...................................................... 275

Text ......................................................................................................................................275
Geometries ........................................................................................................................288
Linking Text and Geometries to Macros ................................................................292

Data Manipulation
19 Blanking ........................................................................................................... 297
Value Blanking ................................................................................................................298
Value Blanking for Field Plots....................................................................................298
Value Blanking Settings for Individual Zones......................................................300
Value Blanking for Line Plots .....................................................................................300
IJK Blanking .....................................................................................................................301

10
 Blanking Settings for Derived Objects ....................................................................303

20 Data Operations ......................................................................................... 305

Data Alteration through Equations ..........................................................................305
Data Smoothing ..............................................................................................................317
Fourier Transform ..........................................................................................................319
Axial Rotation ..................................................................................................................321
Zone Creation ..................................................................................................................321
Data Extraction from an Existing Zone...................................................................326
Zone Deletion ..................................................................................................................328
Variable Deletion ............................................................................................................329
Data Interpolation ..........................................................................................................329
Irregular Data Point Triangulation ...........................................................................334
Data Spreadsheet ............................................................................................................335

21 CFD Data Analysis .................................................................................... 339

Specifying Fluid Properties.........................................................................................339
Specifying Reference Values .......................................................................................342
Identifying Field Variables ..........................................................................................343
Setting Geometry and Boundary Options .............................................................345
Unsteady Flow ................................................................................................................349
Calculating Variables ....................................................................................................350
Performing Integrations ...............................................................................................355
Calculating Turbulence Functions ............................................................................367
Calculating Particle Paths and Streaklines .............................................................368
Analyzing Solution Error ............................................................................................377
Extracting Fluid Flow Features..................................................................................379

22 Probing .............................................................................................................. 383

Field Plot Probing with the Mouse ...........................................................................383
Field Plot Probing by Specifying Coordinates and Indices..............................385
Probe Sidebar ...................................................................................................................386
Line Plot Probing with the Mouse ............................................................................389
Data Editing .....................................................................................................................391

Final Output
23 Output ............................................................................................................... 395
Layout Files, Layout Package Files, Stylesheets ...................................................395
Data File Writing ............................................................................................................399

11
24 Printing ............................................................................................................. 401
Plot Printing .....................................................................................................................401
Setup ...................................................................................................................................402

25 Exporting ......................................................................................................... 407

Layout Packages .............................................................................................................408
Vector Graphics Format ...............................................................................................409
Image Format ..................................................................................................................412
Antialiasing Images .......................................................................................................417
Clipboard Exporting to Other Applications .........................................................417

Scripting
26 Macros ............................................................................................................... 421
Macro Creation ...............................................................................................................421
Macro Playback...............................................................................................................424
Macro Debugger .............................................................................................................425

27 Batch Processing ....................................................................................... 429

Batch Processing Setup.................................................................................................429
Batch Processing Using a Layout File .....................................................................430
Multiple Data File Processing ....................................................................................431
Batch Processing Diagnostics .....................................................................................432
Batch Converting to SZL Format ..............................................................................432

28 PyTecplot ......................................................................................................... 439

PyTecplot Recording .....................................................................................................439
PyTecplot Connections .................................................................................................440

Advanced Topics
29 Animation ........................................................................................................ 445
Animation Tools .............................................................................................................445
Movie File Creation with Macros .............................................................................455
Advanced Animation Techniques ............................................................................455
Animation Export .........................................................................................................457

30 Customization .............................................................................................. 463

Custom Files loaded on Startup ................................................................................463
Configuration Files ........................................................................................................464

12
 Performance Dialog .......................................................................................................467
Custom Character and Symbol Definition.............................................................471

31 Add-ons ............................................................................................................ 475

Add-on Loading .............................................................................................................475
Add-ons included in the Tecplot 360 EX distribution ........................................477
Working with Add-ons ................................................................................................478

Appendices
A Command Line Options ........................................................................ 501
Tecplot 360 EX Command Line .................................................................................501
Using Command Line Options in Windows Shortcuts .....................................503
Exit Codes .........................................................................................................................505

B Tecplot 360 EX Utilities ........................................................................ 507

Excel Add-In ....................................................................................................................507
LPK View ..........................................................................................................................509
Preplot ................................................................................................................................510
Pltview ...............................................................................................................................510

C Shortcuts ......................................................................................................... 513

Keyboard Shortcuts .......................................................................................................513
Extended Mouse Operations ......................................................................................517

D License Management ............................................................................. 519

Entering Your License ...................................................................................................519
License Roaming ............................................................................................................523

E Glossary ........................................................................................................... 527

F Calculate Variables Reference ........................................................ 537

Symbols .............................................................................................................................537
Scalar Grid Quality Functions....................................................................................538
Vector Grid Quality Functions ...................................................................................541
Scalar Flow Variables ....................................................................................................541
Vector Flow Variables ...................................................................................................547
The Velocity Gradient Tensor .....................................................................................548

G Functional Limits ....................................................................................... 549

Hard Limits ......................................................................................................................549

13
 Soft Limits .........................................................................................................................551

14
Part 1 Introduction to
Tecplot 360 EX
 1

Introduction

Tecplot 360 EX is a powerful tool for visualizing a wide range of technical data. It offers line plotting, 2D
and 3D surface plots in a variety of formats, and 3D volumetric visualization.
The user documentation for Tecplot 360 EX includes these resources:
• Online Help - Available from within Tecplot 360 EX, using the Help menu or Help buttons in
most dialogs to get you the information you need when you need it.
• User’s Manual (this document) - This manual provides a complete description of working with
Tecplot 360 EX features.
• Getting Started Manual - New users are encouraged to work through the tutorials provided in
the Getting Started Manual to learn how to work with key features in Tecplot 360 EX.
• Scripting Guide - This guide provides Tecplot macro command syntax and information on
working with macro files and commands.
• Quick Reference Guide - This guide provides a handy reference for dynamic text, macro
variables, keyboard shortcuts, special characters, and more.
• Data Format Guide - This guide provides information on outputting simulator data to Tecplot
360 file format.
• Installation Instructions - These instructions give a detailed description of how to install
Tecplot 360 EX on your system.
• Release Notes - These notes provide information about new and/or updated Tecplot 360
features.

17
Introduction

1-1 Welcome Screen

When you start Tecplot 360 EX, the Welcome Screen, shown below, appears. You can also open it at any
time (even while working on a plot in Tecplot 360 EX) by choosing View>Welcome Screen.

The Welcome Screen contains links that help you quickly get started working with your data and Tecplot
360 EX.
• Across the top are links for creating a new layout and for opening existing layouts and data
files.
• The left section provides a list of layouts you have recently worked with.
• The right column contains links to documentation and other resources to help you get the
most out of Tecplot 360 EX.
• At the very bottom of the right column is information for contacting Technical Support,
including the version and platform information you will need for a support incident.
The Welcome Screen automatically disappears when you open a layout or create a new one. You may also
close it manually by clicking the red X button in the upper right corner; this returns you to your existing
layout if you have chosen View>Welcome Screen while you were working with a plot.

1-2 Input Devices

Tecplot 360 EX supports the following input devices:
• Standard mouse - Used for pointing at, selecting, and manipulating objects in the workspace;
changing the view; choosing fields and manipulating controls in dialogs and sidebars; and
performing actions or commands using the toolbar or menus. Most mice have multiple buttons
and a scroll wheel, which provide quick access to specific functions.

18
 Input Devices

• Keyboard - Used for entering data and text and for activating commands using menu
shortcuts. In conjunction with a mouse, can be used to switch modes when clicking or
dragging.
• 3D mouse - A secondary input device that allows 3D Cartesian plots to be zoomed, translated,
and rotated with a touch. Additionally, the always-active 3D mouse doesn’t make you select
mouse modes, commands, or keyboard shortcuts. A 3D mouse can therefore enable faster
exploration of your data and improve the experience of working with your 3D plots.

Tecplot 360 EX supports 3D mouse products from 3Dconnexion, such as the

SpaceMouse, SpaceNavigator, and SpacePilot lines, and only on the Windows platform.

Actions available with a 3D mouse include:

• Translation - Push the mouse cap left or right, pull it up, or push it down, to translate
the plot left/right or up/down on the screen.
• Zooming - Push the mouse cap toward you or away from you to zoom the plot. Hold
down the Alt key while zooming to switch zoom methods.
The default zoom method depends on whether the current frame’s 3D view mode is
perspective or orthographic (see Section 7 - 4.6 “Three-dimensional View Details” on
page 188). The results of zooming using the 3D mouse and the Alt key are shown here.

Pushing or pulling mouse cap In perspective mode In orthographic mode

Normal (without Alt key) Changes view distance Changes view width

Alternate (pressing Alt key) Changes view width Changes view distance

• Rotation - Rotation is around the defined center of rotation, by default the center of the
data. However, the axis of rotation is relative to the screen rather than to the data.
• X axis - Tilt the mouse cap forward or back to rotate around the screen’s X axis, as
if rolling your plot toward you or away from you.
• Y axis - Twist the mouse cap clockwise or counterclockwise to rotate around the
screen’s Y axis, as if on a lazy susan.
• Z axis - Tilt the mouse cap left or right to rotate around the screen’s Z axis, like the
hands of a clock.
With practice, it is possible to perform more than one of these operations at the same time. At
first, though, it is best to be careful to invoke only one function at a time.
Most 3D mice also have one or more buttons, which can be mapped to commands that you use
frequently using the software provided with the device.

An area of interest can be inspected in greater detail from any angle if the origin of
rotation is assigned to it. Mapping the “o” key (orientation change) to a 3D mouse via
the device GUI may facilitate a more natural workflow. Simply point the regular mouse
cursor at the area of interest and press the orientation change button.

Tecplot 360 EX supports the following actions (built-in to the 3D mouse software) that may be
mapped to buttons using the device software:
• Fit (same as View>Fit Surfaces)
• Front, Back, Top, Bottom, Left, and Right View
• Isometric View 1 (Tecplot 360 EX default view) and 2 (theta 180° from default)

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Introduction

• Roll CW and CCW (in 90° increments)

1-3 Interface
Five major sections make up the Tecplot 360 EX interface.

1 - 3.1 Menu Bar

The menu bar offers access to Tecplot 360 EX features.

Tecplot 360 EX’s features are organized into the following menus:
• File - Use the File menu to read or write data files and plot layouts, and print and export plots.
• Edit - Use the Edit menu to select, undo, cut, copy, paste, and delete objects, and to change the
draw order for selected items.

Generally, Cut, Copy, and Paste of items other than text work only within Tecplot 360
EX. You can, however, copy an image of a selected frame or the text of a selected text
object to the clipboard. See “Clipboard Exporting to Other Applications” on page 417.

• View - Use the View menu to manipulate the way your data is shown or to open a sidebar or
the Welcome Screen. See “View Modification” on page 49.
• Plot - Use the Plot menu to control the style of your plots. The menu items available depend
on the active plot type (chosen in the Plot sidebar).

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 Interface

• Insert - Use the Insert menu to add text and geometries (polylines, squares, rectangles, circles,
and ellipses). If you have a 3D zone, you may also use the Insert menu to insert a slice. If the
plot type is set to 2D or 3D Cartesian, you may insert a streamtrace.
• Animate - Use the Animate menu to create animations of your plot.
• Data - Use the Data menu to create, manipulate, and examine data. Types of data
manipulation available in Tecplot 360 EX include zone creation, interpolation, triangulation,
and creation or alteration of variables.
• Frame - Use the Frame menu to create, edit, and control frames.
• Options - Use the Options menu to control your Tecplot 360 EX experience, including rulers,
grids, and performance.
• Scripting - Use the Scripting menu to play or record macros, and to access the Quick Macros
Panel.
• Tools - Use the Tools menu to launch an add-on.
• Analyze - Use the Analyze menu to examine grid quality, perform integrations, generate
particle paths, extract flow features, and estimate numerical errors.
• Help - Get help for Tecplot 360 EX features, or view the About dialog, which contains version
and platform information.

1 - 3.2 Context Menu and Toolbar

In many places within Tecplot 360 EX, clicking with the right mouse button displays a context menu that
gives you quick access to just the operations most relevant to what you’re clicking. Often, these operations
are also available in some other way, such as using a toolbar button, the pull-down menus, or a dialog.
In the Tecplot 360 EX workspace, the following objects have context menus with the specified functions:
• Frames - Change frame order, load and save frame style, frame details
• Axis - Axis settings
• Slices - Hide, edit slice details, extract slices, slice style
• Iso-surfaces - Hide, choose variable, edit iso-surface details, extract surfaces, change iso-surface
style
• Zones - Hide, deactivate, zone style
• Streamtraces - Extract, delete, streamtrace settings
• 3D orientation axis - Hide axis, axis settings
• Line maps - Deactivate, copy, change curve type, mapping style, Fourier transform (when
applicable), show curve details on plot; write curve details or data to file
• Legends - Hide, change box type, legend settings
• Geometries (shapes) - Change line and fill color, delete, edit geometry settings. For polylines,
you may also extract data along the line.
• Text - Change color, cut, copy, delete, align(left, right, center, top, bottom), text settings.
When working with zones, slices, and iso-surfaces, a context toolbar appears
above the context menu. This toolbar allows you to turn on or off the grid,
contour, vector, shade, edge, and translucency layers for the selected
object(s) by clicking the icons. (Iso-surfaces do not have vector or edge layers.) Additionally, you may
adjust frequently-used style settings for each layer using the drop-down menu to the right of each icon, for
example selecting a color for the grid (or choosing a variable by which to color it).
A different context toolbar appears when you right-click a line in XY or polar line plots.
This toolbar allows you to turn on or off the line, symbol, and error bars for the selected
line map by clicking the icons. You can also adjust the attributes of these (for example,
line color, symbol shape, or error variable) using drop-down menus to the right of each icon.

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Introduction

When a geometry object is right-clicked, the Geometry context menu appears.

This menu allows you to Cut, Copy, Delete the object as well as adjust the line
and fill attributes. When multiple geometries are selected, the Alignment of the
objects can be adjusted as well.

Right-clicking on a Text object brings up the Text context menu. This menu
allows you to Cut, Copy, Delete the object as well as change the alignment or
open the Text details dialog. You can also adjust the text attributes such as
bold, italics, color, and text angle.

In some places, such as in the Mapping Style and Zone Style dialogs, right-clicking is the primary way to
alter the displayed data.

The right mouse button is also used for translating (moving) the plot. This doesn’t
conflict with its use for context menus. The context menu appears when you right-click
without moving the mouse; dragging with the right mouse button performs the
translation operation.

1 - 3.3 Sidebars
Tecplot 360 EX’s three main sidebars provide easy access to frequently-used functionality:
• Plot Sidebar - Includes controls for manipulating the appearance of your plot.
• Pages Sidebar - A list of the pages currently open, allowing you to switch between them, and
to create, rename, and delete pages.
• Frames Sidebar - A list of the frames in the current page, allowing you to easily manage their
order and other characteristics.
Initially, the Plot and Pages sidebars appear “docked” on the left side of the workspace—attached to the
left side of the plot area. The Frames sidebar is initially hidden, but appears on the left side of the
workspace when enabled using the View menu.
Any visible sidebar may be moved to the right side of the workspace, or even dragged out of the
workspace entirely (for example, to move it to another display) by dragging its title bar.

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 Interface

When more than one sidebar is docked to the same side of the workspace, they can be combined in two
ways:
• Tabbed panels - Only one sidebar is visible at a time; tabs appear at the bottom of the sidebar
are to choose which sidebar you want to use. This is the default mode; the screen image in
“Interface” on page 20 shows how this looks.
• Sharing space vertically - Both sidebars are visible at the same time. You can drag the
boundary between the two sidebars to adjust the proportion of the space used by each.
Which style is used depends on where you dock the second sidebar: drag to the top or bottom of the
already-docked sidebar to split the area, or drag to the middle to combine them and use tabs to switch
between them.
Additional sidebars are available for certain other features throughout Tecplot 360 EX. For example, the
Quick Macro Panel is a sidebar that initially appears docked to the right side of the workspace. Like the
other sidebars, it may be “torn off” from the window or share space with another sidebar. The Probe
Sidebar is another; it displays the results of probe operations.
Any sidebar may be closed if it is in your way. To open it again, choose the desired sidebar from the
appropriate menu, or right-click any sidebar or the menu bar and choose the desired sidebar from the
context menu.

Sidebar Menu Command

Plot View>Plot sidebar

Pages View>Pages sidebar

Frames View>Frames sidebar

Probe Data>Probe sidebar

Quick Macro Panel Scripting>Quick Macros

Plot Sidebar
The controls available in the Plot sidebar depend on the plot type of the active frame. For 2D or 3D
Cartesian plot types, you can show or hide zone layers, and zone effects, and derived objects from your
plot. For line plots (XY and polar) you can show or hide mapping layers.
You can open the Plot sidebar from the View menu if it is not currently visible. To customize your plot,
simply:
• Select a plot type from the Plot Types drop-down menu.
• Use the toggle switches to add or subtract Zone Layers/Map Layers, or Zone Effects, or
Derived Objects. Use the Zone Style/Mapping Style dialogs to further customize your plot by

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Introduction

showing or hiding zones in specific plot layers/mappings, changing the way a zone or group of
zones is displayed, or changing various plot settings.

Figure 1-1. The Plot sidebar as it appears for a 3D Cartesian plot (left) and XY Line plot (right).

Plot Types
The Plot Type, combined with a frame’s dataset, active layers, and their associated attributes, define a plot.
Each plot type represents one view of the data. There are five plot types available:
• 3D Cartesian - 3D plots of surfaces and volumes.
• 2D Cartesian - 2D plots of surfaces, where the vertical and horizontal axis are both dependent
variables (i.e. x = f(A) and y = f(A), where A is another variable).
• XY Line - Line plots of independent and dependent variables on a Cartesian grid. Typically the
horizontal axis (x) is the independent variable and the y-axis a dependent variable, y = f(x).
• Polar Line - Line plots of independent and dependent variables on a polar grid.
• Sketch - Create plots without data such as drawings, flow charts, and viewgraphs.

Zone Layers
A layer is a way of representing a frame’s dataset. The complete plot is the
sum of all the active layers, axes, text, geometries, and other elements added
to the data plotted in the layers. The six zone layers for 2D and 3D Cartesian
plot types are:
• Mesh - A grid of lines connecting the data points within each
zone.
• Contour - Iso-valued lines, the region between these lines can be
set to contour flooding.

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 Interface

• Shade - Used to tint each zone with a solid color, or to add light-source shading to a 3D surface
plot. Used in conjunction with the Lighting zone effect you may set Paneled or Gouraud
shading. Used in conjunction with the Translucency zone effect, you may create a translucent
surface for your plot.
• Vector - The direction and magnitude of vector quantities.
• Edge - Zone edges and creases for ordered data and creases for finite element data.
• Scatter - Symbols at the location of each data point.

Zone Style
Select the [Zone Style] button to launch the Zone Style dialog. The Zone Style dialog is used to customize
the zone layers that you have added to your plot. Refer to the chapter for each zone layer for details on
working with the Zone Style dialog.

Transient Controls
When working with transient data, simply press the Play button in the
Plot sidebar to animate over time. The active frame will be animated from the
Current Solution Time to the last time step. You may also drag the slider to
change the Current Solution Time of your plot.
The Animation Controls have the following functions:
• – Jumps to the Starting Value. (Keyboard: Home)
• – Jumps toward the Starting Value by one step. (Keyboard: Left arrow)
• – Runs the animation as specified by the ‘Operation’ field of the Time Details dialog.
The Play button becomes a Pause button while the animation is playing. (Keyboard: Space bar)
• – Jumps toward the Ending Value by one step. (Keyboard: Right arrow)
• – Jumps to the Ending Value. (Keyboard: End)
Use the Details [...] button to launch the Time Details dialog.
See Section 7 - 2 “Time Aware” for more information on Time controls and the Time Details dialog.

Derived Objects
For Cartesian plot types (2D and 3D): Toggle-on Iso-surfaces, Slices, or
Streamtraces from the Plot sidebar to add any or all of these elements to your
plot. For convenience, the tool buttons for Slices and Streamtraces also appear
here. The Details dialogs for each of the derived objects can be accessed via
the Details [...] button. Refer to Chapter 16: “Iso-surfaces”, Chapter 14:
“Slices”, or Chapter 15: “Streamtraces” for details on working with these
objects.

Zone Effects
For 3D Cartesian plot types, use the Plot sidebar to turn lighting and translucency on or off. Only shaded
and flooded contour surface plot types are affected. Refer to Chapter 12: “Shade Layer” and Chapter 13:
“Translucency and Lighting” for additional information.

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Introduction

Map Layers
A layer is a way of representing a frame’s dataset. The complete plot is the
sum of all the active layers, axes, text, geometries, and other elements added
to the data plotted in the layers.
The four XY Line map layers are:
• Lines - Plots a pair of variables, X and Y, as a set of line segments or
a fitted curve.
• Symbols - A pair of variables, X and Y, as individual data points
represented by a symbol you specify.
• Bars - A pair of variables, X and Y, as a horizontal or vertical bar chart.
• Error Bars - Allows you to add error bars to your plot.
The two map layers for Polar Line are:
• Lines - A pair of variables, X and Y, as a set of line segments or a
fitted curve.
• Symbols - A pair of variables, e.g. X and Y, as individual data
points represented by a symbol you specify.
Select the [Mapping Style] button to launch the Mapping Style dialog. The
Mapping Style dialog allows you to customize the style settings for each of the plot layers and specify the
points to plot. The pages of the dialog are discussed in detail in Chapter 6: “XY and Polar Line Plots”.

Snap Modes
Snap modes allow you to easily place objects at convenient reference points, either on the axis grid or on
the workspace paper. Most movable objects (including text, images, geometries, frames, axes, legends, and
the orientation axis) can be snapped. Data points in zones and line maps are also subject to snap modes
when being adjusted.
The snap controls in the Plot sidebar become available when such objects are selected using the Selector
or the Adjustor , or, in the case of text and geometries, when they are being placed initially using
the appropriate tool.
• None - No snapping is performed; objects may be positioned freely.
• Snap to Grid - Constrain object movement to whole steps on the axis grid as defined in the
Grid page of the Axis Details dialog (Plot>Axis); see Axis Grid Options. This can be useful for
aligning objects with points of interest in a plot.
• Snap to Paper - Constrain object movement to whole steps on the paper's grid as defined in
the Ruler/Grid dialog (Options>Ruler/Grid); see Grid and Ruler Set-Up. This can be useful for
positioning frames precisely for printing, or for absolute positioning of text, geometries, and
other plot elements.
One or the other of the snap modes may be unavailable depending on the plot type or the kind of object
being moved. For example, a frame cannot be aligned to the grid because it contains the grid, so the Grid
snap mode is disabled when moving a frame.

Redraw Buttons
The redraw buttons allow you to keep your plot up to date: Clicking the middle mouse button redraws the
current active frame.

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 Interface

Auto Redraw
Use Auto Redraw - When selected, the plot will be automatically redrawn, whenever style or data
changes. Some users prefer to turn this option off while setting multiple style settings and then manually
press the [Redraw] or [Redraw All] button on the Plot sidebar to see a full plot.

You can interrupt an auto-redraw at any time with a mouse click or key press.

Pages Sidebar
In Tecplot 360 EX, a page is a container for any number of frames, each of
which is a container for a plot. A layout can contain any number of pages
(although many layouts contain only one). You can use the Pages sidebar to
see the pages in the current layout, to choose which page is displayed in the
workspace, and to create, rename, and delete pages.
The Pages sidebar may be opened from the View menu if it is not currently
visible. In the Pages sidebar, you may:
• Click Add to add a new page. The new page is initially named
“Untitled.”
• Click a page to view it in the workspace. Only one page is visible at a time.
• Double-click a page to specify or change its name. The name becomes editable in the sidebar;
simply type the new name, then press Enter.
• Click Delete to delete the active page.

The Cut, Copy, and Paste commands on the Edit menu can be used to move or copy
frames between pages. Click a frame border to select it, copy or cut it to the clipboard,
then switch to the destination page using the Pages sidebar and paste it.

Frames Sidebar
The Frames sidebar allows you to manage the frames on the current page, including activating and
ordering them, which is particularly useful when you have many overlapping frames on a page. It is
initially hidden, but may be opened from the View menu. See Section 2 - 3 “Frames” on page 40 for more
information on working with frames.

1 - 3.4 Toolbar
Each of the tools represented in the Toolbar changes the mouse mode and allows you to interactively edit
your plot.

The Toolbar is actually up to four separate toolbars, with buttons grouped by function.
• File toolbar - Buttons for dealing with files (hidden by default)
• View toolbar - Buttons for manipulating the view
• Data toolbar - Buttons for working with data
• Insert toolbar - Buttons that insert objects into the workspace.

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Introduction

In the default toolbar configuration, shown above, the toolbars appear next to each other. Each, however,
can be moved independently to any edge of the workspace by grabbing the drag handle at the left edge of
the toolbar. To hide or show a toolbar, right-click the menu bar and choose the desired toolbar.

Selector Tool
Use the Selector tool to select objects in your workspace. To select multiple objects, hold down Shift
while clicking the second and subsequent objects. The selected objects can then be moved
(translated) using the Selector tool itself.
The following kinds of objects can be moved (translated) using the Selector tool:
• frames
• axis grid area
• text
• geometries
• contour labels
• streamtraces
• streamtrace termination line
• legends
• 3D frame axis
To select an object and open that object's attributes dialog, double-click any object

Adjustor Tool
Use the Adjustor tool to perform any of the following modifications to your plot and data:
• Location of individual or groups of data points in the grid.
• Values of the dataset variables at a particular point.
• Length or placement of individual axes (2D Cartesian and XY Line plot types only).
• Spacing between an axis label and its associated axis (2D Cartesian and XY Line plot types
only).
• The points in a polyline (and therefore its shape).
The Adjustor tool behaves like the Selector tool when you click objects other than those listed above. For
example, if you click a rectangular geometry, the entire object is selected, since the Adjustor tool has no
special functionality with a rectangular geometry. When adjusting a polyline, click close to the points in
the polyline to avoid the entire object being selected.

The Adjustor tool can alter your data. Be sure you want to use the Adjustor tool before
dragging points in the data region.

Click a point or object to select it. To select multiple points, you can hold Shift while clicking additional
points after the first. In line plots, you can select points from only one mapping at a time.

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 Interface

Once you have selected all desired points, move the Adjustor over the selection handles of one of the
points, then click-and-drag to the desired location of the first data point. The other selected points will
move as a unit with respect to the chosen data point, maintaining their relative positions.

For XY Line plots, if several mappings are using the same data for one of the variables,
adjusting one of the mappings will result in simultaneous adjustments to the others. You
can avoid this by pressing the H or V key on your keyboard while adjusting the selected
point. The H and V keys restrict the adjustment to the horizontal and vertical directions,
respectively.

Zoom Tool
Zoom into or away from the plot. Geometries zoom with the plot; however, text does not.
When a mouse-click occurs (without dragging), the zooming is centered at the location of your click.
There are two zoom modes: plot zooming and paper zooming.
For plot zooming - drag the magnifying glass cursor to draw a box around the region that you want to fit
into the frame. The box may be larger than the frame. Making the box larger than the frame zooms away
from the plot. The region within the view box will be resized to fit into the frame.

If Snap to Grid (located in the Sidebar) is selected, you cannot make the zoom box
larger than the grid area.

To return to the previous view, choose View>Last menu (Control-L). To restore the original 2D view,
choose View>Fit Everything (Control-E) or View>Fit to Full Size (Control-F).
The results of plot zooming for the 2D plot type are dependent upon the axis mode selected in the Axis
Details dialog (accessed via the Plot menu):
• 2D Independent Axis Mode - Allows the selected region to expand to exactly fit in the frame.
The axes are rescaled independently to fit the zoom box.
• 2D Dependent Axis Mode - In dependent mode, the axes are not fit perfectly to the zoom box.
The longest dimension from the zoom box is applied to an associated axis, and the other axis is
resized according to the dependency relation.
For paper zooming - Shift-drag the magnifying glass cursor to draw a box about the region that you want
to magnify. The plot is resized so that the longest dimension of the zoom box fits into the workspace. You
can fit all frames to the workspace by using “Fit All Frames to Workspace” on the View menu.

Clicking anywhere in your plot while the zoom tool is active will center the zoom around
your click. Alternatively, Control-click centers the plot on the point that was clicked and
zooms out.
Use the center mouse button and drag (or hold down the scroll wheel and drag) to
interactively zoom into or out of the plot.

3D mouse - Tecplot 360 EX also supports a 3D mouse, an input device that allows zooming (and
translation and rotation) of 3D plots with a touch. You do not need to activate the Zoom tool to use the 3D
mouse for zooming. Simply push the mouse’s cap toward or away from you to zoom. Hold the Alt key
while zooming with the 3D mouse to switch the zoom method (see “Input Devices” on page 18 for
details).
Avoid tilting the mouse cap, as this may induce unintended rotation.

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Introduction

Translate Tool
Use the Translate tool to translate data within a frame or the paper within the workspace.
While in Translate mode, drag the cursor to move the data with respect to the frame, or Shift-drag to move
the paper with respect to the workspace.

You may translate even when some other tool is selected by dragging with the right
mouse button.

While the Translate tool is active, you can zoom your image by pressing “+” to magnify, “-” to shrink. If
you are Shift-dragging to move the paper, the rescale buttons “+” and “-” will magnify or shrink the paper,
as long as you have the mouse button depressed.
3D mouse - Tecplot 360 EX also supports a 3D mouse, an input device that can be used to translate 3D
plots at any time with just a touch, regardless of the tool or mode selected.
• Pull the mouse’s cap up or push it down to translate up or down on the screen.
• Move the mouse’s cap left or right to translate left or right on the screen.
Avoid tilting or rotating the mouse when using these motions to avoid rotating the plot.

Three-dimensional Rotation
There are six 3D rotation mouse modes:

Spherical - Drag the mouse horizontally to rotate about the Z-axis; drag the mouse vertically to
control the tilt of the Z-axis.

Rollerball - Drag the mouse in a direction to move with respect to the current orientation on the
screen. In this mode, your mouse acts much like a rollerball.

Twist - Drag the mouse clockwise around the image to rotate the image clockwise. Drag the
mouse counterclockwise around the image to rotate the image counterclockwise.

X-axis - Drag the mouse to rotate the image about the X-axis.

Y-axis - Drag the mouse to rotate the image about the Y-axis.

Z-axis - Drag the mouse to rotate the image about the Z-axis.

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 Interface

Once you have selected a rotation mouse mode, you can quickly switch to any of the others using the
following keyboard shortcuts:

Drag Rotate about the defined rotation origin with your current Rotate tool.

Alt-drag Rotate about the viewer position using your current Rotate tool.

Middle-click-and-drag/Alt-right
Smooth zoom in and out of the data.
click-and-drag

Right-click-and-drag Translate the data.

Control-right-click-and-drag or This option can be used without first selecting a rotation mouse mode. Simply
Command-right-click-and-drag hover over your intended point of origin, and then Control-right-click-and-
(Mac) drag to translate the image.

3D mouse - Tecplot 360 EX also supports a 3D mouse, an input device that can be used to rotate 3D plots
at any time regardless of the tool or mode selected. The axis of rotation is relative to the screen rather than
to the data.
• Tilt the mouse’s cap forward or backward to rotate around the screen’s X axis, as if rolling
toward or away from you.
• Twist the mouse’s cap clockwise or counterclockwise to rotate around the screen’s Y axis, as if
on a lazy susan.
• Tilt the mouse’s cap left or right to rotate around the screen’s Z axis, like the hands of a clock.

Slice Tool
Use the Slicing tool to control your slice(s) interactively.
The following keyboard/mouse options are available when the Slice tool is active:

Primary Slices, Start End Slices Active - Turn on intermediate slices (if not
already active) and adds a slice.
+
Primary Slices active [ONLY] - Turns on Start/End Slices and adds a slice.
Start/End Slices active [ONLY] - Turns on Start/End Slices and adds a slice.

Primary Slices, Start End Slices Active - Removes start and end slices.
- Primary Slices active [ONLY] - Removes the primary slice.
Start/End Slices active [ONLY] - Removes the Start and End Slices.

Updates the position of the primary slice (if active). If only start and end slices
Click/Drag
are visible, click updates the position of the starting slice.

Determine the XYZ-location by ignoring zones and looking only at derived

Alt-click/Alt-drag
volume objects (streamtraces, slices, iso-surfaces).

Shift-click Switches from one Primary slice to Start/End Slices by adding a slice.

Move the start or end slice (whichever is closest to the initial click location).
Shift-drag
Show Start/End Slices is activated, if necessary.

I, J, K (ordered zones only) Switch to slicing constant I, J, or K-planes respectively.

X, Y, Z Switch to slicing constant X, Y, or Z-planes respectively.

1-8 Numbers one through eight switch to the corresponding slice group.

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Introduction

Add Streamtrace
Select the Add Streamtrace tool to add a streamtrace interactively by clicking anywhere in your plot.
Select the number of streamtraces to include with each click (rake) using 1-9 on the keyboard.

Keyboard Shortcuts
D - Switch to streamrods
R - Switch to streamribbons
S - Switch to surface lines
V - Switch to volume lines
1-9 - Change the number of streamtraces to be added when placing a rake of
streamtraces
Shift - Draws a rake on concave 3D volume surfaces. These rakes are normally not
drawn, as they occur outside of the data
Refer to Chapter 15: “Streamtraces” for more information.

Streamtrace Termination Line

Select the Add Streamtrace Termination Line tool to add a streamtrace termination line
interactively.
To draw a Streamtrace Termination Line:
• Move the cursor into the data region.
• Click once at the desired starting point for the line.
• Click again at each desired break point.
• When the polyline is complete, double-click on the last point of the polyline, or press ESC on
your keyboard.
• The drawn polyline ends any streamtraces that pass through it.

Add Contour Level

Select the Add Contour Level tool to add a contour level by clicking anywhere in the active data
region. A new contour level, passing through the specified location, is calculated and drawn.
The following keyboard and mouse shortcuts are related to the Add Contour Level tool.

Alt-click Place a contour line by probing on a streamtrace, slice, or iso-surface.

Click Place a contour line.

Control-Click Replace the nearest contour line with a new line.

Drag Move the new contour line.

- Switch to the Delete Contour Level tool.

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 Interface

Delete Contour Level

Select the Delete Contour Level tool to delete a contour level by clicking anywhere in the active
data region. The contour line nearest the specified location is deleted.

Use the “+” key to switch to the Add Contour Level tool and the “-” key to switch back to
the Delete Contour Level tool.

Add Contour Labels

Select the Add Contour Label tool to switch to the Contour Label mode, enabling you to add a
contour label by clicking anywhere in the active data region.
A contour label is added to the plot at the specified location; its level or value information is taken from
the nearest contour line. This allows you to place labels at a slight offset from the lines they label.

The Contour type must be lines or lines and flood in order for this tool to be active. You
can set the contour type on the Contour page of the Zone Style dialog.

Probe Tool
Select the Probe At Tool to probe for values of the dataset's variables at a particular point.
To obtain interpolated values of the dataset variables at the specified location, click at any point in the data
region.
To obtain exact values for the data point nearest the specified location, Control-click at the desired
location.

For XY plots, when you move into the axis grid area, the cursor cross hair is augmented
by a vertical or horizontal line, depending on whether you are probing along the X-axis
or the Y-axis. You can change the axis to probe simply by pressing X to probe the X-axis
or Y to probe the Y-axis.

Specify Equations
Opens the Specify Equations dialog. See Section 20 - 1 “Data Alteration through Equations”.

Insert Text
Select the Add Text tool to add text to any frame.
When this tool is in use, the Snap To buttons in the Plot sidebar become available to allow you to easily
align your text with features of your plot.

Insert Image/Georeferenced Image

Select the Insert Image tool to insert an image or Georeferenced image to the plot.
See Image and Georeferenced Images for more information.

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Introduction

Insert Geometries
Use the geometry buttons to insert geometries into your plot. When these tools are in use, the Snap To
buttons in the Plot sidebar become available to allow you to easily align your geometry with features of
your plot.

Polylines

Squares

Rectangles

Circle

Ellipse

Create New Frame

Select the Create Frame tool to create a new frame.
To add a frame:
• Click once in the workspace to anchor one corner of the frame.
• Drag the diagonal corner until the frame is the desired size and shape.

If you have data loaded before you create a new frame, you can attach the existing
dataset to the new frame by changing the plot type.

1 - 3.5 Status Line

The status line appears along the bottom of the Tecplot 360 EX window to provide a progress bar and
other information when Tecplot 360 EX computes lengthy calculations. Other “hints,” such as coordinates
and tips for using the currently-selected tool, also appear here.

1 - 3.6 Tecplot 360 EX Workspace

In the Tecplot 360 EX workspace, you can create sketches and plots. You create each sketch or plot within
a frame. Each visible measure of the workspace is called a page. The current state of the workspace,
including the sizing and positioning of frames, the number and contents of pages, the location of the data
files used by each frame, and all current attributes for all frames, makes up a layout. By default, the
workspace displays a representation of where the paper plots are drawn, as well as a reference grid and
rulers. The frame most recently selected is called the active frame.
You can include multiple pages in your layout, each of which can contain multiple frames. Use the Pages
Sidebar (open it from the View menu if it’s not visible) to create and manage pages.

1-4 Getting Help

Tecplot 360 EX features a fully integrated Help system. Detailed help is accessible by:
• Selecting “Tecplot 360 EX Help” from the Help menu.
• Clicking the Help button in any dialog.

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 Getting Help

The Help dialog supports text search, has hypertext links, and provides detailed information on all menus
and dialogs.
You may also send an e-mail to support@[Link] with your questions.

35
Introduction

36
 2

Using the Workspace

This chapter discusses the structures and features of Tecplot 360 EX that act the same regardless of the
data type or plot layers you are using. These include:
• Data Hierarchy - How Tecplot 360 EX manages data
• Interface Coordinate Systems - Tecplot 360 EX’s use of different coordinate systems, and when
and where they occur
• Frames - Areas in the workspace in which you can create plots and control formatting
• Workspace Management Options - Factors that determine the color and orientation of your
paper, as well as the ruler and grid, in order to precisely size and position objects. For in-depth
information on Display Performance, refer to Section 30 - 3 “Performance Dialog”
• View Modification - The commands to zoom, translate, and fit plots within frames
• Edit Menu - The commands to cut, copy, and paste plot elements in the workspace

2-1 Data Hierarchy

Tecplot 360 EX structures data in two levels: datasets, which display in frames, and zones, which make up
a dataset. Each dataset is composed of one or more zones, and each zone contains one or more variables.
All zones within a dataset contain the same set of variables.

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Using the Workspace

This chart, Figure 2-1, displays a visual representation of Tecplot 360 EX’s data hierarchy.

Figure 2-1. Data Hierarchy in Tecplot 360 EX. Frames 1 & 2 display Dataset 1, and Dataset 1 contains
three zones from one data file. Frame 3 contains Dataset 2, which is composed of five zones
(two from data file 2 and three from data file 3).

2 - 1.1 Data Displays in Frames

Tecplot 360 EX always displays data in a window called a “frame”. By default, Tecplot 360 EX opens one
frame when you launch Tecplot 360 EX or open a new layout, but you can display multiple plots
concurrently in Tecplot 360 EX by adding additional frames. You can add frames to the workspace using
the Frame menu. You can display one dataset in one frame, or you can share one dataset between multiple
frames. Using the same dataset in multiple frames allows you to generate different plots of the same data.
To learn more about working with frames, go to Section 2 - 3 “Frames”.
Frames appear on pages. You can manage multiple pages in Tecplot 360 EX using the Pages Sidebar and
macro commands in the default Quick Macro Panel. Each page has its own collection of frames.

2 - 1.2 A Dataset Includes All Data in a Frame

A dataset is defined as “all of the data in a frame”. To create a dataset, load one or more data files into an
empty frame in Tecplot 360 EX, or create a zone in a frame.

2 - 1.3 Datasets Are Made of Zones

A zone represents a subset of a dataset. A dataset can be composed of a single zone or several zones.
Zones are either defined in a data file or created directly in Tecplot 360 EX. The number of zones in a
dataset is the sum of the number of zones in each of the data files included in the dataset, plus any zones
created within Tecplot 360 EX.
Typically, a data file is divided into zones based on its physical coordinates. For example, a dataset of an
airplane many consist of a zone for each wing, each wheel, the nose, etc. Alternatively, zones may be

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 Interface Coordinate Systems

defined based on the material. For example, a dataset of a fluid tank may have a zone for the tank itself
and additional zones for each fluid inside the tank.

All zones in a given dataset must have the same variables defined for each data point.

2-2 Interface Coordinate Systems

Tecplot 360 EX incorporates a number of coordinate systems, including the paper, frame, and the physical
coordinate systems for the plot (2D, 3D, XY, or Polar). The origins of each coordinate system and their
relationship to one another is shown in Figure 2-2.

Figure 2-2. Tecplot 360 EX Coordinate System. The physical coordinate system(s) of the dataset (for
example, 3D Cartesian or 2D Cartesian) are encompassed in the Frame Coordinate System.
The physical coordinate system (2D or 3D) depends on the plot type of the active frame. Two-dimensional
physical coordinates are often referred to as grid coordinates. The Grid coordinate system is aligned with
the coordinate system used by the plot axes; the Frame coordinate system is fixed to the frame and does
not change when the plot is zoomed, translated, or rotated.
In 2D Cartesian plots, objects such as text labels and geometries are drawn in either the Frame or the Grid
coordinate system. In 3D Cartesian plots, these objects are drawn in either the Frame coordinate system, or
in what is known as the Eye coordinate system. The eye coordinate system is aligned with the Grid
coordinate system; so objects drawn in the Eye coordinate system move with the data as you zoom and
translate, but remain fixed when you rotate the plot.

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Using the Workspace

Figure 2-3 shows a 3D volume plot with streamribbons and a streamtrace termination line. This figure
illustrates how the termination points vary as the plot is rotated. Notice that the termination line itself
remains in place on the screen as the plot is rotated.

Figure 2-3. Rotating Volume streamtraces with a termination line in the eye coordinate system.

2-3 Frames
All plots and sketches are displayed within frames. Initially, the Tecplot 360 EX workspace contains one
frame. You may add additional frames, resize and reposition frames, modify background color, and
specify border and header appearance. Tecplot 360 EX acts upon only one frame, The Active Frame, at any
given time (however, frames may be linked, so that changing one may also change others). The active
frame displays with a darker, thicker border than the inactive frames so that you can easily see which
frame is active.

Tecplot 360 EX uses the height of the frame for objects scaled by frame units, such as
font size. When you enter a frame unit value into a dialog or when you set frame size
and position on the paper, you may specify a different unit system (inches, points,
centimeters, or pixels). Tecplot 360 EX automatically converts the values into frame
units.

2 - 3.1 The Active Frame

The active frame, indicated by default with a darker and thicker border, is the frame in your workspace
affected by all operations you do in Tecplot 360 EX. To make a frame the active frame, click anywhere
inside that frame with the Selector tool (or any other tool except the Create New Frame tool). Reference the
following sections for additional actions you can perform on frames.

2 - 3.2 Frame Creation

To create a new frame, which you can use to display a new dataset or another view of an already-loaded
data set, select the New Frame button in the toolbar. Or select “Create New Frame” from the Frame
menu. Selecting either the New Frame tool or “Create New Frame” in the Frame menu will change your
selector tool into a small “+” symbol. Click with this tool in your workspace where you want one corner of

40
 Frames

your new frame, and drag across the workspace to where you would like the opposite corner of your new
frame.

Tecplot 360 EX automatically makes the new frame the active frame.

For optimal printing of your plot(s), draw frames that sit completely within the paper displayed in the
workspace. See Section 31 - 3.3 “Create Multiple Frames” for information on simultaneously creating
multiple frames.

Data Set Inheritance After creating a new frame, you can assign the frame to share
the dataset of another frame by changing the frame order and the plot type of the new
frame. When you switch a frame without data out of Sketch plot type, Tecplot 360 EX
searches for another frame with which to share data. It performs this search in the order
that the frames are drawn on-screen, starting from the top and moving down. The
empty frame will inherit data from the first frame in the draw order that contains data.

2 - 3.3 Edit Active Frame

The Edit Active Frame dialog (accessed from the Frame menu) allows you to adjust the dimensions and
style of your active frame. When you are working with multiple frames, select a frame with your selector
tool to make that frame active. Then select “Edit Active Frame” from the Frame menu to adjust the
position and properties of that frame.

Frame Dimensions
You can size and position a frame using your mouse, the keyboard, or a dialog. To use only your mouse,
select the frame to activate the resizing handles (black boxes on the edges and corners of the frame). Click
and drag on a handle to resize a frame, or click and drag on an edge in a location without a handle to
change the frame location. To specify size or position with a dialog, select “Edit Active Frame” from the
Frame menu.

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Using the Workspace

In the Edit Active Frame dialog, you may specify the exact
location for the frame’s left and top sides, along with width
and height.
• Left Side - Left edge of the frame, relative to the
workspace
• Top Side - Top edge of the frame, relative to the workspace
• Width - Width of the frame (coordinates are: left side to left side + width).
• Height - Height of the frame (coordinates are: top side to top side - height).
The units in the Frame Dimensions region of the dialog are based on the units set for the Ruler Spacing in
Options>Ruler/Grid.

You may also use the mouse or the arrow keys to resize and position frames. Click
anywhere on a frame’s header or border to activate resizing handles for the frame. To
scale frames proportionally (maintaining the vertical to horizontal aspect ratio) select the
frames, then press “+” on your keyboard to enlarge or “-” to reduce.

After selecting frames, you may position them using the arrow keys on your keyboard. You can move
frames up, down, left, or right in one-pixel increments for precise location.

To fit the active frame to the entire printable region of US letter-size paper (landscape
orientation), set Left Side=0.127, Top Side=0.125, Width=10.75, and Height=8.25. Or,
set Width=8.25 and Height=10.75 for portrait orientation.

Frame Border and Header Controls

Use the Edit Active Frame dialog (accessed from the Frame menu) to adjust the frame border or header.
Toggling-off “Show Border” makes the frame border
invisible. Use the Thickness box in the Edit Active Frame
dialog to adjust the line thickness of the border.
Remember that Tecplot 360 EX uses a thicker border to
indicate The Active Frame, so making borders thicker can make it become more difficult to determine
which frame is active.
The frame header displays when both “Show Border” and “Show Header” are toggled-on. If you turn off
the border by toggling-off “Show Border”, the header turns off as well.
The frame header contains user-configurable information which defaults to:
"&(FrameName) | &(date) | &(DataSetTitle)"
where FrameName is the frame’s name, date is the date the frame was created or revised, and DataSetTitle is
the title of the active dataset. You can change these defaults in your configuration file using the
$!GLOBALFRAME command (see the Scripting Guide).

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 Frames

Frame Background Color Modification

Select the Color box in the Edit Active Frame dialog (accessed from the Frame menu) to adjust the frame
background color. Toggle-off “Show Background” to set the frame background to transparent.

Frame Name Modification

Enter text in the Frame Name region of the Edit Active Frame dialog (accessed from the Frame menu) to
change the name of the active frame. The text entered here is displayed as the name of the frame.

2 - 3.4 Frame Linking

The Set Links for Active Frame dialog, accessible through Frame>Frame Linking, allows you to link
specific style attributes either between frames or within a frame. Linking between frames, on the Between
Frames page of the dialog, allows you to quickly make changes in one frame and propagate them to a
number of other frames. Linking within frames, on the Within Frame page, links attributes between
similar objects within a frame.

Attribute Linking Between Frames

Use the Between Frames page of the Set Links for Active Frame dialog (accessed from Frame>Frame
Linking) to link the following attributes (shown below):

• Frame Size and Position - Use this option to overlay transparent frames. (See “Frame
Background Color Modification” on page 43.)
• Solution Time - All frames display the same solution time.

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Using the Workspace

• X Axis Range, Y Axis Range (For XY Line and 2D plots) - Links the X-Axis or Y-Axis range
and the positioning of the left and right sides of the viewport.

For XY Line plots, axis range linking applies only to the first axes, X1 and/or Y1.

• XY Axis Position (For XY Line and 2D plots) - Links the positioning of the X and Y-Axes
between frames, including the method used for positioning the axes, such as aligning with an
opposing axis value.
• Polar Plot View - Link views for frames using the Polar Line plot type.
• 3D Plot View - Link the 3D axes and 3D view.
• Slice Positions - Link slice positions and slice planes for active slices (not slice style).
• Iso-Surface Locations - Link iso-surface values (but not iso-surface plot style).
• Contour Levels - Link the values and number of contour levels for 2D and 3D plots.
• Value Blanking Constraints - Link all value-blanking attributes.

It is not necessary to close and reopen the dialog between frames. Simply select another
frame with the dialog open to edit linking for the newly active frame.

Frame Linking Groups

You can segregate frames into groups so that only frames in that group receive changes made in the linked
attributes. By default, all frames are added to Group 1. Add a frame to a group by selecting the appropriate
group number from the “Frame is a Member of” drop-down menu on the Between Frames page of the Set
Links for Active Frame dialog. You can assign frames to groups 1-20. New frames added to a group take
on the characteristics of previous members of the group.

Figure 2-4. Five frames in two groups with different linking options.

Propagating Between-Frame Link Attributes to Other Frames

Once link attributes are set in a frame group, you must set these same attributes in other frames for linking
to occur. Each frame may have each of the attributes selected or not linked. If you want all or a selected

44
 Frames

group of frames to have the same link attributes, select the appropriate [Apply Settings to...] button to
quickly propagate the link settings. Alternatively, you can select each frame individually, making the same
selections on the Set Links for Active Frame dialog for each chosen frame.

When 2D or XY Line frames have dependent axes and these axis ranges are linked, a
“best-fit” attempt is made to match the axis ranges between frames. Misalignments can
occur when the aspect ratios for the lengths of the axes is not the same between two
frames with linked X and Y-axes. Setting the X and Y-axes to be independent allows a
precise match.

Attribute Linking Within A Frame

The Within Frame page of the Set Links for Active Frame dialog (shown below) allows you to link the
following attributes:

• Axis Style - Link activation, colors, line styles, and font styles for objects associated with axes.
• Gridline Style - Link activation, colors, and line styles for gridlines.
• Zone/Map Color between Plot Layers - Link the color of meshes, contour lines, and other
zone layers for Cartesian plots, or link the color of lines, symbols, and other map layers for line
plots.
• Zone Line Pattern between Plot Layers - Link line pattern style and length for meshes, vector,
and contour lines for Cartesian plots.
Settings changed on this dialog take effect immediately. You may also apply the settings to all frames or
just to selected frames using the buttons in the dialog.

Keep in mind that within-frame Linking only links attributes between similar objects
within a frame. These attributes are not linked to other frames. The [Apply Settings]
buttons turn on the same Within-Frame Linking properties in other frames.

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Using the Workspace

2 - 3.5 Frame Deletion

Delete a frame by selecting the frame and then choosing Edit>Delete or pressing the Delete key. This
action is not undoable.

2 - 3.6 Managing Frame Order

Frames can overlap, and when they do, one is drawn in front of the other. You can think of the frames as a
stack of papers pinned to a bulletin board. The order of frames can be managed by right-clicking a frame
name in the Frames sidebar and choosing one of the following options.

The Frames sidebar is initially hidden. To display it, choose View>Frames Sidebar.

• Bring Forward - To move a frame one step closer to the front of the
frame stack, right-click its name and choose “Bring Forward” from
the context menu.
• Send Backward - To move a frame to one step closer to the back of
the frame stack, right-click its name and choose “Send Backward”
from the context menu.
• Bring to Front - To move a frame to the front of the frame drawing
order, right-click its name and choose “Bring to Front” from the
context menu. That frame will then appear in front of all other frames.
• Send to Back - To move a frame to the bottom of the frame drawing order, right-click its name
and choose “Send to Back” from the context menu. That frame will then appear behind all
other frames.
The context menu in the Frames sidebar also contains an option to Activate the selected frame. This does
not change the drawing order of the frame, but does make it The Active Frame.

2 - 3.7 Save Frame Style

You can save a frame’s style for later use or to share with another frame by selecting “Save Frame Style” in
the Frame menu. This will open the Save Style dialog, in which you can name and save the style of your
active frame as a stylesheet (with the extension .sty). Use the Load Frame Style action to retrieve your
frame style in another frame or layout.
The following data is saved:
• All plot style information
• Text elements
• Geometries (shapes such as boxes, circles, and polylines)
• Stream positions
• Contour levels

2 - 3.8 Load Frame Style

To load a saved frame style into your active frame, select “Load Frame Style” in the Frame menu. With the
Load Frame Style dialog that appears, you can load a frame style saved from another frame (with the
extension .sty) to dictate the frame attributes of your active frame. This will affect only the The Active
Frame. To save a frame style, use the Save Frame Style function.
The following data is retrieved from the file and applied to the current frame:

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 Workspace Management Options

• All plot style information

• Text elements
• Geometries (shapes such as boxes, circles, and polylines)
• Stream positions
• Contour levels

2-4 Workspace Management Options

The workspace is the region in which you can create frames. The paper layout is a subset of the workspace
and is correlated to the printer settings.

The paper is hidden by default in Tecplot 360 EX. Select “Show Paper on Screen” in the
Paper Setup dialog under the File menu to include the paper.

2 - 4.1 Paper Setup

Tecplot 360 EX’s representation of paper in the workspace allows you to lay out plots precisely the way
you want them printed. If you place a frame on the paper and print the resulting plot, the frame appears in
the exact relative location on the printed paper.
You can control the size, orientation, and color of your paper by going to File>Paper Setup.

Paper Size Controls

Tecplot 360 EX offers the following six paper sizes:
• Letter - Standard U.S. letter size, 8 1/2 by 11 inches.
• Double - Standard U.S. ledger size, 11 by 17 inches.
• A4 - Standard European letter size, 21 by 29.7 centimeters.
• A3 - Standard European size, 29.7 by 42 centimeters.
• Custom 1 - Default is 8.5 by 14 inches.
• Custom 2 - Default is 8 by 10 inches.

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Using the Workspace

All paper sizes may be customized using options in configuration or macro files. It is recommended that
you only change the dimensions of the Custom 1 and Custom 2 paper sizes. To change the Custom sizes
see the $!PAPER command in the Scripting Guide.

Paper Orientation Controls

Layouts can be landscape or portrait. In landscape (the default), the long axis of the paper is horizontal,
while in portrait, the long axis is vertical. Portrait orientation uses the width of the specified paper for the
horizontal dimension, while landscape uses this for the vertical dimension. You specify the orientation as
part of paper set-up.

Screen Paper Controls

If you are creating plots for display on your screen, you can toggle-off the screen representation of the
paper and use the full workspace by deselecting “Show Paper on Screen”.

Dimensions (display only)

The units displayed in the “Dimensions” region of the Paper Setup dialog are determined by the units
established in Options>Ruler/Grid.

Paper Color Controls

You can set up your paper to show any color as a background color (the “paper fill color”) on your screen,
as well as use that color when printing to a color printer. When you are printing, the paper can be flooded
with your specified fill color. (By default, the paper fill color is ignored during printing.) To use the paper
fill color when printing, select “Use Paper Fill Color when Printing” from the Paper Setup dialog.

2 - 4.2 Grid and Ruler Set-Up

The workspace grid provides a convenient guide for placing
objects on your paper. When placing text or geometric shapes,
you can choose to snap the anchor points of the shapes to the
grid. Rulers provide a reference length for sizing objects.
To customize the ruler/grid settings, select “Ruler/Grid” from
the Options menu.

Workspace Grid Controls

Tecplot 360 EX allows you to select grid spacing from several
pre-set sizes in centimeters (cm), inches (in), or points (pt) with the Grid Spacing drop-down menu. You
can also specify not to show the grid by toggling-off “Show Grid”.

The grid does not display if “Show Paper on Screen” or “Show Grid” are toggled-off.

Workspace Ruler Controls

You can select the ruler markings from several pre-set sizes in centimeters (cm), inches (in), or points (pt)
with the Ruler Spacing drop-down menu. You can also specify not to show the ruler by toggling-off
“Show Ruler”. With “Show Ruler” toggled-on, rulers appear on the bottom and right-hand sides of the
workspace.

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 View Modification

2-5 View Modification

Use the View menu to adjust the view of the active frame, sidebars, or toolbars, or to adjust the view of the
entire workspace. The View menu is discussed in the following subsections.

2 - 5.1 Show a Sidebar or Toolbar

You may close a sidebar by clicking its close box. Once closed, you may reopen it by choosing the desired
sidebar from the appropriate menu.

Sidebar Menu Command

Plot View>Plot sidebar

Pages View>Pages sidebar

Frames View>Frames sidebar

Quick Macro Panel Scripting>Quick Macros

You may also show or hide a sidebar or a toolbar by right-clicking any toolbar (or the menu bar) and
choosing the toolbar or sidebar you wish to show or hide from the context menu.

2 - 5.2 Redraw Frame

When “Auto Redraw” is toggled-off, click the Redraw button in the Plot sidebar to redraw the active
frame.

2 - 5.3 Zoom
There are two zoom modes: axis (dataset) zooming and paper zooming. To use either, first activate the
Zoom tool from the Toolbar.

Plot Zooming
With the Zoom tool selected, drag the magnifying glass cursor to draw a box. The region within the view
box will be resized to fit into the frame according to the longest dimension of the view box. If “Snap to
Grid” is selected (on the Plot sidebar), you cannot make the zoom box larger than the grid area.

To return to the previous view, select “Last” (CTRL-L) from the View menu or “Undo”
(CTRL-Z) from the Edit menu.

3D mouse - Tecplot 360 EX also supports a 3D mouse, an input device that allows zooming (and
translation and rotation) of 3D plots with a touch. You do not need to activate the Zoom tool to use the 3D
mouse for zooming. Simply push the mouse’s cap toward or away from you to zoom.
Hold the Alt key while zooming with the 3D mouse to switch the zoom method (see “Input Devices” on
page 18 for details).
Avoid tilting the mouse cap, as this may induce unintended rotation. Hold down the Alt key to switch
between zooming by moving the data and by moving the viewer.

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Using the Workspace

Paper Zooming
With the Zoom tool selected, SHIFT-drag the magnifying glass cursor to draw a box about the region that
you want to magnify. The plot is resized such that the longest dimension of the zoom box fits into the
workspace.

You can fit all frames to the workspace by using the “Fit All Frames to Workspace”
option of the View menu.

Mouse Zoom and Translation

The middle and right mouse buttons allow you to smoothly zoom and translate your plot. The middle
mouse button zooms smoothly, and the right mouse button translates (moves).
3D mouse - Tecplot 360 EX also supports a 3D mouse, an input device that can be used to zoom and
translate 3D plots at any time regardless of the tool or mode selected.
• Push the mouse’s cap toward or away from you to zoom. Hold the Alt key while zooming with
the 3D mouse to switch the zoom method (see “Input Devices” on page 18 for details).
• Pull the mouse’s cap up or push it down to translate vertically.
• Move the mouse’s cap left or right to translate horizontally.
Avoid tilting or rotating the mouse when using these motions to avoid rotating the plot.

2 - 5.4 Fit Everything

View>Fit Everything (Control-E) resizes 3D Cartesian plots so that all data points, and all text and
geometries positioned using grid coordinates, are included in the frame. By default, geometries use grid
coordinates, while text objects use frame coordinates, so typically this means that Fit Everything fits
geometries but not text objects, although if a text object has been set to use grid coordinates, it will be
included. Use View>Data Fit to consider only data in the resizing.

Long text strings may still extend out of the frame even if positioned using grid
coordinates.

2 - 5.5 Fit Surfaces

View>Fit Surfaces (Control-F) resizes 3D Cartesian plots so that all surfaces are included in the frame,
excluding any volume zones. If there are no surfaces plotted, View>Fit Surfaces fits all data points, text,
and geometries into the frame.

2 - 5.6 Fit to Full Size

View>Fit to Full Size (Control-F) resizes non-3D plots so that all zones or lines, geometries, and text fit
within the frame.

2 - 5.7 Data Fit

View>Data Fit resizes the plot so all data points are included in the frame. Text and geometries are not
considered. The text and geometries must be set to grid coordinates to be considered in the resizing.

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 View Modification

2 - 5.8 Fit All Frames to Workspace

View>Fit All Frames to Workspace (Control-Shift-A) resizes all frames proportionally so the frame(s) fill
the workspace either vertically or horizontally.

2 - 5.9 Nice Fit to Full Size

View>Nice Fit to Full Size (Control-I) sets the axis range of 2D Cartesian, XY Line, and Sketch plot types
to begin and end on major axis increments. If axes are dependent, the vertical axis length is adjusted to
accommodate a major tick mark.

2 - 5.10 Make Current View Nice

View>Make Current View Nice (Control-K) modifies the range on a specified axis of 2D Cartesian, XY
Line, and Sketch plots to fit the minimum and maximum of the variable assigned to that axis, then snaps
the major tick marks to the ends of the axis. If axis dependency is not independent, this may affect the
range on another axis.

2 - 5.11 Center
Centers the plot within the frame. Only the data is centered; text, geometry, and the 3D axes are not
considered. Neither the axes nor the plot is changed in size.

2 - 5.12 Translate/Magnify
The Translate/Magnify dialog (accessed via the View
menu), allows you to move and resize your plot within a
frame. Translating using this dialog moves the image of your
data with respect to the active frame. You can translate plots
in any direction within a frame.
The following options are available in the Translate/Magnify
dialog:
• Up, Down, Left, Right - Use the arrows to
translate (move) the image.
• Increment (%) - Controls the step size for each
arrow as a percentage of the workspace.
• View Magnification - Factor - Change
magnification using the up and down arrows to
the right of the text field, or enter a value in the text
field.
• View Magnification - Increment (%) - The step
size for each click of the arrows in the Factor field,
as a percentage of the current magnification.
The Translate/Magnify tool (located in the Toolbar)
allows you to translate/magnify the data within the frame or the entire workspace. Use the Shift key to
translate/magnify the workspace instead of the data.

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Using the Workspace

When the Translate/Magnify tool is active, type +/- on your keyboard to increase/decrease the scale of the
image.

To use the Magnify tool on the workspace, hold the SHIFT key and click on the
workspace. Then, use the “+” or “-” keys on the keyboard to change the magnification of
the workspace. Single-click on the data to change the mode back to dataset
magnification.

2 - 5.13 Last
View>Last (Control-L) restores the previous view. The “Last” command allows you to step backward
through the resizings and repositionings of plots. Any time you change the view of a frame, either by
zooming, centering, translating, or fitting the plot, the previous view is placed in a view stack. Each frame
is allotted four view stacks, one for each plot type. Each view stack stores up to sixteen views, including
the active view.

2 - 5.14 Rotate
Available in the 3D Cartesian plot type only; calls up the Rotate dialog for image rotation. For further
information, see “Three-dimensional Rotation” on page 30.

2 - 5.15 3D View Details

Available in the 3D Cartesian plot type only; calls up the 3D View Details dialog for setting the view
position and angle of 3D objects. For further information, see “Three-dimensional Rotation” on page 30.

2 - 5.16 Copy View

Use the View>Copy View menu option to copy the active frame view to the frame view buffer, where it
can then be pasted to other frames having the same plot type. The copied view includes all the attributes
of the view that are affected by the View menu: the amount of zoom, translation and scale, and (in 3D
Cartesian plot type) the amount of rotation and perspective projection.

2 - 5.17 Paste View

View>Paste View pastes a copied view onto the active frame. When you are working with multiple
frames attached to the same dataset, it is often useful to make your view changes to one frame and then
propagate those changes to the other frames.

2 - 5.18 Fit All Frames to Workspace

View>Fit All Frames to Workspace resizes all frames proportionally so that all frame(s) fill the workspace
either vertically or horizontally.

2-6 Edit Menu

You can duplicate frames, text, and geometries with the cut, copy and paste options of the Edit menu (or
their keyboard equivalents, Control-X, Control-C, and Control-V). You can also cut objects from one
location and paste them into another, or throw them away completely using the Delete option.

2 - 6.1 Undo
All plot and mapping style modifications can be undone. In addition, you can undo a variety of other plot
alterations. As a rule, Tecplot 360 EX allows undo for reversible operations that can be restored without

52
 Edit Menu

significant impact on the operation’s performance. To undo an operation, select “Undo” from the Edit
menu, or press Control-Z in the workspace.
Specifically, the Undo option is allowed for the following conditions:
• All zone and map style changes.
• Some (though not all) frame control operations.
• Creating new frames.
• Moving and copying line maps.
• View operations.
• Some pick operations.
• Streamtrace actions.
• The following data alterations:
• Deleting zones and variables.
• Renaming datasets and zones.
• Creating rectangular or circular zones.
• Duplication zones.
• Processing Equations. (Except equations containing derivatives.)

Undo is unavailable for all data operations once an Undo operation has been performed
on an un-allowed item. In addition, once an operation is performed that cannot be
undone, the entire undo history for that frame is erased.

2 - 6.2 Cut
Edit>Cut or Control-X removes the selected item from the plot and the active dataset (if applicable), and
stores the removed item in the Paste buffer.

Generally, the Cut, Copy, and Paste options work only within Tecplot 360 EX. However,
you can copy selected frames and text objects and paste them into other applications.
See Section 25 - 5 “Clipboard Exporting to Other Applications”.

2 - 6.3 Copy
Edit>Copy or Control-C stores the selected item in the Paste buffer but leaves it in your plot or the active
dataset.

Generally, the Cut, Copy, and Paste options work only within Tecplot 360 EX. However,
you can copy selected frames and text objects and paste them into other applications.
See Section 25 - 5 “Clipboard Exporting to Other Applications”.

2 - 6.4 Paste
Use Edit>Paste or Control-V to add the contents of the Paste buffer to the active plot. If the object is being
copied into the same frame, the new object will be overlaid directly over the original object. Use the
Selector or the Adjustor tool to move the copied item to different locations in the frame.

Pasting from the Paste buffer is allowed only between compatible frames. Attempting to
copy an object into a frame that does not hold an appropriate data type results in an
error message.

53
Using the Workspace

2 - 6.5 Delete
Remove the selected item from the plot and from the active dataset. Deleted items are not stored in the
Paste buffer.

If you cut or clear the only Tecplot 360 EX frame in the workspace, Tecplot 360 EX
automatically creates a blank frame to replace it.

2 - 6.6 Send to Back

Pushes the selected item to the bottom of the active draw stack. The plot is drawn on your screen from the
bottom of the draw stack to the top; elements lying further down in the stack may be partially obscured by
elements higher up. The following types of objects may be pushed: text, geometries, 2D or X-Y grid areas,
and frames.

2 - 6.7 Bring to Front

Pop the selected item to the top of the active draw stack. The following types of objects may be popped:
text, geometries, 2D, or X-Y grid areas, and frames.

54
 3

Data Structure

Tecplot 360 EX accommodates two different types of data: Ordered Data and Finite Element Data.
• Ordered data is a set of points logically stored in a one-, two-, or three-dimensional array,
where I, J, and K are the index values within the array. The number of data points is the
product of all of the dimensions within the array.
• Finite-element data is arranged in two arrays, a variable array and a connectivity matrix. The
variable array is a collection of points in 2D or 3D space that are connected into polygonal or
polyhedral units called elements. The connections between the nodes are defined by the
connectivity matrix.

Connectivity List
A connectivity list is used to define which nodes are included in each element of an ordered or cell-based
finite element zone. You should know your zone type and the number of elements in each zone in order to
create your connectivity list.
The number of nodes required for each element is implied by your zone type. For example, if you have a
finite element quadrilateral zone, you will have four nodes defined for each element. Likewise, you must
provide eight numbers for each cell in a BRICK zone, and three numbers for each element in a TRIANGLE
zone. If you have a cell that has a smaller number of nodes than that required by your zone type, simply
repeat a node number. For example, if you are working with a finite element quadrilateral zone and you
would like to create a triangular element, simply repeat a node in the list (e.g., 1,4,5,5).

55
Data Structure

In the example below, the zone contains two quadrilateral elements. Therefore, the connectivity list must
have eight values. The first four values define the nodes that form Element 1. Similarly, the second four
values define the nodes that form Element 2.

The connectivity list for this example would appear as follows:

ConnList[8] = {4,5,2,1, /* nodes for Element 1 */
5,6,3,2}; /* nodes for Element 2 */

It is important to provide your node list in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise order.

Otherwise, your cell will twist, and the element produced will be misshapen.

Ordered Data
Ordered data is defined by one, two, or three-dimensional logical arrays, dimensioned by IMAX, JMAX,
and KMAX. These arrays define the interconnections between nodes and cells. The variables can be either
nodal or cell-centered. Nodal variables are stored at the nodes; cell-centered values are stored within the
cells.
• One-dimensional Ordered Data (I-ordered, J-ordered, or K-ordered)
A single dimensional array where either IMAX, JMAX
or KMAX is greater than or equal to one, and the others
are equal to one. For nodal data, the number of stored
values is equal to IMAX * JMAX * KMAX. For cell-
centered I-ordered data (where IMAX is greater than
one, and JMAX and KMAX are equal to one), the
number of stored values is (IMAX-1) - similarly for J-
ordered and K-ordered data.

• Two-dimensional Ordered Data (IJ-ordered, JK-ordered, IK-ordered)

A two-dimensional array where two of the three
dimensions (IMAX, JMAX, KMAX) are greater than
one, and the other dimension is equal to one. For nodal
data, the number of stored values is equal to IMAX *
JMAX * KMAX. For cell-centered IJ-ordered data
(where IMAX and JMAX are greater than one, and
KMAX is equal to one), the number of stored values is
(IMAX-1)(JMAX-1) - similarly for JK-ordered and IK-
ordered data.

56
 Ordered Data

• Three-dimensional Ordered Data (IJK-ordered)

A three-dimensional array where all IMAX,
JMAX and KMAX are each greater than one. For
nodal ordered data, the number of nodes is the
product of the I-, J-, and K-dimensions. For
nodal data, the number of stored values is equal
to IMAX * JMAX * KMAX. For cell-centered data,
the number of stored values is (IMAX-1)(JMAX-
1)(KMAX-1).

Indexing Nodal Ordered Data

For nodal ordered data, the n-dimensional array of values are treated as a one dimensional array. For
example, given an IJK-ordered zone dimensioned by 10x20x30. To access the value at I=3, J=4, K=5 (one
based) you would use:
IMax = 10
JMax = 20
KMax = 30
I = 3
J = 4
K = 5
NodeIndex = I + (J-1)*IMax + (K-1)*IMax*JMax

Indexing Cell-centered Ordered Data

For cell-centered ordered data, the index that represents the cell center is the same as the nodal index that
represents the lowest indexed corner of the cell.
For example, the figure below shows an IJ-ordered zone dimensioned 3x4.

Figure 3-1. An IJ-ordered zone dimensioned 3x4. Cell index numbers are based on the point number in
the lowest corner of the cell.
To access a cell-centered value for the cell in the upper right hand corner, use the following:
IMax = 3

57
Data Structure

JMax = 4
KMax = 1
I = 2
J = 3
K = 1
CellIndex = I + (J-1)*IMax + (K-1)*IMax*JMax
You’ll notice that the equations are exactly the same as with nodal data. As a result there are gaps of
unused values at IMax, JMax, and KMax that must be left unassigned.
The above equation is generic for 1D, 2D and 3D data. It simplifies for the lower dimensions.

One-dimensional Ordered Data (I, J, or K)

Values for XY Line plots are usually arranged in a one-dimensional array indexed by one parameter: I for
I-ordered, J for J-ordered, or K for K-ordered, with the two remaining index values equal to one.
At each node, N variables (V1, V2, ..., VN) are defined. If you arrange the data in a table where the values
of the variables (N values) at a node are given in a row, and there is one row for each node, the table would
appear something like that shown below.

V1 V2 V3 ... VN (Values at node I = 1)

V1 V2 V3 ... VN (Values at node I = 2)

V1 V2 V3 ... VN (Values at node I = 3)

V1 V2 V3 ... VN

V1 V2 V3 ... VN

V1 V2 V3 ... VN (Values at node I = IMax)

Table 3 - 1: Table of values for I-ordered Nodal Data (typical for XY plots).
See Chapter 6: “XY and Polar Line Plots” for more information on XY plots.

IJK-ordered Data Plotting

In one or two-dimensional datasets, all data points are typically plotted. However, for IJK-ordered data
you can designate which surface will be plotted by using the Surfaces page of the Zone Style dialog. You
may choose to plot just outer surfaces, or you may select combinations of I, J, and K-planes to be plotted.
Refer to Section 7 - 1.2 “Surfaces” for in-depth information.

Logical versus Physical Representation of Data

A family of I-lines results by connecting all of the points with the same I-index, similarly for J-lines and K-
lines. For IJ-ordered data, both families of lines are plotted in a two-dimensional coordinate system
resulting in a 2D mesh. When both the I and J-lines are plotted in a three-dimensional coordinate system, a

58
 Finite Element Data

3D surface mesh plot results. An example of both meshes is shown below. As you can see, logical data
points can transform into an arbitrary shape in physical space.

92000
10

P(N)
90000

8 88000

86000
6 15 10
10
Y(M)

4 5
0 5

Y (M
2 X (M )

)
I-in

0
ex ex 0
nd ind
de

J-i J-
x

I-in
-2

de
0 5 10 15

x
X(M)

Figure 3-2. Left, a 2D mesh of IJ-ordered data points. Right, a 3D mesh of IJ-ordered data points.

Finite Element Data

While finite element data is usually associated with numerical analysis for modeling complex problems in
3D structures (heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and electromagnetics), it also provides an effective approach
for organizing data points in or around complex geometrical shapes. For example, you may not have the
same number of data points on different lines, there may be holes in the middle of the dataset, or the data
points may be irregularly (randomly) positioned. For such difficult cases, you may be able to organize
your data as a patchwork of elements. Each element can be independent of the other elements, so you can
group your elements to fit complex boundaries and leave voids within sets of elements. The figure below
shows how finite element data can be used to model a complex boundary.

Figure 3-3. This figure shows finite element data used to model a complex boundary.
Finite element data defines a set of points (nodes) and the connected elements of these points. The
variables may be defined either at the nodes or at the cell (element) center. Finite element data can be
divided into three types:
• Line data is a set of line segments defining a 2D or 3D line. Unlike I-ordered data, a single
finite element line zone may consist of multiple disconnected sections. The values of the
variables at each data point (node) are entered in the data file similarly to I-ordered data,
where the nodes are numbered with the I-index. This data is followed by another set of data
defining connections between nodes. This second section is often referred to as the

59
Data Structure

connectivity list. All elements are lines consisting of two nodes, specified in the connectivity
list.
• Surface data is a set of triangular, quadrilateral, or polygonal elements defining a 2D field or a
3D surface. When using polygonal elements, the number of sides may vary from element to
element. In finite element surface data, you can choose per zone to arrange your data in three-
point (triangle), four-point (quadrilateral), or variable-point (polygonal) elements. The number
of points per node and their arrangement are determined by the element type of the zone. If a
mixture of quadrilaterals and triangles is necessary, you may repeat a node in the quadrilateral
element type to create a triangle, or you may use polygonal elements.
• Volume data is a set of tetrahedral, brick, or polyhedral elements defining a 3D volume field.
When using polyhedral elements, the number of sides may vary from element to element.
Finite element volume cells may contain four points (tetrahedron), eight points (brick), or a
variable number of points (polyhedral). The figure below shows the arrangement of the nodes
for tetrahedral and brick elements. The connectivity arrangement for polyhedral data is
governed by the method in which the polyhedral facemap data is supplied.

Tetrahedral connectivity arrangement Brick connectivity arrangement

Figure 3-4. Connectivity arrangements for FE-volume datasets

In cell-based element types (triangular, quadrilateral, tetrahedal, or brick), points may be
repeated to achieve elements containing a smaller number of points. For example, a
connectivity list of “n1 n1 n1 n1 n5 n6 n7 n8” (where n1 is repeated four times) results in a
brick-based pyramid element. Any of the points could be repeated; for example, “n1 n1 n3 n3
n5 n5 n7 n7” would also be a valid way to define a pyramidal element in a brick zone.
In Tecplot 360 EX, each FE data zone must be composed exclusively of one element type.
However, you may use a different data point structure for each zone within a dataset, as long
as the number of variables defined at each data point is the same.
Section 4 - 5 “Finite Element Data” in the Data Format Guide provides detailed information
about how to format your FE data in Tecplot’s text file format.

Finite Element Data Limitations

Working with finite element data has some limitations:
• XY-plots of finite element data treat the data as I-ordered; that is, the connectivity list is
ignored. Only nodes are plotted, not elements, and the nodes are plotted in the order in which
they appear in the data file.
• Index skipping in vector and scatter plots treats finite element data as I-ordered; the
connectivity list is ignored. Nodes are skipped according to their order in the data file.

Variable Location (Cell-centered or Nodal)

Data values can be stored at the nodes or at the cell centers.

60
 Face Neighbors

• For finite element meshes, cell-centers are the centers (centroids) of elements.
• For many types of plots, cell-centered values are interpolated to the nodes internally.

Face Neighbors
A cell is considered a neighbor if one of its faces shares all nodes in common with the selected cell, or if it
is identified as a neighbor by face neighbor data in the dataset. The face numbers for cells in the various
zone types are defined below.

A: Example of node and face neighbors for an FE-

brick cell or IJK-ordered cell.

B: Example of node and face numbering for an IJ-

ordered/ FE-quadrilateral cell.

C: Example of tetrahedron face neighbors.

Figure 3-1. Examples of face neighbors for various zone types.

The implicit connections between elements in a zone may be overridden, or connections between cells in
adjacent zones established, by specifying face neighbor criteria in the data file. Refer to “TECFACE142” on
page 35 of the Data Format Guide for additional information.

61
Data Structure

Working with Unorganized Datasets

Tecplot 360 EX loads unorganized data as a single I-ordered zone and displays them in XY Mode, by
default. An I-ordered zone is considered irregular if it has more than one dependent variable. An I-
ordered data set with one dependent variable (i.e. an XY or polar line) is not an irregular zone.
To check for irregular data, you can go to the Data Set Info dialog (accessed via the Data menu). The
values assigned to: IMax, JMax, and KMax are displayed in the lower left quadrant of that dialog. If IMax
is greater than 1, and JMax and KMax are equal to 1, then your data is irregular.
It is also easy to tell if you have irregular data by looking at the plot. If you are looking at irregular data
with the Mesh layer turned on, the data points will be connected by lines in the order the points appear in
the data set.
You can organize your data set for Tecplot 360 EX in the following ways.
• Manually order the data file using a text editor.

Use the “Label Points and Cells” feature from the Plot menu to see if your data set can
be easily corrected using a text editor by correcting the values for I, J, and/or K.

• Use one of the Data>Interpolation options. See Section 20 - 9 “Data Interpolation”.

Example - Unorganized Three-Dimensional Volume

To use 3D volume irregular data in field plots, you must interpolate the data onto a regular, IJK-ordered
zone. To interpolate your data, perform the following steps:
1. Place your 3D volume irregular data into an I-ordered zone in a data file.
2. Read in your data file and create a 3D scatter plot.
3. From the Data menu, choose Create Zone>Rectangular. (Circular will also work.)
4. In the Create Rectangular Zone dialog, enter the I-, J-, and K-dimensions for the new zone; at
a minimum, you should enter 10 for each dimension. The higher the dimensions, the finer the
interpolation grid, but the longer the interpolating and plotting time.
5. Enter the minimum and maximum X, Y, and Z values for the new zone. The default values are
the minimums and maximums of the current (irregular) dataset.
6. Click [Create] to create the new zone, and [Close] to dismiss the dialog.
7. From the Data menu, choose Interpolate>Inverse-Distance. Kriging may also be used.
8. In the interpolation dialog, choose the irregular data zone as the source zone, and the newly
created IJK-ordered zone as the destination zone. Set any other parameters as desired (see
Section 20 - 9 “Data Interpolation” for details).
9. Select the [Compute] button to perform the interpolation.
Once the interpolation is complete, you can plot the new IJK-ordered zone as any other 3D volume zone.
You may plot iso-surfaces, volume streamtraces, and so forth. At this point, you may want to deactivate or
delete the original irregular zone so as not to conflict with plots of the new zone.

62
 Working with Unorganized Datasets

Figure 3-2 shows an example of irregular data interpolated into an IJK-ordered zone, with iso-surfaces
plotted on the resultant zone.

Figure 3-2. Irregular data interpolated into an IJK-ordered zone.

63
Data Structure

64
Part 2 Loading Your
Data
 4

Loading Data

Tecplot 360 EX can load data from files on your local machine or accessible from a network file share using
modules called loaders, each of which understands data in a particular format. A number of loaders are
provided with Tecplot 360 EX for commonly-used CFD and general scientific and engineering formats as
well as various Tecplot formats. See “Loading Data Using a Loader” on page 68.
You can also load data from the Tecplot SZL Server, a lightweight module you can install on a remote
Linux host (such as a compute cluster) to get access to your data when it is not practical to move it off the
cluster to a local drive or to a network file share, and when you cannot reasonably run Tecplot 360 EX on
the remote host over a remote desktop setup.
To set up the Tecplot SZL Server, see "Installing the SZL Server" in the Tecplot 360 EX Installation Guide.
To open data hosted by the SZL Server, see “Loading Remote Data using the Tecplot SZL Server” on
page 126.

67
Loading Data

4-1 Loading Data Using a Loader

Use the File>Load Data command to load a data file using the Load Data dialog, shown below.

Normally, this dialog works slightly differently on Windows and non-Windows platforms. The controls at
the bottom of the dialog are different. For example, this is the lower portion of the dialog as seen on
CentOS Linux.

On Windows, you can switch to this version of the Load Data dialog by choosing Options>Use Extended
Load Data Dialog. Using this version of the dialog on Windows may be slower to navigate depending on
your network; however, you may want to try it if you regularly load multiple data files from more than
one directory.

68
 Loading Data Using a Loader

On any platform, you may use the Load Data dialog to navigate to the file you wish to open, or simply
type or paste the filename or the full pathname of the file in the File Name field.

If the file you are loading is a Tecplot-format file, you may also load it by simply dragging
it from your file manager (e.g. Windows Explorer or Mac Finder) into the Tecplot 360 EX
workspace, bypassing the Load Data dialog entirely. You can also load data files via the
macro language; refer to $!READDATASET in the Scripting Guide for details.

The Files of Type menu below the file list allows you to choose a data loader corresponding to the format
of data file that you wish to load, or you may select All Files to see all the files in the directory and have
Tecplot 360 EX automatically choose a loader for you if possible. When you choose a loader, the file list
changes to show only files that can be loaded by that loader.

If the name of the file you are trying to load has a non-standard extension, type the
extension in the File Name field like *.foo, then press Enter to show all files having this
filename extension. You may also enter *.* to show all files regardless of their
extension, or choose All Files from the Files of Type menu to have Tecplot 360 EX try
to determine which loader is needed.

• If the chosen loader needs only a single file, simply navigate to and select the file you want to
load in the file list and click Open.
• If the chosen loader supports or requires loading more than one file at once, or you are
choosing from All Files or All Supported Files, you may select multiple files. On Windows (using
the standard version of the Load Data dialog), you can choose additional files by holding
down Control or Shift while clicking the second and subsequent files in the dialog, then
clicking Open.
On other platforms (or on Windows using the extended version of the Load Data dialog), the
Add to List button becomes enabled. Select each file to be loaded and click Add to List to add
it to the Additional Files list. You may choose files from more than one directory. You may also
remove selected files from the list by clicking the Remove All or Remove Selected button.
Click Open to open all the files using the loader you chose.
When using All Files or All Supported Files, all of the files should be in the same format. If the
loader for that format cannot load multiple files, you must load them individually, appending
the second and subsequent files.
• Some file formats are very flexible, so you may need to specify exactly how the data was
written in order for Tecplot 360 EX to load it correctly. Some loaders always display an options
dialog, since they are needed almost every time. Others only display an options dialog when
you request it. On Windows (using the standard dialog), click the menu triangle next to the
Open button and choose Open With Advanced Options instead of clicking Open after
selecting your file(s). On non-Windows platforms (or when using the extended dialog on
Windows), an Advanced Options checkbox becomes enabled and may be selected before
clicking Open. The loader’s options dialog is then displayed before loading the selected file(s).
Available file formats include:
• CGNS Loader
• CONVERGE Out File Loader
• DEM Loader
• DXF Loader
• EnSight Loader
• Excel Loader

69
Loading Data

• FEA Loader
• FLOW-3D Loader
• FLUENT Loader
• FVCOM Loader
• General Text Loader
• HDF Loader
• HDF5 Loader
• Kiva Loader
• PLOT3D Loader
• PLY Loader
• Tecplot-Format Loader
• Tecplot Subzone Loader
• Tecplot Layout Loader
• Telemac Data Loader
• Text Spreadsheet Loader
• TRIX Loader
• VTK Data Loader

Loading by Position
In most CFD data formats, it is valid to have multiple variables with the same name. When loading such a
file, Tecplot 360 EX warns you that this situation exists and offers to load the variables by position: each
variable will be identified by the order in which it appears in the file rather than by its name. This may
make some aspects of working with the data different or more complicated.
For example, when manipulating data using equations, you must use the V# syntax to refer to such
duplicate variables, rather than the {VariableName} syntax, as the latter cannot uniquely identify the
variable. (See “Equation Variables and Values” on page 307.) Macros and Python scripts may also be
affected.
When possible, we advise obtaining a data file with a unique and consistent name for each variable, for
example by adjusting your solver’s configuration.

Appending or Replacing Data

You may append new data to your dataset at any time by choosing File>Load Data. You cannot append a
grid file that contains only FE connectivity data without appending a solution file along with it. In
addition, to append a solution file you must also append a grid file at the same time. In this case, the grid
file must be loaded before the solution file.

70
 Loading Data Using a Loader

Some loaders allow you to choose how you wish to append or replace data.

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the following choices:

• Replace Data in Active Frame and Reset Style - The new data is loaded in place of the existing
data. The plot styles are reset to their defaults, as if the new data was loaded immediately after
starting up Tecplot 360 EX.
• Replace Data in Active Frame and Retain Style - The new data is loaded in place of the existing
data. The plot styles in effect for the existing data are applied to the new data. Works best when
the new data is similar to the existing data.
• Replace Data in All Shared Frames and Retain Style - The active dataset is shared among multiple
frames. Choose this option to use the newly loaded data in all the frames. The plot styles in
effect in these frames are applied to the new data.
• Append Data to All Shared Frames - The active dataset is shared among multiple frames. Choose
this option to append the newly loaded data in all the frames. Default plot styles are used.
• Append Data to Active Frame - Choose this option to append the newly loaded data in the
current frame.
• Replace - When loading a layout, replaces the existing layout with the new one.
• Append - When loading a layout, creates new frames for the dataset referenced in the new
layout.
• Cancel - Do not load the data and return to the Tecplot 360 EX workspace.

Loading and Combining Variables from Multiple Files

In Tecplot 360 EX, you can load multiple data files in two different ways:
• All at once by choosing all the files in the Load Data Files dialog.
• By appending data to the data that has already been loaded.
The Variable Load and Combine dialog appears when loading multiple data files in certain formats,
whether you load the files all at once or append new data to previously-loaded data, if the names of the

71
Loading Data

variables in the data files do not match. The dialog allows you tell Tecplot 360 EX which variables (if any)
have the same meanings across the files, as well as which variables should not be loaded at all.

This feature works only with data in the following formats:

• Tecplot - text (.dat), binary (.plt), and subzone (.szplt)
• CGNS
• EnSight
• Excel
• HDF and HDF5
• Text (using the Text Spreadsheet or General Text loader)
• TRIX
• VTK
The Variable Load and Combine dialog appears only when the files you are loading do not all contain
exactly the same variable names (or, when appending, if the variable names in the file being loaded do not
exactly match those of the data already loaded). When all variable names match in the files being loaded,
this dialog does not appear; instead, Tecplot assumes that all the variables have the same meaning in all
the files.

If a file you are loading or appending has multiple variables with the same name, Tecplot
360 EX asks if you want to load them by position. See “Loading by Position” on page 70.
When loading by position, you cannot combine variables (and do not need to).

The dialog allows you to indicate that variables with different names have the same meaning (referred to
as combining the variables) in two different ways.
• Select variables having the same meaning, one in each list, then click Combine.
• Apply a previously-defined variable alias file that indicates which variable names have the
same meaning.
The two methods can also be used together. For example, you might first apply a variable alias file that
deals with the most common equivalent variables in your typical data sets, then clean up any remaining
variables (uncommon variables, or variables that don’t always have a well-defined meaning) by hand.

72
 Loading Data Using a Loader

The dialog has the following parts:

• The Available Variables list initially displays all the variables declared in the files you are
loading. As you choose variables to combine or load, they move to the Variables to Load list.
Any variables remaining in the Available Variables list when you click OK are not loaded.
• The Variables to Load list displays variables that are slated to be loaded in the current load
operation. If you are appending data, variables that have already been loaded in previous load
operations also appear here. Variables are colored according to the following rules:
• Black - Variable is not combined; it is either already loaded, or will be loaded
• Blue - Variable appears under the same name in multiple files and has been
automatically combined
• Green - Variable has different names in different files and has been combined by the
user, either using the Combine button or by applying a variable alias file
• The Add Selected button moves a variable from the Available Variables list to the Variables to
Load list, adding it to the set of variables that will be loaded in the current operation. The
added variable’s name appears in black. By default, variables that are unique to one file are not
loaded.
• The Add All button moves all variables listed in the Available Variables list to the Variables to
Load list, indicating that you want to load all of them in the current operation. The variable
names appear in black.
• The Combine button combines the variable selected in the Available Variables list with the
variable selected in the Variables to Load list, indicating that the variables have the same
meaning. The variable is given a name derived from both the selected variables, and this name
appears in the Variables to Load list and is colored green. See Combining Variables Manually.
• The Remove button removes the selected variable from the Variables to Load list, if possible. If
the variable is already part of the current data set (that is, you are appending data, and the
variable is from a previous load operation), it cannot be removed.
When removing a combined variable, all the original variables that were combined are
separated and moved back to the Available Variables list, again except for any which have
already been loaded from a previous operation.
• The Apply button applies a variable alias file to the variables being loaded, combining
variables if they are defined in the file as having the same meaning as another variable. See
Creating and Using a Variable Alias File.
• Click OK to proceed with loading after setting up the variable combining the way you want it.
Variables that have the same name are automatically combined, as this is almost always what you will
want to have happen. They appear in blue in the Variables to Load list. If you do not want this to happen,
load the files one at a time and, before loading the file with duplicate variable names, rename the existing
variables you do not want to combine with newly-loaded variables of the same name. (You can rename
variables by double-clicking them in the Data Set Information dialog.)

Combining Variables Manually

To combine two variables manually, telling Tecplot 360 EX that they have the same meaning, you select the
first variable in the Available Variables list and the second in the Variables to Load list, then click the
Combine button. The combined variable is added to the Variables to Load list and given a name consisting
of both original variable names separated by a semicolon.
If the variables to be combined are in the Available Variables list, as may be the case when loading all the
files at once instead of appending, select one in the Available Variables list and click Add Selected to select
it to be loaded. Then combine them as above.

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Loading Data

If there are more than two variables that have the same meaning, combine the first two, then select the
combined variable in the Variables to Load list and combine it with the next variable having the same
meaning in the Available Variables list as above.
You may combine multiple sets of variables at a time. If you select more than one variable in the Available
Variables list, and the same number in the Variables to Load list, clicking Combine combines the first
selected variable from the Available Variables list with the first selected variable from the Variables to
Load list, the second with the second, and so on.
You may not combine variables from the same file.

Creating and Using a Variable Alias File

The variable_aliases.txt file found in the Tecplot 360 EX installation directory lists sets of variables that
should be considered equivalent. See Section 30 - 1 “Custom Files loaded on Startup” for information
about how variable aliases are loaded.
The variable_aliases.txt file must begin with a #!VA 1 line to indicate that it is a variable alias file (format
version 1). On subsequent lines, the # character indicates the beginning of a comment; everything
following the # on a line is ignored. Variable aliases are specified by listing the equivalent names on a line
separated by semicolons. For example:
#!VA 1
p;press;pressure
t;temp;temperature # temperature variables in Celsius
m;mach
a;alpha;aoa # angle of attack in radians
b;beta;aos # angle of sideslip in radians
Variable names found in this file are case-insensitive. Excess whitespace is ignored.
When you click Apply, Tecplot 360 EX combines variables as indicated in variable_aliases.txt. Where two or
more files contain variables whose names appear on the same line, these variables are combined, and the
resulting Tecplot 360 EX variable is given a name containing the original variable names (as they appear in
the datasets being loaded) separated by semicolons. The new variables then appear in the Variables to
Load list in the dialog.
For example, if you load two files with the variables "P" and "Pressure," and the lines shown above appear
in the variable_aliases.txt file, when you click Apply, these two variables appear in the Variables to Load list
as a single variable called either "P;Pressure" or "Pressure;P" depending on the order in which the files
were loaded.
If multiple lines in variable_aliases.txt might apply to the data sets being loaded, these conflicts are resolved
based on the order in which the files are loaded. For example, if you load three files containing variables
"M," "Mach," and "Mass," in that order, and variable_aliases.txt contains lines equating "M" with "Mach" and
also "M" with "Mass," the resulting data set would have a variable named "M;Mach" and a second variable
"Mass." Because the file containing the variable "Mach" was loaded before the file containing the variable
"Mass," "M" was combined with "Mach" when that file was loaded and cannot also be combined with
"Mass."
You may change the names of combined variables after loading the data by double-clicking the variable in
the Data Set Information dialog (Data Set > Data Set Info).

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 All Files and All Supported Files

4-2 All Files and All Supported Files

With All Files and All Supported Files, Tecplot 360 EX tries to
automatically choose a loader based on the names of the files you select.
With All Files, you see literally all of the files in the directory you’re
browsing. With All Supported Files, you see the files that Tecplot 360 EX
knows it can load using any of the installed loaders, based on the files’
names, but excluding other files. Either choice allows you to load files
without having to specify in advance what loader will be used.
These options are particularly useful if you regularly work with
multiple data file formats, or (in the case of All Files) if your data files
often have unconventional names, such as a nonstandard or absent
filename extension.
If the names of the selected files unambiguously indicate a single data
file format, the appropriate loader is automatically chosen and the data is loaded without further ado. If
more than one loader might be able to open the files, or if the files chosen do not have names that are
recognized as belonging to a particular loader, the Choose Loader dialog appears. This dialog may
recommend one or more loaders in a "Suggested Loaders" section at the top of the list. Choose the loader
to be used, then click OK.
All selected files must be in the same format.

4-3 CGNS Loader

The CGNS Loader supports files created with CGNSLib Version 3.3 or earlier with either ADF or HDF5
internal representation. You can choose to load either all or specific bases, zones, and solutions into
Tecplot 360 EX zones. You can also select field variables individually, or define index ranges to load
specific sub-zone blocks or planes for structured-grid zones.
The CGNS Loader dialog has the following options:

• Files - Click the buttons to add or remove files from the list of files to be loaded.
• Load Preference - Choose to load either grid and solution data, or global convergence history
data. If a file contains both types of information, they must be loaded separately.

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Loading Data

• Specify Options - Active when a valid file is entered or selected. This option allows you to
control the data loaded from your CGNS file, including loading only particular zones, field
variables, or partial zones.

If "Specify Options" is not selected, every base, zone, solution, and variable is loaded
into Tecplot 360 EX.

• Select Zones - Launches the Load CGNS Options: Zones Dialog, which allows you to
select specific zones and partial zones to load.
• Select Variables - Launches the Load CGNS Options: Variables dialog, which allows
you to select specific field variables to load. Grid variables are always loaded
automatically.
• Load Cell-centered Data Directly - Toggle-on to load cell-centered data directly [default].
When the option is toggled-off, cell-centered data will be averaged to the nodes (using the
averaging method specified below).
• Averaging - This option is available only if "Load Cell-centered Directly" is not selected.
When the field variables are stored at cell centers, either Laplacian averaging or
arithmetic averaging may be used to average the cell data to the nodes they surround.
This can result in a bias at the boundary nodes. Arithmetic averaging is automatically
used for ordered/structured zones. When available, Rind data is used in the averaging.
• CGNS Section Mapping - CGNS files sometimes have multiple node-maps (referred to as
sections) for each finite element zone. A zone may contain sections with different cell types
and cell dimensions.
• One Tecplot zone per non-poly CGNS zone/solution (default) - All non-polytope
sections with the same zone cell dimension will be combined into one zone in Tecplot
360 EX.
• Load each section/boundary as separate Tecplot zone - A separate zone will be created
in Tecplot 360 EX for each section or boundary regardless of cell dimension.
• Transient Options
• Assign Strand IDs for zones - Toggle-on to assign Strand IDs to transient zones. Refer
to Section 7 - 2 “Time Aware” for more information on working with transient data.
• Uniform grid structure - Toggle-on to use the grid from the first time step for all time
steps, saving time and memory. Toggle-off if more than one grid is used.

4 - 3.1 CGNS Support Notes

The CGNS loader can load IJK-indexed, finite element, and polytope (polygonal/polyhedral) data, the
latter denoted with NGON/NFACE sections in the data file. Polygonal sections may not be combined with
sections of other types.
CGNS Boundary Conditions can be loaded for both structured and unstructured data with the exception
that unstructured boundaries will only be loaded if they have corresponding sections.
Only CGNS bases and zones with valid grids can be read by the CGNS Loader. For unstructured grids, the
CGNS Loader supports BAR_2, TRI_3, QUAD_4, TETRA_4, PYRA_5, PENTA_6, HEXA_8, MIXED
element types and their combinations on every section. However, the CGNS Loader does not support
higher-order element types. Unstructured sections that are cell-centered and have more cells than are
declared in the CGNS Zone_t node will be ignored.
Only vertex and cell-centered field variable locations are supported. Cell-centered data can be read in
directly or averaged to the nodes when the file is read. For cell-centered structured grids, arithmetic
averaging is used. Rind data is used in the averaging if available. For cell-centered unstructured grids,

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 CGNS Loader

either Laplacian averaging or arithmetic averaging can be selected to average the cell data to the
surrounding nodes.
The CGNS Loader assigns strand IDs for zones by grouping them into time steps based on their solution
times. The first zone from each time step is assigned to strand 1, the second to strand 2, and so on until all
zones have been assigned to a strand. CGNS Base Names and Zone Names are converted to zone auxiliary
data under the keys "CGNS.CGNSBase_t" and "CGNS.Zone_t," respectively.
For CGNS files with an HDF5 internal representation, Tecplot 360 EX uses HDF5 library version 1.8.17.

4- 3.2 Load CGNS Options: Zones Dialog

Zones in Tecplot 360 EX are not always equivalent to CGNS zones. The Load CGNS Options: Zones
dialog allows you to specify zones to load from CGNS data files.

Each solution for a CGNS zone is considered a unique zone in Tecplot 360 EX. The CGNS base (B), zone
(Z), and solution (S) hierarchy orders the zones. The integer preceding the word Zone is the internal zone
number assigned to that zone. The integer following Zone represents the order the zone was found in the
CGNS file.
Table 4 - 1 describes the zone description listed in the dialog box. The zone description includes the CGNS
hierarchy information. "CGNS B, Z, S =" followed by three integers representing the CGNS order for the
base, zone, and solution, respectively. "CGNS Z, S =" and two integers are displayed if a single base is
found. The description also indicates whether the zone is ordered (structured) or finite element
(unstructured). I, J, and K-dimensions are provided for ordered zones; the number of nodes and elements
are provided for finite element zones.

int Zone int {CGNS B, Z, S = x, y, z} [Ordered, FE]

x = Base number "Ordered"

internal zone order in
"Zone" y = Zone number or
number CGNS file
z = Structure number "FE"
Table 4 - 1: Zone Description in the Load CGNS: Zones dialog
By default, all zones are selected for reading and displayed in Zones to Load. Use the [Move], [Move All],
[Remove], or [Remove All] buttons to edit the list.

CGNS Loader Options: Index Ranges Dialog

The Load CGNS: Index Ranges dialog allows you to specify a sub-set of the selected ordered/structured
zone(s) to be loaded, or define a block, plane, or line of points for extraction on loading. To load a partial
zone or sub-zone, highlight the zone of interest in Zones to Load region of the CGNS Loader: Zones
dialog, and select the [Index Ranges for Zone(s)] button.
Each index requires Start, End, and Skip values. Start and End points are always loaded. If multiple zones
are selected prior to calling up the CGNS Loader: Index Ranges dialog, "Mx" (the maximum value for

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Loading Data

each zone) is the default value for End. You may enter any value for End. However, if the value is greater
than the maximum index for a zone, End is replaced by the maximum index.
For multi-dimensional zones, more than one point must be specified to load for the I and J-directions. If
the inputs for Start, End, and Skip result in a single point in either direction, an error message appears.

4- 3.3 Load CGNS Options: Variables dialog

The CGNS Loader: Variables dialog includes the Variables from CGNS and Variables to Load boxes.

The "Variables from CGNS" list includes all field variables in the CGNS data file, independent of their
zone(s). The "Variables to Load" list contains the field variables that have been selected to be loaded into
Tecplot 360 EX. Initially, both lists are the same. A variable number is assigned to each CGNS field variable
that appears in the "Variables to Load" list.
Because Tecplot 360 EX requires every zone to have the same number of variables, each zone that is loaded
into Tecplot 360 EX will include every variable in the "Variables to Load" list (regardless of whether the
zone included that field variable in the CGNS file). The variables that were not originally in the zone will
be set to zero. The field variables that do not appear in the "Variables to Load" list will not have a variable
number assigned to them.
Use the [Move], [Move All], [Remove], or [Remove All] buttons to edit the Variables to Load list.

4- 3.4 Macro Commands for the CGNS loader

The syntax for loading CGNS data files with the Tecplot macro language is as follows:
$!READDATASET
‘ "STANDARDSYNTAX" "1.0"
"...any of the name value pairs in the following table..." ‘
DATASETREADER = ‘CGNS LOADER’
Each name/value pair should be in double quotes. Refer to the Scripting Guide for details on working with
the Tecplot macro language.

Keyword Values Default Notes

STANDARDSYNTAX "1.0" n/a Must be the first instruction.

FILENAME_CGNSFILE "filename" n/a The name of the file to load.

Option to load multiple files. Syntax:

"FILELIST_CGNSFILES n filenames"
FILELIST_CGNSFILES "filenames" n/a where n is the number of files to be loaded
and filenames is a list of CGNS files delimited
by spaces.

LoaderVersion "V3" n/a The loader version to use; V3 is current

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 CONVERGE Out File Loader

CgnsLibraryVersion "3.3.0" n/a The CGNS library version to use

"Yes" Used to average the cell data to the nodes

AverageToNodes "Yes"
"No" they surround.

"Laplacian" If AverageToNodes is set to "yes", specify the

AveragingMethod "Arithmetic"
"Arithmetic" AveragingMethod to use.

CGNS files may have multiple node-maps (or

sections) for each finite element zone. If you
specify "Combine", all sections are combined
"Combine"
SectionLoad "SeparateZones" with the zone cell-dimension into one zone. If
"SeparateZones"
you specify "SeparateZones", a separate zone
is created for each section or boundary
regardless of cell dimension.

Specify whether to load the boundary

"Yes"
LoadBCs "No" conditions. For unstructured data, boundary
"No"
conditions will always be loaded.

"Yes" Set to "Yes" to automatically assign the strand

AssignStrandIDs "Yes"
"No" IDs to your data file.

like "Z1, Z2, Specify the zone number(s) of the zone(s) you
ZoneList All zones
Z3-Z7, ..." wish to load.

like "V1, V2, Specify the variable number(s) of the

VarNameList All variables
V3-V7, ..." variable(s) you wish to load.

"Zn, Min,
IIndexRange All If you are loading a subset of zones, you may
Max, Skip"
specify the index ranges for each zone.
"Zn, Min, Specify the zone number, minimum,
JIndexRange All
Max, Skip" maximum, and skip value for each index. Set
Zn to "0" to apply the index ranges to all
"Zn, Min, zones.
KIndexRange All
Max, Skip"

Loads global convergence history data in the

"Yes"
LoadConvergenceHistory "No" CGNS file, if any, rather than grid and
"No"
solution data.

If "Yes," the same grid is assumed for all

"Yes" timesteps and only the first timestep’s grid is
UniformGridStructure "Yes"
"No" loaded. If "No," the grid is loaded for each
timestep.

4-4 CONVERGE Out File Loader

Use this loader to load in ASCII .out files produced by CONVERGE. This loader does not have any
Advanced Options and will load all supplied variables. If CONVERGE .out files specify different
"Locations" for variables then those locations will be translated into separate zones in Tecplot.

4-5 DEM Loader

The DEM Loader allows you to load Digital Elevation Map files that have the same file format as the U.S.
Geological Survey’s standard DEM format. The DEM Loader will not accept Spatial Data Transfer
Standard (SDTS) formatted data.

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Loading Data

DEM files are available on the Web for a number of states within the U.S. For more information, refer to
[Link]
The DEM Loader first launches a multi-file selection dialog. After choosing one or more DEM files to load,
you are presented with a simple dialog where you can set the I and J-skipping. For large DEM files, you
may want to set both of these to be 10 or more.

4-6 DXF Loader

The DXF Loader add-on can import AutoCAD® DXF™ (drawing interchange) files. When importing a file,
Tecplot 360 EX creates an appropriate geometry for each of the following entity types:
• Text
• Lines
• Arcs
• Circles
• Points
• Solid
• 3D faces

When importing a DXF file, no zones are created. Instead, the geometries representing
each entity type are simply added to the frame. Be aware that a typical DXF file can
contain several thousand geometries, and these are all included when you save a layout
file.

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 EnSight Loader

4 - 6.1 Load DXF File Dialog

The Load DXF File dialog has a variety of features. You can select any of the following:

• Import - Select any or all geometries to import: Text, Lines, Arcs, Circles, Points, Solids, 3D
Faces.
• Font - Select the font to use for text. (See Section 18 - 1.2 “Font Folders and Fallback” on
page 277 for more information on how fonts work with Tecplot 360 EX.)
• Attach Imported Items to Zone - Specify a zone to which all imported geometries will be
attached. Clicking the [Select Zone] button produces a menu of zone options.
• Polylines/Import as 2D - All lines and polylines are stored with three coordinates in DXF files.
If you select this option, the loader will add 2D line geometries for all lines and polylines in the
DXF file (the third coordinate will be ignored).
• Polylines/Import as 3D - If you select this option, the loader will add 3D line geometries for all
lines and polylines in the DXF file. To view a 3D DXF file, create or load a 3D zone, import your
DXF file, then choose "Fit Everything" from the View menu.
• Hide Invisible Layers - If this option is checked, objects in layers that are "off" in the DXF file
will be imported with the background color.

4 - 6.2 DXF Loader Limitations

The DXF Loader does not create any field data. Loading a DXF file only adds geometries to your existing
frame.
Since most geometries in Tecplot 360 EX are 2D, best results will be obtained by loading "flat" DXF files,
such as maps.
Binary AutoCAD® DWG™ are not supported in this release.

4-7 EnSight Loader

The EnSight Data Loader allows you to load EnSight Gold and EnSight 6 files of types case (.case or
.encase), geometry (.geo), or variable (.*). Geometry and variable files can be in either ASCII or binary
format, although binary is recommended. Files from earlier versions of EnSight need to be resaved in Gold
format using File>Save>Geometric Entities. To determine what format the files are in, view the case file
and look under the FORMAT section.

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Loading Data

EnSight data is stored in a case file, which contains references to all associated geometry and variable files.
Loading the case file will load all the associated files. EnSight parts are translated into zones with the
caveat that unstructured parts with dissimilar element types (i.e. a volume element and a surface element)
will only load the primary element type. Unstructured zone names will be prefixed by the type of zone
they represent (point, line, surface, or volume). Vector, tensor, and tensor9 variables are expanded into the
appropriate number of variables with the variable name followed by a suffix. Complex 'imaginary'
variables will have an 'I' following the name to distinguish them from the 'real' variable.
When loading Ensight data, choose the desired case file, and the associated data files will be loaded.

4- 7.1 Macro Commands for the EnSight Loader

The syntax for loading EnSight data files with the Tecplot macro language is as follows:
$!READDATASET
‘ "STANDARDSYNTAX" "1.0" "FILENAME_CASEFILE" "file name"’
DATASETREADER = ‘EnSight Loader’
Each name/value pair should be in double quotes. Refer to the Scripting Guide for details on working with
the Tecplot macro language.

Keyword Available Default Notes

Value(s)
STANDARDSYNTAX 1.0 n/a Must be the first instruction.

FILENAME_CASEFILE "filename" n/a The full or relative path of the case file name.

NEW to create new layout; APPEND to add to

NEW, APPEND,
READDATAOPTION n/a existing layout, REPLACE to replace data and
REPLACE
retain style

Previous versions of the EnSight loader supported options for loading a subset of the data using IJK skip-
ping, part selection, or variable selection. These options will not generate syntax errors, so old macros will
continue to work. However, IJK skipping is ignored, and part/variable selection is supported only for
Ensight 6 files.

4-8 Excel Loader

The Excel Loader can read numeric data from .xls files for Microsoft® Excel® version 5.0 or higher.

The Excel Loader is available for Windows platforms only.

The Excel Loader is intended primarily for users who record experimental or simulation data using Excel.
Your Excel file must contain only values (no equations). We recommend the use of the Excel add-on from
the Util/Excel folder as an easier method to open Excel data with Tecplot 360 EX (see Section B - 1 “Excel
Add-In”). Use the Text Spreadsheet loader for delimited files (Section 4 - 23 “Text Spreadsheet Loader”).
If your spreadsheet is arranged as Table Format or Carpet Format, the Excel Loader is a point-and-click
operation. Once you have selected an Excel file to load, the Excel Loader leads you through a series of

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 Excel Loader

dialogs, prompting you to specify a variety of attributes, including the data format in the Excel
spreadsheet, the variables to be read, and zone information.

Refer to Section B - 1 “Excel Add-In” for instructions on loading Excel data into Tecplot
360 EX from Excel.

4 - 8.1 Spreadsheet Data Formats

The Excel Loader will automatically identify blocks of data in Table Format or Carpet Format. The loader
will list blocks of data in standard notation for Microsoft Excel. For example, a block found on worksheet
sheet1, cells A1-D8, is listed as follows: (sheet1! A1:D8).
If you select a user-defined format (or if the loader did not identify any carpet or table blocks), you will be
prompted to enter the names and number of variables, and one or more zones and associated properties.
You will also need to enter the location of the field data in the spreadsheet for each zone.

Table Format
Use Table format for data that will be plotted in line plots (i.e. data with an independent and one or more
dependent variables). Many spreadsheets containing data to be plotted in 2D or 3D Cartesian plots will
also satisfy the conditions of table format.
A table formatted dataset has the following characteristics:
• The dataset is arranged in one or more adjacent columns.
• Each column is the same length.
• Each cell contains numeric data.
• The first row is a header row containing the variable name for its corresponding column.
• The spreadsheet dataset is imported as a single I-ordered zone in POINT format with N
variables, where N is the number of columns in the table.

The block of data must be surrounded by empty cells, text-filled cells, or table
boundaries. The loader will not recognize a block of data as being in table format if any
cell adjacent to the block contains a number.
The block of data can contain no empty cells. An empty cell will prevent the loader from
recognizing the block. You can satisfy this condition by filling blank cells with 0.0.

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Loading Data

Figure 4-1 shows a block of data in table format in Excel.

Figure 4-1. A block of data in table format.

Carpet Format
Use carpet format for spreadsheet data to be plotted in a 2D or 3D Cartesian plot. The carpet formatted
dataset, shown in Figure 4-2, has the following characteristics:
• The spreadsheet dataset is imported as an IJ-ordered zone. See Chapter 6: “XY and Polar Line
Plots”.
In Figure 4-2, the spreadsheet is imported as I=4 and J=4. The three variables are X, Y, and V. In
the spreadsheet cell 2B is index 1, 1, cell 3B is index 2, 1.
• The top row in the block contains the values of the X-variable, the first column of the block
contains the values of the Y-variable, and the V-values are the interior data. This format is
useful if your dataset was generated from a function f, such that f(X, Y) = V.
• The block is a rectangular arrangement of numeric data in the spreadsheet, with a blank cell in
the upper left hand corner.
• There must be no blank cells within the block of data. An empty cell will prevent the loader
from recognizing the block. You can satisfy this condition by filling blank cells with 0.0.

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 Excel Loader

• The block of data must be surrounded by empty cells, text-filled cells, or table boundaries. The
loader will not recognize a block of data as being in carpet format if any cell adjacent to the
block is filled with a number.

Figure 4-2. This carpet table shows values as a simple arithmetic function of X and Y.

Other Formats
The Other format option gives you a great deal of flexibility in loading data into Tecplot 360 EX. A series of
dialogs leads you through the process of describing your data, similar to the way you would specify this
information in a Tecplot-format ASCII file.
• Default format - The Excel Loader offers a semiautomatic option that requires only that you
specify the upper left and lower right corners of your data block. Once you’ve specified those
corners, it handles the data in the same way that Tecplot 360 EX handles an unformatted block
in an ASCII file. It assumes one zone of I-ordered data in POINT format.
• Custom format - Using the Custom format option, you can specify characteristics of your
dataset. Custom format has the following features:
• It allows you to work with spreadsheets containing blank cells or text cells.
• For XY, IJ, and IJK-ordered data, specify the boundaries of the block to load, and how
many data points there are within that block (IMax, JMax, KMax).
• For finite element data, the number of data points is implied by the number of nodes
and number of elements.
• Allows you to load blocks of cells that you delimit interactively.
• It is the only option for loading finite element, IJK-ordered, or zone data from Excel. If
you want to read data from an Excel spreadsheet into more than one zone, you must use
custom format. By default, all data read is put into a single I-ordered zone.

4 - 8.2 Excel Loader Restrictions

A block of data is a rectangular group of numbers in the spreadsheet. The Excel Loader places the
following restrictions on blocks:
• Carpet and table format (which the loader detects and loads automatically) are narrowly
defined. All other formats must be loaded on the user-defined pathway.
• Numeric cells within each block should contain only numbers or numeric characters such as +,
-, and so forth. A cell containing "X=34" is interpreted by the loader as text, because it begins
with text.
• Cells containing formulas (therefore displaying calculated values) will be skipped by the
loader. You can convert the formulas to values within Excel, by pasting your table using the
"Paste Special" function, with "values only" selected.
• The spreadsheet file must have been written by Excel Version 5.0 or higher. For newer versions
of Excel (Office 2007 and later) that save in .xslx format by default, please switch to the older
.xsl format when saving your file.

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Loading Data

4-9 FEA Loader

Tecplot 360 EX includes the ability to load input and solution files from many popular finite element
analysis (FEA) solvers. Supported formats include:

Solver/File Format File Name/Extension

3D Systems STL .stl

ABAQUS Data .fil

ABAQUS Input .inp

ABAQUS Output Database .odb

ANSYS CDWRITE Input .cdb

ANSYS CFX .res

ANSYS Result .rst,.rth,.rfl

LSTC-DYNA Input .dyn,.k

LSTC-DYNA Taurus State D3PLOT

MSC/NASTRAN Bulk Data .bdf

MSC/NASTRAN Output2 .op2

MSC/PATRAN Neutral .out

OpenFOAM controlDict

PTC/Mechanica Design Study .neu

SDRC/IDEAS Universal .unv

The file formats supported for each solver’s formats are:

Solver Version

3D Systems STL all

ABAQUS up to 2016

ANSYS up to 14.0

ANSYS CFX up to 16.2

LST-DYNA up to 970.0

MSC/NASTRAN up to 2010

OpenFOAM 2.0, including compressed files

PTC/Mechanica Wildfire up to 4.0

SDRC/IDEAS NX up to Series 11

4 - 9.1 Format-Specific Notes

ABAQUS Output Database files are supported on Windows only. Other ABAQUS formats are supported
on all platforms.

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Abaqus .odb files from older versions will be converted to the current format before being loaded through
the user interface. However, this conversion will not occur automatically for files loaded with a layout file
or via a macro command. To work around this, you will need to convert the older .odb file by loading it
explicitly and saving the new .odb file. Then replace the file names in their layouts/macros with the new
names using a text editor.
Von Mises stress data is loaded for NASTRAN data files that contain it. The FEA loader also can load both
cell-centered and nodal data from NASTRAN files. This ability was added in Tecplot 360 EX 2016 R3 and
may cause macros and layouts that refer to variables by number to choose the wrong variable. A warning
will appear when loading such files. To address the warning, re-create the layout or macro, or else update
the style settings as necessary and change the !$READDATASET instruction in the layout or macro to
include the parameter "FEALoaderVersion" "436".

4 - 9.2 Loading FEA Data

FEA formats have "(FEA)" appended to the format names in the Load Data dialog. Choosing to open a
selected file using the FEA loader’s advanced options displays a dialog like the one below. The dialog
shown is for the ANSYS Result file format, but all formats use the same dialog (only the file format,
displayed in the dialog’s title bar, differs).

• Click the Browse [...] button to change the file you wish to load. By default, it is the file you
selected in the Load Data dialog.

For OpenFOAM cases, load the controlDict file in the case’s system directory. The
OpenFOAM loader currently supports polyhedral and non-polyhedral data including
surfaces and boundaries, parallel data, and compressed data. If a file contains transient
data, this loader loads all time steps including step 0.

• Subdividing Zones - Each zone loaded from an FEA file typically represents the entire
solution at a particular time step or load increment. Sometimes a solution will consist of many
components that you may wish to display individually. To activate this option, choose the
"Subdivide Zones" toggle and select the desired subdivision option from the menu. Tecplot 360
EX provides you with two ways to subdivide zones: by Component and by Element Type.
• Subdividing Zones by Component - Some FEA file formats include the ability to
identify components or sub-regions. If this information is available, you may direct
Tecplot 360 EX to apply it by selecting the "by Component" option. Components within
each solution step will be identified by sequentially numbered zone names in Tecplot
360 EX, for example, "Component 1 Step 1 Incr 1," "Component 2 Step 1 Incr 1," and so
on.
• Subdividing Zones by Element Type - If component information is not available in a
solution file, the above option will produce only one component per solution step and
increment. In this case, it may still be possible to achieve the desired effect if sub-regions
in the solution are represented by different element types, such as shell elements and

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brick elements. Selecting "by Element Type" from the subdivision option menu creates a
separate Tecplot zone for each element type present in the solution file. Tecplot zone
names will then represent each element type, for example, "Quadrilaterals Step 1 Incr 1"
and "Tetrahedrals Step 1 Incr 1." This makes it easy to operate on individual components
or sub-regions in Tecplot 360 EX's Zone Style dialog by selecting the desired zones by
name.
• Selecting Zones and Variables to Load - See Section 4 - 9.3 “Selecting Zones and Variables to
Load” on page 88.
• Auto Assign Strand IDs for Zones - Regions or components of solutions throughout an
unsteady solution are tracked by Strand IDs. All zones that represent a particular region or
component are assigned the same Strand ID. Selecting this option directs Tecplot 360 EX to
assign Strand IDs to the loaded zones. This ensures that only the zones representing the chosen
solution time are displayed in Tecplot 360 EX. Zones that do not have Strand IDs assigned are
displayed at all solution times. See also Section 7 - 2 “Time Aware”.
• Add Zones to Existing Strands - If you are appending data to an existing dataset, select Add
Zones to Existing Strands to append the new zones to existing strands. This is appropriate
where the new data represents the same regions or components as are represented in the
existing dataset, such as an additional solution time level of an unsteady solution.

4 - 9.3 Selecting Zones and Variables to Load

By default, Tecplot 360 EX loads all zones and variables present in the solution file, unless multiple steps
or increments are present. In this case, Tecplot 360 EX will not load step 0 increment 0 (which normally has
no solution data associated with it). If you wish to load step 0 increment 0, or a subset of the available
zones or variables, choose the "Select Zones and Variables" toggle in the main loader dialog. When you
then click OK, the FEA Loader Options dialog will be displayed, as shown below:

Use the [Move All], [Move], [Remove], and [Remove All] buttons to add or subtract zones or variables
from the list.

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The Variables page is displayed above. The Zones page displays the zone list. If you elect to subdivide
zones, the zones will be subdivided in the list. The figure below shows a zone list where "Subdivide Zones
by Component" has been chosen:

When you have selected the zones and variables you wish to load, select [OK].
The resulting Tecplot zones for each step and increment in the file will be named accordingly in Tecplot
360 EX, beginning with Step 1 Incr 1. The precise meanings of "Step" and "Increment" are solver and
problem-dependent, but normally correspond to time steps in unsteady cases, load increments in steady-
state cases, or frequencies or vibrational modes in harmonic analyses.

4 - 9.4 Appending Finite Element Data to an Existing Dataset

If you wish to add a finite element solution to data you have already loaded, select "Add to current data"
set in the Load Data File Warning dialog, which appears after you have selected the file and zones and/or
variables to load.
Zones from the file will be added sequentially at the end of the current zone list, and new variables, if any,
will be appended to the current variable list. The new zones will not be plotted initially. To plot the
appended zones, select them in the Zone Style dialog, toggle on the [Zone Show] checkbox, and choose
"Activate".

4 - 9.5 Post-processing Finite Element Data

When you load an FEA solution into Tecplot 360 EX, the FEA Post-processing dialog is displayed if
Advanced Options checkbox is turned on in the initial Load Data dialog (unless you are appending to an

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existing solution). You may re-display it at any time by selecting "FEA Post-processing" from the Tools
menu.

The following formats will trigger the automatic display of the FEA Post-Processing
dialog:
• ABAQUS
• ANSYS Input
• ANSYS Results
• ESI/PAM-CRASH
• LSTC/DYNA
• MSC/Nastran
• MSC/Patran
• PTC/Mechanica
• SDRC/IDEAS

The three sections of this dialog allow you to: deform the plot using deformation read from the solution
file, animate the deformation, and derive new variables from the solution variables.
• Deforming the FEA Plot - Finite element solutions commonly include deformations
calculated from applied loads. When a solution is initially read in, the un-deformed geometry
is displayed. If the file contains deformation data, you can display the deformed geometry by
toggling-on "Deform Plots by Factor". The deformation factor is displayed to the right of this
toggle. You may enter the deformation factor in this text field, or use the up or down arrows
next to it to change it. By default, the Deform Plot by Factor toggle is checked and the field is
set to "1".
• Deriving New Variables from an FEA Solution - FEA solutions may consist of various types
of stress and strain, or gradients of scalar quantities such as temperature. The lowest section of
this dialog allows you to calculate certain other quantities of interest that may be derived from
these basic solution variables. For tensor quantities such as stress and strain, the principal
stresses or strains plus Von Mises stress are available. For vector quantities, the vector
magnitude may be calculated. Choose the derivation you want in the Derive list, and a list of

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candidate source variables in the solution will be displayed in the From list. Choose the source
variable and click [Calculate] to add the desired quantity to the dataset. If Tecplot 360 EX's
Calculate-on-demand feature is active, the variable will only actually be calculated when it is
displayed. In this case, you may notice no delay when you select [Calculate], but some delay
later when you choose to display the variable by selecting it, for example, as the contour
variable.

4 - 9.6 Macro Commands for the FEA loader

You may also load FEA data files with the Tecplot macro language. The syntax is as follows:
$!READDATASET
‘ "STANDARDSYNTAX" "1.0"
"...any of the name value pairs in the following table..." ‘
DATASETREADER = ‘FEA LOADER’ See List below
The value for the DATASETREADER parameter should match the name of the loader as shown in the
Select Import Format dialog, or as listed below.
• ANSYS® CDWRITE Input (FEA)
• ANSYS® Results (FEA)
• ABAQUS Input (FEA)
• ABAQUS .fil Data (FEA)
• ABAQUS Output Database (FEA)
• LSTC/DYNA Input (FEA)
• LSTC/DYNA Taurus State Database (FEA)
• MSC/NASTRAN Bulk Data (FEA)
• MSC/NASTRAN Output2 (FEA)
• MSC/Patran Neutral (FEA)
• OpenFOAM (FEA)
• PTC/Mechanica Design Study (FEA)
• SDRC/IDEAS Universal (FEA)
• 3D Systems STL (FEA)
Each name/value pair should be in double quotes.

Keyword Available Value(s) Notes

STANDARDSYNTAX 1.0 Required as the first instruction.

Indicates the version of the loader that recorded the

"424", "435", "436", "443",
FEALoaderVersion macro. Later versions of the loader emulate older
"446"
versions where necessary. Current version is "443."

Specify whether to append the current dataset with the

Append "Yes" or "No"
FEA file(s).

FILENAME_File "filename" Specify the full or relative path of the file name.

"DoNotSubdivide"
SubdivideZonesBy "Component" Specify method of zone division.
"ElementType"

Set to "Yes" to have Tecplot 360 EX assign the strand

AutoAssignStrandIDs "Yes" or "No"
IDs.

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Keyword Available Value(s) Notes

AddToExistingStrands "Yes" or "No" Available only if Append is set to "Yes".

Specify the list of zones to load. You may specify a

ZoneList "Z1,Z3,Z6-Z8,..."
comma-separated list or use a range (-).

"VarName1"+"VarName Specify the list of variables to load. Use the "+" symbol
VarNameList
2"+... between each variable name.

"Cartesian3D"
InitialPlotType Set the initial plot type.
"Cartesian2D"

ShowFirstZoneOnly "Yes" or "No" Specify whether to show only the first zone.

"Reconstructed" or Set how the boundary zones are constructed. Available

BoundaryZoneConstruction
"Decomposed" for OpenFOAM datasets only.

Example
The following example loads "[Link]" with the Abaqus Output Database loader. Zones 1 & 2 are
loaded, along with the following variables: external force, stress, material ID, and part ID.

$!READDATASET
'"STANDARDSYNTAX" "1.0"
"FILENAME_File" "[Link]"
"SubdivideZonesBy" "Component"
"AutoAssignStrandIDs" "Yes"
"ZoneList" "1-2"
"VarNameList" "External Force"+"Stress"+"Material ID"+"Part ID"
"InitialPlotType" "Cartesian3D"
"ShowFirstZoneOnly" "No"'
DATASETREADER = 'ABAQUS Output Database (FEA)'

4 - 10 FLOW-3D Loader
The FLOW-3D loader allows you to load restart and selected FLOW-3D data files into Tecplot 360 EX. This
loader supports Flow3D [Link].

When working with FLOW-3D data in Tecplot 360 EX, we recommend linking the solution
time between frames using Frame>Frame Linking.

The FLOW-3D Loader dialog has the following options:

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 FLOW-3D Loader

• File - Use the [...] browse button to launch the Read FLOW-3D Data File dialog which will
allow you to navigate to the data file you would like to load. You may load data files with the
flsgrf extension only. Alternatively, you may type the full path of the data file in the File text
field.
When loading a parallel (MPI) results file, selecting flsgrf1 loads the data for all files. Selecting
flsgrf# will load a single file’s data, where # is an integer greater than 1.
• Data Selection - Use the Data Selection region of the dialog to specify whether to load restart
or selected data. You may also opt to Include Particle Data or to select a Data Subset.
• Load Restart Data - Select this option to load restart data into Tecplot 360 EX. Restart
data contains every simulation variable at a small number of time steps.
• Load Selected Data - Select this option to load selected data. Selected data typically
includes fewer variables than restart data. However, it usually has a larger number of
time steps. Selected data is used to output variables of interest at many time steps
without bloating the output file with "uninteresting" variables.

Selected data is available in the file only when you request it before the simulation run.

• Include Particle Data - Toggle-on "Include Particle Data" to load the particle data from
your data file.
• Data View - Use the Data View region of the dialog to specify whether to view the data as
external or internal flow. This option affects how the solid surfaces are drawn at block
boundaries. For external flows, surfaces are drawn only at blocked boundaries in the mesh.
This option is recommended for solutions that involve flow around obstructions in free space.
For internal flows, surfaces are drawn around open space in the mesh, and blocked surfaces
are eliminated. This option is recommended for solutions that involve flow into an enclosed
volume, such as casting results.
• Specify Additional Options - Select the "Specify Additional Options" toggle to launch the
FLOW-3D Loader Options dialog after selecting [OK] on the FLOW-3D Loader dialog. The
FLOW-3D Loader Options dialog allows you to load a subset of zones and/or variables from
the data file. The Options page of the dialog allows you to specify transient options, specify
boundary cell options, and calculate the complement of F.

4 - 10.1 FLOW-3D Loader Options

The FLOW-3D Loader Options dialog is launched when you select the "Advanced Options" toggle in the
initial Load Data dialog.

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Variables Page
Use the Zones page of the dialog to select which zones from your dataset to load into Tecplot 360 EX. The
box on the left lists the available zones, and the box on the right lists the variables selected to load into
Tecplot 360 EX.

Zones Page
Similarly, use the Variables page of the dialog to select which variables to load.

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Other Page
Use the Other page of the dialog to specify transient options, boundary options, and whether to calculate
the complement of F.

The page has the following options:

• Transient Options - Use the Transient Options region of the dialog to specify:
• Time Skip - Specify the interval between each loaded time step. A value of one loads all
time steps, a value of two loads every other time step, and so forth.
• Auto Assign Strand IDs - Select this option to allow Tecplot 360 EX to assign the Strand
IDs to your data. Regions or components of solutions throughout an unsteady solution
are tracked by Strand IDs. All zones that represent a particular region or component are
assigned the same Strand ID. Selecting this option directs Tecplot 360 EX to assign
Strand IDs to the loaded zones. This ensures that only the zones representing the chosen
solution time are displayed in Tecplot 360 EX. Zones that do not have Strand IDs
assigned are displayed at all solution times. See also Section 7 - 2 “Time Aware”.
• Add Zones to Existing Strands - If you are appending data to an existing dataset, select
Auto Assign Strand IDs to Zones in order for Tecplot 360 EX to append the new zones to
existing strands. This is appropriate where the new data represents the same regions or
components as are represented in the existing dataset, such as an additional solution
time level of an unsteady solution.
For more information on working with transient data, refer to Section 7 - 2 “Time Aware”.
• Calculate Derived Variables - Use the Calculate Derived Variables region of the dialog to opt
to include the Complement of F. The complement of F is calculated as:
Complement of F = {1 - f} • {vf}

where f is the fluid fraction and vf is the volume fraction.

The Fluid Surface, where Fluid Surface = {vf}*{f}, is always calculated and added to the dataset.
• Include Boundary Cells On - Use the boundary cell region of the dialog to specify whether to
load boundary cells on the I, J, or K extrema. An additional layer of boundary cells will be
loaded on the given side of each block for each extremum selected.
• Load on Demand - Toggle-on "Cache unloaded data in temporary directory" to enable Tecplot
360 EX to create a temporary directory to cache the data. The data in the temporary directory is
formatted such that it may be quickly read back into Tecplot 360 EX as needed.

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4 - 10.2 FLOW-3D Macro Commands

The $!READDATASET macro command is extended for the FLOW-3D loader with the following options:

Keyword Values Default Notes

StandardSyntax 1.0 None
FILENAME_File Path to flow-3d results none Specifies the path to the file to load.
file
DataGroup "Selected" or "Restart "Restart" "Specifies which data group to load from the file.
IncludeParticleData "Yes" or "No "No" "
DeriveCompOfF "Yes" or "No "No" "
Append "Yes" or "No "No" "
AutoAssignStrandIDs "Yes" or "No "Yes" "
ZoneList Set of zone numbers to All FLOW-3D refers to these as "blocks." Really, they are a set
load from the file. of zones that will belong to the same StrandID.
VarNameList Set of variable names to All X, Y, Z, and "Fluid Surface" are always loaded
load from the file
DataView "Internal" or External Specify whether to view the data as an internal or external
"External" flow solution.
IncludeBoundaryCells "YES/NO" "Yes" for all Specify 6 boolean values for including boundary cells.
"YES/NO" entries The values are use the following order for the boundary
"YES/NO" cells:
"YES/NO"
"YES/NO" IMIN, IMAX, JMIN, JMAX, KMIN, KMAX
"YES/NO"

4 - 10.3 FLOW-3D Auxiliary Data

The following auxiliary data is added to the dataset by the loader:

Auxiliary name Value

[Link] Number of variable "U"

[Link] Number of variable "V"

[Link] Number of variable "W"

[Link] TRUE

[Link] Number of variable "P"

[Link] Number of variable "RHO"

[Link] Number of variable "TN"

[Link] Number of variable "RHOE"

[Link] Number of variable "TKE"

Auxiliary Data can be viewed on the Aux Data Page of the Data Set Information dialog (accessed via the
Data menu).

4 - 11 FLUENT Loader
The FLUENT® Data Loader reads FLUENT Version 5 and newer case (.cas) and data (.dat) files up to and
including version 14.0. To load files from earlier versions of FLUENT, you must first import them into
FLUENT 5 or newer, then resave them in the newer format.
Particle data may also be loaded from an accompanying XML file. If loading a single .dat/.cas pair, all
sections of particle data in an accompanying XML file are loaded. If loading multiple .dat/.cas pairs, one

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particle section is loaded from the XML file for each .dat/.cas pair loaded. If the XML file is invalid, particle
data will be skipped, but the rest of the data will continue to be loaded.
When possible, and assuming the user has the necessary permissions to create new files in the directory
containing the FLUENT files, the FLUENT loader creates an index file for each case and data file it loads.
These files are stored in a subdirectory called tecplot-derived located in the same directory as the case and
data files and are used to load the data faster in future sessions. The FLUENT loader assumes that any files
it finds in the tecplot-derived directory relate to the case and data files found in the parent directory. If the
FLUENT data files are updated, delete the files in the tecplot-derived directory so that the FLUENT loader
will regenerate them. (Be sure all Tecplot 360 EX sessions using the files are closed first.)
Tecplot 360 EX does not automatically calculate CFD variables from your existing FLUENT data variables.
You may add the variables to your plots by performing calculations via the Analyze menu. Refer to
Chapter 21: “CFD Data Analysis” for details.
Additionally, Tecplot 360 EX does not perform the same wall-boundary calculations that are performed by
FLUENT. Instead, the cell-centered data will be extrapolated to the boundary.
See also Section 7 - 2 “Time Aware” for information on working with transient datasets in Tecplot 360 EX.
The following options are available:

• Load Case and Data Files - Loads both a case and a data file. The grid comes from the case file,
and the solution comes from the data file.
• Load Case File Only - Loads the grid from a case file.
• Load Residuals Only - Loads the residual data (convergence history) from a data file. The
residuals are not scaled or normalized.
• Load Multiple Case and Data Files [DEFAULT] - Displays the File List form in the dialog. You
can load matched pairs of case and data files, or one case file and any number of data files that
match it (that is, that have the same zones).
For all load options above, except Load Multiple Case and Data Files, the following controls are available:

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• Case File - Type the name of the case file you wish to load, or click [Select], then select the
name of the file from the resulting dialog.
• Data File - The data (.dat) file contains the solution and the residual (convergence history)
data. Type the name of the data file, or click Select, then select the name of the file from the
resulting dialog.
For the Load Multiple Case and Data Files load option, the following controls are available:
• Add Files - Choose case and data files to load from a file selection dialog. Selected files are
appended to the file list.
• Remove - Remove files you have selected in the file list.
• Remove All - Remove all files in the file list.
• Flow is Unsteady - Indicates that the set of case and data files represents an unsteady solution.
The loader adds a TIME auxiliary data item to each loaded zone. Tecplot 360 EX does not use
this data, but other add-ons may.
• Flow Solution is Unsteady/Time Interval - The FLUENT data loader saves the problem time
of each solution as the solution time variable. There are two options for determining the time to
save for each one: (1) reading the flow-time entry from each .dat file, or (2) applying a constant
time interval to successive .dat files.
• Read Time from Data Files - If this option is selected, Tecplot 360 EX reads the flow-
data parameter from each .dat file. If no .dat files are included (i.e. only .cas files are
loaded), the solution time variable will not be created for the zones.
• Apply Constant Time Interval - If this option is selected, Tecplot 360 EX applies the
time interval specified in the Time Interval text field to zones created from successive
.cas or .dat files. The zones from the first .cas/.dat files are given time 0. Times for
successive files are calculated by incrementing the time of the previous files by the
specified time interval.
• Assign Strand IDs for Zones - Toggle-on to have Tecplot 360 EX assign Strand IDs to
transient zones. Common strand IDs will be assigned to each cell or boundary zone with
matching FLUENT zone IDs.
• Add Zones to existing Strands - Toggle-on to add the appended zones to StrandIDs in
the current dataset.

Add Zones to existing Strands is available only when the current dataset is being
appended and Assign Strand IDs for Zones is toggled-on.

• Time Interval - If "Apply Constant Time Interval" is selected, the time interval entered in the
text field is included.
For the load options other than Load Residuals, some or all of the following controls are available:
• Load Cells and Boundaries - Loads the cell (solution) and boundary zones from the case file.
Each fluid or solid cell zone and each boundary zone will be displayed as a separate zone in
Tecplot 360 EX.
• Load Cells Only - Loads only the cell (solution) zones. Each zone will be displayed as a
separate zone in Tecplot 360 EX.
• Load Boundaries Only - Loads only the boundary zones. Each zone will be displayed as a
separate zone in Tecplot 360 EX.
• Select Zones and Variables to Load - Select in a separate dialog which zones and variables to
load. The option requires the loader to pre-scan all files, which can be time-consuming.

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 FLUENT Loader

• Create All Zones As Polyhedral - Select this option to load all FLUENT zones as Tecplot 360
EX polytope (polygonal or polyhedron) zones. We recommend you select this option, as
converting all zones to polyhedral zones eliminates the possibility of hanging nodes and holes
in your iso-surfaces or slices. In this case, the number of faces per element is derived from the
element-type, and the number of nodes per face is derived from the face-type. The existence of
hanging nodes (determined from the existence of a cell-tree and/or face-tree section) adds to
the number of faces in the element and the number of nodes in the face that contains the
hanging node. Since polygons must have at least 3 nodes, line segment elements will not be
converted. When this option is not selected, only FLUENT polytope zones will become Tecplot
360 EX polytope zones. In this case, if hanging nodes are encountered, Tecplot 360 EX will
create larger faces, compress connectivity, and expand face neighbors.
• Include Particle Data from .dat - Some FLUENT simulations include the effects of discrete
particles, such as sand grains or water droplets, in the .dat file. Select this option to load this
particle data along with the flow solution. All particles from a particular injection will be
displayed in a single Tecplot 360 EX zone (one zone per injection). If you have chosen to select
which zones and variables to load, this option is disabled, but the particle zones and variables
will be displayed in the selection lists, allowing you to load them with the flow solution.
Newer versions of FLUENT store the particle data in a separate .xml file. To load this data, use
the Load Multiple Case and Data Files mode and simply add any .xml files to the file list.
• Average to Nodes - Selecting this option directs the loader to average FLUENT's cell-centered
data to the grid nodes. This can speed up subsequent operations in Tecplot 360 EX, especially
slicing. FLUENT stores solution data at cell centers (face centers for boundary zones). By
default, the FLUENT data loader loads the data cell-centered as well. However, you have the
option to average the data to the nodes using Arithmetic or Laplacian averaging. Arithmetic
averaging is faster, but calculates values at hanging nodes (nodes in the center of a cell face or
edge) only from those cells where the node is a corner. This can lead to discontinuous contours.
Laplacian averaging option takes additional neighboring cells into account, and results in
smoother contours when hanging nodes are present. By default, non-grid variables are stored
at cell centers, consistent with FLUENT.
• Arithmetic - A simple, fast arithmetic averaging will be performed.
• Laplacian - A more accurate, much slower averaging will be performed that accounts
for hanging nodes and cell sizes.
If you chose the Select Zones and Variables to Load option, select only those zones and variables you wish
to load from the files Fluent Loader Options dialog.

This dialog has a Zones page and a Variables page. The left-hand list of each page shows, respectively, all
zones and variables contained in the files you selected. The right-hand list of each page shows the zones

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and variables that will be loaded when you select [OK]. Use the [Move], [Move All], [Remove], or [Remove
All] buttons to edit the Zones/Variables to Load lists.

4- 11.1 Macro Commands for the FLUENT loader

The syntax for loading FLUENT data files with the Tecplot macro language is as follows:
$!READDATASET
‘ "STANDARDSYNTAX" "1.0"
"...any of the name value pairs in the following table..." ‘
DATASETREADER = ‘FLUENT DATA LOADER’
Each name/value pair should be in double quotes. Refer to the Scripting Guide for details on working with
the Tecplot macro language.

Keyword Available Value(s) Default Notes

STANDARDSYNTAX 1.0 n/a Must be the first instruction.

Specify whether to append the

"Yes"
Append "No" current dataset with the
"No"
FLUENT file(s).

"CaseAndData" Specify whether to load case and

"CaseOnly" data files, a case file only,
LoadOption n/a
"ResidualsOnly" residual data only, or multiple
"MultipleCaseAndData" case and data files.

Specify the full or relative path of

the case file name. Used if the
FILENAME_CaseFile "filename" n/a
LoadOption is CaseAndData or
CaseOnly.

Specify the full or relative path of

the data file name. Used if the
FILENAME_DataFile "filename" n/a
LoadOption is CaseAndData or
ResidualsOnly.

Specify the number of files,

followed by each file name. Only
FILELIST_Files "n" "file1" "file2"... "filen" n/a
available if the LoadOption is
MultipleCaseAndData.

Only available if LoadOption is

"ReadTimeFromDataFiles" MultipleCaseAndData. For
"ReadTime
UnsteadyOption "ApplyConstantTime "ApplyConstantTimeInterval",
FromDataFiles"
Interval" the TimeInterval parameter is
required.

Specify the value of the time

interval. Only available if the
TimeInterval "<double>" "1.0"
UnsteadyOption is set to
ApplyConstantTimeInterval.

"Yes" Only available if LoadOption is

AssignStrandIDs "No"
"No" MultipleCaseAndData.

AddZonesToExisting "Yes" Only applicable when Append is

"No"
Strands "No" set to "yes".

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Keyword Available Value(s) Default Notes

"CellsAndBoundaries" If "SelectedZones" is specified,
"CellsOnly" "CellsAnd either the ZoneList parameter,
GridZones
"BoundariesOnly" Boundaries" the VarNameList parameter, or
"SelectedZones" both parameters are required.

Specify the list of zones to load.

You may specify a comma-
separated list or use a range (-).
ZoneList "Z1,Z2,...Z3-37" all zones
This option is only available if
GridZones is set to
SelectedZones.

Specify the list of variables to

load. Use the "+" symbol between
each variable number. This
VarNameList "V1"+"V2"+"V3"+.... all variables
option is only available if
GridZones is set to
SelectedZones.

Available only for CaseAndData

and MultipleCaseAndData load
options. Applies only to particle
"Yes" data in the .dat file, if loading
IncludeParticleData "No"
"No" particle data from an XML file,
the XML file should simply be
included as one of the files to be
loaded in FILELIST_Files.

Not available if the load option is

ResidualsOnly. Set to "Yes" to
"Yes"
AllPolyZones "No" convert all zones to Tecplot
"No"
polytope zones (polyhedral or
polygonal).

Specify whether to average the

"Yes"
AverageToNodes "Yes" cell-centered data to the grid
"No"
nodes.

Specify the averaging method to

"Arithmetic"
AveragingMethod "Arithmetic" use. Available only if
"Laplacian"
AverageToNodes is set to "yes".

Loads additional quantities, such

LoadAdditional "Yes"
"No" as residuals, which may be
Quantities "No"
stored in the file.

4 - 12 FVCOM Loader
The FVCOM Loader allows you to import netCDF files output from FVCOM into Tecplot 360 EX.
Currently, classic netCDF and netCDF-4 formats are supported. The loader imports one or more FVCOM
history outputs with the same topology and variable structure into a single Tecplot dataset, creating one
zone for each time step. FVCOM history outputs with differing topology or variable structure can be
combined but only through appending.
The X and Y grid variables are loaded directly from the file and projected to each Z position, which is
derived from the zeta, h and siglev variables. The grid variables are chosen based upon the Coordinate
System specified in the FVCOM attribute data. If no Coordinate System is provided, Cartesian is assumed.

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The following auxiliary data is added to the data by the loader:

Auxiliary Name Cartesian Spherical

[Link] Number of variable "x" Number of variable "lon"

[Link] Number of variable "y" Number of variable "lat"

[Link] Number of variable "z" Number of variable "z"

The vertical level and layer variables are added for visualization of FVCOM model layers. FVCOM
variables stored at the nodes of each sigma level are loaded as nodal variables and variables stored at the
elements for each sigma layer are loaded as cell-centered variables. FVCOM variables stored at the nodes
of each sigma layer are interpolated to the volume cell-centers ignoring any FVCOM specified boundary
conditions. Variables located at the elements of each sigma level are ignored. Attributes for the file and
each variable are loaded into dataset and variable auxiliary data respectively.

4 - 13 General Text Loader

The General Text Loader add-on allows you to read ASCII text data files in a variety of formats. You can
specify variable and dataset title information or indicate specific places to read them from in your data file.
Instruction settings for reading a type of file can be saved and restored so they do not have to be entered
again each time a new file of the same type is loaded.
The following options are available:

• Filename - The name of the file to be loaded. This is automatically filled in with the name of
the file selected in the Load Data dialog, but may be changed using the Browse buton.
• Titles - Launches the Dataset Title dialog, which allows you to specify dataset title properties.
• Variables - Launches the Variable Import Instructions dialog which allows you to specify
dataset variable properties.
• Data - Launches the General Text Loader: Data dialog which allows you to specify dataset
field properties.

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 General Text Loader

• General Filters - Launches the General Text Loader: Filters dialog which allows you to specify
general filters when reading your file.
• Configuration File List - This list shows available configuration files. Configuration files can
be edited using a text editor, although this is not usually necessary and is not recommended.
The format of these files is listed on the Configuration page.
• Load - Loads a single configuration file from any location.
• Save - Saves a single configuration file to any location.
• Rename - Renames a configuration file.
• Delete - Deletes a configuration file.
• New - Creates a new, untitled configuration file.
• Data Preview
• View Raw Data - This displays the data exactly how it looks in the file without any
processing.
• View Processed Data - This displays the processed and filtered data that will be loaded.
• View Options - Launches the General Text Loader: View Options dialog.

4 - 13.1 Dataset Title

The Dataset Title dialog allows you to specify options for General Text Loader titles.

• Use Title - Manually enter the dataset title, rather than have General Text Loader scan the file
for it.
• Use line number - Enter the line number of the dataset title in the file. The General Text
Loader skips white space on the line until text, and then reads until the delimiter indicated is
found. To include spaces in the title, enclose them in double quotes.
• Use first line containing keyword - Enter a keyword for the dataset title line. The title will
read the first line containing this keyword (case insensitive). General Text Loader searches for a
title on this line in the following order, (unless the delimiter is specified as fixed):
a. First, it will look for any text enclosed in double quotes. If it finds this, then the
enclosed text will be read as the title.
b. If no text in double quotes is found, the first non-white space text after the keyword
ending with the indicated delimiter will be used.
• Text Delimiter - The text delimiter indicates when the end of text has been reached. You can
set it to one of the following:
• Auto - Space, tab, comma, semicolon.
• Fixed - Each width number of characters on the line is a token field. White space
is removed from the beginning and end of the field.

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• Width - If the delimiter is fixed, enter the width of each field here.

4 - 13.2 Variable Import Instructions

The Variable Import Instructions dialog of the General Text Loader allows you to scan for the location of
the variable names in the data file, and enter which variables to load.

• Scan for variable names - Specify the following:

• Start line - Enter the starting line of variable names in the file.
• End line - Enter the ending line of the variable names in the file. This is typically the
same as the starting line.
• Delimiter - The delimiter indicates when the end of each variable name has been
reached.
You can set it to one of the following:
• Auto - Space, tab, comma, semicolon.
• Fixed - Each 'width=n' number characters on the line is a variable. White space is
removed from the beginning and end of the field. For example, if the line length is
60 and the width is ten, the columns 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, and so forth, are variable
names. Spaces are removed from the beginning and end of the variable names.
• Width - If the delimiter is fixed, enter the width of each field here.
• Enter Variable Names - Select this option to enter a list of variable names in the dialog box.
Variable names should be separated by carriage returns.

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 General Text Loader

• Select Variables to Load - Launches the Variable to Load dialog.

• Variables to Skip - Displays a list of variables that will be skipped.

• Variables to Load - Displays a list of variables that will be loaded.
Use the [Move], [Move All], [Remove], or [Remove All] buttons to edit the "Variables to Load"
list.

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Loading Data

4 - 13.3 General Text Loader: Data

The Data Import Instructions dialog of the General Text Loader allows you to specify the location of the
data names in the data file, and what data to load.

• Start Identification
• First all-numeric line - Select if the data begins at the first line of a file that contains only
numbers. If you have specified multiple zones, all non-numeric lines will be skipped at
the beginning of each zone.
• First line after line with keyword - Select if the data begins at the first non-blank line
after the line containing the specified keyword. The keyword is case insensitive.
• Start at line number - Select to specify the line number where the data begins. Blank
lines are ignored in the data section.
• End Identification
• All lines up to first non-numeric line - Select if the data ends at the first non-blank line
containing any text.
• Stop at line number - Select to specify the line number where the data ends.
• All lines up to line with keyword - Select if the data ends at the first line before the line
with the specified keyword. The keyword is case insensitive.
• End of file - Select if the data ends at the end of file.
• Data Identification
• Point format - In this format all values of all variables are given for the first point, then
the second point, etc.

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 General Text Loader

• Block format - In this format all values for the first variable are given, then all values for
the second variable, etc.
• Data value delimiter - The data value delimiter indicates when the end of a data value
has been reached. You can set it to one of the following:
• Auto - Space, tab, comma, semicolon.
• Fixed - Each 'width=n' number characters on the line is a token field. White space
is removed from the beginning and end of the field. For example, if the line length
is 60 and the width is ten, the columns 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, and so on, are token
fields.
• Width - If the delimiter is 'fixed', enter the width of each field here.
• Data Dimension - If the data dimensions are entered, General Text Loader adds zones as
necessary depending on the number of data points found in the file. There must be an equal
number of data points for each zone (equal to the product of the IJK dimensions).
• Auto-Calculate IMAX - The I-dimension is calculated based on the number of data
points found. J and K-max are set to one.
• Specify Dimensions - Specify the I, J, and K-dimensions for the data. There must be
enough data points found in the file to match the indicated dimensions.
• Allow Multiple Zones - If checked, General Text Loader will attempt to read more than
one zone from the data file.
• Zone ends on line with keyword - If Allow multiple zones is selected and Auto-
calculate IMax is selected, then you must enter a keyword here to mark the end of one
zone and the beginning of the next. Zones are ended when a line containing this text is
found.
• Ignore non-numeric tokens - If checked, then any non-numeric information in the data
sections is ignored. If not checked, General Text Loader displays an error if any non-numeric
data is found in the data section.

4 - 13.4 General Text Loader: Filters

Use the General Filters dialog of the General Text Loader to filter the data file.

• Ignore All Lines Starting With - If checked, all lines beginning with the entered string are
ignored.
• Ignore All Lines Containing - If checked, all lines containing the indicated text are ignored.

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Loading Data

• Ignore Character Column Position(s) - If checked, then the entered columns are ignored when
scanning the file. Columns are entered as a single number or a hyphenated range, one or more
of which may be separated by commas.

If there are tabs in the data file, they are not expanded in this filter. For example, if
column 1 is a tab and you wish to skip column 2, you should enter 2, even though a text
editor will show more than one space after expanding the tab.

• Ignore Specific Lines - If checked, entered lines are ignored when scanning the file. Lines are
entered as a single number or a hyphenated range, one or more of which may be separated by
commas. You may also use "end" to specify the last line of the file.
• Specify Values for Blanked Cell - If checked, you can specify a value which the loader uses
for blank cells.

This option is only available if the data delimiter is a comma or semicolon. You can
change the data value delimiter using the Data Import Instructions dialog.

4 - 13.5 General Text Loader: View Options

The View Options dialog of the General Text Loader allows you to specify the data display.

General Options
• Limit lines displayed - Limits the number of lines displayed in the preview window. For large
files, you may want to set this to a number less than the total number of lines. The fewer
number of lines, the faster the preview display.
• Do not limit - If you select this toggle, the entire file will be displayed in preview mode.
• Auto Process - If selected, General Text Loader automatically refreshes all information about
the file whenever any loader settings are changed. For very large files (multi-megabyte), this
option is not recommended, since re-scanning a large file can be time consuming.

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 General Text Loader

Processed Data
• Show variable names and data - If selected, variable names and processed data will be
displayed in the preview window.
• Show variable names only - If selected, only variable names will be displayed in the preview
window.
• Show all non-processed lines - If selected, all lines which will not be loaded will be displayed
in the preview window.
• Show data in columns - Shows the data in columns where each column is a variable.
• Show data in blocks - Shows the data in blocks where each block is a variable.

4 - 13.6 General Text Loader Configuration File

A configuration file contains all of the instructions that tell the General Text Loader how to load a
particular type of text file. This information is collected from the dialog fields and written to a file when
you click [Save] on the main dialog. The configuration file format is similar to the Tecplot macro language.
Configuration files for the general text loader are ASCII text files which use a command set that can
describe all loading instructions. Normally you do not need to edit these files, as they are automatically
written by the loader when you select New on the main dialog.

Editing these configuration files by hand is not recommended.

General Text Loader CONFIGFNAME Command

When reading a dataset using General Text Loader, instead of specifying individual parameters in
$!READDATASET, you may use the CONFIGFNAME command.
This consists of:

CONFIGFNAME = <string>
VERSION = <integer>
# version of the template file (default is 100)
# Note: changing the version number may cause unpredictable behavior
TITLE
{
SEARCH = [NONE|LINE|KEYWORD] # default = NONE
NAME = <string>
# default = "New Dataset", ignored if SEARCH is not NONE
LINE = <integer> # 1-based, ignored if SEARCH is not LINE
KEYWORD = <string> # ignored if SEARCH is not KEYWORD
DELIMITER = [AUTO|TAB|SPACE|SEMICOLON|COMMA|FIXED]
WIDTH = <integer> # Valid only if DELIMITER = FIXED
}

VARIABLES
{
SEARCH = [NONE|LINE]
NAMES = <string> # ignored if SEARCH is SCAN
# <string> is a comma separated string
LOADED = <all|n1,n2,...nn> # list of variables to be loaded
STARTLINE = <integer> # 1-based, ignored if SEARCH=NONE, default = 1
{
STARTID = [FIRSTNUMERICLINE | LINE | KEYWORD]
{
KEYWORD = <string> # ignored if STARTID is not KEYWORD

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Loading Data

ENDLINE = <integer> # 1-based, ignored if SEARCH=NONE, default = 1

DELIMITER = [AUTO|TAB|SPACE|SEMICOLON|COMMA|FIXED]
WIDTH = <integer> # Valid only if DELIMITER = FIXED
}
DATA
{
IGNORENONNUMERICTOKENS = <boolean> # default = TRUE
IMPORT
LINE = <integer>
# 1-based, ignored if STARTIDENTIFICATION is not LINE
}
ENDID = [FIRSTNONNUMERICLINE | LINE | KEYWORD]
{
KEYWORD = <string> # ignored if ENDID is not KEYWORD
LINE = <integer> # 1-based, ignored if ENDID is not LINE
}
FORMAT = [POINT|BLOCK] # default POINT
DELIMITER = [AUTO|TAB|SPACE|SEMICOLON|COMMA|FIXED]
WIDTH = <integer> # Valid only if DELIMITER = FIXED
}

DIMENSION
{
AUTO=<boolean> # default = TRUE
IMAX=<integer> # ignored if AUTO = TRUE, default = 1
JMAX=<integer> # ignored if AUTO = TRUE, default = 1
KMAX=<integer> # ignored if AUTO = TRUE, default = 1
USEMULTIPLEZONES = <boolean> # ignored if AUTO = TRUE, default false
KEYWORD=<string> # ignored if USEMULTIPLEZONES = FALSE
}

}
GLOBALFILTERS # filters are applied cumulatively, so lines matching
# any of the criteria are filtered
{
COMMENT = <string> # ignore lines beginning with <string>
NUMBER = <integer> # ignore all lines starting with line number
<integer>
KEYWORD = <string> # ignore all containing <string> (case insensitive)
COLUMNS = <list> #<list> is a comma separated list of number ranges
# example: "1-80,100-end", etc. Must be in double quotes
ROWS = <list> # same as above
USEBLANKCELLVALUE = <boolean> # if TRUE, then the value of blank cells
is BLANKCELLVALUE
BLANKCELLVALUE = <double> # blank cell value. Ignored if
USEBLANKCELLVALUE is FALSE
}
Where <string> is a file name or file path. Settings will be loaded from the file name specified in <string>.
This command is only allowed in conjunction with the $!READDATASET command as described below. It may
not be used inside a configuration file.

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 HDF Loader

For example, instead of:

$!READDATASET '"C:\[Link]" "VERSION=100 FILEEXT=\"*.txt\"

FILEDESC=\"general text\" "+""+"TITLE{SEARCH=NONE NAME=\"New
Dataset\" LINE=1 DELIMITER=AUTO WIDTH=10
}"+""+"VARIABLES{"+"SEARCH=LINE LOADED= All STARTLINE=1 ENDLINE=3
DELIMITER=SEMICOLON WIDTH=5
}"+""+"DATA"+"{"+"IGNORENONNUMERICTOKENS=TRUE
IMPORT"+"{"+"STARTID=LINE {"+"LINE=4
}"+""+"ENDID=FIRSTNONNUMERICLINE {"+"LINE=1 }"+""+"FORMAT=IJKPOINT
DELIMITER=AUTO WIDTH=1 }"+""+"DIMENSION"+"{"+"AUTO=TRUE
CREATEMULTIPLEZONES=FALSE
}"+"}"+"GLOBALFILTERS{"+"USEBLANKCELLVALUE=TRUE
BLANKCELLVALUE=0.000000 }"'
DATASETREADER = 'General Text Loader'
Using the CONFIGFNAME command, you can write:

$!READDATASET ' "[Link]"

"CONFIGFNAME=c:\config_files\[Link]" ' # contains all of the
instructions in the example above DATASETREADER='General Text
Loader'

Components of the Configuration File

• All General Text Loader configuration files must start with the line:
#!TECPLOT_LOADGEN
• Instruction Syntax - Each instruction file contains commands which describe the loading
instructions.
• Comments - Any text following '#' to the end of the line is ignored.
• String Format - The <string> parameter must be enclosed in double quotes. You can include a
double quote character in the string by preceding it with a backslash '\.' For example:
• "This is a normal string"
• "This is a \"quote\" inside a string"
• List Format - The <list> parameter type is defined as one or more number ranges, separated by
commas, enclosed in double quotes. A number range may be a single number or two numbers
separated by a dash. Optionally, you may use "end" to indicate the last valid number. For
example:
• "1"
• "1,2-7,3"
• "10-end,3,2-5"
• Command List - The commands in the file may appear in any order, and any command may
be divided into any number of lines (that is, all white space, including carriage returns, is
ignored).

4 - 14 HDF Loader
The HDF Loader add-on can load 1D, 2D, and 3D Scientific Data Sets (SDS) from HDF files1. When a
dataset from an HDF file is imported, the file is scanned and a list of all SDS in the file is displayed in the
Scientific Data Sets to load portion of the HDF Loader dialog. Select one or more SDS to import. Every
SDS that you select must have the same dimension. A rectangular I, IJ, or IJK-ordered zone (for 1, 2, or
3D data, respectively) is created for each SDS that you select to load.

1. The HDF Loader uses the public-domain HDF API code library from the National Center for Supercomputing
Applications (NCSA), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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Loading Data

The HDF Loader dialog has the following options:

• Scientific Data Sets to load - Select one or more SDS's to
load. Each SDS that you select must have the same rank
(dimension).
• I-Skip - Select the I-Skip value. A skip value of one loads
every data point, a skip value of two loads every second
data point, and so on.
• J-Skip - Select the J-Skip value.
• K-Skip - Select the K-Skip value.
• Select File - Select an HDF file.
• Attributes - Displays attributes of each SDS found, such as
number type, rank, label, and so on.
You may also click Select File to choose a different file.

4 - 14.1 HDF Loader Limitations

The HDF Loader can import only Scientific Data Sets from HDF files, and these are imported in a manner
similar to NCSA’s own HDF viewer. The way in which the data file is interpreted cannot be altered in this
release of the loader.

4 - 15 HDF5 Loader
The HDF5 loader add-on allows you to import general
HDF5 files into Tecplot 360 EX. The loader provides a
mechanism for importing generic data from multiple HDF5
datasets or groups. The HDF5 loader will load datasets
within user selected groups, load one or more user selected
datasets to one zone, load multiple user selected datasets to
multiple zones, execute macros after data has been loaded,
create implicit X, Y, and Z grid vectors as needed, sub-
sample loaded data, and reference user selected vectors for
X, Y, and Z grids. Datasets must be ordered data. The HDF5
library used is version 1.8.17.

4 - 15.1 Data Selection

One or more files may be opened if all selected files have an
identical hierarchy. Hierarchy information for the selected
HDF5 files is displayed in the form: /group/[group]…/
dataset - the dimension of each dataset is displayed
immediately following the dataset name. In this window,
one or more datasets or groups may be selected for loading.

4 - 15.2 Importing/Loading Data

Datasets may be loaded using one of three methods: 1) Loading Multiple Datasets to One Zone (default),
2)Loading Multiple Datasets to Separate Zones, or 3)Loading Datasets by Group.

Loading Multiple Datasets to One Zone (default)

Loading multiple datasets to one zone is the default method of importing HDF5 files. Using this method,
the HDF5 loader will create one zone with N variables, where N is the number of HDF5 datasets selected.

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 HDF5 Loader

Selected datasets may have one to three dimensions. The dimension of loaded Tecplot 360 EX variables
will match the I, J, and K values of the selected datasets. Variable names are assigned the corresponding
names of selected datasets. All selected datasets must have equivalent dimensions.
To import your data, select one or more datasets from the Available Datasets window. All selected
datasets must be identical in dimension; dataset dimensions are shown immediately to the right of dataset
names in the Available Datasets window.

Loading Multiple Datasets to Separate Zones

Using this method, the HDF5 loader will create N zones, where N is the number of datasets selected in the
Available Datasets window. Each zone contains one variable per selected dataset where each dataset must
have one to three dimensions. The I, J, and K values of each Tecplot 360 EX zone will match the
dimensionality of each selected dataset. Variable and zone names are automatically assigned.
Dimensionality may vary between selected datasets.
To import your data using this method, select the "Load to Separate Zones" toggle. Select one or more
datasets from the Available Datasets window. One zone will be created for each selected dataset and each
zone will contain exactly one variable (unless you selected Create Implicit Grid Values or Reference Data
Grids).

Loading Datasets by Group

Using this method, the HDF5 loader will create N zones with M variables, where N is the number of
groups selected in the Available Datasets window and M is the number of datasets in each group. The I, J,
and K indices of the Tecplot 360 EX variables will be equivalent to the respective dimension of selected
datasets. Datasets in any selected group must be equal in dimension; however, datasets may be unequal in
dimension between groups. When selecting multiple groups, all groups must contain an equal number of
datasets and dataset names must be identical between groups. The HDF5 loader will only load datasets
within the root directory or within a subgroup, i.e., the HDF5 loader will not load data within nested
groups.
To import your data using this method, select the "Load Datasets by Group" toggle. Press [Select File] to
open a HDF5 file. Select one or more groups from the Available Datasets window; all groups must
contain an equal number of datasets where all datasets have identical names between groups. The number
of selected groups determines the number of zones that load into Tecplot 360 EX. Zone names will match
the name of the corresponding group. Variable names will match the respective dataset name. Each zone
will include as many variables as datasets per selected groups.

4 - 15.3 Additional Options

Additional options may be specified when loading HDF5 data into Tecplot 360 EX. These options include:
Using Macros, Sub-Sampling Data, Referencing Data Grids, and Grid Generation.

Using Macros
Macros may be defined within a HDF5 vector and placed in any group. Each character string in the
selected vector must be a valid one-line Tecplot macro. Macros are executed in the order encountered after
all data are loaded.
To run a macro defined as a character vector in your HDF5 file, select the "Run Macros in Selected Group"
toggle. Select the macro you want to execute from the Select Macro pull-down menu. Your macro will run
after your data has been successfully loaded into Tecplot 360 EX.

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Sub-Sampling Data
The HDF5 loader will sub-sample the first, second, and third dimensions of loaded datasets respectively
as defined by the user. The default skip-value is 1. When specifying non-unitary skip values, the
dimensionality of all selected datasets must be equivalent. Datasets will be sub-sampled using the user
defined I-Skip, J-Skip, and/or K-Skip values – skip values must be whole numbers.
To sub-sample data in the first, and/or second, and/or third dimensions of selected datasets, change the
respective I-Skip, and/or J-Skip, and/or K-Skip values located in the HDF5 loader dialog. If the skip-values
are non-unitary then selected datasets must have equivalent dimensions.

Referencing Data Grids

The HDF5 loader allows users to specify X, and/or Y, and/or Z grid vectors. Selected vectors are used for
plotting all zones. Vectors are of dimension 1 and length M. The X grid vector length must be equal to the
first dimension of selected datasets, the Y grid vector length must be equal to the second dimension of
selected datasets, and the Z grid vector length must be equal to the third dimension of selected datasets.
The number of selected grid vectors must equal the rank of selected datasets.
To define the grid vectors, first toggle off "Create Implicit Grid
Values" option, then click the Reference Data Grids button. In the
Select Refernce Grid Vectors dialog that appears, select the vector you
want to use as the corresponding grid using the menus. You MUST
toggle on "Use Data Grids". The number of grid vectors you specify
must equal the rank of selected datasets.

Grid Generation
The HDF5 loader can automatically create X, Y, and Z grid vectors as
necessary for selected datasets. Grid vectors will be of length equal to the corresponding dimension.
To automatically create X, Y, and Z grid vectors, accept the default setting of "Create Implicit Grid Values"
in the HDF5 loader dialog. The grid vectors will be created upon loading your data into Tecplot 360 EX.

4 - 16 Kiva Loader
The Kiva loader imports GMV format files that were exported from Kiva.
• Select Input Files – From this button, multiple files can be selected in the Read Kiva/GMV
File dialog. Those that are in GMV format will be added to the list of Kiva/GMV files. Once
files are added to this list, they will remain in the list throughout the Tecplot 360 EX session,
unless the [Clear List] button is selected.
• File Selections - Use the File Selection options for long file lists. Identify the first file to load by
entering a number in the Start field, and the last file to load by entering a number in the Stop
field.
Enter a value of 2 in the Skip field to load every other file, or 3 or greater to skip more files. To
see the list selections updated according to the values in the Start, Stop, and Skip fields, click
the [Apply Skip] button. At any time, you can choose to Select All or Deselect All files.
• Velocity Vector – Identify the naming convention for your velocity vectors.
• Loading Options:
• IsDouble - Allows greater precision for your data values.
• LoadParticleData - Adds a zone for any files containing particle data.

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4 - 16.1 Select Variable to Load

After clicking the [OK] button with one or more files selected, the Select Variables dialog appears. Clear
All allows only variables X, Y, and Z to be loaded. You can use the [Select All] button to load all variables,
or you can highlight variable names in the list.

4 - 17 PLOT3D Loader
The PLOT3D Loader add-on can import data files formatted for the PLOT3D program developed by Pieter
Buning at the NASA Ames Research Center. Some extensions such as unstructured data that are now
available in FAST, the successor to PLOT3D, are also supported.

4- 17.1 File Combinations

Use the File Selection page of the PLOT3D Loader dialog to specify whether to load just grid files, both the
grid and solution files, or just solution files. When loading grid and solution files together, either one grid
file must be loaded (in which case it is assumed that all solution files use this grid), or a number of grid
files equal to the number of solution files must be loaded (in which case it is assumed that there is a grid
file for each solution file). If multiple grid files are loaded, all must use the same organization (binary or
ASCII, etc.). Only the first file is scanned for organization.

Choosing both solution and grid files will allow you to optionally specify a name file as well. The name
file contains names to replace either the function or solution variable names on a 1-to-1 basis for as many
names as are in either file.
If a boundary file exists, it must have a name of the form '[Link]' and be in
FieldView 1.4 format to be automatically loaded.
You may append the files being loaded to the current data set by toggling-on the Append option. The files
being appended should have the same number of zones as data that has already been loaded. If some
zones are static and some are time-aware, load the static zones and then append the time-aware zones.
If you are loading more than one grid file and they all have the same structure, make sure the Uniform
Grid Structure option is toggled-on for best performance. If you are unsure, toggle-off this option to make
sure that the data can be loaded without errors.
This page also allows you to automatically assign Strand IDs for transient zones. This option is toggled-on
by default. An option to add zones to current strands can be used if you are appending zones to existing

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transient data. This option is toggled-off by default. Finally, you can have new strand IDs generated for
each time step. This option is toggled-on by default.

Transient options do not apply to Plot3D function files since these do not contain time.

The Plot3D loader attempts to use numbers in filenames as solution times for transient data. Both integers
and decimal fractional values are detected in filenames, and values may be negative. If multiple numeric
fields are found in the data set’s filenames, the one with a unique value in each filename being loaded is
taken as the solution time; if multiple such fields are found, the rightmost one is used.

Some solvers that write data in PLOT3D format use the same solution time for all time
steps. To accommodate such solvers, the PLOT3D loader will attempt to extract solution
times from filenames whenever the solution time information contained in the actual
data set is inconsistent or contradictory, even if the loader has not been explicitly
instructed to do so.

The following table describes what the PLOT3D loader does in all six grid/solution scenarios:

Load Not Appending Appending

Existing dataset is deleted and zones (one per grid) New zones are added (one per grid). Solution
Grid Only
are loaded. variables in new zones are zeroed out.

Existing dataset is deleted and zones (one for each Same as "Not Appending" except original
Grid and grid in each solution file) are loaded. Each set of dataset is preserved. Existing dataset must
Solution zones loaded shares spatial variables with the first have at least as many variables as the number
set of grids loaded. needed by the incoming data.

A dataset must already be present. The existing

Same as "Not Appending" except original
dataset is reduced to contain the same number of
dataset is preserved. Existing dataset must
zones as there are grids in each incoming solution
have at least as many variables as the number
Solution file. Solution variables in the first solution file
contained in incoming solution file. Spatial
Only replace the solution variables in the original zones.
variables are shared with last n original zones
Subsequent solution files create new sets of zones
where n is the number of grids in each
with spatial variables shared with the first set of
incoming solution file.
zones.
You may also load function files with or without grid or solution files. If you load function files at the same
time as solution files, there must be an equal number of solution files and function files. The variables in
each function file will be added to the variables in the corresponding solution file. If you load only
function files, you must append the files, and the function files must contain the same number of zones as
have already been loaded. In this case, the variables in the specified function files will be added to the
zones defined in the previously-loaded solution file(s).

4- 17.2 PLOT3D Loader Limitations

The -ip, -jp, -kp options in older PLOT3D Loaders are not supported in this release. Tecplot 360 EX
handles I, J, and K-planes well, so loading 3D planar files as a single zone is typically sufficient. Refer to
Section 7 - 1.2 “Surfaces” for additional information.

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 PLOT3D Loader

4- 17.3 PLOT3D File Structure

The File Structure page of the PLOT3D Loader dialog allows you to choose to have the PLOT3D Loader
auto detect the file structure, or override and manually describe the structure.

The PLOT3D Loader can automatically detect most PLOT3D file variants. ASCII files are the most difficult
to auto-detect as there are a few combinations that have the exact same signature. Pure binary files also
have some combinations that have the same signature. You may also specify the file format manually.
To enhance performance when loading multiple solution/function files, the primary solution/function file
can be chosen to represent the structure of all subsequent files. To activate this option, toggle-on "Assume
all Solution/Function Files have the same structure". You must determine if this is appropriate.

Special File Conditions

Unstructured Data Files

The following ASCII file conditions require special attention:

Condition Notes
Double Precision You must tell the loader if the incoming file is single or double precision.

I-Blanking You must tell the loader if the incoming file contains I-blanking.

There are some cases where these files can appear exactly the same if they are 3D
3D Planar Whole. The PLOT3D loader always favors 3D Whole. If you need to load 3D Planar in
3D Planar ASCII files you must specify the data structure manually.

Pure Binary Files

The following pure binary files (binary files without record markers) require special attention:

Condition Notes
There are some cases where these files can appear exactly the same if they are 3D
3D Planar Whole. The PLOT3D loader always favors 3D Whole. If you need to load in 3D Planar
pure binary files you must specify the data structure manually.

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4- 17.4 PLOT3D Data Subsets

The Data Subset page of the PLOT3D Loader allows you to: read subsets of ordered zones within the files,
specify the desired beginning and ending index values to read, and enter a skip value for each index
direction. A skip value of one results in every value in the specified index range being read. A skip of 2
reads every second value, and so on.

4- 17.5 Macro Language Commands for the Plot3D Loader

The macro language syntax for the PLOT3D Loader has had some changes over the
years. Layouts created with older syntax can still be read, but will be saved with the
latest syntax.

The syntax for loading PLOT3D data files with the Tecplot macro language is as follows:
$!READDATASET
‘ "STANDARDSYNTAX" "1.0"
"...any of the name value pairs in the following table..." ‘
DATASETREADER = ‘PLOT3D Loader’
Each name/value pair should be in double quotes:

Keyword Value(s) Default Notes

STANDARDSYNTAX 1.0 n/a Must be the first instruction.

"n" "file-1"
"file-2".... "file- Specify the number of function files,
FILELIST_FUNCTIONFILES n/a
n" followed by each file name.

"n" "file-1"
Specify the number of solution files,
FILELIST_SOLUTIONFILES "file-2".... "file- n/a
followed by each file name.
n"

"n" "file-1"
Specify the number of grid files, followed
FILELIST_GRIDFILES "file-2".... "file- n/a
by each file name.
n"

FILENAME_NAMEFILE "filename" n/a The associated name file.

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 PLOT3D Loader

Keyword Value(s) Default Notes

"Min, Max,
IINDEXRANGE all
Skip"

"Min, Max, The index ranges for the data to be loaded,

JINDEXRANGE all
Skip" minimum, maximum, and skip value.

"Min, Max,
KINDEXRANGE all
Skip"

Whether to append the read data to the

APPEND "Yes" or "No" "No"
existing dataset.

ASCIIISDOUBLE "Yes" or "No" "No" Whether the ASCII data format is double.

ASCIIHASBLANK "Yes" or "No" "No" Whether the ASCII file contains blanks.

Whether to autodetect the PLOT3D file

format variant. If set to "No," the
AUTODETECT "Yes" or "No" DATASTRUCTURE, ISMULTIGRID, and
STYLE keywords are used to specify the
file format.

"1D", "2D",
"3DP", "3DW",
Required if AUTODETECT is "No," otherwise
DATASTRUCTURE or none
ignored.
"UNSTRUCTU
RED"

Required if AUTODETECT is "No," otherwise

ISMULTIGRID "Yes" or "No" none
ignored.

"PLOT3DCLA
SSIC"
Required if AUTODETECT is "No," otherwise
STYLE "PLOT3DFUN none
ignored.
CTION" or
"OVERFLOW"

Whether to automatically assign strand

ASSIGNSTRANDS "Yes" or "No" "No"
IDs.

ADDTOEXISTINGSTRANDS "Yes" or "No" "No" Whether to add data to existing strands.

Whether the grid structure is the same for

UNIFORMGRIDSTRUCTURE "Yes" or "No" "Yes"
all time steps.

When loading multiple files whether the

primary solution file represents the
SOLUTIONSSHARESTRUCTURE "Yes" or "No" "No"
structure of all subsequent files. Will
improve performance.

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Keyword Value(s) Default Notes

Whether to append variables in function
APPENDFUNCTIONVARIABLS "Yes" or "No" "No"
files to those found in solution files.

Deprecated. If set to Yes, solution times

will always be extracted from filenames,
overriding solution times in the data set. If
set to No or not given, solution times will
EXTRACTTIMEFROMSOLFILEN
"Yes" or "No" "No" still be extracted from filenames if the data
AMES
set contains does not contain solution
times or if the data set contains more than
one time step specifying the same solution
time.

4- 17.6 PLOT3D Auxiliary Data

The following auxiliary data is created by the PLOT3D Loader:

Auxiliary Name Assigned To

[Link] Dataset and Individual Zones a

[Link] Dataset and Individual Zones a

[Link] Dataset and Individual Zones a

[Link] Individual Zones

[Link] Individual Zones

[Link] Dataset

[Link] Dataset

[Link] Dataset

[Link] Dataset

[Link] Dataset

[Link] Dataset

[Link] Dataset

[Link] Dataset

[Link] Dataset

[Link] Dataset

Gb Individual Zones

Bb Individual Zones

Tb Individual Zones

Ib Individual Zones

Hb Individual Zones

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 PLY Loader

Auxiliary Name Assigned To

H1b Individual Zones

H2b Individual Zones

a. Auxiliary data assigned to both zones and the dataset assign the value
from the last zone processed to the dataset.
b. Overflow specific constants.

4 - 18 PLY Loader
Use this loader1 to load 3D triangular surface files with the .ply extension. This format is often used to store
surfaces generated from tessellation of 3D range measurement data. Files may be either ASCII or binary,
but must contain both vertex and face elements (sections). This loader is included in your Tecplot 360 EX
installation.

4 - 19 Tecplot-Format Loader
This section describes the process for loading Tecplot-format data files with the extensions .dat for ASCII
files and .plt for binary files. Some other products that write Tecplot binary files use the filename extension
.bin or .tec, and these are also recognized by the Tecplot-Format loader. (Refer to the Data Format Guide for
information on outputting data into Tecplot 360 EX file format.)
There are four ways to create and work with Tecplot-format data files:
• Generate a Tecplot-format ASCII data file - Read the file into Tecplot 360 EX and work
without conversion. If the dataset is altered, save it as an ASCII data file. This method works
well for smaller datasets where the convenience of an ASCII file outweighs any inefficiencies.
• Generate a Tecplot-format ASCII data file and convert it to a binary file with Tecplot 360 EX
- Read it into Tecplot 360 EX, then save it as a binary data file, then work with the binary file.
Once you have saved a binary version, you can delete the ASCII version. This works well for
large datasets where ASCII inefficiencies are noticeable. See Section 23 - 2 “Data File Writing”.
• Generate a Tecplot-format ASCII data file, then convert it to a binary file with Preplot -
Preplot, a utility program included with Tecplot 360 EX, converts ASCII and PLOT3D to
binary Tecplot-format data files. Once the binary file is created, delete the ASCII version to
save space. This works well for identifying problems with data files, since Preplot’s error
messages include precise details. This method also works well in batch processing, or if the
ASCII data files are generated on another machine. (See the Data Format Guide for a
description of Preplot.)
• Generate a Tecplot-format binary data file - Read the binary data file into Tecplot 360 EX and
work without conversion. You must use routines provided by Tecplot as part of the TecIO
library to write Tecplot-format binary files from C or FORTRAN programs. (See the Data
Format Guide for complete details.)
See also Section 4 - 20 “Tecplot Subzone Loader” for information on loading the newer subzone file format
(.szplt), which is optimized for working interactively with larger files. It is straightforward for developers
to upgrade software that writes Tecplot binary files using the TecIO library to write subzone files.

1. Copyright for Third Party Library. This loader utilizes a modified version of a library written by Greg Turk
while at Stanford University. The copyright for this library is: Copyright © 1994 The Board of Trustees of The
Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved. Permission to use, copy, modify and distribute this
software and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above
copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies of this software and that you do not sell the
software. The software is provided "as is" and without warranty of any kind, express, implied or otherwise,
including without limitation, any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

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4 - 19.1 Tecplot Data File Loading

The Tecplot Data Loader (accessed via File>Load Data) allows you to load ASCII (.dat) and binary (.plt)
Tecplot-format data files. For both kinds of files, Tecplot 360 EX supports full data files, grid files, and
solution files, where the file types are defined as follows:
• Full - Full files contain both grid and solution data. Data files produced for Tecplot 360 Version
2006 and earlier are treated as full data files. Full files can be loaded in any order.
• Grid - Grid files contain static data for all zones. They have at least one variable or FE
connectivity; they may contain both variables and connectivity simultaneously.
• Solution - Solution files contain time-varying data for all zones in the file.
You may load more than one Tecplot format file at a time by selecting multiple files in the Load Data
dialog. In fact, this is required when loading solution data because the corresponding grid file must be
loaded at the same time.

Loading Grid and Solution Data Files

When you are loading grid and/or solution files, please keep the following in mind:
• Each solution file must be read in after the grid file it is associated with has been loaded.
• If you load multiple grid and solution files into Tecplot 360 EX, the order the files are listed
will be used to determine which grid is used for which solution file(s). For example, if you
load a set of grid and solution files in the following order:
• Grid A
• Solution A
• Solution B
• Solution C
• Grid B
• Solution D
Grid A will be shared for Solution Files A, B, and C. Grid B will be used for Solution File D.

You may select multiple files to load by holding the Shift key. However, the order is not
always preserved with this method. We strongly recommend that you use the [Add to
List] button when loading grid and solution data to make sure the files are added in the
order you require.

• You may load a grid file with variables or variables and connectivity without loading a
solution file. However, you may not load a grid file that contains only FE connectivity data.

4 - 20 Tecplot Subzone Loader

The Subzone Loader (SZL or "Sizzle") allows you to visualize large data files on typical engineering
workstations by loading only the data required for a particular operation. Unlike the previous load-on-
demand capability, Subzone Load can load partial zones instead of entire zones. This capability requires a
new file format, .szplt, which can be loaded using the Tecplot Subzone Loader.
Data can be converted to the .szplt format manually, by loading it into Tecplot 360 EX and then writing it in
SZL format (see Section 23 - 2 “Data File Writing”). For information on batch-converting files to SZL
format, see Section 27 - 5 “Batch Converting to SZL Format”.
The Tecplot Subzone Loader is used for loading .szplt files stored on your local disk or on a standard
network share (that is, a share that is supported by your computer’s operating system). To load files from a

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Linux remote host on which the Tecplot SZL Server is installed, see Section 4 - 26 “Loading Remote Data
using the Tecplot SZL Server”.

4 - 21 Tecplot Layout Loader

The Tecplot Layout loader is used for loading Tecplot layouts (.lay) and layout packages (.lpk). Layouts
include only links to the original data files; layout packages include the subset of data needed to view the
layout. See Section 23 - 1 “Layout Files, Layout Package Files, Stylesheets” on page 395 for more details on
creating these files.
Usually it is most convenient to load these kinds of files using the Welcome screen, the File>Open Layout
or File>Recent Layouts commands, or double-clicking the file in your file manager (e.g. Windows
Explorer). However, you can also load layouts and layout packages by choosing File>Load Data and
selecting this loader in the Load Data dialog.
This loader has no options; simply choose the desired .lay or .lpk file, and it will be opened.

4 - 22 Telemac Data Loader

The Telemac Data Loader reads Telemac SERAFIN- and SERAFIND-formatted (.slf, .srf, .sel or .res) and
boundary (.cli or .conlim) files. You may select multiple SERAFIN and SERAFIND files, but only a single
boundary file for a single load.
To load a boundary file, you must either load it along with one or more SERAFIN[D] files, or else append
it to an existing Telemac data set. It does not include its own X or Y variables, but rather contains
references to node numbers in a corresponding SERAFIN[D] file. It is loaded as a single I-ordered zone. If
loaded along with one or more SERAFIN[D] files, the boundary zone's X and Y values will be extracted
from the first zone of the first SERAFIN[D] file. If appended to existing data, the boundary zone's X and Y
values will be extracted from the first zone of the data set.
Telemac solution (SERAFIN) files may be successfully interactively loaded with the Telemac loader even if
the file suffix (.slf, .srf, .sel or .res) has been stripped off. However, boundary files must have extension (.cli
or .conlim) in order to load.
SERAFIN[D] files contain variable names, which are used for the resulting data set variables. Boundary
files contain no variable names, and add the following variables (unless noted below, refer to Telemac
documentation for their meaning):
BC-h: The boundary condition code for depth (LIHBOR)
BC-u: The boundary condition code for u (LIUBOR)
BC-v: The boundary condition code for v (LIVBOR)
BC-Qs: The boundary condition code for tracer (LITBOR)
BC-open: Indicator for closed or open boundary-0 for closed, 1 for open.

4 - 22.1 Macro Commands for the Telemac Data Loader

The syntax for loading Telemac data files with the Tecplot macro language is through the
$READDATASET command as follows:
$!READDATASET
' "STANDARDSYNTAX" "1.0" "...one or more Telemac Data Loader instructions..."'

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DATASETREADER = 'Telemac Data Loader'

Keyword Value(s) Default Notes

STANDARDSYNTAX "1.0" n/a Must be the first instruction.

Specify the number of Telemac

"n" "file-1" "file-2"....
FILELIST_TELEMAC None SERAFIN and SERAFIND files to
"file-n"
load, followed by each file name.

Specify a boundary file to load.

Must either be appened to existing
FILENAME_BOUNDARY "filename" None
Telemac data or loaded along with
one or more SERAFIN[D] files.

4 - 23 Text Spreadsheet Loader

The Text Spreadsheet Loader add-on allows you import simple data from ASCII files. Select the delimiter
and I-skip (if necessary) from the Simple Spreadsheet File Loader dialog.

the Text Spreadsheet Loader dialog has the following options:

• Filename - Enter the path to the file you would like to load.
• Delimiter - Choose whether your data is separated by a comma, space, or tab.
• I-Skip - Select an I-skip value. A value of 1 loads all values, a value of 2 loads every other
value, and so on.
The Text Spreadsheet Loader can read ASCII files of the following format (blank lines are ignored):

Variable 1, Variable 2, ..., Variable N

datapoint1,datapoint2, ..., datapoint N
.
.
.
datapoint1,datapoint2, ..., datapointN
Here is an example of a valid ASCII spreadsheet file:

Month, Rainfall
1, 15.0
2, 21.0
3, 21.0
4, 32.0
5, 10.3
6, 5.1
7, 2.3
8, 0.2

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 TRIX Loader

9, 1.4
10, 8.3
11, 12.2
12, 15.4

Text Spreadsheet Loader Limitation

The first line must contain all of the variable names.

4 - 24 TRIX Loader
The TRIX Data Loader loads TRIX files, which have the filename extension .trix. TRIX is an XML-based
unstructured file format used by Cart3D and related solvers and is a subset of the Visualization Toolkit
VTU format. Only triangle surface data can be loaded. The TRIX loader has no advanced options and can
load only one file at a time.

4 - 25 VTK Data Loader

The VTK Data Loader loads unstructured VTK (Visualization Toolkit) files which have the filename
extension, .vtu. The VTU format is an XML-based format used by solvers. The loader is designed to work
with ASCII, inline-binary, and appended formats with "raw" or "base64" encoding and either big or little-
endian byte ordering, with or without ZLib compression. The supported VTK cell types are Vertex, Line,
Triangle, Pixel, Quad, Tetra, Voxel, Hexahedron, Wedge, and Pyramid. These types are loaded into Tecplot
360 EX as ordered-point, FE-Lineseg, FE-Triangle, FE-Quad, FE-Tetra, and FE-Brick data. The VTK loader
has no advanced options dialog but does provide advanced options that can be set via the macro language
by augmenting the VTK Data Loader instructions in the $!READDATASET command of a layout or macro
file.
Multiple VTU files can loaded at one time or appended to an existing dataset. Multiple VTU files loaded at
one time must all have the same number of variables (VTK DataArray elements) and the same variable
names in the same order.
The VTK Data Loader can also load .pvtu and .vtm files. A .pvtu file is a parallel VTU file that references
one or more VTK data files and assembles them together to form a single zone, one for each .pvtu file. A
.vtm file is a multi-block file that references one or more VTK data files and assembles them into multiple
zones, one for each data file referenced.
The VTK Data Loader will read the <FieldData> section of the files and add any scalars it finds there to the
zone’s auxiliary data. If all of the files have a scalar named "time" in the <FieldData> section, the loader can
use the "time" scalar variable for the zone’s solution time. If the loader is instructed to use the "time" scalar
for solution time, it will not add the "time" scalar to the zone’s auxiliary data. The VTK loader can
optionally detect a consistent pattern of incrementing numeric values in the names of the files themselves
and use them for the zone’s solution time. If the loader cannot follow the instruction it is given, because
not all of the files have the "time" scalar or because there is no consistent pattern of values in the filenames,
it will not assign a solution time or strand ID.
To tell the loader how to assign solution times, add the name/value pair "SOLUTIONTIMESOURCE"
<setting> to the loader instructions. The settings are listed below.

4- 25.1 Macro Language Commands for the VTK Data Loader

The syntax for loading VTU data files with the Tecplot macro language is through the $READDATASET
command as follows:
$!READDATASET
' "STANDARDSYNTAX" "1.0" "...one or more VTK Data Loader instructions..."'
DATASETREADER = 'VTK Data Loader'

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The VTK DATA Loader instructions are in name/value pairs and each name/value pair should be
independently surrounded by double quotes. Refer to the Scripting Guide for details on working with the
Tecplot macro language.:

Keyword Value(s) Default Notes

STANDARDSYNTAX "1.0" n/a Must be the first instruction.

FILENAME_FILE "filename" n/a Specify a single file name.

"n" "file-1" "file-2".... Specify the number of solution files,

FILELIST_DATAFILES n/a
"file-n" followed by each file name.

Select one solution time source:

"Auto": Favors the "time" scalar for
the solution time over the numbers
embedded in file names,
"FromFieldData",
"None": Does not assign solution
SOLUTIONTIMESOURCE "FromFilename", "Auto"
time or Strand ID,
"Auto", "None"
"FromFieldData": Uses the "time"
scalar for solution time,
"FromFileName": Uses the solution
time embedded in the file names.

4 - 26 Loading Remote Data using the Tecplot SZL Server

The Tecplot SZL Server is a a lightweight server that you can install on a remote Linux host (such as a
computer cluster) to get access to your data when it is not practical to move the data off the cluster to a
local drive or to a network file share, and when you cannot reasonably run Tecplot 360 EX on the remote
host using a remote desktop setup. Usually this is due to slower network speeds between the remote host
and the visualization workstation.
The Tecplot SZL Server runs only on Linux hosts and serves only SZL data, since it is the subzone loading
capability of the SZL format that makes it practical to visualize your data over slower connections. Clients
can be any platform supported by Tecplot 360 EX.

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 Loading Remote Data using the Tecplot SZL Server

You can load SZL data from a remote host using Tecplot SZL Server using the Load Remote Data
command on the Tecplot 360 EX File menu. Choose Load Remote Data command on the Tecplot 360 EX
File menu to open the Remote Data Load Options dialog.

The first time you use Load Remote Data on Windows, Windows may display a dialog
asking you to allow Tecplot 360 EX to listen for connections. You must grant this
permission to allow Tecplot 360 EX to load remote data.

The Remote Data Load Options dialog offers three ways to connect to the remote SZL Server:
• SSH Tunneled Connection - Uses a secure shell (SSH) connection to carry the data from the
server to the workstation so it can be visualized in Tecplot 360 EX. As long as you can connect
to the remote host via SSH, you can visualize data from a SZL Server running on that host; the
SSH connection is all that is needed. This minimizes any possible network and workstation
complications.
• Direct Connection - May offer better performance than a SSH tunnel, but with less security,
because the data is not encrypted. (A SSH connection still must be established to start the
server, but the actual data is sent to the workstation without encryption.) The remote host must
be able to establish a connection to arbitrary ports on the visualization workstation, which may
require setup from a network administrator or may even be disallowed entirely at your site.
You might use Direct Connection mode if your network is already secure (for example, when
using a VPN or WAN) and the encryption provided by SSH would be redundant, or if
performance is paramount.
• Manual Connection - This mode allows you to establish a SZL Server session by manually
issuing a command on the remote host. Each time you establish a manual connection, Tecplot
360 EX provides you with an appropriate command that can be used for this purpose.
By default, the SZL Server connection is made directly from the remote host to the workstation
as in Direct Connection mode described above. However, you can also establish an SSH tunnel
manually and run your SZL Server session through it. See “Manual Connection Mode” on
page 129 for details.
If you are using either of the first two modes, choose it in the dialog, then specify:
• The hostname or IP address of the remote host
• Your username on that host
• How you wish Tecplot 360 EX to authenticate to the remote host, using one of these options:

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Loading Data

• Your private key file (specify the file by entering the path or by clicking "..."). If your key
is protected by a passphrase, enter it in the field provided.
• A key manager: ssh-agent (or PuTTY’s Pageant utility on Windows).
• Without a key (you will be prompted for a password when you connect)
Then click the Connect button to establish the connection. This may take a few seconds.

If you are using Manual Connection mode, you will instead see a small window indicating
the command you must execute on the remote host to establish the connection. See
“Manual Connection Mode” on page 129 for details on using this mode.

Once the connection has been established, the Select Files button becomes enabled. Click Select Files to
choose a file to open. The Select File dialog appears.

All remote files open at any one time must be opened from the same directory on the
same remote host. You cannot append data using remote files.

After you choose the files you wish to open and click Open, you return to the Load Remote Data dialog
with those files listed in the bottom panel. Click OK to proceed with opening the files. Tecplot 360 EX
opens the files and displays the initial plot.

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 Loading Remote Data using the Tecplot SZL Server

4 - 26.1 Manual Connection Mode

In Manual Connection mode, you establish an SSH connection to the remote host yourself, then start the
server and tell it how to connect back to the Tecplot 360 EX client running on your workstation. This is
useful for unusual network configurations and for those who require complete control.

When you click Connect in the Remote Data Load options with the mode set to Manual Connection,
Tecplot 360 EX displays the Waiting For Server Connection dialog. This dialog remains open until you
establish the connection from the remote host. To do this, you must issue a command on the host to start
the SZL Server and tell it how to connect to Tecplot 360 EX on the client workstation.
The szlserver command shown in the dialog can be copied and pasted into your remote command line
session (established with the ssh command on Linux or Mac, or a GUI client like PuTTY on Windows).
Usually, you will establish a new SSH connection, but it is possible to use an existing one (see the Note at
the end of this section). For this example, we will establish a new connection.
When invoked using the provided szlserver command, the SZL Server establishes a direct, unencrypted
connection to the workstation (as in Direct Connection mode). This requires that arbitrary ports on your
workstation be accessible from the server, which may require network administrator support or be
disallowed entirely at your site.
If it is not possible for the server to connect to the workstation, or if you wish the session to be encrypted,
you can manually tunnel the connection over an SSH connection. You will need to know the port number
on which Tecplot 360 EX is waiting for the connection. This is the number following the -p flag in the
szlserver command shown in the Waiting For Server Connection dialog.
You should note the session key, which is the number following -k. The session key is a random number
that is changed for each connection; it is used to verify that the connection is being made to the correct
workstation. When you issue the szlserver command on the remote host, you must use the session key
displayed in the Waiting For Server Connection dialog.
In the example dialog shown here, Tecplot 360 EX is listening on port 49767. So you need to establish a
tunnel from port 49767 on the remote host to port 49767 on your workstation.

You may use a different port number on the remote host if the port you wish to use is
already in use on that system, but this is quite rare. If there is a port conflict, it is
probably best to close the Load Remote Data Options dialog and try again; Tecplot 360
EX chooses a different port each time you open the dialog. Alternatively, specify 0 for the
remote port; ssh will choose an available port for you and tell you what it is.
Valid port numbers range from 1024-65535. Ports with numbers less than 1024 can only
be opened by the remote host’s root user.

On Linux or Mac systems, you can create the tunnel using the -R option with the ssh command line client.
In this command, localhost refers to the workstation running Tecplot 360 EX, the client of the ssh
connection (the hostname is resolved on the client end).
ssh -R 49767:localhost:49767 username@[Link]

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Loading Data

If you are using a server port number different from the workstation port, the server port number should
be the first number after the -R. For example, if you have decided to use port 4242 for the server end of the
tunnel, the ssh command would be:
ssh -R 4242:localhost:49767 username@[Link]
On Windows, you can set up port forwarding in PuTTY on the Connections > SSH > Tunnels page.

Enter (in this example) 49767 for the source port, localhost:49767 as the destination, and choose the
Remote radio button. (If you are using a different port number on the server than on the workstation, it
goes in the Source Port field.) Then click Add to add the tunnel to the forwarded ports list. When you click
Open to establish the SSH connection, the tunnel is created along with it.
One you have established an SSH connection with the remote host, incorporating a tunnel, you can issue
the szlserver command on the remote host. However, instead of specifying the address of the client
workstation after -m, specify localhost. This will instruct the SZL Server to connect to the host’s end of the
tunnel, which will forward the connection to the workstation.
szlserver -m localhost -p 49767 -k 1443240310
If you are using a different port number on the remote host, specify this after -p. For example, if you are
using port 4242 for the remote end of the tunnel, use:
szlserver -m localhost -p 4242 -k 1443240310

On Windows, PuTTY lets you add tunnels to an existing connection. Simply click the icon
in your SSH terminal’s upper left corner, choose Change Settings from the menu, and
navigate to Connection>SSH>Tunnels as if you were setting up a new connection. From
there, you can remove any obsolete port forwarding and add new tunnels as needed.
On Linux and Mac, you can type ~C to escape into a mini command line from an
established session, then enter an -R option exactly as you would on the command line
to set up a port forward (e.g. -R 49767:localhost:49767). To cancel an existing tunnel,
enter -KR 49767 (for example) using the remote port number of the tunnel. Press Enter to
exit the mini command line and return to your SSH session.
This feature may not be available depending on SSH client configuration. If it is not
available, simply open a new terminal window and establish a new SSH connection
incorporating the desired tunnelling.

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 Overwriting Data Files

4 - 26.2 Interactive Authentication and Unattended Operation

Depending on your organization’s network and security policies, you might need to enter information to
prove your identity when connecting to a SZL Server via SSH. This information might include:
• An account password, if you are not using a key pair
• A passphrase for a protected private key or key store
• A security code from an authentication token or app (such as Google Authenticator)
Or, if you are using Manual Connection mode, you must enter a command on the remote host in order to
establish the connection.
Tecplot 360 EX prompts you to enter any necessary authentication information or take other action to
establish the connection to the SZL Server as necessary. When running Tecplot 360 EX interactively—with
its full graphical user interface—a dialog appears to request your password or to ask you to perform other
steps.
When you record a connection to a SZL Server in a macro, the most that is ever stored in the macro is the
path to your private key file. The key itself and its passphrase are never stored; likewise, if you are using
password authentication, the password is not stored. Therefore, for batch operations—such as running a
macro from the command line—the Linux and Mac versions of Tecplot 360 EX will prompt you to enter
this information in the terminal window if it is necessary.
Similarly, the macro file does not store any manual steps you do when establishing a connection via
Manual mode, because these steps are done outside Tecplot 360 EX. So when connecting via the Manual
connection mode in batch mode, you will be instructed in the terminal to establish the connection, and
Tecplot 360 EX will wait for the connection to be established.
The Windows version of Tecplot 360 EX detaches from the text console and cannot read or write to the
command line window. Therefore, the $!READDATASET macro instruction fails in batch mode on Windows if
any additional information or action is needed to connect to the remote host. (The file [Link] will include
an error message in this case.) You must use Tecplot 360 EX in interactive mode to be able to open such
data sets on Windows.
True unattended operation requires use of the SSH Tunneled or Direct Connection modes with SSH key
pairs without passphrases or other interactive requirements. In this case, all platforms can access the data
files in batch mode without difficulty.

4 - 27 Overwriting Data Files

Tecplot 360 EX employs load-on-demand to allow you to start working with your data as soon as possible.
With load-on-demand, after you load a data file, the actual loading of individual variables may be
deferred until the variables are actually needed. Depending on available memory, some variables may
even be loaded, then unloaded, and then loaded again.
Load-on-demand requires that Tecplot 360 EX keep the data file(s) being used open while you are using
them to create plots, which may present problems if you need to update the data files during this time.
If you have a workflow that requires a Tecplot 360 EX data file be overwritten while it is in use (most likely
to simulate real-time data acquisition or a similar process), the following is suggested as a possible
solution.

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Loading Data

In this example, the cycle on the top illustrates the method used for Tecplot 360 EX to update [Link] and
the cycle on the bottom illustrates the method used by the application that generates the data to update
[Link]. Both systems are checking for the existence of [Link]. If you are using a macro in Tecplot 360 EX
to do this, then you can use the extended macro command, [Link], to determine if the file exists.
If the file exists, Tecplot 360 EX will disconnect from [Link], copy [Link] to [Link], and delete
[Link]. If [Link] exists and the application that generates the data has an update for [Link], the
application should either wait a few seconds and try-again or skip the data set (this is determined by the
application, not Tecplot 360 EX). If the file does not exist, the application that generated the data is free to
copy new data to [Link].
If you use a macro in Tecplot 360 EX, you can use the capabilities of extendmcr to query for file existence.
Disconnecting from [Link] can be done in a number of ways, one of which is to issue a $!NEWLAYOUT
command. This will completely disconnect Tecplot 360 EX from the dataset and thus from the associated
data file.
The file [Link] is like a baton. If it exists, then [Link] is said to be "owned" by Tecplot 360 EX. If it
does not exist, then [Link] is said to be "owned" by the data producing application. [Link] is always
owned by Tecplot 360 EX.
One minor issue not addressed in the above example is what the data producing application should do if
the data is being read by Tecplot 360 EX. It can either block (wait) until Tecplot 360 EX is finished or
discard the current solution and go back to generating another one.

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Part 3 Creating
Plots
 5

Creating Plots

5-1 Creating Plots

The basic steps for creating a plot in Tecplot 360 EX are:
1. Define your dataset using one of the following methods:
a. Use the Load Data command from the File menu. Please refer to Chapter 4: “Loading
Data” for information on working with a specific data loader.
b. Use the “Open Layout” command from the File menu to load linked layout or layout
package files. (See Section 23 - 1 “Layout Files, Layout Package Files, Stylesheets” for
more information on layout files.)
c. Use any combination of the options in the Create Zone submenu of the Data menu or
the Insert menu to create your datasets directly within Tecplot 360 EX. Section 20 - 5
“Zone Creation” and Chapter 18: “Text, Geometries, and Images” for more
information.
2. Select the Plot Type (3D, 2D, XY Line, Polar Line, or Sketch) from the Plot sidebar. Refer to
Chapter 7: “Field Plots” for information regarding 3D and 2D plots, Chapter 6: “XY and Polar
Line Plots” for information on XY Line and Polar Line plots, and Chapter 18: “Text,
Geometries, and Images” for information on sketch plots.
3. Toggle-on any mapping or zone layers from the Plot sidebar. The following mapping and
zone layers are available:
• Mesh Layer
• Contour Layer
• Shade Layer
• Vector Layer
• Scatter Layer
• Edge Layer
• Line Map Layer
• Symbols Map Layer
• XY Line Error Bars
• XY Line Bar Charts

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The layers available in the Plot sidebar are dependent upon the active plot type. Use the
Details buttons where available to customize zone layers.

In order to view surfaces on your plot, open the Zone Style dialog, select the Surfaces
tab, and use the [Surfaces to Plot] drop-down menu to choose an available surface
plotting option.
The Zone Style dialog is available by either double-clicking on your plot, selecting the
[Zone Style] button from the Plot sidebar, or selecting Plot>Zone Style from the Menu
bar.

4. Use the options in the Plot menu (such as Blanking or Axis) to customize how your data is
displayed. Refer to Section 7 - 4 “Three-dimensional Plot Control” or Chapter 17: “Axes” for
additional information.
5. Use the options in the Data menu (such as Alter>Specify Equations or Interpolate) to alter
the dataset. Refer to Chapter 20: “Data Operations” and Chapter 21: “CFD Data Analysis” for
additional information.
6. [3D only] toggle-on zone effects (translucency and lighting). Refer to Chapter 13:
“Translucency and Lighting” for details.
7. Use the Zone Style or Mapping Style dialogs to opt zones in and out of plot layers or the
entire plot. Refer to Section 7 - 1 “Field Plot Modification and the Zone Style Dialog” and
Section 6 - 1 “Mapping Style and Creation”, respectively, for details.
8. [2D or 3D only] add derived objects (Slices, Streamtraces or Iso-surfaces). Use their respective
Details buttons [...] to customize any derived objects.
You are not limited to working with only one plot at a time. You can create multiple plots on a single page
using frames and frame linking, and you can create multiple pages. See Section 2 - 3 “Frames” for more
information.

5-2 Data Journaling

On occasion you may modify data prior to making a final plot. Some (but not all) of the data operations
mentioned in this chapter modify data. Tecplot 360 EX “journals” the data modifications you make in the
form of macro instructions as well as performing them. If you then save a layout file, the layout file can
reference the original data and include the instructions necessary to reconstruct the plot. This way, the
original data file is not modified. You can also generate a new plot using a different data file by reusing the
layout. (Layout files are text files and may be modified in an editor.)
If you perform an operation that Tecplot 360 EX is unable to journal, you are prompted to save the dataset
to a new file when you save a layout file. This is necessary for the layout to reproduce exactly what you
have in your plot.
The following operations are included in the data journal:
• Data alteration except for derivatives in equations.
• Creation of rectangular zones, circular zones.
• Slice extraction of a primary slice through volume or surface zones for X, Y, Z, or arbitrary
planes.
• Zone duplication and mirroring.
• Zone and variable deletion.
• Fourier transform.

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 Data Sharing

5-3 Data Sharing

In order to conserve computer memory and disk space, Tecplot 360 EX shares variables between zones
whenever possible. Variable sharing typically occurs with any of the following scenarios:
• When a variable is calculated for two or more zones, Tecplot 360 EX determines if the results
will be the same in the different zones, and shares the variable where appropriate. See Section
20 - 1.1 “Equation Syntax” and Section 20 - 1.6 “Variable Sharing Between Zones”.
• When zones are duplicated, all variables are shared between the source zones and their
duplicates. See Section 20 - 5.3 “Zone Duplication”.
• When mirrored zones are created, the mirrored zone shares all variables with the original. See
Section 20 - 5.4 “Mirror Zone Creation”.
• When a data loader supporting data sharing (Tecplot, Plot3D, FLUENT, CGNS, etc.) loads a
variable that is identified for two or more zones, that variable is shared among the specified
zones. This often occurs with time dependent data, where the physical coordinates (e.g. X, Y,
and Z) are typically the same for all time steps.

If a zone is altered (independently of zones it is sharing data with), any variable that is
changed will no longer be shared.

Variable sharing and connectivity sharing (for finite element zones) can also be established in a Tecplot
data file by supplying the appropriate parameters to the TECZNE function when writing the file (see the
Data Format Guide). In addition, multiple solution files can share the same grid file.

5-4 Data Set Information

The Data Set Information dialog, accessed from the “Data Set Info” option on the Data menu, gives
summary information about the current dataset, including the dataset title, zone and variable names, and
the minimum and maximum values of a selected variable. You can modify the dataset title, zone and
variable names of any dataset.

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5 - 4.1 Zone/Variable Info Page

The following information is provided on the Zone/Variable Info page:

• Zone(s) - Lists all zones by number, with their titles.

• Zone Type (Ordered or FE data) - Displays the type of zone selected in the Zone(s) listing. For
ordered data, it is followed by the index values for IMax, JMax, and KMax (shown below). For
finite element data, it is followed by the element type, number of points, and number of
elements:
• IMax (ordered data) - Displays the IMax value of the zone selected in the Zone(s)
listing.
• JMax (ordered data) - Displays the JMax value of the zone selected in the Zone(s)
listing.
• KMax (ordered data) - Displays the KMax value of the zone selected in the Zone(s)
listing.
• Pts (finite element data) - Displays the number of data points in the zone selected in the
Zone(s) listing.
• Elem (finite element data) - Displays the number of elements in the zone selected in the
Zone(s) listing.
• Solution Time - Displays the solution time for the selected zone (see also Section 7 - 2 “Time
Aware”).
• Time Strand - Displays the strand ID for the selected zone (see also Section 7 - 2 “Time
Aware”).
• Variable(s) - Lists all variables by number, with their names.
• Var Type - Displays the type of data of the selected variable in the Variable(s) field.
• Var Location - Indicates if variables are located at nodes or cell-centers.
• Var Status - Use the Var Status field in the dialog to determine the status of the current
variable. The variable status can indicate the variable passivity, lock state, and additional
system state information.

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 Data Set Information

• Var Range - Selected Zones - Displays the Min and Max values for the selected variable in the
selected zones. When working with subzone data, one or more of the values displayed may be
estimates, which is indicated by (est) next to the affected values.
• Var Range - Active Zones - Displays the Min and Max values for the selected variable for all
active zones. When working with subzone data, one or more of the values displayed may be
estimates, which is indicated by (est) next to the affected values.
• Load Variables - If a variable was not initially loaded, “Not Loaded” will be displayed in Var
Range portions of the dialog. Use the [Load Variables] button to display the Load Variable
dialog, with which you can load any variables from your dataset that were not initially loaded.

Load Variable
The Load Variable dialog allows you to load variables into memory if they are not currently loaded.
Choose the zone containing the variables you wish to load using the Zone menu at the top of the dialog,
then select one or more variables from that zone.

• Click once to select only a single variable

• Hold the Shift key while clicking a second variable to select a contiguous range of variables
• Hold the Control key while clicking to toggle individual variables on and off
• Press Control-A to select all variables
Click the [Load] button to load the selected variables. See “Load On Demand” on page 470 for more
information about this function.

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5 - 4.2 Data Set Page

The Data Set page provides information about your data set, including: title, filenames, number of zones,
variables, elements, and lock status.

The following information can be found on the Data Set page:

• Data Set Title - Enter a title for the current dataset, or edit an existing title. The default is the
result of concatenating the titles specified in each Title record encountered in the data files
making up the dataset.
• Files or directories - Lists the names and paths of all external data files making up the current
dataset. Some file formats use directories as containers; these will list only the directory name.
• Num Zones - Number of zones in the dataset.
• Num Vars - Number of variables in the dataset.
• Total Elements - Total number of elements in the dataset.
• Total Points - Total number of points in the dataset.
• Locked By - This field will inform you if the current dataset has been locked by an add-on.
Add-ons can lock a dataset which in turn prevents you from deleting zones or deleting the last
frame associated with the dataset.

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5 - 4.3 Aux Data Page

Auxiliary data is metadata attached to zones, datasets, or frames. Auxiliary data is added to the plot via
the data file.

The Auxiliary Data page has the following information:

• Show Auxiliary Data - Use the drop-down to display auxiliary data for zones, datasets,
frames, or names.
• Data Name/Value - Displays the names and values of any auxiliary data.
Refer to the Data Format Guide for information on creating Tecplot 360 EX data files that include auxiliary
data.

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Creating Plots

5-5 Color Chooser

Each attribute of your plot can be set to a different color or color type using the Color Chooser. Use the
Select Color dialog to apply contour groups, a basic color palette, or RGB coloring to the selected plot
attribute.

There are three types of color assignments:

• Contour Groups - The Contour Variables (Multi 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) are defined in the
Contour & Multi-Coloring Details. The Contour Variables are typically used for coloring mesh,
contour, vector, and scatter layers.
• RGB Coloring - Select RGB to use RGB coloring established in Plot>RGB Coloring>Variables/
Range. RGB coloring is used to illustrate the relationship between two or three variables in
your dataset, by setting R, G, and B to each of the variables.
• Basic Color Palette - Use the basic color palette to apply a single, constant color to a plot
attribute.
For example, you can create a 3D field plot with a contour layer (with colors defined by a contour
variable), an edge layer (with colors from the basic color palette), and a vector layer (with colors defined
by RGB vectors).

5 - 5.1 RGB Coloring

RGB coloring occurs when Red, Green, and Blue values are supplied at each vertex. It may be used to
create special flooding such as for Oil/Water/Gas or vector direction plots. RGB coloring may be used for
each field plot object: zone layers, the mesh or contour layer for streamtraces or iso-surfaces, or any of the
layers for slices. This affects multi-coloring for that object as well as any contour flooding. With RGB
coloring, multi-colored objects such as vectors or scatter symbols have their color determined based on the
RGB components of the field variables at their location. Multi-colored mesh and contour lines use the
average value across the mesh line.

Exported Vector-based Files Limitation in RGB Coloring

Vector-based export files such as WMF cannot show continuous RGB flooding. Objects
that use RGB flooding are reduced to contain average cell flooding where each cell is
flooded a solid color based on the averages of the RGB values at each vertex. The user is
warned before such output is generated.

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 Color Chooser

RGB Coloring Options

If your data has only two RGB variables, or if the sum of the variables is not normalized, you can adjust the
settings using the RGB Coloring Options dialog (accessed via Plot>RGB Coloring>Variables/Range).
The RGB Coloring Options dialog (shown below) has the following options:

• Mode - You can either specify all three variables or specify two of the three variables and
calculate the third. The third variable is calculated using the following formula
f(R)+f(G)+f(B)=1.0 (assuming f() is a function that maps R,G,B values into [0,1.0]).
• Variables - Assign the variables which supply the values for the color components, as
specified in the RGB Mode.
• Variable Value Range - By default, it is assumed that the minimum value for any of the
Channel Variables is zero, the maximum is one, and the sum of the three variables is one at
every point. If the sum is not normalized, you can set a new minimum and maximum. For
example, if your variables sum to 100 at every point, you can enter 100 in the field for Value at
Maximum Intensity.

5 - 5.2 Basic Color Palette

Figure 5-3. The Basic Color Palette region of the Select Color dialog.
Use the Basic Color Palette to define a constant color to the selected plot attribute(s).

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Creating Plots

144
 6

XY and Polar Line Plots

A line plot is the simplest type of graph you can produce with Tecplot 360 EX. A typical line plot includes
a dependent variable (usually the vertical axis for XY plots) and an independent variable (usually the
horizontal axis for XY plots). Each line on the line plot represents one series of data points, where each
data point is defined by its independent and dependent variable values. A series of data points is referred
to as a mapping (or map, for short).
Tecplot 360 EX supports two types of line plots, XY plots and Polar plots. XY plots are plotted on Cartesian
coordinates using X & Y as the independent and dependent variables (See Section 17 - 2 “Axis Variable
Assignment”). XY plots can include line, symbols, bar and/or error bar layers. Polar plots are plotted on
polar coordinates using Theta and R values. Polar plots can include line and/or symbol layers.
An example of XY and Polar Line plots is shown below.

90
1000
120 60

800
150 30

600
Angle
Speed

400 180 0
0 200 400 600 800
Speed

200

210 330
0

240 300
-200
-60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 270
Angle

Line plots are usually created from one-dimensional, I-ordered data. The data used for line plots must
have at least two variables defined at each data point. The same number of variables must be defined at
each data point.
You can also create line plots from two or three-dimensional data in the IJ or IJK-ordered structure, or
from finite element data by selecting “XY Line” from the plot type menu in the Plot sidebar. If “XY Line” is
selected, finite element data sets will be treated as I-ordered (the connectivity list is ignored), IJ-ordered
datasets will be treated as a family of J-sets of I-ordered data, and IJK-ordered datasets will be treated as
K-planes of J-families of lines. Use the Indices page of the Mapping Style dialog to select different ranges
and skip intervals for the I, J, and K-indices. See Section 6 - 6 “I, J, and K-indices” later in this chapter for
more information.

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XY and Polar Line Plots

When you first create a line plot, the Create Mappings dialog appears automatically so you can choose the
mappings to be created (see Section 6 - 1.2 “Mapping Creation” on page 149). Names, colors, symbol
types, and line patterns are automatically assigned to each mapping. These and other line plot attributes
can be changed using the pages of the Mapping Style dialog. To bring up the Mapping Style dialog, go to
the Plot menu and select “Mapping Style”, or select the [Mapping Style] button on the Plot sidebar.

6-1 Mapping Style and Creation

Line plots are composed of the graphs of one or more pairs of variables (XY pairs in XY Line plots or
Theta-R pairs in Polar Line plots). These pairs and their dependency relations are referred to as mappings.
Mappings are defined for each frame; the same dataset can have a different set of mappings in each frame
it is attached to.
Mappings can include any combination of the following mapping layers:
• Lines - Can be drawn as linear segments or curve that fit the data points.
• Symbols - Each data point is represented by a symbol.
• Error Bars (XY only) - Error bars are drawn for each data point. The error bar value is
determined by a third variable.
• Bar Charts (XY only) - Each data point is represented by a vertical or horizontal bar.
XY Line plots can have up to five x-axes and five y-axes simultaneously. Polar Line plots can have only one
Theta-axis and only one R-axis.
Open the Mapping Style dialog by clicking the Mapping Style button on the Plot sidebar to set attributes
for lines and symbols and, in XY Line plots, bar charts and error bars. Initially, any linemaps selected in
the workspace are selected in the Mapping Style dialog. You may also double-click a line in your plot to
open the dialog with that mapping selected. You can set the style of any mapping independently of all
other mappings.

Each page of the Mapping Style dialog is divided into three color-coded regions. The
blue columns (Map Number, Map Name, and Show Map) apply to the mapping itself and
are repeated on each page. The green and orange columns represent primary and
secondary settings specific to the selected mapping page.

You can also use the line map context menu and toolbar to change some of these settings
quickly and easily by right-clicking on a line on your plot. The toolbar allows you to turn
on or off the line, symbol, and error bars for the selected line map by clicking the icons.
You can also adjust the attributes of these (for example, line color, symbol shape, or error variable) using
drop-down menus to the right of each icon.

6 - 1.1 Mapping Definitions

Existing mappings are edited with the Plot menu’s Mapping Style dialog. From the Definitions page of
the Mapping Style dialog, you can modify names, activate and deactivate mappings, assign axis variables,

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 Mapping Style and Creation

assign zones, sort data points in a mapping, control the mappings appearance in the line plot legend, and
assign particular X and Y-axes to XY-line plots.

Some settings are represented by checkboxes, which can be toggled on and off by clicking them. Other
settings require a right-click. In general, select the mapping or mappings you want to change, then right-
click the selection in the column of the setting to be edited. Most of the time this will activate a pop-up
menu; in other cases, a dialog appears. You may change mappings whether they are shown on the plot or
not (activated or deactivated).
• Map Number - Displays the number of each map. This cannot be edited.
• Map Name - Double-click the map name to edit it. Type Enter to complete the edit or Escape to
cancel without saving the edit.
• Show Map - Each mapping can be opted in and out of a plot by toggling the checkbox or by
right-clicking and choosing one of the following options:
• Activate - Turns selected mappings on.
• Deactivate - Turns selected mappings off.
• Show Selected Only - Turns on selected mappings, and turns off all other mappings.
• Invert - Switches the current activation settings for the selected map(s).
• Axis Variables - The choice of variables is the heart of the mapping. Each mapping is defined
by two variables: X and Y in XY Line plots and Theta and R in Polar Line plots. You may
change the variables assigned to a mapping by right-clicking or double-clicking.
• Zone - Each mapping uses variable values from a specified zone. If your
dataset has multiple zones, specify the zone for each mapping by right-
clicking or double-clicking the displayed zone name.
The pop-up field chooser appears. Display a list of all zones by clicking the
downward-pointing arrow next to the filter field, or start typing to display a
filtered list of the zones whose name contains what you type.
• Sort - By default, mappings are sorted by the order in which they occur in the data file. You
can change this order with the Sort option on the Definitions page of the Mapping Style
dialog.
Choose from one of the following Sort options:
• None - Default behavior of sorting by the order in the data file.
• By Independent Variable - Points are sorted in ascending order of the values of the
independent variable.
• By Dependent Variable - Points are sorted in ascending order of the values of the
dependent variable.

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XY and Polar Line Plots

• By Specific Variable - Select a variable from the Select Variable dialog. The points of
the selected mappings are sorted in ascending order of the values of this variable.

Only Line Segment and Parametric Spline curve types are affected by the Sort options.
Splines are always sorted by the independent variable. See Section 6 - 2.2 “Curve
Types” for more information on curve types.

• Which Axes - XY Line plots support five X-axes (X1-X5) and five Y-axes (Y1-Y5). Newly
created mapping use the X1 and Y1-axes. You can change these assignments by right-clicking.
The ranges and scales for each axis are defined in the Axis Details dialog (accessed via the Plot
>Axis).

Figure 6-4. An XY Line plot using two Y-axes.

By default, the X1 axis is placed at the bottom of your axis grid area, and subsequent X axes at
the top. Similarly, it places axis Y1 at the left of your axis grid area and subsequent Y-axes at the
right. Thus, in Figure 6-4, the Seattle rainfall observations are shown along axis Y1 at the left of
the axis grid area, while the error observations are shown along Y2 at the right.
You can also use multiple axes to cycle through mappings with different ranges or axis
settings. You may find it convenient to assign different mappings to different axes so that you
can set axis ranges, axis positions, or other axis attributes independently for each mapping.
• Show in Legend - By default, all active mappings appear in the line legend. However, the
legend only lists mappings with identical entries once. (See Section 6 - 7 “Line Legend” for
details on the Line Plot Legend.) The [Show in Legend] button has three options:
• Always - The mapping appears in the legend even if the mapping is turned off
(deactivated) or its entry in the table looks exactly like another mapping’s entry.
• Never - The mapping never appears in the legend.
• Auto - The mapping appears in the legend only when the mapping is turned on. If two
mappings would result in the same entry in the legend, only one entry is shown.
• Selection Criteria - Enter a wildcard pattern and click Select to select one or more
mappings based their name. In wildcard patterns, most characters match themselves,
but the * and ? characters have special meaning.

Character Meaning
? Matches any single character.

* Matches any number of characters, including none.

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 Mapping Style and Creation

• Clear - Clear the selection and the pattern field.

6 - 1.2 Mapping Creation

To define a new mapping, select the [Create Map] button in Mapping Style dialog. The dialog also
appears automatically the first time you choose the XY Line or Polar Line plot type. As shown below, the
dialog is slightly different for the two plot types.

In XY Line plots, you have the following options:

• X-axis Variable versus Y-axis Variable for One Zone (default) - Add a single mapping with
one X and one Y-variable for one zone.
• X-axis Variable versus All Other Variables for One Zone - Create a new set of mappings
using one variable as the X-variable and each of the other variables in the zone as Y-variables.
• Y-axis Var versus All Other Variables for One Zone - Create a new set of mappings using one
variable as the Y-variable and each of the other variables in the zone as X-variables.
• X-axis Variable versus Y-axis Variable for All Linear Zones - Define one map for each zone,
with the specified X-axis and Y-axis variables. If you choose this option, you specify only the X-
axis and Y-axis variables.
The options for polar line plots are the same as above, but with respect to the Theta-axis and R-axis
variables.
Specify the mapping name and the axis variables in the bottom section of the dialog. The default name is
“Map n,” where n is the number of the mapping to be created. If you are creating a mapping for one zone,
you also select the zone here.
When you first load an ordered dataset, some mappings are automatically created for you. If your dataset
has more than two variables, mappings are created that associate the first variable with each of the other
variables for the first zone only.

Selecting variables in a 3D finite element zone may require significant time, since the
variable must be loaded over the entire zone. XY and Polar line plots are best used with
linear or ordered data, or with two-dimensional finite element data. The defaults used in
the Create Mappings dialog favor the types of zones that yield good performance.

6 - 1.3 Mapping Names

Tecplot 360 EX automatically assigns a name to each mapping. The nature of the name depends on the
type of data used to create the mapping. If your data has only one dependent variable, the default is to use
the zone name for the mapping. If your data has multiple dependent variables, then the default is to use
the dependent variable name for the mapping. In either case, Tecplot 360 EX assigns each mapping a
special name (&ZN& or &DN&) that is replaced with the zone or variable name when the name is displayed.

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XY and Polar Line Plots

You can modify any mapping’s name by right-clicking the name of the mapping
in the Mapping Style dialog. A small window pops up to allow you to enter a
new name for the mapping, as shown here (note the default name of &DN& in our
example; our data has multiple dependent variables, and the name of each is
used as the mapping name).
You may add other dynamic text placeholders like &DN& to the displayed
mapping name by clicking one of the options below the edit field, then clicking +
(or simply double-clicking). The placeholders will be replaced with the
indicated value when the name is displayed. By combining static text with these
placeholders, you can construct a name in any format you like.
The placeholders available in this window are:
• Zone name - Adds &ZN& to the mapping name. This will be replaced with the actual name of
the zone assigned to that mapping.
• Zone number - Adds &Z#& to the mapping name. This will be replaced with the actual number
of the zone assigned to the mapping.
• Independent variable name - Adds &IV& to the mapping name. This will be replaced with the
actual name of the independent variable assigned to that mapping.
• Independent variable number - Adds &I#& to the mapping name. This will be replaced with
the actual number of the independent variable assigned to the mapping.
• Dependent variable name - Adds &DV& to the mapping name. This will be replaced with the
actual name of the dependent variable assigned to that mapping.
• Dependent variable number - Adds &D#& to the mapping name. This will be replaced with the
actual number of the dependent variable assigned to the mapping.
• Map number - Adds &M#& to the mapping name. This will be replaced with the actual number
of the mapping.
• X-Axis number - Adds &X#& to the mapping name. This will be replaced with the actual
number of the X-axis assigned to that mapping for XY Line plots. (This option is not available
for Polar Line plots.)
• Y-Axis number - Adds &Y#& to the mapping name. This will be replaced with the actual
number of the Y-axis assigned to that mapping for XY Line plots. (This option is not available
for Polar Line plots.)

6-2 Line Map Layer

The Line map layer is available for both XY and polar line plots. Activate the layer by toggling-on “Lines”
in the Plot sidebar. When the Lines map layer is on, the dataset is represented by a connected line for each
mapping, which may be either a simple collection of line segments connecting all the data points, or a
curve fitted to the original data.

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 Line Map Layer

6 - 2.1 Line Attributes

The Lines page of the Mapping Style dialog (accessed via the Plot sidebar or Plot>Mapping Style) is
shown below.

The first two columns, Map Number and Map Name, list the mapping number and the mapping name.
The Map Show field lists which mappings are currently active. These columns behave the same as the
corresponding columns on the Definitions page (see “Mapping Definitions” on page 146). The remaining
columns of the Lines page of the Mapping Style dialog contain specific line attributes.

In order for the changes made in the Lines page to be visible in your plot, the Lines
mapping layer must be toggled-on in the Plot sidebar.

• Show Lines - This option allows you to turn off lines for selected mappings, while keeping
both the selected mappings and the Lines map layer active overall.
• Line Color - Set line color for line plots. Right-clicking displays the Color Chooser.
• Line Thickness - Set the thickness of lines. Right-clicking allows you to choose from preset
line widths of 0.02, 0.10, 0.40, 0.80, or 1.50 percent, or enter any thickness using a dialog.
• Line Pattern - Right-click to choose line patterns for line plots.
• Pattern Length - Set the pattern length for patterned lines. Pattern length is measured as a
percentage of the frame height for one complete cycle of the pattern.

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Mapping Style dialog to select
mappings by name, see the description of these at the end of “Mapping Definitions” on
page 146.

6 - 2.2 Curve Types

Tecplot 360 EX offers a variety of curve-fits and spline fits. By specifying the curve type, you control how
the data points are connected in a line (see “Line Map Layer” on page 150).
The first two columns, Map Number and Map Name, list the mapping number and the mapping name.
The Map Show field lists which mappings are currently active. These columns behave the same as the
corresponding columns on the Definitions page (see “Mapping Definitions” on page 146).
Set the type of curve plotted for a mapping by right-clicking the desired Curve Type entry on the Curves
page of the Mapping Style dialog.

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XY and Polar Line Plots

Tecplot 360 EX offers the following curve types:

• Line Segment (No Curve-fit) - A series of linear segments connect adjacent data points. In XY
Line plots, these will be line segments.
• Linear Fit: A linear function is fit to the data points. In XY Line plots, this will be a straight line.
• Polynomial Curve-fit - A polynomial of order N is fit to the data points (where 1 <= N <= 10, for
N=1 a Linear Fit is done).
• Exponential Curve-fit - An exponential curve-fit that finds the best curve of the form Y=eb*ln X +
c
(equivalent to Y=a*eb*X, where a = ec). To use this curve type, Y-values for this variable must be
all positive or all negative. If the function dependency is set to X=f(Y) all X-values must be all
positive or all negative.
• Power Curve-fit - A power curve fit that finds the best curve of the form Y=eb * ln X + c
(equivalent to Y=a*Xb, where a = ec). To use this curve type, Y-values for this variable must be
all positive or all negative; X-values must be all positive. If the function dependency is set to
X=f(Y), X-values must be all positive or all negative, and the Y-values must all be positive.
• Spline - A smooth curve is generated that goes through every point. The spline is drawn
through the data points after sorting the points into increasing values of the independent
variable, resulting in a single-valued function of the independent variable. The spline may be
clamped or free. With a clamped spline, you supply the derivative of the function at each end
point; with a non-clamped (natural or free) spline, these derivatives are determined for you. In
XY Line plots, specifying the derivative gives you control over the initial and final slopes of the
curve.
• Parametric Spline - Creates a smooth curve as with a spline, except the assumption is that both
variables are functions of the index of the data points. (For example in XY Line plot, ParaSpline
fits x=f(i) and y=g(i) where f() and g() are both smooth.) No additional sorting of the points is
performed; the sorting specified on the Definitions page of the Zone Style dialog is used for
the order of the data points. This spline may result in a multi-valued function (of either or both
axis variables).
• Extended Curve-fit - Uses a curve-fit supplied by an add-on. These curve-fits may be
provided by Tecplot 360 EX, a third party, or written by users. The functionality of each
extended curve-fit is defined by its creator.

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 Line Map Layer

Linear Fit, Polynomial Fit, Exponential Fit, and Power Fit are all determined by using a least squares
algorithm. Examples of each curve-fit type are shown in Figure 6-5.

Figure 6-5. Tecplot 360 EX’s curve-fit types.

The Curves page also contains fields for controlling the following attributes:
• Dependent Variable - Right-click to choose how curve fits and splines are interpreted.
Dependent Variable has no effect on mappings of the Line Segment curve type.
• Curve Points - Controls the number of points used to draw curve fits and splines. Right-click
to choose a preset number of points or to enter your own. Raising the number of points
increases the accuracy of the curve but also increases plotting time and the size of print files.
• Curve Setting - Displays options specific to the curve type, such as weighting for curve fits or
starting derivatives for splines. Right-click to set these options.

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Mapping Style dialog to select
mappings by name, see the description of these at the end of “Mapping Definitions” on
page 146.

Linear Fit
Tecplot 360 EX fits the data to a linear function using the standard least-squares algorithm. It calculates the
function for which the sum of the squared differences from the data points is a minimum. For the XY Line
plot type, the linear function is a straight line.

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XY and Polar Line Plots

To fit a linear function to your data, right-click in the Curve Type column on the Curves page of the
Mapping Style dialog and select “Linear Fit.” Then right-click in the Curve Setting column and choose
Settings to display the Curve Fit Settings dialog, shown below.

• Polynomial Order is shown on the dialog, but should always be “1” for a linear fit. If you
change this from 1, the curve type is changed to Polynomial Curve-fit.
• To limit the points used in the mapping(s): select “Use Only Points Within Range”, and enter
minimum and maximum values.
• To assign a curve weighting variable: select “Use Weighting Variable”, and select the variable
from the drop-down. For more information on curve weighting, see Curve-fit Weighting
Variables.

Polynomial Curve-fit
Tecplot 360 EX uses a standard least-squares algorithm to fit data to a polynomial function. You specify the
order of the polynomial (from one to ten), and the polynomial for which the sum of the squared
differences from the data points is a minimum is calculated.
To fit a polynomial function to your data, right-click in the Curve Type column on the Curves page of the
Mapping Style dialog and select “Polynomial Fit.”Then right-click in the Curve Setting column and
choose Settings. The Curve Fit Settings dialog appears.

By default, this option fits a cubic polynomial, using all the points in the mapping and weighting them
equally.

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 Line Map Layer

• Polynomial Order drop-down. Select the desired polynomial order (1 to 10). An order of 2 is a
quadratic polynomial, an order of 3 is a cubic polynomial, etc. If you select 1, the curve type is
set to Linear Fit, as a polynomial of order 1 is a linear function. (See Linear Fit.)
• To limit the points used in the mapping(s) - Select “Use Only Points Within Range”, and
enter minimum and maximum values.
• To assign a curve weighting variable - Select “Use Weighting Variable”, and select the
variable from the drop-down. For more information on curve weighting, see Curve-fit
Weighting Variables.

Exponential Curve-fit
Tecplot 360 EX fits the data to an exponential function using the standard least-squares algorithm.

The dependent-variable values must be either all positive or all negative.

For XY plots (where X is the independent variable): Tecplot 360 EX finds the best curve of the form:

Y=eb*X+c (equivalent to Y=a*eb*X where a=ec).

Similarly when Y is the independent variable.

For Polar plots (where Theta is the independent variable): Tecplot 360 EX finds the best curve of the
form:

 b + c  b
R = e or R =  ae

Similarly when R is the independent variable.

To fit an exponential function to your data, right-click in the Curve Type column on the Curves page of the
Mapping Style dialog and select “Exponential Fit.”
By default, this option uses all the data points in the mapping, weighting them equally.
Use the Exponential Fit Settings dialog (accessed by right-clicking in the Curve Setting page on the
Curves page of the Mapping Style dialog) to specify different settings. The dialog is shown below.

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XY and Polar Line Plots

• To limit the points used in the mapping(s) - Select “Use Only Points Within Range”, and
enter minimum and maximum values.
• To assign a curve weighting variable - Select “Use Weighting Variable”, and choose the
variable from the drop-down. For more information on curve weighting, see Curve-fit
Weighting Variables.

Power Curve-fit
Tecplot 360 EX fits a power function to data using the standard least-squares algorithm. The dependent-
variable values must be either all positive or all negative, and the independent values should be all
positive. Data points with zero or negative independent values are ignored.
For XY plots (where X is the independent variable): Tecplot 360 EX finds best curve of the form:

Y=eb*lnX+c (equivalent to Y=a*Xb where a=ec).

Similarly, when Y is the independent variable.

For Polar plots (where Theta is the independent variable): Tecplot 360 EX finds the best curve of the
form:

bln    + c b
R = e or R =  a

Similarly, when R is the independent variable.

To fit a power-curve function to your data, right-click in the Curve Type column on the Curves page of the
Mapping Style dialog and select “Power Curve.”
This option uses all the data points in the mapping, weighting them equally.
Use the Power Fit Settings dialog (accessed via the [Curve Settings] button) to specify different settings.
The dialog is shown below.

• To limit the points used in the mapping(s) - Select “Use Only Points Within Range”, and
enter minimum and maximum values.

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 Line Map Layer

• To assign a curve weighting variable - Select “Use Weighting Variable”, and select the
variable from the drop-down. For more information on curve weighting, see Curve-fit
Weighting Variables.

Spline
A spline is a mathematical function defined to link a specified set of points with a function that is
continuous and smooth (differentiable) at every point. The most common type of spline, the cubic spline,
is defined using a set of cubic polynomials, one for each interval between the data points.
Splines can be natural or clamped: natural splines are twice-differentiable at the end points and the second
derivative is zero at those points, while clamped splines have known first-derivatives at the boundary
points. Before plotting the spline, the data points are sorted in increasing value along the independent
axis.

The Sort option of the Definitions page of the Mapping Style dialog has no effect on
splines.

To fit a spline function to your data, right-click in the Curve Type column on the Curves page of the
Mapping Style dialog and select “Spline.” By default, this option fits a natural cubic spline.
To specify a clamped spline:
1. Right-click in the Curve Setting column on the Curves page of the Mapping Style dialog and
choose Settings.
2. In the Spline Settings dialog (shown below), select “Clamp the Spline”, and enter values for
the derivative at the start and end of the spline.

Parametric Spline
The cubic spline fit assumes that the spline function is a single-valued function of the independent
variable.
Sometimes, however, you have data that curves back upon itself, but you would still like to have a spline-
like curve fit to it. Parametric splines solve this problem by presuming that both variables (X&Y or Theta&R)
are functions of the data-point index. The spline is then defined by two single-valued functions of the
data-point index.
Unlike cubic splines, parametric splines are plotted in the order set in the Sort option of the Definitions
page of the Mapping Style dialog. By default, the points are unsorted, and thus the spline is drawn in the
order the data points appear in the data file. See Section 6 - 1.1 “Mapping Definitions” for a discussion of
sorting.
To fit a paraspline function to your data, right-click in the Curve Type column on the Curves page of the
Mapping Style dialog and choose “ParaSpline.”

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XY and Polar Line Plots

By default, This option fits two natural cubic splines to the data point index.
To specify a clamped spline:
1. Select Para Spline from the Curve drop-down menu, and then select Curve Settings.
2. In the Parametric Spline Settings dialog (shown below), select “Clamp the Spline”, and enter
values for the derivative at the start and end of the spline.

For the XY Line plot type, the derivatives are either dy/dx or dx/dy depending on the Function Dependency
for the mapping. Tecplot 360 EX calculates dx/ds and dy/ds from these values (where s is the parametric
variable). For the Polar Line plot type, the derivatives are either dR/dTheta or dTheta/dR (depending on the
Function Dependency for the mapping), and dR/ds and dTheta/ds are calculated from these values (where s
is the parametric variable). See Section “Dependent and Independent Variables” on page 160 for a full
description of the Function Dependency option.

Extended Curve-fit
Tecplot 360 EX add-ons can provide new curve-fit types. These curve types are called extended curve-fits.
These curve-fits may be provided by Tecplot 360 EX, a third party, or written by users. The functionality of
each extended curve-fit is defined by its creator.
To fit an extended curve to your data:
1. Use the Curves tab of the Mapping Style dialog to select the mappings for which you want to
apply an extended curve-fit.
2. Right-click Curve Type, and select an option from the drop-down.
3. The extended curve fit options are located below the separation line (shown below).

Extended Curve fits can also be selected by the right-click context menu on a line plot.
Simply right-click on the line you wish to change, hover over Curve Type, and a similar
drop-down menu will appear as above.

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 Line Map Layer

Three extended curve fit add-ons are supplied with Tecplot 360 EX:
• Akima - The Akima spline is an alternative that exhibits less dramatic overshoots and
undershoots than the classical spline. The slopes at the end of each segment are computed
using a nonlinear average of the segment slopes1. The Akima spline is always unclamped.
There are currently no options available for the Akima spline.
• Extended Curve Fit - General
• Extended Curve Fit - Stineman

Extended Curve Fit - General

The General Curve Fit add-on fits an equation composed of a linear combination of user-specified sub-
functions to the data in the specified map. The optional parameters can be accessed by selecting the Curve
Settings option on the Curves page of the Mapping Style dialog.

The curve fit computes (least squares) the optimal curve fit coefficients by multiplying these sub-
functions.
The following options are available:
• Number of Coefficients - Specify the number of coefficients (and number of sub-functions)
for the desired curve fit. The default is three. You must specify a sub-function for each
coefficient in the text fields labeled f1(x) through fn(x), where n is the number of coefficients.
• f1(x) through f8(x) - Enter the sub-functions for the curve fit using the syntax described in
Section 20 - 1 “Data Alteration through Equations”.

In these equations use the variable x as the independent variable, even if x is specified
as the dependent variable in the Dependent Variable option of the Mapping Style
dialog.

• Normalize X - Causes the curve to be fit using a normalized independent variable. In

particular, the independent variable will be translated and scaled to vary from zero at the
smallest value of the independent variable to one at the largest value of the independent
1. For details, see: Lancaster, Peter and Salkauskas, Kestutis “Curve and Surface Fitting, An Introduction”,
1986, Academic Press.

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XY and Polar Line Plots

variable. For most curves other than polynomials, this option will alter the shape of the curve
fit. It is useful when you get the “Rank reduced for at least one curve fit” warning message, but
otherwise is not recommended.
• Normalize Y - Causes the curve to be fit using a normalized dependent variable. In particular,
the dependent variable will be translated and scaled to vary from zero at the smallest value of
the dependent variable to one at the largest value of the dependent variable. For most curves
other than polynomials, this option will alter the shape of the curve fit. It is useful when you
get the “Rank reduced for at least one curve fit” warning message, but otherwise is not
recommended.

Extended Curve Fit - Stineman

This method of interpolation generates a curve that will never have more inflection points than are clearly
required by the given set of data points. The interpolating curve passes through the data points and
exactly matches the computed slopes at those points1.
The optional parameters can be accessed by selecting the Curve Settings option on the Curves tab of the
Mapping Style dialog.

Line Segment (No Curve-fit)

By default, a series of linear segments are drawn between each set of points for the XY Line plot type.
To turn off curve fits for your data and use linear segments between points:
1. From the Curves page of the Mapping Style dialog, select the mappings you want to show as
linear segments.
2. Right-click in the Curve Type column on the Curves page of the Mapping Style dialog and
select “Line Segments.”
Line Segments are plotted in the order set in the Sort option of the Definitions page of the Mapping Style
dialog. By default, the points are unsorted, and lines segments are drawn in the order the data points
appear in the data file. See Section 6 - 1.1 “Mapping Definitions” for a discussion of sorting.

Dependent and Independent Variables

Every mapping has a dependent variable and an independent variable. The dependency relationship
determines the shape of your plot for most curve types. This dependency has no effect on line segment
curve types, and for parametric splines, the dependency is only used to determine starting derivatives for
clamped parametric splines. Extended curve-fits are free to use or not use this dependency depending on
the type of curve-fit supplied.
You specify the dependency relationship between your axis variables by right-clicking in the Dependent
Variable column on the Curves page of the Mapping Style dialog.

1. For more information see Russell W. Stineman’s “A Consistent Well-behaved Method of Interpolation” in the
July, 1980, issue of Creative Computing.

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 Line Map Layer

For the XY Line plot type, the default setting is y=f(x) (you may change the value to x=f(y)). With y=f(x), the
X-axis variable is the independent variable and the Y-axis variable is the dependent variable. With x=f(y),
the Y-axis variable is the independent variable and the X-axis variable as the dependent variable. Two
polynomial curve-fits of the same data using different dependency settings are shown in Figure 6-6.

Figure 6-6. An XY Line plot type dependencies.

Similarly for Polar Line plots, the default setting is R=f(Theta) (you may change the value to Theta=f(R)).
With R=f(Theta), the Theta-axis variable is the independent variable and the R-axis variable is the
dependent variable. With Theta=f(R), the R-axis variable is the independent variable and the Theta-axis
variable is the dependent variable.
To change the dependency setting:
1. From the Curves page of the Mapping Style dialog, select the mappings to change.
2. Right-click in the Dependent Variable column on the Curves page of the Mapping Style
dialog choose either R=f(Theta) or Theta=f(R).

For the XY Line plot type, the dependency setting determines the direction of bar
charts. To create a vertical bar chart, set the dependency to y=f(x); to create a
horizontal bar chart, set the dependency to x=f(y). See Section 6 - 5 “XY Line Bar
Charts” for information on bar charts.

Curve-fit Weighting Variables

Linear and polynomial fits allow you to specify a weighting variable. By default each data point is
weighted equally. With the weighting variable, individual points can be given more or less weight.
Relatively larger numbers in the curve weighting variable mean more significance for a given point. If the
curve-weighting variable is zero at a data point, that data point has no effect upon the resulting curve.
Therefore if your data contains outliers that would affect the overall curve fit, adding a zero weight at the
point of the outlier will remove it from the overall curve fit calculation.
The weighting coefficients must be integers in the range of zero to 9,999. Weighting coefficients defined as
floating-point numbers are truncated. That is, a weighting coefficient of 1.99 is truncated to 1.0.

Curve Information
You can view information about curve-fits and splines by right-clicking the curve in the plot and choosing
an item from the Curve Details submenu. The available functions include

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XY and Polar Line Plots

• Show On Plot - Displays information about the curve directly on the plot, including the zone,
the variables, the Goodness of Fit, and other information specific to the curve type (such as the
polynomial for the Polynomial Fit type). This information is in a standard text element, and
you can reposition it as usual, or change its appearance (its font, size, and color) using the Text
Details dialog. It is automatically updated if you change the curve fit settings.
• Write Curve Points to File - Write the points of the curve to a Tecplot-format data file (.dat
file).
• Write Curve Details to File - Writes the same information displayed by Show On Plot to a text
file. Note that this text file includes some Tecplot text formatting tags such as <sup>.

Goodness of Fit
R2 is displayed in the curve details for linear, polynomial, exponential, and power curve fits. It is a
statistical calculation that measures the success of the curve-fit in modeling the variation of the data. R2 is
defined as the ratio of the sum of the squares of the regression (SSR) and the total sum of the squares (SST).
n

 Wi  ycurvefit – ymean 
2
SSR =
i

i=1
n


2
SST = W i  y i – y mean 
i=1
2 SSR
R = -----------
SST
Where:
SSR = sum of the squares of the regression
SST = total sum of the squares
Wi = the value of the weight variable at index i
yi = the value of the dependent variable at index i
ymean= the mean value of the dependent variable y
ycurvefit_i = the value computed using the curve-fit at the i-index value of the independent variable (xi).
i = current index number
n = total number of data points

R-square can take any value between zero and one, with a value closer to one indicating
a better fit.

A fundamental error term in least-squares curve fits is the sum of the squares residual (SSE), defined by
n

 Wi  ycurvefit – yi 
2
SSE =
i

i=1

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This is the number that is minimized when computing the curve-fit coefficients. Using the equation SST =
SSE + SSR, R2 can be related to SSE:

R = 1 – SSE
2
-----------
SST
Using this form to compute R2, it is easier to see that an R2 closer to one (SSE=0) indicates a better curve-fit.

Goodness of Fit (Residual Degrees of Freedom Adjustment)

One problem with R2 is that it will always indicate a good curve-fit when the number of data points, n,
equals the number of degrees-of-freedom, m. (For example, a quadratic curve-fit through three data
points.) In this case, the curve passes through all data points so SSE=0 and r-square=1. However, there are
no other data points so, in reality, no estimate can be made on the quality of the curve fit away from the
specified data points. In general, any time m (degrees-of-freedom) is close to n (number of data points), r-
square will overstate the quality of the curve fit. For this reason, we include the second goodness-of-fit
parameter: degrees-of-freedom adjusted R2:

2 SSE  n – 1 -
R dof = 1 – -----------------------------
SST  m – n 
Like the standard R2, R2dof will vary from zero to one with values closer to one indicating a better curve fit.
R2dof will be less than R2 when the degrees-of-freedom are close to the number of data points, but will be
nearly equal to R2 when the number of data points is significantly greater than the degrees-of-freedom.

6-3 Symbols Map Layer

The Symbols map layer is available for both XY and polar line plots. Activate the layer by toggling-on
“Symbols” in the Plot sidebar. When the Symbols map layer is on, each data point is represented by a
symbol on the plot. For each mapping, you may choose the plotting symbol used, and whether to use
filled or plain symbols.

6 - 3.1 Symbol Attributes

Use the Symbols page of the Mapping Style dialog (shown below) to modify the attributes of the Symbols
layer.

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XY and Polar Line Plots

The first two columns list the mapping number and name. The Show Map column indicates currently
active mappings. These columns behave the same as the corresponding columns on the Definitions page
(see “Mapping Definitions” on page 146).
The remaining columns of the Symbols page of the Mapping Style dialog contain specific symbol
attributes: Symbol Show, Symbol Shape, Symbol Size, Symbol Spacing, Outline Color, Line Thickness, Fill
Mode, and Fill Color.

In order for the changes made on the Symbols page to be visible in your plot, the
Symbols mapping layer must be toggled-on in the Plot sidebar.

• Show Symbols - Allows you to turn off symbols for selected mappings, while keeping both
the selected mappings and the Symbols map layer active overall.
• Symbol Shape - Right-click and choose a symbol type. In addition to the predefined symbols,
you may use any ASCII character by selecting Character. Enter the ASCII character to use as a
symbol in the Enter ASCII Character dialog (shown below), and select a font from which to
display the symbol. See Table 18 - 2 on page 279 for further information on the symbols
available in each character set.

You can change the base font in the Scatter Size/Font dialog, accessible via Plot>Symbol Font.
See Section 11 - 2 “Scatter Size/Font” on page 223.
• Symbol Size - Right-click and choose the symbol size for your line plotting symbols. Symbol
size is measured as percentage of the frame height. You can choose a preset size or enter your
own.
• Symbol Spacing - Right-click to specify the spacing between symbols. The spacing is specified
either as a percentage of the frame height or as a number of indices to skip. You may either
enter a value or use a pre-set value.
• Draw All - Symbols are drawn at every data point.
• ISkip=2, 3 or 4 - Symbols are drawn every second, third, or fourth data point.
• Distance=1, 2 or 3% - Symbols are drawn at the first data point and subsequently at data
points that are at least one, two, or three percent of the frame height distant from the
previously plotted data point.
• Enter Index - Enter an index skip between symbols.
• Enter Distance - Enter a distance between symbols in frame units.
• Outline Color - Right-click to choose a color using the Color Chooser.
• Line Thickness - Right-click to choose the thickness of lines used to draw the plotting
symbols. You may either enter a value or use a pre-set value.
• Fill Mode - Right-click to specify Fill Mode:
• None - The symbols are not filled.

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• Use Line Color - The symbols are filled with the same color specified in Outline Color
and appear as a solid color.
• Use Back Color - The symbols are filled with background color of the grid area, and
appear hollow, blotting out objects behind the symbol (such as grid lines or other
mappings).
• Use Specific Color - The symbols are filled with the color specified in Fill Color.
• Fill Color - If the Fill Mode is set to “Use Specific Color”, right-click in this column to choose
the fill color in the Color Chooser.

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Mapping Style dialog to select
mappings by name, see the description of these at the end of “Mapping Definitions” on
page 146.

6 - 3.2 Enter ASCII Character

Use the Enter ASCII Character dialog to specify an ASCII character to use as a plotting symbol in either a
field scatter plot or an XY symbol plot. You enter the desired character, and then choose the character set
from which to draw the character. See Table 18 - 2 on page 279 for further information on the symbols
available in each character set.

This dialog has one text field for specifying the ASCII character and four option buttons representing the
available character sets, as follows:
• Enter Character to use as a Symbol - Enter the desired ASCII character in this text field.
• Base - Select this to use the English-text character set as the source of the plotting character.
• Math - Select this to use the math character set as the source of the plotting character.
• Greek - Select this to use the Greek character set as the source of the plotting character.
• User-defined - Select this to use the user-defined character set as the source of the plotting
character. See Section 30 - 4 “Custom Character and Symbol Definition” on page 471.

6-4 XY Line Error Bars

In the XY Line plot type, you can assign one or more variables to be used to compute error bars for another
variable. Each mapping can be associated with only one error bar variable. If you want to assign multiple
error bar variables to a mapping, create a copy of the mapping for each error bar variable.

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XY and Polar Line Plots

An example plot with error bars is shown in Figure 6-7.

Figure 6-7. An XY Line plot with symbols and error bars.

You can use any variable in your dataset as an error bar variable. However, for them to be meaningful,
they should have the same units as the axis along which they are drawn.

If error bar values are not included in your original dataset, you may create error
variables using Tecplot 360 EX’s data manipulation utilities. For example, if you know
that the values of some measured variable are accurate only to within ten percent, you
may create a new variable to use as the error bar variable by multiplying the measured
variable by “0.10” via Data>Alter>Specify Equations. See Chapter 20: “Data
Operations”.

6 - 4.1 Select Variable

Use the Select Variables dialog to choose:
• A single variable, as when assigning a variable to the X or Y-axis in an mapping. The text and
labels will vary with the particular action being performed, but the operation of the dialog is
the same in all cases. Select a variable from the drop-down of the dataset's variables and select
[OK].
• Two variables, as when assigning 2D axis variables or choosing 2D vector components. The
text and labels will vary with the particular action being performed, but the operation of the
dialog is the same in all cases. For each of the two variables required, select a variable from the
drop-down of the dataset's variables.
• Three variables, as when assigning 3D axis variables or choosing 3D vector components. The
text and labels will vary with the particular action being performed, but the operation of the
dialog is the same in all cases. For each of the three variables required, select a variable from
the drop-down of the dataset's variables.

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 XY Line Error Bars

6 - 4.2 Error Bar Attributes

You can modify most of the attributes with which error bars are drawn—their color, their thickness, their
spacing, and the width of the endpoint crossbars. You can make these changes from the Error Bars page of
the Mapping Style dialog (shown below).

In order for the changes made on the Error Bars page to be visible in your plot, the Error
Bars mapping layer must be toggled-on in the Plot sidebar.

The first two columns list the mapping number and name. The Show Map column indicates currently
active mappings. These columns behave the same as the corresponding columns on the Definitions page
(see “Mapping Definitions” on page 146). The other settings are:
• Show Error Bars - Indicates whether error bars are displayed for this mapping.
• Error Bar Variable - Right-click or double-click to choose the error bar variable.
• Error Bar Type - Right-click to choose from seven types of error bars.
• Up - Extends upward for positive values (and downward for negative values) of the
error bar variable.
• Down - Extends downward for positive values (and upward for negative values) of the
error bar variable.
• Left - Extends to the left for positive values (and to the right for negative values) of the
error bar variable.
• Right - Extends to the right for positive values (and to the left for negative values) of the
error bar variable.
• Horizontal - Extends left and right.
• Vertical - Extends up and down. (This is the default value.)
• Cross - Extends up, down, left, right.

Although the values are called Left, Right, Up and Down, the direction is determined by
the direction of positive values in your plot. If you reverse the direction of an axis (using
the Reverse Axis Direction option on the Range page of the Axis Details dialog), the
error bars point in the opposite direction.

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XY and Polar Line Plots

• Error Bar Spacing - Right-click to specify the spacing between error bars. The spacing is
specified either as a percentage of the frame height or as a number of indices to skip. You may
either enter a value or use one of the following pre-set values:
• Draw All - Error bars are drawn at every data point.
• ISkip=2, 3 or 4 - Error bars are drawn every second, third or fourth data point.
• Distance=1, 2, or 3% - Error bars are drawn at the first data point and subsequently at
data points that are at least one, two or three percent of the frame height distant from the
previously plotted data point.
• Error Bar Color - Right-click to specify the error bar line color in the Color Chooser.
• Error Bar Size - Right-click to specify the size of the crossbar. Crossbar size is measured as a
percentage of frame height. You may either choose a preset value or enter an exact value
yourself.
• Line Thickness - Right-click to specify the line thickness of the error bars. The error bar line
thickness is measured as a percentage of frame height.

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Mapping Style dialog to select
mappings by name, see the description of these at the end of “Mapping Definitions” on
page 146.

6-5 XY Line Bar Charts

A bar chart is an XY Line plot that uses vertical or horizontal bars placed along an axis to represent data
points. You can create bar charts by activating the Bars map layer on the Plot sidebar.

6 - 5.1 Bar Chart Attributes

The style of the bar chart is controlled on the Bar Charts page of the Mapping Style dialog, shown below.

The first two columns list the mapping number and name. The Show Map column indicates currently
active mappings. These columns behave the same as the corresponding columns on the Definitions page
(see “Mapping Definitions” on page 146).
• Show Bars - Toggle on or off the bar chart for this mapping.
• Bar Direction - Right-click to change between vertical or horizontal bars.
Changing the direction of the bars changes the dependent variable attribute used for line
curves (either y=f(x) or x=f(y)), and vice versa. By default, all mappings use y=f(x) and appear as
vertical bar charts. If a mapping uses horizontal bars, the mapping will also use x=f(y) for curve

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 I, J, and K-indices

fits. Of course, this only matters if you plot bars and curve-fits for the same mapping. For more
information about dependency, see Section “Dependent and Independent Variables” on
page 160.
To modify other attributes (Bar Size, Outline Color, Line Thickness, Fill Mode, Fill Color) on the Bars page,
follow the same procedures used to set Section 6 - 3.1 “Symbol Attributes”.

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Mapping Style dialog to select
mappings by name, see the description of these at the end of “Mapping Definitions” on
page 146.

6-6 I, J, and K-indices

Each mapping can show either I, J, or K-varying families of lines. By default, Tecplot 360 EX displays the I-
varying family of lines. Figure 6-8 shows the family of I-varying lines for Zone 1 of the data.

Figure 6-8. A family of I-varying lines for the cylinder data.

You can change the family of lines using the Indices page of the Mapping Style dialog as shown below.

The first two columns list the mapping number and name. The Show Map column indicates currently
active mappings. These columns behave the same as the corresponding columns on the Definitions page
(see “Mapping Definitions” on page 146).

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XY and Polar Line Plots

You can also choose which members of the family are drawn (and using which data points), by specifying
index ranges for each of I, J, and K. The index range for the varying index tells Tecplot 360 EX which points
to include in each line, and the index ranges for the other indices tell Tecplot 360 EX which lines in the
family to include. Thus, you may use this option for selecting a subset of an I-ordered zone to plot.
• Varying Index - To choose the varying index, and thus specify the family of lines to be drawn,
right-click the Varying Index column and choose the desired family (I, J, or K-varying). K-
varying is only available if the mapping is using an IJK-ordered zone.
• Index Ranges - By default, the entire range of points is plotted in your mapping. For IJ- and
IJK-ordered data, you may want to specify an index range to limit the number of lines drawn.
Or, for any type of data, you may want to limit the points drawn to a select range. Right-click
and choose Enter Range to specify the range.
Enter a starting index in the Begin field, an ending index in the End field, and a skip factor in
the Skip field. A skip of one means “use every point in the range,” a skip of two means “use
every other point,” and so on.

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Mapping Style dialog to select
mappings by name, see the description of these at the end of “Mapping Definitions” on
page 146.

6-7 Line Legend

You can generate a legend that shows the line and symbol attributes of the mappings. In XY Line plots,
this legend includes the bar chart information. The legend can be positioned anywhere within the line plot
frame.
The mappings that are shown in the legend are selected on the Definitions page of the Mapping Style
dialog. By default, all mappings are shown, but Tecplot 360 EX removes redundant entries.
To include the line plot legend, open the Line Legend dialog (accessed via the Plot menu) and toggle-on
“Show Line Legend”.
The Line Legend dialog has the following additional options:

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 Line Legend

• Show Mapping Names - Toggle-on or off to include

mapping names in the legend.
• Text - Format the text for the legend by choosing a
color, font, and size. (See Section 18 - 1.2 “Font
Folders and Fallback” on page 277 for more
information on how fonts work with Tecplot 360
EX.)
• Position - The legend is automatically placed for
you. You may specify the position of the legend by
entering values in the X (%) and Y (%) text fields.
Enter X as a percentage of the frame width and Y as
a percentage of the frame height.
• Line Spacing - Spacing between items in the legend
as a multiple of the font size.
• Anchor - You may also specify the anchor location of
the legend using the Anchor Alignment dialog. By
default, the legend is anchored in the top right.
• Legend Box - Choose No box, Outline, or Fill mode.
If the legend box mode is Outline or Fill, the box
attributes may be changed with the following
controls:
• Line Thickness - Specify the line thickness as
a percentage of frame height.
• Box Color - Choose a color for the legend box outline.
• Fill Color - Choose a color for the legend box fill (Fill mode only).
• Margin - Specify the margin between the legend text and legend box as a percentage of
the text height.

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6 - 7.1 Specify Number Format

Not all fonts have Bold and/or Italic variants. For fonts that do not have these styles, the
B and/or I buttons may have no effect.

• Format - Choose the format for numbers in the legend from the drop-down:
• Integer - Display the number as an integer; if the exact value is not an integer, it is
truncated.
• Float - Display the number as a floating-point number. The value is shown to the
number of decimal places specified in the Precision field.
• Exponent - Display the number using FORTRAN exponential format (for example,
1.0125E + 02). The number of decimal places is specified using the Precision field.
• Best Float - Display the number as a floating-point number, with its exact form
determined by Tecplot 360 EX.
• Range Best Float - Tecplot 360 EX selects the best floating-point representation of the
tick mark labels, taking into account the range of values on the axis. (Available only for
axis labels.)
• Superscript - Display the number in scientific notation, using a number times a power
of ten. The number of decimal places shown is specified using the Precision field.
• Custom - Not a number format at all, Custom specifies that a set of custom labels
(specified by number in the Custom Set field) should be used in the contour legend. The
first label in the set is used for the value one, the second label for two, and so on. All
non-integer numbers are rounded to the nearest integer. If the number of levels exceeds
the number of custom labels, the labels are reused cyclically as needed. For example, if
you have defined the custom labels Mon., Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, and Sun, then a value
of eight would display Mon, nine would display Tue, and so on.
• Time/Date - You can specify a Time/Date format for your labels by selecting Time/Date
from the Format drop-down menu. See Section 17 - 11 “Time/Date Format Options” for
more information on specifying your labels in Time and/or Date format.
• Precision (Float, Exponent, or Superscript only) - Enter the number of decimal places each
number is to show.
• Custom Set (Custom only) - Enter the number of the set of custom labels. You define custom
label sets as records in standard Tecplot-format data files.

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 Line Legend

• Show Decimal on Whole Numbers - When this toggle is checked, whole numbers include a
trailing decimal (that is, the number 2 is displayed as 2).
• Remove Leading Zeros - When this toggle is checked, leading zeros are removed from
numbers (that is, 0.25 is displayed as .25).
• Show Sign on Negative Numbers - When this toggle is checked, negative numbers show the
negative sign. When unchecked the negative sign will be removed (that is, -1.43 is displayed as
1.43). This is useful if you have specified a special prefix or suffix for negative values.
• Prefix and Suffix - You can specify a custom prefix and/or suffix for numbers in Tecplot 360
EX using the Prefix/Suffix text fields. Tecplot 360 EX allows you to specify separate prefixes
and suffixes for zero values and negative values as well.

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 7

Field Plots

Field plots are 2D Cartesian or 3D Cartesian plots. The axes in a field plot are all independent variables. In
Tecplot 360 EX, field plots can be created using any combination of the following zone layers:
• Mesh Layer
• Contour Layer
• Vector Layer
• Scatter Layer
• Shade Layer
• Edge Layer
By default, 2D and 3D field plots are initially displayed with Mesh and Edge zone layers (Figure 7-1).

Figure 7-1. A 2D mesh and edge plot.

3D field plots may be enhanced with lighting effects and translucency (see Chapter 13: “Translucency and
Lighting”).

Bounding boxes are displayed in 3D plots for volume-only zones when the plot contains
only such zones and the zones themselves are not otherwise visible due to having no
style. These bounding boxes may be turned off in the Options menu.

Field plots may also contain any combination of the following objects (which are derived from the values
in the dataset):

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Field Plots

• Iso-surfaces (3D only)

• Slices (3D only)
• Streamtraces
This chapter discusses the plot attributes that are common to all of the plot layers.

7-1 Field Plot Modification and the Zone Style Dialog

Once you have loaded your data, you can modify field plot attributes using the Zone Style dialog or the
context toolbar.
The context toolbar appears above the context menu when you right-click a
zone in your field plot. This toolbar allows you to turn on or off the grid,
contour, vector, shade, edge, and translucency layers for the selected zone(s).
Additionally, you may adjust frequently-used style settings for each layer using the drop-down menu to
the right of each, for example selecting a color for the grid (or choosing a variable by which to color it).
The Zone Style dialog may be opened by clicking the Zone Style button in the Plot sidebar or from the
Plot menu. Initially, any zones selected in the workspace are selected in the Zone Style dialog. You may
also double-click any zone in your plot to open the dialog with that zone selected.

Field plots containing transient data work slightly differently from static datasets in the
Zone Style dialog. If a zone contains no data at the current time step, that entire line in
the Zone Style dialog is grayed out. See Section 7 - 2 “Time Aware” for more information
on working with transient datasets.

The following pages are available in the Zone Style dialog, each representing a plot layer:
• Mesh - See Chapter 8: “Mesh Layer and Edge Layer”.
• Contour - See Chapter 9: “Contour Layer”.
• Vector - See Chapter 10: “Vector Layer”.
• Scatter - See Chapter 11: “Scatter Layer”.
• Shade - See Chapter 12: “Shade Layer”.
• Edge - See Chapter 8: “Mesh Layer and Edge Layer”.
• Points - See Section 7 - 1.1 “Points”
• Surfaces - See Section 7 - 1.2 “Surfaces”.
• Volume - See Section 7 - 1.3 “Derived Volume Object Plotting”. (3D only)
• Effects - See Chapter 13: “Translucency and Lighting”.
The values in the Zone Style dialog can be modified in place. For example, some settings, such as Show
Zone, are represented by checkboxes, and can simply be clicked to toggle their state. Other settings allow
you to right-click to display a context menu or other method for changing them. These allow you to
change the setting for multiple zones at once by selecting the desired zones (hold down Shift or Control
while clicking), then right-clicking in the column for the setting you wish to change.

Each page of the Zone Style dialog is divided into three color-coded regions. The blue
columns apply to the zone itself and are the same on all pages of the dialog. The green
and orange columns represent primary and secondary settings specific to the
corresponding plot layer.

The following attributes in the Zone Style dialog apply to the zone in general and appear on all pages of
the dialog.

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 Field Plot Modification and the Zone Style Dialog

• Zone Number - The number of each zone.

• Zone Name - The name of each zone. Strands are indicated by an “*” after the name.

For transient data, the first zone of the strand applicable to the current time step is
displayed in the Zone Name and Zone Number columns.

• Group Number - Displays the zone’s group number. Double-click to change the number.
• Show Zone - By default, all zones are displayed. Turn zones or groups of zones on or off by
toggling the checkboxes in this column on or off.
• Select Zones by Pattern - Enter a wildcard pattern in the Selection criteria text box and click
Zones or Groups to select one or more zones based their name or group number. Selecting
Zones will match the selection criteria with the Zone Name while selecting Groups will match
the selection criteria with the Group Number. In wildcard patterns, most characters match
themselves, but the * and ? characters have special meaning.

Character Meaning
? Matches any single character.

* Matches any number of characters, including none.

• Clear - Clear the selection and the Selection criteria field.

The remaining columns in the Zone Style dialog are dependent upon the active page and are discussed in
their corresponding sections.

7 - 1.1 Points
You may select the source for the data points used to plot vectors and scatter symbols from the Points page
of the Zone Style dialog (shown below).

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Zone Style dialog to select
zones by name, see the description of these at the end of “Field Plot Modification and the
Zone Style Dialog” on page 176.

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Field Plots

Figure 7-2 shows a plot where zone 1 is plotting scatter symbols only on one plane (J=5) and zone 2 is
plotting all symbols.

Figure 7-2. A plot showing two zones set to show only J-planes equal to five, with scatter symbols
plotted on the surface in zone 1 and all symbols in zone 2.
• Points to Plot - Right-click to select how the points are plotted:
• Nodes on Surfaces - Draws only the nodes that are on the surface of the zone.
• All Nodes - Draws all nodes in the zone.
• All Connected - Draws all the nodes that are connected by the node map. Nodes
without any connectivity are not drawn.
• Cell Centers Near Surfaces - Draws points at the cell centers which are on or near the
surface of the zone.
• All Cell Centers - Draws points at all cell centers in the zone.
• Index Skip - Right-click to specify the skip intervals for the I, J, and K-indices. The menu
options are as follows:
• No Skip - Set the I, J, and K-skip intervals to one; plot all points or vectors.
• Enter Skip - Specify I, J, and K-skip intervals on the Enter Index Skipping dialog.

For irregular and finite element data, only the I-Skip has an effect. I-skip will allow you
to skip through nodes in the order they are listed in the data file.

7 - 1.2 Surfaces
There are many ways to divide volume data for plotting. One way to view volume data is to select surfaces
from part of the data. In Tecplot 360 EX you may choose which surfaces to plot for volume zones from the

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 Field Plot Modification and the Zone Style Dialog

Surfaces page of the Zone Style dialog (accessed by double-clicking on a zone via the Plot sidebar, or via
Plot>Zone Style.

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Zone Style dialog to select
zones by name or by group number, see the description of these at the end of “Field Plot
Modification and the Zone Style Dialog” on page 176.

Right-click in the Surfaces to Plot column to choose one of the following:

• None - None of the volume zone surfaces are plotted (edges still appear). This is the default
Surfaces setting for your plot.
• Boundary Cell Faces - Plots all surfaces on the outside of the volume zone. This includes:
• IJK-ordered data - The minimum and maximum I, J, and K-planes are plotted.
• Finite element volume data - All faces that do not have a neighbor cell (according to the
connectivity list) are plotted.
If blanking is turned on, the boundary cells in the blanked region will not be drawn and
you will be able to see the interior of the volume zone. Figure 7-3 shows plots of a
volume zone with Surfaces to Plot set to “Boundary Cell Faces”: without blanking, with
value blanking, and with IJK-blanking. See Chapter 19: “Blanking” for information on
working with Blanking.

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Field Plots

Figure 7-3. Boundary Cell Face plotting without blanking, with value-blanking, and with IJK-blanking.
• Exposed Cell Faces (default) - This setting is similar to the “Boundary Cell Faces”
setting, unless value blanking is active. When value blanking is used, the outer cell faces
between blanked and non-blanked cells and the outer surfaces of the data are drawn.
Figure 7-4 shows a plot of a volume zone with Surfaces to Plot set to “Exposed Cell
Faces” with and without value blanking. See Chapter 19: “Blanking” for information on
working with Blanking.

Figure 7-4. Examples of plots where Surfaces to Plot has been set to “Exposed Cell Faces” with (left) and
without (right) value-blanking.
• Planes Settings (I, J, K, IJ, JK, IK, and IJK-planes) - Plots the appropriate combination
of I, J, and/or K-planes. The planes are determined by the Range for each plane, which
can be set by right-clicking in a range column. These settings are available only for IJK-
ordered data. Figure 7-5 shows a number of examples of plotting I, J, and K-planes.

Figure 7-5. Examples of plotting I, J, and K-planes.

• Every Surface (Exhaustive) - This setting will plot every face of every cell in volume
data. It is not recommended for large datasets. Unless the surfaces are translucent, the
plot will appear the same as the Exposed Cell Faces setting.
• Ranges - The Range for I, J, or K Planes options allow you to specify the ranges for the
corresponding planes. Right-click in the appropriate Range column to enter the range as the
beginning plane, the ending plane (0 indicates the maximum index, -1 the next highest, and so
on) and the skip factor in the Enter Range dialog. Use a skip factor of two to display every
other plane, a skip factor of three to display every third plane, and so on.

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7 - 1.3 Derived Volume Object Plotting

The Volume page of the Zone Style dialog allows you to specify whether or not to show streamtraces, iso-
surfaces, or slices for the selected zone(s). Right-click in the appropriate column to choose yes or no.
Figure 7-6 shows a plot with two zones where streamribbons and an iso-surface have been excluded from
zone 2.

Figure 7-6. A plot where streamribbons and an iso-surface have been excluded from zone 2.

7-2 Time Aware

For transient datasets, you can use the Tecplot 360 EX interface to display your data at a given time or to
animate your data over time. The zones loaded into Tecplot 360 EX can be linked to a specific solution
time, and the active solution time is used to determine which zones are displayed.
For the following definitions, consider the following fictitious dataset:

Table 7 - 1: Sample Time Aware Dataset

Zone Time StrandID
1 n/a n/a
2 0.0 2
3 0.18 3
4 0.22 1
5 0.25 2
6 0.28 1
7 0.32 3
8 0.38 2
9 0.42 1
10 0.52 1
11 0.57 2
12 0.58 3
13 0.62 1
14 n/a n/a

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Field Plots

• Transient zones - Zones associated with time. The transient zone(s) displayed in the current
frame are dependent upon the current solution time. Zones 2-13 in Table 7 - 1 are transient
zones.
• Static zones - Zones not associated with time. They are displayed regardless of the current
solution time. Zones 1 and 14 from Table 7 - 1 are static.
• Current Solution Time - The value that determines which transient zones are displayed in the
current frame.
• Strand - A series of transient zones that represent the same part of a dataset at different times.
Zones 2, 5, 8, and 11 in Table 7 - 1 all have the same StrandID and therefore, they are part of the
same strand.
• StrandID - An integer value defined for each transient zone. The StrandID of a given zone is
determined by the data loader.

Changes made in the Zone Style dialog to any zone in a given StrandID are propagated
to all zones with that StrandID. See also Section 7 - 1 “Field Plot Modification and the
Zone Style Dialog”.

• Relevant Zone - Only “relevant zones” are plotted at a given solution time. A relevant zone is
defined as a zone for a given strand used for a certain solution time. If the strand exists at
solution time n, the relevant zone is either the transient zone on that strand defined explicitly
at solution time n, or the zone defined immediately prior to solution time n. If the strand does
not exist at solution time n, there are no relevant zones for that strand at that time. Static zones
are always considered relevant. Refer to Figure 7-7.

Figure 7-7. An illustration of how relevant zones are determined (based on the data in Table 7 - 1). For a
given solution time, the relevant zones ONLY are displayed in the plot. NOTE: static zones
are always considered relevant zones.
t = .2s - The red-colored transient zones and both static zones are plotted. NOTE: no zones from the
first strand are represented because the strand is not defined at that time.

t = .4s - The green-colored transient zones and both static zones are plotted.

t = .6s - The blue-colored transient zones and both static zones are plotted. NOTE: no zones from the
second and third strands are represented because the strands are not defined at that time.

7-3 Data Point and Cell Labels

Field Plots - You can label all or some of the data points or nodes in your field plots with either the index
value(s) of the data point or the value of some specified variable at each point. You can also label each cell
or element of the data with its index (which for finite element data is its element number).
Line Plots - You can label all or some of the data points or nodes in your line plots with either the index of
the data point, the value of the dependent variable at the point, or both the values (X&Y or Theta & R) for

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the data point. For example, Figure 7-8 shows an XY Line plot with each data point labeled with its X-Y
value pair.

Figure 7-8. An XY-line plot with data labels.

To add data labels to your plot, go to Plot>Label Points and Cells dialog (accessed via the Plot menu). The
Label Points and Cells dialog has the following options:

• Show Node Labels - Toggle-on to show node labels. Select either Index Value or Variable
Value.

Index values are not displayed for subzone data sets (.szplt) since these values cannot
currently be reliably determined with this file format.

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• Show Cell Labels - Toggle-on to show cell labels. Select either Index Value or Variable Value.
• Index Skip - If labeling by index values, select an index skip.
• Color Text by Zone/Map - Toggle-on and choose the color, font, font size, and number format
for the labels.
• Include Text box - Toggle-on “Include Text Box” to include a box around each label.

7-4 Three-dimensional Plot Control

You can view any type of data as a 3D plot by selecting 3D Cartesian from the plot type drop-down menu
in the Plot sidebar. IJK-ordered data and finite element volume data are displayed in 3D automatically.
Three-dimensional plots can be manipulated with the following controls, which can be accessed via the
Plot menu:
• Reset 3D Axes - Reset the 3D axis sizes and the 3D origin of rotation.
• Three-dimensional Axis Limits - Control the data and axis aspect ratios for 3D plotting.
• Three-dimensional Orientation Axis - Control the optional 3D orientation axis, which displays
the current orientation of the three axes in the workspace.
• Light Source - Control the light source position, as well as the intensity of the light, the
background light, and the surface color contrast. See Section 13 - 4 “Three-dimensional Light
Source” for more details.
• Advanced 3D Control - Specify the default lift fraction for 3D lines, symbols, and tangent
vectors, as well as the 3D sorting algorithm for the plot.
The following controls can be accessed via the View menu.
• The Rotate Dialog - Control the 3D orientation of the plot.
• Three-dimensional View Details - Set the specifications for parameters affecting the 3D display
of your plot, including the perspective, field of view, angular orientation of the plot, and view
distance.

7 - 4.1 Reset 3D Axes

By default, the 3D axes are calculated to fit the data. If you alter your data to expand or contract the overall
data size, the axes will not automatically adjust to the new size. Use the Reset 3D Axes option (accessed
via the Plot menu) to reset the axes to fit the data.

The Reset 3D Axes option also resets the 3D origin. If you have modified your 3D origin
using the 3D Rotate dialog (see Section 7 - 4.5 “The Rotate Dialog” for details), the
Reset 3D Axes option will reset it to approximately the centroid of the data.

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7 - 4.2 Three-dimensional Axis Limits

In a 3D plot, whenever you read a data file, manipulate the values of
variables assigned to the axes, or change variables assigned to the
axes, Tecplot 360 EX examines the data and determines how to plot it.
The data may require scaling in one or more axis directions, a change
of the axis dependency, an adjustment of the space between the data
and the axis box, and/or an adjustment of the shape of the axis box.
Because there are many valid forms in which the data could be
plotted, by using the 3D Axis Limits dialog (accessed via the Plot
menu), you can input information to help Tecplot 360 EX determine
how to automatically configure the plot the way you want.

Aspect Ratio - Ratio of the range of the variable

assigned to one axis (multiplied by the axis size
factor) and the range of the variable assigned to
another axis (multiplied by the axis size factor).

• Data Aspect Ratio Limit - When the data aspect ratio of any two axes exceeds the Data Aspect
Ratio Limit, Tecplot 360 EX automatically rescales the longer axis so that the new data aspect
ratio is equal to the Data Aspect Ratio Reset value.
If your plots are usually unscaled (such as plots of real physical objects), you should set the
data aspect ratio maximum to a large number like 30. Use a smaller number for evenly scaled
axes.
• Axes Aspect Ratio Limit - Works similarly to the Data Aspect Ratio Limit, except Axes Aspect
Ratio Limit attends to the shape and size of the axes box.

7 - 4.3 Three-dimensional Orientation Axis

The 3D orientation axis is a representation of your axes that immediately
shows you the orientation. By default, all 3D plots show the 3D
orientation axis in the upper right of the frame.
Using the 3D Orientation Axis dialog under the Plot menu, you can
control whether the 3D orientation axis is shown in your plot, and if so,
its color, size, line thickness, and the position of the axis origin. You can
also position the 3D orientation axis by simply clicking on it and
dragging the axis to the desired location in the frame.

7 - 4.4 Advanced 3D Control

• Lift Fractions - The lift fraction is the fraction of the
distance from the 3D origin of the object to your eye. If
you specify lift fractions for 3D lines, tangent vectors, or
scatter symbols, plotted objects of the appropriate type
are lifted slightly towards you so that they lie on top of
surface elements.
• Perform Extra 3D Sorting - For some 3D plots (i.e.
plots with translucency), Tecplot 360 EX uses a painter’s
algorithm. A quick sorting algorithm is used by default.
The data objects are divided into smaller objects. The smallest object is usually a cell, finite
element, vector, or scatter symbol. These objects are sorted based upon the distance from
viewer, starting with the objects farthest from the viewer and working forward. This does not

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detect problems such as intersecting objects. If the “Perform Extra 3D Sorting” check box is
selected, a slower, more accurate approach is used to detect problems for you.
There are instances when Tecplot 360 EX cannot sort correctly. For example, consider elements
A, B, and C, where element A overlaps part of element B which overlaps part of element C
which overlaps part of element A. Since Tecplot 360 EX draws only whole elements, one of
these elements will be drawn last and each will cover (incorrectly) a portion of another
element. If this occurs while printing or exporting, choosing an image format will often resolve
the problem

All of the settings in the Advanced 3D Control dialog are specific to the current frame.

7 - 4.5 The Rotate Dialog

You may rotate your 3D plots using the 3D Rotate dialog accessible via
View>Rotate. The 3D rotation tools located in the toolbar are discussed in
“Three-dimensional Rotation” on page 30.
The 3D Rotate dialog has the following options:
• Rotate around
• Click the + or - buttons next to an axis to rotate the plot
incrementally around that axis.
• The Rotation Step field specifies the increment by which
each click of the + or - button rotates the plot.
• Center of Rotation
• X - Rotation of the eye/origin ray about the X-axis. Enter a
value in the text field, or use the increase or decrease
arrows at the right to specify a value.
• Y - Rotation of the eye/origin ray about the Y-axis. Enter a
value in the text field, or use the increase or decrease
arrows at the right to specify a value.
• Z - Rotation of the eye/origin ray about the Z-axis. Enter a
value in the text field, or use the increase or decrease
arrows at the right to specify a value.
• Reset - Use this drop-down to set the center of rotation to
be the Center of Data (the center of the bounding box of
the data) or Center of View (the point hit by a probe at
frame coordinates 50%, 50%).

Center of View can result in an error if there is no data in the center of the frame. In this
situation, the center of rotation will not move.

• Spherical Angles - Eye origin view. The angular orientation of the plot is defined by three
spherical rotation angles:
•  (Psi) - Tilt of eye origin ray away from Z-axis. (Range –720 to 720.)
•  (Theta) - Rotation of the eye origin ray about the Z-axis. (Range –720 to 720.)
•  (Alpha) - Twist about the eye origin ray. (Range –720 to 720.)

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The eye origin ray is a line from the origin of the 3D object to your eye. The eye origin ray is
perpendicular to the plane of the computer screen. These angles define a unique view. These
angles are shown in Figure 7-9

Screen Distance
Screen Projection Surface

Eye Y Z
Coordinate
System E
Z ψ Y
X α

θ θ
X
Ey
eD
ist
an ψ Z-Axis Tilt Angle (PR)
ce
α Twist Angle about Eye/Origin Ray (AR)
θ Rotation Angle about Z-Axis (TR)
E Location of Viewer’s Eye

Figure 7-9. 3D angles and 3D projection.

• Preset Angles - Specify one of four pre-defined orientations: the XY-Plane, the YZ-Plane, the
XZ-Plane; or a default orientation with a Psi=60, Theta=225, and Alpha=0).

Rotate About the Viewer Position

In addition to the rotation capabilities described above, you may also use the [Alt] key and mouse to rotate
about the viewer (instead of rotating the object). Although you may use this feature while in orthographic
projection, it is best suited for when perspective projection is being used. The [Alt] key and your middle
mouse button may be used to simulate fly-through type motion. You may move closer to the object using
the [Alt] key and middle mouse button, then turn your head using the [Alt] key and left mouse button.

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7 - 4.6 Three-dimensional View Details

Use the 3D View Details dialog (accessed via the View menu) to control a variety of parameters affecting
the display of 3D plots.

• Use Perspective - Sets Tecplot 360 EX’s projection type. If selected, Tecplot 360 EX draws the
current frame with perspective projection. If not selected, Tecplot 360 EX draws the current
frame with orthographic1 projection. (Range is 0.1 to 179.9.)
• Field of View (deg) - Sets the amount of the plot (in terms of spherical arc) in front of the
viewer that may be seen. Zooming in or out of a 3D perspective plot changes this number and
the viewer’s position.
• Maintain Object Size During Field of View Changes - If selected, Field of View changes
result in the viewer’s position being moved so that approximately the same amount of the
plane is visible after the change.
If not selected, Field of View changes do not change the viewer’s position and result in the
entire plot appearing to grow or shrink.
• View Width - Sets the amount of the plot (in X-axis units) in front of the viewer that may be
seen. Zooming in or out of a 3D orthographic plot changes this number, but not the viewer’s
position. Not available when using perspective.
• Viewer Position - Change the viewer’s relation to the image by resetting the X, Y, or Z-
location, or by changing the view distance.

7 - 4.7 Three-Dimensional Zooming and Translating

Just as in all other plots, you may zoom and translate your plot using the mouse. This may be done using
either the Zoom or Translate tools. For most tools, you may also use your middle and right mouse buttons
(or [Ctrl]+right mouse button) to zoom and translate.
When the plot projection is orthographic, zooming by dragging with the middle mouse button magnifies
the plot. When the plot projection is perspective, zooming by dragging with the middle mouse button
changes the viewer angle, making the plot appear larger or smaller.. If you want to change the viewer’s

1. With orthographic projection, the shape of the objects is independent of distance. This is sometimes an
“unrealistic” view, but it is often used when preserving true dimension is important (such as in drafting).

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position by moving closer to or further away from an object, hold the [Alt] key down while using the
middle mouse button or while using the 3D mouse.

Working with very large datasets may result in slow zooming, rotating, and translating.
See Section 30 - 3 “Performance Dialog” for further information on plot approximation if
zoom, rotate, or translate performance is poor.

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 8

Mesh Layer and Edge Layer

When working with two or three-dimensional field plots, Tecplot 360 EX allows you to interactively add
or subtract any combination of plot layers. These layers can be applied to any set of zones in the active
data set. This chapter discusses the Mesh Layer and the Edge Layer.

8-1 Mesh Layer

Toggle-on “Mesh” in the Plot sidebar to add a mesh layer to your plot. The mesh plot layer displays the
lines connecting neighboring data points within a zone. For I-ordered data, the mesh is a single line
connecting all of the points in order of increasing I-index. For IJ-ordered data, the mesh consists of two
families of lines connecting adjacent data points of increasing I-index and increasing J-index. For IJK-
ordered data, the mesh consists of three families of lines, one connecting points of increasing I-index, one
connecting points of increasing J-index, and one connecting points of increasing K-index. For finite
element zones, the mesh is a plot of every edge of all of the elements that are defined by the connectivity
list for the node points. See Chapter 3: “Data Structure” for an in-depth description of ordered (IJK) and
finite element data structures.

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8 - 1.1 Mesh Layer Modification

Once you have loaded your data, you can modify your mesh plot attributes using the Mesh page of the
Zone Style dialog (accessed via the Plot sidebar or Plot>Zone Style). As discussed in Section 7 - 1 “Field
Plot Modification and the Zone Style Dialog”, the changes made using the first four (blue) columns apply
to the entire plot, while changes in the other columns apply to the active plot layer.

In order for the changes made on the Mesh page to be visible in your plot, the Mesh
layer must be turned on. You can turn on the Mesh layer using the checkbox in the Plot
sidebar.

• Show Mesh - Checkbox that determines whether the mesh is visible for each active zone.
• Mesh Type - Right-click to choose wire frame, overlay, or hidden line. See Section 8 - 1.2
“Mesh Types” below.
• Mesh Color - Right-click to choose the mesh color using the Color Chooser.
• Line Pattern - Right-click to choose the line pattern for the mesh.
• Pattern Length - Right-click to choose the pattern length in percentage of frame height. You
may choose a preset pattern length or enter your own.
• Line Thickness - Right-click to choose the mesh line thickness. You may choose a predefined
setting or enter your own.

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Zone Style dialog to select
zones by name, see the description of these at the end of “Field Plot Modification and the
Zone Style Dialog” on page 176.

8 - 1.2 Mesh Types

Tecplot 360 EX has three distinct mesh types:
• Wire Frame - Wire frame meshes are drawn below any other zone layers on the same zone. In
3D Cartesian plots, no hidden lines are removed. For 3D volume zones (finite element volume
or IJK-ordered), the full 3D mesh (consisting of all the connecting lines between data points) is
not generally drawn because the sheer number of lines would make it confusing. The mesh
drawn will depend upon your choice of “Surfaces to Plot” on the Surfaces page of the Zone
Style dialog. See Section 7 - 1.2 “Surfaces” for further details. By default, only the mesh on
exposed cell faces is shown.

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• Overlay - Similar to Wire Frame, mesh lines are drawn over all other zone layers except for
vectors and scatter symbols. In 3D Cartesian plots, the area behind the cells of the plot is still
visible (unless another plot type such as contour flooding prevents this). As with Wire Frame,
the visibility of the mesh is dependent upon your choice of “Surfaces to Plot” on the Surfaces
page of the Zone Style dialog. See Section 7 - 1.2 “Surfaces” for further details.
• Hidden Line - Similar to Overlay, except hidden lines are removed from behind the mesh. In
effect, the cells (elements) of the mesh are opaque. Surfaces and lines that are hidden behind
another surface are removed from the plot. For 3D volume zones, using this plot type obscures
everything inside the zone. If you choose this option for 3D volume zones, then choosing to
plot every surface (using the Surfaces page of the Zone Style dialog) has the same effect as
plotting only exposed cell faces, but is much slower.

The opaque surfaces created by Hidden Line are not affected by the Lighting Zone effect
(there is no light source shading). However, it is affected by translucency.

Figure 8-10 shows the available mesh plot types, along with the effects of choosing Overlay and Wire
Frame in combination with contour flooding.

Figure 8-10. Mesh plot types.

8-2 Edge Layer

An edge plot layer displays the connections of the outer lines (IJ-ordered zones), finite element surface
zones, or planes (IJK-ordered zones). The Edge layer allows you to display the edges (creases and borders)
of your data. Zone edges exist only for ordered zones or 2D finite element zones. Three-dimensional finite
element zones do not have boundaries.

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8 - 2.1 Edge Layer Modification

You can control the following attributes from the Edge page of the Zone Style dialog:

In order for the changes made on the Edge page to be visible in your plot, the Edge layer
must be turned on. You can turn on the Edge layer using the checkbox in the Plot
sidebar.

• Show Edges - Checkbox that determines whether the edges are visible for each active zone.
• Edge Type - Right-click to choose borders and/or creases. See Section 8 - 2.2 “Edge Type”
below.
• Edge Color - Right-click to choose the edge color using the Color Chooser.
• Line Thickness - Right-click to choose the edge line thickness. You may choose a predefined
setting or enter your own.
• Index Borders - Right-click to choose whether to show the corresponding index border: None,
Min Only, Max Only, or Both (Min and Max).

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Zone Style dialog to select
zones by name, see the description of these at the end of “Field Plot Modification and the
Zone Style Dialog” on page 176.

8 - 2.2 Edge Type

There are two types of edges in Tecplot 360 EX: creases and borders. An edge border is the boundary of a
zone. An edge crease appears when the inside angle between two cells is less than a user-defined limit.
The inside angle can range from 0-180 degrees (where 180 degrees indicates coplanar surfaces). The
default inside angle for determining an edge crease is 135 degrees. You can change the crease angle by
going to Plot>Edge Details.

For 2D plots, only edge borders are available, and for FE-volume zones, only edge
creases are available.

You can change the Edge Type using the Edge Type column on the Edge page of the Zone Style dialog.

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8 - 2.3 Edge Display

For IJ-ordered zones, the available edges are the lines I=1, I=IMax, J=1, and J=JMax.
When the Surfaces to Plot option is set to “Boundary Cell Faces”, “Exposed Cell Faces”, or “Every
Surface” for IJK-ordered zones, the edges of the surface areas form a “box” that contains the data. Surfaces
to Plot can be set on the Surfaces page of the Zone Style dialog.
When the Surfaces to Plot option on the Surfaces page of the Zone Style dialog is set to one of the planes
options, such as I, J, or K-planes, for IJK-ordered zones the edges are the edges of each plane (I, J, or
K-plane). By default, all available edges are drawn when the Edge layer is active. You can specify which of
the available edges are plotted using the Zone Style dialog.

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 9

Contour Layer

Contour plots can be used to show the variation of one variable across the data field. To add a contour
layer to your plot, toggle-on “Contour” in the Plot sidebar.

Contour plots can only be plotted with organized data, such as IJ-ordered, IJK-ordered,
or FE-data. Refer to Section “Working with Unorganized Datasets” for information on
organizing your dataset.

Additional options can be set on the Contour & Multi-Coloring Details (accessed via the Details button to
the right of Contour in the Plot sidebar or Plot>Contour/Multi-Coloring) and the Contour page of the
Zone Style dialog.
An example of each contour plot type is shown in Figure 9-11.

Figure 9-11. Contour plot types.

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Contour Layer

Contour plots for streamtraces, iso-surfaces, and slices are controlled by their respective
details dialogs and are not discussed here. (Refer to Section 15 - 1.3 “Rod/Ribbon Page”,
Section 16 - 3 “Iso-Surface Contour and Shade” and Section 14 - 1.3 “Contour Page”,
respectively.)

9-1 Contour Layer Modification

You can modify the following attributes of your contour plot using the Contour page of the Zone Style
dialog .

In order for the changes made on the Contour page to be visible in your plot, the
Contour layer must be active. You can turn on the Contour layer in the Plot sidebar.

• Show Contour - Toggle-on to show the contour for the selected zone(s).
• Contour Type - Right-click to choose the contour plot type:
• Lines - Draws lines of constant value of the specified contour variable.
• Flood - Floods regions between contour lines with colors from a color map.
The distribution of colors used for contour flooding may be banded or continuous.
When banded distribution is used for flooding, a solid color is used between contour
levels. If continuous color distribution is used, the flood color will vary linearly in all
directions. See “Contour Coloring” on page 202 for details.
• Both Lines and Flood - Combines the above two options.
• Average Cell Flood - Floods cells or finite elements with colors from a color map
according to the average value of the contour variable over the data points bounding the
cell. If the variables are located at the nodes, the values at the nodes are averaged. If the
variables are cell-centered, the cell-centered values are averaged to the nodes and the
nodes are then averaged.
Go to Data>Data Set Info to determine whether the variables are nodal or cell-centered.
• Primary Value Flood - Floods cells or finite elements with colors from a color map
according to the primary value of the contour variable for each cell. If the variable is cell
centered, the primary value is the value assigned to the cell. If the variable is node
located, the primary value comes from the lowest index node in the cell.

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If the variables are located at the nodes, the value of the lowest indexed node in the cell
is used. When plotting IJK-ordered, FE-brick or FE-tetra cells, each face is considered
independently of the other faces. You may get different colors on the different faces of
the same cell.
If the variables are cell-centered, the cell-centered value is used directly. When plotting I,
J, or K-planes in 3D, the cell on the positive side of the plane supplies the value, except in
the case of the last plane, where the cell on the negative side supplies the value.
Go to Data> Data Set Info to determine whether the variables are nodal or cell-centered.
• Flood By - Right-click to select either a contour group (C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, or C8) or
assign variables to the RGB color map. For contour groups, the associated variable is shown in
this column and the menu next to the group number. See Section 9 - 2.1 “Contour Groups” and
Section 5 - 5.1 “RGB Coloring” for more information. Applicable only when the contour type
includes a flood.
• Lines By - Right-click to select which contour group identifies the contour lines (the variable
associated with each contour group is also shown). Applicable only when the contour type
includes lines.
• Line Color - Right-click to choose the contour line color using the Color Chooser.
• Line Pattern - Right-click to choose the line pattern for the mesh.
• Pattern Length - Right-click to choose the line pattern length as a percentage of frame height.
You may choose a preset pattern length or enter your own.
• Line Thickness - Right-click to choose the contour line thickness. You may choose a
predefined setting or enter your [Link] Color
• Use Lighting (3D only) - Turn on or off the lighting effects. See Chapter 13: “Translucency and
Lighting” for more information on lighting effects.
Options such as contour labels, contour legends, and special settings for contour bands or contour lines
are set by the selected contour group (see Section 9 - 2.1 “Contour Groups”).

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Zone Style dialog to select
zones by name, see the description of these at the end of “Field Plot Modification and the
Zone Style Dialog” on page 176.

9-2 Contour & Multi-Coloring Details

Opening the Contour & Multi-Coloring Details dialog from Plot>Contour/Multi-Coloring or from the
Plot sidebar lets you specify:
• Contour Groups
• Contour Levels and Color
• Contour Coloring
• Contour Bands
• Contour Lines
• Contour Labels
• Contour Legend

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9 - 2.1 Contour Groups

The Contour & Multi-Coloring Details dialog is shown below. This dialog is divided into five pages. The
controls at the top for choosing a contour group and variable are available regardless of what page of the
dialog is displayed.

• Variable - Assign a variable from your dataset to the active Contour Group (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or
8). The variable selected here will be contoured subject to the controls in the dialog.
• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - Use the [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], and [8] buttons to specify attributes for a
specific contour group. Each contour group has its own settings for the contour attributes
established in the dialog.
The Contour Group Variables (1-8) can be used to color contour, mesh, scatter, or vector zone layers, as
specified in the Color Chooser dialog and the Flood By and Lines By columns on the Contour page of the
Zone Style dialog.

9 - 2.2 Contour Levels and Color

A contour level is a value at which contour lines are drawn, or for banded contour flooding, the border
between different colors of flooding. Adjust contour levels using the Levels and Color page of the Contour
& Multi-Coloring Details dialog (accessed via the Plot sidebar or the Plot menu, or from the Contour
Page of the Slice Details dialog).

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From the Levels and Color page of the dialog, you can add, subtract, and rearrange contour levels using
the top part of the dialog. The bottom part of the dialog allows you to choose or modify the color map to
be used for coloring the contour variable.

The minimum and maximum value of the contour value is also displayed here. When the contour variable
is calculated from subzone data, one or more of the values displayed may be estimates, which is indicated
by (est) next to the affected values.

Contour Level Addition

You can add new levels in one of three ways:
• Enter a value in the text field in the Levels and Color page of the Contour & Multi-Coloring
Details dialog and click Add Level to propagate it to the Levels list on the left.
• Add a new range of contour levels to the existing set by clicking Set Levels, then using the
Enter Contour Levels dialog as described in “New Contour Level Specification” on page 202.
• Choose from the Toolbar, then click at any location in the contour plot where you would
like to add a new contour level. Tecplot 360 EX adds a new contour level that goes through the
specified point. By holding down the mouse button you can drag and interactively position the
new contour level until you release the button.

Contour Level Removal

You can remove contour levels by:
• Selecting one or more contour levels on the Levels and Color page of the Contour & Multi-
Coloring Details dialog, then clicking Remove Selected Levels.
• Selecting from the Toolbar, then clicking any contour line in your contour plot. Tecplot
360 EX deletes the specified contour level, or the nearest contour level to the specified point.

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Contour Level Adjustment

You can interactively adjust a contour level with the tool from the Toolbar. Hold down the Control
key, then click-and-drag the contour level you want to adjust. Move the contour to the desired location and
release the mouse button. The new value of the contour level can be viewed on the Levels and Color page
of the Contour Details dialog.

New Contour Level Specification

You may specify a new set of contour levels by clicking the Set Levels button
on the Levels and Color page of the Contour Details dialog. This button calls
up the Enter Contour Levels dialog.
You can create contour levels in two ways:
• Exact levels - Specify the levels exactly using one of three methods.
• Min, Max, and Number of Levels (default) - Enter a minimum
and maximum level value, together with the number of levels
to be distributed equally throughout the range.
The Reset Range drop-down menu, available with this method,
allows you to reset the Min and Max values to the contour
variable’s minimum and maximum, optionally excluding the
effects of blanking.
• Min, Max, and Delta - Enter a minimum and maximum level
value together with a delta (step-size between levels).
• Exponential Distribution - Enter a minimum and maximum level value together with
the number of levels to be distributed exponentially throughout the range.
• Approximate levels - Enter the number of contour levels you want and
let Tecplot 360 EX choose their values. The values chosen will be “nice”
levels based on the values of the current contour variable.

Contour Coloring
You can choose a built-in color map, edit an existing color map, or create a new
color map in the Levels and Contour page.
The built-in color maps cannot be changed. When you begin to modify a built-in
color map by moving, adding, or removing control points, the built-in color map
is automatically and immediately copied to a custom color map. The copy is given
a name ending with the word “modified” and a number, and it is this copy to
which further changes apply. Custom color maps can be edited, renamed, or
deleted using the gear icon next to the color map menu.
You can create a new color map, then, by first choosing a built-in color map that is close to the color map
you want to create (if none is particularly close, any will do) and beginning to modify it. You can then give
it a proper name by clicking the gear icon and choosing Rename Custom Color Map.
Custom color maps are automatically saved with layouts. You can also use them in other plots by using
the export and import functions on the gear menu.
• Color Map Control Points - You can control how colors are distributed across the color map
here.

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• Adjust a control point - Drag the diamond-shaped control points horizontally to control
the intervals between them. The color gradations in the color map will be stretched or
compressed as necessary as you move the control points.
• Create a new control point - Right-click a part of the color map where there is not yet a
control point, then choose Add Control Point to create a control point there. The control
point’s left and right colors will initially be set to the colors in effect at the clicked
location.
• Change the control point colors - Right-click a control point to change its left (primary) or
right (secondary) color by choosing Set Control Point Color, then choosing the color to
be set from the submenu. The Color Chooser appears to let you choose the color to be
used. The colormap will consist of a gradient of color between one control point’s right
color and the next control point’s left color. (The first and last control points have only
right and left colors, respectively.)
• Delete a control point - Right-click a control point and choose Remove Control Point to
delete it.
• Color Map - Select the color map to use for contour coloring. The default is “Sequential -
Viridis”, a perceptually linear color map from blue to yellow.
Click the gear menu to the right of the Color Map menu to rename or delete a color map, or to
import or export custom color maps.
• Exporting Custom Color Maps - Saves all custom color maps as a .map file. These can
be imported to other projects to maintain consistency.
• Import Color Maps - Opens a browser window to import a .map file.
Custom color maps may also be created by using the $!CREATECOLORMAP command in a
macro, configuration, layout, map, or stylesheet file.

When exporting, all the color maps that aren't one of Tecplot's original set of 45 build-in,
immutable, color maps are saved into one .map file.

A short example for loading custom color maps is shown below. Custom color maps may also
be loaded via the $!INCLUDEMACRO command. The $!GLOBALCONTOUR command in
the script below assigns a color map to one of the eight contour layers. For more information
see the Scripting Guide.

$!INCLUDEMACRO "|MACROFILEPATH|/[Link]"

$!GLOBALCONTOUR 1 COLORMAPNAME = 'Sequential - Macaw'

$!GLOBALCONTOUR 2 COLORMAPNAME = 'Sequential - Macaw'
$!GLOBALCONTOUR 3 COLORMAPNAME = 'Sequential - Macaw'
$!GLOBALCONTOUR 4 COLORMAPNAME = 'Sequential - Macaw'
$!GLOBALCONTOUR 5 COLORMAPNAME = 'Sequential - Macaw'
$!GLOBALCONTOUR 6 COLORMAPNAME = 'Sequential - Macaw'
$!GLOBALCONTOUR 7 COLORMAPNAME = 'Sequential - Macaw'
$!GLOBALCONTOUR 8 COLORMAPNAME = 'Sequential - Macaw'

For Tecplot 360 EX 2017 R3 and later, the $!CREATECOLORMAP macro command is
allowed in the configuration file. This allows users to define their own color maps and
select the default for each contour group. See the Scripting Guide for more information.

• Color Distribution Methods

• Banded - A solid color is assigned for all values within the band between two levels.
(See Section 9 - 2.3 “Contour Bands”.)

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• Continuous - The color distribution assigns linearly varying colors to all multi-colored
objects or contour flooded regions. You can vary the default assignment of colors by
entering a “Min” or “Max” value for Color Map Endpoints. You may reset the endpoints
to the contour variable’s min/max (considering the effects of blanking), the contour
variable’s min/max excluding the effects of blanking, or to the contour level’s min/max
using the Reset menu to the right of these fields.
• Approximate Continuous - Causes each cell to be flooded using interpolation between
the RGB values at each node. When the transition from a color at one node to another
node crosses over the boundary between control points in the color spectrum,
approximate flooding may produce colors not in the spectrum. Leaving this option
unchecked is slower, but more accurate.
• Color Cutoff - Lets you specify a range within which contour flooding and multi-colored
objects (such as scatter symbols) are displayed.
• Color Map Adjustments - The following optional adjustments are applied to the color map
generated by the above settings.

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• Reversed Color Map - You can reverse the color map by toggling on “Reverse”. Two
plots, one with the color map going in the default direction and one with the color map
reversed, are shown in Figure 9-12.

A B

Figure 9-12. A) Flooded contour plot with default settings. B) Flooded contour plot with a reversed
colormap.
• Repeat Cycles - You may choose to cycle the color map. This is useful if you have data
where there is a great deal of activity in multiple ranges of the contour variable, and you
want to cycle through all colors in each region. A plot with the color map cycled twice is
shown in Figure 9-13.

A B

Figure 9-13. A) Flooded contour plot with default settings. B) Flooded contour plot with the color map
cycled two times.

9 - 2.3 Contour Bands

When Coloring Distribution for a group is set to “Banded” (via the Levels and Color page of the Contour

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& Multi-Coloring Details dialog), you may customize the color bands on the Bands page of the dialog.

The Bands page of the Contour Details dialog has the following options:
• Include Zebra Shading - This effect colors every other band with a specific color (or no color
at all).
• Override Band Colors - Specific contour bands can be assigned a unique basic color. This is
useful for forcing a particular region to use blue, for example, to designate an area of water.
You can define up to 16 color overrides.
• Override - Specifies which override is being edited.
• Active - Toggle this checkbox to turn the override on or off.
• Color - Select the color for the override using the Color Chooser.
• Minimum, Maximum - Choose the range which will be overridden to the specified color.

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9 - 2.4 Contour Lines

The contour line settings determine how contour lines are drawn for all zones in the active frame’s dataset.
The settings are established on the Lines page of the Contour & Multi-Coloring Details dialog.

• Use Zone Line Pattern - For each zone, draw the contour lines using the line pattern and
pattern length specified in the Contour page of the Zone Style dialog.

If you are adding contour lines to polyhedral zones, the patterns will not be continuous
from one cell to the next. The pattern will restart at every cell boundary.

• Skip to Solid - Draw n dashed lines between each pair of solid lines, where n is an integer you
enter in the text field Number of Dashed Lines to Draw between Solid Lines.
• Dashed Negative Lines - Draw lines of positive contour variable value as solid lines and lines
of negative contour variable value as dashed lines.

9 - 2.5 Contour Labels

Contour labels are labels that identify particular contour levels either by number or by value. You can
place contour labels interactively, or have Tecplot 360 EX create them for you automatically. You can also
have Tecplot 360 EX create and save a set of contour labels automatically, then interactively add contour
labels to this saved set.

The contour plot type must be lines or lines and flood in order to use Contour labels.

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Contour labels may be configured in the Labels page of the Contour & Multi-Coloring Details dialog or
with the Add Contour Label mouse mode tool from the Toolbar. You can modify the following options
using the Labels page of the Contour Details dialog.

• Show Labels - Toggle-on “Show Labels” to include contour labels in your plot. You can then
label the contour levels by selecting either:
• Use Contour Number
• Use Contour Value
• Label Format - Use the midsection of the dialog to customize label color, font, and fill settings.
(See Section 18 - 1.2 “Font Folders and Fallback” for more information on how fonts work with
Tecplot 360 EX.)
• Generate Automatic Labels (with each Redraw) - At each Redraw, Tecplot 360 EX creates a
new set of contour labels. At any time, you can deselect the “Generate Automatic Labels” (with
each Redraw) check box, and Tecplot 360 EX retains the last set of labels generated.
• Align Labels with Contour Line - Use the Spacing field to specify the spacing of the contour
labels along the contour line, as a percentage of the frame. Use the Level Skip field to specify a
skip value between the contour levels to be labeled.
• Align Next User-Positioned Label - If the “Align Next User-Positioned Label” is selected, the
next label is aligned with the contour line. Otherwise, the label is written with normal, upright
text.
• Number Format - Use the [Number Format] button to specify the number formatting of the
Contour labels. See Section 6 - 7.1 “Specify Number Format” for more details.
• Clear All Contour Labels - When “Generate Automatic Labels” is deselected, you can click
this button to erase the current set of contour labels.

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9 - 2.6 Contour Legend

To include a contour legend, select the Legend page of the Contour & Multi-Coloring Details dialog for
the appropriate contour group.

The following options are available:

• Show Contour Legend - Select this option to show the contour legend on your plot.
• Alignment - Select Vertical or Horizontal.
• Anchor - Specify which part of the legend is anchored in the selected position using the
Anchor Alignment dialog.
• Position - X (%) and Y (%) as percentages of the frame width and height. (You can also move
the legend interactively.)
• Legend Box - Displays the Legend Box dialog to adjust the appearance of the box around the
legend, or turn it off entirely.
• Separate Color Bands - Select this check box to separate the color bands in the legend with
black lines. Use this option to visually separate similar colors. If this box is not selected, similar
adjacent colors may tend to blur together.
• Resize Automatically - Automatically skips some levels to create a reasonably sized legend.
• Include Color Cutoff Levels - Color bands and labels for levels affected by Color Cutoff are
shown in the legend.
• Label Continuous Colors Position - If you have selected “Continuous Color Distribution” on
the Levels and Color page of the Contour Details dialog, you have three options for placement
of labels on the legend:
• Contour Levels - This option places one label for each contour level. See Section 9 - 2.2
“Contour Levels and Color”.
• Specified Increment - Enter a value in the Increment text field.
• Color Map Divisions - Places one label for each control point on the color map.

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• Level Skip - Enter the number of levels between numbers on the legend. This also affects the
number of levels between contour labels on the plot. Skipping levels on the contour legend
compresses the color bar (if one appears); it does not change the spacing between text entries
on the legend.
• Line Spacing - Enter the spacing between contour legend numbers. This does not change the
number of entries in the legend, so a large value here creates a large legend. Use Level Skip to
reduce the number of entries in the legend.
• Text Color - Affects the color of all text in the legend.
• Number Format - Adjust the format of numbers in the legend. See Section 6 - 7.1 “Specify
Number Format” for more details on numeric formatting
• Number font - Choose the font used for numbers in the legend, including size and variety
(boldface or italic). See Section 18 - 1.2 “Font Folders and Fallback” for more information on
how fonts work with Tecplot 360 EX.
• Show Header - Toggle-on to include the name of the contour variable in the legend.
• Header Format - Adjust the font and height for the legend header or the legend labels,
including font size and variety (boldface or italic). (See Section 18 - 1.2 “Font Folders and
Fallback” for more information on how fonts work with Tecplot 360 EX.)

Not all fonts have Bold and/or Italic variants. For fonts that do not have these styles, the
B and/or I buttons may have no effect.

Anchor Alignment
The Anchor Alignment dialog allows you to specify the anchor point, or fixed point, of the object. As the
box grows or shrinks, the anchor location is fixed while the rest of the box adjusts to accommodate the
new size. There are nine possible anchor points, corresponding to the left, right, and center positions on
the headline, midline, and baseline of the box.

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Legend Box
The Legend Box dialog appears when you click the Legend Box button in the Legend page of the Contour
Details dialog.

• Box Type - Choose (left to right) No Box, Outline, or Fill. If you choose Outline or Fill, the
following options control the appearance of the box.
• Line Thickness - Specify the line thickness as a percentage of frame height.
• Box Color - Choose a color for the legend box outline.
• Fill Color - Choose a color for the legend box fill (Fill mode only).
• Margin - Specify the margin between the legend text and legend box as a percentage of the
text height.

9-3 Extract Contour Lines

Normally, contour lines are derived from the dataset “on the fly” and do not add any data to the dataset.
To extract existing contour lines to Tecplot zones, allowing you to retain them even if the contour details
are changed, go to Data>Extract>Contour Lines. Your data will be altered by the creation and naming of
new zones.

Using the Extract Contour Lines dialog, you have the following options:
• Create a separate zone for each contour level - A new zone will be created for each contour
line plotted. The number of new zones will equal the number of contour levels. The created
zones are FE-line segment type zones.
• Create a separate zone for each independent line segment in each zone - With this option
you may create many more zones than there are contour levels. New I-ordered line segment
zones are created in each source zone for each topologically independent contour line.
After generating the zones, we recommend you activate the Mesh Layer when plotting the new zones.

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 10

Vector Layer

You can create vector plots by activating the Vector layer in the Plot sidebar, and specifying the vector
component variables. Vector plot attributes can be modified using the Vector page of the Zone Style
dialog.

Figure 10-14. A vector plot of the cylinder data (with the edge layer also active).

10 - 1 Vector Variables
When you activate the Vector zone layer (via the Plot sidebar),
Tecplot 360 EX checks to see whether vector components have been
assigned for the current dataset in the current plot type. If you have
not assigned vector components, the Select Variables dialog, shown
here, will be launched.
Choose variables by selecting the desired U, V, and W (3D only)
variables from their respective drop-downs. You may select any of
the current dataset’s variables as any component. You can change the
component variables at any time by choosing Vector>Variables from
the Plot menu.
Once you have selected the Vector check box in the Plot sidebar and have chosen your vector components,
your vector plot will appear. If vectors are not visible, refer to Section 10 - 3.1 “Length Page”.

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10 - 2 Vector Plot Modification

You can modify your vector plot attributes using the Vector page of the Zone Style dialog. You can control
any of the following attributes from the Vector page of the Zone Style dialog.

In order for the changes made on the Vector page to be visible in your plot, the Vector
layer must be active (toggled on in the Plot sidebar).

• Show Vector - Toggle-on to show the vector for a particular zone.

• Vector Type - Select from the following options:
• Tail at Point (default) - Draws the tail of the vector at the data point.
• Head at Point - Draws the head of the vector at the data point.
• Anchor at Midpoint - Positions the midpoint of the vector at the data point.
• Head Only - Draws the head of the vector at the data point and does not draw a tail.
Figure 10-15 shows examples of each of the vector plot types.

Figure 10-15. The Vector plot types: tail at point, head at point, anchor at midpoint, and head only.
• Vector Tangents - Toggle-on to display only the tangent component of vectors, not both
tangent and normal components. Tangent vectors are drawn on 3D surfaces only where it is
possible to determine a vector normal to the surface. A plot where multiple surfaces intersect
each other using common nodes is a case where tangent vectors are not drawn because there is
more than one normal to choose from. An example of this would be a volume IJK-ordered

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zone where both the I and J-planes are plotted. If tangent vectors cannot be drawn, then
regular vectors are plotted instead.

Figure 10-16. Comparison of the Vector Tangent options. A) vectors are drawn with both the normal and
tangent components. B) vectors are drawn with only the tangent components.
• Head Style - Right-click to choose an arrowhead style for the vectors. Figure 10-17 displays the
available styles.
• Plain (default) - Line segments drawn from the head of the vector.
• Filled - Filled isosceles triangles with apex at the head of the vector.
• Hollow - Hollow isosceles triangles with apex at the head of the vector.

Figure 10-17. Arrowhead types for vector plots (plain, filled and hollow).
• Line Color - Right-click to choose the vector color in the Color Chooser dialog
• Line Pattern - Right-click to choose the vector line pattern.
• Pattern Length - Right-click to choose the vector line pattern length as a percentage of frame
height. You may choose a preset length or enter an exact number.
• Line Thickness - Right-click to choose the vector line thickness as a percentage of frame
height. You may choose a preset thickness or enter an exact number.

If your data consists of a dense mesh of points, a vector plot may be too crowded to be
of much use. You can “thin” the plot by plotting only a certain subset of the data points
with the Index Skip attribute from the Points page of the Zone Style dialog.

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Zone Style dialog to select
zones by name, see the description of these at the end of “Field Plot Modification and the
Zone Style Dialog” on page 176.

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Use the Vector Details dialog to adjust other Vector layer settings, including length scaling, arrowhead
appearance, and reference vector. See Section 10 - 3 “Vector Details”

10 - 3 Vector Details
The Vector Details dialog (Plot>Vector>Details) lets you specify the length of vectors and the appearance
of arrowheads. You can also display a reference vector. on your plot. These settings are all global to the
current frame.

In order for most changes made on the Vector Details dialog to be visible in your plot,
you must have the Vector layer toggled on in the Plot sidebar, and the vectors of at least
one zone must be visible (see Section 10 - 2 “Vector Plot Modification” on page 214).

The Vector Details dialog has three pages:

• Length Page
• Arrowhead Page
• Reference Vector Page

10 - 3.1 Length Page

The Length page of the Vector Details dialog allows you to adjust the length of displayed vectors.

The the following options are available in the Length page of the Vector Details dialog:
• Relative (grid units/magnitude) - Specify the vector length as the number of grid units per
unit of vector magnitude.
• Relative (cm/magnitude) - Specify the vector length as the number of centimeters per unit of
vector magnitude.
• Uniform (%) - Specify the vector length as a percentage of frame height.
• Reset Length - For relative vector length, the default is based on the size of the longest vector.
Click Reset Length to change the vector length to a relative vector length with the scale factor
expressed in grid units per unit of vector magnitude. Not available when Uniform is selected.

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For either of the “Relative” options, the value you specify is a scale factor that is multiplied by the vector
magnitude to determine the length of the vector.

Since 3D vectors are plotted in the plane of the screen, a 3D vector’s length will depend
on both the vector length settings and the orientation of the vector. The length may be
distorted more if the length setting is Relative and the 3D projection is Perspective.

10 - 3.2 Arrowhead Page

You can specify arrowhead sizes as either a fraction of the vector length or in frame units (that is, as a
percentage of the frame height). By default, Tecplot 360 EX specifies size as a fraction of the vector length.

The Arrowhead page of the Vector Details dialog has the following options:
• Angle (deg) - The arrowhead angle is the angle that one side of the arrowhead makes with the
vector, i.e. the apex angle is twice the arrowhead angle. To specify the arrowhead angle, enter a
value from 1 to 90, or choose a value from the drop-down, indicated by the down-arrow
button.
• Size arrowhead by:
• Fraction of Length - Enter a decimal value from zero to ten.
• Frame Units (%) - Enter a percentage value from zero to 100.

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10 - 3.3 Reference Vector Page

A reference vector is a vector of specified magnitude placed on the plot as a visual measure of vector
length.

The Reference Vector page of the Vector Details dialog has the following options:
• Show Reference Vector - Toggle-on to include a reference vector in your plot.
• Frame Position - Enter the coordinates of the starting point of the reference vector, as a
percentage of the frame width (X) and frame height (Y).
• Angle (deg) - Enter the orientation of the vector in degrees from horizontal, or choose a value
from the drop-down.
• Magnitude - Enter the magnitude of the reference vector. The units correspond to those of the
vector components.
• Color - Choose a color with the Color Chooser. Multi-color and RGB coloring are not available.
• Line Thickness (%) - Enter the desired line thickness, or choose a value from the drop-down.
• Reset Magnitude - Resets the magnitude of the reference vector based on the average vector
magnitude.
• Show Reference Vector Label - Toggle-on to include the magnitude of the reference vector in
the label. Select and modify any of the following options:
• Font - Choose or enter the name of the font to be used for the label. Click the B or I
buttons to select the bold and/or italic variety of the font. (See Section 18 - 1.2 “Font
Folders and Fallback” for more information on how fonts work with Tecplot 360 EX.)
• Size - Enter the size and choose units either of frame height percentage or points.
• Number Format - Click to specify how the number will be formatted using the Specify
Number Format dialog. See Section 6 - 7.1 “Specify Number Format” for a discussion of
this dialog.
• Color - Choose a color with the Color Chooser. Multi-color and RGB coloring are not
available.
• Offset (%) - Choose the spacing between the label and the reference vector as a
percentage of frame height.

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A plot with a reference vector is shown here. The units for the reference vector were added using a text
object (see Section 18 - 1 “Text” on page 275).

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 11

Scatter Layer

Scatter plots are plots of symbols at the data points in a field. The symbols may be sized according to the
values of a specified variable, colored by the values of the contour variable, or may be uniformly sized or
colored. Unlike contour plots, scatter plots do not require any mesh structure connecting the points, this
allows you to make scatter plots of irregular data.
To add a scatter layer to your plot, activate the “Scatter” toggle in the Plot sidebar. You can modify your
Scatter plot using the Scatter page of the Zone Style dialog and the Scatter submenu of the Plot menu.

11 - 1 Scatter Plot Modification

Once you have loaded your data, you can modify your scatter plot attributes using the Scatter page of the
Zone Style dialog. You can control any of the following attributes for a zone or group of zones from the
Scatter page of the Zone Style dialog.

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Zone Style dialog to select
zones by name, see the description of these at the end of “Field Plot Modification and the
Zone Style Dialog” on page 176.

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In order for the changes made on the Scatter page to be visible in your plot, the Scatter
layer must be turned on in the Plot sidebar.

• Show Scatter - Right-click to choose whether or not to show the scatter layer for the
highlighted zone(s).
• Symbol Shape - Right-click to choose one of the following symbol shapes:
• Square (default)
• Delta
• Gradient
• Left Triangle
• Right Triangle
• Diamond
• Circle
• Cube (rendered as a square in 2D)
• Sphere (rendered as a circle in 2D)
• Octahedron (rendered as a diamond in 2D)
• Point
• Character - Use a specified ASCII character from a selected font (as specified in the
Enter ASCII Character dialog). See also Table 18 - 2.

3D scatter symbols should only be used if your dataset is on the order of thousands of
points. If your dataset is large (e.g. millions of points), try using 2D scatter symbols
instead for better interactive performance.

• Scatter Size - Right-click to select the symbol size either by a constant percentage of the
frame height or from a variable in the dataset. For constant size, you may choose a
preset size or enter one of your own. (See Section 11 - 2 “Scatter Size/Font” for complete
instructions for sizing scatter symbols by variable.)
• Outline Color - Right-click to choose a color from the Color Chooser. Besides a constant color,
you can also choose:
• Multi - Each symbol is colored according to the value of the selected contour variable at
that data point. Choose a contour group at the bottom of the Color Chooser dialog.
• RGB - Each symbol is colored according to the values at that data point for the variables
assigned to RGB. Click the RGB button at the bottom of the Color Chooser dialog.
• Line Thickness - Right-click to choose the thickness of the scatter outlines for each highlighted
zone(s), either a preset from the menu or by entering your own value.
• Fill Mode - The 3D symbol shapes, Cube, Sphere, and Octahedron are filled with the line
color, but the other shapes have other fill modes available. Right-click to choose:
• None (default)
• Use Specific Color - Uses the color shown in the Fill Color column.
• Use Line Color - Matches outline color.
• Use Background Color - Matches frame color.

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• Fill Color - Right-click to select a fill color using the Color Chooser.

Spheres, Cubes, and Octahedrons are always light-source shaded. Spheres are Gouraud
shaded, and Cubes and Octahedrons are Panel shaded. Cube edges are aligned with X, Y,
and Z-axes. Octahedrons are oriented so one vertex points in the Z-direction and one
vertex points in the X-direction. For best appearance of 3D shapes, adjust the Light
Source to use Specular Highlighting. Scatter Size and Line Thickness are not available
for the point symbol. Points are always one pixel in size.

If your data consists of a dense mesh of points, a scatter plot may be too crowded to be
of much use. You can “thin” the scatter plot by plotting only a certain subset of the data
points with the Index Skip attribute from the Points page of the Zone Style dialog.
The Point scatter symbol allows for quick viewing and panning in 3D plots. It is also a
useful tool for identifying features in volume zones.

11 - 2 Scatter Size/Font
Use the Scatter Size/Fonts dialog (accessed via Plot>Scatter>Size/Font in 2D/3D or Plot>Symbol Font in
line plot modes) to choose the base font used for ASCII character symbols and the scatter-size variable
used to scale scatter symbols. This dialog is also available by right-clicking a scatter size in the Scatter page
of the Zone Style dialog and choosing Select Variable. The Scatter Size/Font dialog is shown below:

The following options are available:

• ASCII Symbol Font - Select a font from the drop-down and optionally a bold and/or italic
style. (See Section 18 - 1.2 “Font Folders and Fallback” for more information on how fonts work
with Tecplot 360 EX.) For XY and Polar line plots, this is the only option available.

Not all fonts have Bold and/or Italic variants. For fonts that do not have these styles, the
B and/or I buttons may have no effect.

• Scatter-size Variable - Select a variable from the drop-down of the dataset's variables. If the
Scatter Size field is set to “Size by Variable” on the Scatter page of the Zone Style dialog, this
variable is used to calculate the scatter symbol size at each data point. The actual size of each
symbol is determined by multiplying the value of the variable at each point by the Size
Multiplier. If the Scatter Size field is not set to “Size by Variable”, this field has no effect.
• Size Multiplier - Enter the scale factor that multiplies the values of the Scatter-size Variable to
size the scatter symbols. If the Scatter Size field on the Zone Style dialog is not set to “Size by
Variable”, this field has no effect. The Size Multiplier multiplied by the scatter variable value

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gives the size of the scatter symbol at a point, in units, specified by the following option
buttons:
• Grid Units/Magnitude - Select this to express the Size Multiplier in terms of grid units
per unit of variable magnitude.
• Cm/Magnitude - Select this to express the Size Multiplier in terms of screen centimeters
per unit of variable magnitude.
• Recalculate Size - Select to reset the Size Multiplier to Tecplot 360 EX's initial value.

11 - 3 Scatter Legends
To include the scatter legend, select “Scatter Legend” from the Scatter sub-menu of the Plot menu. Select
the following options in the Scatter Legend dialog.

• Show Scatter Legend - Toggle-on to include a scatter legend in the plot.

• Show Zone Names - Toggle-on to include zone names in the legend.
• Text - Format the text for the legend by choosing a color and font, and specifying the text
height. (See Section 18 - 1.2 “Font Folders and Fallback” for more information on how fonts
work with Tecplot 360 EX.) Click the (...) button to display the Select Font dialog.
• Position - Specify the location of the anchor point of the legend by entering values in the X (%)
and Y (%) text fields. Enter X as a percentage of the frame width and Y as a percentage of the
frame height.
• Legend Box - Select the type of box to draw around the legend (No Box, Outline, or Fill).
If you choose Outline or F ill, format the box using the following controls:
• Line Thickness - Specify the line thickness as a percentage of frame height.
• Box Color - Choose a color for the legend box outline.
• Fill Color - Choose a color for the legend box fill (Fill mode only).
• Margin - Specify the margin between the legend text and legend box as a percentage of
the text height.

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Shade Layer

Although most commonly used with 3D surfaces, shade plots can also be used to flood 2D plots with solid
colors, or to light source shade the exterior of 3D volume plots. In 3D plots, zone effects (translucency and
lighting) cause color variation (shading) throughout the zone(s). Shading can also help you discern the
shape of the plot.
Toggle-on “Shade” in the Plot sidebar to add shading to your plot. Use the Shade page of the Zone Style
dialog to customize shading. Refer to Chapter 13: “Translucency and Lighting” for information on
translucency and lighting zone effects.

Shade plots require IJ or IJK-ordered, or finite element data. I-ordered, or irregular data
cannot be used to create shade plots.

12 - 1 Shade Layer Modification

You can modify your shading attributes using the Shade page of the Zone Style dialog (accessed via the
Plot sidebar or Plot>Zone Style).

In order for the changes made on the Shade page to be visible in your plot, the Shade
layer must be turned on in the Plot sidebar.

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Shade Layer

You can control any of the following attributes from the Shade page of the Zone Style dialog:

• Show Shade - Turns the shade layer on or off for each active zone.
• Shade Color - Right-click to select the shade color using the Color Chooser. In 2D Cartesian
plots, only solid zone flooding is available (i.e. no lighting effects).
• Use Lighting - (3D only) Turns the lighting zone effect off or on. When “no” is selected, the
shade color is used to uniformly color the zone. Refer to Chapter 13: “Translucency and
Lighting” for information on translucency and lighting zone effects.

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Zone Style dialog to select
zones by name, see the description of these at the end of “Field Plot Modification and the
Zone Style Dialog” on page 176.

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Translucency and Lighting

You can enhance the shade and contour zone layers in 3D plots using Translucency and Lighting Effects
(referred to collectively as the “3D zone effects”). The 3D zone effects for streamtraces, slices, and iso-
surfaces can be activated using their respective dialogs (accessed via the Plot menu or the Plot sidebar).

For changes related to lighting or translucency to be visible, the desired effect must be
toggled-on in the Show Effects section of the Plot sidebar.

The Effects page of the Zone Style dialog, which controls translucency and lighting effects, is shown
below.

For information on using the controls at the bottom of the Zone Style dialog to select
zones by name, see the description of these at the end of “Field Plot Modification and the
Zone Style Dialog” on page 176.

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13 - 1 Translucency
Turn on the translucency zone effect by toggling-on “translucency” in the Show Effects region of the Plot
sidebar. When a zone is translucent, you may view objects inside or behind the zone. You can control the
translucency of a zone using the Surface Translucency attribute in the Effects page of the Zone Style
dialog. The level of translucency may be set to a value between 1 (nearly solid) and 99 (nearly invisible).
There are nine pre-set percentages ranging from 10 to 90. You may also use the “Enter” option to define a
percentage of your own. An example of a translucent plot is shown in Figure 13-1.

Figure 13-1. An example of a plot using translucency.

All surfaces in 3D Cartesian plots may be made translucent. A different translucency may be assigned to
individual zones, and may also be assigned to derived objects such as slices, streamtrace ribbons or rods,
and iso-surfaces. Use the Effects page of the Zone Style dialog to change translucency settings for zones.

13 - 2 Blanking
The Use Value Blanking column on the Effects page of the Zone Style dialog enables you to constrain the
display of each zone - that is, instruct whether each zone should obey or ignore any blanking settings
present in the plot. To constrain a zone to obey value blanking, select the zone, toggle-on the Use Value
Blanking checkbox. To learn more about blanking, see “Blanking” on page 297.

13 - 3 Lighting Effects
There are two types of lighting effects: Paneled and Gouraud. Right-click in the Lighting Effect column of
the Effects page to choose either Paneled or Gouraud shading for the selected zone(s).
• Paneled - Within each cell, the color assigned to each area by shading or contour flooding is
tinted by a shade constant across the cell. This shade is based on the orientation of the cell
relative to your 3D light source.
• Gouraud - This plot type offers smoother, more continuous shading than Paneled shading, but
it also results in slower plotting and larger print files. Gouraud shading is not continuous
across zone boundaries unless face neighbors are specified in the data1. Gouraud shading is
not available for finite element volume zones when blanking is active; the zone’s lighting effect
reverts to Paneled shading in this case.
If IJK-ordered data with Surfaces to Plot is set to Exposed Cell Faces, faces exposed by
blanking will revert to Paneled shading.

1. Refer to Section “TECFACE142” in the Tecplot Data Format Guide for details regarding face neighbors.

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 Three-dimensional Light Source

Figure 13-2 shows two shade plots. The one on the left uses a Paneled lighting effect and the one on the
right uses a Gouraud lighting effect.

Figure 13-2. A comparison of the paneled (left) and Gouraud (right) lighting effects.

13 - 4 Three-dimensional Light Source

The light source is a point of light infinitely far from the drawing area. You can open the Light Source
dialog (shown below) by selecting the Details button next to Lighting effect toggle the Plot sidebar, or by
selecting “Light Source” from the Plot menu.

The Light Source dialog has the following options:

• Intensity (%) - Controls the amount of lighting effect produced by the directional light source.
An intensity of 100 produces the maximum contrast between lit and unlit areas, and fully lit
areas use the full surface color. Lesser values produce less contrast between lit and unlit areas,
and fully lit areas use darker colors. An intensity of zero means the light source produces no
contrast between lit and unlit areas, and all areas are black.
• Background Light (%) - Controls the amount of lighting effect applied to all objects regardless
of the light source position. A background light of zero means that areas unlit by the
directional light source receive no lighting at all and are entirely black, while areas lit by the
directional light source get only the effect of that light. Larger values produce more lighting
effect in areas not lit by the directional light source, making these areas show some of the

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surface color. A background light of 100 means that all areas are lit by the maximum amount,
and areas unlit by the directional light source use the full surface color.

Intensity and Background Light are cumulative; they can add up to more than 100 and
result in colors lightened beyond the base surface color. For example, reds will become
pink and grays will become white.

• Surface Color Contrast (%) - Controls the contrast of the color of the light source shaded
surfaces before applying lighting effects. A surface color contrast of 100 means that light source
shaded surfaces use the full surface color for applying lighting effects. Lesser values mean that
the surface color is blended with progressively more white, making light source shaded
surface colors lighter. A surface color contrast of zero means that colors are pure white before
applying lighting effects (the plot will only be shades of gray).
• Include Specular Highlights - Turns on/off specular highlight for all light-source shaded
objects in the plot, adding the semblance of reflected light to 3D shaded or flooded objects.
• Intensity (%) - Controls intensity of specular highlights (that is, the amount of reflected
light, which controls the amount of whiteness at the peak of the highlight).
• Shininess - Controls shininess of specular highlight (that is, roughly the size and spread
of specular highlight).
• Lighting Optimizations - Some combinations of lighting type and plot style may result in
very slow redrawing of plots. Tecplot 360 EX provides lighting optimizations to avoid such
conditions and instead draws a similar, but less computationally-intensive plot. These
optimizations are on by default. Turn them off if you need to see the exact effects you have
specified. You may want to turn off the graphics cache before turning off those optimizations
for plots with large amounts of data. (See “Graphics Cache” on page 468 for information on the
graphics cache.)

13 - 4.1 Moving the Light Source

You may move the light source interactively by clicking the sun button next to the lighting effect
toggle in the Plot sidebar. With the light source tool active, click or drag in the workspace to position the
light source in 3D space. Choose another tool from the toolbar or sidebar to exit this mode.

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Slices

You can add slices to volume and surface zones in your plot in order to view X, Y, or Z planes within your
data. With IJK-ordered data, you can also add slices on the I, J, or K planes. It is also possible to create
slices with arbitrary orientations.
Slices can include lighting effects, contours, meshes, and more. To customize these and other attributes of
slices, use the Slice Details dialog, accessible in the Plot sidebar or the Plot menu, or use the context menu
and context toolbar.
The context toolbar appears above the context menu when you right-click a
slice in your plot. This toolbar allows you to turn on or off the grid, contour,
vector, shade, edge, and translucency layers for the selected slice(s).
Additionally, you may adjust frequently-used style settings for each layer using the drop-down menu to
the right of each, for example selecting a color for the grid (or choosing a variable by which to color it).
Tecplot 360 EX includes a simple interactive method for creating slices. Select the Slice tool in the
toolbar or in the Plot sidebar to activate a crosshair cursor, then click in a volume or surface zone to “drop”
a slice into that zone. You can then drag the slice to change its position. Refer to “Slice Tool” on page 31 for
more information on working with the Slice tool.
For additional control, additional slices, or another way to insert slices derived from the dataset, use the
Definition page of the Slice Details dialog. You can open the Slice Details dialog by clicking the details
button next to the Slices toggle in the Plot sidebar or by choosing Slices from the Plot menu.
Interactively created slices are derived from the dataset and are defined by a constant X, Y, or Z location
(or constant I, J, or K indexes, for IJK ordered zones). Tecplot 360 EX considers this type of slice as part of
your plot’s style and does not add it to the dataset unless you extract it to a zone (using
Data>Extract>Slices).

14 - 1 Interactively Created Slices

Use the Slice Details dialog to customize interactively created slices (that is, slices derived from your
dataset). Click the Details button next to the Slices checkbox in the Plot sidebar, or select “Slices” from the
Plot menu, to launch the Slice Details dialog. To add slices to your plot in the dialog, toggle-on “Show
Group n” in the Slice Details dialog.

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Slices

The Slice Details dialog includes the following pages: Definition Page, Contour Page, Vector Page, Other
Page, and Animate Page.

You must toggle-on “Show Group n” in order for the changes made in the Slice Details
dialog to be visible in your plot.

14 - 1.1 Slice Groups

Up to eight different slice groups can be set. Each slice group can use different slice planes or different
ranges for the same slice plane. Changing the settings in the Slice Details dialog allows you to make the
appearance of each slice group unique. The slice group is specified using the numbers at the top of the
Slice Details dialog.

You must toggle-on “Show Group n” (where n = 1-8) in order to include the Slice group in
your plot.

14 - 1.2 Definition Page

Use the Definition page of the Slice Details dialog to customize the position of the active slice group
(accessed via the Plot sidebar or Plot>Slices).
You can toggle-on “Show Start/End Slices” and use the Start
slider to move the first (start) slice, or type in the slice position.
Activate the last (end) slice and move it with the End slider.
The following options are available:
• Slice Location - Select which plane the slice is drawn
on (X,Y,Z, I, J, or K). You may also choose Arbitrary to
place the slice on an arbitrary plane; see “Arbitrary
Slice Orientation” on page 233.
• Show Primary Slice - Toggle-on to include the
primary slice (first slice placed) in your plot. Use the
slider or the text field to position the primary slice.
• Show Start/End Slices - Toggle-on to include start
and end slices in your plot. Use the corresponding
sliders or text fields to position the slices.
• Show Intermediate Slices - Toggle-on to show
intermediate slices evenly distributed between the
start and end slices.
• Num Slices - Enter the number of intermediate
slicing planes in the text field. (Range 1-5000.)
• Range for all Sliders - Click the gear icon next to Show Primary Slice to reveal a flyout dialog
(right) that sets the range of the sliders.
• Min, Max, Step Size - Specify the start, end, and step for the slider range.

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• Reset Slider Range - Automatically selects the min/max of

values based on Slice location or the min/max of the non-
blanked values based on Slice location. Non-blanked Min/
Max is disabled for I-, J-, and K-Planes.
• Slice Through - Choose to slice through volume zones, surface
zones, or the surfaces of volume zones.
• Obey Source Blanking - When active, slices are subject to any
blanking used for the data. When inactive, slices are generated for
blanked and unblanked regions. See also Chapter 19: “Blanking”.
• Show solid plane while dragging - Toggle-on to show a solid-
colored plane in place of the slice while dragging. Since the data within the slice does not need
to be drawn to the screen, this can make dragging noticeably faster and smoother, particularly
with large data sets.

The Show solid plane while dragging checkbox is a global setting that applies to all
slice groups, not just the selected group. It is not available if the slice plane is I, J, or K.

• Extract Slices - Select the Extract Slices button to open the Extract Slices dialog. See Section 14
- 2 “Extracting Slices to Zones” for more information.

Arbitrary Slice Orientation

To orient slices in an arbitrary direction, choose “Arbitrary” from the Slice Location menu. As with other
slices, you may specify origin points for a primary slice and/or for start and end slices. Slices pass through
the indicated origin point(s), so you can easily align the edge of a slice or group of slices along some other
feature of the plot, such as an axis. If intermediate slices are activated, they are drawn equally spaced
between the slices defined by the start and end origins.

An arbitrarily-oriented slice may be manipulated interactively. When the slice tool is active, a slice-normal
interactor appears in the plot.
• Drag the far end of the interactor to change where the normal points and thus the orientation
of the slice(s).
• Drag the near end of the slice normal to move the origin point of the slice.
• If multiple slices are active, you may click a slice to move the normal to that slice.

Interactive orientation of arbitrary slices is not available with scaled axes or perspective
view. In these cases, the interactor does not appear.

You may adjust the orientation of the slice in small increments using the + and - buttons for the X, Y, and Z
axes to rotate the slice a step at a time around an axis.
With an arbitrary slice, you may also:
• Orient a Slice by Specifying a Normal - Click the gear icon to enter a normal vector in a flyout
dialog.

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• Orient a Slice by Entering Three Points - Click the Three Points button to specify three points
on the cutting plane using the Enter 3 Points dialog.
• Orient a Slice by Probing Three Points - Click the three-point probe icon on the Definition
page of the Slice Details dialog to specify three points on the cutting plane by clicking the plot.

Orient a Slice by Specifying a Normal

Click the gear icon to reveal a flyout dialog (right) that lets you choose the
orientation of the slice by numerically specifying its normal. A normal vector is
established between the slice origin and the specified coordinates, and the slice
is oriented perpendicular to this vector, as shown below.

Figure 14-3. Arbitrarily-oriented slices in a unit cube. 0, 0, 0 is at back corner; the black dot is the specified
normal. Left: normal at 0, 1, 1. Right: normal at 1, 1, 1.
You can also adjust the step value by which the + and - buttons rotate the slice in this flyout.

Orient a Slice by Entering Three Points

You can orient a slice by specifying the coordinates of three points on a
plane. These points must form a triangle; they cannot be coincident or
collinear.
Click the 3 Points button in the Slice Details dialog to open the Enter 3
Points dialog, shown here, then enter the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the
three points. When you click Apply, the origin and normal vector of the
slice are recalculated so that the slice plane passes through all three
specified points. (The third entered point is used as the slice origin.)

The values in the Enter 3 Points dialog are not updated when the slice orientation is
adjusted using the other available methods.

In this dialog, you may also click the three-point probe button to Orient a Slice by Probing Three
Points.

Orient a Slice by Probing Three Points

In the Slice Details dialog or the Enter 3 Points dialog, click the three-point probe button, then click
three points in your plot. The X, Y, and Z coordinates of the three points are collected in the Enter 3 Points

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dialog. After the third point is clicked, the slice’s origin and normal are recalculated so that the cutting
plane passes through all three clicked points. The third point is used as the slice’s origin.

The probe tool keyboard shortcuts may be used when clicking to change the points
selected, for example choosing the nearest data point by holding the Control key while
clicking. See “Probe Tool” on page 514 for other shortcuts.

14 - 1.3 Contour Page

Use the Contour page to control the contour attributes
of the active slice group (determined by the number
buttons on the top of the page).
The following options are available:
• Show Contours - Select this check box to
show contours.
• Contour Type - Select the contour type from
the drop-down. Lines, Flood, Lines and
Flood, Average Cell Flood, and Primary Value
Flood are available.
• Flood by - If you chose contour flooding,
select the contour group by which to flood, or
RGB flooding.
• [...] - Use this button to bring up the
Contour & Multi-Coloring Details
dialog.
• Contour Lines by - If you chose contour lines
or lines and flood, select the contour group by
which to draw the lines.
• [...] - Use this button to bring up the
Contour Details dialog.
• Line Color - Choose the line color in the Color Chooser. Multi-Color will color the slice
contour lines based on the contour group variable.
• Line Thickness - Specify the line thickness as a percentage of the frame width. You may
enter a value in the text field, or choose one of the values in the drop-down.
• Use Lighting Effect - Select this check box to enable the lighting effect drop-down menu
where you may choose “Paneled” or “Gouraud” shading. See Section “Translucency and
Lighting” for more details on lighting effects.
• Use Translucency - Select this check box to enable the surface translucency text field, where
you may set the surface translucency from one (opaque) to 99 (translucent).

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14 - 1.4 Vector Page

Use the Vector page of the Slice Details dialog to control
the vector attributes of the active slice group
(determined by the group number buttons on the top of
the page).
The following options are available:
• Show Vectors - Select this check box to show
vectors.
• Tangent Vectors - Select to use tangent vectors
for your slices. See Section 10 - 2 “Vector Plot
Modification” for more information.
• Line Color - Choose the line color from the
Color Chooser. Multi-color will color vectors
based on the contour group variable. If no
contour variable is set for the selected contour
group, the Contour Details dialog will appear.
• Line Thickness - Specify line thickness as a
percentage of the frame height. You may enter
a value in the text field, or choose one of the
values in the drop-down.
• Vector Type - Use this drop-down to set the
vector type for your slices. Choose from Tail at
Point, Head at Point, Anchor at Midpoint, and Head Only.
• Vector Head Style - Use this drop-down to set the vector head style for your slices. Choose
from Plain, Filled, and Hollow.

14 - 1.5 Other Page

The Other page of the Slice Details dialog controls the
mesh, shade, and edge attributes of the active slice group.
(The active slice group is determined by the group number
buttons on the top of the page.)
The following options are available:
• Show Mesh - Select this check box to show mesh
lines.
• Color - Choose the line color in the Color
Chooser. Multi-color will color meshes
based on the contour group variable. If no
contour variable is set for the selected
group when selecting Multi-color, the
Contour Details dialog will appear.
• Line Thickness - Specify the mesh line
thickness as a percentage of the frame
width. You may enter a value in the text
field, or choose one of the values in the
drop-down.

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• Show Shade - Select this check box to show shading on the slice when Show Contour has not
been selected or is set to Lines on the Contour page of this dialog.
• Color - Choose the shade color from the Color Chooser. Multi-color and RGB coloring
are not available—use flooded contours for multi-color or RGB flooding.
• Use Lighting Effect - Select this check box to enable the lighting effect drop-down,
where you may choose “Paneled” or “Gouraud” shading.
• Use Surface Translucency - Select this check box to enable the surface translucency text
field, where you may set the surface translucency from one (opaque) to 99 (translucent).
By default, slice translucency is toggled-on at 10 percent when your plot is loaded.
• Show Edge - Select this check box to show selected edge lines on all slices.
• Color - Choose the edge color from the Color Chooser. Multi-color and RGB coloring
are not available.
• Line Thickness - Specify the edge thickness as a percentage of the frame width. You
may enter a value in the text field, or choose one of the values in the drop-down.
• Surface Generation Method - Determines how the surface is generated.
• Auto selects one of the surface generation algorithms best suited for the zones
participating in the slice generation. "All Polygons" is used if one or more of the
participating zones is polytope, otherwise slices use "Allow Quads".
• Allow Quads can produce quads or triangles, and the resulting surface more closely
resembles the shape of the volume cells from the source zone. Since the quads are not
arbitrarily divided into triangles, no biases are introduced, and the resulting surface
may appear smoother. This method is preferred when the source zone is FE-Brick or IJK-
Ordered and the surface is aligned with the source cells.
• All Triangles is an advanced algorithm that can handle complex saddle issues and
guarantees that there will be no holes in the final surface. As the surface is composed
entirely of triangles, it can be delivered more efficiently to the graphics hardware.
• All Polygons is similar to the "All triangles" method except that all interior faces
generated as a result of triangulation that are not part of the original mesh are
eliminated. This preserves the original mesh of the source zones on the resulting slice.

14 - 1.6 Animate Page

See Section 29 - 1.6 “Slice Animation”.

14 - 2 Extracting Slices to Zones

Normally, slices are derived from the dataset “on the fly” and do not add any data to the dataset. To
extract slices to Tecplot zones, allowing you to retain them even if the slice details are changed, use
Data>Extract>Slices.

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Slices

In most cases it is not necessary to extract slices to zones, as it is possible to apply most style options
directly to a slice. When you need to display multiple sets of slices in various directions, or simply want to
“freeze” a slice for some other reason, you may wish to extract at least some of the slices to zones.

Extracting slices has the following options:

• Group: Select between an individual group extraction or all active groups extraction, where
active means slices visible on the screen.
• Slice Group: Select from the dropdown menu which group is extracted to a zone.
• All Active Slice Groups: Extracts slice groups that are set to active.
• Time: Specify between extracting a slice for all solution times or the current solution time.
• Current Solution Time: Extract a slice for the active solution time.
• All Solution Times: Extract a slice for each solution time.
• Create a zone for each: Specify how each slice is extracted into single or multiple zones.
• Slice: Extracts each slice to a single zone.
• Connected Region: Extracts each slice to its connected regions. Connected regions are
defined by zone boundaries and areas of disconnected meshes.
• Resulting 1D Zone Type: Only active when the slice source is not a volume.
• I-ordered If Possible: Creates an I-ordered zone for each slice zone that is a single
connected region.
• FE Line Segment: Creates all extracted linear zones as FE-LineSeg zones.
Values in the extracted slice are nodal unless Contour Type is set to Primary Value flood on the Contour
page of the Slice Details dialog. In this case, the value location for the extracted slice is the same as for the
source zones.

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Streamtraces

A streamtrace is the path traced by a massless particle placed at an arbitrary location in a steady-state
vector field. Streamtraces may be used to illustrate the nature of the vector field flow in a particular region
of the plot. See Section 21 - 9 “Calculating Particle Paths and Streaklines” for information on adding
streaklines and particle paths to your plot.
Because streamtraces are dependent upon a vector field, you must define vector components before
creating streamtraces in Tecplot 360 EX. However, it is not necessary to activate the Vector zone layer to
use streamtraces.
To add streamtraces to your plot, toggle-on “Show Streamtraces” in the Streamtrace Details dialog or in
the Plot sidebar and use either the Add Streamtrace tool in the toolbar or the Plot sidebar, or the
Create Streams button on the Position page of the Streamtrace Details dialog, to specify the location of
your streamtraces.
When working with the Add Streamtrace tool, click to individual streamtraces, or drag to seed a rake
(group) of streamtraces.
To create streamtraces with a format other than Surface Line, select a format from the “Create Streamtraces
with Format” drop-down menu on the Position page of the Streamtrace Details dialog.
If you are drawing a rake on concave 3D volume surfaces using the Add Streamtrace tool, hold down the
Shift key to draw the rake outside of the data.
There are two main categories of streamtraces:
• Surface line streamtraces (or streamlines) - Surface streamtraces are confined to the surface
on which they are placed. They can only be placed in zones displayed as a 2D or 3D surface. If
you try to place streamlines in a zone displayed as a 3D volume, an error message appears, and
no streamlines are drawn. See Section 15 - 1.2 “Lines Page”. When surface streamtraces are
placed on a no-slip boundary surface, they will propagate according to the flow field very near
the surface (see Section 15 - 2 “Surface Streamtraces on No-slip Boundaries” for more
information).
• Volume streamtraces - Volume streamtraces can be created in 3D volume zones only (IJK-
ordered or FE-volume zones). See Section 15 - 1.3 “Rod/Ribbon Page”. Volume streamtraces are
subdivided into three categories:
• Volume Lines, or volume streamlines.

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• Volume Ribbons, or streamribbons.

• Volume Rods, or streamrods.

If you have added streamtraces to your plot, but cannot see them, go to the Volume
page of the Zone Style dialog and verify that Show Streamtraces is set to “Yes”. Refer
to Section 7 - 1.3 “Derived Volume Object Plotting” for details.

15 - 1 Streamtrace Details dialog

You can control the style of your streamtraces using the Streamtrace Details dialog (accessed via
Plot>Streamtraces or the Details button to the right of the Streamtraces checkbox in the Plot sidebar).
These style attributes affect all streamtraces in the active frame, including those already placed. They do
not affect extracted streamtrace zones, discussed in Section 15 - 3 “Streamtrace Extraction as Zones”,
because these are ordinary ordered zones, and not streamtraces.

In order for the changes made on the Streamtrace Details dialog to be visible in your
plot, you must have Show Streamtraces toggled on in the dialog, or Streamtraces
toggled on in the Plot sidebar.

The Streamtrace Details dialog has seven pages:

• Placement Page
• Lines Page
• Rod/Ribbon Page
• Animate Page
• Term Line Page
• Integration Page
The dialog includes a checkbox at the top to globally turn the display of streamtraces on or off. This is
available on all pages of the dialog and is the same as the corresponding checkbox in the Plot sidebar.

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15 - 1.1 Placement Page

Use the Placement page of the Streamtrace Details dialog (accessed via the Plot sidebar or
Plot>Streamtraces) to control the next streamtrace or streamtrace rake to be placed.

Alternatively, you can add streamtraces using the Add Streamtrace tool . See also
“Add Streamtrace” on page 32.

The following options are available:

• Create Streamtraces with Format - Choose the format for the next streamtrace from the drop-
down. The options are as follows:
• Surface Line - Two-dimensional and 3D surface streamlines. Surface lines are confined
to the surface upon which they are placed. If placed in a 3D volume zone, these
streamtraces are not plotted.
• Volume Line - Three-dimensional volume streamline plotted through 3D space. The
streamline path is integrated in three dimensions within the 3D volume field.
• Volume Ribbon - Three-dimensional volume streamtrace with a defined thickness that
twists in accordance with the local stream-wise vorticity of the vector field: a
streamribbon. When you select this option, you should also check the ribbon width on
the Rod/Ribbon page of the Streamtrace Details dialog. The width affects all
streamtraces, including those already placed. The default width is automatically
calculated based on the extent of your data, but it may still be too large. The center of the
streamribbon is a 3D volume streamline. The streamribbon rotates about this streamline
in accordance with the local vector field. Streamribbons have an orientation at each step.
• Volume Rod - Three-dimensional volume streamtrace with a defined thickness and a
polygonal cross-section: a streamrod. The cross-section of a streamrod rotates around a
volume streamline in accordance with the local stream-wise vorticity. The center of the
streamrod is a regular 3D volume streamline. Streamrods have an orientation at each
step. As with streamribbons, you should check the rod width on the Rod/Ribbon page of
the Streamtrace Details dialog, as well as the number of rod points (three, by default).
The number of points indicates the cross-sectional shape of the rod. Three is an

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equilateral triangle; four, a square; five, a regular pentagon; and so forth. Like the width
parameter, the number of points applies to all streamrods, including those already
placed.
• Seed Streamtraces - Choose the method for seeding the streamtraces. This will determine the
options available in the central portion of the dialog.
• Using Streamtrace Placement Tool - Click on the plot to seed a stream at the clicked
point. Click and drag to seed a rake (a series of streamtraces) of the specified number of
equally-spaced points along the path.
• On Surfaces of Active Zones - Tecplot 360 EX randomly distributes the specified
number of seed points on the active zones.
• On Surfaces of Selected Objects - Tecplot 360 EX randomly distributes the specified
number of seed points on the surfaces of the selected objects.
• By Entering XYZ Positions - Specify the placements of the seed point or rake
numerically by entering XYZ coordinates in the position fields, which appear when you
choose method of placing streamtraces.
• By Entering IJK Positions - Same as above, except you enter IJK coordinates in the
position fields. In this case you must also choose a zone.
• Direction - Select the stream integration direction from the following options:
• Forward - Select for forward integration from the starting point.
• Backward - Select for backward integration from the starting point. When the
streamlines are calculated backwards, the arrowheads still point in the forward
direction.
• Both - Select for both forward and backward integration from the starting point. (For
streamribbons and streamrods, you should avoid this option.)
• Number of Seed Points - Enter the number of seed points here. When placing streamtraces
using XYZ or IJK positions, this field is available only when creating a rake; the specified
number of streamtraces will be created at equal intervals between the
• Position fields (Only for XYZ or IJK Positions) - Specify the position of the start point, or the
range of the rake (series of streamtraces), in IJK or XYZ coordinates.
• Zone (Only for IJK) - Select from the drop-down the zone for which the I, J, (and K)
indices are being specified.
• Create Rake - Select to identify the starting position as the start of a rake and to activate
the Rake Ending Position fields.
• Streamtrace Start Position - Specify the starting position for a single streamtrace, or (if
“Create Rake” is selected) the beginning of a rake of streamtraces. There are two or three
fields, labeled either X, Y, (and Z) or I, J, (and K). Enter the desired value in each field, or
use the up and down arrows to increase or decrease the values.
• Rake End Position (Only if Create Rake is selected) - Specify the end position for a rake
of streamtraces. There are two or three fields, labeled either X, Y, (and Z) or I, J, (and K).
Enter the desired value in each field, or use the up and down arrows to increase or
decrease the values.
• Create Streamtraces - Click to seed the streamtrace or rake of streamtraces. Not available
when using the streamtrace placement tool; click on the plot instead.
• Number of Streamtraces (Information only) - The number of streamtraces currently placed.
• Delete Last - Select to delete the last streamtrace or rake placed.

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• Delete All - Select to delete all streamtraces in the current plot.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 - When the Streamtrace tool is selected, press 1-9 to change the

number of streamtraces to add when placing a rake of streamtraces.

15 - 1.2 Lines Page

Surface streamtraces or streamlines are confined to the surface on which they are placed. They can only be
placed in zones displayed as a 2D or 3D surface. If you try to place streamlines in a zone displayed as a 3D
volume, an error dialog appears, and no streamlines are drawn. The following attributes may be set with
the Lines page of the Streamtrace Details dialog. You cannot customize streamtraces using the Lines page
until after at least one streamtrace has been drawn.

• Show Paths - Toggle-on to include streamtraces in your plot.

• Line Color - Select the color for all streamtraces in the Color Chooser. You may set the color to
Multi-color to color the streamtraces by the chosen contour group variable in the same manner
as color flooding. (If the contour variable is not currently defined, the Contour Variable dialog
appears so that you can define it.) You can use the Multi-color option, for example, to color the
streamtraces by the local temperature or by the velocity magnitude. You can also specify RGB
coloring.
The following attributes affect surface and volume streamlines:
• Line Thickness - Enter a value, or choose a pre-set value for the streamline thickness (as a
percentage of the frame height for 2D lines and as a percentage of the median axis length for
3D surface lines and volume lines), or choose a pre-set value from the drop-down menu.
• Arrows - Toggle-on Show Arrowheads on Lines to display arrowheads along all streamlines
(surface and volume) in the active frame. Arrows are not shown on volume ribbons or volume
rods. You can also control the following attributes of the displayed arrows:
• Arrowhead Size - Either enter a value for the arrowhead size (as a percentage of the
frame height), or choose a pre-set value from the drop-down menu.
• Arrowhead Spacing - Enter the distance between arrowheads in terms of Y-frame units.
A value of ten percent will space arrowheads approximately ten percent of the frame
height apart from each other along each streamline.

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15 - 1.3 Rod/Ribbon Page

The following attributes may be set with the Rod/Ribbon page of the Streamtrace Details dialog. They
affect volume ribbons and volume rods only. You cannot customize streamtraces using the Rod/Ribbon
page until after at least one streamtrace has been drawn.

• Show Paths - Toggle-on to include streamtraces in your plot.

• Rod/Ribbon Width - Enter a width for the volume ribbons and volume rods. The width is
expressed in grid units. If you want two sets of streamtraces with different widths, you must
create them individually by creating a set of streamtraces with a specific width, extracting the
set as a zone, and then configuring a new set of streamtraces with the second width. See
Section 15 - 3 “Streamtrace Extraction as Zones”.
• Rod Points - Volume rods have a polygonal cross-section; this parameter tells Tecplot 360 EX
what that cross-section should be. (Three is an equilateral triangle, four is a square, five is a
regular pentagon, and so on.) If you want two sets of volume rods with different cross-sections,
you must create one set and then extract the set as a zone, then configure a new set of
streamtraces with the second cross-section. See Section 15 - 3 “Streamtrace Extraction as
Zones”.
• Show Mesh - Toggle-on to display a mesh.
• Color - Select a mesh color in the Color Chooser, or choose a custom color or multi-
color.
• Line Thickness - Select a line thickness from the drop-down menu, or enter your own
number in the text field.
• Show Contour Flood -Toggle-on to display contour flooding.
• Flood by - Select the contour group to flood.
• [...] - Use this button to display the Contour & Multi-Coloring Details dialog.
• Show Shade - Toggle-on to display shading.
• Color - Select a shade color in the Color Chooser. Multi-color and RGB coloring are not
available (use contour flooding instead).
• Use Lighting Effect - Toggle-on to enable the lighting effect drop-down menu, from
which you can select “Paneled” or “Gouraud” shading.

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• Use Surface Translucency - Toggle-on to enable the surface translucency text field,
where you can set the surface translucency from one (nearly opaque) to 99 (nearly
transparent).

15 - 1.4 Timing Page

Use the Timing page of the Streamtrace Details dialog (accessed via the Plot sidebar or
Plot>Streamtraces) to control timed markers for streamlines, and timed dashes for all types of
streamtraces. Stream markers are drawn at time locations along streamlines. The spacing between stream
markers is proportional to the magnitude of the local vector field.
Stream markers are symbols plotted along streamtrace paths to identify the positions of particles at certain
times. Figure 15-1 shows a plot with both streamtrace markers and dashes.

Figure 15-1. Streamtrace markers (top), dashes (bottom), and both (middle).
The spacing between stream markers is proportional to the magnitude of the local vector field. You can
adjust the spacing between stream markers by specifying the time interval (or delta) between stream
markers. Increasing the delta time will increase the space between stream markers and vice versa. The
actual spacing is the product of the local vector magnitude and the specified delta.
You may also select the shape of your stream marker using the pre-set list under the Shape drop-down
menu on the Timing page of the Streamtrace Details dialog. Selecting “Other” from the list activates the
Enter ASCII Character option, where you may enter an ASCII character to be used as your stream marker.

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To place stream markers or dashes along your streamtraces, open the Timing page of the Streamtrace
Details dialog (accessed via the Plot sidebar or the Plot menu).

The Timing page has the following options:

• Show Markers - Toggle-on to include stream markers. Stream markers are only available for
streamlines (surface and volume). Specify the size, color, and shape of the markers in the fields
provided. The default marker shape is a sphere (in 3D plots) or a circle (2D).
• Show Dashes - Toggle-on to include stream dashes. The lengths of the dashes and the spaces
between the dashes are controlled by the value of Delta. Enter a value into the Dash Skip field
to control the number of time deltas used for the “off” sections of the streamtraces.
• Time Start - Enter the time at which the first marker should be drawn. A start time of zero
means that the first marker is drawn at the starting point. A start time of 2.5 means that the first
stream marker is drawn 2.5 time units downstream of the starting point.
• Time End -Enter the time after which no more stream markers are drawn.
• Time Anchor - Enter the time that a dash is guaranteed to start, provided the start and end
time surround the dash.
• Time Delta - Enter the time interval that measures the time between stream markers. The
actual distance between markers is the product of this number and the local vector magnitude.
Click Reset Delta to reset this to the default value.

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15 - 1.5 Animate Page

The Animate page controls animation of streamtraces.

You may specify the number of steps per cycle, the number of cycles, and the destination for animation
(the screen or a file). Click the Animate button to begin animation and see Chapter 29: “Animation” for
further details.

15 - 1.6 Term Line Page

A streamtrace termination line is a polyline that terminates any streamtraces that cross it. The termination
line is useful for stopping streamtraces before they spiral or stall. Figure 15-2 shows the cylinder data with
some streamtraces terminated by a 2D streamtrace termination line.

Figure 15-2. A streamtrace termination line drawn through surface streamlines.

Streamtraces are terminated whenever any of the following occur:
• The maximum number of integration steps is reached.
• Any point where the streamtrace passes outside the available data.
• The streamtrace reaches a point where the velocity magnitude is zero.

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You control the streamtrace termination line from the Term Line page of the Streamtrace Details dialog.

From the Term Line page, you can control the following attributes of the termination line:
• Active Termination Line - Toggle-on to activate the termination line and terminate any
streamtraces that cross it. Toggle-off this option and redraw the plot to view unterminated
streamtraces.
• Draw Stream Term Line - Click to draw the termination line on the plot. This is the same as
choosing the button on the toolbar. Click the individual points on the plot that make up
the termination line, then double-click to end the line construction.
• Show Termination Line - Toggle-on to display the termination line. Toggle-off this option and
redraw the plot to display terminated streamlines (if the termination line is active), but not the
termination line itself.
• Color - Choose the color of the termination line in the Color Chooser.
• Line Pattern - Choose the pattern for the termination line.
• Pattern Length - The length of the pattern as a percentage of frame height.
• Line Thickness - The thickness of the termination line as a percentage of frame height.
You can select a termination line with the Selector or Adjustor tool. This allows you to interactively move
the line (with the Selector), modify the line (with the Adjustor), or delete the line (with either tool).

Only one termination line can exist at any one time in a given frame. If you draw a
second termination line, the first one is automatically deleted.

Termination Lines in the Eye Coordinate System

The streamtrace termination line is drawn in the grid coordinate system, which in 2D Cartesian plots
moves with the data as you zoom and translate. In 3D Cartesian plots, the termination line is drawn in
what is known as the eye coordinate system. Grid coordinates align with the eye coordinate system,
therefore the termination line moves with the data as you zoom and translate, but remains fixed when you
rotate the plot.

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When you rotate a 3D dataset after drawing a streamtrace termination line, streamtraces previously
terminated by the termination line may be terminated at different places, or not terminated at all if the
rotated streamtrace no longer intersects the termination line. Figure 15-3 shows a 3D volume plot with
streamribbons and a streamtrace termination line. This figure illustrates how the termination points vary
as the plot is rotated. Notice that the termination line, being rendered in the eye coordinate system,
remains in place on the screen as the plot is rotated.

Figure 15-3. Rotating Volume streamtraces with a termination line in the eye coordinate system.

15 - 1.7 Integration Page

Tecplot 360 EX uses an adaptive step-size, trapezoidal integration algorithm to calculate streamtraces. This
creates the streamtrace by moving it in a series of small steps from the starting point in the direction of (or
in opposition to) the local vector field. Each step is only a fraction of a cell or element. Tecplot 360 EX
automatically adjusts the step size based on the local cell shape and vector field variation.

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You can control the streamtrace integration by modifying the following parameters in the Integration page
of the Streamtrace Details dialog:

• Step Size - Enter the initial and maximum step size Tecplot 360 EX uses while integrating
through the vector field as a decimal fraction of the local cell or element width. A typical value
(and the default) is 0.25, which results in four integration steps through each cell or element.
The value for Step Size affects the accuracy of the integration. Setting Step Size too small can
result in round-off errors, while setting it too large can result in truncation errors and missed
cells.
• Max Steps - Enter the maximum number of steps before the streamtrace is terminated. This
prevents streamtraces from spinning forever in a vortex, or from wandering into a region
where the vector components are very small, very random, or both. If you choose a small Step
Size, you should enter a larger Max Steps.
• Minimum Step Size - The smallest step size for Tecplot 360 EX to use. Setting this too small
results in integration problems. Setting this greater than or equal to the Step Size results in a
constant step size.
• Obey Source Zone Blanking - When active, streamtraces are generated for non-blanked
regions only. When inactive, streamtraces are generated for both blanked and unblanked
regions.
During the integration, a streamtrace is terminated if any of the following conditions occur:
• The maximum number of integration steps (Max Steps) have been taken.
• Any point the streamtrace passes outside the available data.
• The streamtrace reaches a point where the velocity magnitude is zero.
• The streamtrace crosses the stream termination line.
When there is a small gap between the zones, streamtraces will terminate at a zone boundary even if there
is an adjacent zone into which the streamtraces should proceed. Specifying face neighbors in the data file
to connect the zones can reduce this issue. Increasing the minimum integration step size can also
ameliorate this problem.

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 Surface Streamtraces on No-slip Boundaries

15 - 2 Surface Streamtraces on No-slip Boundaries

When surface streamtraces are placed on a no-slip boundary surface, they propagate according to the
normal gradient of tangential velocity (proportional to shear stress) near the surface if the currently
assigned vector variables of the surface zone are zero or passive. Otherwise, the surface vector values are
used to compute the surface streamtraces. If the surface vector variables are zero or passive, the velocity
gradient is computed from the data in the surface’s parent zone, which must be a 3D volume zone and
must be coincident with the no-slip boundary zone. Additionally, the parent zone must be identified in the
definition of the surface zone in the data file itself.
For ASCII files, the parent zone may be declared using the following combinations of lines in the header of
the wall boundary surface zone:
PARENTZONE=<zone number>
AUXDATA [Link] = "TRUE"
AUXDATA [Link] = "Wall"
Refer to the Data Format Guide for more information on zone headers in ASCII data files.

15 - 3 Streamtrace Extraction as Zones

Normally, streamtraces are derived from the dataset “on the fly” and do not add any data to the dataset.
To extract existing streamtraces to zones, allowing you to retain them even if streamtrace settings are
changed, choose Extract>Streamtraces from the Data menu.

If you want all streamtraces of a given format extracted to a single zone, select the toggle-on “Concatenate
common streamtraces into one zone” in the Extract Streamtraces dialog. If you select this option, Tecplot
360 EX extracts all surface lines into one zone, all volume lines into another, all volume ribbons into a
third, and all volume rods into a fourth. Tecplot 360 EX uses FE zones (FE-Line segment for streamlines
and FE-Quad for rods and ribbons). If you do not select this option, and timing is not turned on to show
dashes, each streamtrace is extracted into its own ordered zone (I-Ordered for streamlines and IJ-Ordered
for rods and ribbons).
After you have extracted your streamtraces, you will still see the original streamtraces, which may obscure
the plotted streamtrace zones. Once you have extracted the zones, you can delete the original streamtraces
by selecting [Delete All] on the Position page of the Streamtrace Details dialog. If timed dashes are active,
all extracted streamtraces will be finite element zones. Otherwise, all extracted streamline zones are I-
ordered, and extracted volume ribbon and volume rod zones are IJ-ordered.

15 - 4 Streamtrace Errors
Streamtraces will not appear under the following conditions:
• Unorganized data (I-ordered zones). Refer to Section “Working with Unorganized Datasets”
for information on organizing unorganized data.
• Zero-valued vectors. Refer to Chapter 10: “Vector Layer” for information on working with
vectors.

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• The streamtrace was placed outside of the data. If you are drawing a rake on a concave 3D
volume surfaces, hold down the Shift key to draw the rake outside of the data.
• Inappropriate integration step size. Refer to Section 15 - 1.7 “Integration Page” for information
on integrating streamtraces.

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 16

Iso-surfaces

An iso-surface displays a constant value of the contour variable as a surface on your plot. Iso-surfaces
require that the data set contains volume zones (IJK-ordered, brick, tetrahedral, or polyhedral zones). You
can modify iso-surfaces in the Iso-Surface Details dialog, which you can access by selecting the Details
button next to the Iso-surfaces toggle in the Plot sidebar. Or you can open the Iso-Surface Details dialog
by selecting “Iso-Surfaces” from the Plot menu. Finally, you may right-click an iso-surface in your plot and
use the context menu and toolbar to make quick changes to its settings.
The context toolbar appears above the context menu when you right-click an
iso-surface. This toolbar allows you to turn on or off the grid, contour, shade,
and translucency layers for the selected iso-surface(s). Additionally, you
may adjust frequently-used style settings for each layer using the drop-down menu to the right of each, for
example selecting a color for the grid (or choosing a variable by which to color it).

To view changes made in the Iso-surface Details dialog in your plot, you must have
“Iso-surfaces” toggled on in the Plot sidebar.

16 - 1 Iso-Surface Groups
You can work with up to eight different iso-surface groups in Tecplot 360 EX. Zone layers or other objects
that reference the same group for an attribute show the same plot style for that attribute. Each iso-surface
group has its own settings for the attributes set in the Iso-surface Details dialog. Refer to the following
sections for details on each attribute. Choose the desired group number from 1-8 at the top of the dialog,
then toggle-on the “Show Group n” checkbox to include the corresponding iso-surface group in your plot.

If you have added iso-surfaces to your plot, but cannot see them, go to the Volume
page of the Zone Style dialog and verify that Show Iso-surfaces is set to “Yes”. Refer
to Section 7 - 1.3 “Derived Volume Object Plotting” for details.

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16 - 2 Iso-Surface Definition
Use the Definition page of the Iso-Surface Details to
control Tecplot 360 EX’s rendering of iso-surfaces.
Tecplot 360 EX applies the attributes set on this page
(and on every page of the dialog) to the Iso-Surface
group selected at the top of the dialog next to the Show
Group toggle.
The Definition page of the dialog includes the
following controls:
• Show Group n - Select this check box to
display iso-surfaces, where n can be 1-8.
• Define Iso-Surfaces using - Use this drop-
down menu to select the desired contour
group. Use the nearby gear button to display
the Contour & Multi-Coloring Details
dialog, where you can define contour groups.
(See Section 9 - 2 “Contour & Multi-Coloring
Details”.)
• Draw Iso-Surfaces at - Use this drop-down
menu to have Tecplot 360 EX draw iso-
surfaces at:
• Contour Group Levels - Go to the
Contour & Multi-Coloring Details dialog (accessed with the Details gear button) to
alter the Contour Levels. Refer to Section 9 - 2.2 “Contour Levels and Color” for details.
• At Specified Value(s) - Specify up to three values of the contour variable at which to
draw iso-surfaces.
• Contour Variable Min/Max - Indicates the minimum and maximum values of the contour
variable. When the contour variable is calculated from subzone data, one or more of the values
displayed may be estimates, which is indicated by (est) next to the affected values.
• Surface Generation Method - Determines how the surface is generated.
• Auto selects one of the surface generation algorithms best suited for the zones
participating in the iso-surface generation. "All Polygons" is used if one or more of the
participating zones is polytope, otherwise iso-surfaces use "All Triangles" unless the iso-
surface is defined by a coordinate variable in which case "Allow Quads" is used.
• Allow Quads can produce quads or triangles, and the resulting surface more closely
resembles the shape of the volume cells from the source zone. Since the quads are not
arbitrarily divided into triangles, no biases are introduced, and the resulting surface
may appear smoother. This method is preferred when the source zone is FE-Brick or IJK-
Ordered and the surface is aligned with the source cells.
• All Triangles is an advanced algorithm that can handle complex saddle issues and
guarantees that there will be no holes in the final surface. As the surface is composed
entirely of triangles, it can be delivered more efficiently to the graphics hardware.
• All Polygons is similar to the "All triangles" method except that all interior faces
generated as a result of triangulation that are not part of the original mesh are
eliminated. This preserves the original mesh of the source zones on the resulting iso-
surface.
• Obey Source Zone Blanking - When active, iso-surfaces are generated for non-blanked
regions only. When inactive, iso-surfaces are generated for blanked and unblanked regions.

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 Iso-Surface Contour and Shade

16 - 3 Iso-Surface Contour and Shade

The Contour and Shade page of the Iso-Surface Details
dialog controls the contour and shade style settings for all
iso-surfaces. (These styles act independently of the style
assigned to zones by the Zone Style dialog.) Tecplot 360 EX
applies the attributes set on this page (and every page of the
dialog) to the Iso-Surface group selected at the top of the
dialog next to the Show Group toggle.
The Contour and Shade page of the dialog includes the
following controls:
• Show Contour - Toggle-on “Show Contour” to
display contours on iso-surfaces.
• Contour Type - Select the contour type
from the drop-down. Lines, Flood, Lines
and Flood, Average Cell Flood, and Primary
Value Flood are available.
• Flood by - If you chose contour flooding,
select the contour group by which to flood
the contours, or select RGB flooding. Use
the nearby gear button to bring up the
Contour & Multi-Coloring Details dialog,
where you can define contour groups. (See Section 9 - 2 “Contour & Multi-Coloring
Details”.)
• Contour Lines by - If you chose contour lines, select the contour group by which to
draw lines. Use the nearby gear button to display the Contour & Multi-Coloring
Details dialog to define contour groups.
• Line Color - If you chose contour lines, click Line Color to select a line color in the Color
Chooser.
• Line Thickness - If you chose contour lines, select a contour line thickness from the
drop-down menu, or enter your own number in the text field.
• Use Lighting Effect - Toggle-on to enable the lighting effect selected in the Light effect
drop-down menu.
• Show Shade - Toggle-on to display shading on iso-surfaces.
• Color - Select a shade color using the Color Chooser.
• Use Lighting Effect - Toggle-on to enable the lighting effect selected in the Light effect
drop-down menu.
• Effects:
• Lighting Effect - Select between Paneled or Gouraud shading.
• Use Translucency - Toggle-on to enable the surface translucency text field, where you
may set the surface translucency from 1 (nearly opaque) to 99 (nearly transparent).

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16 - 4 Iso-Surface Mesh and Vector

The Mesh and Vector page of the Iso-Surface Details dialog
controls the mesh and vector style settings for all iso-
surfaces. (These styles act independently of the style
assigned to zones by the Zone Style dialog.) Tecplot 360 EX
applies the attributes set on this page (and every page of the
dialog) to the Iso-Surface group selected at the top of the
dialog next to the Show Group toggle.
The Mesh and Vector page of the dialog includes the
following controls:
• Show Mesh - Toggle-on “Show Mesh” to display
the mesh on iso-surfaces.
• Color - Select a mesh color in the Color
Chooser.
• Line Thickness - Select a mesh line
thickness from the drop-down menu, or
enter a number in the text field.
• Show Vectors - Toggle-on “Show vectors” to
display the vectors on iso-surfaces.
• Tangent Vectors - Select to use tangent
vectors for your iso-surfaces. See Section 10 - 2 “Vector Plot Modification” for more
information.
• Line Color - Choose the line color from the Color Chooser. Multi-color will color vectors
based on the contour group variable. If no contour variable is set for the selected contour
group, the Contour Details dialog will appear.
• Line Thickness - Specify line thickness as a percentage of the frame height. You may
enter a value in the text field, or choose one of the values in the drop-down.
• Vector Type - Use this drop-down to set the vector type for your iso-surfaces. Choose
from Tail at Point, Head at Point, Anchor at Midpoint, and Head Only.
• Vector Head Style - Use this drop-down to set the vector head style for your iso-
surfaces. Choose from Plain, Filled, and Hollow.

16 - 5 Iso-Surface Animation
Refer to Section 29 - 1.4 “Iso-surfaces Animation”.

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16 - 6 Iso-Surface Extraction
Normally, iso-surfaces are derived from the dataset “on the fly” and do not add any data to the dataset. To
extract existing iso-surfaces to Tecplot zones, allowing you to retain them even if the contour variable is
changed, select Extract>Iso-Surfaces from the Data menu.

When you click Extract, one new iso-surface zone is created for each iso-surface visible in your plot. All of
the variables in the dataset are interpolated from the 3D volume zones to the data points of the iso-
surfaces.
Iso-surface zones are FE-surface quadrilateral element-type zones, regardless of the original 3D volume
zone types. The mesh of the iso-surfaces is derived from the mesh of the original zones so that, in regions
where the original mesh was coarse, the iso-surface mesh is coarse, and where the original mesh was fine,
the iso-surface mesh is fine.

After creating the new iso-surface zones, it is often a good idea to turn off or
reconfigure the current settings for iso-surfaces because the new zones will occupy the
same physical space as the original iso-surfaces.

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 17

Axes

Tecplot 360 EX automatically enables the axes for 3D, 2D, XY, and Polar plot types. There are five distinct
sets of axes, one for each plot type. When the axes are generated, the axis labels, position, spacing, and tick
mark labels are created. You can adjust any of these settings by using the Axis Details dialog (accessed via
the Plot menu). Each page of the Axis Details dialog controls a different aspect of the axis, and each page
is available for each axis.

17 - 1 Axis Display
Use the “Show Axis” toggle in the Axis Details dialog to turn on an axis display. By default, displaying an
axis shows the axis line, tick marks, tick mark labels, and title for the axis. It is possible to disable any of
these components separately, including the axis line.
To edit an axis from the Axis Details dialog, use the axis buttons ([X], [Y], [R], etc.) at the top of the dialog
to indicate which axis you are working with. To edit a different axis, select a different axis button.

17 - 2 Axis Variable Assignment

For 2D and 3D Cartesian plots, Tecplot 360 EX initially assigns the first and second variables in the dataset
to the X- and Y-axes, respectively. For 3D axes, the third variable in the dataset is assigned to the Z-axis.
To change variable assignments for 2D and 3D axes, select “Assign XY” or “Assign XYZ” from the Plot
menu. For line plots, assigning axis variables is part of defining the mappings. See Chapter 6: “XY and
Polar Line Plots” for more information.
The axis range may be modified using the Range page of the Axis Details dialog, accessed via the Plot
menu or by right-clicking an axis in a plot. See Axis Range Options for XY and 2D/3D Plots and Axis
Range Options for Polar Plots.
When working with axis ranges, please keep the following definitions in mind:

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• Axis Range - Specifies the minimum and maximum data values displayed along the axis. The
range for an axis fits the value of the first variable assigned to that axis. If you deactivate the
current layer and activate another layer, it may be necessary to reset the axis range.
• Axis Length - Specifies the physical length of the axis on the screen or paper.
• Axis Scale - Specifies the ratio of the axis length to the axis range.

17 - 3 Axis Range Options for XY and 2D/3D Plots

This section discusses the options for XY Line, 2D Cartesian, and 3D Cartesian plots that can be found on
the Range page of the Axis Details dialog.

The Range page has the following options:

• Show Axis - Toggle-on this checkbox to show the selected axis (n) on the plot. Use the buttons
[X], [Y], etc. to the right of this checkbox to select the axis to show.
• Min - Enter the minimum value of the axis range.
• Max - Enter the maximum value of the axis range.
• Reset Range - Reset the Max and Min fields by selecting one of three options from the drop-
down menu:
• Reset to Nice Values - Sets the range to slightly larger than the current axis variable
range in order to begin and end the axis at major axis increments.
• Set to Variable Min/Max - Sets the range to the minimum and maximum variable
values, considering the effects of blanking.
• Make Current Values Nice - Rounds the axis range to the nearest major axis increment.
• Preserve axis length when changing range - If toggled-on, and your axes are Independent,
changes to the X to Y Ratio will affect the axes’ range, but not their scale. Toggle-off to change
both the axis range and axis scale simultaneously. See Figure 17-4 for an illustration of the
difference.
• Use log scale - The X and Y axes of XY Line plots can have a linear scale (default) or a
logarithmic scale. When “Auto Spacing” is selected with logarithmic scale, large numbers are
displayed in scientific notation (i.e., 3.48x105). It is strongly recommended that you use “Auto

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 Axis Range Options for XY and 2D/3D Plots

Spacing” with log axes. Navigate to the Ticks or Labels page of the dialog, and toggle-on “Auto
Spacing” to use this option.
• Reverse axis direction - Toggle on to display the axis from high to low rather than from low to
high. Not available for 3D Cartesian plots.
• Dependency - Select whether to set the axes as dependent upon or independent of each other.
For XY Line or 2D Cartesian, select “Independent” or “Dependent”.

When a logarithmic scale is being used in an XY Line plot, the axes must be independent.

For 3D Cartesian, select from one of the following options:

• Independent - All axes are independent.
• XY Dependent - The X and Y axes are dependent upon each other. The Z axis is
independent.
• XYZ Dependent - Changing the scale on any axis results in a proportional change in
scale on the other two axes, so that the specified X to Y Ratio and X to Z Ratio are
preserved.
• Ratios (For 2D and 3D plots only)
• 2D Plots - If “Dependent” is selected, enter the X to Y Ratio.
• 3D Plots - If “XY Dependent” is selected, enter the X to Y Ratio.
• 3D Plots - If “XYZ Dependent” is selected, enter the X to Y Ratio and the X to Z Ratio.
• Automatically Adjust Axis Range to Nice Values - Automatically adjusts the axis ranges to
the nearest major axis increments.
• Size Factors (For 2D and 3D plots only) - If the axes are XY-dependent, changing the X or Y
size factor changes the other. If the axes are XYZ-dependent, changing one size factor changes
the other two.
• Reset Size/Dependency - Resets the Dependency controls to their defaults.

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Axes

Figure 17-4. Preserving length versus preserving scale while changing range (left); preserving length
versus preserving scale while changing range in a Polar Line plot (right).

17 - 4 Axis Range Options for Polar Plots

Polar axes are different from any other axis type due to their cyclical nature. Each polar axis (Theta and R)
has very different settings, unlike XY or XYZ axes. For the Theta-axis you can change the Theta Mode,
Theta Period, and Theta Value on Circle Right; for the R-axis you can change the origin; and for both axes
you can clip the data to the axes.

• Show Axis - Toggle-on this checkbox to show the selected axis on the plot. Use the buttons
[Theta], [R], etc. to the right of this checkbox to select an axis.
• Min - Enter the minimum value of the axis range.
• Max - Enter the maximum value of the axis range.
• Reset Range - Reset the Max and Min fields by selecting one of three options from the drop-
down menu:
• Reset to Entire Circle - Sets the range of Theta to encompass an entire circle.
• Reset to Nice Values - Sets the range to slightly larger than the current axis variable
range in order to begin and end the axis at major axis increments.
• Set to Var Min/Max - Sets the range to the minimum and maximum variable values.
• Make Current Values Nice - Rounds the axis range to the nearest major axis increment.
• Preserve length when changing range - If toggled-on, changes to the Theta to R Ratio will
affect the axes’ range, but not their scale. Toggle-off to change both the axis range and axis
scale simultaneously. See Figure 17-4 for an illustration of the difference.
• Use log scale - The R axis can have a linear scale (default) or a logarithmic scale. When “Auto
Spacing” is selected with logarithmic scale, large numbers are displayed in scientific notation
(i.e., 3.48x105). It is strongly recommended that you use “Auto Spacing” with log axes.
Navigate to the Ticks or Labels page of the dialog, and toggle-on “Auto Spacing” to use this
option.

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 Axis Range Options for Polar Plots

• Reverse axis direction - Toggle on to display the axis from high to low rather than from low to
high. Not available for 3D Cartesian plots.
• Clip Data to axis - For Polar Line plots, it is possible to have data that extends beyond the
edges of the axes. Use this feature to eliminate data drawn outside of the range of the axes.
Clipping data can be set independently for each axis. To activate or deactivate clipping, toggle
“Clip Data to Axis” on or off. This feature is illustrated in Figure 17-5.

Figure 17-5. An example of clipping polar data to an axis.

• Theta Mode - By default, the Theta-axis is expressed in degrees mode with a range of 0 to 360.
For the Theta axis, you can plot the angles in units of Radians, Degrees, or Arbitrary (where
arbitrary sets the Theta range to the maximum and minimum values of the Theta-axis
variable).
To set the Theta Mode, choose from the following options:
• 0 - 360 Degrees
• -180 – 180 Degrees
• 0 – 2Pi Radians
• Pi-Pi Radians
• Fit to Var Min/Max
Selecting any of these options changes the Theta Mode, resets the Theta-axis range, and resets
the Theta Period. When the Theta Mode is Radians, Tecplot 360 EX draws Theta labels as
fractional units of Pi.
• Theta Period - The Theta Period specifies the Theta range that is required to create a complete
circle. If your Theta Mode is “Degrees”, the Theta Period is forced to 360; for “Radians”, the
period is 2 Pi; for “Fit to Var Min/Max”, the period can be set to any value.
• Theta Value on Circle Right - The “Theta Value on Circle Right” setting changes the
orientation of the Theta-axis. By default, this value is zero, which means that the value zero (or
equivalent value, 360 degrees, 720 degrees, and so forth) is displayed on the right hand side of
the circle. You can change this value to change the orientation of the axis.
• R-origin - The R-origin specifies what value of R is represented at the center of the axis. The
effect of changing the R-origin is displayed in Figure 17-6.

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Axes

Figure 17-6. An example of changing the R-origin from a range of 0.3 to 0.6 on a polar plot.

17 - 5 Axis Grid Options

You control the gridlines and precise dot grid from the Grid page of the Axis Details dialog, as shown
below. On this page, you can customize the line pattern, pattern length, line thickness, and gridline color
for Gridlines and Minor Gridlines.
• Gridlines - Match the spacing of tick marks.
• Minor Gridlines - Subdivisions of Gridlines.
The spacing of Gridlines is controlled by the tick mark spacing; see Section 17 - 6 “Tick Mark Options” for
more information.

• Gridlines, Minor Gridlines - To activate Gridlines or Minor Gridlines, toggle-on “Show”

under these headings on the Grid page. Both kinds of gridlines have the following options:
• Line Pattern - From the Line Pattern drop-down menu, choose one of the following line
patterns: Solid, Dashed, DashDot, Dotted, LongDash, or DashDotDot.
• Pattern Length (%) (Theta axis only) - Select a pattern length from the drop-down
menu, or enter in your own.
• Thickness (%) - Select a line thickness from the drop-down menu, or enter your own as
a percentage of frame height.
• Gridline Color - Select the color of your gridlines using the Color Chooser.
• Gridline Draw Order - For all axes except 3D, you may specify a gridline draw order.
Gridlines may be drawn either first, before any of the other plotting layers, or last, so
they overlay any plotting layers.
• Gridline Cutoff (R%) (Theta axis only) Select the point along the R-axis where you
want to stop drawing Theta lines.

In a Polar Line plot, the abundance of gridlines at the center may obscure data. You can
specify a gridline cutoff along the R-axis of Polar plots on the Grid page of the Axis
Details dialog for the Theta-axis.

• Show Precise Dot Grid - The precise dot grid is a set of small dots drawn at the intersection of
every minor gridline. In line plots, the axis assignments for the first active mapping govern the

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precise dot grid. The precise dot grid option is disabled for the 3D Cartesian plots and Line
plots when either axis for the first active line mapping uses a log scale.

17 - 6 Tick Mark Options

Tick marks can be placed on each axis and labeled with either numbers or text strings. You can define your
tick marks and their placement using the Ticks page of the Axis Details dialog. You can define the tick
mark labels using the Label page of the Axis Details dialog.

• Show Ticks On - For each plot type, you can display tick marks at different sections of the
axis. (This description also applies to Labels and Titles.)
Sketch, XY Line, and 2D Cartesian axes allow tick marks to be displayed in the following areas:
• Axis Line - The line that represents the specified axis.
• Grid Border Bottom - By default, the axis line and grid border left/bottom are in the
same position. Grid Border Bottom is the lower left-most position of the grid as defined
by the viewport settings on the Area page of the Axis Details dialog.
• Grid Border Top - Grid Border Top is the top right-most position of the grid as defined
by the viewport settings on the Area page of the Axis Details dialog.
3D Cartesian axis tick marks can be displayed in the following areas:
• Axis Line - The line that represents the specified axis.
• Opposite Edge - The complimentary line that is opposite the axis line.
Polar R-axis tick marks can be displayed in the following areas:
• Axis Line - The line that represents the R-axis.
• All R-axes - Only available if “Draw Axis in Both Directions” or “Draw Perpendicular
Axis” is toggled-on for the R-axis. The All R-axes setting will draw tick marks on the
additional axes that are drawn.
• Grid Border Start - Start point of the polar grid area.
• Grid Border End - End point of the polar grid area.

Grid Border Start and Grid Border End are only available if the polar plot does not form a
complete circle. If the data forms a complete circle, there is no start or end point on
which to draw the ticks.

Polar Theta-axis tick marks can be displayed in the following areas:

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Axes

• Axis Line - The line that represents the Theta-axis.

• Inner Circle - Only available if the minimum (Min) value on the R-axis is greater than
the R-origin (Max) value. The Min and Max values are located on the Range page of the
Axis Details dialog (see Axis Range Options for Polar Plots). When this is the case, the
center of the polar plot is a circle rather than a single point; therefore, ticks can be drawn
on the inner circle.
• Outer Circle - The outer edge of the polar grid area.
• Major Tick Mark Length and Thickness - Tick mark length and thickness can be set
independently for major and minor tick marks using the Length and Thickness fields o.
• Number of Minor Ticks; Length and Thickness - To specify the number of minor tick marks,
you must first toggle-off “Auto Spacing” at the bottom of the page. The number of minor tick
marks can be set in the “Number of Minor Ticks” text field in the Minor Ticks section of the
dialog. You may also set their length and thickness

There is not a separate control for showing minor tick marks. To hide minor tick marks,
enter zero in the “Number of Minor Ticks” text field.

• Tick Mark and Label Spacing - You can control tick mark and label spacing directly, or use
“Auto Spacing” (the default) to calculate an optimal spacing for tick marks and tick mark
labels. As you change views, particularly in zooming, Tecplot 360 EX recalculates the spacing.
With “Auto Spacing” selected, Tecplot 360 EX also calculates the number of minor tick marks
for you.
Spacing values are shared between tick marks and tick labels. You can change the spacing by
adjusting the Auto Spacing, Spacing, and Anchor controls at the bottom of the page under
“Tick Mark and Label Spacing”.

17 - 7 Tick Mark Label Options

From the Labels page of the Axis Details dialog, you can specify the label attributes for the tick marks of
each axis.

• Show Labels On - Toggle-on the appropriate options for label display. The available options
are dependent on plot type.

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 Tick Mark Label Options

For Sketch, XY line, and 2D Cartesian line plots, choose from:

• Axis Line - When toggled-on, axis labels will display on the selected axis line.
• Grid Border Bottom - When toggled-on, axis labels will display on the bottom of the
grid.
• Grid Border Top - When toggled-on, axis labels will display on the top of the grid.
For 3D Cartesian line plots, choose from:
• Axis Line - When toggled-on, axis labels will display on the selected axis line.
• Opposite Edge - When toggled-on, axis labels will display on the opposite edge of the
plot.
For Polar Line plots, choose from:
• Axis Line - When toggled-on, axis labels will display on the selected axis line.
• Inner Circle - When toggled-on, axis labels will display on the inner edge of the polar
grid area. (Only available if the minimum value on the R-axis is greater than the R-
Origin value.)
• Outer Circle - When toggled-on, axis labels will display on the outer edge of the polar
grid area.
• Color and Font - Select the color and font in which you want your labels to appear. (See
Section 18 - 1.2 “Font Folders and Fallback” for more information on how fonts work with
Tecplot 360 EX.)
• Number Format - Choose how the numbers should be formatted for axis labels using the
Specify Number Format dialog.
• Offset from Line (%) - Enter the offset of the tick mark labels from the axis.
• Orient Labels - Select from the following additional options for label display:
• At Angle - Labels oriented at the angle specified in the Angle drop-down menu.
• Parallel - Labels are parallel to the axis.
• Perpendicular - Labels are perpendicular to the axis.
• Angle (deg) - If Orient Labels is set to “At Angle”, specify the orientation of the tick
mark labels relative to the axis. The angle is measured in degrees counter-clockwise
from the axis.
• Show Label as Axis Intersection [2D, XY, and Polar Only] - Toggle-on to draw a label at the
point where two axes intersect. Use this toggle if you have axis labels that are colliding, or are
stacked on top of one another at the intersection of two axes.
• Erase Behind Labels - Toggle-on to include a rectangle (with the color of the frame
background) behind the label to increase the visibility of the label.
• Label Skip - Specify the interval between tick mark labels.
• Tick Mark and Label Spacing - You can control tick mark and tick mark label spacing directly,
or use Auto Spacing (the default) to calculate an optimal spacing for tick marks and tick mark
labels. As you change views, particularly in zooming, Tecplot 360 EX recalculates the spacing.
With Auto Spacing selected, Tecplot 360 EX also calculates the number of minor tick marks for
you.
Spacing values are shared between the tick marks and tick labels. You can change the spacing
by adjusting the Auto Spacing, Spacing, and Anchor controls at the bottom of the Ticks or
Label pages of the Axis Details dialog.

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17 - 8 Axis Title Options

An axis title is a text label that identifies the axis. By default, Tecplot 360 EX labels each axis with the name
of the variable assigned to that axis.

From the Title page of the Axis Details dialog, you can specify the following attributes for each axis title:
• Show Title On - For any plot type, you can specify where to show the axis title. Toggle-on
“Axis Line” to show the axis title directly on the corresponding axis. The remaining available
options are dependent upon plot type.
• For 3D - Opposite Edge.
• For 2D, XY Line or Sketch - Grid Border Bottom or Grid Border Top.
• For Polar Line plots - Inner Circle or Outer Circle.
• Color and Font - Select the color and font in which you would like your axis to appear. (See
Section 18 - 1.2 “Font Folders and Fallback” for more information on how fonts work with
Tecplot 360 EX.)
• Offset from Line - Prevents Tecplot 360 EX from printing your axis title directly on top of the
axis. You may specify a positive or negative offset from one side or the other of the axis. An
offset of zero prints the edge of the axis title on the axis.
You may also adjust the axis title offset using the Adjustor tool from the Toolbar (not
available for 3D Cartesian plots).
• Position along Line - Specify the start position of the axis title as a percentage of axis length.
• Title - Choose one of the following display options:
• Use Variable Name - Use the axis variable name as the title.
• Use Text - Enter the desired axis title in the appropriate text field.

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 Axis Line Options

17 - 9 Axis Line Options

The actual axis line is shown by default whenever the axis is shown. However, you can hide the axis line
without turning off the axis as a whole. To show or hide the axis line, select the Lines page of Axis Details
dialog (accessed via the Plot menu).

The options in this dialog vary depending on the plot type and, for some plot types, the axis selected. All
of the available options are described below, but not all will be available at any one time.
• Show Axis Line - Toggle-on or off to display or hide an axis line.
• Color - Select the color of your axis line using the Color Chooser.
• Thickness - Select the thickness of your axis line.
• Show Line on Opposite Edge (3D Cartesian only) - Toggle-on or off to draw a line on the
opposite edge from the selected axis line.
• Show Grid Border - Turning on the grid border draws a border around your grid. Toggle-on
or off to display or hide the borders of your grid. Not available for 3D Cartesian plots.
• Color - Select the color of your grid border.
• Thickness - Select the thickness of your grid border.
• Align Axis With - Select what part of your plot with which you would like to align your axis.
Not available for 3D Cartesian plots.
Sketch, XY line, and 2D Cartesian plots, choose from Axis Value, Bottom, Top, or Viewport. If
you choose Axis Value (e.g. Y Value), enter the desired value in the text field. For Bottom or
Top, enter the offset from the bottom or top. For Viewport, enter the position within the
viewport.
Polar plots (Theta-axis), choose from R Value, Inner Circle, or Outer Circle. When aligning
with an R Value, you may enter an R-axis Value to specify the position of the axis line. When
aligning with the inner or outer circle, specify an offset. With a zero offset, the axis line is on
the inner or outer circle, a positive offset moves the axis line outside the grid area. A negative
offset moves the axis line within the grid area.

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Polar plots (R-axis), choose from Theta Value, Inner Circle, or Outer Circle. When aligning
with a Theta Value, you may enter a Theta axis value to specify the position of the axis line.
When aligning with the inner or outer circle, specify an offset. With a zero offset, the axis line is
on the inner or outer circle, a positive offset moves the axis line outside the grid area. A
negative offset moves the axis line within the grid area.
• Theta Value - Align the R-axis with a specific Theta B=Value. The axis is limited to the
grid area.
• Grid Border Start - Align the R-axis with the start of the grid border. The axis is limited
to the grid area.
• Grid Border End - Align the R-axis with the end of the grid border. The axis is limited to
the grid area.
• Specific Angle - Align the R-axis with a specific screen angle. The axis is limited to the
grid area.
• Top of Grid Area - Align the R-axis with the top of the grid area. The axis may be drawn
outside the grid area.
• Bottom of Grid Area - Align the R-axis with the bottom of the grid area. The axis may
be drawn outside the grid area.
• Left of Grid Area - Align the R-axis with the left side of the grid area. The axis may be
drawn outside the grid area.
• Right of Grid Area - Align the R-axis with the right side of the grid area. The axis may
be drawn outside the grid area.
• Theta-Axis Value - Specify a Theta-axis value to specify the position of the axis line.
• Offset (%) - Enter the offset of the line from the axis.
• Angle - Enter the angle of the line from the axis.
• Draw Axis in Both Directions - In addition to setting the alignment of the R-axis, you may
choose to extend the R-axis by drawing an axis line perpendicular or parallel to the existing
axis line.
Toggle-on “Draw Axis in Both Directions” to extend the axis line so that it spans the width of
the grid area.
• Draw Perpendicular Axis - Toggle-on “Draw Perpendicular Axis” to draw an axis line
perpendicular to the main axis line.
• Show Viewport Border (Polar line plots only) - Toggle-on “Show Viewport Border” to show
the viewport border. The viewport border is defined on the Area page of the Axis Details
dialog.
• Color - Select the color of your viewport border.
• Thickness - Select the thickness of your viewport border.
• Show Line on Opposite Edge (3D Cartesian only) - When toggled-on, axis lines will display
on the opposite edge of the plot.
• Color - Select the color of your grid border.
• Thickness - Select the thickness of your grid border.
• Show Axis Box (3D Cartesian only) - Toggle-on “Show Axis Box” to display all edges of all
axes.
• Auto 3D Edge Assignment (3D Cartesian only) - Toggle-on “Auto 3D Edge Assignment” to
place the three axis lines so they will not interfere with the drawing of the plot. If toggled-off,
you have the option to place the line at any pair of edges, such as Y-Minimum & Z-Minimum,
Y-Maximum & Z-Minimum, Y-Minimum and Z-Maximum, or Y-Maximum & Z-Maximum.
The available pairs depend on the axis selected to edit.

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 Grid Area Options

17 - 10 Grid Area Options

The grid area of your plot is the area defined by the axes. From the Area page of Axis Details, you control
whether the grid area or viewport are color-filled. The Area page is shown below.

The Area page has the following options, some of which may not be available depending on plot type and,
for Polar line plots, the selected axis:
• Fill Grid Area - For Sketch, XY Line, and 2D Cartesian plots, you can alter the size of the grid
area by changing the extents of the viewport. (For these plot types, the viewport and grid area
are synonymous.) Click the Color button to select the color using the Color Chooser.
For 3D Cartesian and Polar Line plots, the grid area is altered by changes to the axis ranges.
3D Cartesian options:
• Fill Behind Axes - Select this option to fill the area behind the axes (your grid area) with
a specific color.
• Fill Color - Select the color with which to fill your grid area in the Color Chooser.
• Use Light Source Shading - Select this option to light source shade the axis
planes.
• 3D Axis Box Padding - Enter the minimum distance from the data to the axis box.
Lowering this value does not immediately affect the appearance of the plot, since
the existing axes still meet the new constraint; you can use Reset Range on the
Range page (see Axis Range Options for XY and 2D/3D Plots) to force the plot to
redraw.
Polar Line options:
• Fill Grid Area - Select this option to fill the grid area with a specified color.
• Fill Viewport - Select this option to fill the viewport area with a specified color.
• Viewport Position (%) - Select the position of the Viewport. The Viewport is the percentage of
the entire plot area occupied by the plot grid. Select the location (as a percentage of the entire
plot area) in which to place the Left, Right, Top, and Bottom borders of your grid area.

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17 - 11 Time/Date Format Options

The Specify Number Format dialog is available for all plot types, including Sketch. You can use this
dialog to display your axis labels in a number of different formats, including Time/Date format. The
Specify Number Format dialog can be accessed by going to the Plot>Axis>Label or the Plot>Axis>Range
page, and selecting the [Number Format] button. See Section 6 - 7.1 “Specify Number Format” for more
information on the Specify Number Format dialog.
You can also display elapsed time, instead of absolute time, on any axis. To do this, the original time/date
data in your data file must indicate the elapsed time.)

To specify your axis label using Time/Date format, select “Time/Date” from the Type drop-down menu.
Data is read forward from December 30, 1899. Tecplot 360 EX also accepts negative values to support dates
back to January 1, 1800.
You can format your labels by entering the available Time/Date codes in the Format field. When entering a
format, any combination or subset of the Time/Date formula may be used.

If you use "m" immediately after the "h" or "hh" code or immediately before the "ss"
code, Tecplot 360 EX displays minutes instead of the month.

Use the following formula and table to enter your Time/Date codes:
Time Date Formula:
years-months-days hours:minutes:seconds
Time/Date Codes:

Time/Date
Display Format
Code
yy 00-99
Years
yyyy 1800-9999

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 Time/Date Format Options

mmmmm first letter of the month

m 1-12

Monthsa mm 01-12
mmm Jan-Dec
mmmm January-December
b
[d] total number of elapsed days
d 1-31
dd 01-31
Days
ddd Sun-Sat
dddd Sunday-Saturday
ddddd S,M,T,W,T,F,S
[h] total number of elapsed
hours
h 0-23 or 1-12
c
Hours hh 00-23 or 1-12
AM/PM AM or PM
A/P AM or PM as “A” or “P”
[m] total number of elapsed
minutes
Minutes m 0-59
mm 00-59
s 0-59
ss 00-59

Seconds .0 Tenths
.00 Hundredths
.000 Thousandths
a. Codes can be entered as upper or lower case letters; however, letters will be
displayed as shown in the display format. Numbers that cannot be formatted
as a time or date will be displayed as asterisks.
b. Total number of elapsed days, hours, and minutes are valid for time
values greater than or equal to zero, and equal to or less than
1,000,000 days.
c. NOTE: If you enter “AM/PM” or “A/P” in your Time/Date format, the “h” and
“hh” hour codes are expressed using a 12-hour clock. Otherwise, hours are
expressed in military time (24 hour clock).

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Placing a backslash in front of a y, m, d, or s in the Time/Date formula will keep it from

being processed as part of the formula. All characters not part of the Time/Date formula
will appear as entered.
For example, “\year yyyy” will appear as “year 2008”, as the backslash keeps the first y
from being processed as part of the formula.

Examples
To display the time and date on your plot as a “Sat-Jan-05-2008”, enter the following code:
ddd-mmm-dd-yyyy
To display the time and date on your plot as a “1-3-08”, enter the following code:
m-d-yy
To display the time and date on your plot as a “9:30:05 AM”, enter the following code:
h:mm:ss AM
To display an elapsed time, such as”3:10:15”, enter the following code:
[d]:hh:mm

17 - 11.1 Microsoft Excel Support

Tecplot 360 EX supports Microsoft Excel1 Time/Date number strings, with the exception of AM/PM time
specifications, long day names, and long month names. This support allows you to create number formats
in Excel and import them for use with your Tecplot 360 EX plots, or vice versa.

Time/Date number strings can be transferred from Excel to Tecplot 360 EX from Mar 1,
1900 forward.

17 - 11.2 Loading Time/Date Data

You can load time/date data into Tecplot 360 EX in the same way as any other data point. The following
methods load time/date data as a floating-point number. (After loading, use Plot>Axis>Labels>Number
Format to change the axis format to a time/date display.) The following methods can be used to load time/
date data into Tecplot 360 EX.
1. Excel Macro (add-on) This add-on offers more options to load data from Excel. Although it
requires installation into Excel, after installing, this method enables quick and simple data
loading from Excel into Tecplot 360 EX. Refer to Section B - 1 “Excel Add-In” for details.
2. Text Spreadsheet Loader For loading delimited files, use this loader. Refer to Section 4 - 23
“Text Spreadsheet Loader” for instructions. Time/date data included in this format must be
represented by the floating point number used by Excel and Tecplot 360 EX. (See Section 2 - 6
“Time and Date Representation” in the Data Format Guide for more information on this
formatting.)

1. Tecplot 360 EX does not currently support Mac Excel "1904" format.

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Text, Geometries, and Images

You can enhance any plot, or create a drawing from scratch, using Tecplot 360 EX’s text and drawing tools.
Tecplot 360 EX provides tools for creating polylines, circles, ellipses, squares, rectangles, and text. You can
also insert BMP, JPEG, or PNG images to enhance your plot.
A plot that contains only these add-on elements and no plotted data is referred to as a sketch and can be
created with the “Sketch” plot type. Figure 18-1 shows a sketch created with Tecplot 360 EX drawing tools.

Figure 18-1. A sketch created with Tecplot 360 EX.

18 - 1 Text
To add text to your plot or sketch, either select the Text tool from the Toolbar or Text from the Insert
menu. Click anywhere in a frame to indicate the location of the text. Use the Text Details dialog to enter
and modify text and its formatting. To create additional text elements, you may click in the Tecplot 360 EX
workspace at the desired location of the next text element while the dialog is open.
You can edit existing text by first choosing the Selector tool, then double-clicking the text element to
open the Text Details dialog. Alternatively, right-click the text element and many of the text attributes can
be changed in the context menu as well as selecting Text Details.

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18 - 1.1 Text Details

The Text Details dialog has the following options:.

• Type the desired text in the large text field at the top of the dialog.
You can embed Greek, Math, and User-defined characters into English-font strings by
enclosing them with text formatting tags, together with the keyboard characters. See Section 30
- 4 “Custom Character and Symbol Definition” on page 471 for more information on defining
your own characters.
The text formatting tags and their effects are as follows (format tags are not case sensitive and
may be either upper or lower case):
• <b>...</b> - Boldface
• <i>...</i> - Italic
• <verbatim>...</verbatim> - Verbatim
• _... - Subscripts
• ^... - Superscripts
• <greek>...</greek> - Greek font.
• <math>...</math> - Math font.
• <userdef>...</userdef> - User-defined font.
• <helvetica>...</helvetica> - Helvetica font.
• <times>...</times> - Times font.
• <courier>...</courier> - Courier font.

Not all fonts have Bold and/or Italic variants. For fonts that do not have these styles, the
<b> and/or <i> tags may have no effect.

Embedding and escaping special characters work only in English-font text; they have no effect
in text created in Greek, Math, or User-defined character sets.
You can produce subscripts or superscripts by enclosing any characters with _... or
^..., respectively. Tecplot 360 EX has only one level of superscripts and subscripts;
2
expressions requiring additional levels, such as e x , must be created by hand using multiple
Tecplot 360 EX text strings. If you alternate subscripts and superscripts, Tecplot 360 EX
positions the superscript directly above the subscript. Thus, the string a_b<sup>c</
sup> produces a cb . To produce consecutive superscripts, enclose all superscript characters in a
a + b
single pair of tags. The string x^(a+b) produces x in your plot.

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To insert a tag into text literally, precede the first angle bracket with a backslash (“\”). To insert
a backslash in the text, just type two backslashes (“\\”). In ASCII input files, the number of
backslashes must be doubled (two to precede a special character, four to create a backslash)
because the Preplot program also requires a backslash to escape special characters.
• Font - Select a font for the text. (See Section 18 - 1.2 “Font Folders and Fallback” for more
information on how fonts work with Tecplot 360 EX.) You may click the B and I buttons as
shortcuts for selecting a bold, italic, or bold italic variation of the chosen font.

Not all fonts have Bold and/or Italic variants. For fonts that do not have these styles, the
B and/or I buttons may have no effect.

• Size - Select a character height unit from the drop-down menu, then enter the size in the
associated field:
• Points - Specify character height in points. One point is 1/72nd of an inch.
• Frame% - Specify character height as a percentage of frame height.
• Grid - Specify character height in grid units. (Available only when Position By is set to
Grid.)
• X/Y Position - Choose the position of the text element’s anchor point (see Anchor button).
• Position by - Choose to position the text using the frame or grid coordinate system.
• Macro function - Enter the name of the macro function to be linked to this text object. See
Section 18 - 3 “Linking Text and Geometries to Macros” for more information. To run the
linked macro function, hold down Control while right-clicking the text object in the
workspace. (On Mac, hold down Command while right-clicking.)
• Color - Select a color for the text using the Color Chooser.
• Angle (deg) - Specify the orientation of the text relative to the axis. The angle is measured in
degrees counter-clockwise from horizontal. Horizontal text is at zero degrees; vertical text is at
90 degrees. You can either enter an angle in degrees, or select from one of the preset angles in
the drop-down.
• Line Spacing - Enter the line spacing when multiple lines of
text are entered: 1 for single-spacing, 2 for double-spacing,
etc. Fractional values are permitted.
• Text Box - Opens the Text Box dialog to specify the
appearance of the box around the text (if any). See Section 18
- 1.3 “Text Box” for more information.
• Anchor - Choose how the text is aligned with the anchor
point. As new text is added, the text expands away from the
anchor point chosen in the Anchor Alignment dialog.

18 - 1.2 Font Folders and Fallback

Tecplot 360 EX supports TrueType (.ttf) and OpenType (.otf) fonts. Fonts installed in the standard folder
for fonts on your operating system (for example, C:\Windows\Fonts on a Windows computer) appear in the
font selection menu in the Select Font dialog and in other places where you choose a font.
If the fonts you want to use with Tecplot 360 EX are installed in other folders, or if your operating system
does not have a default system location for fonts, you can edit the [Link] file in your Tecplot 360 EX
installation directory, using Notepad or another text editor, to indicate the directories where the fonts you
want to use are installed. Add a line like one of the following:
$!Interface FontPath = ' "/font/path" '
$!Interface FontPath = ' "C:\Windows\Fonts" "C:\More Fonts" '

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$!Interface FontPath = ' "/first/path/" "/second/path" "/third/path" '

Replace the paths with the paths to the folders that contain the fonts you wish to use, taking special note of
the single quote marks that wrap the entire list of folders and the double quotes around each folder’s path.
You can use just one or several font folders. As shown in the second example, if you wish to use your
computer’s standard fonts as well as fonts from other folders, you must manually specify the standard
font folder along with the others.
If you open a layout that specifies a font that Tecplot 360 EX does not have access to on your system, the
text “falls back” to Times. If the layout specifies a style you do not have (for example, a bold version of a
font you have but which does not include a bold version on your system), the correct font is used, but the
style (boldface, in this case) is not displayed.
It is possible to choose a font by typing its name directly into the font selection field in the Text Details
dialog and other places where a font can be chosen, instead of choosing the desired font from the provided
menu. If the font you specify in this way is not available to Tecplot 360 EX on your system, the text will
appear as Times on your computer. However, the name you typed is recorded when you save a layout,
and the text appears in the correct font if the layout is later opened on a computer on which the font is
available.

18 - 1.3 Text Box

Use the Text Box dialog (accessed via the Text Box button in the Text Details dialog) to control the
appearance of a box around the text. The following options are available:

• None - Select this option to specify that no box is drawn around the text.
• Outline - Select this option to specify an outline box around the text. The box is not filled, so
any underlying Tecplot 360 EX object can still be seen.
• Filled - Select this option to specify a filled box around the text. A filled box is opaque; if you
place it over another Tecplot 360 EX object, the underlying object cannot be seen.
• Line Thickness (%) - Specifies the thickness of the text box as a percentage of the frame width.
• Box Color - Select the box outline color from the Color Chooser dialog.
• Fill Color - Select the box fill color from the Color Chooser dialog.
• Margin - Specify the margin as a percentage of the text character height.

18 - 1.4 Special Characters

Tecplot 360 EX supports Unicode text encoding. Your operating system should provide ways to enter
Unicode text in non-English character sets, and any Unicode characters you can enter using these methods
will display and print correctly in Tecplot 360 EX.
If your system does not have the ability to enter Unicode text, characters in the ordinal range 160-255
provide support for most of the major European languages. The following table shows the characters in
this range supported by Tecplot 360 EX. Note that the two right-hand columns represent the extended

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European characters. Text formatting tags for Greek, Math, or User-defined characters work only with
characters in the range 32-126 and is not available for the extended European characters. If your system is
configured for European text entry, the European characters should appear and print automatically with
no additional setup.

Table 18 - 2: Character Indices in Tecplot 360 EX.

If your keyboard is not configured to produce a specific character, you can generate it by including the
sequence \nnn in your text, where nnn is from the character index table found in the table. For example, if
your keyboard will not generate the é and you want to show the word “latté,” enter:
latt\233

Custom Characters
You can create symbols, characters, and even custom fonts for use in Tecplot 360 EX. See Section 30 - 4
“Custom Character and Symbol Definition” for further instructions.

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18 - 1.5 Dynamic Text

You can add special placeholders to text that changes with the data or the display environment. For
example, you can add a date placeholder that Tecplot 360 EX will replace with the current date at each
redraw. Similarly, you can add a zone name or variable name placeholder.
For placeholders that represent an attribute of a Tecplot 360 EX object of which Tecplot 360 EX supports
multiple instances (such as a frame, a dataset, or a zone), the placeholder by default refers to the current or
active instance: for example, to the active frame if the placeholder refers to an attribute of frames. If there is
no obvious default or active instance, the placeholder by itself usually refers to the first instance.
For such placeholders, you may specify the desired instance of the referenced type of object by enclosing
an index in square brackets immediately following the placeholder name. For example, &(AUXZONE[3]:BC)
refers to the zone auxiliary data named BC in the third zone.
In most cases, the index may also be written as ACTIVEOFFSET=n to specify the nth active instance of an object
type. For example, &(ENDSLICEPOS[ACTIVEOFFSET=2]) refers to the end position of the second active slice
group.
For placeholders that represent the minimum or maximum value of a variable, the text (est) is appended
to the displayed value if it is an estimate calculated from variables in a subzone data file.
The complete list of placeholders is as follows:

Variables Notes
&(AUXDATASET:name) The value of the named auxiliary data attached to the dataset.

&(AUXFRAME:name) The value of the named auxiliary data attached to the frame.

&(AUXPAGE:name) The value of the named auxiliary data attached to the page.

&(AUXVAR[nnn]:name) The value of the named auxiliary data attached to variable nnn.

The value of the named auxiliary data attached to linemap Q, where Q = either nnn
or ACTIVEOFFSET = nnn and nnn = linemap number. If ACTIVEOFFSET= is used,
&(AUXLINEMAP[Q]:name)
the integer value indicates the first linemap associated with the nnnth active
fieldmap.

The value of the named auxiliary data attached to Q, where Q = either nnn or
&(AUXZONE[Q]:name) ACTIVEOFFSET = nnn and nnn = zone number. If ACTIVEOFFSET= is used, the
integer value indicates the first zone associated with the nnnth active fieldmap.

&(AXISMAXn) Maximum value of the current n-axis range, where n is one of: Aa, R, X, Y, or Z.

&(AXISMINn) Minimum value of the current n-axis range, where n is one of: Aa, R, X, Y, or Z.

&(BYTEORDERING) Displays the platform’s byte ordering (INTEL or MOTOROLA).

&(DATE) The current date, in the format dd Mmm yyyy.

Filename of the nnnth file associated with the current dataset. If nnn is omitted,
&(DATASETFNAME[nnn])
then all dataset filenames are shown, separated by new lines.

&(DATASETTITLE) The current dataset title.

&(ENDSLICEPOS[<slice
The position of the ending slice plane.
grouporactiveoffset>])

&(EXPORTISRECORDING) Returns “YES” if recording is active, otherwise returns “NO”.

&(FRAMENAME) The frame name.

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Variables Notes
&(INBATCHMODE) Returns a value of 1 if the software is in batch mode, 0 if interactive.

&(ISDATASETAVAILABLE) Returns a value of 1 if a dataset exists for the current frame, 0 if nonexistent.

&(ISOSURFACELEVEL[<iso
surfacegrouporactiveoffset>] The value of the contour variable on the nnnth iso-surface.
[nnn])

&(LAYOUTFNAME) The name of the current layout file.

&(LOOP) Innermost loop counter.

&(MACROFILEPATH) Path to the folder containing the most recently opened macro file.

Maximum value of the n variable, where n is one of: Aa, R, X, Y, or Z. For 2D or 3D

&(MAXn) Cartesian plots, the value is calculated from all active zones. For line plots, the
value is calculated from the zone assigned to the first active linemap.

Maximum value of the blanking variable for the first active constraint. For 2D or
&(MAXB) 3D Cartesian plots, the value is calculated from the active zones. For line plots, the
value is calculated from the zone assigned to the first active linemap.

Maximum value of the contour variable for contour group 1. For 2D or 3D

&(MAXC) Cartesian plots, the value is calculated from the active zones. For line plots, the
value is calculated from the zone assigned to the first active linemap.

[I, J, K]-dimension of the first active zone. For finite-element zones, MAXI is the
&(MAXI), &(MAXJ),
number of nodes, MAXJ is the number of elements, and MAXK is the number of
&(MAXK)
nodes per element (cell-based) or total number of faces (face-based).

&(MAXS) Maximum value of the scatter sizing variable of the active zones.

&(MAXU), &(MAXV), Maximum value of the variable assigned to the [X, Y, Z]-vector component of the
&(MAXW) active zones.

&(MAXVAR[nnn]) Maximum value of variable nnn.

Minimum value of the n variable, where n is one of: Aa, R, X, Y, or Z. For 2D or 3D

&(MINn) Cartesian plots, the value is calculated from all active zones. For line plots, the
value is calculated from the zone assigned to the first active linemap.

Minimum value of the blanking variable of the first active blanking constraint. For
&(MINB) 2D or 3D Cartesian plots, the value is calculated from all active zones. For line
plots, the value is calculated from the zone assigned to the first active linemap.

Minimum value of the contour variable of contour group 1. For 2D or 3D Cartesian

&(MINC) plots, the value is calculated from all active zones. For line plots, the value is
calculated from the zone assigned to the first active linemap.

&(MINS) Minimum value of the scatter sizing variable for the active zones.

&(MINU), &(MINV), Minimum value of the variable assigned to the [X, Y, Z]-vector component for the
&(MINW) active zones.

&(MINVAR[nnn]) Minimum value of variable nnn.

&(NUMFRAMES) Number of frames.

&(NUMPAGES) Number of pages.

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Variables Notes
Number of processors used. This may be different than the total number on the
&(NUMPROCESSORS
machine because of the $!Limits MaxAvailableProcessors configuration file
USED)
command, or because of a product limitation.

&(NUMVARS) Number of variables in the current dataset.

&(NUMXYMAPS) Number of XY-linemaps assigned to the current frame.

&(NUMZONES) Number of zones in current dataset.

&(OPSYS) Displays the current operating system. 1=Linux/Macintosh, 2=Windows.

&(PAPERHEIGHT) The paper height (in inches).

&(PAPERWIDTH) The paper width (in inches).

&(PLATFORM) The platform type (e.g. LINUX or WINDOWS).

Plot type of the current frame: 0 for Sketch, 1 for XY Line, 2 for Cartesian 2D, 3 for
&(PLOTTYPE)
Cartesian 3D, and 4 for Polar Line.

&(PRIMARYSLICEPOS
The primary slice position.
[<slicegrouporactiveoffset>])

&(PRINTFNAME) The name of the current print file.

&(SLICEPLANETYPE[<slice
The type of the slice plane (X, Y, Z, I, J or K-planes).
grouporactiveoffset>])

&(SOLUTIONTIME) The current solution time.

Solution time of Q, where Q = either nnn or ACTIVEOFFSET = nnn and nnn = zone
number. If ACTIVEOFFSET= is used, the integer value indicates the fist zone
&(SOLUTIONTIME[Q]) associated with the nnnth active fieldmap. &(SOLUTIONTIME[5]) displays the
solution time of the 5th zone. &(SOLUTIONTIME[ACTIVEOFFSET=3]) displays the
solution time of the first zone in the 3rd active fieldmap.

&(STARTSLICEPOS[<slice
The position of the starting slice plane.
grouporactiveoffset>])

&(STRANDID[x]) The strandID of a zone in dynamic text.

&(STREAMSTARTPOS
Starting position (X, Y, Z) of the nnnth streamtrace.
[nnn])

Type (Surface Line, Volume Line, Volume Ribbon, Volume Rod) of the nnnth
&(STREAMTYPE[nnn])
streamtrace.

&($string) The value of the system environment variable string.

&(TECHOME) Path to the home directory.

&(TECPLOTVERSION) Displays the version number.

&(TIME) The current time, in the format hh:mm:ss.

&(VARNAME[nnn]) The variable name of variable nnn.

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Variables Notes
Color of the mesh for zone Q, where Q = either nnn or ACTIVEOFFSET = nnn and
nnn = zone number. If ACTIVEOFFSET= is used, the integer value indicates the
&(ZONEMESHCOLOR[Q])
nnnth active zone for field plots or the zone associated with the nnnth active linemap
for line plots.

The zone name of zone Q, where Q = either nnn or ACTIVEOFFSET = nnn and nnn =
zone number. If ACTIVEOFFSET= is used, the integer value nnn indicates the nnnth
&(ZONENAME[Q])
active zone for field plots. For line plots, indicates the zone associated with the
nnnth active linemap that will be defaulted to upon deactivation of a previous zone.
a. where A represents the theta (or angle) axis variable in Polar Line plots.

The placeholders should be typed exactly as shown, although the index or offset parameters shown must
be replaced with the actual index or offset you wish to use.
You can, of course, embed the dynamic text strings in text records in a Tecplot-format data file, as in the
following example:
TEXT CS=FRAME HU=POINT T=”&(DATE)”

Environment Variables
System environment variables can be accessed directly from Tecplot 360 EX by using &($string), where
string is the name of the desired environment variable. Using environment variables within Tecplot 360 EX
can add another degree of flexibility by taking advantage of your customized environment. If an
environment variable is missing, the environment variable name itself will appear on the screen. Note that
all environment variables are treated as text strings.

Formatting Numbers and Strings

If you want a dynamic text string to be formatted in a specific way, you may include C-style formatting
strings in the macro variable specification.
The syntax for including a format string is:
&(DynamicTextString%formatstring)
The formatstring should be in the following format. Note that the flags, the width, and the precision are all
optional; only the specifier is required. The square brackets [] are not a part of the format string.
[flags][width][.precision]specifier
The following are available as flags:
• - - Left-justify (default is right justification)
• + - Precede positive numbers with + sign (default is sign only for negative numbers)
• space - A blank space will be written in place of the sign if the number is positive
• 0 - Left-pads numbers with zeroes to fill the specified width (rather than spaces)
The width specifies the minimum number of characters to be printed. If the dynamic text string is shorter
than this length, it is padded with spaces. The string is not truncated if it is longer than this length.
The precision specifies the following:
• For character strings: The maximum number of characters to be printed.
• For integers: The minimum number of digits printed; the number will be padded with leading
zeroes to fulfill this requirement.
• For floating-point values: the number of digits to be printed after the decimal point.

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When no precision is specified, the default is 1. When printing a character string value in a fixed-width
field, then, you will want to specify the same value for both the width and the precision to achieve the
desired result (otherwise you will print a maximum of 1 character due to the default precision of 1).
The following letters may be used as the specifier:
• s - string of characters
• d - signed integer
• e - scientific notation with a lowercase “e”
• E - scientific notation with an uppercase “E”
• f - floating point
• g - use %e or %f, whichever is shorter
• G - use %E or %f, whichever is shorter
• u - unsigned integer, written out in decimal format
• o - unsigned integer, written out in octal format
• x - unsigned integer, written out in hexadecimal (where a - f are lowercase)
• X- unsigned integer, written out in hexadecimal (where A - F are uppercase)

Example 1:
To display the message "Maximum contour value is: xxxxxx" where xxxxxx only has two digits to the
right of the decimal place. You would use:

"Maximum contour value is: &(MAXC%.2f)"

If |MAXC| currently has a value of 356.84206 then the dialog would show:

"Maximum contour value is: 356.84"

Example 2:
If, in the above example, you wanted to use exponential format you could use:

"Maximum contour value is: &(MAXC%12.6e)"

Here the result would be:

"Maximum contour value is: 3.568421e+02"

Formatting Dates and Times

For dynamic text strings that represent a date and/or time, such as &(SOLUTIONTIME), the following may be
used:
• yy - Two-digit year (“09”)
• yyyy - Four-digit year (“2009”)
• m - Month number (“3”, “12”), or minute if preceded by hours token
• mm - Zero-padded two-digit month (“09”) or minute if preceded by hour token
• mmm - Abbreviated month (“Oct” for October)
• mmmm - Full month (“October”)
• mmmmmm - Single-letter month (“O”)
• d - Day of month (“9”, “10”)
• dd - Zero-padded two-digit day of month (“09”)

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• ddd - Abbreviated day of week (“Sun” for Sunday)

• dddd - Spelled-out day of week (“Sunday”)
• ddddd - Single-letter day of week (“S”)
• h - Hour (“7”, “11”)
• hh - Zero-padded two-digit hour (“07”)
• s - Seconds (“5”, “22”)
• ss - Zero-padded two-digit seconds (“04”)
• .0, .00, .000 - Milliseconds to 1, 2, or 3 digits
• am/pm, a/p - AM/PM indicator. All times are 24-hour unless an AM/PM indicator is included
in the format string, in which case 12-hour formatting is used.
• [d], [h], [m] - Elapsed days, hours, or minutes.
• \ - Escapes (removes the special meaning of) the following character. May be used if your
format string includes static text containing any of the above tokens.

Example:
Here is a date and time format string for a solution time:

"Recorded on &(SOLUTIONTIME%dddd dd-mmm-yyyy at hh:mm:ss am/pm)"

The result would be similar to:

"Recorded on Monday 14-Sep-2009 at 04:31:42 PM"

18 - 1.6 LaTeX Expressions

LaTeX is a computer language designed for typesetting. The most popular use of LaTeX is math and Greek
fonts for technical purposes. Use the LaTeX option of the Text Details dialog (accessed via the LaTeX Box
button in the Text Details dialog) to switch between normal and LaTeX text.

The following options are available:

• Generate LaTeX - Renders the LaTeX output based on the current text field.
• Size - Select a character height unit from the drop-down menu, then enter the size in the
associated field. LaTeX size commands are still valid and will resize relative to the Size value:
• Points - Specify character height in points. One point is 1/72nd of an inch.
• Frame% - Specify character height as a percentage of frame height.
• Grid - Specify character height in grid units. (Available only when Position By is set to
Grid.)
• LaTeX - Switches between regular and LaTeX output in the text field.
• X/Y Position - Choose the position of the text element’s anchor point (see Anchor button).

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• Position by - Choose to position the text using the frame or grid coordinate system.
• Anchor - Choose how the text is aligned with the anchor point. As new text is added, the text
expands away from the anchor point chosen in the Anchor Alignment dialog (See Section 18 -
1.1 “Text Details” for a complete image of the Anchor Alignment dialog).
• Macro function - Enter the name of the macro function to be linked to this text object. See
Section 18 - 3 “Linking Text and Geometries to Macros” for more information. To run the
linked macro function, hold down Control while right-clicking the text object in the
workspace. (On Mac, hold down Command while right-clicking.).

LaTeX Setup
A few requirements are needed before LaTeX outputs can be generated. The first is to have a LaTeX engine
installed. LaTeX distributions are largely free and available on many different operating systems. For
installation recommendations, see the LaTeX Project page.
The second requirement is to have the tecplot_latex.mcr file correctly configured in your installation
directory. Each LaTeX engine will come configured with different ways to parse commands. Details of
how to configure it can be found in the tecplot_latex.mcr file. The default settings have been tested with
MiKTeX and TeXLive engines. If using the default install options for MiKTeX, the zhmetrics package will
also need to be installed.
For information on how to load a custom tecplot_latex.mcr file, see Section 30 - 1 “Custom Files loaded on
Startup”.

LaTeX Examples

Example 1: Mathematical Symbols

LaTeX allows for easy configuration symbol production. The example below shows how to create
simple vector and square root symbols:

$$\vec a =\sqrt 2$$

The dollar signs denote the start of an equation. The output is shown below:

Figure 18-2. Vector a equals square root of 2

Example 2: Mathematical Formula

In LaTeX, syntax is crucial to produce a correct output. Each symbol has its own syntax. The
formula for Kirchhoff’s current law, for example, is used like so:

Kirchhoff's current law\ldots

\begin{equation}
\sum_{k=1}^{n} I_k = 0 \; .
\end{equation}

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Notice in the Figure 18-3 below how the begin and end equations separate the equation from
regular text. LaTeX changes paragraph spacing as well as symbols.

Figure 18-3. Kirchhoff’s Current Law in LaTeX

Example 3: Sizing and Accented Phrase

LaTeX allows for easy alphabetical accents. The following example shows the variety of accented
phrases that can be accomplished by LaTeX typesetting. The phrase:

\huge ?`D\'onde est\'a el avi\'on? \\

Is easily converted to non-English symbols. In LaTeX, these symbols are converted inline with
other text allowing fluid transitions between both.

Figure 18-4. Multi-lingual phrases in LaTeX

Example 4: Color, Sizing, and Text Boxes

LaTeX allows for easy customizability with certain keywords. Some keywords and formatting are
dependent on packages that do not come preinstalled with your LaTeX engine. The following
example uses the xcolor package to show custom formatting. To initialize xcolor in the preamble,
add the following to the end of the preamble in the tecplot_latex.mcr file:

\usepackage{xcolor}
Now your Tecplot 360 EX installation will be ready to use the xcolor package. Use the following
phrases as an example for color, size, and text box formatting:

\noindent
\fcolorbox{red}{gray!20}{\color{red} Colors are fun} but \ldots \\
\emph{\small sometimes they are not ideal} \\
{\color{blue}\framebox{This might be better.} \\
But \colorbox{orange}{whatever you do,} \\
\color{black}don't make a {\huge Big Deal} about it.
This example shows three different text boxes each with different parameters. \fcolorbox allows
for a colored frame as well as a background. \framebox has a transparent background and takes

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the frame color of whichever color is currently being used. \colorbox creates a highlight in the
color specified. The output is shown below:

Figure 18-5. LaTeX Color, Sizing, and Text Boxes

For more examples on LaTeX use, syntax, or concepts check Tobias Oetiker’s PDF, The Not So Short
Introduction to LaTeX.
Many frequently asked questions can also be found on the TeX StackExchange website: https://
[Link]/

18 - 2 Geometries
Geometries in Tecplot 360 EX are simply lines and shapes, including polylines (a set of line segments),
circles, ellipses, rectangles, and squares. Images are also considered geometries. Figure 18-6 shows some
examples of geometries.

Figure 18-6. Sample Geometries

18 - 2.1 Geometry Creation

Geometries are created by drawing them in a frame using tools from the Toolbar or the Insert menu.
(There is no tool for inserting an image; to insert an image, choose Insert>Image/Georeferenced Image).

Polyline
A polyline is a single geometry consisting of one or more line segments. Add a polyline to your plot by
using the button from the Toolbar or by selecting Insert>Polyline. To draw the polyline, move the
mouse (without dragging) to the desired end point of the first line segment, then click the left mouse

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button. Move the pointer to the next end point, click, and so on. After placing the last segment, double-
click on the final end point, right-click, or press Escape on your keyboard. To draw a horizontal or vertical
line segment, press the H or V keys, respectively, while drawing the segment. After you place the segment’s
end point, the horizontal or vertical restriction is lifted. To lift the horizontal or vertical line segment
restriction without placing the end point, press A on your keyboard. You can draw unconnected line
segments in a single polyline; press U on your keyboard to “lift the pen.” You can then move the pointer to
the start of the next line segment.

A Allow translation of polyline segments in all directions.

H Restrict translation of current polyline segment to horizontal.

U Pen up, while drawing polyline.

V Restrict translation of current polyline segment to vertical.

Table 18 - 3: Keyboard Shortcuts for Polylines

Circle
Add a circle to your plot by using the button from the Toolbar or by selecting Insert>Circle. To draw
the circles, click at the desired center point of the circle; drag the mouse until the circle is the desired
radius, then release.

Ellipse
Add an ellipse to your plot by using the button from the Toolbar or by selecting Insert>Ellipse. To
draw the ellipse, click at the desired center point of the ellipse; drag the mouse until the ellipse is the
desired size and shape, then release.

Square
Add a square to your plot, using the button from the Toolbar or by selecting Insert>Square. The
anchor point of the square is either the lower left-hand corner or the upper right corner of the square. Drag
the mouse to the right of the anchor to create a square with the anchor at lower left; drag the mouse to the
left to create a square with the anchor at upper right. Release when the square is the desired size.

Rectangle
Add a rectangle to your plot, using the button from the Toolbar or by selecting Insert>Rectangle. To
draw the rectangle, drag the mouse until the rectangle is the desired size and shape. In contrast to squares,
rectangles can propagate in any direction.

Image
Tecplot 360 EX can import images from JPEG, BMP, and PNG files. These images can be used as logos or as
a backdrop to your plot. To add an image to your plot, choose Insert>Image/Georeferenced Image and
browse to the desired image file. When you insert an image, the image is initially centered in the frame at
a preset size. It can be resized by dragging its handles (at the corners and at the midpoints of its edges)
when it is selected.
Images cannot be included in data files. When you save a data file, even if you indicate that you wish to
include geometries, any images in the plot are not saved.
In layout and style sheet files, the image is referenced from its original location. This reference can be a
relative reference or an absolute (as with data files). See “Layout Files, Layout Package Files, Stylesheets”
on page 395 for details.

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Images are included in layout package files.

Georeferenced Images
Georeferenced images can be added if they are paired with world files. Valid world files include .bmpw,
.bpw, .jpgw, .jgw, .pgw, .pngw, .wld. When a world file is selected in the Insert Image File loader, it will
automatically look for a corresponding image file of the same name.
World files supply information about the image’s coordinate system including the location, scale, and
rotation of the image on a defined coordinate system. For more information about how each line in a
world file represents the coordinate system, see this Wikipedia World File article.

Georeferenced Image Dialog

Displays information about the georeferenced image and allows the georeferenced image to be moved.
• File Name - Displays the path of the original georeferenced image file.
• Resolution - Displays the original resolution of the georeferenced image in pixels.
• Z Position - Enter the Z-coordinate of the anchor position of the georeferenced image.
• Z min - Displays the minimum value of the Z-coordinate.
• Z max - Displays the maximum value of the Z-coordinate.
• Show in all Frames with the Same Data - Toggle-on this option to display the geometry in all
frames sharing the active frame's dataset.

18 - 2.2 Geometry Details

Use the Geometry Details dialog to specify attributes of polylines, circles, ellipses, squares, rectangles,
and images. To access the Geometry Details dialog, first choose the Selector tool, then double-click
the geometry or image, or right-click it and choose Geometry Details or Image Details from the context
menu. From the context menu the line and fill attributes can be changed easier than selecting Geometry
Details.

The following options are available for most types of geometries (the line-related options are not,
however, available for images):
• Line Color - Select a color for the geometry from the Color Chooser.
• Line Pattern - Select the desired pattern (Solid, Dashed, Dotted, LongDash, or DashDotDot).
• Pattern Length (%) - Specify the length of the line pattern as a percentage of the frame width.
• Line Thickness (%) - Specify the thickness of the line as a percentage of the frame width.
• Fill with Color - Toggle-on to fill a circle, ellipse, square, rectangle or line segment polygon.
Then select a color for the fill using the Color Chooser.
• Clipping - Clipping displays only the portion of an object that falls within a specified region of
the plot. If you have specified your geometry position in the Frame coordinate system, the
geometry will be clipped to the frame: any portion of the geometry that falls outside the frame
is not displayed. For this reason, the clipping options are not available for geometries using
frame coordinates.
If you have specified the Grid coordinate system, you can choose to clip your geometry to the
frame or the viewport. The size of the viewport depends on the plot type as follows:
• 3D Cartesian - The viewport is the same as the frame, so viewport clipping is the same
as frame clipping. This option is therefore unavailable in 3D Cartesian plots.
• 2D Cartesian/XY Line - The viewport is defined by the extents of the X and Y-axes. You
can modify this with the Area page of the Axis Details dialog.

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• Polar Line/Sketch - By default, the viewport is the same as the frame. You can modify
this with the Area page of the Axis Details dialog.
• Draw Order - Geometries can be drawn either before the data, or after the data. If a geometry
is drawn before the data, the plot layers, such as mesh, contour lines, etc. will be drawn on top
of the geometry. If a geometry is drawn after the data, the geometry will be drawn last,
obscuring the data.

You can place text and geometries in any order you like. Tecplot 360 EX draws all
geometries first, in the order in which they were placed, then all text. Use the Send to
Back and Bring To Front commands on the Edit menu to reorder objects.

• Attach to Zone/Map - Toggle-on “Attach to Zone/Map” to attach the geometry to a particular

zone or mapping by entering the number of the zone or mapping. Geometries that are attached
to an inactive or non-existent zone are not displayed.
• Show in all Frames with the Same Data - Toggle-on this option to display the geometry in all
frames sharing the active frame's dataset.
• Macro Function - Specify the name of the macro function to be linked to the geometry. See
Section 18 - 3 “Linking Text and Geometries to Macros” for more information. To run the
linked macro function, hold down Control while right-clicking the geometry in the workspace.
(On Mac, hold down Command while right-clicking.)
• Coordinate System - Specify the coordinate system for the geometry (Frame or Grid). When
created, screen objects default to the grid coordinate system. Changing the coordinate system
automatically converts position and size fields so that the geometry will remain in the same
place at the same size in the current view.
• Frame - The geometry is always displayed at constant size and position when you zoom
in or out of the plot.
• Grid - The geometry resizes and moves with the data grid. However, the geometry
remains fixed when you rotate the plot. Changing the center of rotation may cause the
geometry to move.
• X, Y - Enter the X and Y-coordinates of the anchor position of the geometry (in frame units if
the coordinate system is frame; in grid units if the coordinate system is grid). This point is the
center for a circle, the upper left corner for a rectangle, etc.
The following fields are specific to a single geometry type:
• Polyline - The Arrowhead Style options control the appearance of an arrowhead on the
polyline.
• Attachment - Choose the end or ends of the polyline by selecting the appropriate check
boxes.
• Style - Plain, filled, or hollow.
• Size(%) - Specify the size of the arrowhead as a percentage of frame height.
• Angle - Specify the angle the arrowhead makes with the polyline.
• Circle - Controls the radius and precision of approximation of the circle:
• Radius - Set the radius of the circle (in coordinate system units, Frame or Grid).
• Number of Sides - Enter the number of polylines used to approximate the circle.
• Ellipse - Controls the shape and precision of approximation of the ellipse:
• Horizontal Axis - Set the horizontal axis of the ellipse (in coordinate system units,
Frame or Grid).
• Vertical Axis - Set the vertical axis of the ellipse (in coordinate system units- Frame or
Grid).

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• Number of Sides - Enter the number of polylines used to approximate the ellipse.
• Square - Controls the size of the square:
• Size - Set the size of the square (in coordinate system units, Frame or Grid).
• Rectangle - Controls the size and shape of the rectangle:
• Width - Set the width of the rectangle (in coordinate system units, Frame or Grid).
• Height - Set the height of the rectangle (in coordinate system units, Frame or Grid).
• Image - Displays information about the image and allows the resizing method to be set.
• File Name - Displays the path of the original image file.
• Resolution - Displays the original resolution of the image in pixels.
• Filter - The Resize filter determines how the image is resized to fit the screen. The
following filters are available:
• Fast (textures) - default- Tecplot 360 EX uses OpenGL textures to resize the image.
This is the fastest option (given sufficient graphics space). However, the accuracy
of the image may suffer, especially when reducing an image to a size much
smaller than it was before.
• Pixelated - Choose this option when the image is much larger than its original
size and you want to see the individual pixels. This option is slower than the Fast
(textures) for increasing the size of images.
• Smooth - There are seven smooth options, all producing slightly different effects.
These options are slower than the Fast (textures), but produce better effects for
highly reduced images. In general, use the Smooth (Lanczos2) option unless you
have specific image processing needs.

The resize filter has no effect on vector-based output, only on the screen and for
exported images.

18 - 2.3 Three-dimensional Line Geometries

Three-dimensional line geometries cannot be created interactively; they must be created in a data file or
using an add-on. In order to display 3D geometries, you must either include at least one zone in the data
file with the 3D geometries or read the 3D geometries in, using the Add to Current Data Set option, after
having first read a dataset into the frame.

18 - 3 Linking Text and Geometries to Macros

Each text or geometry you create, or image you insert, can be linked to a macro function. This macro
function is called when you hold down the Control key (Command key on Mac) and click the right mouse
button on the text or geometry or image. Macro functions are specified with the Macro Function field in
the Geometry Details dialog or in the Text Details dialog (accessed by selecting your object and right-
clicking.
In order to be attached to a text or geometry object, the macro function must be a “retained” macro
function. A macro function is “retained” via either of the following scenarios:
• running a macro file that contains the required macro functions
• including it in your [Link] file (which is run at startup, making it a special case of the
preceding scenario)

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In both cases, the macro function is defined using the $!MACROFUNCTION macro command. Refer to
“$!MACROFUNCTION...$!ENDMACROFUNCTION” on page 164 in the Scripting Guide for additional
information.

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Manipulation
 19

Blanking

Blanking allows you to exclude specific portions of zones from being plotted (in other words, selectively
display certain cells or data points) based on variable values. In 3D, the result is analogous to a cutaway
view.
Blanking settings apply only to the active frame, but Value Blanking settings for multiple frames may be
synchronized using frame linking. Refer to Section 2 - 3.4 “Frame Linking” for more information on
linking. Blanking results for volume zones depend upon the Surfaces to Plot setting on the Surfaces page
of the Zone Style dialog (See Section 7 - 1.2 “Surfaces” for more details).
In the following discussions, the term “cell” is used. In I-ordered datasets, a cell is the connection between
two adjacent points. In IJ-ordered datasets, a cell is the quadrilateral area bounded by four neighboring
data points. In IJK-ordered datasets, a cell is the six-faced (hexahedral) volume bounded by eight
neighboring data points. For finite element datasets, a cell is equivalent to an element.
The forms of blanking are as follows:
• Value Blanking - Cells (or portions of cells) of selected zones or line plot mappings are
excluded based on the value of the value blanking variable at the data point of each cell or at
the point where each cell intersects a constraint boundary.
• IJK Blanking - Cells of one IJK-ordered zone are included or excluded based on the index
values. (IJK-ordered zones only)
All types of blanking may be used in a single plot. They are cumulative: cells blanked from any of the
options do not appear. Value Blanking and Depth Blanking affect selected zones of all types, while IJK
Blanking affects a single IJK-ordered zone.

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In general, all types of blanking affect all field layers, zones, and all other plot attributes except for edge
layers. with the following exceptions:

Type of Blanking Attribute Not Blanked

Value Blanking Edge Layer

Derived Objectsa (slices, streamtraces, or iso-surfaces)

IJK Blanking Finite-element zones
Unstructured/Unorganized zones
Table 19 - 1: Plot attributes not affected by blanking.
a. Derived Objects can opt in or out of blanking. (See Section 19 - 6 “Blanking Settings for Derived
Objects”.)

19 - 1 Value Blanking
Value blanking allows you to selectively eliminate or trim cells (only) and elements from Line and 3D field
plots. For each active constraint, you specify a value blanking variable, a constant value or another
variable, and a conditional statement telling Tecplot 360 EX to blank that region in relation to the specified
variable or constant.

19 - 2 Value Blanking for Field Plots

To include value blanking in your plot, go to the Plot menu and select
Blanking>Value Blanking. The Value Blanking dialog has the following
options:
• Include Value Blanking - Toggle-on to include value blanking.
Note that it is possible to edit the settings in the Value Blanking
dialog without actually activating blanking. This can make it faster
to set up blanking since the plot won’t need to redraw after every
change of settings.
• Blank entire cells when - Select one of the following blanking
styles:
• All corners are blanked - Cells are removed from the plot if
all of their data points satisfy one or more of the active
blanking constraints.
• Any corner is blanked - Cells are removed from the plot if
any of their data points satisfy one or more of the active
blanking constraints.
• Primary value is blanked - Cells are removed from the plot
based on the primary value for a cell. The primary value for
the cell is dependent upon the zone type and the variable
value location, as outlined in the following table.

Zone Type Value Location Source of Primary Value

Ordered Cell Centered Cell value

Finite element Cell Centered Cell value

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Zone Type Value Location Source of Primary Value

Lowest indexed corner in the
Ordered Nodal
cell

First node in the connectivity

Finite element Nodal
list for the cell
Refer to the Zone/Variable Info Page of the Data Set Information dialog to determine
the Zone Type and Value Location.
• Constraint - You can establish up to eight value blanking constraints. Click a numbered button
here to choose the constraint to be added or changed.
• Active - Toggle-on to activate the chosen constraint.
• Blank when - For each constraint, set the following parameters:
• Select the variable to use for value blanking.

It is often convenient to create a new variable for use as the value blanking variable.
This allows you to manipulate its values without changing any other part of the plot. You
can create a new variable using the Specify Equations dialog (accessed via
Data>Alter). See Section 20 - 1.1 “Equation Syntax”.

• Specify an operation to describe how the blanking variable will be compared to the
constant or variable following it.
• Choose to compare the blanking variable to either another variable or to a constant. If
you are comparing to a variable, select the variable; if comparing to a constant, enter the
constant.
• Show Constraint Boundary - Toggle-on to display a line that separates the region of your data
that is blanked from the region which is not blanked. Set the appearance of this line using the
following controls:
• Color - Select the color of the boundary in the Color Chooser.
• Line Pattern - Select the line pattern for the boundary.
• Pattern length - Select the length of the pattern as a percentage of frame height.
• Line thickness - Select the width of the boundary line as a percentage of frame height.

Value Blanking has no effect on edges of an ordered zone. If the edge is turned on, the
edge of the entire zone (without value blanking) is plotted.

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The following figure illustrates the various value blanking modes for plots.

-20 -25 -10 -5 10 -20 -25 -10 -5 10

-10 -15 -5 5 10 -10 -15 -5 5 10

0 -5 0 10 15 0 -5 0 10 15

-5 5 10 20 25 -5 5 10 20 25

-10 0 15 25 20 -10 0 15 25 20

-20 -25 -10 -5 10 -20 -25 -10 -5 10

-10 -15 -5 5 10 -10 -15 -5 5 10

0 -5 0 10 15 0 -5 0 10 15

-5 5 10 20 25 -5 5 10 20 25

-10 0 15 25 20 -10 0 15 25 20

Figure 19-7. The effects of the different value blanking options in field plots for a constraint where a
variable is less than or equal to zero. The dark shading indicates the areas that are not
blanked. Clockwise from upper left: Blank cell when primary value is blanked. Blank cell
when all corners are blanked. Trim cells along mathematical constraint boundary. Blank cell
when any corner is blanked.

19 - 3 Value Blanking Settings for Individual Zones

Using the Effects page of the Zone Style dialog (accessed via the Plot menu or the Plot sidebar), you can
turn value blanking on and off for individual zones. Simply highlight the zone(s), and toggle the checkbox
in the Use Value Blanking column.

19 - 4 Value Blanking for Line Plots

For line plots, value blanking excludes data points from consideration in the resulting plot. The settings
are the same as for Value Blanking for Field Plots, except that you cannot choose the behavior of blanking
relative to cells, as this does not apply to line plots.
As alternatives or adjuncts to value blanking, you can use the Indices page of the Mapping Style dialog to
limit index ranges per mapping. The Curves page can provide another form of blanking by allowing you
to limit the range of the independent variable for individual mappings.
Figure 19-8 shows two plots. The original data for the plots contain some “bad” data points. The bad data
points were identified as those with a Y-value greater than 0.6. The plot on the left uses all data points,
including the bad data points, to draw a curve. The plot on the right has filtered out the bad data points by

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using value blanking, where all points are removed if Y > 0.6. Blanking does not necessarily have to be on
the independent or dependent variable.

Figure 19-8. XY Line plots showing the effect of value blanking.

19 - 5 IJK Blanking
IJK Blanking is available for 2D and 3D ordered zones, in the 2D and 3D Cartesian plot types. IJK Blanking
removes a selected portion of one IJK-ordered zone from the plot. This allows you to create cutaway plots:
plots showing the exterior of some dataset with a section “cut away” to show the interior, such as the plot
shown in Figure 19-9.

To use IJK-blanking, you must have a 2D or 3D IJK-ordered zone, and the current plot
type must be 2D or 3D Cartesian. Unlike Value Blanking, which operates on all zones
within a single frame, IJK Blanking can only be used on a single zone within a frame.

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Figure 19-9. A cutaway plot created with IJK Blanking.

To use IJK-blanking, select Blanking>IJK Blanking from the Plot [Link] option is available only when
your data set has at least one IJK ordered zone.

The Use IJK Blanking checkbox at the top of this dialog turns IJK blanking on or off. The Definition page
has the following options.
• Use IJK Blanking - Toggle-on to include IJK Blanking in your plot.
• Zone - Select the zone to which to apply IJK Blanking by clicking in the displayed list of IJK
ordered zones. You may select only one zone.

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If your data set has many zones, it is useful to filter the zone list. Type part of a zone name and
press Enter (or click the filter button next to the zone name field) to display only the zones
having a name containing the entered text.
• Domain - Specify the domain of the IJK Blanking by choosing one of the following options:
• Interior - Cells within the specified index ranges are blanked. Those outside are plotted.
This creates a “hole” in the zone. The left side of Figure 19-10 shows an ordered zone
with IJK Blanking with Interior domain.
• Exterior - Cells outside the specified index ranges are blanked. Those inside are plotted.
Exterior plots a sub-zone of the zone. The right side of Figure 19-10 shows an ordered
zone with IJK Blanking with Exterior domain.

Figure 19-10. IJK Blanking with Interior domain (left) and Exterior domain (right).
• Select IJK ranges using - Specify the format in which you will specify the index ranges by
selecting one of the following option buttons:
• Index Value - Specify the I, J, and K-index ranges using absolute index values.
• Percent of Max - Specify the I, J, and K-index ranges as start and end percentages of the
maximum index. For example, you could blank the middle third of a dataset by setting
the start percentage to 33.3 and the end percentage to 66.6.

When you save a layout, macro, or stylesheet, the IJK Blanking index ranges are stored
as the percentage of the maximum index regardless of how you chose to enter them.
This way, one layout can easily be used for data sets containing zones of various sizes.

For information on using the Animation page, see “IJK Blanking Animation” on page 448.

19 - 6 Blanking Settings for Derived Objects

You can opt to turn blanking on or off for derived objects (iso-surfaces, streamtraces, or slices) in their
respective Details dialogs.
• Iso-surfaces - The option is located on the Style page of the Iso-surface Details dialog (click
the Details button to the right of Iso-Surfaces in the Plot sidebar). Refer to Section 16 - 3 “Iso-
Surface Contour and Shade” for details.
• Streamtraces - The option is located on the Integration page of the Streamtrace Details dialog
(click the Details button to the right of Streamtraces in the Plot sidebar). Refer to Section 15 -
1.7 “Integration Page” for details.
• Slices - The option is located on the Definition page of the Slice Details dialog. Refer to
Section 14 - 1.2 “Definition Page” for details.

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 20

Data Operations

Plots in Tecplot 360 EX rely on the datasets attached to each frame. You can modify, create, transform,
interpolate, duplicate, and delete the data in the current dataset using the Data menu. You can also use the
data operation capabilities of Tecplot 360 EX to create plots of analytical functions. By using layout files,
macros, and/or equation files, you can create complex data operations that can be repeated on different
datasets.
Changes to the dataset within Tecplot 360 EX do not affect the original data file(s). You can save the
modified data by choosing Write Data from the File menu. When you save a layout file, a journal of data
operations is saved and those operations are repeated when the layout file is read at a later time. If the
data in the file has changed, or the data file is overwritten with new data, the operations are applied to the
new data. Alternatively, any datasets that have been modified are also saved to data files (see Section 23 - 1
“Layout Files, Layout Package Files, Stylesheets” for details).

20 - 1 Data Alteration through Equations

Use Data>Alter>Specify Equations (or click the toolbar button) to alter data in existing zones. The
dialog allows you to change the values of entire variables or specific data points. You can also use this
dialog to create new variables.
Changes made to the dataset in the Specify Equations dialog are not made to the original data file. You
can save the changes by saving a layout file or writing the new data to a file. Saving a layout file will keep
your data file in its original state, but use journaled commands to reapply the equations.

Variables defined in your data file, or variables you create yourself, are referenced in
equations by surrounding them with curly braces, like {RPM}. This syntax must be used
even when first defining a variable, for example {RPM} = {RPS} * 60 to define a new
RPM variable from an existing RPS variable. Variable and function names provided by
Tecplot 360 EX do not require the braces.

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The Specify Equations dialog has the following options and fields:
• Equation(s) - Enter the equation(s) using the syntax described in Section 20 - 1.1 “Equation
Syntax”.
• Data Set Info - Opens the Data Set Info dialog (see Section 5 - 4 “Data Set Information”).
• Save Equations - Save all equations in the Equation(s) field to a text file with an .eqn format.
• Load Equations - Load an equation file previously saved.
• Zones to Alter - Select which zones to alter. You can manually select the zones in the list
(holding Shift when clicking to create a range, or Control to toggle individual zones on or off).
You may use the buttons below the list to select all zones, all active zones, or no zones.

When creating a new variable, if all zones are not selected, Tecplot will create a passive
variable as a placeholder for any zones that are not included in the data alteration since
all zones in a dataset must have the same number of variables. Passive variables
effectively return zero for every point or cell value, do not consume any memory, and
can be replaced at any time with other data alterations.

• Index Ranges - Select the index ranges to alter in the selected zones. You may skip this step if
you want to apply the equation to all points of the selected zones. Use the special value 0 or Mx
to specify the maximum index. You can also use the values Mx-1 (to specify the index one less
than the maximum index), Mx-2, and so forth.
For Ordered Data, the I-Index, J-Index, and K-index options correspond to the I, J, and K
values in the dataset. For finite element data, the I-Index corresponds to the range of nodes and
the J-Index corresponds to the cell-centered values. The K-index has no bearing on finite
element data.
The Skip field indicates the increment between indexes. 1 means apply the calculation to every
data point, 2 means to every other data point, 3 to every third point, and so on. When creating
a new variable, the new variable’s value is set to zero at any index value that is skipped.
• New Var Data Type (if applicable) - Select the data type of the new variable. The following
data types are available:

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• Auto - Tecplot 360 EX assigns the data type based upon the variables used in the right-
hand side of the equation.
• Single - Four-byte floating point values.
• Double - Eight-byte floating point values.
• Long Int - Four-byte integer values.
• Short Int - Two-byte integer values.
• Byte - One-byte unsigned integer values (can contain values from zero to 255).
• Bit - Either zero or one.
• New Var Location (if applicable) - Select the location of the new variable. The options are:
• Auto (default) - “Auto” is set to node unless all variables in the equation are located at
the cell center.
• Node
• Cell-Center
• Compute - Click the Compute button to alter the data. If an error occurs during the alteration
(because of division by zero, overflow, underflow, etc.), an error message is displayed, all of the
zones are restored to their previous state as of the beginning of processing that equation, and
processing stops. The results of equations that have been successfully processed, however, are
retained.
For example, if you enter three equations, and the second contains an error, the final state is the
result of processing only the first equation. The second equation is rolled back due to the error,
and the third is not processed at all.

Every time you hit the [Compute] button, the equations are calculated. Be sure to
remove previously computed equations before computing new ones.

20 - 1.1 Equation Syntax

You can enter multiple equations in the Equation(s) text field of the Specify Equations dialog. Each
equation occupies one line of the text field as demarcated by the Enter key (not necessarily by where they
wrap in the text field). The equations are applied in order to all specified zones and data points.
Tecplot 360 EX equations have the following form:
LValue = F(RValue1, RValue2, RValue3,...)
Where: F() - A mathematical expression.
LValue - An existing or new variable.
RValueN - A value (such as a constant, variable value, or index value).
If LValue already exists in the dataset of the active frame, the equation is used to modify that variable. (The
same variable may be used on the right side of the equation to refer to the pre-calculation value and
thereby modify it based on its original value.) If the variable does not already exist, the equation is used to
create a new variable as a function of existing variables.
There may be any number of spaces within the equation. However, there cannot be any spaces between
the letters of intrinsic-function names nor in variables referred to by name. (See Equation Operators and
Functions.)

Equation Variables and Values

A variable is specified in one of the following ways:

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Data Operations

• Its order in the data file - A variable may be referenced according to its order in the data file,
where V1 is the first variable in the data file, V2 is the second, and so forth.
To create a new variable using this specification, you must specify the number of the next
available variable (i.e. if there are 5 variables in the dataset), the new variable must be called V6.
You will receive an error message, if you attempt to assign an invalid variable number.

You can confirm the number and order of variables in the data file in the Data Set
Information dialog (choose Data>Data Set Info). The variables in the dataset are
listed on the right-hand side of the page.

• By its name - To reference a variable by its name, enclose the name with curly braces (“{” and
“}”). For example, to set V3 equal to the value of the variable named R/RFR, you can enter:
V3 = {R/RFR}
Variable names are not case sensitive. Leading and trailing spaces are also not considered.
However, spaces within the variable name are significant.
If two or more variables have the same name, the first variable is used when the variable is
referred to by name. So, if both V5 and V9 are named R/rfr, V5 is used.
The curly braces can also be used on the left-hand side of the equation. In this case, if a variable
with that name does not exist, a new variable is created with that name for all zones.
• By a letter code - Variables and index values may be referenced by the following letter codes:
• I - For I-ordered and finite-element data:

Finite-element Ordered
Nodal I is equal to 1 I is equal to the I-
index number
Cell- I is equal to the I is equal to the I-
centered element number index number

• J - For J-ordered and finite-element:

Finite-element Ordered

Nodal J is equal to the J is equal to the J-

node number index number
Cell- J is equal to 1 J is equal to the J-
centered index number

• K - For K-ordered and finite-element:

Finite-element Ordered

Nodal K is equal to 1 K is equal to the K-

index number
Cell- K is equal to 1 K is equal to the K-
centered index number

• X - The variable assigned to the X-axis. In XY-plots, all active mappings must have the
same X-variable in order for this variable name to be valid.
• Y - The variable assigned to the Y-axis. In XY-plots, all active mappings must have the
same Y-variable in order for this variable name to be valid.

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 Data Alteration through Equations

• Z - The variable assigned to the Z-axis (if in 3D Cartesian).

• A - The variable assigned to the Theta-axis for Polar plots. For this variable to be valid,
the plot type must be set to Polar Line. In addition, all active mappings must have the
same Theta-variable.
• R - The variable assigned to the R-axis for Polar plots. The plot type must be Polar Line,
and all active mappings must have the same R-variable for this variable name to be
valid.
• U - The X-component of vectors (if defined).
• V - The Y-component of vectors (if defined).
• W - The Z-component of vectors (if defined).
• B - The value-blanking variable for the first active constraint (if applicable).
• C - The contour variable for contour group 1 (if defined in the Contour Details dialog).
• S - The scatter-sizing variable (if defined in the Scatter Size/Font dialog).
• SOLUTIONTIME - The current solution time.
Letter codes may be used anywhere on the right-hand side of the equation. Do not enclose
them in curly braces.
Those letter codes representing variables (all letter codes except I, J, and K) may be used on the
left-hand side of the equation as well.
The variables referenced by the letter codes are for the current frame.

Equation Operators and Functions

Binary Operators
In an equation, the valid binary operators are as follows:

+ Addition

- Subtraction

* Multiplication

/ Division

** Exponentiation

Binary operators have the following precedence:

** Highest precedence

*,/

+,- Lowest precedence

Operators are evaluated from left to right within a precedence level.

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Data Operations

Functions
The following functions are available. Arguments may be variables, constants, expressions, other
functions.

SIN(X) Sine of X (must be specified in radians)

COS(X) Cosine of X (must be specified in radians)

TAN(X) Tangent of X (must be specified in radians)

ABS(X) Absolute value of X

ASIN(X) Arcsine of X (result given in radians)

ACOS(X) Arccosine of X (result given in radians)

ATAN(X) Arctangent of X (result given in radians)

ATAN2(A,B) Arctangent of A/B (result given in radians)

SQRT(X) Returns the positive square root of X

LOG(X), ALOG(X)a Natural logarithm (base e) of X

LOG10(X), ALOG10(X)b Logarithm base 10 of X

EXP(X) Exponentiation (base e); EXP(X)=e**X

MIN(A, B) Minimum of A or B

MAX(A, B) Maximum of A or B

SIGN(X) Returns -1 if X is negative, +1 otherwise

ROUND(X) Round X to the nearest integer

TRUNC(X) Remove fractional part of X

Returns random number between 1 and N

RAND(N)
inclusive, different for each element in the variable
a. LOG and ALOG are equivalent functions
b. LOG10 and ALOG10 are equivalent functions

Conditional Expressions
Conditional expressions may be written using the IF function.

If the predicate expression P is true (has a non-zero value), returns the value of expression T,
IF(P,T,F) otherwise returns the value of expression F. Both T and F are fully evaluated regardless of the value of
P; there is no “short-circuiting.”

The predicate expression may include comparison and Boolean operators, as summarized in the following
table.

Operator Description Example

== Equal To {A} = IF(X==2.0, 3, 4) assigns to variable A: 3 if X equals 2.0, otherwise 4

!= Not Equal To {A} = IF(X != Y,Z,2) assigns to variable A: Z if X does not equal Y, otherwise 2

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 Data Alteration through Equations

> Greater Than {A} = IF(X > 1.0, 4, 5) assigns to variable A: 4 if X > 1.0, otherwise 5

Greater Than
>= {A} = IF(X >= Y, 4, Z) assigns to variable A: 4 if X >= Y, otherwise Z
or Equal To

< Less Than {A} = IF(X < Y, 4, Z) assigns to variable A: 4 if X < Y otherwise Z

Less Than or
<= {A} = IF(X <= Y, 4, Z) assigns to variable A: 4 if X <= Y, otherwise Z
Equal To

{A} = IF(X < Y && X > 3, 8,9) assigns to variable A: 8 if X < Y AND X > 3, otherwise
&& Logical AND
9

|| Logical OR {A} = IF(X == 2 || X > 3, 5,6) assigns to variable A: 5 if X == 2 OR X > 3, otherwise 6

These operators are valid only within the first argument of an IF function. They may not be used
elsewhere in an expression. For example, {A} = X > 1 is invalid. Instead, use {A} = IF(X > 1, 1, 0) or
similar.
Python-style operator chaining (such as A < B < C) is not supported. Although this construction is
syntactically valid, it will not produce the expected result. Use A < B && B < C instead.
&& has a higher precedence than (will be evaluated before) ||. When in doubt, use parentheses.

Derivative and Difference Functions

The derivative functions can be called in the same manner as intrinsic functions. Derivative and difference
functions can be calculated with respect to the following variables:

Variable Definition Restricted to:

x, y, z variable assigned to the x-axis, y-axis or z-axis, respectively XY Linea, or 3D

a variable assigned to the theta-axis Polar Line

r variable assigned to the radial-axis Polar Line

i, j, k index range Ordered Zones

Table 20 - 1: Derivative and Difference Function Variables
a. If you have multiple x-axes or y-axes in an XY line plot, the variables assigned to the x and y-axis in the
first available mapping will be used.

The complete set of first and second-derivative and difference functions are listed below:

Type Function Calls Applicable Variables

First Order ddx, ddy, ddz, dda, ddr x, y, z, a, or r

Second Order d2dx2, d2dy2, d2dz2, d2da2, d2dr2 x, y, z, a or r

Second-Order (cross derivatives) d2dxy, d2dyz, d2dxz, d2dar xy, yz, xz, or ar
 2
The derivative function ddx is used to calculate ; d2dx2 calculates  ;
x  x2

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Data Operations

2

and d2dxy calculates .
 x y

Type Function Calls Applicable Variables

First Order ddi, ddj, ddk i, j, or k

Second Order d2di2 d2dj2, d2dk2 i, j, or k

Second Order (cross derivatives) d2dij, d2djk, d2dik ij, jk, or ik

Table 20 - 2: Difference Functions
The difference functions ddi, d2di2, and so forth, calculate centered differences of their argument with
respect to the indices I, J, and K based on the indices of the point. For example:

V –V
ddi  V  = ----------------------------
i+1 i–1
-
2

For ordered zones, spatial derivative functions are calculated using the chain rule with difference
functions. For example:

  i  j  k
------ = ------ ------ + ------ ------ + ------ ------
x i x j x k x
or:

ddx    = ddi     ddx  i  + ddj     ddx  j  + ddk     ddx  k 

The spatial derivatives of indices, such as ddx(i), are calculated from their inverses, such as ddi(x), using
standard curvilinear coordinate transformations.
For finite-element zones, spatial derivatives are calculated using the Moving Least-Squares technique. The
variable at a particular node or cell center is assumed to vary quadratically in space about that point, and
least-squares is used with all nodes surrounding the point to fit a polynomial function, whose coefficients
then become the first and second derivatives of the variable.

Boundary Values
Boundary values for first-derivative and difference functions (ddx, ddy, ddz, ddi, ddj, and ddk) of ordered
zones are evaluated in one of two methods: simple (default) or complex1.
For simple boundary conditions, the boundary derivative is determined by the one-sided first derivative
at the boundary. This is the same as assuming that the first derivative is constant across the boundary (i.e.,
the second derivative is equal to zero).
For complex boundary conditions, the boundary derivative is extrapolated linearly from the derivatives at
neighboring interior points. This is the same as assuming that the second derivative is constant across the
boundary (i.e. the first derivative varies linearly across the boundary).
For second-derivatives and differences (d2dx2, d2dy2, d2dz2, d2dxy, d2dyz, d2dxz, d2di2, d2dj2, d2dij, d2dk2,
d2djk, and d2dik), these boundary conditions are ignored. The boundary derivative is set equal to the

1. The $!INTERFACE parameter in the configuration file [Link] selects the method to use:
$!INTERFACE DATA {DERIVATIVEBOUNDARY=SIMPLE}
Change the parameter SIMPLE to COMPLEX to use the complex boundary condition.

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 Data Alteration through Equations

derivative that is one index in from the boundary. This is the same as assuming that the second derivative
is constant across the boundary.

You can create your own derivative boundary conditions by using the index range and
the indices options discussed previously.

The use of derivative and difference functions is restricted as follows:

• Derivatives and differences for IJK-ordered zones are calculated for the full 3D volume. The
IJK-mode for such zones is not considered.
• If the derivative cannot be defined at every data point in all the selected zones, the operation is
not performed for any data point.
• Derivative functions are calculated using the active frame’s axis assignments. Be careful if you
have multiple frames with different variable assignments for the same dataset.
• Derivatives at the boundary of two zones may differ since Tecplot 360 EX operates on only one
zone at a time while generating derivatives.

20 - 1.2 Integration
Use the Analyze menu to calculate integrals with Tecplot 360 EX. See Section 21 - 7 “Performing
Integrations” for information.

20 - 1.3 Auxiliary Data

You may use auxiliary data containing numerical constants in equations. The syntax for using auxiliary
data in equations is:
AUXZONE[nnz]:Name
AUXDATASET:Name
AUXFRAME:Name
AUXVAR[nnv]:Name
AUXLINEMAP[nnm]:Name
where
nnz = the zone number(s)
nnv = the variable number(s)
nnm = the line map number(s)
Name = name of the auxiliary data

For example, a dataset auxiliary data constant called Pref would be referenced using AUXDataSet:Pref.
Equations using this auxiliary data might appear as:
{P} = {P_NonDim} * AUXDataSet:Pref

20 - 1.4 Zone Number Specification

By following a variable reference with square brackets (“[” and “]”), you can specify a specific zone from
which to get the variable value.

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Data Operations

The zone number must be a positive integer constant less than or equal to the number of zones. The zone
specified must have the same structure (I, IJ, or IJK-ordered or finite element) and dimensions (IMax,
number of nodes) as the zone(s) the equation(s) will be applied to.

If you do not specify a zone, the zone modified by the left-hand side of the equation is
used.

Zone specification works only on the right-hand side of the equation.

20 - 1.5 Index Specification

By following a variable reference with parentheses, you can specify indices for ordered data only. Indices
can be absolute or an offset from the current index.
Index offsets are specified by using the appropriate index “i”, “j” or “k” followed by a “+” or “-” and then
an integer constant. Any integer offsets may be used. If the offset moves beyond the end of the zone, the
boundary value is used. For example, V3(i+2) uses the value V3(IMAX) when I=IMax-1 and I=IMax. V3(I-2)
uses the value of V3(1) when I=1 or I=2.
Absolute indices are specified by using a positive integer constant only. For example, V3(2) references V3 at
index 2, regardless of the current i index.
If the indices are not specified, the current index values are used.

20 - 1.6 Variable Sharing Between Zones

For zones with the same structure and index ranges, you can set a variable to be shared by specifying that
the variable for those zones have the values from one zone. For example, if zones 3 and 4 have the same
structure and you compute V3=V3[3] for zones 3 and 4, V3 will be shared.

Subsequent alteration of the variables may result in loss of sharing.

20 - 1.7 Equation Restriction

The zone and index restrictions specified in the Specify Equations dialog can be overridden on an
equation by equation basis. To specify restrictions for a single equation add the colon character (:) at the
end of the equation followed by one or more of the following:

Equation Restrictor Comments

<Z=<set>> Restrict the zones.

<I=start[,end[,skip]]> Restrict the I-range.

<J=start[,end[,skip]]> Restrict the J-range.

<K=start[,end[,skip]]> Restrict the K-range.

Set the data type for the variable on the left hand side. This only applies if a
<D=datatype>
new variable is being created.

Set the value location (NODAL or CELLCENTERED) for the variable on the
<V=valuelocation>
left hand side. Only applicable if a new variable is being created.

For example, to add one to X in zones 1, 3, 4, and 5:

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 Data Alteration through Equations

X=X+1:<Z=[1,3-5]>
The following example adds one to X for every other I-index. Note that zero represents the maximum
index.
X=X+1:<I=1,0,2>
The next example creates a new variable of type Byte:
{NewV}=X-Y:<D=Byte>

20 - 1.8 Macros and Equations

Tecplot 360 EX allows you to put your equations in macros. A macro with just equations in it may be
referred to as an equation file, and in fact equation files saved using the Save Equations button are macro
files with an .eqn extension. An equation in a macro file is specified using the $!ALTERDATA macro command.
Equation files may also include comment lines and must start with the comment #!MC 1410, like other
macro files. If you are performing complex operations on your data, and/or the operations are repeated
frequently, equation files can be very helpful.
You can create equation files from scratch using an ASCII text editor, or you can create your equations
interactively by using the Specify Equations dialog and then save the resulting equations. The standard
file name extension for equation files is .eqn.
For example, you might define an equation to compute the magnitude of a 3D vector. In the Specify
Equations dialog, it would have the following form:
{Mag} = sqrt(U*U + V*V + W*W)
In a macro file, it would have the following form:
#!MC 1410
$!ALTERDATA
EQUATION = "{Mag} = sqrt(U*U + V*V + W*W)"
The interactive form of the equation must be enclosed in double quotes and supplied as a value to the
EQUATION parameter of the $!ALTERDATA macro command.
To read an equation file, select Load Equations on the Specify Equations dialog. In the Load Equation
File dialog, select an equation file that contains a set of equations to apply to the selected zones of your
data. The equations in the equation file will be added to the list of equations in the dialog. All equations
are applied to your data when you click Compute.
Equations in equation files may be calculated somewhat differently depending on whether the
computation is done from within the Specify Equations dialog or by running the equation file as a macro.
When loaded into the Specify Equations dialog, equations that do not contain zone or index restrictions
use the current zone and index restrictions shown in the dialog. When processed as a macro file, the
equations apply to all zones and data points. To include zone and index restrictions, you must include
them in the equation file as part of the $!ALTERDATA command.
Refer to the Scripting Guide for more information on working with the $!ALTERDATA command.

20 - 1.9 Equation Examples

In the following equation, V1 (the first variable defined in the data file) is replaced by two and a half times
the existing value of V1:
V1 = 2.5*V1
The following equation sets the value of a variable called Density to 205. A new variable is created if a
variable called Density does not exist.
{Density} = 205

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Data Operations

In the next equation, the values for Y (the variable assigned to the Y-axis) are replaced by the negative of
the square of the values of X (the variable assigned to the X-axis):
Y = -X**2
The following equation replaces the values of V3 with the values of V2 rounded off to the nearest integer. A
new variable is created if there are only two variables currently in the data set.
V3 = round(V2)
In the following equation, the values of the fourth variable in the data set are replaced by the log (base 10)
of the values of the third variable.
V4 = ALOG10(V3)
Suppose that the third and fourth variables are the X and Y-components of velocity and that there are
currently a total of five variables. The following examples create a new variable (V6) that is the magnitude
of the components of velocity.
V6 = (V3*V3+V4*V4)**0.5
or
V6 = sqrt(V3**2+V4**2)
You can also accomplish the above operation with the following equation (assuming you have already
defined the vector components for the active frame):
{Mag} = sqrt(U*U + V*V)
The following equation sets the value of a variable named diff to the truncated value of a variable named
depth subtracted from the existing value of depth:
{diff} = {depth} - trunc({depth})
In the next equation, C (the contour variable) is set to the absolute value of S (the scatter-sizing variable),
assuming both C and S are defined:
C = abs(S)
In the following example, a new variable is created (assuming that only seven variables initially existed in
the data file). The value for V8 (the new variable) is calculated from a function of the existing variables:
V8 = SQRT((V1*V1+V2*V2+V3*V3)/(287.0*V4*V6))
The above operation could have been performed in two simpler steps as follows:
V8 = V1*V1+V2*V2+V3*V3
V8 = SQRT(V8/(287.0*V4*V6))
The following equation replaces any value of a variable called TIME that is below 5.0 with 5.0. In other
words, the values of TIME are replaced with the maximum of the current value of TIME and 5.0:
{TIME} = max({TIME},5)
The following equation creates variable V4 which has values of X at points where X<0; at other points, it has
a value of zero (this does not affect any values of X):
V4 = min(X,0)
Another example using intrinsic functions is shown below:
V8 = 55.0*SIN(V3*3.14/180.0) + ALOG(V4**3/(v1+1.0))
You can also reference the I, J, and K-indices in an equation. For example, if you wanted to cut out a
section of a zone using value blanking, you could create a new variable that is a function of the I and J-
indices (for IJ-ordered data). Then, by using value-blanking, you could remove certain cells where the
value of the value-blanking variable was less than or equal to the value blanking cut-off value.
Here is an example for calculating a value-blanking variable that is zero in a block of cells from I=10 to 30,
and is equal to one in the other cells:

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 Data Smoothing

V3 = min((max(I,30)-min(I,10)-20),1)
The following equation replaces all values of Y with the difference between the current value of Y and the
value of Y in zone 1. (If zone 1 is used for the data alteration, the new values of Y will be zero throughout
that zone.)
Y = Y - Y[1]
The following equation replaces the values of V3 (in an IJ-ordered zone) with the average of the values of
V3 at the four adjacent data points:
V3 = (V3(i+1,j)+V3(i-1,j)+V3(i,j+1)+V3(i,j-1))/4
The following equation sets the values of a variable called TEMP to the product of the values of a variable
called T measured in four places: in zone 1 at two index values before the current data point, in the current
zone at an absolute index of three, in zone 4 at the current data point, and in the current zone at the current
data point.
{TEMP} = {T}[1](i-2) * {T}(3) * {T}[4] * {T}
Indices may be combined with zone specifications. The zone is listed first, then the index offset. For
example:
V3 = V3 - V3[1](i+1)
Y = Y[1] - Y[2](1) + Y(1,j+3) + Y
Referencing variables by letter code:
V3 = I + J
V4 = cos(X) * cos(Y) * cos(Z)
{Dist} = sqrt(U*U + V*V + W*W)
{temp} = min(B,1)
Specifying the Zone number for a given variable:
V3 = V3 - V3[1]
X = ( X[1] + X[2] + X[3] ) / 3
{TempAdj} = {Temp}[7] - {Adj}
V8 = V1[19] - 2*C[21] + {R/T}[18]

20 - 2 Data Smoothing
You can smooth the values of a variable of any zone (2D or 3D) or 1D line map (plotted in either XY or
Polar) to reduce “noise” and lessen discontinuities in data.
Smoothing can be used after inverse-distance interpolation to reduce the artificial peaks and plateaus this
type of interpolation can produce. Each pass of smoothing shifts the value of a variable at a data point
towards an average of the values at its neighboring data points.

Zones must be mesh-based to be smoothed. If your data consists of disconnected

points, see “Inverse-Distance Interpolation” on page 330 and “Irregular Data Point
Triangulation” on page 334 for possible approaches to converting it to a form suitable for
use with the Tecplot 360 EX smoothing feature.

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Data Operations

To smooth data in Tecplot 360 EX, select Alter>Smooth from the Data menu.

The Smooth dialog has the following options:

• Zone - Specify the zone to smooth from the Zone drop-down. The zone should not intersect
itself.
For a given plot type, the dimension of the zone must be less than or equal to the dimension of
the plot type. That is, in 3D Cartesian plots, volume, surface and line zones may be smoothed,
while in 2D Cartesian plots, volume zones cannot be smoothed.
• Variable - Select the variable to smooth. For line plots, the variable must be a dependent
variable for an active mapping for that zone.
• Number of Passes - Specify the number of smoothing passes to perform. The default is 1. A
greater number of passes results in greater smoothing, but takes more time.
• Coefficient - Specify the relaxation factor for each pass of smoothing. Enter a number between
zero and one (exclusively). Large numbers flatten peaks and noise quickly. Small numbers
smooth less each pass, rounding out peaks and valleys rather than eliminating them.
• Boundary - Select the boundary conditions by which to smooth from the Boundary drop-
down.
• Fixed - The points at the boundary are not changed in value. For finite element data,
only fixed boundary conditions may be used.
• First Order - The points at the boundary are smoothed based on the assumption that the
first derivative normal to the boundary is constant. This will tend to cause contour lines
of the smoothed variable to be perpendicular to the boundary.
• Second Order - The points at the boundary are smoothed based on the assumption that
the second derivative normal to the boundary is constant. This option may
overextrapolate derivatives at the boundary.
• Smooth - Click to perform smoothing. While the smoothing is underway, the progress is
displayed in the status bar. A Stop button displayed in the status bar allows you to interrupt
the operation.

20 - 2.1 Limitations of Smoothing

• Finite element zones cannot be smoothed with anything other than Fixed boundary
conditions.
• Tecplot 360 EX uses the active frame’s axis assignments to determine the variables to use for
the coordinates in the smoothing, and also to determine whether the smoothing should be
done with XY Line, Polar, and 2D or 3D Cartesian plot types. Be sure to select the correct frame
if you have multiple frames with different variable assignments for the same dataset.
• Any axis scaling is ignored while smoothing.

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 Fourier Transform

• For I-ordered or finite element line segment zones, the active frame can be in the XY Line, or
3D Cartesian plot types. In XY Line, the variable must be the dependent variable of one active
mapping for that zone.
• For IJ-ordered, finite element triangle, or finite element quadrilateral zones, the active frame
can be a 2D or 3D Cartesian plot type, but you cannot smooth the variables assigned to the X
and Y-axes in Cartesian.
• For IJK-ordered, finite element tetrahedral, or finite element brick zones, the plot type must be
3D Cartesian, and you cannot smooth the variables assigned to the X, Y, and Z-axes. The IJK-
mode is ignored. The zone is smoothed with respect to the entire 3D volume.
• Smoothing does not extend across zone boundaries. If you use a boundary condition option
other than Fixed (such that values along the zone boundary change), contour lines can be
discontinuous at the zone boundaries.
• Smoothing is performed on all nodes of a zone, and disregards value blanking.

20 - 3 Fourier Transform
The Fourier transform feature (Data>Fourier Transform) allows you to transform one-dimensional
ordered linear data into the frequency domain. One or more dependent variables in the data set are taken
to be a representation of some function of a single independent variable, such as time, and this function is
decomposed into its constituent sine waves. Variables are added to the data set to indicate these waves’
frequency in Hertz, phase, and amplitude in each selected zone, and an XY of the resulting amplitudes is
created in a new frame.
The dependent variables for a Fourier transform must be single-valued. The independent variable domain
need not be constantly spaced; data will be resampled linearly if necessary.
The resulting frequency, amplitude, and phase variables (three for each dependent variable) are stored in
Fourier transform result zones, one for each source zone. The result zones are given the name “Fourier
Transform” followed by text indicating the source zone, independent variable, and window function used
to calculate them. Result zones are assigned new time strands using the same groupings as the source
zones if they belong to time stands; otherwise the resulting zones are static.
The result variables in the result zone are given the names Frequency, Amplitude and Phase followed by
text indicating the dependent variable involved in the calculation. If the independent variable is non-
uniform, Frequency is a uniform interpolation of the original data.
Newly-created zones are assigned passive variables for all variables that previously existed in the dataset,
and all previously-existing zones are assigned passive variables for all new variables created by the
Fourier transform.

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Data Operations

• Independent Variable - The variable used as the frequency domain. If this variable’s spacing is
non-uniform, this variable is used in conjunction with each dependent variable for
interpolation to create a uniform frequency for the Fourier transform.
• Dependent Variables - Choose the dependent variables to be transformed. Each will appear
on the resulting XY plot as its own linemap.
• Source Zones - Choose the zones for which the transform should be calculated.
• Window Function - A function applied to the dependent variables before performing the
transform (but after interpolation) to taper the data. Rectangular, triangular, Hann, and
Hamming filters are provided.
• Plot Placement - Where to initially place the result plot of the transform showing the
distribution of frequencies in the data. The plot can be moved and resized as desired
afterward.
• In corner of source frame - A new frame is created for the frequency plot in the upper right
corner of the frame containing the data being transformed.
• Tile with existing frames - All frames, including the new one, are adjusted to the same size
and arranged on the paper in a grid.
• Include Conjugates - For purely real numbers, fully half of the results of the Fourier transform
are conjugates (values with the same real part but opposite imaginary parts, which behave
identically in situations where a real number is required). Toggling-off this option will allow
the transform to be performed approximately twice as fast. as only one conjugate is calculated.
• Obey Source Zone Blanking - If value blanking is active and this option is toggled-on, value
blanking is applied to the values of both independent and dependent variables before
interpolation is performed. If data values eliminated by blanking cause the data to be non-
uniform, the values are interpolated appropriately. All blanked data values up to the first non-
blanked value, and all blanked data values after the last non-blanked value, are ignored,
providing a way to constrain the domain of the transform.
• Replace Zones/Variables by Name - If either or both are toggled-on, the results of the
transform are stored in existing result zones and/or variables, based on their names, if such
zones and/or variables exist. Otherwise, new result zones and/or variables are created.
You may also access this feature by right-clicking a line map and choosing Fourier Transform from the
context menu. In this case, the line map you click defines the independent and dependent variable used.
All other settings are taken from last values entered in the dialog; the dialog does not appear.

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 Axial Rotation

20 - 4 Axial Rotation
The Axial Rotation dialog, available from the Alter submenu of the Data menu, allows you to rotate one or
more 2D or 3D zones using the right-hand rule. The variables rotated are the spatial variables (X, Y, and,
for 3D zones, Z) and the vector variables assigned using Plot > Vector > Variables. For 3D zones, you may
also choose the axis of rotation.

The Axial Rotation dialog has the following options:

• Rotation Angle - The angle by which the data should be rotated. May be specified in degrees
or radians using the drop-down menu to the right of the entry field.
• Axis - For 3D zones, choose the axis around which rotation should occur. Not available for 2D
zones, which are always rotated about a notional axis perpendicular to the zone.
• Origin - For rotation around a point other than (0, 0) or (0, 0, 0), enter the location of the origin
using the X, Y, and (for 3D zones) Z fields.
• Zones to Rotate - Click, Control-click, and/or Shift-click in the zone list to select one or more
zones.
• Select by Time Strand For transient data, if this checkbox is toggled on, the zones in the Zones
to Rotate list are grouped by time strand, so that selecting a zone selects all the zones in that
time strand.

Using a macro, it is possible to rotate around arbitrary axes rather than just X, Y, and Z,
and to specify exactly which variables, if any, should be rotated as spatial variables and
which as vector variables, including no spatial variables at all, or multiple vector
variables. See $!ROTATEDATA in the Scripting Guide.

20 - 5 Zone Creation
The Create Zone submenu of the Data menu allows you to add data to your plot. The menu has the
following options:
• Rectangular Zone Creation
• Circular or Cylindrical Zone Creation
• Zone Duplication

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• Mirror Zone Creation

20 - 5.1 Rectangular Zone Creation

Creating a rectangular zone is often the first step in interpolating irregular data into an ordered grid
Tecplot 360 EX allows you to create a new ordered rectangular zone with the dimensions in the I, J and K-
directions you specify. This is done either with the Create Rectangular Zone tool (only) or the Create
Rectangular Zone dialog. The zone that you create has the same number of variables as other zones in the
dataset.
To create a rectangular zone, select Create Zone>Rectangular from the Data menu.

The Create Rectangular Zone dialog has the following options:

• Dimensions - Enter the number of data points in the I, J and K-directions.
• To create an I-ordered zone, enter 1 for both the J and K-dimensions.
• To create an IJ-ordered zone, enter 1 for the K-dimension. The z-axis variable will equal
ZMin throughout the created zone.
• To create an IJK-ordered zone, enter a K-dimension greater than one.
• Coordinates - Enter the start and end points of the physical coordinates (X,Y and Z).
• Create - Select the [Create] button to create the zone.
Tecplot 360 EX uniformly distributes the data points in the I, J and K directions. Any variable not assigned
to an axis is set to zero.
By using the Specify Equations dialog under the Data>Alter menu, you can modify the X, Y, and Z-
coordinates, and the values of the other variables as well, by using equations or Equation files. See Section
20 - 1 “Data Alteration through Equations”.

20 - 5.2 Circular or Cylindrical Zone Creation

Tecplot 360 EX allows you to create a new ordered circular or cylindrical zone with the dimensions in the
I, J, and K-directions you specify. The I-dimension determines the number of points on each radius of the
zones. The J-dimension determines the number of points around the circumference. The K-dimension
determines the number of layers in the zone, creating a cylinder.
You create a circular or cylindrical zone with the Create Circular Zone dialog (accessed via Data>Create
Zone, or with the Create Circular Zone tool (only). The zone that you create has the same number of
variables as other zones in the dataset.
If you have no current dataset, Tecplot 360 EX creates one with two or three variables, depending on the K-
dimension. If you specify K=1, the dataset is created as IJ-ordered, and has two variables. If you specify
K>1, the dataset is created as IJK-ordered, and has three variables.

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 Zone Creation

To create a circular zone select Create Zone>Circular from the Data menu.

The Create Circular Zone dialog has the following options:

• Dimensions - Enter the dimensions of your circular zone:
• Radial (I) - Specify the number of points the radial direction (I)
• Circumferential (J) - Specify the number of points in the circumferential direction (J)
• Top to Bottom (K) - Specify the number of points for the height of the cylinder (K). Set K
equal to one to create a circular zone.
• Coordinates
• Radius - Enter the length of the radius.
• X-Origin and Y-Origin - Enter the coordinates for the zone center
• ZMin and ZMax - Enter the minimum and maximum Z-coordinates. For a circular zone
(where K=1), the Z variable is set to ZMin for all points.
• Create - Select the [Create] button to create the zone.
For IJ-ordered, Tecplot 360 EX creates a zone in which I-circles are connected by J-radial lines. For 3D
(K>1), Tecplot 360 EX creates a K-layered cylindrical zone having I-circles connected by J-radial planes. All
other variables are set to zero These two scenarios are shown below.

Using the Alter option from the Data menu, you can modify the X-, Y-, and Z-coordinates, and the values
of the other variables as well, by using equations or equation files. See Section 20 - 1 “Data Alteration
through Equations”.

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20 - 5.3 Zone Duplication

To create a full duplicate of one or more existing zones, select Create Zone>Duplicate from the Data
menu. In the Create Duplicate Zone dialog, select the source zone(s). Each duplicate zone has the same
name as its source zone.

After a zone is duplicated, all variables in the newly created zone(s) will be shared with
their corresponding source zone(s).

20 - 5.4 Mirror Zone Creation

To create a duplicate zone that is the mirror image of an existing zone, select Create Zone>Mirror from the
Data menu.

You can only create mirrored zones along one of the standard axes (2D) or the plane
determined by any two axes (3D).

The Create Mirror Zone dialog has the following options:

• Source Zone(s) - Select the Sources Zone(s).

• Mirror Axis - Specify the axis () or axis plane (3D) to mirror about.
• Create - Select the [Create] button to create the zone.

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Each mirror zone has a name of the form “Mirror of zone sourcezone”, where sourcezone is the number of
the zone from which the mirrored zone was created.

The variables in the newly created zone(s) are shared with their corresponding source
zone(s), except for the coordinate and velocity normal to the symmetry plane.

20 - 5.5 Axial Duplication

The Axial Duplication dialog, available from the Create Zone submenu of the Data menu, allows you to
create sucessively-rotated duplicates of one or more 2D or 3D zones using the right-hand rule. For
example, if your data set contains a simulation of one blade of a turbine, and there are thirty blades in the
full turbine, you can create 29 duplicates, each rotated twelve degrees from the previous, to be able to
visualize the entire turbine.
The variables rotated are the spatial variables (X, Y, and, for 3D zones, Z) and the vector variables assigned
using Plot > Vector > Variables. For 3D zones, you may also choose the axis of rotation. Streamtraces are
not duplicated; place streamtraces after zone duplication.

The Axial Duplication dialog has the following options:

• Define Angle Between Instances - Contains two interdpendent fields, Angle and Segments,
which are used to specify how many duplicates are in a full 360° rotation of the zone.
The number of segments is determined by dividing the angle into 360,° and the angle is
calculated by dividing the number of segments into 360°. Editing one automatically updates
the other. You may choose to specify (or calculate) the angle in ethier degrees or radians.

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Data Operations

• Offset Angle - The additional amount by which the first duplicate should be rotated; may be
specified in degrees or radians. For example, if you specify an angle between instances of 20°
and an offset of 40°, the first duplicate will be made at 60°, the second at 80°, the third at 100°,
and so on.
This field may be used, for instance, when you have already created some duplicates and want
to create additional duplicates that do not overlap the ones you have already created. In the
example just given of angle 20° and offset 40°, perhaps you have already created two
duplicates (at 20’° and 40°) and wish to create additional duplicates. In this case, offset of 40°
specifies that the last existing duplicate is at 40° and that new duplicates should be created in
the next “slot” beyond that, at 60°.
• Full or Partial Duplication - Choose to create as many new zones as are necessary for a full
rotation by choosing Full 360° (this will result in the number of duplicates entered or
calculated in the Define Angle Between Instances, less the original zone(s) being duplicated)
or create a specified number of rotated duplicates.
• Axis - For 3D zones, choose the axis around which rotation should occur. Not available for 2D
zones, which are always rotated about a notional axis perpendicular to the zone.
• Origin - For rotation around a point other than (0, 0) or (0, 0, 0), enter the location of the origin
using the X, Y, and (for 3D zones) Z fields.
• Zones to Duplicate - Click, Control-click, and/or Shift-click in the zone list to select one or
more zones.
• Select by Time Strand - For transient data, if this checkbox is toggled on, the zones in the
Zones to Duplicate list are grouped by time strand, so that selecting a zone selects all the zones
in that time strand
• Add Zones to Existing Strands.- For transient data, adds the duplicate zones to the same time
strand as the original zones if toggled on. Otherwise, the duplicate zones are assigned new
strand IDs if the soruce zones belonged to strands, otherwise they are made static.

Using a macro, it is possible to rotate around arbitrary axes rather than just X, Y, and Z,
and to specify exactly which variables, if any, should be rotated as spatial variables and
which as vector variables, including no spatial variables at all, or multiple vector
variables. See $!AXIALDUPLICATE in the Scripting Guide.

20 - 6 Data Extraction from an Existing Zone

You may create new zones by extracting (or interpolating) data from existing zones in a number of ways.
Derived objects, such as contour lines, FE-boundaries, iso-surfaces, slices, or streamtraces may be
extracted to be independent zones. You may also extract data using a specified slice plane, discrete points,
points from a polyline, or points from a geometry.
The procedures for extracting derived objects are discussed in the chapters related to those objects. For
details see Chapter 9: “Contour Layer”, Section 15 - 3 “Streamtrace Extraction as Zones”, and Section 16 -
6 “Iso-Surface Extraction”. Extracting slices, both derived and arbitrarily defined, is described in Section
14 - 2 “Extracting Slices to Zones”.

20 - 6.1 Subzone Extraction

To create a subzone of an existing ordered zone, select Extract>Subzone from the Data menu.

Subzone extraction is available for ordered zones only.

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 Data Extraction from an Existing Zone

The Extract Subzone dialog has the following options:

• Source Zone - Select the source zone (ordered zones only).

• Index Range from Source Zone - Specify the desired subzone as a range of I, J, and K-indices.
You may use the special value 0 or Mx to indicate the maximum of that index, and the values Mx-
1 to represent one index less than the maximum, Mx-2 for two less than the maximum, and so
forth.
• Extract - Select the [Extract] button to create the zone. Each extracted subzone is given the
name “Subzone.”

20 - 6.2 Data Point Extraction

You may create an I-ordered zone by extracting data points from the current dataset along a polyline that
lies within the edges of a zone with connectivity. To extract points along a polyline:

1. If necessary, create the polyline geometry using the polyline tool. Click each of the points
in the polyline, then double-click the last point (or press Escape) to finish the polyline. You
may also extract points along an already-existing polyline.
2. Right-click the polyline geometry in the workspace and choose Extract Points from the context
menu to open the Extract Data Points dialog.

3. Use the Extract Data Points dialog to control how data points are extracted. The dialog has
the following options:
• Extract regular points along geometry - Select this option to extract the specified
number of points distributed uniformly along the geometry.
• Number of points to extract - Enter the number of points to extract. This field is
available only if you are extracting regular points along a geometry.

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• Extract only points which define geometry - Select this option to extract only the
endpoints of the segments in the geometry.

Any necessary interpolation is performed using the same method used in probing. The
spatial interpolation method is piecewise-linear by default. Cells are, in effect, divided by
adding nodes at their center and face centers, until all cell pieces are tetrahedral. The
extra nodes are calculated by arithmetically averaging the variable values at all nodes
(for the cell-center node) or all face nodes (for the face-center nodes). Within each of
these sub-cells, variables are interpolated linearly.
From triangular faces, linear interpolation is used to determine the value of the extracted
points. On quadrilateral faces, a point of the center of mass of the quadrilateral is
created and assigned a value equal to the average of the four corners. The surface is
then broken down into four triangles using this center point and the four corners, and
the extracted point value is interpolated linearly on the face of the triangle that
surrounds it.
If a surface utilizes cell-centered values, the nodal values at the corners are
interpolated, then the extracted points are interpolated from those nodal values.
Volume interpolation, piece-wise by default, calculates to first-order accuracy. For
second-order accuracy (tri-linear interpolation), add the following line to your [Link]
file:
$!INTERFACE DATA {VOLUMECELLINTEROPLATIONMODE = TRILINEAR}

4. If you created a new polyline for the extraction operation, you may wish to delete it by again
right-clicking it, then choosing Delete from the context menu.

20 - 7 Zone Deletion
In any dataset with more than one zone, you can delete any unwanted zones. To delete a zone, select
Delete>Zone from the Data menu. You cannot delete all zones; if you attempt to delete all zones, the
lowest numbered zone is not deleted.

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 Variable Deletion

20 - 8 Variable Deletion
To delete a variable, select Delete>Variable from the Data menu. The Delete Variable dialog is shown
below.

When deleting a variable, keep in mind that [Link] a variable removes it from all zones. You cannot
delete a variable used in a Calculate-on-demand function. See Section 21 - 6.2 “Calculate-on-demand
Variables”.

20 - 9 Data Interpolation
In Tecplot 360 EX, interpolation refers to assigning new values for the variables at data points in a zone
based on the data point values in another zone (or set of zones).
For example, you may have a set of data points in an I-ordered zone that are distributed randomly in the
XY-plane. This type of data is sometimes referred to as unordered, ungridded, or random data. In Tecplot
360 EX, it is referred to as irregular data. Using data in this form, you can create mesh plots and scatter
plots, but you cannot create contour plots, light-source shading, or streamtraces.
In Tecplot 360 EX, you can interpolate the irregular I-ordered data onto an IJ-ordered mesh, and then
create contour plots and other types of field plots with the interpolated data. You can also interpolate your
3D, I-ordered irregular data into an IJK-ordered zone and create 3D volume plots from the IJK-ordered
zone. You can even interpolate to a finite element zone.
The accuracy of the interpolation will depend on your data, the density of the destination grid, how well
the grid fits the area of your unorganized zone and the settings used for interpolation.
There are two types of interpolation available:
• Linear Interpolation - Interpolate using linear interpolation from a set of finite element, IJ-
ordered, or IJK-ordered zones to one zone.
• Inverse-Distance Interpolation - Interpolate using an inverse-distance weighting from a set of
zones to one zone.
• Kriging- Interpolate using Kriging from a set of zones to one zone.

20 - 9.1 Linear Interpolation

Use the Linear Interpolation dialog to interpolate data from one or more ordered or finite element zones
onto a destination zone. Irregular I-ordered data cannot be used for the source zones in linear
interpolation; you may be able to first create a finite element zone from an irregular, I-ordered zone by
using triangulation. (See Section 20 - 10 “Irregular Data Point Triangulation”.)

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Data Operations

Linear interpolation finds the values in the destination zone based on their location within the cells of the
source zones. The value is linearly interpolated to the destination data points using only the data points at
the vertices of the cell (or element) in the source zone(s).
To perform linear interpolation:
1. Read the dataset to be interpolated into Tecplot 360 EX (the source data).
2. Read in or create the zone onto which the data is to be interpolated (the destination zone).
3. From the Data menu, choose Interpolate>Linear.

4. From the Linear Interpolation dialog, select the zones to be interpolated from those listed in
the Source Zone(s) scrolled list.
5. Select which variables are to be interpolated from those listed in the Variable(s) scrolled list.
6. Select the destination zone into which to interpolate. Existing values in the destination zone
will be overwritten.
7. Outside Points - Optionally, choose how to treat points that lie outside the source-zone data
field. You have two options:
• Do Not Change - Preserves the values of points outside the data field. Do Not Change
is appropriate in cases where you are using one interpolation algorithm inside the data
field, and another outside.
• Constant - Sets all points outside the data field to a constant value that you specify.
8. Click the [Interpolate] button to perform the interpolation.
9. While the interpolation is proceeding, a working dialog appears showing the progress of the
interpolation.

If you select [Cancel] during the interpolation process, the interpolation is terminated
prematurely. The destination zone will be left in an indeterminate state, and you should
redo the interpolation.

20 - 9.2 Inverse-Distance Interpolation

Inverse-distance interpolation averages the values at the data points from one set of zones (the source
zones) to the data points in another zone (the destination zone). The average is weighted by a function of
the distance between each source data point to the destination data point. The closer a source data point is
to the destination data point, the greater its value is weighted.

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In many cases, the source zone is an irregular dataset—an I-ordered set of data points without any mesh
structure (a list of points). Inverse-distance interpolation may be used to create a 3D surface or a 3D
volume field plots of irregular data. The destination zone can, for example, be a circular or rectangular
zone created within Tecplot 360 EX (see “Zone Creation” on page 321).
To perform inverse-distance interpolation in Tecplot 360 EX, use the following steps:
1. Read the dataset to be interpolated into Tecplot 360 EX (the source data).
2. Read in or create the zone onto which the data is to be interpolated (the destination zone).
3. From the Data menu, choose Interpolate>Inverse Distance.

4. From the Inverse-Distance Interpolation dialog, select the zones to be interpolated from
those listed in the Source Zone(s) list.
5. Select which variables are to be interpolated from those listed in the Variable(s) list.
6. Select the Destination Zone into which to interpolate. Existing values in the destination zone
will be overwritten.
7. [OPTIONAL] Enter the minimum distance used for the inverse-distance weighting in the
Minimum Distance text field. Source data points which are closer to a destination data point
than this minimum distance are weighted as if they were at the minimum distance. This tends
to reduce the peaking and plateauing of the interpolated data near the source data points.
8. [OPTIONAL] Enter the exponent for the inverse-distance weighting in the Exponent text
field.

The exponent should be set between 2 and 5. The algorithm is speed-optimized for an
exponent of 4, although in many cases, the interpolation looks better with an exponent
of 3.5.

9. [OPTIONAL] Select the method used for determining which source points to consider for
each destination point from the Point Selection drop-down. There are three available
methods, as follows:
• Nearest N - For each point in the destination zone, consider only the closest n points to
the destination point. These n points can come from any of the source zones. This option
may speed up processing if n is significantly smaller than the entire number of source
points.

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Data Operations

• Octant - Like Nearest N above, except the n points are selected by coordinate-system
octants. The n points are selected so they are distributed as evenly as possible
throughout the eight octants. This reduces the chances of using source points which are
all on one side of the destination point.
• All - Consider all points in the source zone(s) for each point in the destination zone.
10. Click Interpolate to perform the interpolation.

If you select the [Cancel] button during the interpolation process, the interpolation is
terminated prematurely. The destination zone will be left in an indeterminate state, and
you should redo the interpolation.

Inverse-distance interpolation ignores the IJK-mode of IJK-ordered zones. All data points in both the
source and destination zones are used in the interpolation.

Tecplot 360 EX uses the active frame’s axis assignments to determine the variables to
use for coordinates in interpolation. However, axis scaling is ignored.

The Inverse-Distance Algorithm

The algorithm used for inverse-distance interpolation is simple. The value of a variable at a data point in
the destination zone is calculated as a function of the selected data points in the source zone (as defined in
the Point Selection drop-down, accessed via Data>Interpolate>Inverse-Distance).
The value at each source zone data point is weighted by the inverse of the distance between the source
data point and the destination data point (raised to a power) as shown below:

 ws s
 d = -------------------- (summed over the selected points in the source zone)
 ws

where d and s are the values of the variables at the destination point and the source point, respectively,
and ws is the weighting function defined as:

–E
ws = D

D in the equation above is the distance between the source point and the destination point or the
minimum distance specified in the dialog, whichever is greater. E is the exponent specified in the
Exponent text field.
Smoothing may improve the data created by inverse-distance interpolation. Smoothing adjusts the values
at data points toward the average of the values at neighboring data points, removing peaks, plateaus, and
noise from the data. See Section 20 - 2 “Data Smoothing” for information on smoothing.

Kriging and Inverse Distance Interpolation Improvements

For better results with 3D data, try changing the range of your Z-variable to one similar
to the X-range the Y-range. Also, set Zero Value to 0.05.

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 Data Interpolation

20 - 9.3 Kriging
Kriging is a more complex form of interpolation than inverse-distance. It generally produces superior
results to the inverse-distance algorithm but requires more computer memory and time.
To perform kriging in Tecplot 360 EX, perform the following steps:
1. Read the dataset to be interpolated into Tecplot 360 EX (the source data).
2. Read in or create the zone onto which the data is to be interpolated (the destination zone).
3. From the Data menu, choose Interpolate>Kriging

4. From the Kriging dialog, select the zones to be interpolated from those listed in the Source
Zone(s) scrolled list.

Tecplot 360 EX uses the active frame’s axis assignments to determine the variables to
use for coordinates in kriging. However, any axis scaling is ignored.

5. Select which variables are to be interpolated from those listed in the Variable(s) scrolled list.
6. Select the destination zone into which to interpolate. Existing values in the destination zone
will be overwritten.
7. In the Range text field, optionally enter the distance beyond which source points become
insignificant for the kriging. The value is stated as the fraction of the length of the diagonal of
the box which contains the data points. A range of zero means that any point not coincident
with the destination point is statistically insignificant; a range of one means that every point in
the dataset is statistically significant for each point. In general, values between 0.2 and 0.5
should be used.
8. In the Zero Value text field, optionally enter the semi-variance at each source data point on a
normalized scale from zero to one. Semi-variance is the certainty of the value at a data point.
A value of zero means that the values at the source points are exact. Greater values mean the
values at the source points have some uncertainty or noise. Zero is usually a good number for
the zero value, and it causes the interpolated data to fit closely to all the source data points.

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Data Operations

Increasing the zero value results in smoother interpolated values that fit increasingly more to
the average of the source data.
9. Select the overall trend for the data in the Drift drop-down. This can be Linear (default),
None, or Quadratic.

If the Drift is set to Linear or Quadratic, Tecplot 360 EX requires that the points selected
be non-collinear (non-coplanar in 3D). To avoid this limitation, set Drift to None.
Alternatively, you can eliminate coincident points by Irregular Data Point Triangulation
before you interpolate.

[Link] the method used for determining which source points to consider for each destination
point from the Point Selection drop-down. There are three available methods, as follows:
• Nearest N - For each point in the destination zone, consider only the closest n points to
the destination point. These n points can come from any of the source zones.
• Octant (default) - Like Nearest N above, except the n points are selected by coordinate-
system octants. The n points are selected so they are distributed as evenly as possible
throughout the eight octants. This reduces the chances of using source points which are
all on one side of the destination point.
• All - Consider all points in the source zone(s) for each point in the destination zone. In
general, you should not use the All option unless you have very few source points.

The Point Selection option is very important for kriging, because kriging involves the
computationally expensive inversion and multiplication of matrices. The computational
time and memory requirements increase rapidly as the number of selected source data
points increases.

[Link] Interpolate to begin kriging. While kriging is proceeding, a progress bar appears in the
status bar, along with a Stop button that can be clicked to interrupt the operation.

If you interrupt the kriging process, the destination zone is left in an indeterminate
state, and you should redo the kriging or delete the destination zone.

The Kriging Algorithm

For a detailed discussion of the kriging algorithm refer to: Davis, J. C., Statistics and Data Analysis in
Geology, Second Edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1973, 1986.

Kriging and Inverse Distance Interpolation Improvements: For better results with
3D data, try changing the range of your Z-variable to one similar to the X-range the Y-
range. Also, set Zero Value to 0.05.

20 - 10 Irregular Data Point Triangulation

Triangulation is a process that connects data points to form triangles. You can use triangulation to convert
irregular I-ordered datasets into a finite element surface zone. Triangulation is one of the two options for
creating field plots from irregular data. The other is interpolation, discussed in Section 20 - 9 “Data
Interpolation”. Triangulation preserves the accuracy of the data by creating a finite element surface zone
with the source data points as nodes and a set of triangle elements. Triangulation works best for irregular
data.

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 Data Spreadsheet

To triangulate 2D data, make sure your plot is in 2D Cartesian mode and select 2D Triangulation from the
Data menu. The 2D Triangulation dialog has the following options:

• Source Zone(s) - Select the zone or zones to triangulate from the list.
• Use Boundary Zone(s) - Toggle-on to specify a boundary zone for the triangulation. Select the
boundary zone or zones from the list. The boundary zones define the boundaries in the
triangulation region. If you do not include boundary zones, Tecplot 360 EX assumes the data
points lie within a convex polygon and that all points in the interior can be connected.
• Include Boundary Points - Toggle-on to include the points in the boundary zones in the
triangulated zone.
• Triangle Keep Factor - This factor is used to define which triangles on the outside of the
triangulated zone are “bad” and not included in the triangulation.
At the completion of triangulation, Tecplot 360 EX attempts to remove bad triangles from the
outside of the triangulation. The keep factor is a description of the shape of the triangle
between zero (three collinear points) and 1.0 (an equilateral triangle). Typical settings are
values between 0.1 and 0.3; settings above 0.5 are not permitted. Bad triangles will not be
removed if removing the triangle strands a data point.
• Triangulate - Click the [Triangulate] button to perform the triangulation.
After triangulating your data, you can use the resulting finite element surface zone to create plots.
Generally, you turn off the original zone(s) and plot the new zone only, but you can, for example, plot a
scatter plot of the original zone(s) along with the contours of the new zone.

20 - 11 Data Spreadsheet
All ordered and finite element data can be viewed using Tecplot 360 EX’s data spreadsheet (accessed via
Data>Spreadsheet). The data may be modified within the spreadsheet in order to change the plots Tecplot
360 EX produces.

Changes to the spreadsheet do not immediately alter the original data file stored on
disk. However, saving the plot of altered data as a layout file will save the changes in the
data journal. You have the option of overwriting your original data file or creating a new
file with the altered data.

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Data Operations

The spreadsheet displays Tecplot 360 EX's data differently depending on the type of zone being examined.
An example of the Data Spreadsheet dialog for a finite element zone is shown here; note the X, Y, and Z
variables.

I-ordered and finite element datasets are displayed with each zone's variable displayed in a column. IJ-
ordered datasets are displayed in the spreadsheet with I along the rows and J along the columns. IJK-
ordered datasets are displayed one plane at a time: selecting the K-plane displays I along the rows and J
along the columns, selecting the J-plane displays I along the rows and K along the columns, and selecting
the I-plane displays J along the rows and K along the columns. With IJK-ordered data, the slice of interest
can be selected by entering a specific index or using the up and down arrows provided.
If a variable is not needed in your plot, it may not currently be loaded into memory. In this case, “Not
Loaded” is displayed in every cell of that variable’s column. Using the variable in your plot will cause it to
be loaded. Click the [Load Variables] button to open the Load Variable dialog and load any variables you
wish to view and edit in the spreadsheet.
To change the data spreadsheet's display format, select the desired format (Integer, Float, Exponent, or
Best Float) from the Format drop-down menu. When Float or Exponent is selected, you may also specify
the precision in the Precision field. These options do not affect the actual data, only how it is displayed.
To modify data:
1. In the Data Spreadsheet dialog, select a zone and variable to modify. Use the menu at the top
of the dialog to choose the zone, then find the column representing the desired variable.
2. If the variable is shared with another zone or zones, the Alter in all Shared Zones toggle is
enabled. Select this toggle to keep the variable shared as you modify data, propagating
changes to the other zones that share the variable. If this toggle is not selected, the variable
will be changed in the selected zone and no longer shared with any other zones. See also
Section 5 - 3 “Data Sharing”.
3. Select the value of interest from the spreadsheet by finding its row. This will highlight and
expand the value to its full precision.
4. To replace the highlighted value, simply enter the new value. The value is instantly replaced
with the new digits entered.

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 Data Spreadsheet

5. To modify only a few digits from a highlighted value, double-click the cell to switch to edit
mode. Click again or use the arrow keys to position the edit cursor at the desired position.
Make any desired modifications to the existing value such as inserting or deleting digits.
6. To undo a modification of a given cell before you have committed it, press Escape. To commit
a modification, press Enter, Tab, or Shift-Tab to move to the next cell, or simply select on
another cell.

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338
 21

CFD Data Analysis

Tecplot 360 EX helps you analyze computational fluid dynamics and similar solutions. Data analysis
capabilities are available via the Analyze menu, and include:
• Function calculations, including grid quality functions (such as skewness) and flow variable
functions (such as vorticity). Many of these functions duplicate functions that are available in
NASA’s PLOT3D and FAST plotting programs.
• Integration of input or calculated data, including scalar, vector-dot-normal and vector-dot-
tangential integrands, as well as a special forces and moments option for calculating lift, drag
and moments.
• Turbulence variable calculations.
• Particle path and streakline calculations, including particles with mass.
• Error analysis using Richardson extrapolation.
• Flow feature detection, including vortex cores, separation and attachment lines, and shock
surfaces.

Units (Dimensions)
Analysis may be performed with data representing any system of units or dimensions, including non-
dimensional data. All dataset variables and other parameters must, however, be in the same set of units.
Unit conversions are not available. Linux and Mac users may wish to use the units utility for unit
conversions. Analysis results will be in the same units as the data.

21 - 1 Specifying Fluid Properties

Fluid properties, such as viscosity, describe the fluid model used to create the dataset. These properties are
required for many calculations performed by other dialogs. They are set via the Fluid Properties dialog.
Values entered must be dimensionally consistent with each other and with your dataset. If you imported
your data using the PLOT3D data loader, the default fluid properties will most likely suit your needs.
For a layout with multiple datasets, a separate set of fluid properties is maintained for each dataset. You
can copy the settings from one dataset to another using the Save Settings and Load Settings options in the
Analyze menu. These actions also transfer the settings made in the Reference Values, Field Variables,
Geometry and Boundaries, and Unsteady Flow Options dialogs.

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CFD Data Analysis

The Fluid Properties dialog is accessed by selecting Fluid Properties from the Analyze menu.

The Fluid Properties dialog allows you to specify properties for a compressible or incompressible fluid.
For incompressible (uniform density) fluids, you specify density, specific heat, viscosity and conductivity.
For compressible (variable density) fluids, you specify the gas constant, gamma (the ratio of specific
heats), viscosity and conductivity.
By default, each fluid property is a constant. However, each property can be overridden by a field
(dataset) variable (with the exception of density). When a field variable is assigned, the local value of that
variable is used for field calculations using that property, and the constant value is used only for global
calculations, such as the calculation of reference (free-stream) quantities. To assign a field variable for a
particular property, set the Use Field Variable toggle and click Select to choose a variable from the current
dataset from the Select Variable dialog.
• Incompressible - Toggle-on to indicate the fluid is incompressible. For incompressible fluids,
you must specify density, specific heat, viscosity and conductivity. For compressible fluids, you
must specify gas constant, gamma, viscosity and conductivity.
• Density (for incompressible fluids only) - Density represents the mass of fluid occupied by a unit
volume. Its dimensions are [Mass]/[Length]**3.
• Specific Heat (for incompressible fluids only) - Specific heat is the amount of energy required to
raise a unit mass of the fluid one degree in temperature. Dimensions are [Length]**2/
[Time]**2[Temperature].
• Gas Constant (for compressible fluids only) - The specific gas constant has dimensions of
[Length]**2/[Time]**2[Temperature].
• Gamma (for compressible fluids only) - Gamma represents the ratio of the specific heat at
constant pressure to the specific heat at constant volume, a non-dimensional quantity.
• Viscosity - The dynamic viscosity's dimensions are [Mass] / [Length] [Time].
• Conductivity - The thermal conductivity's dimensions are [Mass] [Length] /
[Time]**3[Temperature].

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 Specifying Fluid Properties

21 - 1.1 Specifying Incompressible Fluid Properties

When the Incompressible check box is selected, the density of the fluid and its specific heat (Cv), viscosity
(), and conductivity (k) must be entered. Gamma (), the ratio of specific heats at constant volume and
pressure, is unity for incompressible fluids, so the Gamma section is inactive. Gas Constant (R) is also
inactive. The thermal and caloric equations of state for incompressible fluids are shown below.  is density,
and e represents the internal energy per unit mass.
 = const
e = Cv T

Since the density entered in the Fluid Properties dialog represents the density of the fluid throughout the
physical domain, you are not allowed to enter a reference value for density in the Reference Values
dialog, or choose a density field variable on the Field Variables dialog (see Section 21 - 3.2 “Identifying
State Variables”).
Specific heat (Cv) is the amount of energy required to raise a unit mass of the fluid one degree. It has
dimensions of:
2
Length Energy
-------------------------------------------------------
- = ------------------------------------------------------
2
Time  Temperature Mass  Temperature

Viscosity () represents the dynamic viscosity coefficient, in units of

Mass
-------------------------------------
-
Length  Time
Conductivity (k) is the thermal conductivity of the fluid, in units of:
Mass  Length
--------------------------------------------------------
3
Time  Temperature

21 - 1.2 Specifying Compressible Fluid Properties

When the Incompressible check box is not selected, the specific gas constant, gamma, viscosity and
conductivity must be entered. Since density is not a constant property of compressible fluids, the Density
text field is inactive, as is the Specific Heat section of the dialog. The thermal and caloric equations of state
for compressible fluids are shown below. p is pressure, and e is internal energy per unit mass:
p = RT
e = Cv T

The caloric equation of state assumes constant specific heats for the fluid. In situations
where this assumption is not valid (such as high-temperature flows) Tecplot 360 EX will
calculate inaccurate values of temperature. For these cases, it is best to have your solver
output temperature, and then input it into Tecplot 360 EX for other calculations (see
Section 21 - 3.2 “Identifying State Variables”). If your solution represents a chemically
reacting flow, your solver should also output R and  as field variables, which you can
identify as discussed earlier in this chapter in Section 21 - 1.1 “Specifying
Incompressible Fluid Properties”.

The gas constant is the universal gas constant divided by the molecular weight of the fluid:
Rˆ-
R = ----
M

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CFD Data Analysis

giving units of:

2
Length
--------------------------------------------------------
2
Time  Temperature
Gamma is the ratio of the gas specific heats and is non-dimensional:
C
 = -----p-
Cv

21 - 1.3 Working with Non-dimensional Data

Consider a case where temperature is non-dimensionalized by dividing it by free-stream temperature:
T
T  ------
T

and pressure is non-dimensionalized with gamma (the ratio of specific heats) and free-stream pressure:
p
p  ---------
p 

We wish to know what to enter for the gas constant in the Fluid Properties dialog. We plug what we know
into the thermal equation of state (where  is density and R is the gas constant):
p  R T
p = RT  --------- = -------  -------  ------
p   1   2  T

Since the equation of state must hold for the free-stream conditions, we know:
p =  R T

From this, we see that the product of denominators (1) and (2) in the second-previous equation must
equal:   R  .
R
R  ----------------
  R 

This doesn’t entirely answer our question, however, and in the absence of additional information, we
simply need to decide how r and R are each individually non-dimensionalized. The requirement we just
determined is that the product of the two must be non-dimensionalized by   R . So we may decide to
non-dimensionalize density by free-stream density,, which leaves the gas constant non-dimensionalized
(that is, divided) by R . In the Fluid Properties dialog, we enter --- for Gas Constant. If we chose to
1

leave Gas Constant at unity, density would be non-dimensionalized by gamma and free-stream density,
 
.

21 - 2 Specifying Reference Values

Certain calculations, such as Pressure Coefficient (see Section 21 - 6 “Calculating Variables”) require
reference, or free-stream values. If you loaded your data with the PLOT3D loader, this information has
probably been loaded along with the data. Otherwise, you may supply this information using the
Reference Values dialog.
For a layout with multiple datasets, separate settings are maintained for each dataset. You can copy the
settings from one dataset to another using the Save Settings and Load Settings options in the Analyze
menu. These actions also transfer the settings made in the Fluid Properties, Geometry and Boundaries,
Field Variables, and Unsteady Flow Options dialogs.

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 Identifying Field Variables

There must be data in the active frame for the Reference Values dialog to be displayed. The Reference
Values dialog is shown below.

The dialog options are as follows:

• U Velocity/Mach Number- In the first two text fields, you may specify free-stream velocity as
either U Velocity and V Velocity, or as Mach Number and Angle of Attack. (Z-velocity is
assumed to be zero.) Angle of attack must be specified in degrees; flow proceeding in the +X-
and +Y-direction has a positive angle of attack. For incompressible flow (see Section 21 - 1.1
“Specifying Incompressible Fluid Properties”) only U and V-velocities may be specified.
• Pressure/Density - The third text field allows you to specify either Density or Pressure. Select
the corresponding option in the drop-down. For incompressible flow, you must specify
Pressure, because density is specified in the Fluid Properties dialog.
• V Velocity/Angle of Attack - If the first field is set to U Velocity, set this field to V Velocity. If it
is set to Mach Number, set this field to Angle of Attack.
• Temperature/Sound Speed - The final text field allows you to specify Temperature or Sound
Speed. Temperature must be in absolute units, such as Kelvin or Rankine. For incompressible
flow you must specify temperature. For incompressible fluids, the speed of sound is undefined
and the density of the fluid is constant.

21 - 3 Identifying Field Variables

Data analysis is performed on data in the active frame. Many of these calculations require information
about what the data represents. For example, if you wish to calculate pressure from your data you must
identify two other thermodynamic state variables with which Tecplot 360 EX can perform the calculation
using the thermal equation of the state. X, Y, and Z are taken from the axis assignments for the 2D or 3D
plot in the active frame. The FLUENT and PLOT3D data loaders supply most or all of the remaining
information to Tecplot 360 EX. You may also supply this information using the Field Variables dialog.
For a layout with multiple datasets, separate settings are maintained for each dataset. You can copy the
settings from one dataset to another using the Save Settings and Load Settings options in the Analyze
menu. These actions also transfer the settings made in the Fluid Properties, Geometry and Boundaries,
Reference Values, and Unsteady Flow Options dialogs.

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CFD Data Analysis

You must have data in the active frame to open the Field Variables dialog. The Field Variables dialog is
shown below

The top section of the dialog allows you to specify a vector of convective variables, either velocity or
momentum (velocity multiplied by density). The bottom section of the dialog contains two drop-down
menus and associated text fields for identifying two thermodynamic state variables in your dataset.

The variables selected in the Field Variables dialog are per unit volume.

21 - 3.1 Choosing the Convective Variables

Select the convective variables in your dataset by clicking the [Select] button in the top section of the Field
Variables dialog. Choose one of the two options on the Field Variables dialog to indicate whether these
variables represent pure velocity or momentum.

The convective variables used in data analysis are not the same variables that are used
to create vector plots for your solution data, though their initial values may be set the
same.

21 - 3.2 Identifying State Variables

The State Variables region of the dialog allows you to identify up to two variables, such as pressure and
temperature, in your data. From the two drop-downs, select any two choices from the types: Pressure,
Temperature, Density, Stagnation Energy, Mach Number, or Not Used. Then click Select, and choose the
corresponding variable(s) from your data. If you have only one thermodynamic variable, select “Not
Used” in one of the drop-downs. For incompressible flow, (see Section 21 - 1.1 “Specifying Incompressible
Fluid Properties”) you may specify Pressure for one variable, and you may specify Temperature or
Stagnation Energy (per unit volume) for the other.

Temperature must be in absolute units, such as Kelvin or Rankin.

The [Select] button launches the Select Variables dialog which allows you to select variables in your
dataset. The selections in the drop-down menus mentioned above determine whether these variables
represent pressure, temperature, density, stagnation energy or Mach number.

344
 Setting Geometry and Boundary Options

21 - 4 Setting Geometry and Boundary Options

For certain calculations, you will need to specify information about your data that Tecplot 360 EX may not
automatically detect. For example, a 2D solution may actually represent a 3D axisymmetric solution,
affecting any integrations you perform. Adjacent zones may be connected, affecting other calculations
such as grid stretch factors, gradients, and flow features such as vortex cores. Certain zones or zone
surface regions may represent wall boundaries in your solution, on which separation and attachment lines
may be calculated. The FLUENT data loader identifies most of these characteristics for you when you
import FLUENT case and data files. You may also specify them with the Geometry and Boundaries dialog
(accessed via the Analyze menu).
For a layout with multiple datasets, separate settings are maintained for each dataset. You can copy the
settings from one dataset to another using the Save Settings and Load Settings options in the Analyze
menu. These actions also transfer the settings made in the Fluid Properties, Reference Values, Field
Variables, and Unsteady Flow Options dialogs.
You must have data in the active frame to launch the Geometry and Boundaries dialog. Select “Geometry
and Boundaries” from the Analyze menu to display the dialog.

• Specifying an Axisymmetric Solution - Selecting Axisymmetric About Variable enables the

Variable drop-down menu and allows you to enter a value in the Equals field. Select X or Y
from the Variable drop-down, and enter the constant value of this variable that defines the axis
of symmetry. If you choose the axisymmetric option, all integrations will be performed as 3D
axisymmetric integrations by multiplying the integrand by 2r , where r is the distance from
the specified axis of symmetry. Integrations are described in Section 21 - 7 “Performing
Integrations”.
• Connecting Adjacent Zones - Tecplot 360 EX can calculate whether nodes on the boundaries
of adjacent zones (or the same zone) overlap. It uses this information in calculating the Stretch
Ratio grid quality function (see Section F - 2.2 “I, J, or K-stretch Ratio”), calculating gradients,
and extracting fluid flow features (see Section 21 - 11 “Extracting Fluid Flow Features”).
Connections between zones are calculated cell face by cell face. The two cells are considered
connected wherever all nodes of a particular boundary cell face overlap all nodes of an
adjacent boundary cell face.

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CFD Data Analysis

For unsteady flows (see Section 21 - 5 “Unsteady Flow”), only zones within the same time level
are examined for connections. To enable this option, select the Connect Adjacent Zones option
and enter the maximum distance at which two nodes will be considered to overlap in the
Nodal Proximity text field. Note that this text field value is also used for zone-type
boundaries, discussed below.
The zone connection feature is overridden, cell-by-cell, by any face neighbors contained in a
dataset. Both connection mechanisms are overridden by any boundary conditions set on a
particular face. That is, if you specify a boundary condition in the Geometry and Boundaries
dialog that covers a specific cell face, that face will not be connected to an adjacent cell,
irrespective of any face neighbors or overlapping nodes present.

21 - 4.1 Performance Considerations

Establishing connections across zone boundaries allows Tecplot 360 EX to calculate better gradient
quantities at these locations. There may be a substantial performance penalty for ordered-zone
calculations, because at these boundary locations, Tecplot 360 EX uses the finite element least-squares
formulation for calculating the gradients. Refer to Section 21 - 6.5 “Gradient Calculations” for a discussion
of gradient calculations.

21 - 4.2 Specifying Boundaries and Boundary Conditions

You may associate cell boundary faces (cell faces on the exterior of a zone) with a boundary condition.
There are two reasons why you might want to do this:
• To ensure that boundary faces are not connected to adjacent cells (see the above discussion on
connections).
• To identify wall boundaries in 3D solutions for feature extraction (see Section 21 - 11
“Extracting Fluid Flow Features”).
If you set a boundary condition on a particular cell boundary face, that face will not be considered
connected to any other cells by the gradient calculation routines. This may be advantageous, for example,
in solutions containing a thin flat plate, where nodes on either side of the flat plate overlap and would
otherwise be connected by the connection mechanism.
For three-dimensional flow solutions, you can use the Extract Flow Features dialog to extract separation
and attachment lines. These lines are only calculated on boundaries you have identified as wall
boundaries. While other boundary conditions may be specified, this information is not currently used,
aside from inhibiting connections.

Specifying the Default Boundary Condition

Tecplot 360 EX keeps track of all unconnected boundary cell faces (see Section 21 - 4 “Setting Geometry
and Boundary Options”) It applies the default boundary condition to any unconnected faces to which you
do not specifically apply a boundary as described below. Choose the desired boundary condition from the
Default Boundary Condition drop-down. The default boundary condition is at the bottom of the
boundary ‘pecking order.’ If a cell boundary face is not covered by any other boundary condition, and is
not connected to any other cells by either Geometry and Boundaries connection settings or Tecplot 360 EX
face neighbors, then the default boundary condition is applied to it.

Identifying Zone Boundaries

Regions on the boundaries of zones may be explicitly identified and associated with particular boundary
conditions. For ordered zones only, you may identify a boundary region by zone boundary (that is, the I=1
boundary) and index range on that boundary. For all zone types, you may identify a boundary region by
selecting one or more boundary zones.

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 Setting Geometry and Boundary Options

Boundary zones are zones of dimension one less than the current plot type. They are surfaces in 3D
Cartesian plots, or lines in 2D Cartesian plots. Boundaries are considered to exist wherever the nodes of
these boundary zones coincide with nodes on the boundaries of volume zones in 3D Cartesian plots, or
surfaces in 2D Cartesian plots. For example, you can identify boundary regions on a tetrahedral (3D) zone
using triangular zones that lie on the surface of the tetrahedral zone. The boundary is applied wherever
the nodes of the triangular zone overlap boundary nodes of the tetrahedral zone. As with connecting
adjacent zones, the matching is done cell face by cell face using the Nodal Proximity setting of the
Geometry and Boundaries dialog to determine how close to each other nodes must be to be considered
overlapping.
It is easy to create boundary zones by extracting subzones from ordered zones in your dataset. For finite
element zones, it may be possible to extract the desired boundary region using blanking and FE-boundary
extraction. In general, however, finite element boundary zones must come from your grid generator or
flow solver.
New boundaries are created by clicking New on the Geometry and Boundaries dialog. This displays The
Edit Boundary dialog, shown below.

Displaying Boundaries
The current settings of the Geometry and Boundaries dialog may be displayed by clicking the [Display
Boundaries] button. This creates a new frame and plots all zone boundaries. For each zone in your
solution data, one zone will be created in the new frame for each boundary condition applied to the
boundary faces of that zone. The names of these zones indicate their zone of origin in your solution data
and the applied boundary condition.
For each boundary face in your solution, Tecplot 360 EX applies some simple rules to determine that face’s
boundary condition. First, all faces covered by the boundary definitions in the Boundaries list have the
boundary conditions prescribed in the list applied to them. If a particular face is covered by more than one
of these boundaries, the boundary lowest in the list takes precedence. If you have selected the Connect
Adjacent Zones option, any faces not covered by the listed boundaries are then checked to see if they
overlap faces of neighboring zones. Overlapping faces are assigned the boundary condition ‘Interzone
Boundary.’ Finally, any boundary faces not assigned any other boundary condition will be assigned the
default boundary condition you have chosen.
Since the Geometry and Boundaries dialog is modeless, you can explore the boundary definitions in this
new frame prior to applying your settings. This is a convenient way to make sure you are applying the
desired boundary settings.
Selecting the [Display Boundaries] button records a DISPLAYBOUNDARIES macro command if you are
recording a macro file.
Since this feature creates a new frame, it cannot be saved in the data journal, and the current data journal is
invalidated. If you subsequently save a layout file, you will be prompted to save a new data file.

Saving Geometry and Boundary Settings

Once you are satisfied with your geometry and boundary settings, you can save them by selecting the
[Apply] button. When you apply your settings, a SETGEOMETRYANDBOUNDARIES macro is recorded
(if you are recording a macro file).

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CFD Data Analysis

21 - 4.3 The Edit Boundary dialog

The Edit Boundary dialog is displayed by clicking New on the Geometry and Boundaries dialog, or by
selecting an existing boundary and then selecting Edit.

It allows you to identify a boundary of one or more zones, either by entering the zone number(s), face and
index range on that face, or by entering the zone numbers of boundary zones, as discussed in Section 21 -
4 “Setting Geometry and Boundary Options”. Enter the desired options and select [OK] to add the
boundary to the Geometry and Boundaries dialog.

Using Index Range-type Boundaries

For ordered zones, you may identify boundary regions by choosing a zone boundary, or face, and index
ranges to specify a region on the face. To create an index range-type boundary, select Zone, Face and Index
Range, and choose the desired boundary condition from the Boundary Condition drop-down menu. Select
the zones to which this boundary will apply by entering their zone numbers in the Zone Numbers text
field, or clicking [Select] and choosing the zones from the resulting dialog. (See Section 21 - 7 “Performing
Integrations” for a description of the Select Zones dialog.) If you have selected zones by clicking in the
work space, you may enter these zone numbers by clicking Use Selected. Choose a face from the Zone
Face drop-down and enter the index ranges in the remaining text fields. When you select [OK], the new
boundary will appear in the Boundaries list in the following format:
<bc>,<set>,<face>,INDEX1MIN,INDEX1MAX,INDEX2MIN,INDEX2MAX
<bc> is the boundary condition, one of Inflow, Outflow, Wall, Slipwall, Symmetry, and Extrapolated. <set> is
the set of zone numbers to which the boundary applies, enclosed in square brackets. <face> is one of I=1,
I=IMAX, J=1, J=JMAX, K=1, and K=KMAX and the remaining parameters are the minimum and maximum indices
on the face, with zero indicating the maximum index value, and negative numbers indicating offsets from
the maximum index value. For example, the following line would indicate a wall boundary condition set
on the J = 1 face of zones 2, 4, 5, and 6 from I = 1 to IMax and K = 3 to KMax - 2:
Wall,[2,4-6],J=1,1,0,3,-2

Using Boundary Zone-Type Boundaries

For all zone types, you may identify boundary zones, as discussed in Section 21 - 4 “Setting Geometry and
Boundary Options”. Toggle-on Specify Boundary Zones and choose the desired boundary condition from
the Boundary Condition drop-down menu. Enter the zone numbers of the boundary zones, or click Select
and choose them from the resulting dialog. The boundary will be applied to any volume (3D) or surface
(2D) zones in the dataset. The boundary appears in the Boundaries list in the following format:
<bc>,<set>
where <bc> is as described above, and <set> is the set of boundary zones that define the boundary.

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 Unsteady Flow

21 - 5 Unsteady Flow
Tecplot 360 EX can perform particle path and streakline calculations for unsteady flow solutions. To enable
this feature, it must know which zones correspond to which solution time levels in your unsteady
solution. Each solution time level may comprise one or more zones, which may be ordered, finite element,
or both. Many data loaders supply this information. You may also enter it in the Unsteady Flow Options
dialog.
For a layout with multiple datasets, separate settings are maintained for each dataset. You can copy the
settings from one dataset to another using the Save Settings and Load Settings options in the Analyze
menu. These actions also transfer the settings made in the Fluid Properties, Reference Values, Field
Variables, and Geometry and Boundaries dialogs.
The Unsteady Flow Options dialog, shown below, is displayed by selecting Unsteady Flow Options in
the Analyze menu.

It contains an option allowing you to specify that your solution is steady-state, a list to display unsteady
time levels you enter, as well as controls for entering new time levels.

21 - 5.1 Specifying a Steady-state Solution

To direct Tecplot 360 EX to treat your dataset as representing a steady-state solution, select the Flow
Solution is Steady-State option. This setting disables the remainder of the dialog.
To direct Tecplot 360 EX to treat your dataset as an unsteady solution, toggle-off Flow Solution is Steady-
State. This enables the remainder of the dialog, where you can identify your solution time levels.
An unsteady flow solution consists of a sequence of zones that represent successive solution times. Each
time level may be represented by one or more zones. Identify solution time levels by entering the zone
number(s) for a particular solution time level in the Zones text field and the time they represent in the
Time text field, then selecting [Add]. The zones and associated time appear in the Solution Time Levels
list. You may edit an existing time level by selecting it in the list. Its time and zones appear in the text
fields, where you may edit them. Clicking Replace updates the currently selected list time level with the
modified one.
By manually entering each time and associated zones in the text fields, you may identify all solution time
levels in the current dataset. For large numbers of zones, two additional methods of entering time levels
are provided. If your solution, or some portion of it was calculated with a constant time step, you may use
the Group Zones by Time Step Dialog to enter all of these time levels at once. Alternatively, if your zone
names contain the solution time each zone represents, you may enter all of your time levels by parsing the
zone names for their corresponding solution time. These options are discussed below.

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CFD Data Analysis

21 - 5.2 Group Zones by Time Step Dialog

The Group Zones by Time Step dialog allows you to enter a sequence of solution time levels into the
Unsteady Flow dialog more easily than manually entering each time level.

• Starting Zone - Enter the first zone of your solution data that you wish to be included in the
grouping operation.
• Ending Zone - Enter the final zone of your solution data that you wish to be included in the
grouping operation.
• # Zones per Level - Enter how many zones represent each solution time level.
• Starting Time - Enter the solution time which will be assigned to the first zone or group of
zones identified in this operation.
• Time Step - Enter the time step of your solution. The solution time of each time level will be
calculated by adding this time step to the previous time level's solution time.
• Add to List - Toggle-on to add all time levels identified by this operation to any time levels
which already exist. If the time calculated for any of the new levels already exists in the list,
this will generate an error.
• Replace List - Toggle-onto replace any time levels in the list with the time levels identified in
this operation.

21 - 5.3 Parsing Zone Names for Solution Time

If the names of your solution zones contain the solution time they represent, you may automatically enter
all time levels by parsing the zone names for these times. Zones of the same solution time will be grouped
together. The times must be preceded in the zone name by some identifiable text, such as “Time=.” Enter
this text (without quotes) in the text field, then select Parse.

This action will first delete all existing time levels, and then attempt to parse the zone
names for new time levels. You may wish to view your zone names before attempting
this action. You may view and edit zone names with the Data Set Information dialog
(accessed via the Data menu).

21 - 6 Calculating Variables
The PLOT3D functions create dataset variables which are derived from CFD grids and solution data. This
group of functions initially appeared in NASA’s PLOT3D program and were expanded in PLOT3D’s
successor, FAST. The functions include grid quality measures, as well as scalar and vector flow variables.
For a complete list of functions, refer to Chapter F: “Calculate Variables Reference”. The functions are
calculated with the Calculate dialog.

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 Calculating Variables

Many of these calculations are affected by settings in the Fluid Properties dialog (see Section 21 - 1
“Specifying Fluid Properties”), the Reference Values dialog (see Chapter 21: “Specifying Reference
Values”) and the Field Variables dialog (see Section 21 - 3 “Identifying Field Variables”)
For the Calculate dialog to be displayed, the active frame must contain a dataset. The Calculate dialog,
shown below, may then be displayed by selecting Calculate Variables in the Analyze menu.

• Name - This text field indicates which function will be used for the calculation. Type in the
name of the desired function, or click Select to choose from a list of all available functions (see
the Selecting a Function dialog). Alternatively, you may enter the equivalent PLOT3D function
number, as shown in the Chapter F: “Calculate Variables Reference”.
• Normalizing a Function - A function may be normalized in one of two ways:
• Maximum Magnitude - Divides the function value at each grid point by the maximum
value in magnitude, such that the absolute value of the function is never greater than
one. For vector functions, each vector component is divided by the maximum vector
length.
• Reference Values - Divides the function value at each grid point by the same function
calculated with the reference values (the values entered in the Reference Values section
of the dialog). This is the type of normalization performed by PLOT3D in its normalized
functions. This option is not available for grid quality functions, since no meaningful
reference values exist for these functions. It is also not available for functions whose
reference value is zero, such as pressure coefficient.
• No Normalization - Select to disable normalization.
• New Var Location - You may select the location (nodal or cell-centered) of new variables
created during a calculation with the New Var Location dropdown. Variables that already
exist in the dataset keep their existing locations.
• Calculate on Demand - This option adds the selected variable to the dataset, but delays the
actual calculation until it is needed. This is discussed in more detail below.
• Calculating the Function - Selecting [Calculate] performs the calculation for each zone in the
active frame. If this is the first time the selected function has been calculated, a new variable is
added to the dataset with the name of the function. Otherwise, you will be prompted to
overwrite the previously calculated variable with new values. For vector functions, each
component of the function is added to the dataset, with X, Y, and Z prefixed to the variable
name, and (vector) removed from the name. If the function is normalized, (Max-Normalized) or
(RV-Normalized) is appended to the variable name, depending on the option selected. Upon
completion of the calculation, you will be informed of the new variable’s minimum and
maximum values and their locations.

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CFD Data Analysis

21 - 6.1 Shared Variables

If variable sharing is enabled, all variables from which the function is calculated are shared between
multiple zones, and they and the calculated variable are all at the same location (cell-centered or nodal),
the new variable will be shared as well. You can see which variables in a dataset are shared in the Data Set
Info dialog (accessed via the Data menu).

21 - 6.2 Calculate-on-demand Variables

Variables calculated with the Calculate-on-demand option are added to the dataset, but are not calculated
until they are needed. This can save a lot of time when working with unsteady solutions where only a
small number of zones are displayed at any given time. Displaying a contour plot of the calculated
variable will only result in calculation of the variable for the currently active zones. Activating new zones
(by, for example, advancing the solution time displayed in Tecplot 360 EX) will result in the calculation
being performed only for the newly displayed zones.

If you wish to force the variable to be calculated for all zones at once, you may re-do
the calculation with the calculate-on-demand toggle-off.

A calculate-on-demand variable is a function of other variables in the dataset and is calculated using the
Calculate dialog. Calculate-on-demand variables are recalculated whenever a variable that they are a
function-of is recalculated. For example, given Pressure = f(Gas Constant), if the value of Gas Constant
changes, Pressure is recalculated.

You cannot modify a variable that is calculated on demand.

To avoid circular data dependencies, you are prevented from selecting calculate-on-demand variables in
the Fluid Properties or Field Variables dialogs. In addition, you cannot delete any variables on which a
calculate-on-demand variable is dependent.
If you plan to make a sequence of changes to your data and analysis settings, you can inhibit these
automatic recalculations by turning off Tecplot 360 EX’s Auto-Redraw feature. Recalculation will then take
place only when you redraw the frame.

21 - 6.3 Undoing a Calculation

If the data journal is valid, alterations made to the dataset with the Calculate dialog may be undone by
selecting Undo from the Edit menu. This will result in Tecplot 360 EX re-executing the data journal, which
may be a lengthy process.

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 Calculating Variables

21 - 6.4 Selecting a Function

The function name may be typed into the Name text field, or selected from a list which contains all
available functions. Click [Select] to display the Select Function dialog.

Selecting a function from this dialog and selecting [OK] enters that function in the appropriate area.
Functions in this list which only apply to 3D solution data begin with (3D). Vector functions, whose names
are appended with (vector), calculate three vector components. Each of the available functions is
described in Chapter F: “Calculate Variables Reference”.
An alternative method of selecting a function is to enter its equivalent PLOT3D function number. These
numbers may also be found in Chapter F: “Calculate Variables Reference”. If a valid function number is
entered into the Name text field in the Calculate dialog, Tecplot 360 EX replaces the number with the
name of the corresponding function and sets the Normalize drop-down to None or Reference Values as
appropriate.

21 - 6.5 Gradient Calculations

Most of the PLOT3D functions are scalar functions. Gradient calculations are a notable exception to this
rule, however, and depend on values at neighboring points. Understanding how these calculations are
performed may help you interpret the results.

Gradients in Ordered Zones

With an exception for boundary nodes discussed below, gradients in ordered zones are calculated using
standard finite-difference formulae. To calculate pressure gradient at a particular node in an ordered zone,
for example, the following formula is used:

p
------
x x p + x p + x p
p = p
------ = y p + y p + y p
y
z p + z p + z p
p
------
z

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CFD Data Analysis

Where  indicates the I-direction,  indicates the J-direction,  indicates the K-direction and subscripts
indicate partial derivatives. In the zone interior, derivatives are estimated with second-order central
differences, such as:

pi + 1 – pi – 1
p   --------------------------
- or p  p –p
2 i+1
--- i–1
---
2 2

The left-hand form is used for calculating gradients at nodes, and the right-hand form is used at cell
centers.
Boundary nodes of ordered zones that are not part of a boundary specified in the Geometry and
Boundaries dialog are first examined to see whether they lie on a boundary face connected to other cells
via face neighbors. If not, and if the “Connect Adjacent Zones” option is set in the Geometry and
Boundaries dialog, the node is examined to determine if its location coincides with any boundary nodes of
adjacent zones. If either is the case, the gradients for that node is calculated using the method described
below for finite element zones. Otherwise, its gradients are calculated using standard one-sided (first-
order) finite differences.

Gradients in Finite Element Zones

The coordinate transformation approach used in unconnected ordered zones is generally not possible for
finite element zones. Instead, the variable, say pressure, is assumed to vary linearly in all dimensions,
giving:
p – p 0  p = xp x + yp y + zp z  X  p

where p0 is the pressure at the node or cell center in question. Next, a matrix equation is formed with the
pressure difference for all nodes neighboring the current node (see below for how these neighboring
nodes are found).
x 1 y 1 z 1 p 1
px
x 2 y 2 z 2 p 2
py =
x 3 y 3 z 3 p 3
pz
x 4 y 4 z 4 p 4

To reduce the influence of nodes far away from the value being calculated, each row i of this matrix
equation is scaled by:

r 2
------------------------------------
-
2 2
r i + 0.1  r

Where ri is the distance from node i to the target location (node or cell center) and:

1
= ---  r i
2 2
r
i
i

This equation is generally over-specified and is inverted by least-squares to find the gradient vector.
If the cell-centered gradient is being calculated, each row in the above matrix equation is calculated from
the values at the nodes that comprise the cell. If a node-centered gradient is being calculated, all nodes
connected to that node by a cell edge are used. If the node lies on a zone boundary and is not covered by a
boundary specified in the Geometry and Boundaries dialog, two additional steps are taken to give more
continuous gradients across the zone boundary:

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 Performing Integrations

1. If the node is part of a face connected to other cells by face neighbors, then the nodes of those
neighboring cells are also used;
2. Otherwise, if the “Connect Adjacent Zones” option is enabled in the Geometry and
Boundaries dialog, the node is examined to see if its location coincides with a boundary node
in an adjacent zone. If so, all nodes connected to that node by a cell edge are also used.

21 - 6.6 Surface Normal Calculations

With Tecplot 360 EX’s CFDA variable calculation feature, you can calculate and display surface normal
vectors on your plot. This includes the following steps:
1. With the Calculate dialog, calculate the “Grid K Unit Normal (vector)”, using Cell Center as
the New Var Location.
2. Turn on the Vector layer, selecting the components of the vector you just calculated as the
vector components.
3. In the Zone Style dialog, on the Points page, choose “Cell Centers Near Surfaces” as the
Points to Plot.
In detail, the steps above include the following.
To calculate the normal, choose “Calculate Variables” from the Analyze menu. In the Calculate dialog,
choose “Grid K Unit Normal (vector)” as the variable to calculate (to do this, click the Select button, and
scroll down in the list that appears to find “Grid K Unit Normal (vector)”, and click it). Choose “Cell
Center” as the New Var Location, and click Calculate.
Next, toggle-on the Vector layer in the Plot sidebar to turn on the normal vectors, and choose the
components of the calculated vector to display in the Select Variables dialog for vectors. This dialog
appears when you toggle-on the vector layer for the first time; you can also open the dialog by going to
Plot > Vector > Variables in the menu bar. To display the “Grid K Unit Normal (vector)” normal, choose
the three components “X Grid K Unit Normal”, “Y Grid K Unit Normal”, and “Z Grid K Unit Normal” for
the X, Y, and Z components of the vector layer, respectively.
Lastly, click the Zone Style button in the Plot sidebar to open the Zone Style dialog. In that dialog, switch
to the Points page, and choose “Cell Centers Near Surfaces” from the Points to Plot menu.

If you wish to display normal vectors on a plot that does not have an identifiable plane to
use, choose “Extract” from the Data menu, and choose “FE-Boundary”. In the Extract
FE-Boundary dialog, extract a boundary zone from a source zone. You can then use the
extracted zone to display the normal vectors.

21 - 7 Performing Integrations
Tecplot 360 EX provides a flexible integration feature. You can integrate scalar dataset variables as well as
vector variables dotted with grid unit normal or unit tangential vectors, and you can integrate by zone in a
single time step, or by time strand. Tecplot 360 EX also has several pre-defined integrations, such as mass
flux, which simplify the integration process. In ordered zones, you can integrate these quantities over cell
volumes, face areas, or lines. In finite element zones, you can integrate over cell volumes. In addition, you
can calculate lift, drag, side force and moments due to pressure and viscous forces acting on a surface or a
set of surfaces.

The Integration feature refers to cell volumes in its user interface. In 2D or 1D zones,
the cell area or length, respectively, is used in place of the volume.

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CFD Data Analysis

The results of the integration may be displayed in a text window (and subsequently saved to a text file), or
plotted in a frame. In the latter case, the solution time of the integration plot’s frame is linked to the
original frame’s solution time and a marker gridline is displayed on the integration plot to indicate the
time step. All of these features are accessed via the Integrate dialog (accessed via Analyze>Perform
Integration).

Many of these calculations are affected by settings in the Fluid Properties dialog (see
Section 21 - 1 “Specifying Fluid Properties”), the Reference Values and Field
Variables dialog (see Section 21 - 3 “Identifying Field Variables”) and the Geometry
and Boundaries dialog (see Section 21 - 4 “Setting Geometry and Boundary Options”).

Integrations of a variable or variable function use the trapezoidal method, and are second-order accurate.
For each segment, face, or volume cell, the appropriate nodal or cell-centered values are averaged and
multiplied by the cell length, area or volume. The calculation sums the resulting quantities over the zone
or specified subset to produce the integrated result.
The Integrate dialog is displayed by selecting Perform Integration from the Analyze menu.

The resulting dialog provides options to specify the zone(s) of integration, the variable to be integrated,
the domain of integration and display methods.
• Type of Integration - Tecplot 360 EX can perform simple, path, surface, and volume integrals.
Refer to Integrate Over to see how to select these using the current plot type. Tecplot 360 EX
defines the following fourteen integration types:
• Length/area/volume - The physical size of the integration domain.
• Scalar - The integral of a single variable.
• Average - The area or volume-weighted average of a single variable over the domain.
• Mass weighted scalar - The integral of a single variable multiplied by density.

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 Performing Integrations

• Mass weighted average - The weighted average of a single variable, with density as the
weighting function.
• Weighted average - A general weighted average—both the variable and the weighting
function are specified.
• Scalar flow rate - The convection of a scalar through a surface. It is calculated by
integrating the dot product of the flow velocity and the surface unit normal multiplied
by the scalar variable.
• Mass flow rate - The convection of density through a surface. This is calculated by
integrating the dot product of the flow velocity and the surface unit normal multiplied
by the density.
• Mass weighted flow rate - The convection of a scalar multiplied by density through a
surface. This is calculated by integrating the dot product of the flow velocity and the
surface unit normal multiplied by the scalar variable and density.
• Mass flow weighted average - The weighted average of a scalar variable on a surface.
Here the weighting function is the dot product of the flow momentum vector (velocity
multiplied by density) and the surface unit normal.
• Forces and moments - The integral of pressure and viscous stresses on a surface. The
Forces and Moments option integrates pressure and shear stresses over lines (2D) and
planes (3D). Pressure is assumed to act in the opposite direction of the unit normals.
These are calculated by integrating the dot product of the stress tensor and the surface
unit normal. This will correctly calculate lift and drag if, for example, you have a 2D
airfoil defined by the J=1 line and you integrate forces and moments over I-lines (or J-
planes) for J=1.
For proper calculation of viscous forces, make sure you have set the value of viscosity in
the Fluid Properties dialog. (See “Specifying Fluid Properties” on page 339.) If your flow
is inviscid, you should exclude viscous forces from the integration by setting viscosity to
zero.
Forces and Moments are calculated as six quantities: X, Y and Z-Force and X, Y and Z-
moments about the origin. For backward compatibility, the forces are also displayed as
Lift, Drag and Side force. Lift and Drag are the forces rotated in the XY-plane such that
Lift is normal to the reference flow direction (specified on the Reference Values dialog)
and Drag is parallel to it. Side force is equal to Z-Force.
If an I-ordered zone (in 2D) or a surface zone (in 3D) has been defined as a boundary to
a surface (2D) or volume (3D) zone, then you can perform a Forces and Moments
integration over this boundary zone. Tecplot 360 EX takes the shear stress and unit
normal direction from the associated zone. This allows you, for example, to perform
Forces and Moments integrations for finite element solutions, provided you have a line
or surface zone that defines the surface, and you have identified this zone as a boundary
zone in the Geometry and Boundaries dialog.
• Vector-dot-normal - The integral over a surface of a vector dotted with the surface unit
normals. Here the components of the vector are dataset variables.
• Vector average - The weighted average of a scalar variable on a surface. The weighting
function is the dot product of a vector with the surface unit normal. Both the scalar and
the vector components are dataset variables.

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CFD Data Analysis

• Vector-dot-tangential - The integral on a line of a specified vector dotted with the line
unit tangential vector.

Options that involve a unit normal must be integrated over a domain where the unit
normal direction can be determined. Acceptable domains include lines in 2D or planes in
3D, as well as triangular or quadrilateral zones in 3D. The vector-dot-tangential options
can only be integrated over lines. Unit normals are discussed further in Section 21 - 6.6
“Surface Normal Calculations”.
If you have selected the 2D Cartesian plot type and have specified that the geometry is
axisymmetric, an axisymmetric integration will be performed. Tecplot 360 EX multiplies
each grid segment’s or cell’s contribution to the integration by 2r , where r is the
distance from the centroid of the segment or cell to the axis of symmetry.
Integrations involving surface unit normals, such as Mass Flow Rate and Forces and
Moments integration, rely on surface unit normals pointing in a consistent direction (that
is, toward the same side of the surface zone). This is guaranteed for ordered surface
zones, but not for finite element surface zones (triangular, quadrilateral, or polygonal),
including extracted slices. For these zones, the surface unit normal direction for each
face is calculated using the right-hand rule with the node order for the face. If the nodes
for some faces progress clockwise around the face while other faces’ nodes progress
counter-clockwise (as defined by the zone’s connectivity), the faces’ surface normals will
point in inconsistent directions, and any integration that relies on these normals will not
produce meaningful results. You can check for this condition using the technique for
visualizing surface unit normals described in Section 21 - 6.6 “Surface Normal
Calculations”.
Similarly, an integration that sums results from multiple surface zones may not be
meaningful because the normals from one zone may be inconsistent with the normals of
some other zone.

• Integrand - Some of the available types of integrations require you to choose variables from
your dataset to be integrated. Where required, fields in the Integrand section of the dialog will
be enabled. You may type in the variable names, or click Select to choose variables.
For Forces and Moments integrations, pressure and the components of velocity are calculated
from the field variables identified on the Field Variables dialog.
• Specifying the Domain of Integration - The domain of integration is defined by zone or time
strand numbers and index ranges. For ordered zones, you may choose whether to integrate
over lines, planes, or volumes. You may also choose to use the absolute value of calculated
volumes, which can be useful for finite element zones where the node ordering may result in
erroneous calculations. Finally, you can choose to exclude regions not displayed due to index
or value blanking. Please refer to Chapter 19: “Blanking” for more information on blanking.
• Integrate By
The Integrate By drop-down menu lets you specify whether to integrate over specific zones or
specific time strands.
• Integrate Over
The Over drop-down menu allows you to specify cells, planes of constant I, J, or K, or lines of
varying I, J, or K. For tetrahedral and brick finite element zones, only volume integration is
allowed. For quadrilateral and triangular finite element zones, only K-planes are allowed
(selecting Cells for these zones is equivalent to selecting K-planes, since they are logically 2D).
For 2D and 3D Cartesian plot types, integrations over lines are performed as path integrals and
integrals over planes are performed as surface integrals. Integrals in XY line plots integrate the
chosen variable along the X axis to calculate the area between the curve and the X axis. Volume
integrations should be done in 3D Cartesian plots—volume integrations in 2D Cartesian plots
will give zero results.

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 Performing Integrations

If a vector dot product is to be integrated, then the domain must have an identifiable normal or
tangential direction. In 3D Cartesian plots, this usually means I, J, or K-planes will be selected.
The normals in these cases will point in the +I, +J, and +K-directions, respectively, or the reverse
for a left-handed grid. I,I, J, and K-planes do not have an identifiable tangential direction, so
vector-dot-tangential integration over planes generates an error.
If I, J, or K-Lines are selected, the tangential vectors point in the positive-index direction.
Vector-dot-normal integration is also available, but may not be meaningful—the normal is
calculated by taking the cross-product of the tangential and the +Z-axis.
In 2D Cartesian plots, I-planes are equivalent to J-lines, J-planes is equivalent to I-lines, and K-
planes is equivalent to cells. (It may be better to ignore planes in two dimensions.) Both normal
and tangential directions are available in all cases. However, the normal to K-planes points in
the third dimension; it may not be meaningful.
For quadrilateral and triangular finite element zones, the normal direction is found with the
right-hand rule—if the fingers of the right hand are curled in the direction of a line drawn from
cell node 1 to node 2, thence to node 3, then the thumb will point in the direction of the normal.
• Zones/Time Strands - Depending on whether you have chosen to integrate by zones or by
time strands, this text field allows you to specify which zones or time strands the variable will
be integrated over. You may enter a single zone or strand, a range with a hyphen (for example,
3-5), or a combination of these, separated by commas (,). For convenience, the [All] button will
set this text field to indicate all zones or time strands. The [Active] button will list all zones or
time strands currently active. You may also select items from a list by clicking Select, which
calls up a separate selection dialog.
• Specifying Index Ranges - Below the Zone or Time Step field are I, J, and K-index ranges.
These ranges will be applied to each zone over which the integration is performed. The three
comma separated items in each index range indicate the starting index, the ending index and
the skip factor, respectively.
For finite element zones, only the J-index settings have effect. These indicate the range of cells
over which the integration will be performed. For reasons discussed below, a skip factor of 1 is
probably desirable for these cases.
To enter or change an index range, select the button over the desired range’s text field. The
Enter Range dialog will be displayed.

Enter the starting index in the Begin field, the ending index in the End field, and the skip factor
in the Skip field.
You have two options for entries into the End field. You can enter a number, in which case the
maximum allowable value is displayed at the top of this dialog, and indicates the smallest size
of the given index for all of the zones listed on the Integrate dialog. Alternatively, you can
enter “Mx” to use the maximum index for each individual zone, “Mx - 1” to use one less than
the maximum and so on. A skip factor of 1 means “use every point in the range,” a skip of two
means, “use every other point”, and so forth.

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CFD Data Analysis

For linear and planar integration, skip factors are ignored along the line, or within the plane of
integration. For example, if you are integrating along I-lines, the I-skip factor will be ignored. If
you are integrating along an IJ-plane (for example), both I- and J- skip factors are ignored. For
volume cells, all skip factors are ignored. Minimum and maximum index values are always
used.
• Time Min/Max - When integrating by time strands, these fields appear to the right of the
Index Range, allowing you to specify the starting and ending time steps for the integration.
Click the Reset Min/Max button to set these fields to the first and last time steps in your data
set, respectively.
• Use Absolute Values of Volume - Takes the absolute value of the volumes of 3D grid cells
used for integration. This is useful if you have a finite element grid with arbitrary node
ordering such that the calculated volume of cells may be positive or negative. Negative grid
cell volumes occur when left-handed grids are used in Tecplot 360 EX. A right-handed ordered
zone will have the +J-direction proceeding to the left of the +I-direction when viewed from the
+K-direction. For finite element zones, the nodes of each cell will proceed counter-clockwise
when viewed from the direction of the highest-numbered node.
• Exclude Blanked Regions - Removes from the integration domain portions of any zones that
are hidden due to value or index-blanking. (Note that 3D depth blanking has no effect.)
Excluding blanked regions can lead to unexpected results, depending on the blanking settings.
In particular, note that blanking options allow for a cell to be blanked when any of its nodes is
blanked, when its “primary” (or lowest-numbered) index is blanked, or only when all of its
nodes are blanked. As a result, cells may still be displayed where some nodes have been
blanked. Figure 21-11 illustrates this effect. Index-blanking has been used to blank all nodes
along the J=1 line, but all cells are still displayed. An integration over volumes or K-planes
would include the entire mesh, while integrations over I-lines or J-lines would exclude the J=1
line. In general, display the Mesh layer to see the domain of integration if you are integrating
over volumes in 3D or planes in 2D, and display the Scatter layer to see the remaining types of
integration domain. See Chapter 19: “Blanking” for more information on blanking.

Figure 21-11. The effect of blanking on nodes and cells.

• Performing the Integration - Selecting Integrate at the bottom of the Integrate dialog will
perform the integration and display the results. Tecplot 360 EX uses the trapezoidal method, a
second-order method which averages nodal values to cell, face, or edge centers, then sums the
products of these values with the corresponding cell volumes, areas, or lengths.

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 Performing Integrations

21 - 7.1 Specifying Display Options

Displaying Tabulated Results

You can display the results of an integration in a text dialog, plotted, or both. The options at the bottom of
the Integrate dialog (accessed via Analyze>Perform Integration) control these settings. When you have
“Show Tabulated Results” toggled-on, integration results will appear in a text dialog, as shown below.

This dialog presents two additional options. Selecting the [Save] button displays a file selection dialog
which allows you to save the integration results to a text file. The [Make Text] button places a text field
containing the results into the active frame. Make sure you have the frame in which you wish to place the
results selected as the active frame before you select this button.

Plotting Results
Setting the Plot Results As check box results in the integration results being plotted in a new frame. Each
zone or time strand used in the integration results in a corresponding zone being created in this frame. For
Cell integrations, the plot will not be useful, because it will contain only a single point in each zone. For
plane (in 3D) or line integrations where multiple planes or lines are integrated in each zone or time strand,
plotting can be very useful. In these cases, the results for each plane or line are plotted versus the
corresponding index or indices.
When integrating by time strand, a new variable called “Solution Time” will be generated and plotted as
the independent variable. Integration results for co-relevant zones are summed to a single point for each
solution time. If no relevant zones exist at a given solution time, the integration is zero at that time step.
For all integrations except Forces and Moments, the text field to the right of the Plot Results As check box
may be used to name the variable used to hold the integration results in the results plot. For Forces and
Moments, the nine variable names will be Lift, Drag, Side, X-Moment, Y-Moment, Z-Moment, X-Force, Y-
Force and Z-Force, with Lift initially being the only variable displayed.
Because the plotting feature creates a new frame, it cannot be saved to the data journal, and the current
data journal is invalidated. If you subsequently save a layout file, you will be prompted to save a new data
file.

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CFD Data Analysis

21 - 7.2 Accessing Integration Results in Macros

Macro commands may access the results of the most recent integration through specific environment
variables. Each of these variables represents the total over all zones (the final number shown in the
Integration Results dialog). For all integration types except Forces and Moments, the single result is
stored in the variable INTEGRATION_TOTAL. Table 21 - 1 shows the variable names for forces and moments.

Integration Types Environment Variables

INTEGRATION_LIFT
INTEGRATION_DRAG
INTEGRATION_SIDE
INTEGRATION_XMOMENT
Forces and Moments INTEGRATION_YMOMENT
INTEGRATION_ZMOMENT
INTEGRATION_XFORCE
INTEGRATION_YFORCE
INTEGRATION_ZFORCE

All other types INTEGRATION_TOTAL

Table 21 - 1: Environment variables for integration results.
Environment variables are accessed in macros in the same way as regular macro variables, except that a $is
prefixed to the variable name. For example, the following macro command would display the result of the
most recent scalar integration:
$!PAUSE "Integration total = |$INTEGRATION_TOTAL|"
You can also access integration results as frame auxiliary data. For example, to access the
INTEGRATION_TOTAL variable as aux data, use the following syntax:
INTEGRATION_TOTAL = &(AUXFRAME:CFDA.INTEGRATION_TOTAL)

21 - 7.3 Integration Examples

The following sections demonstrate potential uses of the Integrate dialog.

Calculating the Volume Under a Surface

Figure 21-12 shows a 3D surface. We want to calculate the volume between that surface and the Z=0 plane.
To do this, integrate Z over the projection of the surface onto the Z=0 plane. To get this projection, switch
to 2D Cartesian plot type. Ensure that the same variables used for X and Y in 3D are used for X and Y in 2D
using the Assign XYZ dialog (available in the Plot menu).

Figure 21-12. A 3D surface.

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 Performing Integrations

To set up the Integrate dialog to perform the integration, choose Scalar as the integration type and Z as the
scalar variable. The remaining controls are left at their default settings. Selecting Integrate displays the
volume under the surface. The Integrate dialog and the results are shown in Figure 21-13.

Figure 21-13. The Integration dialog and the integration results for calculating the volume under the
surface shown in Figure 21-12.

Internal Flow Examples

The next few examples will demonstrate some uses of the Integrate dialog for internal flows, such as flow
through a jet engine or a pipe. Our dataset consists of a single I-J ordered zone. It is shown with the mesh
and contours of pressure in Figure 21-14.

Figure 21-14. An internal flow solution.

Calculating Total Mass

To calculate the total mass we must integrate density over volume (or area in 2D). If your dataset does not
contain density, it may be determined using the Calculate dialog. (See Section 21 - 6 “Calculating
Variables”) Select the Scalar Integral integration type, choose the density variable as the scalar, then
integrate over Cells (which is demoted to K-planes for our IJ-ordered data). When we click Integrate, the

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CFD Data Analysis

total mass appears as the result of the integration. The Integrate dialog and the results are shown in Figure
21-15.

Figure 21-15. The Integration dialog and the integration results for calculating the volume under the
surface shown in Figure 21-14.

Calculating Mass Flow Rate

To calculate mass flow rate, you must first set your convective variables in the Field
Variables dialog. See Section 21 - 3.1 “Choosing the Convective Variables” for
information on setting these variables.

We will now calculate the mass flow rate at various stations in the streamwise direction. This will give us
an indication of how well converged our solution is to steady-state. The Integrate dialog makes this easy
with the Mass Flow Rate integration type. We select this option and specify integration over J-lines (which
is equivalent to I-planes in 2D). Note that the entire Integrand section of the dialog is disabled. Tecplot 360
EX calculates the necessary variable (momentum) from information entered in the Fluid Properties and
the Field Variables dialogs.
We only wish to plot the results, so we select this option at the bottom of the Integrate dialog, specifying
that the result be named “Mass Flow.” When we select Integrate, the mass flow rate is plotted versus I-

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 Performing Integrations

index in a new frame. The Integrate dialog and the plotted results are shown in Figure 21-16. From the
results, we see that our solution was not fully converged.

Figure 21-16. The Integration dialog and the results of calculating the mass flow rate of the object in Figure
21-14.

Calculating Mass-weighted Stagnation Pressure

We will now calculate a quantity commonly used in engine analysis, the mass-weighted stagnation (or
total) pressure. Although it is referred to as “mass-weighted,” the weighting function is actually the mass
flow rate. Accordingly, select Mass Flow-weighted Average for the integration type, choosing the
Stagnation Pressure variable from our dataset (previously calculated with the Calculate dialog). Since we
are only interested in this value at the exit plane, we again select J-lines (from the “Integrate Over” drop-
down menu), but now specify an I-range of (Mx, Mx, 1) to integrate only the I=IMax plane. We choose only
to display the result in a text dialog. Select [Integrate] to perform the calculation. The Integrate dialog and
the result are shown in Figure 21-17.

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CFD Data Analysis

Figure 21-17. The Integration dialog and results for calculating the mass-flux weighted average integral
for the data in Figure 21-14.

Circulation in a Vortex Core

If you can define a closed path in your data over which to integrate, you can calculate circulation using
integration. In the Integrate dialog, for Type of Integration, select Vector Dotted with Unit Tangential, and
select your velocity components for the Integrand. You then need to identify a line—a closed path—as
your Domain of Integration. Click Integrate to display circulation.

Calculating Lift and Drag

Our final example makes use of a three-element airfoil solution, an example of an external flow solution.
Our data consists of four zones. Three zones are IJ-ordered zones which capture the Edge layer about each
of the elements. The fourth zone is a triangular finite element zone that fills the remaining airspace about
the elements. Pressure contours and streamtraces of this solution are shown in Figure 21-18.

Figure 21-18. A three element airfoil solution.

To calculate lift and drag for this airfoil configuration we use the Forces and Moments integration type. As
with Mass Flow Rate, the entire Integrand portion of the Integrate dialog is disabled, because Tecplot 360
EX will derive the required values (pressure, velocity gradient, and viscosity) from settings in other
dialogs. We choose integrate over the surface (J=1) line for each of the three Edge layer zones, the click
Integrate. The Integrate dialog and results appears as in Figure 21-19.

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 Calculating Turbulence Functions

Figure 21-19. The Integration dialog and the integration results for calculating the lift and drag for the data
shown in Figure 21-18.
The results of each zone are listed separately. Scrolling to the bottom of the Integration Results dialog, we
see the total lift and drag, along with other force and moment data.

Specifying the Origin for Moments

When the Forces and Moments integration type is selected, the [Set Origin]
button is active. Selecting this button displays the Set Origin dialog. In this
dialog, you may specify the X, Y, Z-location of the origin about which the
moments will be calculated.

Select Zones
To select zones, choose [All], [Active], or [Select] from the Domain of
Integration portion of the Integrate dialog. By choosing [Select], you may
select the zones you want by clicking in the list, or by selecting [Zone
Number] or [Zone Name] in the resultant Select Zones dialog. Selecting
[Zone Number] calls up the Enter Range dialog, allowing you to indicate
the desired zones by a numeric range. Selecting [Zone Name] prompts you
for a pattern string, which is matched against the names of all zones. You
may use the asterisk as a wildcard when entering the zone name pattern.
All zones whose names match the pattern are then selected in the [Link].

21 - 8 Calculating Turbulence Functions

Tecplot 360 EX allows you to calculate and add to your dataset any of four turbulence-related quantities,
provided you already have any given two in your dataset. Turbulent kinetic energy, dissipation rate,
frequency and kinematic viscosity, and dynamic viscosity are available via the Turbulence dialog.
The Turbulence dialog is displayed by selecting Calculate Turbulence Functions from the Analyze menu.

It contains two drop-down menus and associated text fields for you to identify the two turbulence-related
variables in your dataset, drop-downs for you to select the function you wish to calculate and the location
of the calculated variable, a toggle to select calculate-on-demand, and a [Calculate] button to perform the
calculation.

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CFD Data Analysis

21 - 8.1 Identifying Turbulence Variables

The first two drop-down menus on the Turbulence dialog allow you to specify which turbulence variables
are contained in your dataset. The options are Kinetic Energy (), Dissipation Rate (), Turbulent
Frequency (), Turbulent Kinematic Viscosity (t), and Turbulent Dynamic Viscosity(t). This last option is
the kinematic viscosity, which is equal to the dynamic viscosity divided by the density.

21 - 8.2 Selecting the Variable Location

You may select the location (nodal or cell-centered) of new variables Tecplot 360 EX creates during a
calculation with the New Var Location dropdown. This setting only affects new variables added to the
dataset when you click Calculate. Variables that already exist in the dataset keep their existing locations. If
you wish to change the location of an existing variable, you can delete or rename the variable and then
perform the calculation with the desired setting for New Var Location.

21 - 8.3 Calculating on Demand

Selecting the Calculate on Demand option results in the calculated variable being added to the dataset
when you click the [Calculate] button, but the actual calculation is delayed until it is actually needed.
Please refer to the discussion of calculate-on-demand in Section 21 - 6 “Calculating Variables”.

21 - 8.4 Performing the Calculation

Once you have identified two turbulence variables in your dataset, you may calculate either of the other
two. Select the desired function from the Function drop-down menu and click [Calculate]. The function is
calculated and added to your dataset as a variable with the same name as the function selected. If your
dataset variables are k and , the following formulae will be used for the calculations of  and t:

 = --------
-
C k
2
C k
 t = -----------
-


with C = 0.09. Equations for other input variables are derived from these.

21 - 8.5 Shared Variables

If both variables from which the turbulence function is calculated are shared between multiple zones, and
they and the calculated variable are all at the same location (cell-centered or nodal), the new variable will
be shared as well. This mimics the behavior of the Data>Alter>Specify Equations dialog.

21 - 9 Calculating Particle Paths and Streaklines

For steady-state solutions, Tecplot 360 EX allows you to track the paths of massless particles by placing
streamtraces in the flow. The Particle Paths and Streaklines dialog augments this capability by providing
two additional visualization methods, particle paths and streaklines, for particles with or without mass.
Please note that these calculations, particularly for streaklines, may be very lengthy to perform, especially
for cases with large grids.

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 Calculating Particle Paths and Streaklines

The Particle Paths and Streaklines dialog is displayed by selecting Calculate Particle Paths and
Streaklines from the Analyze menu.

It contains a drop-down menu allowing you to choose particle paths or streaklines, as well as options
pertaining to the path integrations, particles with mass, storage and display of the calculated particle
paths. In addition, the results of streaklines may be animated.

21 - 9.1 Calculating Particle Paths

A particle path is the path that a single particle follows through a solution. In steady flow, particle paths
are the same as streaklines and streamtraces for massless particles. To calculate particle paths, you must:
1. Place streamtraces at the locations where you wish particles to be released, then select Particle
Paths from the drop-down menu at the top of the dialog. (Details on placing streamtraces may
be found in the Chapter 15: “Streamtraces”.)
2. Specify an integration time step. For steady-state calculations, specify the maximum number
of time steps to be performed (see Section 21 - 5 “Unsteady Flow” for specifying steady or
unsteady flow).
3. Set the Particles Have Mass option for particles with mass. Click Mass Options to set mass-
related options.
4. Optionally, set the Create Single Ordered Zone From Particle Paths toggle to create a single IJ-
ordered zone from all particle paths instead of a separate I-ordered zone from each path.
5. Select [Calculate].

Specifying the Integration Time Step and Maximum Number of Steps

Particle Paths are calculated by integrating the velocity field of your solution using a constant time step,
which you enter in the Integration Time Step text field. A smaller time step will result in more accurate
particle paths but will take longer to calculate. For unsteady calculations, the time step is set equal to the
time interval between your solution time levels by default. If you specify so large a time step that a particle
passes out of your solution domain in the first integration time step, you will get a warning message.
If you have set the Flow Solution is Steady-state option, you must also enter the maximum number of
integration time steps to be performed (see also Section 21 - 5 “Unsteady Flow” on page 349).

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CFD Data Analysis

Specifying Mass-Related Options

For particles with mass, set the Particles Have Mass option. This enables other mass-related controls in the
dialog. Click Mass Options to display the Particle Mass Options dialog. (See Section 21 - 9.3 “Particles
with Mass”) In addition, you have the option of storing the particle’s velocity and other particle properties
or the local flow properties along the calculated particle path. Select Store Particle Velocity, Temperature,
and Mass to store these values along the particle path. Select Store Interpolated Solution Variables to store
these values instead. Following the calculation, you will be informed of which dataset variables contain
these values.

Performing the Particle Path Calculation

When you select Calculate, a particle is placed at the starting point for each streamtrace you have placed. If
you did not place any streamtraces, you will get an error message. From these starting locations,
beginning with the time equal to the time of your first solution time level (or zero for steady-state
calculations), the particle positions are advanced by performing a second-order Runge-Kutta integration
of the velocity field. For unsteady calculations, linear interpolation is performed between solution time
levels. Integration for each particle is continued until the final time level is reached (unsteady
calculations), the specified number of time steps has been performed (steady-state calculations), or until
the particle passes out of your solution domain. The particle paths are displayed as new I-ordered zones in
your dataset, with each integration step represented by a node in the new zones, unless you selected the
Create Single Zone From Particle Paths option, which results in a single IJ-ordered zone.

Examining the Particle Paths

Each I-ordered zone created by a Particle Path calculation represents a path through space and time. The
paths’ non-grid variables will hold interpolated values of your solution data that the particle “saw” as it
passed through your solution, except as discussed in Specifying Mass-Related Options. You can visualize
this by coloring the particle zones’ mesh plots with one of your solution variables. The following steps will
accomplish this:
1. Turn on the Mesh plot layer by toggling-on the Mesh in the Plot sidebar.
2. Call up the Zone Style dialog (accessed via the Plot menu or the Plot sidebar).
3. Turn off mesh plotting for your solution zones by selecting the solution zones, clicking Mesh
Show and selecting No.
4. If necessary, turn on mesh plotting for the Particle Path zones by selecting them, clicking Mesh
Show and selecting Yes.
5. Color the Particle Path zones with a variable by selecting these zones, clicking Mesh Color and
selecting Multi-color. If you had not previously chosen a contour variable, the Contour
Variable dialog will open to allow you to select it. Choose the variable you wish to use to color
the particle paths.
6. If Auto Redraw has not been selected, click Redraw to redraw your plot. You will see the
particle paths displayed and colored with the contour variable.
You may wish to turn on the Scatter plot layer to see the size of these steps. If you do this, you will first
want to turn off scatter plotting for your solution zones. You can also do this with the Zone Style dialog.

21 - 9.2 Calculating Streaklines

Streaklines simulate experimental techniques which involve the periodic or continuous release of a tracer
substance, such as oil drops or smoke. Tecplot 360 EX produces streaklines by releasing a sequence of
particles from the release points and integrating the unsteady velocity field to find their positions in the
flow at the end solution time. The final positions of all particles emitted from a particular release point
form one streakline. Once streaklines have been calculated, they may be animated on screen or to a file.

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 Calculating Particle Paths and Streaklines

To calculate Streaklines, perform the following actions:

1. Identify the solution time levels in your dataset. (See Section 21 - 5 “Unsteady Flow”.)
2. Place streamtraces at the locations where you wish particles to be released.
3. Select Streaklines from the drop-down menu at the top of the Particle Paths and Streaklines
dialog.
4. Enter the integration time step as with particle path calculations. (See Specifying the
Integration Time Step and Maximum Number of Steps).
5. Specify the particle release frequency. (See Specifying the Particle Release Frequency.)
6. For particles with mass, set the Particles Have Mass option. Click Mass Options to set mass-
related options.
7. Select [Calculate].
It is not reasonable to calculate streaklines for steady-state flow, because in steady-state flow, even for
particles with mass, streaklines are the same as particle paths (just more time consuming to compute).

Specifying the Particle Release Frequency

For Streakline calculations, a sequence of particles is released throughout the solution time. Each particle’s
position is integrated using the specified integration time step. The frequency with which particles are
released is specified by the controls just above the [Calculate] button. In the Release text field, enter the
number of particles to be released in the specified time interval. In the particles per drop-down menu,
identify this time interval by selecting either Solution Time Level or Unit Solution Time.
If you select Solution Time Level, the indicated number of particles will be released, evenly spaced in time,
between each pair of solution time levels you have identified. If you select Unit Solution Time, the
particles will be released at regular intervals throughout the time covered by your solution. In either case,
a particle will be released at the final time of your solution, so that the streaklines will include the release
points themselves. Releasing particles more frequently will produce more detailed streaklines (the
accuracy is determined by the Integration Time Step), but will take longer to calculate.

Performing the Streakline Calculation

When you click Calculate, the streaklines are calculated and added to your dataset as new I-ordered
zones. To see them, turn on the Mesh plot layer and disable mesh plotting for your solution zones. See
Examining the Particle Paths.

Animating Streaklines
Once you have performed a streakline calculation, the animation controls of the Particle Paths and
Streaklines dialog are enabled. A streakline animation displays each successive step in the integration,
and can be an effective means of visualizing the unsteadiness of a flow. Toggle-on Include Zone
Animation in the Particle Paths and Streaklines dialog to animate the zones along with the streaklines.

Please note that subsequent particle path or streakline calculations will replace the
current streakline calculation, making it unavailable for animation.

You may display the animation in the frame in which the streaklines were calculated or save it to a video
file in a number of formats. To perform a streakline animation, perform the following steps:
1. Delete the I-ordered zones of any streaklines you do not wish to be part of the animation
using Data>Delete>Zone.
2. Select the animation destination from the Animate Streaklines dropdown.

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CFD Data Analysis

3. Select Animate.
4. If you chose to save the animation to a file, the Animate Options dialog will be displayed.
Enter your choices for the animation and select [OK]. Then choose a file name in the resulting
file selection dialog.

While animating on the screen, the [Animate] button’s text will change to Cancel, allowing you to stop the
animation. While animating to a file, a progress dialog will be displayed that allows you to cancel the
animation.

Deleting Particle Paths and Streaklines

Particle paths and streaklines are saved either as I-ordered zones or as a single IJ-ordered zone. You may
delete these individually using the Delete Zone dialog (accessed via Data>Delete>Zone). If you wish to
delete all previously calculated particle paths and streaklines, you may do so using the [Delete All Particle
Paths and Streaklines] button. This deletes all zones whose names begin with ‘Particle Path’ or ‘Streakline.’

Animate Options
The Animation Options dialog allows you to specify options for saving the streakline animation to a file.
The following options are available:
• Width (pixels) - Enter a value in the text field for your exported image’s width. The image
region is rendered to the image file to exactly fit a size of Width by Height. This text field
initially displays the frame’s actual width.
• Height (pixels) - Displays the height of the image based on the value entered for Width,
preserving the shape of the region to be exported. (Calculated by Tecplot 360 EX.)
• Animation Speed (frames/sec) - Applicable only to AVI files. Enter a value in the text field to
set your speed in frames per second.
• Use Multiple Color Tables - Selecting this check box will create a color table for each frame of
the animation. If this check box is not selected, Tecplot 360 EX will scan each frame in your AVI
file and create an optimal color table from 256 colors for the entire animation.

21 - 9.3 Particles with Mass

Whereas massless particles always travel with the local fluid velocity, particles with mass travel according
to a more complicated equation of motion where the fluid creates drag on the particle. In addition,
particles with mass may have a temperature that is different from the local fluid temperature, and they
may lose mass due to ablative processes such as vaporization. The Particle Mass Options dialog allows
you to enter coefficients and particle properties to indicate how these mass-related effects are calculated.
The Particle Mass Options dialog is displayed by selecting Mass Options on the Particle Paths and
Streaklines dialog. It allows you to specify either general or detailed coefficients related to the particle
trajectory and heat transfer calculations, plus options related to gravity and the initial particle velocity. If
you choose to calculate the particle temperature, you may choose to terminate the particle at a specified
temperature, or, with the detailed coefficient option, to ablate the particles until their mass reaches zero.

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 Calculating Particle Paths and Streaklines

Selecting a Coefficient Set

You may enter either general coefficients or detailed coefficients. General coefficients are a convenient way
of characterizing the particles, but result in less accurate calculations. They should only be used when the
particle drag coefficient and heat transfer coefficient (if particle temperature is being calculated) are
essentially constant. Detailed coefficients result in more accurate calculations, and should be used
whenever the drag coefficient or heat transfer coefficient may not be constant, such as when the particle
Reynolds number is less than 1000 (see page 376 for a definition of particle Reynolds number). In addition,
if you wish to calculate particle ablation, you must specify detailed coefficients. Indicate your choice of
coefficients by making the appropriate selection in the option box at the top of the Particle Mass Options
dialog.

Calculating Particle Temperature

If you wish to calculate each particle’s temperature along its path, set the Calculate Particle Temperature
option. Particles begin with their temperature equal to the local fluid temperature at their insertion point
(the beginning of each streamtrace you have placed). If you have chosen to enter general coefficients, enter
the Temperature Time Constant in the General Coefficients section of the dialog. Otherwise, enter the
specific heat (per unit mass) and the Nusselt number in the Detailed Coefficients section of the dialog.
Also, select from the available options in the Termination Options section of the dialog. All of these
options are discussed below.

Specifying the Effects of Gravity and Buoyancy

If you wish to include the effects of gravity in your calculation, enter the value in the gravity field and
select the axis direction in which gravity acts.
If you choose the detailed coefficient set and non-zero gravity, the effects of buoyancy will also be
included. Buoyancy acts in the opposite direction of gravity. It is included by subtracting from the particle
mass the mass of the fluid it displaces, and multiplying the result by the gravitational constant to calculate
the force due to gravity.
Buoyancy effects are not included if you choose the general coefficient set because the particle size is not
specified. In this case, the value for gravity is simply added to the particle acceleration that is calculated
from the general coefficients and local flow conditions.

Specifying the Initial Particle Velocity

Each particle injected into the flow begins either at the velocity of the flow at the point where the particle is
injected, or at zero velocity or at a specified velocity. Select one of these options from the drop-down menu
and, if you have chosen Specified Velocity, enter the U, V, and W velocities.

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CFD Data Analysis

General Coefficients
Figure 21-20 shows the Particle Mass Options dialog with the general coefficients displayed. The General
Coefficients consist of the Ballistic Coefficient and, if you are calculating particle temperature, the
Temperature Time Constant.

Figure 21-20. The Particle Mass Options dialog with general coefficients.

Ballistic Coefficient.
The Ballistic Coefficient is defined by the following:
mp
B = ----------
-
SC D

where B is the Ballistic Coefficient, S is the frontal area of the particle, CD is the particle’s drag coefficient
and mP is the particle’s mass. Given the Ballistic Coefficient, the acceleration of a particle due to fluid drag
is calculated from
0.5 f  u fi – u p i   u f – u p 
a i = -------------------------------------------------------------
-
B
where a is particle acceleration, i stands for each spatial dimension, f is the local fluid density and u fi
and u p i are the velocity components of the fluid and the particle. If non-zero gravity has been specified,
the acceleration in the specified direction is augmented by the value for gravity. For example, if a
gravitational constant, gc, acts in the -Z direction, the acceleration in the Z direction becomes:

0.5 f  u fz – u p z  u f – u p
- – gc
a z = ---------------------------------------------------------
B

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 Calculating Particle Paths and Streaklines

Temperature Time Constant

For the general coefficient option, particle temperature is calculated with a simple relaxation:

dT 1
--------p- = -----  T f – T p 
dt T

where T is temperature, and T is the Temperature Time Constant you enter in this text field. T has units
of time, and indicates the “e-folding” time of this relaxation—the amount of time it takes to reduce the
difference between the fluid temperature and the particle temperature by a factor of about 2.7.
Comparing with the convective heat transfer equation,
dT
Q = hA  T w – T   = – m p c p --------p-
dt
we see that T may be thought of as a combination of the convective heat transfer coefficient, h and the
surface area, mass, and specific heat of the particle:
2
r p h
 T = – -----------
-
mp cp

Note from that the Temperature Time Constant is only constant if the heat transfer coefficient is also
constant. In general, however, this coefficient will vary with the particle’s velocity relative to the fluid, so
this approximation should be viewed with skepticism.

Detailed Coefficients
Figure 21-21 shows the Particle Mass Options dialog with detailed coefficients displayed. The detailed
coefficients consist of particle mass radius and drag coefficient. In addition, if particle temperature is being
calculated, the detailed coefficients consist of particle specific heat and Nusselt number.

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CFD Data Analysis

Figure 21-21. The Particle Mass Options dialog with detailed coefficients.
• Mass - Each particle begins with the same mass, entered in this text field. If ablation is being
calculated, the particle’s mass may be reduced by the ablative process as it travels through the
flow field.
• Radius - As with Mass, each particle begins with the same radius, entered in this text field and
may be reduced by ablation.
• Specify/Calculate Drag Coefficient - You may elect to specify a constant drag coefficient or
have Tecplot 360 EX calculate it. If you specify a constant drag coefficient, enter its value in the
corresponding text field. For calculated drag coefficient, Tecplot 360 EX uses a formula from
Multiphase Flow and Fluidization: Continuum and Kinetic Theory Descriptions (D. Gidaspow, 1994):
24
------  1 + 0.15  Re  0.687  Re  1000
C D = Re
0.44 Re  1000
with the particle Reynolds number:

f dp Up – Uf
Re = -------------------------------
-
f

where d p is the particle diameter, U p – U f is the speed of the particle relative to the fluid
and  f is the dynamic viscosity of the gas. The acceleration then becomes:
 2
--- r p  f  u f – u p   u f – u p  C D
Fi 2 i i
a i = ------- = ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
mp mp
If non-zero gravity has been specified, the acceleration in the specified direction is augmented
by the gravitational constant adjusted for buoyancy. For example, if a gravitational constant,
gc, acts in the Z direction, the acceleration in the Z direction becomes:

--- r 2p  f  u f – u p   u f – u p  C D

a z = ------------------------------------------------------------------------ – g c  1 – -----f 
2 z z

mp   p
where p is the density of the particle.
• Specific Heat - If particle temperature is being calculated, enter the specific heat per unit mass
of the particles, in units of energy per mass per degree.
• Specify/Calculate Nusselt Number - The Nusselt number is a non-dimensional measure of
heat transfer. The temperature change of the particle is calculated from this number using the
following formula:
dT p –Q 2r p k f Nu  T f – T p 
--------- = ------------ = ----------------------------------------------
-
dt mp cp mp cp

where kf is the conductivity of the fluid.

If you specify a constant Nusselt number, enter its value in the text field. Otherwise, Tecplot
360 EX will calculate it using a formula from An Eulerian-Lagrangian Analysis for Rocket Motor
Internal Flows (Jayant S. Sabnis, et al., 1989):
0.5
2 + 0.53  Re  Re  278.92
Nu =
0.6
0.37  Re  Re  278.92

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 Analyzing Solution Error

Termination Options
When solving for particle temperature, you may terminate particles when they reach a specified
temperature, or calculate particle ablation (mass reduction due to off-gassing or some sort of sloughing of
material from the particle).
• Terminate/Ablate Particles - If you elect to terminate the particles at a particular temperature,
you must enter the temperature. When the particle reaches this temperature, its path will be
terminated at that location. If you elect ablation, you must enter the temperature at which
ablation begins, and the latent heat of the ablative process. If you wish to model boiling of
initially solid particles, enter the latent heat of fusion plus the latent heat of vaporization, as a
positive number. Once the particle reaches the specified temperature, any additional heat
transferred to the particle will result in ablation instead of an additional temperature rise. If the
particle’s mass reaches zero, it will be terminated at that location.
• Temperature - For temperature-based termination, this is the temperature in absolute units at
which the particle will be terminated. For ablation, this is the temperature at which the
ablation begins.
• Latent Heat - This is the combined latent heat of fusion and vaporization for the particle, used
only for particle ablation. Its units are energy per unit mass.

21 - 10 Analyzing Solution Error

Tecplot 360 EX allows you to examine a sequence of CFD solutions on successively finer meshes, estimate
the order of accuracy of the solutions, as well as perform Richardson extrapolation to improve the
accuracy of the solutions. These features are applicable only to smooth solutions (solutions with no
discontinuities). They are available via the Error Analysis dialog.
The Error Analysis dialog is displayed by selecting Analyze Error from the Analyze menu.

It contains controls for specifying the solution zones to analyze, the maximum accuracy of your CFD
solver, some options specific to accuracy calculation, and buttons to perform the analyses.

You cannot perform error analysis on polygonal or polyhedral zones.

21 - 10.1 Calculating Solution Accuracy

The accuracy of a sequence of three solutions is estimated using Richardson extrapolation on a particular
dataset variable you select. The resulting accuracy in both the 1-norm and the Max- (infinity-) norm is

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reported in a text dialog. You also have the options of plotting the overall error versus grid spacing, or
plotting the calculated accuracy at each grid node.

21 - 10.2 Selecting Solution Zones

To calculate solution accuracy, you must identify three zones from your dataset. The zones must represent
coarse, medium, and fine grid solutions of the same problem. The order in which you enter the zone
numbers does not matter. The medium grid must have twice the number of cells in each index direction as
the coarse grid, or twice, plus one, the number of nodes. The fine grid must have four times the number of
cells, or four times, plus one, the number of nodes as the coarse grid.
Since finite element zones do not have identifiable index directions, the requirement for the coarse,
medium and fine grid sizes is only in terms of the total number of cells. It is assumed that successively
finer grids have been refined equally in all directions. The requirement is that the medium grid have eight
times as many cells (four in 2D) as the coarse grid and the fine grid have 64 times as many cells (sixteen in
2D).
For all zone types, the medium and fine grids must have nodes that overlap the coarse grid nodes.
You may type the zone numbers in the text field, or select them by clicking Select and choosing three zones
from the resulting list.

Error Analysis is not supported for polygonal or polyhedral zone types.

21 - 10.3 Specifying the Solver’s Maximum Accuracy

Under some circumstances, Richardson extrapolation can report an accuracy in excess of the solver’s
theoretical maximum accuracy. For this reason, Tecplot 360 EX limits the accuracy used by this technique
to the value you enter in the Maximum Accuracy text field. Although fractional values are allowed in this
text field, you should enter the theoretical maximum order of accuracy of your solver as an integer. That is,
two for a second-order accurate solver.

21 - 10.4 Selecting the Dataset Variable

For the accuracy calculation, Tecplot 360 EX performs Richardson extrapolation on one variable in your
dataset. It must not be a grid variable. Enter the name of the variable in the Use Data Set Variable text field,
or click Select to choose the variable.

21 - 10.5 Plotting the Solution Accuracy

You can plot the results of the accuracy calculation in either or both of two ways. First, you can plot the
accuracy at each grid node as a contour plot (XY-plot for 1D data) by setting the Plot Accuracy at All Grid
Nodes check box. Second, you can plot the overall error as a log-log XY-plot by setting the Plot Overall
Accuracy (log-log) check box. If you select either of these options, new frames will be created to display
the plots when you perform the calculation.
The plot of overall accuracy plots the error in the 1-norm and max- (infinity-) norm versus grid spacing for
each of the three zones. The grid spacing of the coarse grid zone is taken as unity for this plot. The 1-norm
is the average absolute value of the difference between the extrapolated solution and the solutions of the
input zones. The max-norm is the maximum absolute value of this difference. Figure 21-22 shows an
example of this plot. The slopes of the two lines represent the accuracy of the solver. A significant

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difference in the slopes may indicate discontinuities in your solution, or other problems with the
calculation.

Figure 21-22. A plot of the overall accuracy.

The plot of accuracy at all grid nodes plots the calculated accuracy on the grid from your coarse solution.
For 2D and 3D grids, it is plotted as a contour plot. For 1D solutions, it is plotted as an XY-plot.
Because this feature creates a new frame, it cannot be saved in the data journal, and the current data
journal is invalidated. If you subsequently save a layout file, you will be prompted to save a new data file.

21 - 10.6 Performing the Calculation

When you select [Calculate Accuracy], the accuracy calculation is performed. The accuracy in the 1-norm
and max-norm is reported in a text dialog. If you selected either of the plot options, the plots are created in
new frames.

21 - 10.7 Extrapolating a Solution

Given three solutions on successively finer grids, Tecplot 360 EX can perform Richardson extrapolation to
improve the accuracy of the solution, and report the difference between the extrapolated solution and the
original, fine grid solution.
To perform this extrapolation, three zones must be identified in the Error Analysis dialog as previously
discussed (see Section 21 - 10.2 “Selecting Solution Zones”) and the maximum accuracy of the solver
entered (see Section 21 - 10.3 “Specifying the Solver’s Maximum Accuracy”). Once these are entered,
clicking Extrapolate Solution creates two new zones in the solution dataset. The first new zone contains
the extrapolated solution on the coarse grid. The second new zone contains the difference between the
extrapolated solution and the original fine grid solution.

21 - 11 Extracting Fluid Flow Features

Tecplot 360 EX can display important features in 3D fluid flow solutions that make analyzing the solutions
much easier. For trans-sonic flow, it can display shock surfaces. For all flows, including incompressible
flows, it can display lines indicating the location of vortex cores, as well as separation and attachment
lines. These calculations make use of MIT’s FX library. These features are accessed through the Extract
Flow Features dialog.

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The Extract Flow Features dialog is displayed by selecting Extract Flow Features from the Analyze menu.

It contains a drop-down for selecting the desired feature, options for specifying the algorithm to use when
extracting vortex cores, as well as an [Extract] button, which performs the desired task.
Flow features are identified using field variables you have identified on the Field Variables dialog. (See
Section 21 - 3 “Identifying Field Variables”) and may be affected by settings on the Fluid Properties
dialog. (See Section 21 - 1 “Specifying Fluid Properties”) The feature extraction may also be affected by
your boundary settings. In particular, separation and attachment lines are only calculated on boundaries
you have identified as wall boundaries. Refer to Section 21 - 4 “Setting Geometry and Boundary Options”
for more information on specifying boundary conditions for your data.

21 - 11.1 Extracting Shock Surfaces

To extract shock surfaces, select Shock Surfaces from the Feature drop-down, then click Extract. The
remaining controls on the dialog are disabled. After calculation, shock surfaces are then displayed as iso-
surfaces of a new dataset variable named ShockFeature. This variable is similar to the Shock variable
available on the Calculate dialog.

Shock Surface values are calculated for the current time step only. The ShockFeature
variable will equal zero for all other time steps.

You may note that the displayed shock surface is obscured by clutter due to the sensitivity of the shock
function capturing minor oscillations in the solution. A useful technique for displaying only the true shock
is to use the value blanking feature to eliminate regions where this clutter appears. Use Tecplot 360 EX’s
Calculate dialog to calculate the Pressure Gradient Magnitude variable, then use the value blanking to
2
blank the plot where this variable is less than some constant. A good value to use is 0.1  c  , or for
PLOT3D non-dimensional data, just 0.1.

21 - 11.2 Extracting Vortex Cores

To extract vortex cores, select Vortex Cores from the Feature drop-down, choose from the two available
extraction methods, then click Extract. The cores consist of a group of line segments that may not all be
connected. As a result, they are displayed using a line segment finite element zone. Display the Mesh or
Edge plot layer to see the new zone. NOTE: the new vortex core zone is a static zone.
If you are using value blanking, you may need to interpolate the blanking variable to the new zone. Refer
to Section 20 - 9 “Data Interpolation” for information on interpolation and Section 19 - 1 “Value Blanking”
for information on value blanking.

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Due to the properties of the algorithm used, vortices that happen to exactly align with grid lines may not
be properly extracted. This is unlikely to occur in real-world solutions, but is common in test data
generated by extruding 2D solutions to produce artificial 3D solutions.

Choosing a Vortex Core Extraction Method

Two algorithms for determining the location of the vortex cores are available. These methods are
represented by the Vorticity Vector and Velocity Gradient Eigenmodes options. The Vorticity Vector
method determines the location of vortex cores by examining the vorticity vector. The Velocity Gradient
Eigenmodes method is more sophisticated and a little more expensive, using the eigenvalues and
eigenvectors of the velocity gradient tensor. The eigenmode method tends to give fewer spurious vortex
cores.

Visualizing the Vortex Core Strength

If you have chosen a contour variable for your dataset, the vortex strength returned by the FX library will
be stored in this variable in the new zone. You may visualize this vortex strength by turning on the Mesh
plot layer and choosing to color the mesh of this zone with the contour variable. You may need to modify
the contour levels to get an acceptable display of the vortex strength. You may also wish to use the value
blanking feature using this variable to blank out the vortex cores where they are very weak or
unrealistically strong (as can happen at a no-slip wall boundary).

21 - 11.3 Extracting Separation and Attachment Lines

Separation and attachment lines show where a fluid flow separates from or reattaches to a no-slip wall
boundary. These lines can give you an indication of where separation bubbles or recirculation regions
appear in your data. To calculate them you must first identify one or more Wall boundaries using the
Geometry and Boundaries dialog. (See Section 21 - 4 “Setting Geometry and Boundary Options”.) The
separation and attachment lines will be calculated on these boundaries.
Due to the algorithm used by the FX library to detect separation and attachment lines, these lines may not
be detected for flows that are essentially two-dimensional. (That is, flows which contain no variation along
one of the three spatial dimensions.)
To calculate separation and attachment lines, select this option in the Feature drop-down and click Extract.
The lines, if any, will be displayed in new static zones, one zone for separations lines and a separate zone
for attachment lines. As with vortex cores, the lines consist of sets of possibly unconnected line segments,
which are displayed using line segment finite element zones. Display the Mesh or Edge layer to see the
lines.

21 - 11.4 Excluding Blanked Regions

For vortex core and separation/attachment line calculations in ordered zones, you may choose to exclude
blanked regions from the calculation. Select this option by selecting the Exclude Blanked Regions from
Ordered Zones toggle. This will prevent lines from being calculated in regions of ordered zones that are
not plotted due to blanking. Note, however, that this will invalidate the data journal. If you subsequently
save a layout file, you will be prompted to save a new data file as well.

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 22

Probing

The Probe tool allows you to select a location in your plot and view the values of all variables at that
location in the Probe sidebar. You can also view information about the dataset itself while probing. With
the Probe At dialog (accessed via Data>Probe At), you can specify the location of the probe as a set of
spatial coordinates X, Y, and Z, one of the polar coordinates Theta and R, or as a set of I, J, and K-indices.
You select one or more locations in the data field where information is to be collected, and the resulting
information is displayed in the Probe sidebar.
When you probe with the mouse, you can probe in either of two modes: Interpolate or Nearest Point. In
Interpolate mode (accessed by a single mouse click) the value returned is the linearly interpolated value
for the specified locations. In Nearest Point mode, accessed by Control-click, the value returned is the
exact value at the closest data point in the field.

If Tecplot 360 EX appears to be unloading variables that you are trying to Probe, you
may need to adjust your memory threshold in Options>Performance>Misc. Refer to
“Load On Demand” on page 470 for additional information.

22 - 1 Field Plot Probing with the Mouse

The most direct method of probing is to use the Probe tool . Click at any point in your plot to probe
in Interpolate mode, which displays the Probe sidebar with information interpolated for that point.
Control-click at any location to probe in Nearest Point mode, which will obtain probe information for the
data point closest to the crosshair cursor and display it in the Probe sidebar.

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The following table shows the information returned for each type of probe action for field plots. (All
mouse click operations are using the left mouse button.)

Probe Action Information Returned

If the pointer is over a valid cell, the value returned is the interpolated field values
from all nodes in the cell.

2D Cartesian plots - If multiple cells are candidates, the cell from the highest-
numbered zone is used.
Click
3D Cartesian plots - The closest cell in a zone, slice, iso-surface or streamtrace is
selected. If multiple cells are candidates, the cell closest to the viewer is used, with
priority given to surfaces drawn with mesh, flooded contours, or shading.
Translucent zone surfaces are excluded from probing priority.

If the pointer is over a valid cell, the field value from the nearest node in the cell is
returned.
If multiple cells are candidates:
Control-Click 2D Cartesian plots - The cell from the highest number zone is used
3D Cartesian plots - The cell closest to the viewer is used. If the pointer is not over
any cell, then the field values from nearest data point (as measured in distance on
the screen) are returned.

Return the field values from the nearest point on the screen (ignoring surfaces, zone
number or depth of the point).

This is useful in 3D for probing on data points that are on the back side of a closed
Shift-Control-Click
surface without having to rotate the object.

In 2D this is useful for probing on data points for zones that may be underneath
other zones because of the order in which they were drawn.

Alt-Click Same as Click except ignore zones while probing. (Probe only on streamtraces, iso-
(3D only) surfaces, or slices.)

Same as Control-Click except ignore zones while probing. (Probe only on

Alt-Control-Click
streamtraces, iso-surfaces, or slices.)

Same as Shift-Control-Click except ignore zones while probing. (Probe only on

Alt-Control-Shift-Click
streamtraces, iso-surfaces, or slices.)

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 Field Plot Probing by Specifying Coordinates and Indices

The probe results are displayed in the Probe sidebar. To copy data
from the Probe sidebar, select the range of cells to be copied by
dragging (or by clicking a start position, then Shift-clicking an end
position), then right-click and choose Copy from the context menu.

Interpolate mode does not work for I-ordered data

displayed in a 2D or 3D Cartesian plot; if you probe such
data you will always get the error message “Point is
outside of data field,” because Tecplot 360 EX cannot
interpolate without a field mesh structure. You should
instead use the Nearest Point mode in such situations.

22 - 2 Field Plot Probing by Specifying

Coordinates and Indices
Use the Probe At dialog for precise control over your probe location,
probing using I, J, and K-indices, or probing inside a 3D volume. You
can launch the Probe At dialog from the Data menu.

22 - 2.1 Probe At Position

To probe at a specified location using spatial coordinates (in
Interpolate mode), launch the Probe At dialog via the Data menu or
the Probe sidebar.

The Position page of the Probe At dialog has the following options:
• Enter Coordinates - Enter the X, Y, and Z-coordinates of the desired probe location.
• Probe Within Volume [DEFAULT] - If the zone you are probing is a 3D volume zone, toggle-
on Probe Within Volume to ensure that the probe is performed at the indicated point. If you
specify a position within a 3D volume zone and the Probe Within Volume is not selected,
Tecplot 360 EX probes at the surface of the zone nearest to the user.
• Probe - Select the [Probe] button to perform the probe. The Probe sidebar will display the
interpolated values for the specified location.

If the entered location is not within a cell, Tecplot 360 EX will return the closest surface
to the entered location along the line-of-sight ray.

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22 - 2.2 Probe at Index

To probe at a specified location using dataset indices (in Nearest Point mode), launch the Probe At dialog
(accessed via the Data menu or the Probe sidebar) and select the Index page (shown below).

The Index page of the Probe At dialog has the following options:
• Mapping/Zone - Select the desired zone or mapping from the drop-down.
• I, J, K - Enter the I, J, and K-indices of the desired probe location. (For finite element and
I-ordered data, you can enter only the I-index. For IJ-ordered data, you can enter both I- and
J-indices. For IJK-ordered data, you can enter I, J, and K-indices.)
• Probe - Select the [Probe] button to perform the probe. The Probe sidebar will display
interpolated values for the specified location.

22 - 3 Probe Sidebar
You can view probed data in the Probe sidebar, which appears automatically when probe results need to
be displayed. It can also be opened from the Data menu.
The Probe sidebar initially appears docked on the right side of the workspace, but it can be docked to the
left side as well, or combined with other sidebars. It may also be “torn off” from the workspace and
dragged anywhere on any of your displays.
You can choose what the Probe sidebar displays via the tabs along its side. (The tabs may appear on either
the right or left side of the sidebar depending on where it is docked.) Available tabs are:
• Variable Values - Examine values of all variables at any selected location.
• Cell Center Values - Examine values of all variables at the center of the clicked-on cell.
• Zone and Cell Information - Report characteristics of any location in a data field. The
characteristics reported include the indices of the selected cell or point, the zone number, the
dimensions of the zone, and the type of zone (ordered or finite element).
• Face Neighbor - Examine neighboring cells of the clicked-on cell.
To copy data from the Probe sidebar, select the range of cells to be copied by dragging (or by clicking a
start position, then Shift-clicking an end position), then right-click and choose Copy from the context
menu.

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 Probe Sidebar

22 - 3.1 Variable Values

Choosing the Variable Values tab in the Probe sidebar lists every
variable in the current dataset, together with its value at the
specified probe point. The zone name and number and the current
solution time (if the data set contains transient data) also appear.
The Probe At button opens the Probe At dialog (see Field Plot
Probing by Specifying Coordinates and Indices). Click the [Load
Variables] button to open the Load Variable dialog and load any
variables you wish to view when probing.

22 - 3.2 Cell Center Values

Choosing the Cell Center tab in the Probe sidebar lists the value of
every variable in the current dataset at the center of the cell that was
selected. The Zone name and number and the current solution time (if
the data set contains transient data) are also displayed.
The Probe At button opens the Probe At dialog (see Field Plot Probing
by Specifying Coordinates and Indices). Click the [Load Variables]
button to open the Load Variable dialog and load any variables you
wish to view when probing.

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22 - 3.3 Zone and Cell Information

Choosing the Zone/Cell Info tab in the Probe sidebar lists the
following information about any probed data point, regardless of the
format of the data.
The following information appears:
• The number and name of the probed zone.
• The format of the zone, either ordered or one of the finite
element formats (FE-Triangle, FE-Quad, FE-Tetra or FE-
Brick).
• The Current Solution time of the probed point.
For ordered zones, the following additional information is displayed:
• I-Max - Maximum I-index of the zone.
• J-Max - Maximum J-index of the zone.(J-Max is one for I-
ordered data.)
• K-Max - Maximum K-index of the zone. (K-Max is one for IJ-
ordered data).
• Plane - Shows the type of plane. I, J, or K displays the index
of the point at the principal data point of the cell containing
the probed point. (If the point is probed using Control-click
for Nearest Point, the label reads “I,J or K-Index.”)
• Face Plane - The I, J, or K-plane that is probed.
• Face Indices - The planes that are not mentioned in Face
Plane, these are the other faces that are showing in 3D, or are the axes in 2D.

Index values are not displayed for subzone data sets (.szplt) since these values cannot
currently be reliably determined with this file format.

For cell-based finite element zones (FE-Triangle, FE-Quad, FE-Tetra or FE-Brick), the following additional
information is displayed:
• Total Pts - Total number of points in the zone.
• Total Elems - Total number of elements (cells) in the zone.
• Node Num - Number of the probed node. This field is filled in only if the point is probed
using Control-click for Nearest Point.
• Elem Num - Number of the probed element.
• Node 1 - 8 - Number of the node defining Node 1-8 of the cell.
• Node 4 -FE-Quad, FE-Tetra, and FE-Brick only.
• Node 5-8 - FE-Brick only.
The Probe At button opens the Probe At dialog (see Field Plot Probing by Specifying Coordinates and
Indices).

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 Line Plot Probing with the Mouse

22 - 3.4 Face Neighbor

Choosing the Face Neighbor tab in the Probe sidebar displays cells
that neighbor the selected cell.
The Probe At button opens the Probe At dialog (see Field Plot Probing
by Specifying Coordinates and Indices).
A cell is considered a neighbor if one of its faces shares all nodes in
common with the selected cell, or if it is identified as a neighbor by face
neighbor data in the dataset. The current solution time is also
displayed.
For ordered (IJ or IJK) zones, cell numbers are defined by the index
value of the first node

Index = i +  j – 1 I max +  k – 1 I max J max

where, i, j, and k are the i, j, and k values for the location of the first
node.
Because the number of nodes in each direction is one greater than the
number of cells in that direction, there is no cell to correspond with the
last point in each row. In the example below, there is no cell numbered
“3”, yet the first cell in the second row is numbered “4”. As you define
face neighbors, it may help you to think of a “ghost cell” at the end of
each row (where I = MaxI) and at the end of each column in 3D (where
J = MaxJ).

For FE zones, the cells are numbered in the order that they appear in the connectivity list. In the following
example “7 8 19 11” is the cell number 2:
#Example connectivity list of 3 cells:
2 4 8 19
7 8 19 11
1 2 4 5

22 - 4 Line Plot Probing with the Mouse

You may probe XY and Polar Line plots in much the same way you probe field plots. You can use the
probe mouse mode to obtain interpolated variable values at any given location, or obtain exact values
from a specified (X, Y) or (Theta, R) data point. When you probe an XY Line plot in the standard mode,
Tecplot 360 EX displays a vertical or horizontal line, depending on whether you are probing along an X- or
a Y-axis. When you probe a Polar Line plot, a radial line or a circle is displayed depending on whether you

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Probing

are probing along the Theta- or R-axis. In either case, the probe is performed along the displayed line (or
circle).
To probe in interpolate mode: activate the probe tool and click anywhere on your plot. Axis variable
values of all active mappings that lie along the probe line are interpolated and displayed in the Probe
sidebar.
To probe in Nearest Point mode, activate the probe tool and Control-click anywhere on your plot. When
you Control-click, Tecplot 360 EX displays the exact X and Y, or Theta and R-values of the data point
closest to the location clicked.

22 - 4.1 Line Plot Probing in Interpolate Mode

Interpolate mode is the standard probe mouse mode in line plots just as for field plots. For XY Line plots,
you can probe along any of Tecplot 360 EX’s five X-axes, or along any of Tecplot 360 EX’s five Y-axes. By
default, probing is performed along the X1 axis. For Polar Line, probing is done along the Theta-axis by
default.

In Polar Line plots, many combinations of Theta- and R-values can result in the same
point on the screen. When using the mouse in Interpolate mode to probe along the
Theta-axis, Tecplot 360 EX uses the Theta-value within the current Theta-axis range to
determine the corresponding R-values reported in the Probe sidebar. This behavior may
result in no probe information shown for a mapping that has Theta-values entirely
outside the current Theta-axis range, even though the mapping crosses the probe line
on the screen. (For example, probing along the Theta-axis in interpolate mode misses a
mapping representing only Theta-values several cycles outside the current Theta-axis
range.) Similarly, when using the mouse in Interpolate mode to probe along the R-axis,
Tecplot 360 EX uses the R-value within the current R-axis range and may miss mappings
that are shown on the plot but have R-values different from the R-axis range.

To enter the Probe Interpolate mode, choose Probe At from the Data menu. The Probe At dialogs for XY
and Polar Line plots are shown below:

Select the button corresponding to the axis you want to probe along, then enter the position. Click Probe to
perform the probe.
The Probe sidebar appears if it is not already visible, For interpolated values, the Probe sidebar lists every
active mapping and the interpolated value the opposing axis variable for that mapping. The value along
the probed axis is listed at the bottom of the Probe sidebar.

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 Data Editing

In the Probe sidebar, the probe value is dashed (---) if the probe is out of range for the mapping. The probe
value is gray (inactive) if the mapping is not using the specific axis which you are probing (for example,
you probe the X1 axis and the mapping uses the X2 axis). This will only happen in XY Line plots with
multiple X or Y-axes.
By default, each mapping is shown on a single line, which allows display of about the first ten characters
of the mapping name and seven significant digits of the variable value.
• X-Value, Y-value - X, Y-value of the nearest data point to the probe position.
• I, J, or K-Index - I, J or K-index of the nearest data point to the probe position.
• Map - Number and name of the nearest map to the probe position.
• Zone - Number and name of the nearest zone to the probe position.
• I, J, or K-Max - Maximum I, J or K-index of the current zone.
• X or Y-Axis - X or Y-axis associated with the current map.

Index values are not displayed for subzone data sets (.szplt) since these values cannot
currently be reliably determined with this file format.

22 - 4.2 Line Plot Probing in Nearest Point Mode

Nearest Point probe mode provides the exact X and Y or Theta and R-values of the data point closest on
the screen to the probed location, together with information on the mapping and the zone to which the
probed point belongs. If a data point is common to multiple mappings, the probe returns information on
the highest numbered mapping. For example, if a data point is plotted as part of two mappings, numbered
1 and 2, the probe results are displayed for mapping 2.
To enter the Probe Nearest Point mode select the Probe tool, from the Toolbar and Control-click at
the desired probe location. The nearest point is calculated from the actual location of the cross-hair and is
independent of the axis you were probing along.
The following information about the nearest data point is displayed in the Probe sidebar:
• X or Theta-value.
• Y or R-value.
• I, J, or K-index.
• The number and name of the mapping associated with the data point.
• The number and name of the zone referenced in the mapping.
• The maximum I, J, and K-indices of the zone.
• For XY Line plots, the X-axis and Y-axis associated with the mapping.

22 - 5 Data Editing
Using the Adjustor tool, you can actually modify the coordinates of your data with the mouse. See
“Adjustor Tool” on page 28 for more information.

If you attempt to double-click, but move the mouse between clicks, you may find that
you have moved your data point.

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Part 5 Final Output
 23

Output

Tecplot 360 EX provides a variety of formats for you to output and export your complete plots. This
chapter discusses saving your settings using layout files or stylesheets, preparing plots for web
publishing, and writing data files to a file.
For information on exporting or printing your completed plot(s), please refer to: Chapter 25: “Exporting”
or Chapter 24: “Printing”, respectively.

23 - 1 Layout Files, Layout Package Files, Stylesheets

Tecplot 360 EX has three different types of files for storing plot information:
• Stylesheets (.sty) - Stylesheets store information about a single frame and do not include any
information about the data used by the frame.
• Layout Files (.lay) - Layout files store information about all the frames in the workspace,
including identification of, and links to, the data used by each frame.
• Layout Package Files (.lpk) - Layout package files are an extension to layout files where data
and an optional preview image are included.
Layout and layout package files are the preferred method for saving the style of your plot. They save a
complete picture of the workspace and are quick-and-easy to load and save. Stylesheets contain the style
of a single frame in Tecplot 360 EX.

23 - 1.1 Creating Layouts and Stylesheets for Tecplot Focus

If you are working with stylesheets or layouts in Tecplot 360 EX that you wish to share with Tecplot Focus
users, please be aware that the following features are not available in Tecplot Focus:
• Any aspect of the CFD Analyzer (i.e. options available from the Analyze menu in Tecplot 360
EX) including integration
• Data files loaded using a loader not available in Tecplot Focus
• Data files that contain polygonal or polyhedral zones or more than 5 million data points.
• Versions of Tecplot Focus prior to Tecplot Focus 2016 R1 do not support more than one slice
group or more than one contour group. This limitation does not apply to newer versions.

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Output

If any of the above items are included in your stylesheet or layout file, it will not load in Tecplot Focus.
However, stylesheets and layouts created by Tecplot Focus will load in either product.

23 - 1.2 Working with Layout Files from Previous Releases

If you are working with layout files from previous releases of Tecplot 360 EX, Tecplot 360, Tecplot Focus,
or their precursor called simply Tecplot, please note the following:
• Transform Coordinates - Some previous versions incorrectly recorded the
$!TRANSFORMCOORDINATES command. In these versions, the variable number sub-command
options to this command were recorded as zero-based values instead of one-based values.
Macros or layout files created with versions up through Tecplot 10, Tecplot 360 2006 R2, or
Tecplot Focus 2006 containing $!TRANSFORMCOORDINATES should increment each variable sub-
command option by one to operate correctly with versions 2008 and newer.
• Zone Numbers - Due to changes in a third-party library used by the FEA Loader, which is
used for several data formats, zones may load in a different order in Tecplot 360 EX 2014 and
later than in earlier versions. If you have any layouts that refer to zones in an FEA data set, you
should double-check to make sure that these still refer to the desired zone.

23 - 1.3 Exporting Backward Compatible Data Files

While Tecplot 360 EX layouts and layout package files are not backward compatible, you do have the
option to export data files written in one version of Tecplot 360 EX to be read by an earlier version. To do
this, use the Write Data Options dialog as described in Section 23 - 2 “Data File Writing”.

23 - 1.4 Stylesheets
Stylesheets are useful when:
• Pre-processing must be done to a dataset prior to attaching a style. You may need to load a
dataset and run some equations or do interpolation or zone extraction before assigning a style.
The style may reference objects or variables that do not exist in the original data and it is
necessary to assign the style after they are created.

Tecplot 360 EX’s data journaling capabilities together with layout files eliminate this
situation in many cases.

• Switching styles on large datasets. You may want to load a large dataset and generate two full
page plots. Each plot has a different style. By using a stylesheet for the second plot you avoid
having to reload the dataset.
• Copying the style of one frame to another frame in the same layout.
• Saving just part of a frame’s style, such as just the contour levels.
A stylesheet includes the following attributes (Figure 23-23):
• Type of plot (a 2D contour plot in 2D or an XY Line plot)
• Colors used
• Current view of the data
• Axes display

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 Layout Files, Layout Package Files, Stylesheets

• Text and geometry

Figure 23-23. Some of the items considered part of the frame style.

To learn how to use a stylesheet, see Section 2 - 3.7 “Save Frame Style” and Section 2 -
3.8 “Load Frame Style”.

23 - 1.5 Layout Files

A plot often consists of multiple frames or even multiple datasets. Layout files allow you to capture all the
information on the plot. Layout files include instructions on how to create the data used in the plot, the
frame layout and dataset attachments, axis and plot attributes, the current color map, and so forth.
Figure 23-24 shows a layout with four frames. The frame in the upper left-hand corner is attached to
dataset 1. The two frames on the right are both attached to dataset 2. The frame in the lower left is not
attached to a dataset.

Figure 23-24. Layout of four frames using two datasets.

If a frame defined in a layout file requires an attached dataset, the data files necessary to build the dataset
are referenced in the layout file. These data files can be referenced using absolute paths or relative paths.
When using relative paths on Windows operating systems, the data files must be on the same drive as the
layout file.

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A layout file may also contain the data journal; a set of macro commands which alter the data or create
new data. The data journal commands replicate the data modifications made to the original data (in files)
during prior Tecplot 360 EX sessions. Not all data operations are supported by the data journal. For more
information, see Section 5 - 2 “Data Journaling”.
In addition to storing the individual style of each frame, layout files record:
• Page layout information (including the size and orientation of the paper).
• Color spectrum information, including the color maps in use.
To include the field data with a layout, use a layout package file. For more information, see Section 23 - 1.6
“Layout Package Files”.

23 - 1.6 Layout Package Files

Layout package files allow you to transmit raw data, along with style information in a single file. With
layout package files the view can be changed, different plot types tested, and so forth.
Layout package files have the same properties as standard layout files. (See Section 23 - 1.5 “Layout
Files”). Layout package files also contain all data associated with frames in the layout, and an optional
preview image of the Tecplot 360 EX workspace. An extension of .lpk is used.

23 - 1.7 Working with Layout and Layout Package Files

New Layout
File>New Layout creates a new layout in your workspace after removing any existing frames and
resetting the paper setup to the default configuration. Anything not saved before this action will be lost.

Layout Saving
Save layout files using the Save Layout (Control-S) or Save Layout As (Control-W) options under the File
menu.
The Save Layout dialog has the following options:
• Save As Type - Choose “Linked Data (*.lay)” or “Packaged Data” (*.lpk)

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• Use Relative Path (Linked Layout Only) - By default, Tecplot 360 EX saves the name of the
data files used in the layout with their relative file paths. To save your layout using absolute
file paths, toggle-off Use Relative Path.
• Include Preview Image (Layout Package Files Only) -Toggle-on Include Preview Image to
include a preview image with the file.
After saving the layout file, you will be asked how to handle any dataset changes. See Dataset Changed for
more information.

Dataset Changed
In Tecplot 360 EX, layout files contain references to the data files in use. The datasets are not copied
directly into the layout file. Therefore, if you make changes to the dataset using Tecplot 360 EX and wish to
save the layout, Tecplot 360 EX will ask you whether you want to create new data files reflecting the
changes made. If you answer in the affirmative, Tecplot 360 EX prompts you for a file name under which
to save the changed data. (If your layout has multiple datasets, Tecplot 360 EX prompts you for a file name
for each modified dataset.) The new data is then referenced in the layout instead of the original.

Layout File Opening

Open layout files using the Open Layout (Control-O) option from the File menu. You can also access this
function by choosing File>Load Data and selecting Tecplot Layout Loader from the file type menu.
See Table A - 4 for information on overriding the files referenced in a layout file using command line
options.

23 - 2 Data File Writing

You can write out the dataset in the active frame in various Tecplot file formats, including backward-
compatible binary formats. You must choose which zones and variables of the data to write, as well as the
format for the saved file (if applicable).
To write the dataset in the active frame to a file, choose Write Data from the File menu. The Write Data
dialog appears to let you name the file and to choose its format from the following:
• Tecplot Binary Data Writer (current) - Use the current Tecplot binary file format, the best choice
for small to moderately-sized data sets. Files are saved with the filename extension .plt.
• Tecplot Binary Data Writer (older) - Several previous versions of the Tecplot binary format are
supported if you need to exchange data with users of older version of Tecplot products.
• Tecplot ASCII Data Writer - Uses the Tecplot ASCII data format. You will generally not want to
use this loader except in very limited circumstances, as it is much slower to load than binary
format and does not support load-on-demand. Files are saved with the filename extension .dat.

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• Tecplot Subzone Data Writer - Write data in the Tecplot

Subzone (.szplt) format. This format is intended for
large data files; it loads the least amount of data needed
for each operation, and loads data only when needed,
improving interactive performance. Files are saved
with the filename extension .szplt.
When writing data in Tecplot binary or ASCII format, the Write
Data Options dialog appears with the following options:
• Details to Save - Specify which record types you want
to include in the data file by selecting the appropriate
checkboxes. By default, all record types present in the
active frame’s dataset are selected. These details
include:
• Text, Geometries, Custom Labels
• Field Data - Select this detail to save zone data.
• Data Linkage (If Possible) - Save the variable
and connectivity sharing between zones existing
in the dataset, reducing its size and loading time.
• Generated Face Neighbor Information -
Automatically save the face neighbor information generated by Tecplot 360 EX for finite
element zones. This increases the dataset size and loading time, but improves
performance after loading.
• Zone/Geometry Format - For ASCII, choose to write the file in POINT format or BLOCK format
(BLOCK is required if any variables are cell-centered).
• Zone(s)/Variable(s) - Select the zones and variables to include.
• Associate Layout with Newly Saved Data File - If activated, Tecplot 360 EX replaces internal
references to loaded data with a reference to the new file. When you later save a layout, this
layout file will refer to the new file, not to the original data file..

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Printing

Printing your plot is the process of sending the plot image to an output device, print spooler, or a file.
Typically the output device is a printer, but it may be a plotter, film recorder, file or typesetter. If you are
creating files for use in another program, you should use Tecplot 360 EX’s Export option (accessed via the
File menu) to create your files—Export includes all the supported print file types, as well as several
standard graphics formats. See Chapter 25: “Exporting” for complete details.

24 - 1 Plot Printing
To print a plot, select “Print” from the File menu.

Tecplot 360 EX supports the standard printer drivers for the supported operating systems.
The Print dialog has the following options:
• Format - Indicates the printer chosen to print the plot. You can choose a different printer in the
Print Setup dialog.
• Print Setup - Calls up the Print Setup Dialog, in which you can choose a printer and other
printing settings.
• Color - Select this check box for color output; deselect the check box for monochrome output.
• Render Type:

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• Vector - Select this option to create print output using the drawing commands of the
printer. The printer renders the plot, yielding higher resolution, but some plot options
are not available.

Vector graphics formats do not support:

• Translucency
• Contour flooding with Gouraud shading
• Contour flooding using the continuous color distribution method

• Image - Select this option to create print output using an image. Rendering is done by
Tecplot 360 EX at the specified resolution, usually less than the printer’s resolution.
However, all plot options are available.

To preserve quality of color in your plot (translucency, contour flooding with Gouraud
shading, or continuous contour flooding), select the Image render type.
To preserve the quality of text in your plot, select the Vector render type.

• Force Extra Sorting for all 3D Frames - This option is available when the Vector option has
been selected and overrides the setting in the Advanced 3D Control dialog. If this check box is
not selected, Tecplot 360 EX will choose sorting algorithms based on the advanced 3D options
that were chosen for each frame. When printing 3D plots in a vector graphics format, Tecplot
360 EX must sort the objects so that it can draw those farthest from the screen first and those
closest to the screen last. By default, Tecplot 360 EX uses a quick sorting algorithm. This is not
always accurate and does not detect problems such as intersecting objects. If Extra Sorting is
selected, Tecplot 360 EX uses a slower, more accurate approach that detects and resolves such
problems.
• Resolution (dpi) - Available when the Image option is selected. Enter the resolution in terms
of dpi in the text field. Larger resolutions may result in an out-of-memory condition, or
produce very large files. Lower resolutions may yield less-attractive output images.

Control-P is the shortcut command for the Print dialog.

24 - 2 Setup
You can set various parameters relating to the paper, including paper size and orientation, using the Paper
Setup dialog or the Print Setup dialog. A change to your paper settings in either the Paper Setup dialog or
the Print Setup dialog will automatically update the other.

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24 - 2.1 Printing Setup for Windows

Print Setup Dialog

On Windows platforms, use the Print Setup dialog to set up your paper. The Print Setup dialog is
accessed via the Print dialog (accessed via the File menu) and has the following options:

• Printer - Choose the printer and set its properties.

• Paper - Specify the paper size and source tray using the following drop-downs:
• Size - Select the paper size. The choices are printer-dependent.
• Source - Choose a paper tray from the drop-down.
• Orientation - Specify one of the following options:
• Portrait - The horizontal axis of the plot is aligned with the short side of the paper.
• Landscape - The vertical axis of the plot is aligned with the short side of the paper.
By default, Tecplot 360 EX uses the standard Windows print drivers. You can choose to use Tecplot’s print
drivers by adding the following line to your [Link] file:
$!INTERFACE USETECPLOTPRINTDRIVERS=YES
If you use Tecplot's print drivers, you will use the Print Setup dialog for subsequent printing.

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Paper Setup Dialog

To adjust the paper size, orientation, and background color for your
plots, select the Paper Setup option from the File menu. The current
settings for these options are reflected in the representation of the
paper in the workspace. (To view the paper, select the “Show Paper
on Screen” check box in either the Paper Setup dialog or the Ruler/
Grid dialog (accessed via the Options menu). This check box is
selected by default.)
The Paper Setup dialog, in contrast with the Print Setup dialog on
Windows platforms, offers you only six paper sizes. These may not be
compatible with the paper sizes your printer supports. You cannot
select from multiple paper trays with the Paper Setup dialog. You
may set screen display options and fill colors with the Paper Setup
dialog.
The following options are available in the Paper Setup dialog:
• Size - Choose the size of the paper from the following six
selections:
• Letter (8.5 x 11 inches).
• Double (11 x 17 inches).
• A4 (21x 29.7 cm).
• A3 (29.7 x 42 cm).
• Custom 1 (8.5 x 14 inches).
• Custom 2 (8 x 10 inches).
On Windows systems, paper size Custom 2 is overwritten with the size selected in Print Setup
if that size does not exist in Tecplot 360 EX.
You can customize all six paper sizes in the configuration file, as well as their hard-clip limits.
The hard-clip limits are the lines on the edges of the paper that show where your printer
cannot print. You can set the hard-clip limits to larger values for use as guides in placing your
plots on the paper.
• Orientation - Choose the paper orientation. You have two options: Portrait and Landscape. In
Portrait orientation, the long axis of the paper is aligned with the vertical axis of the plot. In
Landscape orientation, the long axis of the paper is aligned with the horizontal axis of the plot.
• Paper Fill Color - Select a color to use for the paper background. This color is used to display
the paper in the workspace. You can select the check box Use Paper Fill Color when Printing to
have Tecplot 360 EX print this background color on the hard-copy as well.

24 - 2.2 Printing Setup for Linux

The Print Setup dialog on Linux operating systems includes a field for
entering a spool command, along with startup and mopup strings.
Contact your system administrator if you have any questions about
how to set up these commands.
• Spool Command - Printers on Linux systems are accessed via
print spoolers that manage the print queue. Typically you use
either the lp or lpr commands to send files to the print
spooler. There may be command-line options that need to be
set on your system, as well, such as a flag to specify a
particular printer.

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In the Spooler Cmd text field, enter the appropriate spool command for your system, using the
@ symbol to represent a file name.
For example, suppose you routinely use the following spool command to print a file named
[Link]: “lpr -m -r [Link].” The appropriate spooler command to enter in the Spooler
Cmd field is then “lpr -m -r @.”

When printing to a spooler, Tecplot 360 EX creates temporary files with names of the
form tp??????, where the ?s are randomly generated characters. Tecplot 360 EX does not
delete these temporary files automatically; commands to do so should be included in
your spool command. In our example, the -r flag says to remove the file when done.

• Startup and Mopup Strings - A startup string is an initialization string that sets up your
output device to accept the plot created by Tecplot 360 EX. A mopup string is a reset signal that
tells your output device that the special output has ended. For most devices no startup or
mopup strings are needed.
Enter the appropriate startup string or mopup string in the appropriate text field. Special
characters are generated by using Macro Codes (such as “%E” for the escape character and
“^nnn” for any ASCII character with a decimal ordinal value of nnn). Check your printer
documentation for the appropriate strings.
• Extra Precision - For PostScript output, you can control the numerical precision used in your
print files. Print files contain numbers that define sizes and positions of pieces of the plot on
the output paper. These numbers are defined as integers between zero and about 8,000.
Usually, this provides sufficient resolution for most output devices. Occasionally, you may
need more resolution. For example, printing to a high-resolution output device like a
Linotronic typesetter may require more precision; making print output with very small cells or
elements may also require more precision.
To increase the precision of the output, increase the value in the Extra Precision field of the
Print Setup dialog. You specify one Extra Precision value for all formats that supports
precision control. The precision is defined as the number of digits to the right of the decimal.
Normally, precision is zero. The disadvantage of setting precision high is that the print files
increase in size. The higher the Extra Precision setting, the larger your print files, but the more
accurate the [Link] maximum setting for the precision is eight.
.

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 25

Exporting

The Export dialog, accessible from the File menu, can be used to create files for export to other
applications. Tecplot 360 EX can export files in variations of three types: vector graphics, image, and movie
file formats.
Tecplot 360 EX exports the following vector formats:
• EPS Export - Vector or image graphics in a special type of PostScript file designed for inclusion
in other applications.
• PostScript (PS) Export - Vector or image graphics suitable for direct printing, but usually
unsuitable for import into other applications. It is recommended that you use the Encapsulated
PostScript (EPS) format for importing into other applications.
• WMF Export - Vector graphics to import into various Windows applications.
Tecplot 360 EX exports the following image formats:
• BMP Export - Image in Windows Bitmap format.
• JPEG Export - JPEG files are very small for their resolution and quite common on the internet,
but they do involve some loss of image quality that may affect certain plot images.
• PNG Export - Also common on the internet, PNG images have a high image quality but larger
file size than JPEG.
• TIFF Export - Image in Tagged Image File Format.
Tecplot 360 EX can also export animations to various movie file formats. For more information on
exporting animations, see Chapter 29: “Animation”. Tecplot 360 EX can also export animations to
sequenced image files. See Section 29 - 4.6 “Sequenced Image Files” for more information.
Certain image formats support anti-aliasing, a feature that smooths jagged edges on text, lines and edges.
This feature is discussed at the end of this chapter. See Section 25 - 4 “Antialiasing Images”.
Tecplot 360 EX can also export images directly to the clipboard instead of to a file. See Section 25 - 5
“Clipboard Exporting to Other Applications” for more information.

Performance Tips

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Exporting

If exporting is taking an unusually long time, or you get an error message saying that the image cannot be
exported, the most likely cause is that the image width you are trying to export is too large. Selecting a
smaller image width should speed up the export process.
For an image export size of Length x Width, the file size for an uncompressed true color image is
approximately Length x Width x 3. Memory requirements to export such an image can be up to twice this
size.
For 256 color images, the maximum file size is approximately Length x Width, but is usually less since all
256 color image files are compressed. However, the memory requirements for exporting are the same as
they are for a true color uncompressed image.
Anti-aliasing can dramatically increase the memory and time requirements of image export, since a large
image is rendered first and then downsized to the final image dimensions. Furthermore, some graphics
card drivers may not report an error if they cannot allocate enough memory for this operation, instead
producing a black image or other rendering issues. See Section 25 - 4 “Antialiasing Images”.

25 - 1 Layout Packages
As an alternative to exporting image and vector representations of plots, Tecplot 360 EX supports the
Packaged Data layout format, or layout packages. A layout package (exported from Tecplot 360 EX as an
.lpk file rather than as a .lay file) contains the data needed for the layout, and only that data. You can reload
the resulting file into Tecplot 360 EX for viewing and rotation. The plot will appear visually identical to the
original plot, although you cannot manipulate the variables and other plot elements as in the source plot.
By streamlining the elements included in the exported file, the Packaged Data export reduces the size of
the resulting LPK to an average of 25% of the original file size (although the reduction varies greatly
depending on what the original layout includes).
To export your current (3D Cartesian) plot with the Tecplot Viewer export format, choose “Save Layout
As” from the File menu. In the dialog that appears, select “Packaged Data” as the format, and click OK.
To reduce the file size, the lightweight file includes only the following.
• Data for only the current surfaces and lines drawn for the current plot
• Derived elements (such as slices and iso-surfaces) as zones
• The variables necessary to draw each zone (For example, if an iso-surface displays a contour
flood, only the spatial variables and the contour variable data will be output to the file for that
iso-surface’s zone)
• Text, geometries, custom labels, and all visible data elements displayed on your plot
The following restrictions apply.
• Only the active frame of a 3D Cartesian plot may be exported
• Only the current time step of a transient data set may be exported
• The plot must include at least one zone, slice, streamtrace, or iso-surface
• Several plot features will not be reflected in the exported plot:
• Finite element volume zones with the Contour or Shade layer enabled and a “Surfaces
to Plot” setting other than “None” or “Boundary Faces” will not display.
• Volume zones with the Scatter layer enabled and a “Points to Plot” setting other than
“Nodes on Surface” or “Cell Centers Near Surfaces” will not display.
• Finite element volume zones with the Scatter layer enabled and a point index I-Skip
other than one (1) may render scatter symbols in different locations.
• IJK blanking of ordered zones will not display.
• Streamtrace arrowheads may render at different locations and with different sizes.

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25 - 2 Vector Graphics Format

Vector export files have device-independent resolution and thus can be easily resized, but they have the
same limitations as vector print output. Table 25 - 1 provides a summary of the advantages and
disadvantages of using vector graphics file formats.

Advantages Disadvantages
Resolution Independent (can be re-sized over and Does not support translucency
over to any size)
Always journal quality (suitable for publication) Lines can appear different than on screen
Small file sizes for XY and 2-D output Very large 3D output files
Not Web-friendly
Can be manipulated in third-party programs, but
those programs are usually more expensive
Needs a PostScript printer for proper output
Table 25 - 1: Advantages and Disadvantages of Vector Graphics format

25 - 2.1 EPS Export

Encapsulated PostScript file (EPS) are PostScript files with additional commands that another program
can use to determine the size of your plot. After you import your EPS file into another program, you can
position it and usually resize it before printing.

If you try to send an EPS directly to a printer, it may not be positioned correctly on the
paper. Import the EPS to a word processor or page layout software to position it on the
page. Use the PostScript export format to create files to send directly to a printer.

The Export dialog for EPS format has the following options:
• Color - Mark the checkbox to output in color.
Otherwise output will be in grayscale.
• Region - Choose to export only the current frame,
the smallest rectangle containing all frames, or the
full work area.
• Render Type - If you choose Vector, the indivdual
PostScript commands required to draw the image
are saved. If you choose Image, a bitmap image is
embedded in the file.
Vector mode generally results in a smaller file, and
such graphics remain smooth when enlarged, but
Image mode can accurately represent translucency
or smooth color gradations, like other bitmap
formats. In most cases, however, a TIFF, BMP, or
PNG is a better choice than an Image EPS, as such
files are more widely compatible.
When printing a vector EPS file to a non-PostScript
printer, only a low-resolution preview image may
be printed, depending on the operating system and

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print drivers. On Windows platforms, you must specify that the printer is a PostScript printer
to print vector EPS files at their full quality. In most cases, Image mode EPSs will be printed
correctly on any printer.
If you choose the Image render mode, the following option is available:
• Resolution - Enter the resolution of the image in dots per inch. Larger values create
more accurate plots, but result in larger file sizes.
If you choose the Vector render mode, the following options are available:
• Extra Precision - Specify the number of decimal places to specify the size and position
parameters in the vector-based EPS output. Larger values create more accurate plots,
but result in larger file sizes.
• Force Extra Sorting for All 3D Frames - Toggle on to use extra sorting in all 3D frames.
Overrides the setting in the Advanced 3D Control dialog. If selected, Tecplot 360 EX
uses a slower, more accurate approach that detects and resolves problems with how, for
example, intersecting objects are rendered.
• EPS Preview Image Settings - Tecplot 360 EX provides the following options for the preview
image:
• Type - The type of the preview image, or None.
• None - No preview image information is included. If your application will not
use such information, this minimizes the file size. However, the graphic will
appear blank in most applications; it will appear correctly only when printed.
• TIFF - Include a monochrome or grayscale TIFF preview image. This is the most
common preview image format. You may specify an image depth for the preview
image in the Depth drop-down.
• EPSIV2 - Include a monochrome (one bit per pixel) Encapsulated PostScript
Version 2 preview image. This is also a common preview image type in EPS files.
• FrameMaker - Include a monochrome preview image compatible with older
versions of Adobe® FrameMaker®. This preview image type is rarely necessary, as
newer versions of FrameMaker support TIFF previews.
• Depth - Specifies the number of shades of gray for the preview by how many bits of
information is used per pixel. The larger the number of bits per pixel, the larger the
resulting file, but the larger the number of shades available. Your options are:
• On/Off - One bit per pixel using an on/off strategy. All background pixels are
made white (on), and all foreground pixels, black (off). This setting creates
smaller files and is good for images with lots of background, such as line plots
and contour lines.
• 1 Bit/Pixel - One bit per pixel using gray scale values of pixels to determine black
or white. Those pixels that are more than 50 percent gray are black; the rest are
white. This setting creates small files that might be useful for a rough draft or a
preview image.
• 4 Bit/Pixel - Four bits per pixel resulting in sixteen levels of gray scale. This
setting generates fairly small image files with a fair number of gray levels. This
setting works well for most preview image purposes.
• 8 Bit/Pixel - Eight bits per pixel resulting in 256 levels of gray. This setting is
useful for full image representation, but the files generated by this setting can be
large.

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• Width, Height - The size of the preview image.

When using a Render Type of Image, these preview image width, height, and depth
values are separate from the characteristics of the EPS image itself. The EPS image size
is determined by the Resolution setting and the depth is determined automatically.

25 - 2.2 PostScript (PS) Export

The Export dialog allows you to export plots in PostScript (PS). This format is usually used for printing
directly to a printer or print spooler. It is recommended that you use the Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)
format for importing into, for example, page layout or illustration applications. See Section 25 - 2.1 “EPS
Export” for details.
The Export dialog for the PostScript format has the
following options:
• Color - Mark the checkbox to output in color.
Otherwise output will be in grayscale.
• Region - Choose to export only the current frame,
the smallest rectangle containing all frames, or the
full work area.
• Render Type - If you choose Vector, the indivdual
PostScript commands required to draw the image
are saved. If you choose Image, a bitmap image is
embedded in the file.
Vector mode generally results in a smaller file,
and such graphics remain smooth when enlarged,
but Image mode can accurately represent
translucency or smooth color gradations, like
other bitmap formats. If you choose the Image
render mode, the following option is available:
• Resolution - Enter the resolution of the
image in dots per inch. Larger values create
more accurate plots, but result in larger file
sizes.
If you choose the Vector render mode, the following options are available:
• Extra Precision - Specify the number of decimal places to specify the size and position
parameters in the vector-based EPS output. Larger values create more accurate plots,
but result in larger file sizes.
• Force Extra Sorting for All 3D Frames - Toggle on to use extra sorting in all 3D frames.
Overrides the setting in the Advanced 3D Control dialog. If selected, Tecplot 360 EX
uses a slower, more accurate approach that detects and resolves problems with how, for
example, intersecting objects are rendered.

25 - 2.3 WMF Export

WMF (Windows Metafile) is a Microsoft vector graphics format widely accepted by Windows
applications. Since WMFs are vector graphics, they can be easily resized by the importing application
without the introduction of visual artifacts, but they cannot accurately represent plots with translucency
or smooth color gradations.

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Exporting

Selecting WMF from the Export Format drop-down

displays WMF options:
• Color - Mark the checkbox to output in color.
Otherwise output will be in grayscale.
• Region - Choose to export only the current
frame, the smallest rectangle containing all
frames, or the full work area.
• Force Extra Sorting for All 3D Frames - Toggle-
on to use extra sorting in all 3D frames. Overrides
the setting in the Advanced 3D Control dialog. If
selected, Tecplot 360 EX uses a slower, more
accurate approach that detects and resolves
problems with how, for example, intersecting
objects are rendered.

25 - 3 Image Format
Image output has the advantage of accurately representing
translucency and smooth color gradations, but with the
disadvantage of generally being larger than vector output,
particularly when a high image resolution is specified, as
may be necessary for printing. Image files are sometimes called raster or bit-mapped. Table 25 - 2 provides
a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of image file formats.

Advantages Disadvantages
Looks like the screen image, or better Resolution-dependent (starts to lose quality if
enlarged too much)
Adjustable export size For professional-quality printing, images will be
very large
Supports translucency
Relatively small file size
Easily managed by presentation packages
Web friendly
Easily manipulated in inexpensive 3rd party
programs
Prints on any printer
Table 25 - 2: Advantages and Disadvantages of Image file formats

25 - 3.1 Exporting Images with a Specific DPI

A characteristic of image files is a dots-per-inch setting (DPI), which interacts with the pixel dimensions of
the image to determine how large it will be printed. To customize the DPI of your exported image, first set
the width of the frame to the size of the image that you wish to export, using the Edit Active Frame dialog
(accessible by selecting “Edit Active Frame” from the Frame menu). Next, when actually exporting the
image, multiply the frame width (in inches) by the desired DPI, and enter that number in the Enter Width
field of the Export dialog.
For example, to export a 4 inch by 6 inch image at 300 DPI, set the frame dimensions to 4 inches by 6
inches, and then when exporting, enter a width of 1200 (4 times 300).

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25 - 3.2 BMP Export

BMP (Bitmap) is an image format, and thus accurately represents plots with translucency and smooth
color gradations. Although it originated on Windows, it is widely accepted on other platforms by many
applications. However, it does not perform any compression, so file sizes are larger than more modern
formats such as JPG and PNG.
BMP is always exported in color. The BMP export options
are shown below.
• Region - Choose to export only the current frame,
the smallest rectangle containing all frames, or the
full work area.
• Use Width of Image on Screen - Select this option
to generate an image file the same size as the
current plot on the screen. This option is required
if you use on-screen image rendering in the
Display Performance dialog. See Section 30 - 3
“Performance Dialog” for details.
• Enter Width - Select this option to specify a width
(in pixels) for the generated image. A larger width
increases the quality of your image. However, the
greater the width you specify, the longer it will
take to export the image and the larger the
exported file. This option is not available if you
are using on-screen image rendering.
• Antialiasing - Select this option to smooth jagged
edges in the image. See Section 25 - 4 “Antialiasing
Images” for details.
• Supersample Factor - Control the amount of antialiasing used in the image. See Section
25 - 4 “Antialiasing Images” for details.
• Convert to 256 Colors - Select this option to generate an image with only 256 colors (down
from a possible 16 million colors). Tecplot 360 EX selects the colors. This option can help
reduce file size, but the results may be suboptimal; using it with transparency, smooth color
gradations, or antialiasing may result in poor image quality.

25 - 3.3 JPEG Export

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is an image format, and thus accurately represent plots with
translucency and smooth color gradations. However, JPEG is a highly-compressed, “lossy” format,
meaning the exported file may not be identical to the plot. This can result in poor image quality for some
types of images. The advantage of JPEG is very small file sizes and near-universal acceptance on the
Internet.

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JPEG supports different levels of compression, and Tecplot

360 EX allows you to control the image quality (and thus,
inversely, the file size).
JPEG images are always exported in color. When you select
JPEG in the Export dialog, you have the following options:
• Region - Choose to export only the current
frame, the smallest rectangle containing all
frames, or the full work area.
• Use Width of Image on Screen - Select this
option to generate an image file the same size as
the current plot on the screen. This option is
required if you use on-screen image rendering in
the Display Performance dialog. See Section 30 -
3 “Performance Dialog” for details.
• Enter Width - Select this option to specify a
width (in pixels) for the generated image. A
larger width increases the quality of your image.
However, the greater the width you specify, the
longer it will take to export the image and the
larger the exported file. This option is not
available if you are using on-screen image rendering.
• Antialiasing - Select this option to smooth jagged edges in the image. See Section 25 - 4
“Antialiasing Images” for details.
• Supersample Factor - Control the amount of antialiasing used in the image. See Section
25 - 4 “Antialiasing Images” for details.
• Encoding - Choose an encoding method for the JPEG file.
• Standard - Encodes a JPEG one line at a time, starting at the top line. In most Web
browsers, this means nothing appears until the image has been completely loaded.
• Progressive - Encodes the JPG in two passes, first at lower quality and then at higher
quality. In a Web browser, this means that a lower-quality version of the image appears
quickly, then is replaced with a larger version of the image when the file has been
completely loaded.
Given the same Quality level, Standard encoded JPEG files generally look better than
equivalent Progressive encoded JPEG files. However, they have a larger file size.
• Quality - Select the quality of JPEG image. Higher quality settings produce larger files and
better looking exported images. Lower quality settings produce smaller files. A quality setting
of around 75 is usually optimal; settings much below this may visibly degrade image
appearance, while higher settings usually do not provide much visible improvement but create
larger files.

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25 - 3.4 PNG Export

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is an image format, and
thus accurately represent plots with translucency and
smooth color gradations. Unlike JPEG images, PNGs can
exactly represent a plot without losing any nuance.
PNG images are always exported in color. When you select
PNG in the Export dialog, you have the following options:
• Region - Choose to export only the current
frame, the smallest rectangle containing all
frames, or the full work area.
• Use Width of Image on Screen - Select this
option to generate an image file the same size as
the current plot on the screen. This option is
required if you use on-screen image rendering in
the Display Performance dialog. See Section 30 -
3 “Performance Dialog” for details.
• Enter Width - Select this option to specify a
width (in pixels) for the generated image. A
larger width increases the quality of your image.
However, the greater the width you specify, the
longer it will take to export the image and the
larger the exported file. This option is not available if you are using on-screen image rendering.
• Antialiasing - Select this option to smooth jagged edges in the image. See Section 25 - 4
“Antialiasing Images” for details.
• Supersample Factor - Control the amount of antialiasing used in the image. See Section
25 - 4 “Antialiasing Images” for details.
• Convert to 256 Colors - Select this option to generate an image with only 256 colors (down
from a possible 16 million colors). Tecplot 360 EX selects the colors. This option can help
reduce file size, but the results may be suboptimal; using it with transparency, smooth color
gradations, or antialiasing may result in poor image quality.

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25 - 3.5 TIFF Export

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is an image format, and
thus accurately represent plots with translucency and
smooth color gradations. Tecplot 360 EX generates both
color and gray-scale TIFF images.
When you select TIFF in the Export dialog, you have the
following options:
• Color - Mark the checkbox to output in color.
Otherwise output will be in grayscale.
• Region - Choose to export only the current
frame, the smallest rectangle containing all
frames, or the full work area.
• Use Width of Image on Screen - Select this
option to generate an image file the same size as
the current plot on the screen. This option is
required if you use on-screen image rendering
in the Display Performance dialog. See Section
30 - 3 “Performance Dialog” for details.
• Enter Width - Select this option to specify a
width (in pixels) for the generated image. A
larger width increases the quality of your
image. However, the greater the width you specify, the longer it will take to export the image
and the larger the exported file. This option is not available if you are using on-screen image
rendering.
• Antialiasing - Select this option to smooth jagged edges in the image. See Section 25 - 4
“Antialiasing Images” for details.
• Supersample Factor - Control the amount of antialiasing used in the image. See Section
25 - 4 “Antialiasing Images” for details.
• Convert to 256 Colors - Select this option to generate an image with only 256 colors (down
from a possible 16 million colors). Tecplot 360 EX selects the colors. This option can help
reduce file size, but the results may be suboptimal; using it with transparency, smooth color
gradations, or antialiasing may result in poor image quality.
• Grayscale Depth - For grayscale images, this specifies the number of shades of gray by how
many bits of gray-scale information is used per pixel. The larger the number of bits per pixel,
the larger the resulting file. Your options are:
• On/Off - One bit per pixel using an on/off strategy. All background pixels are made
white (on), and all foreground pixels, black (off). This setting creates small files and is
good for images with lots of background, such as line plots and contour lines.
• 1 Bit/Pixel - One bit per pixel using gray scale values of pixels to determine black or
white. Those pixels that are more than 50 percent gray are black; the rest are white. This
setting creates small files that might be useful for a rough draft or a preview image.
• 4 Bit/Pixel - Four bits per pixel resulting in sixteen levels of gray scale. This setting
generates fairly small image files with a fair number of gray levels. This setting works
well for most preview image purposes.
• 8 Bit/Pixel - Eight bits per pixel resulting in 256 levels of gray. This setting is useful for
full image representation, but the files generated by this setting can be large.

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25 - 4 Antialiasing Images
Antialiasing smooths jagged edges on text, lines, and edges of image output formats by the process of
supersampling. A large intermediate image is rendered and then reduced to the final image size. Each
pixel on the final image is created from multiple rendered pixels. The width and height of the intermediate
image are the width and height of the final image times some scale factor. This scale factor is called the
Supersample Factor. You can use values from 2 to 16. Factors greater than 3 are seldom necessary. Large
scale factors take a lot more time and memory. Some graphics cards limit the dimensions of rendered
images to a maximum of 2048x2048 or 4096x4096 pixels, and thus Tecplot 360 EX cannot antialias if the
intermediate image would be larger than this limit. Some graphics drivers do not report an error in such
situations, instead producing blank or garbled images.
Antialiasing uses many colors. If you are exporting with the Convert to 256 Colors option activated,
antialiasing works for plots with a very limited selection of colors (like a red mesh on a black field).
Otherwise, antialiasing to 256 colors wastes time and may decrease plot quality.
Using animation formats can amplify the antialiasing and 256-color problem, as the same 256 colors must
generally be used for colors in all frames of the animation. For these formats, try a test animation of a few
steps with antialiasing on before creating the entire animation.

Antialiasing is available only if image export rendering is performed off-screen (default).

In some cases, off-screen rendering must be turned-off (usually due problems with the
graphics card). In Linux, you can work around this by turning off screen rendering and
using the -mesa flag to use the Mesa software renderer with Tecplot 360 EX.

25 - 5 Clipboard Exporting to Other Applications

In general, the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands on the Edit menu work only within Tecplot 360 EX.
However, it is possible to copy the plot in a frame to the clipboard as an image using the following
procedure:
1. With the selector tool active, click the frame border to select the frame. Black dots appear
at the frame’s corners and at the midpoints of its edges.
2. From the Edit menu, choose Copy.
An image of the frame’s plot is now on your system clipboard and can be pasted into documents in other
applications. Note that the image captures the plot exactly as it appears on the screen, including its size.
Text may be copied and pasted into other applications using a similar procedure. Select the text object,
choose Edit>Copy, then paste the text into the other application.

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Part 6 Scripting
 26

Macros

Tecplot 360 EX provides two methods of scripting or automating your workflow: macros and batch
processing. This chapter focuses on the Tecplot 360 EX menu options for recording and playing back
macros. The Scripting Guide describes the Tecplot 360 EX macro language in detail.
Macros are very useful for performing repetitive operations such as setting up frames, reading in data files
and layout files, manipulating data, and creating plots. Macros can also be used to drive Tecplot 360 EX
batch jobs. For information on batch processing, see Chapter 27: “Batch Processing”.

26 - 1 Macro Creation
Tecplot 360 EX’s Macro Recorder records a macro as you perform a sequence of actions interactively.
Macros can be recorded in either Tecplot (.mcr) or PyTecplot Python (.py) format. PyTecplot Python
scripts run outside of Tecplot 360 EX, and may be run from either the command line or any Python IDE.
See the PyTecplot Guide for more information.
After recording your macro, you can edit your macro file with a plain text editor to remove redundant
operations, compress repetitive actions into loops, replace references to files with variable names, and
otherwise modify the macro to make it more generic and flexible.
To record a macro with the Macro Recorder dialog, select “Record Macro” or “Record PyTecplot” from the
Scripting menu. Specify a macro file name in the Write Macro File (.mcr) or Write Script (.py) dialog and
click Save to initiate the recording. The Macro Recorder dialog remains open during the recording session.

Auto Redraw is disabled during macro recording. If necessary, you can manually redraw
your plot by clicking the Redraw button in the Plot sidebar.

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Macros

While recording macros, you can use any of the following buttons on the Macro
Recorder dialog to add specific macro commands to your macro:
• Insert “Pause” - Adds a “pause” command to the macro. When you
play a macro including a pause command, Tecplot 360 EX displays a
message box when it reaches the pause command, and waits for you
to click OK before continuing to process the macro.
• Insert “Graphics Off” - Adds a “graphics off” command to the
macro. When you play a macro containing a “graphics off” command,
Tecplot 360 EX stops displaying graphics in the workspace from the
“graphics off” command until a “graphics on” command is
encountered.
• Insert “Graphics On” - Adds a “graphics on” command to the macro.
• Insert Raw Command - Brings up a dialog in which you can enter any valid Tecplot macro
command. For example, you can add “$!LOOP 10” at the start of a section you want to repeat 10
times, then “$!ENDLOOP” at the end. See the Scripting Guide for information on the Tecplot 360
EX macro language.
• Stop Recording - Select when you have completed the sequence of actions you want recorded.
The commands in a macro file typically rely on Tecplot 360 EX being in a particular state. It is a good
practice to use commands at the start of a macro that force Tecplot 360 EX into a known state. For example,
the $!NEWLAYOUT command deletes all data sets and frames and creates a single empty frame with a default
size and position.

Macros are guaranteed to be forward compatible (i.e. work with future releases of
Tecplot 360 EX) only if the macro begins with a new layout or stylesheet. Refer to the
Scripting Guide for more information.

26 - 1.1 Macro Functions

When editing a macro file in a text editor, you can add macro function definitions and macro function
calls. Macro functions have the following form:
$!MACROFUNCTION
NAME = functionname
.
.
.
$!ENDMACROFUNCTION

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 Macro Creation

Between $!MACROFUNCTION and $!ENDMACROFUNCTION, you can include any legal macro command except
$!MACROFUNCTION.

For example, the following macro function turns on the Contour

zone layer, turns off the Mesh zone layer, sets the contour plot type
to Both Lines and Flood for zones 1, 2 and 3, then chooses gray
scale color mapping:
$!MACROFUNCTION
NAME = "graycontour"
RETAIN = Yes
$!FIELDLAYERS SHOWCONTOUR = YES
$!FIELDLAYERS SHOWMESH = NO
$!FIELDMAP [1-3] CONTOUR{CONTOURTYPE = BOTHLINESANDFLOOD}
$!GLOBALCONTOUR 1 COLORMAPNAME = "Grayscale”
$!REDRAW
$!ENDMACROFUNCTION
The RETAIN parameter tells Tecplot 360 EX to retain the macro
function definition for use in subsequent macro calls; this allows
you to define a macro function once in some macro you load every
time you run Tecplot 360 EX, and continue to use it throughout
your Tecplot 360 EX session.

Use the $!RUNMACROFUNCTION macro command to call your macro function. For example, to call the
“graycontour” macro function defined above, use the following macro command:
$!RUNMACROFUNCTION "graycontour"
You can use the $!RUNMACROFUNCTION command within other macro functions; calls may be nested up to ten deep.
To access parameters from within a macro function use “|n|”, where n is the parameter number (do not
include the double quotes). For example, the following function uses two parameters for the assignments
to SHOWCONTOUR and SHOWMESH:

$!MACROFUNCTION
NAME = "AssignContourAndMesh"
$!FIELDLAYERS SHOWCONTOUR = |1|
$!FIELDLAYERS SHOWMESH = |2|
$!ENDMACROFUNCTION
.
.
.
$!RUNMACROFUNCTION "AssignContourAndMesh"
(YES,NO)

26 - 1.2 Macro Linking to Geometries

Each geometry you create can be linked to a macro function. This macro function is called whenever the
user holds down the control key and clicks the right mouse button on the geometry. Macro functions are
specified with the Link to Macro function field in the Geometry dialog. Only one macro function may be
specified for each geometry.
The macro function must be defined in a macro file using the $!MACROFUNCTION instruction as described in
“Macro Functions” on page 422. The macro file containing the variable must then be executed so that the
function is loaded into memory and available for use in the current Tecplot 360 EX session.
A convenient way to handle this is to record a macro that opens the layout that contains the linked objects
and then edit this macro using a text editor to also include the necessary macro functions. You can also
simply include the macro functions in your [Link] file.

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Macros

26 - 2 Macro Playback
Once you have created a macro file, you have four methods in Tecplot 360 EX for playing it back:
• From the command line - You can play a macro when Tecplot 360 EX is launched by including
the name of the macro file on the command line, i.e.:
tecplot [Link]
If your macro file does not have the .mcr extension, run Tecplot 360 EX with the macro file by
including the -p flag on the command line, such as:
tecplot -p [Link]
• From the Tecplot 360 EX interface - You can play a macro from within Tecplot 360 EX by using
the “Play Macro/Script” option on the Scripting menu.
• Using the Macro Debugger - Use the Macro Debugger (accessed via Scripting>View/Debug
Macro) to open, inspect, step through, and debug your macro file. See Section 26 - 3 “Macro
Debugger” for more information.
• Using the Quick Macro Panel - The Quick Macro Panel (accessed via the Scripting menu)
allows you to quickly play a macro function by clicking on the button in the panel that is linked
to that macro function. See Section 26 - 2.1 “Quick Macro Panel” for more information.

On Windows operating systems, you can also launch Tecplot 360 EX and run a macro by
dragging and dropping a macro file onto the Tecplot 360 EX icon. However, in this case,
the macro file must have the .mcr extension. Otherwise, the file will be treated as an
ASCII data file.

26 - 2.1 Quick Macro Panel

The Quick Macro Panel, accessible by selecting “Quick Macros” from the
Scripting menu, is a sidebar for playing your favorite or frequently-used macros.
It initially appears docked to the right side of the main Tecplot 360 EX window,
but like the other sidebars, it can be dragged out of the workspace to become a
floating window, or docked with one or more other sidebars to suit your working
habits. (See “Sidebars” on page 22 for more information on working with
sidebars.)
This panel comes with a number of useful macro functions already defined. To
run any of these macros, select it in the list, then click the Play button, or simply
double-click the macro name.
The Quick Macro Panel is linked to a special macro file that should contain only
macro function definitions ($!MACROFUNCTION instructions). The macro definitions
having SHOWINMACROPANEL = TRUE appear in the Quick Macro Panel. Other
functions may defined in this file without this flag; these can be called by the
macro(s) displayed in the panel. You may also use the $!INCLUDEMACRO instruction
to include macro instructions from other files into the quick macro file.
For information on how to load a quick macro file, see Section 30 - 1 “Custom
Files loaded on Startup”.

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 Macro Debugger

26 - 3 Macro Debugger
Use the Macro Debugger, accessed via Scripting>View/Debug Macro, to step through and debug a
macro file. This dialog allows you to add and delete breakpoints, view and set watch variables, and view
the call stack.

The Macro Debugger displays the text of the currently loaded macro file at the top of the dialog in the
Macro Source area. The black arrow marks the line about to be executed; it moves to the next command
after the current command is executed. Below this is a second area (Expanded View) showing the
complete command about to be executed, as many macro commands are lengthy and may not be readable
in their entirety in the Macro Source area.
The Macro Debugger has the following buttons in its toolbar:
• Load a Macro file - Loads a macro file using the Open Macro dialog, in which you can
specify which macro file to load. Tecplot macro files typically have the extension .mcr. Once you
have loaded a macro file, it stays loaded in the Macro Debugger until you load a different one.
• Continue - Plays the macro without stopping after each step, until the macro finishes or
the Macro Debugger encounters a breakpoint.
• Step buttons - These three related buttons help you step through your macro line by line,
pausing after each instruction has been processed. Checking the values of variables after each
step is very helpful in finding and fixing problems. These buttons have slightly different
functions, described below.
• Step Into - Executes the current macro command. When a $!RUNMACROFUNCTION
command is encountered, the Macro Viewer steps into the called function, so it too can
be executed line by line.
• Step Over - Executes the current macro command. When a $!RUNMACROFUNCTION
command is encountered, the entire function is processed as a single operation, instead
of allowing you to step through it line by line.

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Macros

This is useful for functions that you have already verified to be working correctly and/or
do not wish to step through, especially long ones.
• Step Out - Executes the rest of the current function at full speed, rather than line
by line, until the end of the function ($!ENDMACROFUNCTION) is encountered, then resumes
single-stepping at the line after the $!RUNMACROFUNCTION instruction that called the
function.
This is useful when you have verified that a function is working correctly, and don’t
need to continue stepping through it (especially in functions with loops) or have
accidentally stepped into a function you don’t want to step through.
• Reset - Stops the running macro, if any, and resets the macro to start running at the
beginning again.
If your macro relies on Tecplot 360 EX being in a particular state when it starts processing (that
is, it does not begin with loading or creating a layout), make sure Tecplot 360 EX is in this state
before you click Reset. Otherwise, the results of the macro may not be what you expect.

A convenient way to handle state with macro resets is to save a layout before beginning
debugging, then reload this layout if you need to reset.

The Macro Debugger has the following three areas at the bottom of the dialog. Watch Variables and
Breakpoints share the same space; use the provided tabs to switch between them.
• Watch Variables - Displays the values of selected macro variables as you step through the
code, and allows you to add and remove variables to be watched. See Watching Variables.
• Breakpoints - Displays the breakpoints set in your macro and allows you to delete any or all of
them easily. See Using Breakpoints.
• Call Stack - Displays all function calls currently executing. When one function calls another,
which calls another, and so on, this area displays the name of all these functions in the order
they were called. The name main represents the top-level script (instructions outside of any
functions).

26 - 3.1 Watching Variables

The Watch Variable panel at the bottom of the Macro Debugger allow you
to set variables to be displayed while your macro runs. You can add a
variable to be watched by choosing it from the pop-up menu here. To stop a
variable from being watched, click it in the list of watched variables, then
click the delete (trash) icon.

26 - 3.2 Using Breakpoints

A breakpoint is a point in your code where you wish to pause execution, usually just before some macro
instructions you are having trouble with. Using the Continue button, your macro runs at full speed until it
reaches a breakpoint. You can then inspect variables or the call stack and see the next several lines to be
executed, then step through the macro a line at a time using the appropriate Step buttons in the toolbar to
see how they behave.
Breakpoints are shown as red discs to the left of each line of code in the Macro
Source field. To set a breakpoint at a particular line of your macro, click to the

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left of that line. A red disc appears next to that line to indicate that execution will pause just before that
line is executed. You can remove the breakpoint by clicking again.
The Breakpoints area at the bottom of the Macro Debugger dialog display
information about where each breakpoint is set: the function it’s in (“main”
if it’s outside a function), its line number, and the macro command. You can
delete breakpoints from this area by selecting them and clicking Delete
Selected Breakpoints. (This is the fastest way to delete all breakpoints.)

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 27

Batch Processing

You can run Tecplot 360 EX in batch mode to create plots without displaying any graphics to the screen.
This saves time when processing multiple files for printing or export. In batch mode, Tecplot 360 EX can be
executed locally on your workstation computer or remotely using a terminal (Linux only). Under Linux,
you must use the Mesa version of Tecplot 360 EX if your macro creates export files in bitmap formats. (The
OpenGL version requires screen resources not available in batch mode.)

27 - 1 Batch Processing Setup

To prepare for batch processing, follow these basic steps:
1. Create a macro file to control the batch processing. You may do this either by using
Scripting>Record Macro and recording a Tecplot 360 EX session, or by using any text editor.
See Chapter 26: “Macros”.
2. Create layout and stylesheet files, as necessary.
3. Prepare data files.
4. Debug the macro file by running Tecplot 360 EX while not in batch mode.

Macros are guaranteed to be forward compatible (i.e. work with future releases) only if
the file is started with a layout or stylesheet. Refer to the Scripting Guide for more
information.

When you launch Tecplot 360 EX in batch mode, you provide the name of a macro file to execute. The
minimal command to launch Tecplot 360 EX in batch mode is as follows:
tec360 -b -p macrofile
The -b flag instructs Tecplot 360 EX to run in batch mode and the -p macrofile tells Tecplot 360 EX the
name of the macro file to execute.

27 - 1.1 Batch Mode and Windows

Under Windows, invoking Tecplot 360 EX from the command line or in a .bat file returns immediately
rather than waiting for the application to finish working, as is normal on Linux and Mac.

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Batch Processing

When using batch mode, however, you generally want to wait until Tecplot 360 EX has finished one
operation before proceeding with the next. To do this, precede the command with start
/wait. For example:
start /wait tec360 -b -p macrofile

27 - 1.2 Batch Mode and Mac

When running batch mode on a Mac, the full path to the executable must be called:
“/Applications/Tecplot 360 EX 2019 R1/Tecplot 360 EX 2019 [Link]/Contents/MacOS/Tecplot 360 EX 2019
R1” -b [Link]
If you are running many files in batch mode, it may be helpful to set up an alias for the full executable
path. To set up an alias, type the following in ~/.bashrc:
alias tec360='“/Applications/Tecplot 360 EX 2019 R1/Tecplot 360 EX 2019 [Link]/Contents/MacOS/
Tecplot 360 EX 2019 R1”'
With the alias defined, running macros in batch mode becomes easier. Simply add the -b flag follwed by
the macro you wish to use:
tec360 -b [Link]
For more information on setting an alias and running Tecplot from the command line in Mac see the
Installation Guide.

27 - 2 Batch Processing Using a Layout File

Combining layout files with batch processing is both powerful and flexible, and is also the recommended
procedure. With layout files, you can organize a plot using one or more frames in a single file. The layout
file manages datasets and can be altered on the fly, either on the command line or within a macro that
loads the layout file.

The layout file must contain a $!READDATASET macro instruction compatible with the
data being loaded. The easiest way to create such a layout is to load a file similar to the
file(s) you wish to process into Tecplot 360 EX, then set up the plot as desired and save
the layout. The filename specified in the layout’s $!READDATASET instruction will be
overridden by the filename specified on the command line (see below).

For example, to do the following sequence of tasks in batch mode:

• Load a data file from a user-supplied file name.
• Create a specific style of plot.
• Create a PostScript file of the plot.
You can set up the batch script as follows:
1. Obtain a representative data file to be plotted.
2. Create a layout of the style of plot you want. (For this example, name the file [Link]).
3. Use a text editor to create the following macro (For this example call this macro [Link]):

#!MC 1410
$!EXPORTSETUP ExportFormat = PS
$!PRINTSETUP PALETTE = MONOCHROME
$!EXPORTSETUP PRINTRENDERTYPE = VECTOR
$!EXPORT
EXPORTREGION = CURRENTFRAME
$!Quit
4. Use the following command to run the job in batch mode:

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tec360 -b -p [Link] -y [Link] [Link] mydatafile.

tec360 -b launches Tecplot 360 EX in batch mode

-p tells Tecplot 360 EX to use the following macro file

[Link] macro file

-y tells Tecplot 360 EX to use the following export file

[Link] export file

[Link] layout file to use

mydatafile data file to use; overrides the file specified in the layout

27 - 3 Multiple Data File Processing

In Section 27 - 2 “Batch Processing Using a Layout File”, we set up Tecplot 360 EX to process a user-
supplied data file (or files) and create a single output file. If the above procedure is to be repeated for a
large number of input files (one at a time), you can do this by using a loop: either outside Tecplot 360 EX in
the operating system using your shell’s looping constructs, or within Tecplot 360 EX using the flow-of-
control commands in the Tecplot macro language.

27 - 3.1 Looping Outside Tecplot 360 EX

The following examples show the command files for launching Tecplot 360 EX in an operating system
loop on two different operating systems. Tecplot 360 EX processes five data files named [Link] and
creates ten output files named [Link] where nn goes from 1 to 10.
Looping Outside Tecplot 360 EX (Linux): Create a shell script with the following
commands:

#!/bin/sh
n=1
while test $n -le 10
do
tec360 -b -p [Link] -y d$[Link] [Link] d$[Link]
n=`expr $n+1`
done

Looping Outside Tecplot 360 EX (Windows): Create a batch file with the following
commands:

for %%f in (d1 d2 d3 d4 d5 d6 d7 d8 d9 d10)

do tec360 -b -p [Link] -y %%[Link] [Link] %%[Link]

27 - 3.2 Looping Inside Tecplot 360 EX

In Section 27 - 3.1 “Looping Outside Tecplot 360 EX” we set up Tecplot 360 EX to process multiple data
files using the shell to do the looping. There are two drawbacks to this procedure:
• The shell languages are not portable between different operating systems.
• Tecplot 360 EX must be repeatedly started and stopped to process each dataset.
A more efficient approach is to loop through the data files inside Tecplot 360 EX. Here, the layout file and
the data files are all named within the macro. The command line in this example is simple, as follows:
tec360 -b -p [Link]

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The macro is as follows:

#!MC 1410
$!EXPORTSETUP EXPORTFORMAT = PS
$!PRINTSETUP PALETTE = MONOCHROME
$!LOOP 10
$!OPENLAYOUT "[Link]"
ALTDATALOADINSTRUCTIONS = "d|LOOP|.plt"
$!EXPORTSETUP PRINTRENDERTYPE = VECTOR
$!EXPORTSETUP EXPORTFNAME = "d|LOOP|.out"
$!EXPORT
EXPORTREGION = CURRENTFRAME
$!ENDLOOP
$!QUIT
The $!OPENLAYOUT command loads in [Link] but replaces the data file referenced in the layout with the
file names in the ALTDATALOADINSTRUCTIONS sub-command. The $!EXPORTSETUP command is used in two
places. Initially it is used to set the export format. Later it is used just to change the name of the file to
export to. The $!EXPORT command does the actual exporting.

If you want to make many different plots using the same dataset, stylesheets will be
more efficient than layout files.

27 - 4 Batch Processing Diagnostics

Each time Tecplot 360 EX is run in batch mode, it creates a file defined by the name in the BATCHLOGFILE
environment variable, or, if the environment variable is not defined, by a file named [Link] in the
directory where Tecplot 360 EX was started. If the name given in the BATCHLOGFILE environment variable is
a relative path, the directory name where Tecplot 360 EX was started is prefixed. A running commentary
on actions performed in Tecplot 360 EX, as well as warning and error messages, are sent to the [Link]
file.

27 - 5 Batch Converting to SZL Format

Two of Tecplot 360 EX’s command line options, -o and -convert, allow you to more easily convert your
existing datasets to SZL, Tecplot’s high-performance subzone data format (filename extension .szplt). Since
it is command-line driven, this capability is suitable for converting large numbers of files without user
intervention, or as a step in solver postprocessing.
Tecplot 360 EX does not require a license when launched with either of these options, so you can perform
data file conversion on any available workstation without concern. Only a Tecplot 360 EX installation is
required.
In a restricted batch session started with -o or -convert, Tecplot 360 EX can read data files (using any of its
data loader add-ons) and write data in SZL format, but cannot perform most other operations. As with all
batch operations, there is no graphical user interface; batch conversion is strictly a command-line function.
Most of the time, you’ll want to use the -o option for SZL conversion. See “Writing SZL Files With Macros”
on page 436 for more information on the use cases for the -convert option.

Loading Data Files by Name

The -o option outputs any loaded data to the specified .szplt output file. Just add -o followed by the output
filename or path to whatever command line you would normally use to load your data. Tecplot 360 EX
will then write that data in SZL format (and exit) instead of displaying a plot in its workspace. For
example, if you usually start exploring data in two Tecplot .plt files using the following command line:

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tec360 [Link] [Link]

You can instead have Tecplot 360 EX convert those data files to a single .szplt file using the following
command line:
tec360 [Link] [Link] -o [Link]
If your data is in a non-Tecplot format, you may or may not be able to load it all into Tecplot 360 EX using
a single, simple command line of the type shown. Some formats (e.g. CGNS) support loading multpile
files, but require that the files all be part of a single case, and require additional cases to be appended via
further load operations. Other loaders do not support multiple files at all and require all loads after the
first to be appended. In such cases, you can record a macro to load your data.

Loading Data Files with Macros

Create a macro to load some or all of your data when one or more of the following apply:
• The data cannot be loaded using a single command line because it is in multiple files and the
required loader does not support loading all of them using a single command line.
• The data files do not have filenames that allow Tecplot 360 EX to unambiguously determine
the correct loader for the data. (In some cases, though, you can simply rename the files.)
• You need to set the loader’s advanced options to successfully load the data. In other words, in
the Load Data dialog, you use the Open with Advanced Options command (accessed by
clicking the menu triangle next to the Open button) or mark the Advanced Options checkbox.
Simply record a macro that loads the data, using the procedure you normally use with the Tecplot 360 EX
graphical user interface. See Section 26 - 1 “Macro Creation” for more information on recording macros.
The loading procedure you record can include multiple load operations using the append option, any
number of different file formats, and selection of advanced loader options. After you have recorded the
macro, specify it on the command line when invoking tec360. As with the previous case, simply add -o
followed by the name of the SZL file to be created:
tec360 [Link] -o [Link]
Your recorded macro contains fixed file names and directory paths for the files you loaded, which makes it
difficult to use the macro with other data files. We will see how to address this with a few simple changes
to the macro shortly.

Using Multiple Macros to Load Files

Tecplot 360 EX allows you to specify multiple macros on the command line, which will be executed in the
order they appear in the command. Instead of creating one macro that loads multiple files, then, you could
record multiple macros, each loading one data file, then specify just the ones you actually need for a given
project. For example:
tec360 [Link] [Link] [Link] -o [Link]
Combined with the techniques in the following sections to allow the macros to load data files other than
the ones used when recording the macro, this lets you create a macro “tool set” for converting the various
kinds of files you typically work with.
There is one hitch to using multiple macros on the command line. When you record a load operation, the
resulting macro may include an instruction telling the loader to erase any data that has already been
loaded. When you attempt to load your data, the second macro file specified will erase the data loaded by
the first, and so on for the third, fourth, etc., wasting time and making it seem like only the last macro
loaded anything.
Fortunately, this is easy to fix. Simply load the macro into any text editor ([Link] will do) and find any
lines that says READDATAOPTION = NEW. Change it to say READDATAOPTION = APPEND instead. Such a macro will

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still work fine even when specified first on the command line, because each conversion is a new Tecplot
360 EX session that begins with no data loaded.

Mixing Macros and Data Files

Macros are just another kind of data file: one that Tecplot 360 EX happens to execute as instructions. For
this reason, it is possible to mix data files and macros on the command line to load your data, using
macros only for files that can’t be loaded by specifying them directly. Files are processed in the order they
appear on the command line. For example:
tec360 [Link] [Link] -o [Link]
This loads [Link] (a regular Tecplot data file) and then executes [Link], which, presumably, loads
another data file (or even multiple files). The loaded data are then written to [Link].

Using Relative Paths

As we mentioned, the paths of the files you loaded and saved become a part of recorded macros. The
macro will then always load input files with the same names, and in the same directory, as the file(s) used
when the macro was recorded. The output file, similarly, is always given exactly the same name and stored
in the same directory as the one you wrote while recording the macro.
If you have set up your simulation process so that the solver always produces an output file of the same
name, but in a different directory for each case, you can simply edit the recorded macro to use relative
paths. Then the macro will work with files in the current directory, whatever it may be, and you can
simply change to the directory that contains the file you wish to convert before performing the conversion.
For example, here is a simple macro, [Link], that we recorded to load a single .plt file. (A real macro
would probably be longer, since you don’t even need a macro to load a .plt file, but let’s keep it simple.)
#!MC 1410
$!VarSet |MFBD| = 'C:\Users\kelvin\Desktop'
$!READDATASET '"|MFBD|\[Link]" '
READDATAOPTION = NEW
RESETSTYLE = YES
VARLOADMODE = BYNAME
ASSIGNSTRANDIDS = YES
VARNAMELIST = '"X" "Y" "Z"'
$!RemoveVar |MFBD|
All recorded macros contain a definition of the variable MFBD, which refers to the current (or working)
directory that was in effect when the macro was recorded. Since we loaded [Link] from our Desktop
folder, which was also the working directory, the macro uses the MFBD variable in the READDATASET
command. If we had loaded our data file from a directory other than the working directory, the
READDATASET command would have the full path (for example, on Windows, it would probably start with
C:\). Here’s what the macro looks like when [Link] is in C:\:
#!MC 1410
$!VarSet |MFBD| = 'C:\Users\kelvin\Desktop'
$!READDATASET '"C:\[Link]" '
READDATAOPTION = NEW
RESETSTYLE = YES
VARLOADMODE = BYNAME
ASSIGNSTRANDIDS = YES
VARNAMELIST = '"X" "Y" "Z"'
$!RemoveVar |MFBD|
We don’t actually need the MFBD variable for our purposes, so we can remove the VarSet command and the
corresponding RemoveVar command. (It doesn’t hurt to leave them, however.) We will also remove
everything but the filename from the READDATASET and WRITEDATASET commands. We will also change the
READDATAOPTION to APPEND, as suggested in the preceding section. Here is the macro after these changes.
#!MC 1410
$!READDATASET '"[Link]" '

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READDATAOPTION = NEW
RESETSTYLE = YES
VARLOADMODE = BYNAME
ASSIGNSTRANDIDS = YES
VARNAMELIST = '"X" "Y" "Z"'
This macro now reads the [Link] file from the current (or working) directory. After saving it as
[Link], you can invoke the conversion as follows:
cd C:/path/to/files
tec360 C:/path/to/[Link] -o [Link]
Note that, when invoking the conversion, we must specify the full path to [Link] since it is not in the
working directory. If the Tecplot 360 EX bin directory is not in your system’s PATH variable, you must also
supply the full path to the tec360 executable. (For simplicity, our examples assume tec360 is in your PATH.)

Using Environment Variables in Loader Macros

When the data files you want to convert may have different names, but are in the same format and need
the same loader options, it is possible to write a macro that accepts paths specified outside of the macro.
The most straightforward way to do this is to set environment variables before launching Tecplot 360 EX.
The macro file then uses these environment variables as the input file path(s). Here, we will use the
variable INFILE with the macro from the preceding section. Since it will no longer load only [Link], we
will name the macro [Link] rather than [Link].
#!MC 1410
$!READDATASET '"|$INFILE|" '
READDATAOPTION = APPEND
RESETSTYLE = YES
VARLOADMODE = BYNAME
ASSIGNSTRANDIDS = YES
VARNAMELIST = '"X" "Y" "Z"'
$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND
COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'Tecplot Subzone Data Tools'
COMMAND = 'WRITEDATASET FILENAME="|$OUTFILE|"'
To invoke it, set the environment variables before starting the conversion:
Windows:
SET INFILE=C:\path\to\[Link]
tec360 C:\path\to\[Link] -o [Link]
Linux or Mac (bash shell):
INFILE=/path/to/[Link]
tec360 /path/to/[Link] -o [Link]
Either absolute or relative paths may be used in environment variables; relative paths are, as always,
relative to the current or working directory.
If your file loading process requires you to specify more than one input file to a macro, simply add an
INFILE variable for each, appending numbers such as INFILE1, INFILE2, etc. and change your macro
accordingly. If you will be using multiple macros, use different variables in each so that they don’t conflict.

A Batch File for Conversion

The command line instructions in the preceding section can be put into a batch file (Windows) or a shell
script (Linux or Mac) so that you can specify all the necessary paths in a single command line. This file
([Link] or [Link]) can be placed in the same directory as our [Link] from the preceding
section, as long as that directory is in your system’s PATH.
Windows — [Link]:
SET INFILE=%1
tec360 [Link] -o %2

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Now you may invoke it as follows:

[Link] C:\path\to\input\[Link] C:\path\to\output\[Link]
Linux or Mac OS — [Link]:
#!/usr/bin/env bash
INFILE=$1
tec360 [Link] -o $2
After creating [Link], execute the command below to make it executable:
chmod +x [Link]
The script may then be invoked as follows:
[Link] /path/to/input/[Link] /path/to/output/[Link]
The same technique can be used with additional macro files and additional filenames; you will simply
need to set the environment variable(s) needed by each macro based on the arguments to the script (%1,
%2, etc. in Windows batch files or $1, $2, etc. in Linux or Mac bash scripts).

Writing SZL Files With Macros

The principal difference between -o and -convert is that when you use -o, Tecplot 360 EX writes the SZL
data file for you, whereas with -convert, you write the data file using a macro. All that we have already
learned about using macros still applies; the following are valid scenarios:
• A single macro loads all the data and also writes a .szplt file
• You load some data by specifying the filenames on the command line and the rest by
specifying one or more macros, the last of which also writes the .szplt file
• Same as above, except the macro that writes the .szplt file is a separate macro
• A group of macros reads multiple groups of data files and writes mulipte .szplt files in a single
Tecplot 360 EX operation (READDATAOPTION = NEW is used to start fresh for each group of
loaded files)
• Any other combination of data files and macros you can imagine
You can create a macro file that writes a .szplt file by recording a save operation, but here, for the record, is
the necessary command:
#!MC 1410
$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND
COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'Tecplot Subzone Data Tools'
COMMAND = 'WRITEDATASET FILENAME="C:\Users\kelvin\Desktop\[Link]"'
You can adapt this macro to use relative paths or an environment variable, as we have already done with
the macros we created to load data. Here is the macro rewritten to use the environment variable OUTFILE:
#!MC 1410
$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND
COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'Tecplot Subzone Data Tools'
COMMAND = 'WRITEDATASET FILENAME="|$OUTFILE|"'
The circumstances in which you might use -convert instead of -o are fairly limited. One use might be to
write multiple copies of the .szplt file, for example to make a backup (though using the COPY or cp shell
command is probably better).
Another use might be to automatically name the .szplt file based on some attribute of the loaded data,
rather than requiring a name to be specified. Keep in mind that in the restricted macro environment
provided when using -convert, the ability to inspect and analyze data is extremely limited. However, you
could name a file based on the date, or on an auxiliary data element (using the AUXDATASET, AUXFRAME, or
AUXZONE intristic variables)—or a combination of these:, such as
#!MC 1410
$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND

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 Batch Converting to SZL Format

COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'Tecplot Subzone Data Tools'

COMMAND = 'WRITEDATASET FILENAME="|AUXDATASET:caseid| |DATE|.szplt"'
The variable DATASETFNAME contains the full paths of loaded data file(s) andcan be used to give the output
file the same base name as an input file. Since this variable can contain multiple paths if you have loaded
multiple files, we recommend always using an index with it to specify which path you want; otherwise,
the paths of all loaded files are substituted into the command, which will cause the save to fail..
#!MC 1410
$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND
COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'Tecplot Subzone Data Tools'
COMMAND = 'WRITEDATASET FILENAME="|DATASETFNAME[1]|.szplt"'
You may use |DATASETFNAME[2]|, |DATASETFNAME[3]|, and so on to refer to the path of a specific file, indexed
by loading sequence.
For a full list of available macro variables, see the Chapter 7: “Macro Variables” in the Scripting Guide.

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 28

PyTecplot

TecPLUS™ subscribers are given access to PyTecplot, a high level API that connects your Python script to
the power of the Tecplot 360 EX visualization engine. Familiarity with Tecplot 360 EX and the Tecplot 360
EX macro language is helpful, but not required.

Note PyTecplot requires 64-bit Python versions 2.7 or 3.4+ and Tecplot 360 EX version 2017
R1 or later with TecPLUS™ maintenance service. PyTecplot does not support 32 bit Python.

Please refer to the PyTecplot Guide for installation instructions, environment setup, and the full reference
manual. The sections below refer only to the User Interface portions of PyTecplot located in Tecplot 360
EX.

28 - 1 PyTecplot Recording
Tecplot 360 EX’s PyTecplot Recorder records a Python script as you perform a sequence of actions
interactively. Scripts are PyTecplot Python (.py) format. PyTecplot Python scripts run outside of Tecplot
360 EX, and may be run from either the command line or any Python IDE.
After recording your script, you can edit your script file with a plain text editor to remove redundant
operations, compress repetitive actions into loops, replace references to files with variable names, and
otherwise modify the script to make it more generic and flexible.
To record a macro with the PyTecplot Recorder dialog, select “Record PyTecplot” from the Scripting
menu. Specify a file name in the Write Script (.py) dialog and click Save to initiate the recording. The
Macro Recorder dialog remains open during the recording session.

Auto Redraw is disabled during recording. If necessary, you can manually redraw your
plot by clicking the Redraw button in the Plot sidebar.

For information on the Macro Recorder dialog, see Chapter 26: “Macro Creation”.

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PyTecplot

28 - 2 PyTecplot Connections
The PyTecplot Connections dialog allows a remote Python instance to control the GUI and interact with
the loaded data. Currently, the only available client for this server is PyTecplot, the "tecplot" Python
module available on Python's official package repository, PyPI.

Server Configuration
To allow the server to process incoming requests, go to Tecplot 360 EX's main menu and choose
Scripting>PyTecplot Connections... and the PyTecplot Connections dialog will appear:

Clicking on the checkbox next to "Accept connections" will enable the server immediately. If the chosen
port is already in use by another process, even by another running instance of Tecplot 360 EX, the
following error message will be shown:

In this case, you may choose another unused port number and attempt to re-enable the “Accept
connections” option.
By default, the TecUtil Server will only listen for requests from localhost. Unchecking the "Listen to
localhost only" option will cause the server to process incoming requests from any remote machine,
subject to the firewall and security settings of the computer running Tecplot 360 EX.

Connecting from the PyTecplot Client Script

To connect to the server from a Python script, you must have the PyTecplot python package installed.
Please see PyTecplot's documentation for detailed instructions on how to get started with PyTecplot. In the
Python script, use the [Link]() method to connect to the running instance of Tecplot 360
EX:
import tecplot
[Link](port=7600)
Once connected, the Python script will continue to run and the Tecplot 360 EX will be updated in real-
time.

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 PyTecplot Connections

Activating Server with a Macro File

To activate the TecUtil Server addon in Tecplot 360 EX with a macro, add this macro command to a
separate .mcr file:
$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND
COMMANDPROCESSORID = "TecUtilServer"
COMMAND = R"(
AcceptRequests = Yes
ListenOnAddress = localhost
ListenOnPort = 7600
)"
To use this function on start-up, simply play the macro file as you launch Tecplot 360 EX:
tec360 -p [Link]

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Part 7 Advanced
Topics
 29

Animation

Tecplot 360 EX provides a variety of methods for creating animated plots and exporting them to movie or
sequences of static image files files for playback at a later time. The basic animation methods available
include:
• Animation Tools - Create animations using the Animate menu, the Slice Details dialog, or the
Streamtraces dialog. The animation can be viewed within Tecplot 360 EX or exported to a
movie file.
• Movie File Creation with Macros - Use a macro to perform multiple, repetitive changes, and
write each image to a movie file.

29 - 1 Animation Tools
Use a built-in animation tool to have Tecplot 360 EX cycle through your data, automatically displaying
zones, slices, or streamtraces one after the other.
• Time Animation
• IJK-plane Animation
• IJK Blanking Animation
• Iso-surfaces Animation
• Mapping Animation
• Slice Animation
• Streamtrace Animation
• Zone Animation

When you need a particular size for your animation image, such as 300 by 250 pixels,
first resize your frame to the desired width and height. Then export only the active
frame.

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Animation

29 - 1.1 Time Animation

To animate over time, simply press the play button in the Plot sidebar or in the Time Animation
Details dialog. (This dialog can be launched from the Animate menu or by clicking the Details button
above the Solution Time slider in the Plot sidebar.) The active frame will be animated from the current
time step to the last time step. The current Solution Time determines which transient zones are displayed
in the active frame. The slider control can be used to interactively change the Current Solution Time.

This option is available for transient field plot data only.

The Time Animation Details dialog has the following options:

• Starting Time - Enter the value of the first solution time to include in the animation. If the
Solution Time entered does not exist, the nearest Solution Time less than the entered time is
used, or the first solution time if no such time exists. The default value is the first Solution
Time. The value of the first Solution Time in the dataset is displayed in Min.
• Ending Time - Enter the value of the last Solution Time to include in the animation. If the
Solution Time entered does not exist, the nearest Solution Time less than the entered time is
used. The default value is the last Solution Time. The value of the last Solution Time in the
dataset is displayed in Max.
• Time Step Skip - Enter the skip number between time steps. A value of 2 results in every other
time steps being animated, a value of 3 animates every 3 time steps, and so on.
• Number of Steps - Displays the number of time steps in the data between the Start Time and
the End Time.
• Animation direction - Select the direction for the animation: forward, backward, loop
(forward repeatedly), or bounce (forward, then backward, then forward, then backward...).
• Current Step - This field displays the time step for the active frame of the animation. The field
is updated while an animation is in progress.
• Go To - Use the Go To button to jump to the animation step entered in the Current Step field.
• Slider – The slider can be dragged to change the current solution time. The following buttons
may also be used.

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 Animation Tools

• – Jumps to the value in Start Time.

• – Moves one step toward the value in Start Time.
• – Plays the animation as specified by the Animation Mode field. The Play button
becomes a Stop button while the animation is playing.
• – Moves toward the value in End Time.
• – Jumps to the value in End Time.
Click the filmstrip icon to export the animation to a file. See Section 29 - 4 “Animation Export”
on page 457. Note that some of the settings in this dialog (such as direction and speed) do not
apply when exporting to a file. Instead, you may add these effects later using a video editor, if
desired.
• Limit Animation Speed to - Toggle-on to limit the animation speed to the value specified in
the text box.

29 - 1.2 IJK-plane Animation

Use the Animate IJK-Planes dialog to display all or a specified subset of the IJK-planes in the current
dataset, one at a time. You can choose to animate either the I, J, or K-planes.
To animate IJK-planes, select “IJK-planes” from the Animate menu. The Animate IJK-Planes dialog has
the following options:

• Planes to Animate - Specify the set of planes to animate: I, J, or K-planes.

• Initial Index, End Index, Index Skip - Specify an Initial Index (the first plane you want to
display), an End Index (the last plane you want to display), and an Index Skip in the fields
provided. A skip of 1 displays every index, 2 displays every other index, etc.
• Animation direction - Select the direction for the animation: forward, backward, loop
(forward repeatedly), or bounce (forward, then backward, then forward, then backward...).
• Current Index - Displays the number of the current plane index, which can be edited. Click Go
to Index after editing to move to the chosen step.
• Slider – The slider can be dragged to change the current plane index. The following buttons
may also be used.
• – Jumps to the first index.
• – Moves one step toward the first index.

447
Animation

• – Plays the animation as specified by the Animation Direction field. The Play
button becomes a Stop button while the animation is playing.
• – Moves toward the last index.
• – Jumps to the last index.
Click the filmstrip icon to export the animation to a file. See Section 29 - 4 “Animation Export”
on page 457. Note that some of the settings in this dialog (such as direction and speed) do not
apply when exporting to a file. Instead, you may add these effects later using a video editor, if
desired.
• Limit Animation Speed to - Toggle-on to limit the animation speed to the value specified.
Figure 29-1 shows an example of animating I-planes in an IJK-ordered zone.

Figure 29-1. An animated sequence of I-planes.

To restore the workspace back to its normal view after the IJK animation, go to
Edit>Undo Style Change.

29 - 1.3 IJK Blanking Animation

Use the Animation page of the IJK Blanking dialog (Plot > Blanking > IJK Blanking) to animate a sequence
of Tecplot 360 EX renderings, starting with an initial set of blanked IJK indices and proceeding in a series
of interpolated steps to a final set of blanked IJK indices.

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 Animation Tools

To animate a sequence of IJK blankings, you must first turn on IJK blanking using the checkbox at the top
of the IJK Blanking dialog. For more information on initially setting up IJK blanking, see “IJK Blanking” on
page 301.

The Animation page of the IJK Blanking dialog has the following settings:
• Starting Index (% of Max) - Specify an initial set of blanked IJK-indices in the text fields. Enter
a range of indices for: I, J, and K (index values are entered as percentages of the maximum
index).
• Ending Index (% of Max) - Specify a final set of blanked IJK-indices. Enter a range of indices
for each: I, J, and K.
• Animation direction - Select the direction for the animation: forward, backward, loop
(forward repeatedly), or bounce (forward, then backward, then forward, then backward...).
• Number of Steps - Specify the number of steps. The minimum is two.
• Current Step - Displays the number of the current step, which can be edited. Click Go to Step
after editing to move to the chosen step.
• Slider – The slider can be dragged to change the current step. The following buttons may also
be used.
• – Jumps to the first step.
• – Moves one step toward the first step.
• – Plays the animation as specified by the Animation direction field. The Play
button becomes a Pause button while the animation is playing.
• – Moves toward the last step.
• – Jumps to the last step.
Click the filmstrip icon to export the animation to a file. See Section 29 - 4 “Animation Export”
on page 457. Note that some of the settings in this dialog (such as direction and speed) do not
apply when exporting to a file. Instead, you may add these effects later using a video editor, if
desired.

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• Limit Animation Speed to - Toggle-on to limit the animation speed to the value specified in
the field.

29 - 1.4 Iso-surfaces Animation

Use the Animation page of the Iso-surface Details dialog to define iso-surfaces to animate either on screen
or to a file. You can reach this page directly by choosing “Iso-Surfaces” from the Animate menu, or you
can open the Iso-Surfaces Details dialog from the Plot menu or Plot sidebar and click the Animation tab.

• Starting Value - The starting iso-surface value for the animation.

• Ending Value - The ending iso-surface value for the animation.
• Animation direction - Select the direction for the animation: forward, backward, loop
(forward repeatedly), or bounce (forward, then backward, then forward, then backward...).
• Number of steps - The range defined by the Starting and Ending value fields above is divided
into the specified number of steps for the animation.
• Current Step – Indicates the active step of the animation. You can jump to a specific step by
entering the desired value and clicking Go to Step.
• Current Value – Displays the iso-surface value at the current step.
• Slider – The slider can be dragged to change the current step. The following buttons may also
be used.
• – Jumps to the first step.
• – Moves one step toward the first step.
• – Plays the animation as specified by the Animation direction field. The Play
button becomes a Pause button while the animation is playing.
• – Moves toward the last step.
• – Jumps to the last step.

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Click the filmstrip icon to export the animation to a file. See Section 29 - 4 “Animation Export”
on page 457. Note that some of the settings in this dialog (such as direction and speed) do not
apply when exporting to a file. Instead, you may add these effects later using a video editor, if
desired.
• Limit Animation Speed to - Toggle-on to limit the animation speed to the value specified in
the field.

29 - 1.5 Mapping Animation

Use the Animate Mappings dialog to display all or a specified subset of the XY or Polar Line mappings
defined in the active frame, one at a time.
To animate mapping, select “Mappings” from the Animate menu. The Animate Mappings dialog has the
following options:

• Start Map - Specify the first line mapping you want displayed.
• End Map - Specify the last line mapping you want displayed.
• Map Skip - Specify the number of maps to skip per step.
• Animation Mode - Select whether to animate forward, backward, loop (forward, then back to
the beginning for another pass forward), or bounce (forward, then backward, then forward,
then backward...).
• Current Map - Indicates the map currently displayed. You may jump to a different map by
editing the value in the text box and clicking Go to Map.
• Slider – The slider can be dragged to change the current step. The following buttons may also
be used.
• – Jumps to the first map.
• – Moves one step toward the first map.
• – Plays the animation as specified by the Animation direction field. The Play
button becomes a Pause button while the animation is playing.
• – Moves toward the last map.
• – Jumps to the last map.
Click the filmstrip icon to export the animation to a file. See Section 29 - 4 “Animation Export”
on page 457. Note that some of the settings in this dialog (such as direction and speed) do not
apply when exporting to a file. Instead, you may add these effects later using a video editor, if
desired. .
• Limit Animation Speed to - To limit the animation speed, toggle on the checkbox and enter a
frame speed value in the text box.

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29 - 1.6 Slice Animation

To animate slices, choose Animate>Slices. You may also get to this feature by opening the Slice Details
dialog from the Plot menu or the Plot sidebar and choosing the Animate page.

Specify a Starting Value, an Ending Value, and the Number of Steps in the fields provided.

Only the primary slice of the current slice group (specified on the Position page) is
changed during animations. The start and end slice and any intermediate slices of the
current slice group are unchanged. It is possible that the animated primary slice will
overlap the start slice, end slice, or an intermediate slice. The animation will proceed,
without changing those values.

For arbitrary slices, the start and end origin positions are specified in XYZ coordinates. Arbitrary slices are
oriented using the normal defined on the Definition page of the Slice Details dialog (see “Arbitrary Slice
Orientation” on page 233). The slice’s origin point is moved between the start and end origins specified
here; at each step of the animation, the slice is drawn through the origin point. and oriented against the
normal.
After choosing the starting and ending positions and the number of steps, you can animate on the screen
or export the animation to a file..
• Animation Direction - Select whether to animate forward, backward, loop (forward, then
back to the beginning for another pass forward), or bounce (forward, then backward, then
forward, then backward...).
• Current Step – Indicates the active step of the animation. This may be edited to jump to a
specific step. Click the Go to Step button to display the entered time step in the workspace.
• Current Value or Origin – Displays the value being varied (e.g. X for an X-plane slice) at the
current step. For arbitrary slices, shows the XYZ coordinates of the slice origin (through which
the slice will be drawn) at the current step.

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• Slider – The slider can be dragged to change the current solution time. The following buttons
may also be used.
• – Jumps to the value in Start Time.
• – Moves one step toward the value in Start Time.
• – Plays the animation. Becomes a Stop button while the animation is playing.
• – Moves one step toward the value in End Time.
• – Jumps to the value in End Time.
Click the filmstrip icon to export the animation to a file. See Section 29 - 4 “Animation Export”
on page 457. Note that some of the settings in this dialog (such as direction and speed) do not
apply when exporting to a file. Instead, you may add these effects later using a video editor, if
desired.
• Limit Animation Speed - Toggle-on to limit the animation speed to the value specified in the
text field.

29 - 1.7 Streamtrace Animation

To animate your streamtraces, choose Animate>Streamtraces. You may also access this feature by opening
the Streamtrace Details dialog from the Plot menu or the Plot sidebar and switching to the Animate page.

When you animate streamtraces, timing markers are automatically turned on. You can
change the appearance of these markers in the Streamtrace Details dialog. See Section
15 - 1.4 “Timing Page” for details.

Specify the number of steps per cycle and the number of cycles in the fields provided on the Animate page
of the Streamtrace Details dialog.

Click the Play button to view the streamtrace animation on the screen , or click the filmstrip icon to export
the animation to a file. See Section 29 - 4 “Animation Export” on page 457.

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29 - 1.8 Zone Animation

To animate zones, select “Zones” from the Animate menu. From the Zone Animation Details dialog,
specify the animation mode, Start Zone, End Zone, and Zone Skip in the fields provided.

You can animate to a file or “On Screen”. (See also Section 29 - 4 “Animation Export”.)
Use the Mode drop-down menu to select one of the following two options:
• Step by Number - Animate all zones from the first zone to the last zone with a skip specified
in the Zone Skip field. A Zone Skip of 1 animates all zones.
• Group Step by Number - Animate zones in groups (as specified by the Group Size field). For
example, a Group Size of 2 will animate all zones in groups of 2 (i.e. zones 1 and 2, followed by
zones 3 and 4, and so on).
The following fields are also available:
• Starting zone - The first zone in the animation.
• Ending zone - The last zone in the animation.
• Zone Skip or Group Size - The label on this field changes depending on the setting of the
Mode drop-down menu, described previously. Decides the increment for switching zones (for
Step by Number) or the size of the zone group (for Group Step by Number).
• Animation Mode - Select whether to animate forward, backward, loop (forward, then back to
the beginning for another pass forward), or bounce (forward, then backward, then forward,
then backward...).
• Current Zone – Indicates the zone displayed. This may be edited to jump to a specific zone;
click Go to Zone after editing.
• Slider – The slider can be dragged to change the current step. The following buttons may also
be used.
• – Jumps to the first map.
• – Moves one step toward the first map.
• – Plays the animation as specified by the Animation direction field. The Play
button becomes a Pause button while the animation is playing.
• – Moves toward the last map.
• – Jumps to the last map.
Click the filmstrip icon to export the animation to a file. See Section 29 - 4 “Animation Export”
on page 457. Note that some of the settings in this dialog (such as direction and speed) do not
apply when exporting to a file. Instead, you may add these effects later using a video editor, if
desired.

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• Limit Animation Speed - Toggle-on to limit the animation speed to the value specified in the
text field.

The Animate Zones dialog is not available for transient datasets.

29 - 2 Movie File Creation with Macros

The Tecplot macro language expands the capabilities of the standard animation features. The macro
commands allow you to do anything you can do interactively—and more. You can also use loops to
repeatedly rotate 3D objects, cycle from one active zone to another, and so on, to create your movie. See
Chapter 26: “Macros” for further information about the Tecplot macro language.
A typical macro file for making movies has the following form:

#!MC 1410
... optional commands to set up the first image
$!EXPORTSETUP EXPORTFORMAT = AVI
$!EXPORTSETUP EXPORTFNAME = "[Link]"
$!EXPORTSTART
EXPORTREGION = CURRENTFRAME
$!LOOP 50
... commands to set up next image
$!REDRAWALL
$!EXPORTNEXTFRAME
$!ENDLOOP
$!EXPORTFINISH
For example, the following macro file can be used to animate zones:

#!MC 1410
## Set up Export file type and file name.
$!EXPORTSETUP EXPORTFORMAT = AVI
$!EXPORTSETUP EXPORTFNAME = "C:\temp\[Link]"
## Begin Animating
$!LOOP |NUMZONES|
## The |Loop| variable is equal to the current
## loop cycle number.
$!ACTIVEFIELDZONES = [|Loop|]
$!REDRAWALL
## This series of $!IF statements ensures
## that a new AVI file will be created when
## the macro is started.
$!IF |Loop| == 1
$!EXPORTSTART
EXPORTREGION = CURRENTFRAME
$!ENDIF
$!IF |Loop| != 1
$!EXPORTNEXTFRAME
$!ENDIF
$!ENDLOOP
$!EXPORTFINISH

29 - 3 Advanced Animation Techniques

29 - 3.1 Text Changes
There may be times when you want to include information in your animation which tells viewers about
the time step, current zones, or a mapping. There are two ways this can be done.

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Using Dynamic Text

The best way to do this is to add dynamic text to your text box. See Section 18 - 1.5 “Dynamic Text”.

Attaching Text to Zones

This method works best if you are animating zones. First, create several text strings in your data file, and
use the ZN= parameter to attach each text string to a zone or mapping. You should have a separate text
string for each zone that will be used in your animation. For example

ZONE T= "Temp. distribution, Distance = 0.5 m" I=51, J=51 F=POINT

.
.
.
list of variable values
.
.
.
TEXT X=70, Y=90, T= "Distance = 0.5 m", F=COURIER, CS=FRAME, H=2, ZN=1

ZONE T= "Temp. distribution, Distance = 1.0 m" I=51, J=51 F=POINT

.
.
.
list of variable values
.
.
.
TEXT X=70, Y=90, T= "Distance = 1.0 m", F=COURIER, CS=FRAME, H=2, ZN=2
You can also use Tecplot 360 EX's dynamic text feature (see Section 18 - 1.5 “Dynamic Text”) to insert a
zone name into your text strings. For example

ZONE T= "Distance= 1.0 m" I=51, J=51 F=POINT

.
.
.
list of variable values
.
.
.
TEXT X=70, Y=90, T= "&(ZONENAME:2)”, F=COURIER, CS=FRAME, H=2, ZN=2

29 - 3.2 Multiple Frame Animation

Synchronized animation of plots in multiple frames requires the use of a macro. Macros can use the
$!FRAMECONTROL commands to switch between each frame. The following template demonstrates how this
is done with a layout where each frame contains a similar plot:

#!MC 1410
##Set the number of images (movie frames) in the animation.
$!VARSET |NumCycles| = 10
$!EXPORTSETUP EXPORTFORMAT = RASTERMETAFILE
$!EXPORTSETUP EXPORTFNAME = "[Link]"
BITDUMPREGION = ALLFRAMES
.
Insert commands to set up first frame, if necessary.
.
## Outer loop
$!LOOP |NumCycles|
## Inner loop cycles through each frame in the current layout.

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 Animation Export

$!LOOP |NumFrames|
.
Insert commands to change the plot in the active frame.
.
## Push the top (active) frame to the back.
$!FrameControl MoveToBottomByNumber
## Activate new top frame
$!FrameControl ActivateTop
$!EndLoop
## This series of $!IF statements ensures
## that a new AVI file will be created when
## the macro is started.
$!IF |Loop| == 1
$!EXPORTSTART
EXPORTREGION = CURRENTFRAME
$!ENDIF
$!IF |Loop| != 1
$!EXPORTNEXTFRAME
$!ENDIF
$!ENDLOOP
$!EXPORTFINISH

29 - 4 Animation Export
When you choose to animate to a file in a dialog with animation options, the Export dialog appears.
Choose the desired export format from the menu at the top of the dialog, then set the options as desired.
Two different types of export formats are available:
• Movie formats (e.g. mpeg-4), which produce a single file for a given animation.
• Sequenced image formats (e.g. png etc.), which produce a sequence of static image files for a
given animation. See Section 29 - 4.6 “Sequenced Image Files”.
Most of the available formats share a set of similar options,
which are described here.
• Region - Select the region of the workspace to
animate.
• Current Frame - Captures only the active
frame.
• All Frames - Captures the smallest
rectangular area containing all frames.
• Work Area - Captures the workspace.
• Use Width of Image on Screen - Select this option
to generate an image file the same size as the
current plot on the screen. This option is required
if you use on-screen image rendering in the
Display Performance dialog. See Section 30 - 3
“Performance Dialog” for details.
• Enter Width - Select this option to specify a width
(in pixels) for the generated image. A larger width
increases the quality of your image. However, the
greater the width you specify, the longer it will
take to export the image and the larger the exported file. This option is not available if you
have chosen to use on-screen image rendering.
• Antialiasing - Select this option to smooth jagged edges in the image. The image is rendered at
a higher resolution than that at which it will eventually be displayed, then reduced in size.

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• Supersample Factor - Control the amount of antialiasing used in the image. The higher this
number, the larger the temporary image used for antialiasing will be, and the more time may
be required.
• Animation Speed (frames/sec) - Enter a value in the text field to set your animation’s speed in
frames per second.
The following sections describe any settings unique to specific formats, as well as providing additional
useful information about each format (references, viewers, etc.).
• AVI Files
• Flash Files
• MPEG-4 Files
• Raster Metafiles

Performance Tips
If exporting is taking an unusually long time, or you get an error message saying that the animation
cannot be exported, the most likely cause is that the width of the image you are trying to export is too
large. Choosing a smaller width may greatly speed up the export process. Note that antialiasing multiplies
the image’s width and height by the entered supersampling factor, so choosing a lower factor also speeds
up export.
For an export size of Length x Width, with a supersampling factor of SSF, the size of an uncompressed true
color frame is approximately Length x SSF x Width x SSF x 3. Memory requirements to export such a
frame can be up to twice this.

29 - 4.1 AVI Files

AVI format is an older video format for Windows platforms, and is widely compatible with Windows
applications. Below are some applications that can be used to view and/or edit AVI files:
• Windows Media Player - A standard movie viewer included with Windows distribution.
More information is available at [Link]
media.
• QuickTime - Included with Mac, Apple’s QuickTime can play AVI files and export them to
other formats as necessary.

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 Animation Export

• Xanim - A program for playing a wide variety of

video formats on Linux (and UNIX) systems with
X11. More information is available at http://
[Link].
• VideoLan Client (VLC) - Free player that
supports many video formats, including AVI, on
Windows, Mac, Linux, and several other
platforms. [Link]
• Adobe® Premier® - A powerful tool for
professional digital video editing. More
information is available at https://
[Link]/products/[Link].

AVI Export Options

The following options are unique to AVI files. For options
common to all supported export formats, see “Animation
Export” on page 457.
• Use Multiple Color Tables - Toggle-on to create
an AVI file with a separate color table each step
in the animation. If this check box is not selected, Tecplot 360 EX scans all steps in the
animation and creates one color table for the entire animation. Multiple color tables can
provide better image quality for the animation, but many applications display only the first
color table provided.

29 - 4.2 Flash Files

Adobe® Flash® is a popular tool for creating interactive Web content, including animations and movies.
The Flash product is not required to create Flash-format movies using Tecplot 360 EX, nor to view them.
Flash files have a filename extension of .swf and are therefore also widely referred to as SWF files.

Playback
• Flash movies can be played in several freely distributed Flash players. For example, Swiff
Player is a stand-alone player for Windows that enables Flash users to easily play their Flash
movies.
• You can play Flash movies using the QuickTime software included with Mac.
• There are several tools at [Link] that can help manage, browse, convert, and display
all kinds of Flash files on your computer.

Flash in PowerPoint
The easiest way to insert and SWF into Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentations is to download ShowRoom,
a Microsoft PowerPoint add-in that incorporates a free Flash player formerly called Swiff Point Player. It’s
from the same developer as the standalone Swiff Player described under Playback, above. (Some other
features of ShowRoom are not free of charge, but these need be paid for only if you want to use them.)
A secondary option is to play it in a PowerPoint presentation using a Microsoft ActiveX control and the
Macromedia Flash Player. To run the Flash file, you add an ActiveX control to the PowerPoint slide and
create a link from it to the Flash file. You also have the option of embedding the Flash file in the
presentation; see:
• [Link]
presentation-3b681b8e-6ca9-413f-b41a-eb748babc588

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Animation

Flash on the Web

Flash files can be inserted into Web documents using Web design tools such as Adobe® Dreamweaver®
(although this is only one such tool). You can also create Web documents by writing HTML directly in a
text editor.
Once inserted in a Web page, Flash movies play directly within your browser, assuming the Flash plug-in
is installed. (Most browsers on today’s desktop operating systems come with the Flash plug-in pre-
installed; if your browser did not, you can easily install it.) An outside media player is not needed to
launch the animation.

Flash Export Options

The following options are unique to Flash files. For
options common to all supported export formats, see
“Animation Export” on page 457.
• Image Type - Choose an image type. Your
options are:
• True Color - Select this option to create
twenty-four-bit images with lossless
(ZLIB) compression.
• JPEG - Select this option to create
twenty-four-bit images with lossy
compression. This produces smaller
files than True Color, and the images
will be of lower quality.
• 256 Colors - Select this option to reduce
each image to 256 colors and compress
it with ZLIB. This gives essentially the
same output as AVI.
• Optimize for Speed - For True Color or 256
Colors image types, select this option to create
the output as quickly as possible. This reduces
the compression level and results in larger
files. It does not affect playback speed.
• Optimize for File Size - For True Color or 256 Colors image types, select this option to
produce the smallest possible files. This setting does not affect playback speed.

29 - 4.3 MPEG-4 Files

MPEG-4 is the modern ISO standard for video playback. MPEG-4 files can be played by a wide variety of
computer software, portable devices, and set-top boxes. We suggest:
• QuickTime - Included with Mac, Apple’s QuickTime can play MPEG-4 files and export them
to other formats as necessary.
• Windows Media Player - A standard movie viewer included with Windows distribution.
More information is available at [Link]
media.
• VideoLan Client (VLC) - Free player that supports many video formats, including MPEG-4,
on Windows, Mac, Linux, and several other platforms. [Link]
MPEG-4 export does not have any options besides the ones that apply to all animation export formats; see
“Animation Export” on page 457.

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29 - 4.4 Windows Media (WMV) Files

Windows Media Video (WMV) files are widely supported by Windows applications, including Windows
Media Player and Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, etc.). They may also be played on Macintosh computers
using Microsoft’s free Windows Media Components for QuickTime.
• Windows Media Components for QuickTime
[Link]
WMV export does not have any options besides the ones that apply to all animation export formats; see
“Animation Export” on page 457.

29 - 4.5 Raster Metafiles

Raster Metafile is a NASA-defined standard format for
storing bitmap images and may contain one or more
images, allowing it to be used for animations. The format
is defined in the following reference:
Taylor, N., Everton, E., Randall, D., Gates, R., and
Skeens, K., NASA TM 102588, Raster Metafile and Ras-
ter Metafile Translator. Central Scientific Computing
Complex Document G-14, NASA Langley Research
Center, Hampton, VA. September, 1989.

Raster Metafiles support only 256-color images (Tecplot

360 EX selects the best colors). Plots with many colors
may have poor results when exported as Raster Metafiles
when compared to exports as true-color formats. Using
Raster Metafiles for animations with transparency or
smooth color gradients may result in poor image quality.
When you select Raster Metafile in the Export dialog, you
have the following additional options:
• Use Multiple Color Tables - Select this check
box to create a Raster Metafile with a separate
color table each step in the animation. If this check box is not selected, Tecplot 360 EX scans all
steps in the animation and creates one color table for the entire animation. Multiple color tables
can provide better per-step image quality for the animation, but may result in flicker during
playback.

29 - 4.6 Sequenced Image Files

With sequenced image formats, Tecplot will produce separate image files (e.g. png, tiff, etc.) with a
sequence number appended to the body of the filename. For example, if you specify to output to
“[Link]”, the following files will be generated:
mymovie_000001.png

mymovie_000002.png

... and so on.

Note that every time an animation is exported with sequenced image files the files will be numbered
starting at 1 and incrementing by 1. Even if you are doing something like a J-Planes animation and are
starting at a J-Plane other than 1.

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The following image file formats are available when generating animations: BMP, JPEG, PNG, and TIFF.
All settings for these formats when making animations is the same as are available when exporting a
single image (via the File/Export dialog). See the corresponding section for each format:
BMP: Section 25 - 3.2 “BMP Export”.
JPEG: Section 25 - 3.3 “JPEG Export”.
PNG: Section 25 - 3.4 “PNG Export”.
TIFF: Section 25 - 3.5 “TIFF Export”.

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 30

Customization

This chapter discusses how custom files are loaded on startup, how to manually open those files via the
command line, the customizations that can be made by editing the Tecplot 360 EX configuration file, and
customizations that can be made using the Options menu.

30 - 1 Custom Files loaded on Startup

On startup, Tecplot 360 EX will load certain configuration files. These files are editable and can be placed
in different locations depending on preference. The different files types are as follows:
• [Link] (See “Add-on Loading” on page 475.)
• [Link] (See “Configuration Files” on page 464.)
• [Link] (See “Custom Character and Symbol Definition” on page 471.)
• [Link] (See “Quick Macro Panel” on page 424.)
• tecplot_latex.mcr (See “LaTeX Expressions” on page 285.)
• variable_aliases.txt (See “Creating and Using a Variable Alias File” on page 74.)
When Tecplot 360 EX first launches, it looks for the above tecplot* files in the following locations, in the
order listed below. Tecplot* specifies any of the above filenames.
• The file tecplot* specified on the command line. (See Section 30 - 1.1 “Loading custom files via
the Command Line”.)
• The file tecplot* in the current working directory.
• The file tecplot* in your home directory when using -h flag on the command to set the home
directory.
• The file tecplot* in the Users home directory. On Mac and Linux, the tecplot* file must be
preceded by a period in the users home directory. For example, .[Link].
• The file tecplot* in the Tecplot 360 EX installation directory.
The first file found in the above search order is used; others are ignored even if they exist. To see what
tecplot* files are being loaded, in 360 go to Help->About Tecplot 360 EX (on Mac, Tecplot 360 EX->About
Tecplot 360 EX) and look for the files in the Runtime environment.

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Customization

30 - 1.1 Loading custom files via the Command Line

You can specify a different custom file by adding an option flag in front of the custom file name to the
command line when launching Tecplot 360 EX.
The following command starts Tecplot 360 EX and installs the custom file specified at startup.
tec360 -flag tecplot*
Where -flag is the flag of the certain file you want to load. Refer to the table below for the correct flag to be
used.

-addonfile filename Supply a custom list of addons via the [Link] file.

-c cfgfile Use cfgfile for the configuration instead of the default configuration file, [Link].

-f fontfile Use fontfile instead of the default font file, [Link].

-p scriptfile Use scriptfile like tecplot_latex.mcr instead of the default, tecplot_latex.mcr.

Place the macro functions in quickpanelfile in the Quick Macro Panel, instead of
-qm quickpanelfile
using the macros from the default file, [Link].

To see an example of any of these files, open the file in the your Tecplot 360 EX installation.

30 - 2 Configuration Files
A Tecplot 360 EX configuration file is a special type of macro file that Tecplot 360 EX reads on start up. Use
customized configuration files to override any or all of Tecplot 360 EX’s factory default settings.

You can create a configuration file from scratch using any plain text editor, or by editing
a copy of an existing configuration file.

A configuration file should include only those options for which you want to override
defaults.

See Section 30 - 1 “Custom Files loaded on Startup” for information on how it is loaded.

30 - 2.1 Editing Configuration File

You are not limited to merely customizing those settings that appear in an existing configuration file. Most
settings that can be modified by the $!Field, $!LineMap, or $!Interface macro commands can be changed
in the configuration file directly. The $!LIMITS macro command can be used in the configuration file only.
The simplest way to do this is to create a layout or macro with the settings you want, then copy and paste
the appropriate commands into your configuration file. See the Scripting Guide for complete details on
macro commands.

SetValue Commands
SetValue Commands are macro commands used to specify the value of a given plot attribute. You may
add SetValue commands to your [Link] file to override any of Tecplot 360 EX’s default settings. For
example, suppose you want your 2D axes to appear cyan. You can add this preference to your
configuration file as follows:

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 Configuration Files

1. Using the Tecplot 360 EX interface, create a 2D plot with cyan axes while either recording your
steps as a macro, or else save the resulting plot as a Tecplot layout.
2. Edit the resulting macro or layout, scanning for the lines that set the 2D axis colors. The
following example shows the commands that specify the X- and Y-axis details in a layout of a
2D plot with cyan axes:

$!TWODAXIS XDETAIL{RANGEMIN = -3}

$!TWODAXIS XDETAIL{RANGEMAX = 15}
$!TWODAXIS XDETAIL{GRIDLINES{SHOW=YES}}
$!TWODAXIS XDETAIL{AUTOGRID=NO}
$!TWODAXIS XDETAIL{GRSPACING = 5}
$!TWODAXIS XDETAIL{GRIDLINES{COLOR = CYAN}}
$!TWODAXIS YDETAIL{GRIDLINES{SHOW = YES}}
$!TWODAXIS YDETAIL{GRIDLINES{COLOR = CYAN}}
3. Discard everything but the lines that actually set the color:

$!TWODAXIS XDETAIL{GRIDLINES{COLOR = CYAN}}

$!TWODAXIS YDETAIL{GRIDLINES{COLOR = CYAN}}
4. Paste the resulting lines into your configuration file.

Plot Default Setting - FIELDMAP and LINEMAP

A single $!FIELDMAP command can be included to set plot defaults. The zone cannot be specified in the
configuration file, and the command is not effective for values set dynamically by Tecplot 360 EX, such as
Mesh Color. In the example below, the default contour type is Flood, scatter symbol shape is Delta, and
scatter size is 1.8.

$!FIELDMAP CONTOUR{CONTOURTYPE = FLOOD}

$!FIELDLAYERS SHOWSCATTER = YES
$!FIELDMAP SCATTER{SYMBOLSHAPE{GEOMSHAPE = DEL}}
$!FIELDMAP SCATTER{FRAMESIZE = 1.8}
In the same way as above, a single $!LINEMAP command can be added for line mapping defaults. In the
example below, XY and Polar Line mappings will have a dashed line pattern, and symbols will be filled
circles.

$!LINEMAP LINES{LINEPATTERN = DASHED}

$!LINEPLOTLAYERS SHOWSYMBOLS = YES
$!LINEMAP SYMBOLS{SYMBOLSHAPE{GEOMSHAPE = CIRCLE}}
$!LINEMAP SYMBOLS{FILLMODE = USELINECOLOR}

Override Automatic View>Fit

When loading a 3D plot, Tecplot 360 EX automatically fits the plot to the frame. To revert to the old Tecplot
360 EX behavior, which used a fixed zoom factor, remove the # from the following line in your [Link]
file:

#$!FrameSetup Initial3DScale = 0.7

Interface Configuration
The many members of the $!INTERFACE macro help you configure Tecplot 360 EX’s user interface and
graphics drawing capabilities. Although some of these commands can be executed in any macro, the best

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place to put these is in the Tecplot 360 EX configuration file: [Link]. Below are a few examples. Refer to
the Scripting Guide for a complete listing.

General Interface Configuration Options

$!INTERFACE followed by:
• MOUSEACTIONS {MIDDLEBUTTON {SIMPLEDRAG=ZOOMDATA}} - Specify the action of the middle mouse
button click and drag. Several other options for the middle and right mouse buttons are listed
in the Scripting Guide. These commands can only be executed in the Tecplot 360 EX
configuration file.
• USESTROKEFONTSONSCREEN = (YES, NO) - If set to YES, all text drawn in the work area will be drawn
using Tecplot 360 EX's internal stroke fonts. If set to NO, the native True Type fonts will be used
instead.
• USESTROKEFONTSFOR3DTEXT = (YES, NO) - If set to YES, all 3D text drawn in the work area will be
drawn using Tecplot 360 EX's internal stroke fonts. 3D text consists of ASCII scatter symbols
and node and cell labels when the active plot type is 3D Cartesian. For 3D text, this setting
overrides the setting of USESTROKEFONTSONSCREEN. If set to NO, TrueType fonts will be used instead.

OpenGL-Specific Configuration Options

Several options are available to further tune Tecplot 360 EX to operate with the OpenGL capabilities of
your platform. To assign values to these parameters you must use the $!INTERFACE OPENGLCONFIG command.
A complete list of these options is given in the Scripting Guide.
$!INTERFACE OPENGLCONFIG followed by:
• {ALLOWHWACCELERATION = (YES, NO)} - In some cases, bugs in OpenGL drivers cause problems in
Tecplot 360 EX. In these situations, Tecplot 360 EX will typically behave better if this options is
set to NO. However, Tecplot 360 EX will also be slower.
• {SCREENRENDERING {DOEXTRADRAWFORLASTPIXEL = (YES, NO)}} - Some OpenGL implementations
use an optimization for line drawing that omits the last pixel in the line. Set this to YES to
change all line drawing to force the last pixel to be drawn. This setting applies only to drawing
on the screen.
• {SCREENRENDERING {STIPPLEALLLINES = (ALL, CRITICAL, NONE)}} - Set to ALL to make all lines
drawn using stippling. Set to CRITICAL to use stippling for stroke and user-defined fonts. Set to
NONE to disable stippling. This setting applies only to drawing on the screen.
• {SCREENRENDERING {MAXMULTISAMPLES = <integer>} - Specifies the number of multisamples to be
used for antialiasing displayed images. The default is 4. A value of 0 may be used for faster
rendering (with some roughness in the display). Higher values may be used at some cost in
performance.
• {IMAGERENDERING {DOEXTRADRAWFORLASTPIXEL = (YES, NO)}} - Some OpenGL implementations use
an optimization for line drawing that omits the last pixel in the line. Set this to YES to change all
line drawing to force the last pixel to be drawn. This setting applies only to exporting images
from Tecplot 360 EX.
• {IMAGERENDERING {STIPPLEALLLINES = (ALL, CRITICAL, NONE)}} - Set to ALL to make all lines
drawn using stippling. Set to CRITICAL to use stippling for stroke and user-defined fonts. Set to
NONE to disable stippling. This setting applies to exporting images from Tecplot 360 EX.
• {IMAGERENDERING {MAXMULTISAMPLES = <integer>} - Specifies the number of multisamples to be
used for antialiasing exported images. The default is 0. A higher value, such as 4, may be used
to smooth exported images at some cost in performance.
• {PRETRANSLATEDATA = (AUTO, ON, OFF)} - Applies a translation to data before sending it to
OpenGL for rendering, reducing jitter when data is far from the origin but has small

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differences between data points. The default is AUTO, which applies the translation
automatically when appropriate.

30 - 2.2 Default Temporary Directory

Tecplot 360 EX writes out a number of temporary files. To tell Tecplot 360 EX where to place these files, put
the following macro command in the [Link] file:

$!FILECONFIG TEMPFILEPATH = "tempfilepath"

where tempfilepath is the new path. The default path is system dependent.

30 - 3 Performance Dialog
Use the Rendering Settings page of the Performance dialog (accessed via the Options menu) to adjust the
Plot Approximation, Graphics Cache, and Image Export Options. Use the Miscellaneous Settings page of
the Performance dialog (accessed via the Options menu) to adjust Data I/O, Load On Demand, Variable
Derivation, and Status Information.

30 - 3.1 Rendering Settings

The Rendering page of the Performance dialog has the following options:

• Auto Redraw - When selected, Tecplot 360 EX will automatically redraw the plot whenever
style or data changes. Some users prefer to turn this option off while changing multiple style
settings, and then manually pressing Tecplot 360 EX's [Redraw]button on the Plot sidebar to
see the full plot.

Auto-redraw can be interrupted with a mouse click or key press.

Plot Approximation
• Approximate Plots for Better Speed - An approximate plot may be used when manipulating
the plot to improve interactive performance. This feature is most useful on older, slower

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Customization

hardware and defaults to off. Approximate plots may also be used for non-active frames. The
degree of detail of the approximation is controlled by the following settings:
• Automatic - When the time to render (in seconds) is above the set threshold, Tecplot 360
EX will render the approximate plot for style, data, and interactive view changes,
followed immediately by the full plot. This option provides for good interactive
performance with the final plot always displayed in the full representation.
• Non-Active Frames Always Approximated - When only one frame exists, this option is
equivalent to automatic mode. If more than one frame exists, the active frame is set to
automatic mode while the other frames are approximated.
• All Frames Always Approximated - When the number of data points is above the point
threshold, Tecplot 360 EX will render the approximate plot in any frame. To see the full
representation press the [Redraw] button on the Plot sidebar.
• Approximate Frames when Time (in seconds) to Render is Above - Use this value to
determine when to automatically turn on plot approximation for all frames. All frames will be
approximated when the time to render the plot (all frames) while doing interactive view
changes (rotation, translation, scaling) is greater than the supplied value. This setting does not
apply when using the “All Frames Always Approximated” mode.
• Approximate Plot as % of Full Plot - This value controls the percentage of geometric detail
represented by the approximate plot. The larger the percentage the more closely the
approximation represents the original plot. However, the interactive performance is reduced.
This number should be adjusted until there is a balance between good interactive performance
and sufficient detail. Typically, the percentage should be set to be less than or equal to 50. If
values larger than 50% are needed to provide sufficient detail, consider not using approximate
plots.

Graphics Cache
Tecplot 360 EX uses OpenGL to render plots. OpenGL provides the ability to cache graphic instructions for
rendering and can re-render the cached graphics much faster. This is particularly true for interactive
manipulation of a plot. However, this performance potential comes at the cost of using more memory. If
the memory need is too high, the overall performance could be less.
Use one of the following Graphics Cache modes to optimize your computer’s performance:
• Cache All Graphics - When selected, Tecplot 360 EX assumes that there is enough memory to
generate the graphics cache. If this is valid, Tecplot 360 EX's rendering performance will be
optimal for interactive manipulation of plots.
• Cache Only Lightweight Graphics Objects - Lightweight objects include approximate plots
and some other minor items, but do not include full plots. This is a good setting for memory
constrained problems. Consider using this option in conjunction with the “Plot
Approximation” mode set to “All Frames Always Approximated”.
• Do Not Cache Graphics - Consider using this option when memory is very limited. If you
intend to interact with the plot, also consider setting the “Plot Approximation” mode set to
“All Frames Always Approximated”.

In order to optimize animation, graphics caching is temporarily disabled during

animations that include zones, line mappings, time, or blanking elements. Graphics
caching is not altered during animations that include slices, streamtraces, or iso-
surfaces.

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 Performance Dialog

High Quality Font Usage

Tecplot 360 EX supports high quality TrueType fonts and can use any TrueType font installed on your
system. (See Section 18 - 1.2 “Font Folders and Fallback” for more information on how fonts work with
Tecplot 360 EX.)
Tecplot 360 EX has three high quality font modes:
• When Possible (Default setting for Windows) - Tecplot 360 EX uses available TrueType fonts
for any size text. This produces the best rendering quality; however, performance is slower for
large amounts of text.
• For Large Characters Only - Tecplot 360 EX uses the TrueType fonts for large characters only.
Small characters will use Tecplot 360 EX's built-in stroke fonts. This is a good blend of quality
and performance. However, small characters may not have the same appearance as large
characters.
• Never - Tecplot 360 EX never uses TrueType fonts.

Image Export Options

Some graphics card’s hardware does not support off-screen rendering (needed for exporting images). In
addition, most graphic hardware is slower at producing images off-screen than on-screen.
To accommodate a variety of graphic hardware Tecplot 360 EX provides two image export modes:
• Safe (Render Image Off-Screen) - (Default) Tecplot 360 EX will render all exported images
off-screen. This allows images to be created that are not bound by the physical size and state of
the Tecplot 360 EX drawing area.
• Fast (Use On-Screen Image) - Tecplot 360 EX will grab the pixels from the physical Tecplot 360
EX drawing area. Any rendering damage, such as occluding windows or partially drawn
images will become part of the exported image. In addition, the image size is bound by the
physical size of the Tecplot 360 EX drawing area.

Best Practices For Rendering Performance

The factory settings in the Performance dialog are designed for moderately-sized data and occasionally
may need to be adjusted to optimize Tecplot 360 EX's rendering performance. For example, if you are
doing a lot of interactive work with your data, you may wish to turn on Plot Approximation to make these
operations more responsive. If you do not have much spare memory, you may wish to turn off the
Graphics Cache, or set it to “Cache only Lightweight Graphics Objects.”

The size of the data isn’t the only factor when rendering in Tecplot 360 EX. If your plot
includes slices or iso-surfaces, you may also need to adjust your plot approximation
mode and graphics cache settings.

If you are using Plot Approximation, adjust the “Approximate Plot as % of Full Plot” value to give an
acceptable balance between interactive performance and plot detail.

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30 - 3.2 Miscellaneous Settings

The Miscellaneous page of the Performance dialog has the following functions:

Data I/O
• Use Memory Mapped I/O - When toggled-on, Tecplot 360 EX will use system level memory
mapping functions to map Tecplot 360 EX variables directly over block data in a binary data
file or layout package file. Doing this at the system level generally provides the best available
performance for loading the data.
The advantage of mapping variable data is that Tecplot 360 EX will only load the variable
when it is needed, not when initially opening the file (but see also Load On Demand in this
dialog). In addition, the mapped variable data can be shared between other Tecplot 360 EX
sessions running on the same machine, saving memory. Memory mapped I/O is most useful
when there are a large number of data points to load from a file and they are not all being used
by Tecplot 360 EX at the same time. Only variable data that is in a binary block format (the
default for .plt files generated by Tecplot 360 EX) can be memory mapped.

Load On Demand
With load-on-demand activated, Tecplot 360 EX generates plots faster and using less memory by only
loading data that is needed for the plot. If changes to the plot style require additional variables to be
loaded, Tecplot 360 EX will automatically load them, and if necessary, unload variables that are no longer
used. Tecplot 360 EX's ability to automatically load and unload variables on demand allows you to
examine data that is much larger than the physical or virtual memory of your computer.

This setting does not affect reading data in Tecplot Subzone (.szplt) format, also known
as SZL. SZL data is always loaded on demand, and in the smallest possible amount,
which may be less than a full zone’s worth of a variable.

For large datasets, only the zones and variables currently in use will be loaded. However, for small
datasets, some other zones and variables may be loaded for you (based on the Memory Threshold).
• Unload Strategy - Specifies how to manage unloading variables and other load-on-demand
resources.

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 Custom Character and Symbol Definition

• Auto Unload - This strategy attempts to keep Tecplot 360 EX's memory use within the
defined Min and Max Memory Thresholds. Tecplot 360 EX uses these values to
determine when and how much it should unload This is the best option for exploring
data as Tecplot 360 EX only unloads if and when the memory threshold has been
exceeded; if the threshold is not exceeded, data loaded on-demand remains available in
memory if you need it again.
• Minimize Memory Use - This strategy is used if more aggressive unloading of variables
and other load-on-demand resources is required. This option is best suited for
animating through a very large number of time steps, where each time step consumes
a significant part of the computer's available physical and virtual memory.
• Never Unload - This strategy disables the unloading capability of load-on-demand
while still preserving the ability to load variables on demand.

Most users should select either the “Auto Unload” or “Minimize Memory Use” options.

• Memory Threshold (%) [Auto Unload ONLY] - When Tecplot 360 EX uses at least the
maximum percentage of the available physical and virtual memory, it will attempt to unload
variables and other load-on-demand resources until the available physical and virtual memory
is at or below the specified minimum percentage.

Variable Derivation
When Tecplot 360 EX needs to create a nodal variable from a cell centered variable, it uses a prescribed
derivation method. Tecplot 360 EX provides two such derivation methods: fast and accurate.
• Fast (Linear) - When selected, Tecplot 360 EX uses simple averaging to derive a nodal variable
from a cell centered one.
• Accurate (Laplacian) - When selected, Tecplot 360 EX uses Laplacian interpolation to derive a
nodal variable from a cell centered variable.

Status Information
Use the following controls in the Status Line region of the Performance dialog to customize what is
displayed in the status line:
• Show Status Line - Turn this preference on/off to control the display of status messages.

If you are remotely displaying Tecplot 360 EX on an X terminal, updating the status line
can slow down processing. If this is the case, turn off the Show Status Line control.

• Show Continuous State Messages - Turn on this control to receive context-sensitive

commentary in the status line.
• Show Continuous Running Coordinates - Turn on this control to display the
coordinates of your mouse cursor in the status line.
• Show Tool Tips - Use this option to turn tool tips on or off.

30 - 4 Custom Character and Symbol Definition

Generally, you will use TrueType fonts for displaying text on your screen and for printing. However, you
can configure Tecplot 360 EX to use stroke fonts instead using the settings on the Rendering page of the

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Performance dialog (see “High Quality Font Usage” on page 469) or adding the USESTROKEFONTSONSCREEN
and USESTROKEFONTSFOR3DTETXT macro commands to your configuration file (see “General Interface
Configuration Options” on page 466). Stroke fonts define characters to be displayed on the screen using a
set of straight lines (called strokes, naturally). Stroke fonts, if enabled, are also used in exported images
(however, vector printing and file formats may use TrueType or PostScript fonts).
The stroke fonts are faster to draw than TrueType fonts, which can be important if you create plots with a
lot of complex text. Another advantage of the stroke fonts is that you can redefine or modify the strokes
that make up the characters, as they are stored in a plain text file called [Link], which can be modified
using an editor. For information on how to load a custom font file, see Section 30 - 1 “Custom Files loaded
on Startup”.
The Font File is structured as follows:

#!FF 4
CharCellHeight
Stroke command set for Helvetica Font
Stroke command set for Greek Font
Stroke command set for Math Font
Stroke command set for User-Defined Font
Stroke command set for Times Font
Stroke command set for Times Italic Font
Stroke command set for Courier Font
The file type and version are on the first line (“FF” refers to Font File). CharCellHeight is the interline
spacing (the height of a capital M plus some vertical space) in the units of a two-dimensional coordinate
system used to define the stroke-font characters. The baseline of the characters is at zero. Before Tecplot
360 EX uses the character definitions, they are normalized by the character cell height.
Following the character cell height, there are seven sets of stroke commands, one set for each font as
shown above. Each stroke command set consists of definitions for the characters in the font. Each font has
a base set of 96 characters (character indices 32 to 127). Some fonts also include an extended set of
characters (character indices 160 to 255). The extended characters are needed to complete the character sets
for most of the common European languages.
All seven stroke command sets must be present, and each must have at least one character defined. Each
stroke command set begins with the definition for a space (character index 32). After that, characters
within a stroke command set may be defined in any order. If a character is not defined in the Font File, it is
drawn as a blank.
Each character in a stroke command set is defined as follows:

CharIndex NumCommands CharWidth

Command1
Command2
Command3
.
.
.
CommandNumCommands
CharIndex is the character index that ranges from 32 to 127 and 160 to 255 for each font (see Table 18 - 2 for
the matching of the character index to the English, Greek, Math, and standard User-Defined font
characters). NumCommands is the number of stroke commands defining the character that follows.
CharWidth is the character width, which determines the spacing of the characters.
A command may be in one of the following forms:

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 Custom Character and Symbol Definition

• m x y.
• d x y.
• mr dx dy.
• dr dx dy.
Where:
• A command that begins with an m is a move command.
• A command that begins with a d is a draw command.
• Commands mr and dr are relative move and relative draw commands.
• The x and y are the absolute coordinates within the character cell.
• The dx and dy are the relative coordinates with respect to the previous location (increments
from the position attained by the previous command).
• All coordinates are specified as integers.
Figure 30-2 shows an example of a character cell and the commands used to define the lowercase letter
“y”. The height of the character cell is 48.

Figure 30-2. Defining a user-defined character.

Figure 30-3 shows a symbol being defined. Symbols should generally be centered about (0, 0) so that they
are drawn centered on the point they mark (an exception might be an arrow symbol or similar, where you
want the arrow’s tip to indicate the marked point). The font file included with Tecplot 360 EX contains
many User-Defined font stroke commands. Most of these are for creating extra plotting symbols,

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Customization

accessible when you use the Symbol Type “Other”, enter an ASCII character, and specify the User-Defined
font.

Figure 30-3. Defining a user-defined plotting symbol.

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 31

Add-ons

Add-ons are a way to extend the basic functionality of Tecplot 360 EX. They are executable modules
designed to perform specific tasks. A number of add-ons are available that load data in a variety of
formats, allow advanced editing, or extend Tecplot 360 EX’s capabilities.
Add-ons are external programs that attach themselves to Tecplot 360 EX and are accessed through the
Tecplot 360 EX interface. When Tecplot 360 EX launches, it goes through various initialization phases,
including the processing of the [Link] file, the loading of the Tecplot 360 EX stroke font file ([Link]),
and the initialization of the graphics. After completing this, Tecplot 360 EX looks for add-ons.

31 - 1 Add-on Loading
You can load add-ons by several different methods: using the Drag-and-Drop Method, editing the
[Link] File, using the Specifying Add-Ons on the Command Line, or by Specifying a Secondary Add-
On Load File.

Add-ons created for versions of Tecplot 360 EX prior to Tecplot 360 EX 2014 R1 will not
work with Tecplot 360 EX 2019 R1.

31 - 1.1 Drag-and-Drop Method

The easiest method for loading an add-on for a single use is the drag-and-drop method. This method loads
the add-on for the current session of Tecplot 360 EX (rather than every subsequent launch of Tecplot 360
EX).
To use this method, find the library file of the add-on you wish to load in the bin subdirectory of your
Tecplot 360 EX installation. Select the library, and, while holding down the mouse button, drag the library
into the Tecplot 360 EX window. Then release the mouse button to “drop” the add-on into Tecplot 360 EX.
The add-on will be loaded and made available immediately.
This action will load the add-on only for the rest of the current Tecplot 360 EX session. The next time you
close and reopen Tecplot 360 EX, you will need to load the add-on again if you wish to in the new session.

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31 - 1.2 [Link] File

Every time Tecplot 360 EX launches, it reads a file called [Link] from the Tecplot 360 EX home
directory and loads all add-ons indicated in that [Link] file.
The [Link] file contains multiple $!LoadAddOn commands that load add-ons into Tecplot 360 EX. This
special macro file accepts only $!LoadAddOn macro commands, which require this syntax:

$!LoadAddOn "libname"
In this example, libname represents the name of an add-on’s shared object library file. The libname must be
enclosed in quotes.
To unload an add-on (that is, to prevent Tecplot 360 EX from loading that add-on when launching),
comment out the appropriate line in [Link] by adding a pound (“#”) symbol in front of the load
command. For example, the pound (“#”) symbol at the beginning of the following line will prevent the
Auxiliary Data Editor add-on (libname “tecutiltools_editauxdata”) from loading:

# $!LoadAddOn "tecutiltools_editauxdata"
To load an add-on that does not load automatically, remove the pound (“#”) symbol from in front of the
$!LoadAddOn command that includes the libname of the add-on you wish to load. If the [Link] file does
not list the libname of the add-on you wish to load, add a $!LoadAddOn command followed by the libname
of that add-on.
For information on loading the [Link] file, see Section 30 - 1 “Custom Files loaded on Startup”.

Libname
Special rules govern how the libname name is specified in the [Link] file. In all cases, the filename
extension is omitted. If you assign libname to the basename of the shared object library, then Tecplot 360 EX
will do the following:
• Linux - The shared library to load will come from the file specified by: Install-Directory/lib/
lib+[Link].
• Windows - Tecplot 360 EX will search for the add-on [Link] in the following directories
(in this order):
• The directory where the Tecplot 360 EX executable resides.
• The Windows system directories.
• The directories in your PATH environment variable.
When using V7ActiveX style add-on libraries on Windows, Tecplot 360 EX connects to the add-
on via the libname entry in the registry.
If an absolute path name is used in libname, then on Windows platforms, .dll is appended and on Linux
platforms, .so is appended.

31 - 1.3 Specifying Add-Ons on the Command Line

You can also instruct Tecplot 360 EX to load a particular add-on by using the command line. The following
flags are available:

-loadaddon libname
where:
libname - The full name (including path and extension) of an add-
on

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 Add-ons included in the Tecplot 360 EX distribution

You may specify the -loadaddon flag as many times as you want in a single invocation of Tecplot 360 EX to
load more than one add-on.
If your add-on is named with the proper suffix for your platform (.dll for Windows, .so for Linux) you can
simply name the add-on on the command line without using the -loadaddon flag.
After add-ons are loaded, Tecplot 360 EX re-processes all command line arguments not processed earlier
(for graphics and add-on initialization). This allows a data loader add-on to be used to load data specified
on the command line.

31 - 1.4 Specifying a Secondary Add-On Load File

You may also instruct Tecplot 360 EX to load a different list of add-ons by naming a second add-on load
file using one of the following methods:
• Include -addonfile addonfilename on the command line.
• Set the environment variable TECADDONFILE.
Both of these methods tell Tecplot 360 EX the name of an additional add-on load file to process. This
secondary file will be processed after the main [Link] file.

31 - 2 Add-ons included in the Tecplot 360 EX distribution

The following add-ons load automatically when you launch Tecplot 360 EX:
• Data file loaders or converters. These are all named with a tecutildataio prefix.
• tecutildataio_plot3d - A PLOT3D data loader
• tecutildataio_loadss - A spreadsheet file data loader
• tecutildataio_loaddxf - A Data eXchange Format (DXF) data loader
• tecutildataio_loadgen - A general text file loader
• tecutildataio_loadhdf - A Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) data loader
• tecutildataio_h5load - An HDF5 data loader
• tecutildataio_loaddem - A Digital Elevation Map (DEM) data loader
• tecutildataio_loadcgns - A CFD General Notation System (CGNS) data loader
• tecutildataio_fluent - A FLUENT data loader for .cas and .dat files, as well as
compressed .[Link] and .[Link] files (versions 5 to 6.3)
• tecutildataio_loadensight - An EnSight Gold data loader
• tecutildataio_loadflow3d - A FLOW3D data loader
• tecutildataio_loadply - A PLY (polygon) data loader
• tecutildataio_loadkiva - A KIVA data loader
• tecutildataio_loadfea - A FEA (Finite Element Analysis) data loader
These loaders show up in the Load Data dialog. See Chapter 4: “Loading Data” for information
on working with each data loader.
Your Tecplot 360 EX installation includes the additional add-ons listed following (alphabetically) and
described in Section 31 - 3 “Working with Add-ons”. Some of these load automatically with your
installation; others require you to load the add-on by uncommenting the appropriate line from your
[Link] file (located in your Tecplot 360 EX home directory), or by any of the other methods described in
Section 31 - 1 “Add-on Loading”.
• Advanced Quick Edit
• Auxiliary Data Editor
• CFD Analyzer (see Chapter 21: “CFD Data Analysis”)

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Add-ons

• Create Multiple Frames

• Extend Macro
• Extend Time Macro
• Extract Over Time
• Key Frame Animator
• Measure Distance
• Multi-Frame 3D
• Solution Time and Strand Editor
• Solution Time and Strand Editor
• Tensor Eigensystem
• Time Series
• Write Data as Formatted Text

31 - 3 Working with Add-ons

The default Tecplot 360 EX installation includes the add-ons discussed in this section. To load or unload
them, use the methods described in Section 31 - 1 “Add-on Loading”.

31 - 3.1 Advanced Quick Edit

The Advanced Quick Edit add-on, with the libname tecutiltools_advqet, loads automatically, and causes the
“Advanced Quick Edit Tool” to appear in the Tools menu. This add-on allows you to make rapid changes
to text and geometries selected in the active frame. It also allows additional editing operations that the
standard Quick Edit dialog (accessible from the Plot sidebar) does not support.
To unload this add-on, comment out the line in your [Link] File (located in your home directory) that
loads the advqet library by adding a “#” symbol at the beginning of the line with the text $!LoadAddon
“tecutiltools_advqet”.

To use this add-on, select “Advanced Quick Edit Tool” in the Tools menu to open the Advanced Quick
Edit Tool dialog.
Controls in the Advanced Quick Edit Tool dialog are active only when you have one or more text and/or
geometries selected. Some controls are specific to either text or geometries, while others apply to both. If
the selected objects are a mix of text and geometries, the controls that apply only to geometries will affect
the specific geometries you have selected. Similarly, controls that apply specifically to text will only affect
text, even if the selected objects are a mix of text and geometries.

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The Advanced Quick Edit Tool dialog includes the following options:
• Geometry Coordinate System - Change selected geometries
to the Frame or Grid coordinate system by selecting the
appropriate button in the Coord Sys/Char Height region of the
dialog. Changing the coordinate system in this dialog will
modify each geometry's anchor position and size so that it
appears visually unchanged in your plot.
• Text Coordinate System and Character Height Units -
Change the position coordinate system and character height
units of all selected text by selecting the appropriate button in
the Coord Sys/Char Height region of the dialog. There are four
valid combinations: [Frame/Frame], [Frame/Point], [Grid/
Grid], and [Grid/Frame]. Changing a coordinate system in this
dialog will modify each text object's anchor position and
character height so that it appears visually unchanged in your
plot.
• Text Box Margin - Change the text box margin of all selected
text with the [Text Box Margin] button.
• Text Line Spacing - Change the line spacing of all selected
text by using the [Text Line Spacing] button.
• Text Anchor Location - Change the text anchor location for all
selected text by selecting one of the nine possible anchor
points from the button grid located in the Text Anchor Location region of the dialog.
• Text and Geometry Scope - Change the scope of all selected text and geometries by selecting
either [Local] or [Global] scope. Objects with local scope appear only in the frame in which
they were originally created. If the objects are defined as having global scope they will appear
in all “like” frames, that is, those frames using the same data set as the one in which the objects
were originally created.
• Text and Geometry Zone or Map Attachment - Change the zone or map with which the
selected text or geometries are associated by selecting Zone Attachment [Select]. This calls up
the Attachment Selection dialog. The Attachment Selection dialog lists zone names or
numbers when Tecplot 360 EX is in the 2D or 3D Cartesian or Sketch plot types, and mappings
when Tecplot 360 EX is in the XY Line plot type. The “<Unattach Object>” entry dissociates
each selected text or geometry from its zone or map.

31 - 3.2 Auxiliary Data Editor

The Auxiliary Data Editor add-on loads automatically with Tecplot 360 EX. This add-on enables you to
edit auxiliary data within Tecplot 360 EX and journal the results into the saved layout file. To unload the
add-on, comment out the line including the libname tecutiltools_editauxdata in your [Link] File.

Auxiliary data are name-value pairs associated with a data set, frame, line map, page,
variable, or zone, which Tecplot 360 EX stores as text strings. You can view all auxiliary
data included in your layout in the Data Set Information dialog (by going to
Data>Data Set Info).

To use this add-on, select “Auxiliary Data” from the Data menu to open the Edit Auxiliary Data dialog.

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The Edit Auxiliary Data dialog contains the following

controls:
• Show auxiliary data - In the drop-down
menu at the top of the dialog, select the level
at which you wish to view, add or delete
auxiliary data. Choose from Zones, Variables,
Line Maps, Active Frame, Active Page, Data
Set, Layout, or Everything.
• Auxiliary data box - In the box in the middle
of the dialog, all auxiliary data for the selected
level will display. You can select any item in
this box to edit it or delete it, with the [Edit]
button or [Delete] button, respectively.
• Add auxiliary data - With the [Add] button,
you can add auxiliary data at any of the
available locations (zone, variable, etc.).
• Edit auxiliary data - With the [Edit] button,
you can edit any existing auxiliary data. First
select the item you wish to edit in the
Auxiliary data box, and then select the [Edit]
button.
• Delete auxiliary data - Use the [Delete] button to delete any existing auxiliary data. Select the
item you wish to delete in the Auxiliary data box, and then select the [Delete] button.
You can view auxiliary data on the Aux Data page of the Data Set Information dialog (accessible by going
to Data>Data Set Info).
Tecplot 360 EX will journal all added or edited auxiliary data to layout and packaged layout files when
you save your layout or packaged layout file after editing the auxiliary data.

Macro Commands
You can add auxiliary data using the $!EXTENDEDCOMMAND macro, with the following syntax:
$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND
COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'Aux Data Editor'
COMMAND = '<operator> Name = <string> Value = <string> Location = <location>
LocationIndex = 1'
With this syntax, the following rules apply:
• Operator - Use “Add” or “Delete” as the operator
• Name - Use an alphabetic character followed by zero or additional alphanumeric characters
and underscores (no spaces)
• Value - Use a value only for the Add operator, to associate a value to the named data piece.
Surround the value with quotation marks if it has spaces
• Location - Use Zone, Var, Frame, Page, DataSet, LineMap, or Layout as the location
• LocationIndex - This value indicates which Zone, Var, Frame, or LineMap to which Tecplot
360 EX attaches the auxiliary data. If adding auxiliary data to a Page or DataSet, do not indicate
a LocationIndex.

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Following is an example of a macro command adding an auxiliary data piece named “TestID” with the
value of “Sequence 23, test 2” to the first zone.

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND
COMMANDPROCESSORID = ‘Aux Data Editor’
COMMAND = ‘Add Name = TestID Value = “Sequence 23,
test 2” Location = Zone LocationIndex = 1’

Adding Auxiliary Data

The Add Auxiliary Data dialog enables you to add auxiliary data at any of several levels. To reach this
dialog, select the [Add] button in the Edit Auxiliary Data dialog. Data added in the Add Auxiliary Data
dialog will subsequently appear in the Edit Auxiliary Data dialog, in the Auxiliary Data display box. The
Add Auxiliary Data dialog has the following controls:
• Location - Choose the level at which to add the data from the Location drop-down menu. You
can choose to add it at the zone, variable, line map, active frame, active page, layout, or dataset
level.
• Number - When the Location indicates “Zone”, “Variable”, or “Line Map”, the Number box
will activate for you to specify the Zone Number, Variable Number, or Line Map number at
which to add the auxiliary data.
• Name - Enter the name of your data in the Name box.
• Value - Enter the value of your data in the Value box.
Select the [OK] button in the Add Auxiliary Data dialog to finish adding a piece of auxiliary data to the
selected location.

31 - 3.3 Create Multiple Frames

Use the Create Multiple Frames add-on to make a set of new frames with uniform size and spacing within
the active frame. This add-on does not load automatically; load this add-on using “tecutiltools_mulframe”
as the libname in one of the methods discussed in Section 31 - 1 “Add-on Loading”.
To use this add-on, select “Create Multiple Frames” in the Tools menu. This will open the Create Multiple
Frames dialog.
The Create Multiple Frames dialog has the following options:
• Frames Across - Enter the number of frames to be
displayed in each row of frames.
• Frames Down - Enter the number of rows of frames.
• Space Between Frames - Enter the amount of space to
display between each frame in each direction, in paper
ruler units.
Select the [Create] button to create the multiple frames as specified.
See Section 2 - 3.2 “Frame Creation” for information on creating a single frame.

31 - 3.4 Extend Macro

The Extend Macro add-on, libname “tecutilscript_extendmcr”, extends the Tecplot macro language to
include additional commands. You may use the Extend Macro add-on by adding the following function
call to your macro file:
$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='extendmcr' COMMAND='command option'

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The commands supported by the add-on are listed in the following table

When specifying a macro variable name in an Extend Macro command, you should not
surround the variable name with vertical bars. For example, ZONENUM rather than
|ZONENUM|.

Command Notes
[Link] nnn VVV Get the string for zone nnn and assign to variable VVV.

Get the string for variable nnn and assign to variable

[Link] nnn VVV
VVV

Get the number of zone named zonename and assign to

[Link] “zonename” VVV
variable VVV

Get the number of variable by assignment and assign to

variable VVV. VVV may have any of the following
values:
• X, Y or Z - Variable assigned to the X,
Y or Z-axis.
[Link] assignment VVV • U, V or W - Variable assigned to be the
U, V or W-vector component.
• C -Variable assigned to contours.
• S - Variable assigned to scatter sizing.
• B - Variable assigned to the first
constraint for value-blanking.
Get the string for the dataset title and assign to variable
[Link] VVV
VVV

Get the length of string StrSource and assign to

[Link] StrSource VVV
variable VVV.

Get the sub-string from StrSource starting at pattern

[Link] StrSource StrPattern VVV StrPattern and going to the end of StrSource. Returns
“NOTFOUND” if not found.

Get the sub-string from StrSource starting at position

[Link] StrSource start end VVV
start and ending at position end. Put the result in VVV.
Get the set of active zones and put the result in
VVV.
[Link] VVV Note: The set string does not include any blank spaces.
If zones 2, 4, 6, 7 and 8 are active, VVV would have the
string “2, 4, 6-8.”

Returns a string (the name of the map) and places it in

[Link] nnn VVV variable VVV. The active plot must be XY-Line or Polar-
Line.

[Link] Return “YES” if Add-on COMMANDPROCESSORID

COMMANDPROCESSORID VVV is loaded, otherwise return “NO”

If the file exists, VVV will be “YES” otherwise VVV will

[Link] “filename” VVV
be “NO”
Table 31 - 3: Command Options for Extend Macro

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Test to see if zone ZZZ is active. If so, VVV is set to

[Link] ZZZ VVV
“YES,” otherwise it is set to “NO.”

Get the zone number assigned to line map nnn and put
[Link] nnn VVV
the result in VVV.

Get the set of active line maps and put the result in
VVV.
[Link] VVV
Note: The set string does not include any blank spaces.
If linemaps 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8 are active, VVV would have
the string "2,4,6-8."

Test to see if line map nnn is active. If so, VVV is set to

[Link] nnn VVV “YES,” otherwise it is set to “NO.” VVV is set to
“INVALID” if nnn <=0.

Appends the given string to the indicated file, creating

[Link] “FileName” “String” the file if necessary. FileName may be a relative path
from Tecplot’s working directory or an absolute path.

Appends the last error message, if any, to the indicated

file, creating the file if necessary. FileName may be a
[Link] “FileName” relative path from Tecplot’s working directory or an
absolute path. If no Tecplot errors have occurred, this
command will have no effect.
Table 31 - 3: Command Options for Extend Macro
If you have declared macro variables and would like to use them with the Extend Macro add-on, you can
do so by surrounding the command call with single quotes and the macro variable with double-quotes.
For example:

$!VarSet |ZoneName| = "Unknown"

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND
COMMANDPROCESSORID = "extendmcr"
Command = '[Link] 1 "ZoneName"'
$!RemoveVar |ZoneName|
Refer to the Scripting Guide for additional information on working with Tecplot 360 EX’s macro language.

[Link]
The following example, uses the [Link] command to place the title of the dataset at a
specific position on the plot.

$!VARSET |ZNUM| = "blank"

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='extendmcr'
COMMAND='[Link] ZNUM'

$!ATTACHTEXT
XYPOS
{
X = 5
Y = 90
}
TEXT = "Title is: |ZNUM|"

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[Link]
The following example uses [Link] to place the name of variable 2 at a specific
position on the plot.

$!VARSET |VNAME| = "X"

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'extendmcr'

COMMAND='[Link] 2 VNAME'

$!ATTACHTEXT
XYPOS
{
X = 5
Y = 85
}
TEXT = "Var 2 is: |VNAME|"

[Link]
The following example uses [Link] to place the title of Zone 1 at a specific position
on the [Link]

$!VARSET |ZNAME| = "HELLO"

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'extendmcr'

COMMAND='[Link] 1 ZNAME'

$!ATTACHTEXT
XYPOS
{
X = 5
Y = 80
}
TEXT = "Zone is: |ZNAME|"
The follow example uses [Link] to display a list of the active zones.

$!VARSET |ZNUMS| = "blank"

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='extendmcr'
COMMAND='[Link] ZNUMS'

$!ATTACHTEXT
XYPOS
{
X = 5
Y = 70
}
TEXT = "Active zones are: |ZNUMS|"
Refer to the Scripting Guide for additional information on working with Tecplot 360 EX’s macro language.

31 - 3.5 Extend Time Macro

The Extend Time Macro add-on simplifies the macro interface by allowing you to use a simple loop to
query the number of solution times in the dataset and advance the time step. This differs from the native
Tecplot macro language as it does not require that you know the solution time of your data.
This add-on uses a different algorithm than Tecplot 360 EX for sorting the solution times. Because Tecplot
360 EX combines time steps that are sufficiently close together, the number of time steps reported by this
add-on may differ from the number of time steps reported by Tecplot 360 EX.

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You can load this add-on by adding the following line to your [Link] File.

$!LoadAddOn "tecutilscript_extendtimemcr"

Macro Processing
The Extend Time Macro add-on can be invoked from the macro language by using the following
commands:
# These two lines retrieve the number of time steps. This number is represented here as the macro variable
VVV.

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='extend time mcr'

COMMAND='[Link] VVV'
# This line sets the solution time at time step nnn. The acceptable value range number for nnn is: 1 -
NumTimeSteps.

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='extend time mcr'

COMMAND='[Link] nnn'
# This line retrieves the solution time at time step nnn. This number is represented here as the macro
variable VVV.

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='extend time mcr'

COMMAND='[Link] nnn VVV'
The following is a sample loop that uses the Extend Time Macro add-on:

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='extend time mcr'

COMMAND='[Link] NUMTIMESTEPS'
$!LOOP |NUMTIMESTEPS|
$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='extend time mcr'
COMMAND='[Link] |LOOP|'
$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='extend time mcr'
COMMAND='[Link] |LOOP| CURTIME'
$!PAUSE "Current time is: |CURTIME|"
$!ENDLOOP
See also: Section 31 - 3.6 “Extract Over Time”, Section 31 - 3.11 “Solution Time and Strand Editor”. Section
31 - 3.4 “Extend Macro”, Section 31 - 3.13 “Time Series”, Section 7 - 2 “Time Aware”.

31 - 3.6 Extract Over Time

The Extract Over Time add-on, which loads automatically with Tecplot 360 EX, extracts iso-surfaces,
streamtraces, and points from polyline geometries in transient data. The resulting zones are assembled
into a new strand with proper solution times set for each zone.

To save a layout file, you must also save a data file when using this add-on.

To unload this add-on, add a “#” symbol in front of the following line in your [Link] File.

$!LoadAddOn "tecutiltools_extractovertime"
To use this add-on, go to Data>Extract and selecting one of the following menu options.

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• Extract Slices Over Time - This option has moved to the Extract Slices dialog. See Section 14 -
2 “Extracting Slices to Zones”. The macro, below, can still be used.
• Extract Iso-Surfaces Over Time - The frame must be in 3D, contain one or more iso-surfaces,
and contain transient data.
• Extract Streamtraces Over Time - The frame must be in 2D or 3D, contain one or more
streamtraces, and contain transient data.
• Extract Geometries Over Time - The frame must be in 2D or 3D, have exactly one polyline
geometry selected, and contain transient data. When the menu option is selected, you will be
prompted for the number of points along the polyline to extract.
After extracting, the new strand is available and may be animated or saved to a file.

Macro Processing
The Extract Over Time add-on can be invoked from the macro language by using the following
commands:

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='Extract Over Time'

Slices
COMMAND='ExtractSliceOverTime'

Note: Prefer using the $!ExtractSlices macro command instead. See the Scripting Guide for more
details.

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='Extract Over Time'

Iso-Surfaces
COMMAND='ExtractIsoSurfaceOverTime'

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='Extract Over Time'

Streamtraces
COMMAND='ExtractStreamOverTime'

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='Extract Over Time'

COMMAND='ExtractGeomOverTime'

Optionally, you may specify the number of points to extract by using the following format:
Geometries $!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID='Extract Over Time'
COMMAND='ExtractGeomOverTime:nnn'

Where nnn >= 2. If this condition is not met when the macro is played back, the action will
silently fail and your macro will continue processing.

See also: Section 31 - 3.5 “Extend Time Macro”, Section 31 - 3.11 “Solution Time and Strand Editor”,
Section 31 - 3.4 “Extend Macro”, Section 31 - 3.13 “Time Series”, Section 7 - 2 “Time Aware”.

31 - 3.7 Extract Precise Line

The Extract Precise Line add-on (libname: tecutiltools_extractpreciseline) allows you to extract points along a
line to a new zone or to a Tecplot ASCII data file. You specify the precise X, Y, and Z coordinates of the
start and the end points of the line, along with the number of points along this line to extract.

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To use the Extract Precise Line add-on, choose Data > Extract > Extract Precise Line.

• Start, End X/Y/Z - Enter the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the start and end points of the line.
• Number of Points - The number of points between the start and end points to be extracted.
(The start and end points themselves are always extracted and this number does not include
them.)
• Extract To - Whether to extract to a zone or a file. If extracting to a file, you must also specify an
output file path in the File Name field.
• Extract From - Choose whether to extract from the surface the line passes across or the volume
it passes through.
When extracting from a surface in 3D, extraction is view-dependent: the specified line is
projected from the plane of the screen onto the surface being extracted. Changing the view (e.g.
rotating) will change the points extracted.
• File Name - The path of the file to extract to. You may type the path, paste it, or click the ...
button to open the Write Tecplot ASCII File dialog and navigate interactively.
Click Extract to perform the extraction.

Macro Processing
There is no macro command syntax specific to this add-on. Instead, it records an $!EXTRACTFROMPOLYLINE
command. See the Scripting Guide for more details on this command.

31 - 3.8 Key Frame Animator

The Key Frame Animator add-on loads automatically with Tecplot 360 EX. With this add-on, you can
easily animate a smooth progression through two or more specified views (key frames) and export them
as an AVI, Flash, or Raster Metafile animation.
To use this add-on, first create a layout and use the 3D Cartesian mode to view your plot. Then select “Key
Frame Animation” in the Animate menu to open the Key Frame Animation dialog.

You must be in 3D Cartesian mode to use the Key Frame Animator add-on.

To unload this add-on, comment out the line containing the libname “tecutiltools_keyframe” in your
[Link] File.

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To create a key frame animation using this dialog, follow

these general steps:
1. Rotate and/or zoom the plot to the initial view
for the animation, and select the [Append]
button in the dialog. If you wish, you may
change the name of the view (key frame) by
selecting the frame (“View 1”) in the Key
Frame box and editing the name in the View
Name field of the dialog (for example, “End of
Airfoil”).
2. Rotate and/or zoom the plot to the next view
you wish your animation to include, and
select the [Append] button to add that view to
the end of the animation. Or you can select the
[Insert] button to insert a view above the
selected one in the list. These key frames are
snapshots of the view in Tecplot 360 EX, so
limit rotations to 180 degrees or less between
key frames, or the animation may not rotate as
you expect.
3. Continue to rotate and/or zoom and select
[Append] or [Insert] to add additional key
frames to your animation, if desired.
4. When finished adding key frames, select
[Animate All] to perform a complete
animation of your views, or [Animate Selected] to animate only the views selected in the Key
Frame box. Tecplot 360 EX will interpolate all views in between your views to create an
animation.
5. To export an animation, change the Destination from “On Screen” to “To File”. Then select the
[Animate All] or [Animate Selected] to open the Export Options dialog. You can choose to
export the file as AVI, Flash, or Raster Metafile. Refer to Chapter 25: “Exporting” for details on
exporting your file.
The Key Frame Animation dialog includes these controls:
• Append - The [Append] button adds the current view in the active frame to the list.
• Insert - Use the [Insert] button to insert the current view above the currently selected view in
the key frame list.
• Update - The [Update] button replaces the view selected in the list with the current view in
Tecplot 360 EX. This also re-captures the current solution time.
• Apply - Use the [Apply] button to display the selected view as the current view of your plot.
• Delete - Select the [Delete] button to delete the selected key frame from the list.
• Clear - Use the [Clear] button will delete all key frames from the list.
• View Name - Use the View Name field to rename the view selected in the key frame list. By
default, Tecplot 360 EX names the views as “View 1”, “View 2”, etc.
• Frame Count - The Frame Count box sets the number of frames drawn by Tecplot 360 EX
between the selected view and the next view in the animation.
• Destination - In the Destination drop-down menu, choose whether to animate the key frames
On Screen or To File.
• Animate All - Select [Animate All] to animate through all the key frames in the list.

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• Animate Selected - Select [Animate Selected] to animate only the selected views. This allows
you to refine a subset of animation without performing the complete animation.

Animation Customizations
The Key Frame Animator add-on includes additional capabilities in customized File and Options menus
at the top of the Key Frame Animation dialog. These menus give you the following additional options:
• File>Open/Save Animation - In the File menu, you can save an animation that you have
created, or you can open an animation that you have previously saved. An animation file
stores settings and all key frames, and defaults to the name [Link]. The ability to
save and load animation files enables you to keep track of created animations without having
to recreate them.
• Options - In the Options menu, each choice is a toggle except for “Time Animation Options”
(which opens the Time Animation Options dialog). Select an option from this menu to turn on
that preference. When an option is toggled-on, a checkmark will appear next to that option in
the Options menu.
• Animate Time Concurrently - Select this option to animate time when animating the
key frames, as specified in the Time Animation Options dialog.
• Animate Streamtraces Concurrently - If streamtraces display as markers or dashes in
your plot, enable “Animate Streamtraces Concurrently” to animate streamtrace markers
or dashes concurrently with key frame animation.
• Fade In/Fade Out - Toggle-on “Fade In” and/or “Fade Out” to fade lighting intensity
and background lighting during the start and/or end of the key frame animation. The
fade will last either 30 frames or the first ten percent of all frames, whichever is shorter.
Fade In and Fade Out work best with a black background and without any plot features
that do not have light sensitivity (mesh lines, edge lines, etc.).

Time Animation Options

Time Animation Options - With the Time Animation Options dialog (opened by selecting “Time
Animation Options” in the Options menu), you can specify additional options for animating your key
frames. Choose to animate the frames by any of the following methods.
• Forward - With “Forward” selected, Tecplot 360 EX will display the earliest solution time in
the first key frame, and will progress solution time throughout key frame animation so that the
latest solution time displays with the final frame of the animation.
• Loop - With “Loop” selected, the solution time will progress as in the “Forward” option,
except that the complete cycle of solution times displays multiple times over one key frame
animation cycle. Set the number of solution time cycles to display in the Num Cycles box.
• Bounce - With “Bounce” selected, the solution time will progress forward during animation,
until the solution time cycle completes. The solution time will then decrement in equal
intervals until the initial solution time displays. Specify the number of times to repeat this
bounce in the Num Cycles box.
• As Captured - Select “As Selected” to link each key frame with the solution time that the frame
displayed when that frame was added to the key frame list. During the key frame animation,
the solution time will vary in equal intervals between successive pairs of key frames so that
each key frame displays the linked solution time.
See Also: Section 31 - 3.8 “Key Frame Animator”.

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Export Animation Options

In the Key Frame Animation dialog, when animating a set of key frames, you can export your animation
by selecting “To File” from the Destination drop-down menu. Then select either [Animate All] or
[Animate Selected] to launch the Export Options dialog. In this dialog, you can customize the export
settings for your animation. Then select [OK] to select file location and export your animation.
The Export Options dialog includes the following export settings for your animation:
• Format - Select the format of your exported file.
• Region - Select the portion of your workspace that you wish to export. You can export the
Active Frame, All Frames, or the entire Work Area.
• Width - Choose the width of the exported animation. You can use the default width of image
on screen, or enter your own dimensions.
• Animation Speed - Enter a number to indicate how quickly you would like your animation to
progress, in units of frames per second.
• Antialiasing - Toggle-on “Antialiasing” to use antialiasing in your exported animation. For
more information on antialiasing, refer to Section 25 - 4 “Antialiasing Images”.
• AVI Compression - If exporting as AVI, select the manner in which to compress your
animation, if at all. A compressed export will result in a lower-resolution animation with a
smaller file size.
• Image Type - If exporting as Flash, choose the type of image on which to base your animation.
• Optimize - With the two Optimize choices at the bottom of the dialog, you can choose to
optimize your animation for either faster speed or smaller file size.

Macro Processing
To invoke the Key Frame Animator from the macro language, use the following commands:
Save Animation File:

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'Key Frame Animation' COMMAND =

'Animate AnimationDestination=<animationdest>'
In this command, use either OnScreen or ToFile for the <animationdest>.
Open Animation File:

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'Key Frame Animation' COMMAND =

'OpenSettingsFile FileName = <string>'
Use the $!ExportSetup commands to set up the necessary parameters for exporting to file (to set format,
filename, etc.)
See Also: Section 31 - 3.8 “Key Frame Animator”.

31 - 3.9 Measure Distance

The Measure Distance add-on loads automatically with Tecplot 360 EX by default. Its library name is
tecutiltools_measuredistance and it can be disabled by placing a hash or pound character (#) at the beginning
of the following line to your [Link] File:

$!LoadAddon "tecutiltools_measuredistance"
The Measure Distance add-on provides two menu items on the Tools pull-down menu, which are
available only in 3D and 2D cartesian plots.

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• Measure Distance - Choose this command from the Tools menu, then click two points on your
plot. After the second click, a dialog appears indicating the coordinates of the two points, the
differences in their coordinates, and the linear distance between the two points.
In three dimensions, the distance measured is the shortest distance between the different
points selected and does not follow the surfaces. In two dimensions, the distance is in the 2D
plane.
• Measure Angle - Choose this command from the Tools menu, then click three points on your
plot. After the third click, a dialog appears indicating the distance from point 1 to point 2, the
distance from point 2 to point 3, and the angle in radians and degrees.
In three dimensions, the angle measured is the angle between vectors 1-2 and 2-3 in the plane
defined by points 1,2, and 3. In two dimensions the angle is in the 2D plane.

31 - 3.10 Multi-Frame 3D
The Multi-Frame 3D add-on, which loads automatically with Tecplot 360 EX, adds two menu items to the
Frame pull-down menu: Tile Frames and 3D Multi-Frames. Each command displays a small dialog giving
you options for managing the frames in your plot.
To unload this add-on, add a “#” symbol in front of the following line in your [Link] File:

$!LoadAddon "tecutiltools_multiframe3d"

Tile Frames
The Tile Frames dialog lets you quickly arrange multiple frames on a page in a variety of layouts.
Clockwise from upper left, these are:
• Square - Frames are made as close to square as possible and
arranged in a grid with approximately equal numbers of rows and
columns.
• Wrap - The first frame is displayed in a larger size and the rest of the
frames are wrapped around the right and bottom edge. The size of
the main frame depends on the number of additional frames that
need to be wrapped around the page.
• Horizontal - Equal-size horizontal frames are stacked vertically.
• Vertical - Equal-sized vertical frames are arranged horizontally.
When frames are resized, no attempt is made to re-fit the data to them. If a frame’s aspect ratio changes,
data may no longer fit the frame as it did before tiling.

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3D Multi-Frames
The 3D Multi-frames dialog, available only when the active frame is in 3D Cartesian mode, creates three
additional frames displaying top (XY), front (XZ), and side (YZ) views of the 3D frame.

You may choose from five options for arranging the frames. Four of these options use a large frame for the
original 3D frame and place the top, front, and side views along the top, bottom, or side of the large frame.
For these views, the slider chooses the size of the large frame from 25% to 75% of the paper area. A grid
arrangement giving equal prominence to all four frames is also provided. The button with the red X is for
deleting the auxiliary frames (they may also be deleted manually).
When the new frames are created, the data and styles are shared with the original frame, and the new
views are fit to their frames. The program also links field layer toggles, such as Mesh, Contour, Lighting,
and so forth, so that a change in one frame is automatically reflected in the others.

Macro Processing
To tile frames using the Tecplot macro language, use the following command.

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND
COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'Multi Frame Manager'
COMMAND = 'TILEFRAMESSQUARE'
The command can be TILEFRAMESSQUARE, TILEFRAMESVERT, TILEFRAMEZHORIZ, or
TILEFRAMESWRAP.
To generate the top/front/side frames from a 3D view, use the following command.

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND
COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'Multi Frame Manager'
COMMAND = 'MAKEFRAMES3D ARRANGE=LEFT SIZE=25'
ARRANGE may be LEFT, TOP, RIGHT, BOTTOM, or TILE, and the first four accept the SIZE parameter,
which indicates a percentage of the paper size and can be 25-75.
To delete the top/front/side frames, use the following command.

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND
COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'Multi Frame Manager'
COMMAND = 'DELETEFRAMES3D'

31 - 3.11 Solution Time and Strand Editor

The Solution Time and Strand Editor add-on allows you to modify the strand and solution time values
from the user interface. This helps when loading a series of data files that do not have a solution time or
strand ID. Adding the solution time simplifies both animating and setting component styles.

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This data loads automatically with Tecplot 360 EX. To unload the add-on, comment out the following line
from your [Link] File.
$!LoadAddon "tecutiltools_strandeditor"
To access this add-on, select “Edit Time Strands” from the Data menu. The Strand Editor dialog has the
following options:

• Zones to Edit - In the Zones to Edit box, select a set of zones to edit.
• Data Specifications - Toggle-on “Multiple Zones Per Time Step” in order to select grouping by
time step or strand. Use this Data Specifications region of the dialog to specify how the add-on
groups zones.
• Strand ID - In the Time Strand region of the dialog, toggle-on “Assign Strands” to assign
strand IDs.
• Solution Time - In the Solution Time region of the dialog, toggle-on “Assign Solution Time” to
assign the solution time using one of the following options:
• Single Value - The Single Value option assigns the specified solution time to all selected
zones.
• Constant Delta - The Constant Delta option applies a constant delta between zones (or
groups of zones, depending on the Data Specification settings).
• Automatic - The Automatic option attempts to determine the solution time for each
zone in this order:
• Examines the [Link] auxiliary data attached to the zone.
• Tries to read a number from the zone name.
• Tries to find a dataset variable that contains the time value. If found, uses the
minimum value of this variable for that zone.
• If an existing solution time is defined for the zone, the Automatic option uses it.
• If all previous efforts fail, the Automatic option will fall back to use the Constant
Delta option.

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31 - 3.12 Tensor Eigensystem

The Tensor Eigensystem add-on loads automatically with Tecplot 360 EX. This add-on enables you to
calculate the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a 3-by-3 symmetric tensor whose components are stored in
your data set. The add-on calculates for each node in the data set and stores the results as new data set
variables.
To use this add-on, select “Tensor Eigensystem” from the Tools menu to open the Tensor Tools dialog. To
unload the add-on, comment out the line including the libname “tecutiltools_tensoregn” in your
[Link] File.
In the Tensor Tools dialog, select variables from your data set to represent the 6 components of the tensor.
Toggle-on “Sort by Eigenvalue” to sort the results by the eigenvalues, and/or toggle-on “Save
Eigenvectors” to store the calculated eigenvectors in addition to the calculated eigenvalues, which the
calculation always saves. Then select [OK] to perform the calculation.
Tecplot 360 EX will store the eigenvalues of the tensor as variables EgnVal1, EgnVal2, and EgnVal3 in your
data set. If you choose to save the eigenvectors as well, they are stored as variables EgnVec11 through
EgnVec33. If you toggled-on “Sort by Eigenvalue”, the eigenvalues and their corresponding eigenvectors
will be sorted largest-to-smallest at each grid node. The association of EigenValue to EigenVector is as
follows:
EigVal1 ---> EgnVec11, EgnVec21, EgnVec31
EigVal2 ---> EgnVec12, EgnVec22, EgnVec32
EigVal3 ---> EgnVec13, EgnVec23, EgnVec33

A common use of Tensor Eigensystem is to visualize vortex cores in a flow solution. You can do this by the
following method:
1. Calculate Velocity Gradient in Analyze>Calculate Variables
2. Calculate the symmetric tensor S2 + Ohm-2 with Data>Alter>Specify Equations (see below
for an equation file to perform this)
3. Use the Tensor Eigensystem dialog to calculate the sorted eigenvalues
4. Display an iso-surface of Lambda-2, the middle of the three eigenvalues, which is negative in
the vicinity of a vortex core

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The following equation file calculates the required symmetric tensor components of S2 + Ohm-2 from the
velocity gradient for step 2 above. Save the below to a text file, then load it into the Specify Equations
dialog by selecting “Load Equations” and selecting the file.

#!MC 1100
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{s11} = {dUdX}'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{s12} = 0.5*({dUdY}+{dVdX})'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{s13} = 0.5*({dUdZ}+{dWdX})'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{s22} = {dVdY}'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{s23} = 0.5*({dVdZ}+{dWdY})'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{s33} = {dWdZ}'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{Omga12} = 0.5*({dUdY}-{dVdX})'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{Omga13} = 0.5*({dUdZ}-{dWdX})'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{Omga23} = 0.5*({dVdZ}-{dWdY})'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{s2o2_11} = {s11}**2 + {s12}**2 + {s13}**2 -
{Omga12}**2 - {Omga13}**2'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{s2o2_12} = {s11}*{s12} + {s12}*{s22} +
{s13}*{s23} - {Omga13}*{Omga23}'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{s2o2_13} = {s11}*{s13} + {s12}*{s23} +
{s13}*{s33} - {Omga12}*{Omga23}'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{s2o2_22} = {s12}**2 + {s22}**2 + {s23}**2 -
{Omga12}**2 - {Omga23}**2'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{s2o2_23} = {s12}*{s13} + {s22}*{s23} +
{s23}*{s33} - {Omga12}*{Omga13}'
$!ALTERDATA EQUATION = '{s2o2_33} = {s13}**2 + {s23}**2 + {s33}**2 -
{Omga13}**2 - {Omga23}**2'

Remember that the Tensor Eigensystem add-on can only analyze 3-by-3 symmetric
tensors (not 2-by-2, anti-symmetric, or non-symmetric tensors).

Macro Processing
To invoke the tensor eigensystem add-on with a macro, use the following syntax.

$!EXTENDEDCOMMAND
COMMANDPROCESSORID = 'Tensor Eigensystem'
COMMAND = 'T11VarNum = <integer>\nT12VarNum = <integer>\nT13VarNum =
<integer>\nT22VarNum = <integer>\nT23VarNum = <integer>\nT33VarNum =
<integer>\nSortEgnV = <Boolean>\nSaveEgnVect = <Boolean>'

31 - 3.13 Time Series

The Time Series add-on, libname “tecutiltools_timeseries,” loads automatically with Tecplot 360 EX. It
extracts a single point over time and plots the result in a new frame as an XY Line Plot. The solution time
of the time series plot’s frame is linked to that of its parent, and a marker gridline is added to show the
current solution time. If a nearest-point probe is performed (using Control-click), you may follow a
particular node through time, or through an XY(Z) location.

When tracking a node through time, each zone must have the same node map (or a
shared node map).
This add-on may not work as expected when there are multiple zones in the same strand
at the same solution time.

To use the Time Series add-on, choose one of the following menu options from the Tools menu:
• Probe To Create Time Series Plot - This option sets the mouse mode to probe. You can use
either the mouse or the Probe At dialog to probe a point. The probed location will be sampled
over time (for transient data) and a resulting XY Line Plot will be created. If a nearest point

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probe is done (Control-click), a dialog appears to ask if you want to track the node or the XY(Z)
location through time. If you track the node, it is important that your data has the same node
map for each zone through time.
• Send Time Series Data To New Frame - This option creates a new frame for each point
extracted. By default, the frame used for the time series data is reused to avoid creating an
excess of frames.
See also: Section 31 - 3.6 “Extract Over Time”, Section 31 - 3.5 “Extend Time Macro”, Section 31 - 3.11
“Solution Time and Strand Editor” Section 31 - 3.4 “Extend Macro”, Section 7 - 2 “Time Aware”.

31 - 3.14 Write Data as Formatted Text

The Write Data as Formatted Text add-on, which loads automatically with Tecplot 360 EX, enables you to
write data from an XY Line Plot to a text file in *.csv format (for comma separated data) or in *.txt format
(for any other data separators). To use it, select “Write Data As Formatted Text” from the Tools menu. This
will open the Write Data as Text File dialog.
The Write Data as Text File dialog includes the
following options:
• Choose Frames - Use the Choose Frames
region of the dialog to specify which frames
to include in the text file. Choose from the
following options:
• Active Frame - Select to include the
active frame only.
• Selected Frames - When “Selected
Frames” is active, the box to the right
will become sensitive. Use the Shift
and Control keys to select multiple
items in the list.
• All Frames - Select “All Frames” to
include data from all frames in the text
file.
• Choose Zones - Toggle-off the “All” option to
select a subset of zones to include the in text
file. Because different frames may have
different zones, this option is available only
when “Active Frame” is selected in the Choose Frames region of the dialog.
• Choose Variables - Toggle-off the “All” option to select a subset of variables to include in the
text file. Because different frames may have different variables, this option is available only
when “Current Frame” is selected in the Choose Frames region of the dialog.
• Value Separator - Use the Value Separator options to specify the delimiter to use in the text
file.
• Change Variable Format - Click to launch the Change Format dialog. If you choose not to
change the variable format, values will be written in the “best” format, except variables named
“Time” or “Date.”
• Other Text - Toggle-on any of the options in the Other Text region of the dialog to include the
desired values in the text file.

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Change Format
Use the Change Format dialog (accessible using the Change Variable
Format button in the Write Data as Text File dialog) to change the format
for one or more variables. To change the format for all variables
simultaneously, toggle-on “Select All Variables”.
Choose a new format with the Select Format section of the dialog.
Available formats are Best Float, Integer, Float, and Exponent. “Best
Float” automatically selects either regular floating point or scientific
notation depending on the value and uses as many digits as are
necessary to represent the value. “Float” and “Exponent” use standard
and scientific notation, respectively.
When you have chosen “Float” or “Exponent,” you may use the
[Link] box to specify the width and precision of your new
variable format using a C-style numeric formatting specifier (see
examples following). Width refers to the total number of characters
(including the decimal point; numbers are space-padded on the left if
necessary), while Precision refers to the number of places beyond the decimal point. Precision is a hard
limit, while Width is a soft limit: the specified number of digits of precision are always used, but numbers
are not cut off if they do not fit in the specified width (see second example following). Leading zeroes are
not displayed, except for one immediately preceding a decimal point (that is, for values between -1 and 1).
For example, a [Link] of 10.2 yields:

Month,Seattle Rainfall,Dallas Rainfall,Miami Rainfall,Error 1,

1.00, 4.30, 4.00, 4.00, 0.20,
2.00, 4.50, 4.00, 4.10, 0.22,
3.00, 4.00, 3.50, 4.50, 0.24,
4.00, 4.20, 3.40, 4.20, 0.24,
While a [Link] of 3.2 yields:

Month,Seattle Rainfall,Dallas Rainfall,Miami Rainfall,Error 1,

1.00,4.30,4.00,4.00,0.20,
2.00,4.50,4.00,4.10,0.22,
3.00,4.00,3.50,4.50,0.24,
4.00,4.20,3.40,4.20,0.24,

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Part 8 Appendices
 A

Command Line Options

A-1 Tecplot 360 EX Command Line

The general form of the Tecplot 360 EX command line is:
tec360 [options] [layoutfile] [datafiles] [macrofile]

Most Tecplot 360 EX command line options are available for Windows operating systems,
not just Linux and Mac. To use them, start Tecplot 360 EX from the Run command or at
the command prompt ([Link]).
Under Windows, invoking Tecplot 360 EX from the command line or in a .bat file returns
immediately rather than waiting for the application to terminate. If you are using Tecplot
360 EX to convert files or run a macro, you probably want to wait until Tecplot 360 EX
has finished one operation before proceeding with the next. Otherwise, the next step
may be working with partially-written data. To do this, invoke it with start /wait tec360
followed by the desired options.

Where:
[layoutfile] - File with extension *.lay or *.lpk. See also Section 23 - 1 “Layout Files, Layout Package
Files, Stylesheets”.

[datafiles] - One or more data files. If both a layout file (*.lay only) and data files appear on the com-
mand line, Tecplot 360 EX substitutes the data files referenced in the layout file with the data files
listed in the command line.

[macrofile] - Macro file name. See also Chapter 26: “Macros”.

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[options] - one or more of the following:

[layoutfile] List the layout file you would like to load (*.lay, *.lpk).

List the data file(s) you would like to load. If both a layout file (*.lay only) and data
[datafiles] files are listed, the data files referenced in the layout file will be substituted with the
data files in the command line.

[macrofile] List the macro file you would like to load (*.mcr).

-addonfile filename Supply a custom list of addons via the [Link] file.

-b Run in batch mode.

-c cfgfile Use cfgfile for the configuration instead of the default configuration file, [Link].

Loads all the specified data files, and runs specified macros in a restricted batch
-convert mode in which the only permitted options are reading data files (in any supported
format) and writing SZL files. Does not use a license key. See also -o.

Display on computer computername (Linux only). The target system must have X-
-display computername
server capability with the GLX extension.

-datafile filename Load data file filename.

Send debug information to the file dbugfile. Information is displayed to aid in

debugging a new configuration file, macro file, or binary data file. You may specify
-debug dbugfile
the minus sign (“-”) for dbugfile to send the debug output to the “standard output”
(Mac/Linux only).

-f fontfile Use fontfile instead of the default font file, [Link].

-h homedir Use homedir for the home directory instead of the default home directory.

--help Open help message for command-line flags.

-loadaddon “addonname” Load an add-on named addonname.

-m colormapfile Use colormapfile as the initial color map file.

-mesa Use Mesa software 3D renderer instead of hardware rendering (Linux/Mac only)

-nobanner Do not show the opening banner (i.e. splash screen).

-nobatchlog Suppress creation of the file [Link] during batch mode operation.

-nostdaddons Do not load the add-ons listed in the [Link] file.

Do not display the Welcome Screen at startup (it may still be opened after launch
-nowelcomescreen
from the View menu)

Writes the specified SZL file from the data loaded from other files (including
-o [Link] macros) specified on the command line, then exit. Does not require a license key.
See also -convert.

-p scriptfile Play the macro commands in the file [Link].

-q Use quick playback mode. Ignores delay and pause commands.

Place the macro functions in quickpanelfile in the Quick Macro Panel, instead of
-qm quickpanelfile
using the macros from the default file, [Link].

-quiet Turns off all standard-out messages (Linux only).

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 Using Command Line Options in Windows Shortcuts

-r printfile Set the filename for routing Print Files to printfile.

-s stylefile Use stylefile as a stylesheet for the first frame (*.sty).

-showpanel Open the Quick Macro Panel upon startup.

-v Display the version number.

-y exportfile Set the filename for export files to exportfile.

Command Line Input Result

tec360 Run Tecplot 360 EX without pre-loading any data files

tec360 [Link] Run Tecplot 360 EX loading the data file [Link] as the first dataset

Run Tecplot 360 EX loading the data files [Link], [Link], and [Link]
tec360 [Link] [Link] [Link]
as the first dataset

Run Tecplot 360 EX using /usr/myhome as the Tecplot 360 EX home

tec360 -h /usr/myhome -c /usr/
directory and loading the Tecplot 360 EX configuration file /usr/
myhome/[Link]
myhome/[Link]

tec360 [Link] Run Tecplot 360 EX using layout file [Link]

Read a Tecplot 360 EX layout file [Link] and replace the first dataset
tec360 [Link] [Link]
referenced in the layout file with the data file [Link]

tec360 -p [Link] Run Tecplot 360 EX and play a macro called [Link]

Reads [Link], writes [Link] in batch mode. Does not require a

tec360 [Link] -o [Link]
license.

In batch mode, run the macro file [Link] which may contain
tec360 -convert [Link] instructions only to read files and write them in .szl format. Does not
require a license.
Table A - 4: Tecplot 360 EX Command Line Examples

A-2 Using Command Line Options in Windows Shortcuts

All of the command line options that can be entered at the DOS or Command prompt by using the Run
command can also be used in a Windows shortcut.
If you frequently run Tecplot 360 EX using the same command line flags, it may be useful to create a
shortcut on your Windows desktop that launches Tecplot 360 EX with the desired command line flags.
Here's how this can be done:

This process may vary slightly in different supported versions of Windows. The Windows
7 dialogs are shown here.

1. Right click any blank space on your Windows desktop.

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2. Select New>Shortcut from the resulting Menu.

3. In the Create Shortcut dialog, type the location of the Tecplot 360 EX executable, along with
any command flags you want to specify. An example command line is:
"C:\Program Files\Tecplot\Tecplot 360 EX 2019 R1\bin\[Link]" -p C:\Me\[Link]
You may also click the Browse button to choose the executable using an Open dialog, instead
of typing the path.
4. Click [Next].
5. Select a name for your shortcut, then click [Finish].
6. A new shortcut icon will be placed on your Windows desktop.

A - 2.1 Changing Shortcuts

You can alter an existing shortcut by doing the following:
1. Right-click on the shortcut icon you want to change and select Properties.

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 Exit Codes

2. On the Shortcut page, modify the command line by changing the setting for Target. To change
the working directory that Tecplot 360 EX runs under, change the Start in location.

A-3 Exit Codes

Upon completing execution, Tecplot 360 EX returns an exit code, which can be used in scripts to determine
whether a problem occurred. This exit code is 0 (success) if execution completed without error, or 1 (error)
if execution was terminated by an error.

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506
 B

Tecplot 360 EX Utilities

The following utilities are included with the Tecplot 360 EX distribution:
• Excel Add-In - Allows you to load Excel spreadsheet data directly into Tecplot 360 EX from
inside Microsoft Excel.
• LPK View - A utility to catalog, preview or unpack a layout package file into its component
data and layout files.
• Preplot - A utility to convert an ASCII data file into a Tecplot binary file.
• Pltview - A utility to view the header information for a Tecplot binary file.

B-1 Excel Add-In

The Excel Add-In provides a convenient way to load data directly from your Microsoft Excel spreadsheet
into Tecplot 360 EX. When loaded, it adds a Tecplot section to the Add-Ins ribbon, which contains a button
that lets you open the highlighted region of the spreadsheet in Tecplot 360 EX. (In older versions of Excel,
previous to the ribbon user interface, this command appears on the Tools menu and as a button in the
toolbar.)

The Excel Add-In is available on Windows platforms only and requires Microsoft Excel be
installed. Visual Basic for Applications, a component of Microsoft Office, must also be
installed; if you receive an error about the workbook having lost its VBA project, make
sure that Visual Basic for Applications is installed by using the Programs and Features
dialog (Add/Remove Programs in older versions of Windows) to modify your Microsoft
Office installation. Visual Basic for Applications can be found under the Office Shared
Features heading in the Office installer.

The Excel add-in features:

• Highlight and Plot - It’s easy to plot just a portion of your data. Click in the upper left cell of
the region or highlight the entire region, and then click on the Tecplot button in the Add-Ins
ribbon or toolbar or on the Tecplot option in Excel’s Tools menu.
• Multiple Zones - The Excel Add-In makes loading multiple zones much easier. Highlight the
entire region and then click on the Tecplot button in the Add-Ins ribbon or toolbar or on the

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Tecplot 360 EX Utilities

Tecplot option in Excel’s Tools menu. If your zones are separated by blank rows or columns,
the add-in will automatically detect them and load them into Tecplot 360 EX.
• Formulas - The highlighted region of the spreadsheet can contain formulas, or can be created
entirely with formulas.
The first time you use the Excel Add-In, you will be prompted to choose the Tecplot 360 EX executable to
be launched from Excel. This will be the [Link] file in the bin folder of your Tecplot 360 EX installation.
Your choice will be remembered and you will not be asked again unless the Excel Add-In cannot find the
previously-chosen executable. A button in the Tecplot section of the Excel ribbon (or the Tools menu), Find
Tecplot, will allow you to choose a different Tecplot 360 EX executable if you have upgraded or wish to use
the Excel Add-In with more than one installed version of Tecplot 360 EX.
A Read Me file, located in the Util/Excel directory, further describes installation and use of this add-in.
As an example, let’s say you have 3D data obtained by drilling a number of wells and measuring
contaminant concentrations of various chemicals at different depths. Your data is in an Excel spreadsheet,
and you want to load the data into Tecplot 360 EX to get a visual representation of the contamination. The
data has nine variables and twenty-seven zones. A small part is shown in Figure B-4.

Figure B-4. The beginning well data displayed in Excel.

Make sure you have a blank row separating the zones in your Excel spreadsheet.

Perform the following steps to import your data and visualize the contaminant plumes:
1. Starting with the top left-hand cell, highlight all twenty-seven zones and nine variables.
2. Click on Tecplot in Excel’s Add-Ins ribbon. The menu option launches Tecplot 360 EX with the
selected data loaded.

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 LPK View

3. Switch to 3D Cartesian plot mode to see the location and measurement depths of the well
samples. The resulting plot is shown in Figure B-5.

Figure B-5. The Excel well data plotted in Tecplot 360 EX.
Your wells have different depths, so the number of measurements are not the same for each well (there are
only three measurements at well five).

B-2 LPK View

As a convenience a command line utility, lpkview, is provided to catalog and unpack layout packages. In its
simplest form (when no options were included), the utility to unpack the preview image (if present), the
layout, and all associated data files into the directory in which the utility was run.
For example:
lpkview [Link]
might unpack the following files in the current directory:
[Link]
[Link]
myplot_1.plt
myplot_2.plt
myplot_3.plt
Tecplot 360 EX determines the names for unpacked files when the package is created. Tecplot 360 EX
eliminates name conflicts within the package by appending unique numbers to non-unique names.
However, no attempt is made by lpkview to ensure that names are unique with other files located in the
directory where the items are unpacked.
The utility's syntax is as follows:
lpkview [[-t] | [-ild] | [[-c <preview command>] -p]] filename
Brackets ([]) surround optional parameters and the vertical bar (|) separates one mutually exclusive set of
options from another. The options are described as follows:

-t Show table of contents.

-i Extract image (for example, a Portable Network Graphics or .png format).

-l Extract layout.

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Tecplot 360 EX Utilities

-d Extract data.

Specify preview command. The executable must be in a directory specified in the PATH or else a complete
-c pathname. In the specified command, %s is substituted with the path of the temporary preview image
exported by lpkview. (Mac/Linux only)

-p Preview image using the command specified with -c. (Mac/Linux only)
Option -t may not be used with any other options, and options -i, -l, and -d may not be used with options
-c and -p. If no command line options are specified -i, -l, and -d are assumed by default.

B-3 Preplot
The Preplot executable included in the standard Tecplot 360 EX installation converts Tecplot format ASCII
data files to binary data files. The following options are available:

-d Turn on debug echo. Use -d2, -d3, -d4 for more detailed debug information.

-foreignplt Reverse the bytes of the output binary data file (generally not required).

-iset [zone], [start], [end], [skip]

Create the binary data file using only the specified range and skipping for the I-index. The zone
parameter specifies which zone this option affects; if not specified, all zones are affected. The
start parameter is the starting I-index; the default is one. The end parameter is the ending I-index;
the default is the last index value. The skip parameter specifies the I-interval, that is, the distance
between indices; one means every index is used, two means every other index, and so on.
For example, -iset 1, 3, 7, 2 indicates that for zone 1 only I-index values of 3, 5, and 7 are used.
Only one -iset option is allowed per zone.

-jset [zone], [start], [end], [skip]

Same as -iset above, except with respect to the J-index.

-kset [zone], [start], [end], [skip]

Same as -iset above, except with respect to the K-index.

-zonelist start[:end[:skip]], ...

Specify the zones to process. You may supply more than one specification. By default Preplot
processes all zones.

B-4 Pltview
Pltview is a command line utility to examine the header information for binary Tecplot data files. It is
included in your Tecplot 360 EX distribution and installed in the bin directory. To run pltview:
1. Launch the Command Prompt
2. navigate to the bin directory of your Tecplot 360 EX installation.
3. in the command prompt, type:
pltview “fullpath/[Link]”
You must enter the full path for your file.
4. The command prompt will display:
• File Name
• File Version

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 Pltview

• File Type
• Data Set Title
• Number of Zones
• Number of Variables
• Variable Names
• Auxiliary Data
• I, J and K Max for each ordered zone
• Total number of Nodes, Elements, Faces, as well as the element type, for each finite
element zone
An example session using the pltview utility is shown here.

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Tecplot 360 EX Utilities

512
 C

Shortcuts

C-1 Keyboard Shortcuts

On some platforms, Num Lock may interfere with some keyboard shortcuts. If shortcuts
don’t work, try toggling Num Lock.

C - 1.1 3D Rotate Tools

Alt-Click-and-drag Rotate about the viewer position using the active Rotate tool.

Middle-click-and-drag Smoothly zoom in and out of the data.

Right-click-and-drag Translate the data.

Control-right-click-and-drag
(Mac: Command-right-click- Rotate about the rotation origin (any tool may be active).
and-drag)

C Move the rotation origin to the probed point, ignoring zones.

O Set the center of rotation.

R Switch to Rollerball rotation.

S Switch to Spherical rotation.

T Switch to Twist rotation.

X Switch to X-axis rotation.

Y Switch to Y-axis rotation.

Z Switch to Z-axis rotation.

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Shortcuts

C - 1.2 Contour Add Tool

Alt-click Place a contour line by probing on a streamtrace, slice, or iso-surface.

Click Place a contour line.

Control-click Replace the nearest contour line with a new line.

Click-and-drag Move the new contour line.

- Switch to the Contour Remove tool.

C - 1.3 Contour Remove Tool

Click Remove the contour line nearest to the probed location.

+ Switch to the Contour Add tool.

C - 1.4 Geometry Polyline Tool

A Allow translation of polyline segments in all directions.

H Restrict translation of the current polyline segment to horizontal.

U End the current polyline at last clicked point and start a new one.

V Restrict translation of current polyline segment to vertical.

C - 1.5 Probe Tool

If the pointer is over a single valid cell, the interpolated field values from all nodes
in the cell are returned.
Click If multiple cells are candidates, the action is dependent upon the plot type:
For 2D, the cell from the highest number zone is used.
For 3D, the cell closest to the viewer is used.

If the pointer is over a single valid cell, the field values from the nearest node in the
cell are returned.

If multiple cells are candidates, the action is dependent upon the plot type:
Control-click For 2D, the cell from the highest number zone is used.
For 3D, the cell closest to the viewer is used.

If the pointer is not over any cell, then the field values from nearest data point (as
measured in distance on the screen) are returned.

The field values from the nearest point on the screen are returned (ignoring
surfaces, zone number, and depth of the point).
Shift-Control-click This is useful in 3D for probing on data points that are on the back side of a closed
surface without having to rotate the object. In 2D, this is useful for probing on data
points for zones that may be underneath other zones.

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 Keyboard Shortcuts

Probe only on streamtraces, iso-surfaces, or slices.

Alt-click If multiple cells are candidates, the action is dependent upon the plot type:
For 2D, the cell from the highest number zone is used.
For 3D, the cell closest to the viewer is used.

Probe only on streamtraces, iso-surfaces, or slices.

If multiple cells are candidates, the action is dependent upon the plot type:
For 2D, the cell from the highest number zone is used.
Alt-Control-click
For 3D, the cell closest to the viewer is used.

If the pointer is not over any cell, then the field values from nearest data point (as
measured in distance on the screen) are returned.

Probe only on streamtraces, iso-surfaces, or slices. The field values from the nearest
Alt-Control-Shift-click
point on the screen are returned.

X, Y When probing, press X or Y in XY Line to switch dependencies, or R or T in Polar

T, R Line.

C - 1.6 Slice Tool

+ Turn on start/end slices, or increment the number of intermediate slices.

- Turn off start/end slices, or decrement the number of intermediate slices.

If no slices are displayed for the current slice group, place the primary slice.
Click Otherwise, move the closest displayed start, end, and primary slice from its current
position to the clicked position.

Place the start, end, or primary slice (whichever is closer to the click position) on the
Alt-click
nearest derived object (streamtrace, slice or iso-surface).

Place the start, end, or primary slice (whichever is closer to the click position) on the
Control-click
nearest data point.

Switch to slicing constant I, J, or K-planes, respectively. Available for ordered zones

I, J, K
only.

X, Y, Z Switch to slicing constant X-, Y-, or Z-planes, respectively.

A Switch to arbitrary slice mode.

1-8 Switch between slice groups.

C - 1.7 Streamtrace Placement tools (3D Cartesian plots only)

D Change the streamtrace style to streamrods.

R Change the streamtrace style to streamribbons.

S Change the streamtrace style to surface lines.

V Change the streamtrace style to volume lines.

Change the number of streamtraces to be added when placing a rake of

1-9
streamtraces.

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Shortcuts

C - 1.8 Translate Tool

- Reduce the magnification of the data.

+ Increase the magnification of the data.

Drag Translate the data.

Shift-drag Translate the paper.

Shift - - Reduce the magnification of the paper.

Shift - + Increase the magnification of the paper.

C - 1.9 Zoom Tool

Click Center the zoom around the location of your click.

Control-click Center the zoom around the location of your click and zoom out.

Drag Draw a box to set the frame view.

C - 1.10 Selector Tool

Click Select the frontmost object at the clicked location.

Control-click Select the next object behind the currently selected object (“dig”).

Multiple selection. Click the first object, then shift-click subsequent objects to add
Shift-click
them to the selection

Alt-click Ignore zone objects when selecting.

C - 1.11 Selected Object Options

Reduce the size of the object. If multiple objects are selected, all object positions
-
will be shifted towards the first object selected.

Increase the size of the object. If multiple objects are selected, all object positions
+
will be shifted away from the first object selected.

Delete Delete selected object(s).

Control-C Copy selected object(s) to the clipboard.

Control-V Paste selected object(s) from the clipboard.

Control-X Cut selected object(s) to the clipboard, deleting them from the plot.

C - 1.12 Time Navigation

Home Jump to start.

Left Arrow Step backward.

Space bar Play or pause animation.

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 Keyboard Shortcuts

Right Arrow Step forward.

End Jump to end.

C - 1.13 Other Keyboard Operations

Fit Surfaces (3D Only) - Resize plot so that all surfaces are included in the frame,
excluding any volume zones.
Control-F
Fit to Full Size (2D, XY, Polar, Sketch) - Fit the entire plot into the frame (including
data, text and geometries).

Fit Everything (3D Only) - Resizes plot so that all data points, text, and geometries
Control-E
are included in the frame.

Control-L Last - Restore the last frame view.

Control-O Open a layout file.

Control-P Print.

Control-Q Exit.

Control-S Save the current layout to its file.

Control-W Save the current layout to a specified file.

C-2 Extended Mouse Operations

The middle and right mouse buttons are powerful tools you may use to immediately zoom and translate
your data without having to switch to the Zoom or Translate tools on the Toolbar. This advanced mouse/
keyboard functionality is available when using any 3D rotate, Contour, Geometry (except Polyline), Probe,
Slice, Streamtrace Placement, Translate, Zoom, or Zone Creation tools. If you have a two button mouse use
the Control key in conjunction with the right mouse button to achieve middle mouse button capabilities.
The following table lists all of the capabilities of the middle and right mouse buttons, when the active
mouse tool is the “Selector” or the “Adjustor”.

Action Middle Buttona Right Button

Redraw. If the pointer is in the active frame,

Click Tecplot 360 EX will redraw the active frame. Switch from the current tool to the Selector.
Otherwise, redraw all frames.

Smoothly zoom in or out. An upward motion

Drag Translate.
zooms out. A downward motion zooms in.

In 3D Cartesian plots, move the viewer further

from (upward motion) or closer to (downward Smoothly zoom in or out. An upward motion
Alt-Drag
motion) the object. In all other plot types, this zooms out. A downward motion zooms in.
behaves like the Drag action
a. Mac users can simulate a click of the middle button by holding down the Control key on the keyboard
while clicking the right mouse button. Hold any additional keys (such as Alt/Option) along with Control
to invoke extended mouse operations.

The above actions (and other mouse gestures) are configurable by editing your [Link] file. Find the
$!INTERFACE MOUSEACTIONS command and look for the MIDDLEBUTTON or RIGHTBUTTON section within that
command.

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Shortcuts

518
 D

License Management

D-1 Entering Your License

The first time you launch Tecplot 360 EX after a fresh installation, you will be prompted to enter your
license information:

519
License Management

You will also see this dialog if Tecplot 360 EX cannot validate your license information (for example,
because your evaluation license has expired, or because the network license server is not available).
Additionally, you may change your license information at any time from the Help menu.

SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS
Tecplot products store their license configuration file in a platform-
specific location. Each Tecplot product has its own license configuration
file.
Windows: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Tecplot
Linux: ~/.local/share/data/tecplot
Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Tecplot
The above directories are specific to the individual workstation users.
If you want all users of the computer to use the same license
configuration for a given Tecplot product, you may move the license
configuration file to the product installation directory after initial
license setup.
To prevent users from editing the license configuration, you may then
change the permissions on the license file to be writable only by an
administrator or root user.

How you install your license information depends on what type of license you have.
• If you wish to evaluate the product before purchasing, you may obtain an Evaluation license
with a single click. See Evaluation License Setup.
• If you have an Activation Code for a Single-User license and have Internet access, you enter
the activation code. See Single-User License Setup Using An Activation Code.
• If you have a License File for a Single-User license, you select the license file. See Single-User
License Setup Using A License File.
• If you have a Network license, you specify the server name and port number of the RLM
license server on your network. See Network License Setup.
• If you have a License File for a Single-User license, you select the license file. See Single-User
License Setup Using A License File.

520
 Entering Your License

D - 1.1 Evaluation License Setup

To obtain a time-limited evaluation license key so you can try the product before purchasing, make sure
the “Evaluation” license type is selected in the Licensing dialog, then click Begin Evaluation. The product
evaluation period begins. You will see a notice on the product’s Welcome Screen indicating when your
evaluation license will expire.
This procedure requires an active Internet connection. If for some reason you cannot fully evaluate Tecplot
360 EX on an Internet-connected computer, or if you need additional time to complete your evaluation,
contact Tecplot Support for a time-limited single-user license file, which may then be installed using the
instructions in “Single-User License Setup Using A License File” on page 522.

D - 1.2 Single-User License Setup Using An Activation Code

If you received an activation code for your product, allowing it to be activated over the Internet, follow the
instructions below. If you received a license key file, or if the workstation you have installed the product
on does not have Internet access, see “Single-User License Setup Using A License File” on page 522.

To activate the product, simply enter or paste your activation code in the field provided. Then click
Activate.

521
License Management

The license key corresponding to your activation code is downloaded to your computer, and Tecplot 360
EX uses that license.

D - 1.3 Single-User License Setup Using A License File

You will need the license file sent to you by Tecplot as an e-mail attachment. Please save it to a file on your
computer in an easy-to-find location, such as the Desktop.

If you do not have your license file, or have lost it, click Request
License in the Licensing dialog for instructions on how to obtain it.

1. Make sure the “License File” option is selected in the Licensing dialog.
2. Click Open License File. A file browser appears. Select the license file e-mailed to you, then
click Open.
Alternatively, you can Copy and Paste the contents of the license file to the available field.
The message “Status: Valid” appears in the Current License Information panel at the upper
right.
3. Click OK to save the license information.
Tecplot 360 EX now uses the chosen license.
If your license requires a USB license security key (“dongle”), make sure it is connected to your computer
before launching Tecplot 360 EX. It must remain connected while the product is running.

522
 License Roaming

D - 1.4 Network License Setup

To use a network license, you or your system administrator must first install the Reprise License Manager
(RLM) and the license key for your product on a network server. (See the installation instructions included with
the RLM download.) Once this has been accomplished, follow these steps:

1. Make sure the “Network” license type is selected in the Licensing dialog.
2. Enter the server name (you may use a hostname or IP address) and port number of the license
server in the fields provided.
3. Click OK to save the license information.
Tecplot 360 EX will now use a license obtained from the license server.
If the product is unable to obtain a license key, an error message will appear, and you should verify that
you have specified the correct network license information.

D-2 License Roaming

Network license users who need to use Tecplot 360 EX while not connected to the same network as their
license server (for example, while traveling) can use license roaming. License roaming allows you to use
the product without access to the license server for a limited period of time. The roaming license is
considered “in use” by the server continuously until it expires or is returned.
To manage license roaming, choose License Roaming from the Help menu. The License Roaming dialog
appears.

523
License Management

D - 2.1 Starting Roaming

To start roaming, choose the expiration date for the roaming license using the pop-out calendar that
appears when you click the roaming expiration date. Your license will expire at the end of that day, at
midnight.

To account for time zones, we suggest roaming for a day longer than you think you
need when you will be traveling.

Click Begin Roam to obtain the roaming license and begin roaming.

The license server administrator and the license key may restrict the maximum
amount of time users may roam and/or the total number of licenses that may roam at
a given time.
Additionally, only one instance of Tecplot 360 EX may be run while roaming.

While roaming, the license status is noted as Roaming in the Licensing dialog, and the expiration date of
the roaming session is also shown. You may not change license information while roaming.

When you are getting close to your roaming license’s expiration date, a notification appears in the
Welcome Screen at startup.

Do not upgrade Tecplot 360 EX while roaming. If you do, your license may no longer
work correctly. Set the RLM_ROAM environment variable to -100 before launching to rectify
this situation (see RLM_ROAM).

D - 2.2 Ending Roaming

Your roaming license expires automatically at the end of the day (that is, midnight) on the day you
selected when you began roaming. After this date, your computer must be able to connect to the network
license server to run Tecplot 360 EX.
You may also end roaming early and make your license available for other users. To do this, you must first
connect your computer to a network that allows you to reach the license server. Then choose License
Roaming from the Help menu and click the End Roam button in the License Roaming dialog.

D - 2.3 RLM_ROAM
You can initiate roaming from the command line by setting the RLM_ROAM environment variable to the
number of days you wish to roam, then starting Tecplot 360 EX from that command line session. The
roaming session expires at the end of the day after the number of days specified (for example, if it is noon
Tuesday, and you set RLM_ROAM to 2, the roaming license expires at the end of the day Thursday). RLM_ROAM

524
 License Roaming

may also be set to the special value today to have the roaming license expire at the end of the current day
(the value 0 means that no changes to roaming will be made).
If RLM_ROAM is set permanently (for example, using the System Properties in Windows), the license roaming
will be refreshed each time you run Tecplot 360 EX while connected to the network. If RLM_ROAM is 1,
for example, each time you start Tecplot 360 EX, the roaming license is refreshed to expire at midnight the
following day. This allows you to easily take your computer home with you any night and continue using
Tecplot 360 EX while disconnected from the license server, without needing to explicitly roam each day.
You may end a roaming session early by setting RLM_ROAM to -1 before launching Tecplot 360 EX.

If you are having trouble ending your roaming early (a common cause is upgrading
Tecplot 360 EX while roaming), try setting RLM_ROAM to -100 before launching Tecplot
360 EX. The roaming license will be forcibly removed from your workstation, and
Tecplot 360 EX will begin requesting a regular license from a license server at each
startup. At this point you can obtain a fresh roaming license, if desired. The
reservation for your previous roaming license will, however, continue to be held on
the license server that issued it until it expires.

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License Management

526
 E

Glossary

The following terms are used throughout the Tecplot 360 EX User’s Manual and are included here for your
reference.

Plotting in two dimensions. Line plots of one or more variables (XY and Polar Line
2D
plots) are not considered.
A plot displaying a 2D scattering of points, surfaces, or volumes using two
2D Cartesian Plot
orthogonal axes.
Plotting in three dimensions. Three-dimensional plotting can be subdivided into
3D
3D surface and 3D volume.
A plot displaying a 3D scattering of points, surfaces, or volumes using three
3D Cartesian Plot
orthogonal axes.
The process that Tecplot 360 EX uses to determine which surface to plot first. In
this process, the cells are sorted relative to the viewer and plotted beginning with
3D Sorting
the farthest point away and ending with the closest. Sorting is used when printing
3D plots or rendering translucent 3D objects on the screen.
Three-dimensional plotting confined to a surface. For example, the surface of a
3D Surface
wing.
Three-dimensional plotting of data that includes interior data points of a volume,
3D Volume
as well as those on the surface. For example, the vector field around a wing.
Active Zone A zone that is displayed in the active plot, as determined in the Zone Style dialog.

Add-on Any component or program which provides additional functions to Tecplot 360 EX.

Anchor point The fixed point of an object on the plot.

The process of removing or reducing the jagged distortions in curves and diagonal
Antialiasing
lines.
A data file composed of code in a human-readable and editable format, using the
ASCII Data File
ASCII character set encoding.

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Glossary

The ratio of lengths of the sides of an object. In the 3D Cartesian plot type, the
Aspect Ratio
ratio is that of the longest side to the shortest side.
Auxiliary Data Metadata attached to zones, datasets, and frames.
A field plot where the region between contour lines is filled with a constant color
Banded Contour Flooding
that corresponds to each variable.
Mapping Layer (XY line plots only) where bars are used to depict the relationship
Bars Mapping Layer
between the dependent and independent variables.
A data file composed of machine-readable data. This type of file is created by
Binary Data File converting ASCII data files with Preplot, or by directly creating them from an
application.
Blanking A feature of Tecplot 360 EX that excludes certain cells and points from a plot.
A data file format in which the data is listed by variable. All the point values of the
Block first variable are listed first, then all the point values of the second variable, and so
forth.
A set of un-blanked cell faces in a 3D volume zone which have only one
neighboring volume cell. In contrast, interior cell faces have two neighboring
volume cells, one on either side, which share the face. For an IJK-ordered zone the
Boundary Cell Faces boundary cell faces are on the exterior of the zone. That is, the first and last I-
planes, the first and last J-planes, and the first and last K-planes. For a finite
element 3D volume zone, boundary cell faces are on the exterior of the zone and
the surface of any voids within the zone.
The smallest rectangular box, aligned with the coordinate axes, which completely
Bounding Box of Data
encloses all data points.
An element type of finite element volume data composed of eight node points
Brick arranged in a hexahedron-like format. This element type is used in 3D volume
plotting.
A 3D surface plot where a variable is plotted in the third dimension and is
Carpet Plot
singular-valued with respect to the independent variables.
A 2D or 3D plot of some variable by location on a single plane using two axes (or
Cartesian Plot
in a volume using three axes).
Either an element of finite element data, or the space contained by one increment
Cell
of each index of IJK or IJK-ordered data.
Cell-centered Values Values located at the center of the cell (assumed to be the centroid).

Coordinate Any of a set of numbers used in specifying the location of a point on a plot.
File ([Link]) containing Tecplot 360 EX defaults. See Section 30 - 2
Configuration File
“Configuration Files” on page 464.
Color Map A color spectrum used to plot contour flooding and multi-colored objects.
The portion of a finite element data file which defines the elements or cells by
Connectivity List listing the relationships between points. The number of points per cell is
determined by the element type.

528
 A field plot where a color is assigned to each point in a mesh, based upon the
Continuous Contour contour variable and the color map. Each face is filled with colors interpolated
Flooding between the corner nodes. This results in a smooth variation of color over the
surface.
A field plot type that plots iso-valued lines, or color flooding based on the values of
Contour
a specified variable.
Curve Type The function used to fit the data points in an XY-plot.
Text strings contained within a data file or text geometry file which define labels
Custom Labels for your axes or contour table. You may select Custom Labels anywhere you can
choose a number format, the result is the text strings in place of numbers.
A 3D volume plot where a portion of a 3D volume zone is cut-away by blanking to
Cutaway Plot
reveal the interior.
Cutting Plane A planar surface used to slice 3D volume or surface zones.

Data File A file that contains data used for plotting in Tecplot 360 EX.
The type of zone data as specified by the format parameter in a Tecplot data file,
Data Format
such as BLOCK or POINT.
Data Loader A Tecplot 360 EX add-on which allows you to read non-Tecplot data files.

Data Point An XYZ-point at which field variables are defined.

A process that shifts the value of a variable at a data point towards an average of
Data Smoothing the values at its neighboring data points to reduce “noise” and lessen
discontinuities in data.
A set of one or more zones. A dataset may be plotted in one or more frames.
Dataset However, a single frame may only plot one dataset. A dataset may be created by
loading one or more data files.
Dependent An axis mode requiring the axes to maintain a fixed ratio to one another.

Depth For image export, the number of bits stored per pixel.
Graphic objects which are visible in the plot and created from zone data, but are
Derived Volume Objects
not zones, i.e. an Iso-Surface, a Slice, or a Streamtrace.
A group of OpenGL commands that have been stored for subsequent execution.
Display List Using a display list can, depending upon the hardware involved, dramatically
speed up graphics rendering. Using display lists also requires more memory.
A draw behavior setting for modifying the image quality and rendering speed
Draw Level during various operations, such as rotation. Options vary from Trace (a simplified
wire-frame mesh which is rendered quickly) to Full.
Special placeholders added to text that change with the data or the display
Dynamic Text
environment.
A 2D or 3D field plot option. Plotting the edge of a zone plots the connection of all
Edge outer lines (IJ-ordered zones), finite element surface zones, or planes (IJK-ordered
zones).

529
Glossary

The form of individual elements in a finite element zone. There are four types of
cell-based finite element zones: Triangle and Quadrilateral (finite element surface
types), and Tetrahedron and Brick (finite element volume types). For cell-based
Element Type finite elements, the element type of a zone determines the number of nodes per
element and their orientation within an element. There are two types of face-based
finite element zones: polygonal (2D) and polyhedral (3D). For face-based
elements, the number of nodes per element is variable.
XY Line mapping layer where a second dependent variable (error) is used to show
Error Bars Mapping Layer the accuracy of the first dependent variable, typically used in conjunction with the
Bars Mapping Layer.
The set of those cell faces in 3D volume zones that have only one un-blanked
neighboring volume cell. By comparison, interior cell faces have two neighboring
Exposed Cell Faces cells, one on either side, which share the face. The exposed cell faces include
boundary cell faces and interior cell faces exposed by blanking. (One of the
neighboring cells has been blanked.)
Coordinate system aligned with the Grid coordinate system so that objects that are
Eye Coordinate System drawn move with the data as you zoom and translate, but remain fixed when you
rotate the plot.
Perform extra work to resolve hidden surface problems encountered during 3D
Extra 3D Sorting
sorting.
Face Neighbor A neighboring cell whose faces share all nodes in common with the selected cell.
An abbreviation for finite element (a common means of arranging data for
FE
calculations, often referred to as “unordered” or “unstructured”).
An abbreviation for finite element [Link] Section 4 - 9 “FEA Loader” for
FEA
information and supported formats.
Fence Plot A plot of planes of a 3D data field.
A finite element zone of the element type Triangle or Quadrilateral, or Polygon.
FE Surface
These zones are used for2D and 3D surface plots.
A finite element zone of the element type Tetrahedron or Brick, or Polyhedron.
FE Volume
These zones are used for 3D volume plots.
A collection of zones for 2D and 3D field plots. A common style can be easily
Field Map
applied to all zones in the selection.
Includes 2D Cartesian and 3D Cartesian plot types. Generally used to display the
spacial relationship of data. Mesh, Contour, Vector, Scatter, and Shade are all
Field Plot
considered field plots. XY and Polar Line plots and the Sketch plot type are not
field plots.
A way to specify the directory for Tecplot 360 EX to locate a given file. For
instance, a linked layout saved with an absolute file path contains the complete
File Path
directory structure to load the associated file starting with the root directory or (on
Windows) the drive letter.

530
 A type of data point ordering. Data is arranged by listing the data points (called
nodes), and then listing their relationships (called elements). The element type of
the zone determines the number of nodes which are contained in each element, as
Finite Element
well as the exact relationship of nodes within an element. There are six different
element types supported by Tecplot 360 EX: Triangle, Quadrilateral, Tetrahedron,
Brick, Polygonal and Polyhedral. See also: Connectivity List and Node.
The modifier used to embed Greek, Math, or User-Defined characters in a text
Font Modifier
string.
Area within the workspace where sketches and plots are created. The workspace
Frame
shows a page at a time, and each page can contain multiple frames.
Coordinate system fixed to the frame that does not change when the plot is
Frame Coordinate System
zoomed, translated, or rotated.
Shading used to achieve smooth lighting on low-polygon surfaces by linearly
Gouraud Shading
interpolating a color or shade across a polygon.
Grid Area One or more rectangular regions defined and bounded by the grid axes.
An axis option which displays the coordinates of the grid along the various spatial
Grid Axes
dimensions.
The grid coordinate system consists of two dimensional physical coordinates that
Grid Coordinate System
are aligned with the coordinate system used by the plot axes.
A set of lines drawn from one or more axes that extend from the tick marks on an
Gridline
axis across the grid area.
Grid Point In 2D, the intersection of gridlines.

Hidden Line Mesh type where mesh lines that appear behind other plot layers are not drawn.
A type of data point ordering where each point is listed one at a time (that is, by
one index). Used mainly in XY plots. In 2D or 3D, this type of data point ordering
is sometimes called irregular, and is only useful for scatter plots, or for
I-Ordered
interpolating or triangulating into 2D, 3D surface, or 3D volume zones. (This type
of data can also be used for 2D or 3D vector plots if streamtraces are not
required.)
A type of data point ordering where the points are arranged in an array used for
IJ-Ordered
2D and 3D surface plotting.
A type of data ordering where the points are arranged in a 3D array. Used for 3D
IJK-Ordered
volume plotting as well as 2D and 3D surface plotting.
Image Format Any of the raster or bit-mapped graphic formats supported by Tecplot 360 EX.
A zone loaded into Tecplot 360 EX which does not appear in the plot. A zone can
Inactive Zone
be deactivated using the Zone Show option on any page of the Zone Style dialog.
Axis mode allowing each axis to have a range that is not affected by the ranges of
Independent
any other axis or axes.
To assign new values for the variables at data points in one zone based on the data
Interpolate
point values in another zone (or set of zones).

531
Glossary

When probing is activated using a single mouse click, the value returned is linearly
Interpolate Mode interpolated from all nodes in the cell. See also: “Nearest Point Mode” on
page 533.
A read-only macro variable which allows you to access certain key values in
Internal Macro Variable
Tecplot 360 EX. For example, $NUMVARS gives the number of variables.
In an ordered zone, the connected surface of all points with a constant I-index. In
I-Plane
reality, I-planes may be cylinders, spheres, or any other shape.
Points which have no order, or at least no order which can be easily converted to
Irregular Data
IJK or IJK-ordering.
A surface within a 3D zone where the contour variable has a constant value at all
Iso-Surface
locations.
Journal Log of data manipulation/creation/deletion instructions.
In an ordered zone, the connected surface of all points with a constant J-index. In
J-Plane
reality, J-planes may be cylinders, spheres, or any other shape.
A technique to interpolate the value of a random field at an unobserved location
Kriging
from observations of its value at nearby locations.
In an IJK-ordered zone, the connected surface of all points with a constant K-
K-Plane
index. In reality, K-planes may be cylinders, spheres, or any other shape.
A specialized macro file with extension .lay which preserves a plot created within
Layout File Tecplot 360 EX. When the layout is opened, it restores Tecplot 360 EX to the state
it was in when the layout file was saved.
Layout Package File A binary layout file with the .lpk extension which has the data embedded in the file.
A set of points from a single zone where one variable is assigned to an X-axis and
Line Map
another is assigned to a Y-axis. You can define many XY-maps for an XY-plot.
A file containing a list of instructions, called macro commands, which can
Macro
duplicate virtually any action performed in Tecplot 360 EX.
An instruction given to Tecplot 360 EX in a macro file. Macro commands always
Macro Command start with a dollar sign and then an exclamation mark. For example, $!Redraw
refreshes a plot view.
A file which contains a series of macro commands. Macro files are run from the
Macro File
command line, or through the Play option of the Scripting menu.
Macro Function A self-contained macro sub-routine.
A holding place for numeric values in a macro file. There are two types of macro
Macro Variable variables: user-defined (you set and retrieve the value), or internal (Tecplot 360
EX sets the value and you may retrieve it).
One way of displaying a line mapping, such as with line, bars, symbols, and so
Map Layer
forth. One mapping may be displayed with one or more layers.
Median Axis In 3D, the grid axis which when scaled is not the shortest nor the longest axis.

Menu Bar The top bar of the Tecplot 360 EX screen used to select menu options.

Mesh A 2D or 3D field plot type which plots connections between data points.

532
 Any Tecplot 360 EX object which is colored by the value of the contouring
Multi-Colored variable. Multi-colored objects may include mesh, scatter symbols, vectors,
contour lines, and streamtraces.
When probing is activated using a Control+click, the value returned is the precise
Nearest Point Mode
value of the closest data point. See also: Section “Interpolate Mode” on page 532.
Node A point in finite element data.
The style of numbers to display for a data or axis label; exponent, integer, float,
Number Format
and so forth.
A graphics library for high-end 3D graphics. It commonly takes advantage of
OpenGL
hardware acceleration for 3D rendering.
A type of data point organization which consists of a parameterized series of
Ordered Data points. There are seven types of ordered data: I, J, K, IJ, JK, IK, and IJK-ordered.
I, IJ, and IJK-ordered are the most common.
A plot view in which the shape of the object is independent of [Link] is used
Orthographic Projection
for displaying physical objects when preserving the true lengths is important.
Mesh type where mesh lines are drawn over all field-plot layers, except for vector
Overlay
and scatter layers.
Pick Select an item in the plot area by clicking on it with the mouse.
Determines the type of plot which is displayed in a frame. For example, 2D
Plot Type
Cartesian plot, 3D Cartesian plot, XY Line plot, Polar Line plot, or Sketch plot.
PLOT3D A plotting package developed by NASA.
A plot of radius versus angle, or vice versa. The polar axes are the radial axis (by
Polar Line Plot default zero at the origin) and theta axis (by default zero for any data on the right
running horizontal line).
A 2D, face-based finite element type. The number of nodes per element is variable.
Polygonal That is, a single polygonal zone may contain triangular, quadrilateral, hexagonal,
..., etc. elements.
A 3D, face-based finite element type. The number of nodes per element is variable.
Polyhedral That is, a single polyhedral zone may contain tetrahedral and brick (and other)
elements.
A shape composed of one or more joined line segments. May be closed (i.e., a
Polylines
polygon) or open.
The generalization to any dimension of “polygon” in two dimensions,
Polytope
“polyhedron” in three dimensions, and “polychoron” in four dimensions
Pop Bring selected geometries or text to the top of the viewstack.
The points of intersection of the imaginary lines extending from the X- and Y-axes’
Precise Dot Grid
tick marks.
The point in an ordered zone’s cell that has the minimum index values for that cell,
Primary Corner
or the first listed node of a finite element cell.
To obtain interpolated values of the dataset variables at a specified location by
Probe
clicking on a point in the data region.
Push Send selected geometries or text to the bottom of the viewstack.

533
Glossary

An element type of finite element surface data which is composed of four node
Quadrilateral
points arranged in a quadrilateral. Used in 2D and 3D surface plotting.
A user-defined panel accessed from the Scripting menu which allows quick access
Quick Macro Panel
to your macro functions.
Rake A line along which a number of streamtraces may be seeded.
The assignment of color based on Red, Green, and Blue components defined at
RGB Color Flooding
field data locations.
Ribbon (See Streamribbon.)
A sequence acceleration method, used to improve the rate of convergence of a
Richardson Extrapolation
sequence.
Rod (See Streamrod.)

Scatter A 2D or 3D field plot type which plots a symbol at each data point.
A 2D or 3D field plot type which plots solid color or colors with lighting effect
Shade Plot
over the cells of the data.
Variable sharing allows a single storage location to be used by more than one
party. For example, if the X-variable is shared between zones five and seven, only
Sharing one storage location is created. The storage is not freed by Tecplot 360 EX until
the number of parties accessing the data is reduced to zero. Variables and
connectivity information may be shared.
A movable, dockable panel (by default located on the left side of the Tecplot 360
Sidebar EX window) which provides quick access to frequently-used functionality. Tecplot
360 EX includes multiple sidebars: Plot, Frames, Pages, Probe, and Quick Macro.
Sketch Plot A plot which displays only text and geometries, not any data-derived elements.

Slice A set of data created by the intersection of a plane with 3D zones.

Lock any object on the screen to the closest grid point. The position and size of the
Snap-to-Grid
object will be affected by changes to the grid.
Lock any object on the screen to the underlying paper. The position and size of the
Snap-to-Paper
object will not be affected by changes to the grid.
Sorting The process of resolving hidden-surface problems during display of a 3D plot.
Highlights with qualities similar to those of a smooth reflecting surface such as
Specular Highlights metal, where light is reflected so intensely from some points that the plot appears
white (or the color of the light) at those points.
The bar located at the bottom of the Tecplot 360 EX screen which provides
Status Line
“hover” help for tools and acts as a progress bar during calculations.
A series of transient zones that represent the same part of a dataset at different
Strand
times.
Stream Particle traces through a vector field.
The type of streamtraces being placed in Tecplot 360 EX. For example, Surface
Stream Format
Line, Volume Line, Volume Ribbon, or Volume Rod.

534
 A 2D or 3D line which is parallel to the vector field along its entire length. For a
Streamline steady state vector field, this is the same as a simple particle trace which marks the
path of a massless particle in the vector field.
A particle trace with a width which not only follows the flow field (its center being
Streamribbon
a regular streamline), but which also twists with the vorticity of the vector field.
A particle trace with a polygonal cross-section and a width which not only follows
Streamrod the flow field (its center being a regular streamline), but which also rotates with
the vorticity of the vector field.
Streamtrace Any type of particle trace: streamlines, streamribbons, or streamrods.

Streamtrace Termination A polyline that terminates any streamtraces that cross it.
Line

Streamtrace Zone Any streamtrace which has been extracted to form a new zone.
A type of file which contains the definition of how the plot in a single frame is to be
Stylesheet plotted. The stylesheet does not contain any zone data but does contain
information about views, axes positions, zone attributes, and so forth.
When antialiasing an image for export, the factor Tecplot 360 EX uses when
creating an intermediate image that is then resized down to the final image size.
Supersampling Factor
The larger the value, the smoother the resulting image at the cost of performance.
Values of more than 3 are seldom necessary.
A type of 3D streamline which is confined to remain on a 3D surface. Also used to
Surface Line
refer to streamlines.
Line plot where symbols are used to depict the relationship between the dependent
Symbols Mapping Layer
and independent variables.
A type of axis label format with which you can label axes by using a multitude of
Time/Date
codes that can display data in years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds.
Toolbar The bar at the top of the Tecplot 360 EX workspace.
An element type of finite element volume data which is composed of four node
Tetrahedron
points arranged in a tetrahedron. (Used in 3D volume plotting.)
Transient Data Data that has a time component in addition to a spatial coordinate.
A property allowing you to see through an object to areas within or beyond it. In
Translucency Tecplot 360 EX you may vary the amount of translucency, controlling the extent
that an object closer to you obscures an object it overlays.
An element type of finite element surface data which is composed of three node
Triangle
points. (Used in 2D and 3D surface plotting.)
Unordered or Unorganized (See Irregular Data.)
Data
A feature of Tecplot 360 EX used to trim or eliminate cells based on one or more
Value-Blanking
user-defined constraints for variable values.
Variable One of the values defined at every data point in a dataset.

Vector Layer A field plot showing the direction and or the magnitude of vector quantities.
A type of 3D streamline which is not confined to remain on a surface and may
Volume Line
travel through 3D volume data.

535
Glossary

Volume Zone Any zone that is IJK-ordered, finite element tetrahedron, or finite element brick.
The measurement of the tendency of a vector field to rotate about a point. (Also
Vorticity
called “curl.”)
Wire Frame Mesh type where mesh lines are drawn behind all other plot layers.
The portion of your screen where you can create Tecplot 360 EX frames. This
Workspace
includes but is not limited to the region covered by the displayed paper.
A 3D axis mode where X and Y are fixed (dependent), but Z is free to vary in ratio
XY-Dependent
(independent).
Plots one variable assigned to one axis versus another variable assigned to
XY Line Plot another axis. Log plots, bar charts, and curve fitted lines are all examples of XY
Line plots.
A subset of a dataset which is assigned certain plot types. Zones may be activated
(plotted) or deactivated (not plotted). Each zone has one type of data ordering: I,
IJ, IJK, or finite element. Zones are typically used to distinguish different portions
Zone
of the data. For example, different calculations, experimental versus theoretical
results, different time steps, or different types of objects, such as a wing surface
versus a vector field around a wing.
One way of displaying a 2D or 3D plot’s dataset. The plot is the sum of the active
Zone Layers
zone layers, which may include mesh, contour, vector, shade, scatter and edge.

536
 F

Calculate Variables Reference

This chapter details the functions available in the Calculate dialog (accessed via the Calculate Variables
command on the Analyze menu). Formulae, where not trivial, are given for each function. For functions
that have equivalent PLOT3D function numbers, the numbers are listed as well. Refer to Section 21 - 6.4
“Selecting a Function” for a description of how to use these numbers.

F-1 Symbols
The following symbols are used in formulae below. Other symbols are defined in context.

Symbol Description

  Reference or free-stream quantity.

c p
g Ratio of specific heats, ----
cv

r Density, mass per unit volume (area in 2D).

 Generalized curvilinear coordinate in the I-direction.

 Generalized curvilinear coordinate in the J-direction.

 Generalized curvilinear coordinate in the K-direction.

 Vorticity

a Speed of sound.

cP Specific heat at constant pressure.

cV Specific heat at constant volume.

M Mach number.
Table F - 1: Analyze Symbology.

537
Calculate Variables Reference

Symbol Description
m Mass.

p Pressure.

R Specific gas constant p = RT

T Temperature.

U Velocity vector.

u X-velocity component.

v Y-velocity component.

w Z-velocity component.
Table F - 1: Analyze Symbology.

F-2 Scalar Grid Quality Functions

F - 2.1 I, J, K-aspect Ratio
The ratio of maximum edge length squared to face area:
2
 Max edge length 
AR = ----------------------------------------------
-
Area
For a rectangle or square, this simplifies to: AR = height ----------------
width
For collapsed faces where the area is zero, the aspect ratio is set to zero.
For Polyhedral zones, the maximum aspect ratio is calculated for all faces of a given cell.

F - 2.2 I, J, or K-stretch Ratio

The ratio of the length of line segment I2-I3 to segment I1-I2 (or J or K):
length of segment I1-I2-
stretch ratio = length of segment I2-I3- -------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------- or
length of segment I1-I2 length of segment I2-I3
such that the stretch ratio is always > 1.

If either segment has zero length, the stretch ratio is set to one.
Note: If you have specified on the Geometry and Boundaries dialog that adjacent zones are connected,
these stretch ratios will be made continuous across connected zone boundaries provided that the index
directions are aligned.

538
 Scalar Grid Quality Functions

F - 2.3 I, J, or K-face Skewness

The ratio of the two face diagonal lengths subtracted from one (the diagonals are ratioed so that this
number is always non-negative):
face skewness = 1 – length of shorter face diagonal- .
------------------------------------------------------------------------
length of longer face diagonal
For polyhedral zones, the cell value is the maximum skewness over all cell faces.

F - 2.4 Cell Diagonal1 or Diagonal2 Skewness

The ratio of the lengths of two body diagonals subtracted from one (always non-negative). There are four
body diagonals. We choose pairs which would be coplanar in an unskewed cell, that is, (i,j,k) ->
(i+1,j+1,k+1) and (i,j,k+1) -> (i+1,j+1,k).
cell skewness = 1 – length of shorter body diagonal-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
length of longer body diagonal
For polygonal zones, the ratio of the lengths will be zero.

F - 2.5 IJ, JK, KI, or Max Normals Skewness

The dot product of face unit normals for the two given faces.
IJ-skewness : S IJ = nˆ I  nˆ J

The following figure illustrates this for IJ-skewness.

F - 2.6 I, J, K, or Min Orthogonality

One minus the absolute value of the dot product of two unit vectors which point in the direction of two
adjacent edges of the given face.

539
Calculate Variables Reference

ˆ ˆ
For the K-face: orthogonality = 1 – t I  t J

F - 2.7 I, J, K, or Min Nonplanarity

Two triangles are formed with the four nodes of the face, and the dot product of the two unit normals of
those triangles is subtracted from one.
non-planarity of the four-node face shown below = 1 – nˆ I1  nˆ I2

For polyhedral zones, the max over all cell faces is found.

F - 2.8 Jacobian
For ordered zones, the Jacobian is calculated with the standard formula.
1
J = -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
x  y z – y z  – x  y z – y z  + x  y z – y z 

The subscripts above represent partial derivatives, which are approximated with finite differences.
For finite element zones, Tecplot 360 EX approximates the Jacobian by inverting the average areas or
volumes of the grid cells surrounding each node, 1/A or 1/V.
If the denominator of the above formula is zero (ordered zones), or all cells surrounding a node have zero
area (finite element zones), the Jacobian is set to zero.

F - 2.9 Cell Volume

For ordered zones, the cell volume for a particular node (I, J, K) is the volume of the cell between nodes (I,
J, K) and (I+1, J+1, K+1). In 2D, this function becomes cell area. Nodes on the IMax, JMax, and KMax
boundaries are assigned the same value as the nodes at IMax-1, JMax-1, and KMax-1 respectively.
For finite element zones, the cell volume for a node is the average volume (area in 2D) of all cells of which
that node is a part.

540
 Vector Grid Quality Functions

F-3 Vector Grid Quality Functions

F - 3.1 Grid I, J, or K-unit Normal
Vectors of unit length normal to I=, J=, or K=constant grid planes.
unit normal for I = n̂ I

For polyhedral zones, the result will be set to (1, 0, 0).

F-4 Scalar Flow Variables

F - 4.1 Density
The mass per unit volume of the fluid:  = m
---- . PLOT3D function numbers: 100 (not normalized), or
V
101 (normalized).

F - 4.2 Stagnation Density

1
 -----------
   – 1 2  – 1
 =    1 + ----------
-M (compressible)
0
2 

 (incompressible)

PLOT3D function numbers: 102 (not normalized), or 103 (normalized).

F - 4.3 Pressure
p = RT (compressible)
PLOT3D function numbers: 110 (not normalized), or 111 (normalized).

F - 4.4 Stagnation Pressure

 -
----------
 – 1 2 –1
p = p  1 + ----------- M 
0
(compressible)
 2 
0 1 2
p = p + ---  U (incompressible)
2
PLOT3D function numbers: 112 (not normalized) or 113 (normalized).

F - 4.5 Pressure Coefficient

PLOT3D function number: 114 (not normalized). There is no function number for normalized pressure
p – p
C p = ----------------
-
1
---   u 2
2

coefficient, since reference value normalization is not possible (the free-stream pressure coefficient is zero).

541
Calculate Variables Reference

F - 4.6 Stagnation Pressure Coefficient

0
p –p
C p 0 = -----------------
1
---   u 2
2

PLOT3D function number: 115 (not normalized). As above, there is no function number for normalized
stagnation pressure coefficient.

F - 4.7 Pitot Pressure

Equals stagnation pressure for subsonic/incompressible flow. For supersonic flow:
 -
----------
 + 1 2 –1
 ----------- M
 2 
p 02 = p ---------------------------------------------------
1
-
-----------
 -----------  – 1 –1
M – -----------
2 2
 + 1  + 1

PLOT3D function number: 116 (not normalized).

F - 4.8 Pitot Pressure Ratio

The pitot pressure divided by the free-stream pressure. PLOT3D function number: 117 (not normalized).

F - 4.9 Dynamic Pressure

1 2
q = ---  U
2
PLOT3D function number: 118 (not normalized).

F - 4.10 Temperature
p
T = ------- (compressible)
R
PLOT3D function numbers: 120 (not normalized), or 121 (normalized).

F - 4.11 Stagnation Temperature

  –1 2
 T 1 + ----------- M  (compressible)
T =  
0
2

T (incompressible)

PLOT3D function numbers: 122 (not normalized), or 123 (normalized).

F - 4.12 Enthalpy
per unit mass:
R
h = cp T c p = ----------- (compressible only)
–1
PLOT3D function numbers: 130 (not normalized), or 131 (normalized).

542
 Scalar Flow Variables

F - 4.13 Stagnation Enthalpy

per unit mass:
0 1 2
h = c p T + --- U
2

PLOT3D function numbers: 132 (not normalized), or 133 (normalized).

F - 4.14 Internal Energy

per unit mass:
R
e = cv T c v = ----------- (compressible only)
–1
PLOT3D function numbers: 140 (not normalized), or 141 (normalized).

F - 4.15 Stagnation Energy

0 1 2
e = c v T + --- U
per unit mass:
2
PLOT3D function numbers: 142 (not normalized), or 143 (normalized).

F - 4.16 Stagnation Energy per Unit Volume

Stagnation energy multiplied by density. PLOT3D function number: 163 (not normalized).

F - 4.17 Kinetic Energy

Per unit mass, one-half the square of the velocity magnitude.

1 2
KE = --- U
2

PLOT3D function numbers: 144 (not normalized), or 145 (normalized).

F - 4.18 Velocity Components U, V, or W

The scalar velocity components. PLOT3D function numbers: 150 (u, not normalized), 151 (v, not
normalized), or 152 (w, not normalized).

F - 4.19 Velocity Magnitude

The 2-norm of the velocity vector components:
2 2 2
U = u +v +w
PLOT3D function number: 153 (not normalized).

F - 4.20 Mach Number

The flow speed divided by the local speed of sound, for compressible flow:
U
M = ---------
a
PLOT3D function number: 154 (not normalized).

543
Calculate Variables Reference

F - 4.21 Speed of Sound

p
   – 1   --- – --- U  (compressible)
e 1 2
a = RT = ----- =
  2 

PLOT3D function number: 155 (not normalized).

F - 4.22 Cross Flow Velocity

This presumes that free-stream velocity is purely in the X-direction:
2 2
v cf = v +w
PLOT3D function number: 156 (not normalized).

F - 4.23 Equivalent Potential Velocity Ratio

The ratio of velocity magnitude to the potential velocity, as calculated with the incompressible Bernoulli
0
equation. Refer to previous sections for definitions of U and p .
U
-------------------
0
p – p
---------------
0.5

PLOT3D function number: 159 (not normalized).

F - 4.24 X, Y, Z-momentum Component

Per unit volume, the product of density and the scalar velocity components.
momentum x = u

PLOT3D function numbers: 160 (X-momentum, not normalized), 161 (Y-momentum, not normalized), 162
(Z-momentum, not normalized).

F - 4.25 Entropy

s = c v ln  ------ + c p ln  ------
p
 p   

PLOT3D function number: 170 (not normalized).

F - 4.26 Entropy Measure S1

p  –
s 1 = ------  ------ – 1
p    

PLOT3D function number: 171 (not normalized).

544
 Scalar Flow Variables

F - 4.27 X-, Y-, Z-Vorticity

w v
------- – ------
x y z
u w-
y = ------ – ------
z x
z
v u
------ – ------
x y

PLOT3D function numbers: 180 (X-Vorticity, not normalized), 181 (Y-vorticity, not normalized), 182 (Z-
vorticity, not normalized).

F - 4.28 Vorticity Magnitude

2 2 2
 = x + y + z

PLOT3D function number: 183 (not normalized).

F - 4.29 Q Criterion
1 2 2
Q = ---   + S 
2
Where Ω and S are the anti-symmetric and symmetric components of the velocity gradient tensor:

1 T
 = ---  u –  u  
2
1 T
S = ---  u +  u  
2
and the norms for the tensors are the Frobenius norms—the square root of the sum of the squares of all
tensor elements.

F - 4.30 Swirl
  U-
Swirl = --------------
2
 U

PLOT3D function number: 184 (not normalized).

F - 4.31 Velocity Cross Vorticity Magnitude

U
PLOT3D function number: 185 (not normalized).

F - 4.32 Helicity
H = U
PLOT3D function number: 186 (not normalized).

F - 4.33 Relative Helicity

U
H r = ------------------
U 
PLOT3D function number: 187 (not normalized).

545
Calculate Variables Reference

F - 4.34 Filtered Relative Helicity

2
H r as calculated above, but set to zero when U    0.1U  .
PLOT3D function number: 188 (not normalized).

F - 4.35 Shock
For compressible flow:
U p
----  -----------
a p
PLOT3D function number: 190 (not normalized).

F - 4.36 Filtered Shock

Shock, as shown above, but set to zero when the magnitude of the pressure gradient p  0.1p  .
PLOT3D function number: 191 (not normalized).

F - 4.37 Pressure Gradient Magnitude

2 2 2
p = px + py + pz
PLOT3D function number: 192 (not normalized).

F - 4.38 Density Gradient Magnitude

2 2 2
 =  x +  y +  z
PLOT3D function number: 193 (not normalized).

F - 4.39 X, Y, Z-density Gradient


------
x x

y = ------
y
z

------
z
PLOT3D function numbers: 194 (X-density Gradient, not normalized), 195 (Y-density Gradient, not
normalized), 196 (Z-density Gradient, not normalized).

F - 4.40 Shadowgraph
2
The Laplacian of density,   .
PLOT3D function number: 197 (not normalized).

F - 4.41 Divergence of Velocity

u v w
  U = ------ + ------ + -------
x y z
PLOT3D function number: 158 (not normalized).

F - 4.42 Sutherland’s Law

Sutherland’s Law is a method of estimating the viscosity of a fluid from its temperature. The formula is:
32
T
 = C 1 ----------------
T + C2

546
 Vector Flow Variables

For the constants, Tecplot 360 EX uses the meters/kilograms/seconds values for air,
–6 kg
C 1 = 1.458  10 -----------------
ms K

and C2 = 110.4 K. Unlike other functions, this function is units-specific. Tecplot 360 EX uses the meters/
kilograms/seconds units for this calculation, so the input temperature (data set variable) must be in
Kelvin. The resulting viscosity will be in units of: kg /m s.

F - 4.43 Isentropic Density Ratio

1-
----------

0
 – 1 2 –1
----- =  1 + ----------- M 
  2 

F - 4.44 Isentropic Pressure Ratio

 -
----------
0
 – 1 2 –1
----- =  1 + ----------- M 
p
p  2 

F - 4.45 Isentropic Temperature Ratio

T
0
–1 2
----- = 1 + ----------- M
T 2

F-5 Vector Flow Variables

F - 5.1 Velocity
The velocity vector, U . PLOT3D function number: 200 (not normalized).

F - 5.2 Vorticity
See above for vorticity components. PLOT3D function number: 201 (not normalized).

F - 5.3 Momentum
Per unit volume, density multiplied by the velocity vector. PLOT3D function number: 202 (not
normalized).

F - 5.4 Perturbation Velocity

U = U – U 
PLOT3D function number: 203 (not normalized).

F - 5.5 Velocity Cross Vorticity

U
PLOT3D function number: 204 (not normalized).

547
Calculate Variables Reference

F - 5.6 Pressure Gradient

The vector of pressure partial derivatives in space:
p
------
x
p = p
------
y
p
------
z

PLOT3D function number: 210 (not normalized).

F - 5.7 Density Gradient

The vector of density partial derivatives in space:


------
x
 = 
------
y

------
z
PLOT3D function number: 211 (not normalized).

F-6 The Velocity Gradient Tensor

In addition to the scalar and vector variables listed in the previous sections, Tecplot 360 EX can calculate
one tensor variable, the velocity gradient:

u u u Each component in the tensor is stored as a separate variable in the dataset.

------ ------ ------
x y z The names indicate which component they represent, such as dUdX, dUdY
U = v v v and so on.
------ ------ ------
x y z
w w w
------- ------- -------
x y z

548
 G

Functional Limits

G-1 Hard Limits

The following hard limits are designed into Tecplot 360 EX. Your workstation’s memory may, however, not
always be sufficient to allow the product to reach these limits.

Table G - 1: Hard limits for Tecplot 360 EX

Item Limit

Maximum number of data points per data set Quintillions (limited by memory)

Maximum number of data points per zone Quintillions (limited by memory)

Largest floating point absolute value 10150

Smallest non-zero floating point absolute value 10-150

Maximum number of datasets 2048

Maximum number of zones More than 2 billion

Maximum number of variables More than 2 billion

Maximum number of frames 2048

Maximum number of pages 2048

Maximum number of macro variables 400

Maximum number of value blank constraints 8

Maximum number of contour groups 8

549
Functional Limits

Table G - 1: Hard limits for Tecplot 360 EX

Item Limit

Maximum number of geometries Limited only by memory

Maximum number of polylines per line geometrya 50

Maximum number of points per circle or ellipse 720

Maximum number of custom label sets Limited only by memory

Maximum number of custom labels per set 5000

Minimum frame width or height 0.1 inches

Maximum frame width 500 inches

Maximum streamtraces per frame 32,000

Maximum number of streamtrace steps 10,000

Maximum number of color map overrides 16

Maximum preview width for EPS files 1024

Maximum preview height for EPS files 1024

Maximum number of user-defined color map control points 50

Maximum number of raw user-defined color map entries 800

Maximum number of characters in variable name 128

Maximum number of characters in zone title 128

Maximum number of characters in dataset title 256

Maximum number of views per view stack 16

Maximum number of characters in an auxiliary data string 32,000

Line length limit in ASCII .dat files (character limit per line) 32,000

a. A polyline is a continuous series of line segments, and can be a subset of a line geometry.

Table G - 2: Hard Limits for plot styles

Item Limit

Printing Gouraud shaded plots with continuous flooding On screen or exported bitmap image only

Printing plots with translucency On screen or exported bitmap image only

550
 Soft Limits

G-2 Soft Limits

The following soft limits may be changed by editing your Tecplot 360 EX configuration file. The
configuration file, [Link], in installed in your Tecplot 360 EX home directory.

Table G - 3: Soft limits for Tecplot 360 EX

Limit Soft Limit Hard Limit Macro Parameter

Points per linea 20000 Quintillions MAXPTSINALINE

Contour levels 150 5,000 MAXNUMCONTOUR

Characters per text label 16,000 100,000 MAXCHRSINTEXTLABELS

Picked objects 1500 More than 2 billion MAXNUMPICKOBJECTS

Load on demand - min threshold 0.3 0b LODTHRESHOLDMINFRACT

Load on demand - max threshold 0.7 1 LODTHRESHOLDFRACT

Available processors 0c 64 MAXAVAILABLEPROCESSORS

a. Points per line is the limit on the number of points allowed in the following: line segment geometries,
stream termination lines, and contour lines. For line segment geometries, this is the total number of
points used in all polylines contained in the geometry.
b. LODTHRESHOLDMINFRACT may not be less than 0 (the given hard limit is the lower bound, not the
upper limit as with the other hard limits).
c. If MAXAVAILABLEPROCESSORS is 0, Tecplot 360 EX queries the hardware for the number of
processors and uses that value.

551
Functional Limits

G-3 Limits When Working Remotely

When working with complex geometries (on the order of 50 million elements) in Tecplot 360 EX on non-
Windows platforms, running Tecplot 360 EX with the -mesa flag may improve performance. Because using
-mesa causes geometry computation to occur at the server (causing the remote machine to receive only the
resulting images), display, zooming, and other capabilities may work faster past this threshold. Using the
-mesa option will reduce rendering quality, however.
This diagram illustrates the differences in remote rendering resulting from use of the -mesa flag:

552
 2D

Index details dialog 259–274

display 259
grid area 271
grid options 264
Numerics lines 269
2D polar range options 262
range options 260 reset 3D 184
3D 52, 184–188 tick mark labels 266
axis limits dialog 185 tick marks 265
orientation axis dialog 185 time/date format 272
reset axis 184 title 268
rotate dialog 186 variable assignment 259
rotation 30 XY, 2D, 3D range options 260
view details dialog 52, 188
B
A Backward Compatibility
Add-on 475–497 exporting data files 396
Extract Precise Line 485 Ballistic coefficient, calculate 374
Load 475 Batch processing 429–432
Measure Distance 490 Bitmap image 413
Multi-Frame 491 Blanking 297–303
Solution time/strand editor 492 animate IJK blanking 448
Time-series 495 IJK blanking 301
Write data as formatted text 496 value blanking 297
Adjustor tool 28 BMP 413
Advanced 3D control dialog 185 BMP file 413
Advanced quick edit dialog 478 Boundary
Anchor alignment 210 cell face 179
snap modes 26 edit 348
Animate 25, 445–462 specify 346
advanced techniques 455
AVI export 458 C
controls 25 Calculate 95, 305–337, 339–381, 541–547
IJK blanking 448 alter data 305
IJK-plane 447 ballistic coefficient 374
IJK-planes 447 boundary values 312
iso-surfaces 450 conductivity 340
mapping 451 density 340, 343
mappings dialog 451 drag coefficient 376
movie file 457–462 examples 315
slice 452 FLOW3D derived variables 95
streaklines 371 gamma 340
streamtrace 453 gas constant 340
streamtrace dialog 453 gradient 353
time 446 I,J,K aspect ratio 538
tools 445 I,J,K stretch ratio 538
zone 454 integrals 313
Animate dialog 453 lift and drag 366
Animation options dialog 372 mass flow rate 364
ANSYS files, load 87 mass-weighted stagnation pressure 365
Antialiasing 417 Nusselt number 376
Arrowhead on-demand variables 352
vector 217 particle paths 368
Aspect ratio 185 pressure 343
calculate 538 scalar flow variables 541–547
Attachment lines 381 select function 353
Auto spacing 266 shock surfaces 380
AutoCAD loader 80 skewness 539
Auxiliary data solution accuracy 377
PLOT3D auxiliary data 120 sound speed 343
AVI export 458 specific heat 340
axial duplication 325 streaklines 368
axial rotation 321 temperature 343
Axis 184, 259–274 total mass 363
axis details dialog 259

553
INDEX

turbulence 367 circular zone dialog 322

undo 352 duplicate zone dialog 324
variables 350 frames 40
vector flow variables 547 mappings dialog 149
vector grid quality functions 541 mirror zone dialog 324
viscosity 340 multiple frames dialog 481
volume under a surface 362 rectangular zone dialog 322
Calculating normal vector 355 zone 321
Carpet data format 84 Current solution time 446
Cart3D 125 Curve information dialog 161
Cartesian plot 175–189 Curve-fit
Cell face exponential 155
boundary 179 extended 158
exposed 179 general 159
CFD 339–381 goodness of fit 162
boundary options 345 information dialog 161
calculate turbulence 367 none 160
calculate variable 350 polynomial 154
field variables 343 power 156
fluid flow, extract features 379 weighting variables 161
fluid properties 339 Customize 463–474
geometry options 345 character definition 471
integrate 355–367 configuration files 464
particle paths 368–377 plot rendering 467–471
reference values 342 symbol definition 471
solution error 377 [Link] 476
specify boundary 346 [Link] 551
streaklines 368–377 Cut 53
unsteady flow 349
Change format dialog 497 D
Character Dashboard 18
ASCII 165 Data 56, 65–132, 295–337
custom 471 batch processing 429–432
Color blanking 297
choosing 142–143 carpet format 84
contour layer 202 CFD analysis 339–381
color chooser 142 create zone 321
Command line options 501–505 dataset information 137–141
Compressible fluid 341 datasets 38
Conductivity, calculate 340 delete variable 329
Configuration files, customize 464, 551 delete zone 328
conjugates 320 extract from zone 326
Connectivity list 55 face neighbors 61
context menu 21 file writing 399
Contour details dialog 199–210 finite-element 59
Contour layer 197–211 fit 50
active slice group 235 fluid properties 339
add/delete levels 32 frames 38
bands 205 hierarchy 37
coloring 202 interpolate 329
groups 200 irregular 62
labels 207 journaling 136
add/delete 33 loader, see Data loaders 114
legend 209 macros 421–427
line extract 211 manipulate 295
lines 207 operations 305–337
modify 198 ordered 56, 58
contour legend overwrite files 131
box around 211 point extract 327
Coordinate system 39 probing 383–391
Copy 53 reference values 342
Copy plot to clipboard dialog 417 sharing 137
Copy view 52 smoothing 317
Create spreadsheet 335

554
 Data alter 305

structure, see Data structure create rectangular zone 322

subzone extract 326 curve information 161
transient 445–462 data spreadsheet 335
variables 60 dataset information 137
zones 38 delete variable 329
Data alter 305 edit active frame 41
Data loaders 65–132 edit boundary 348
CGNS 75 enter ASCII character 165
CONVERGE 79 enter contour level range 202
DEM 79 enter mapping name 149
DXF 80 enter range 359
EnSight 81 error analysis 377
Excel 82 exponential fit 155
FEA 86–92 export 409–461
Flow-3D 92–96 extract contour lines 211
FLUENT 96–100 extract flow features 379
General Text 102–111 extract subzone 326
HDF 5 112–114 field variables 343
HGF 111–112 fluid properties 339
Kiva 114 geometry and boundary options 345
PLOT3D 115–116 geometry details 290
PLY 121 georeferenced image details 290
Tecplot-format 121–122 group zones by time step 350
Text Spreadsheet 124 image geometry details 289
Data structure 55–63 integrate 355–367
connectivity list 55 inverse-distance interpolation 330
face neighbors 61 iso-surface details 253–257
finite-element data 59 kriging 333
irregular data 62 label points and cells 183
ordered data 56, 58 light source 229
variables 60 line legend 170
Dataset information dialog 137 linear interpolation 329
Datasets 38 load ANSYS results 87
Date/time format 272 macro recorder 421
Delete macro variables 426
frames 46 mapping style 146–173
particle paths 372 mappings, create 149
streaklines 372 paper setup 47, 404
variable 329 parametric spline settings 158
zone 328 particle mass 375
Density, calculate 340 particle mass options 374
Dialog particle paths 368
3D axis limits 185 performance 467–471
3D orientation axis 185 power fit 156
3D rotate 186 print 401
3D view 52 print setup 402
3D view details 188 probe at 383–391
advanced 3D control 185 reference values 342
advanced quick edit tool 478 reference vector 218
animate IJK blanking 448 RGB coloring options 143
animate IJK-planes 447 rotate 52
animate mappings 451 scatter legends 224
animate zones 454 scatter size/font 223
animation options 372 select function 353
axis details 259–274 select import format 65
calculate 350 select variables 166, 213
change format 497 set links for active frame 43
color chooser 142 set origin 367
contour details 199–210 slice details 232, 452
copy plot to clipboard 417 smooth 317
create circular zone 322 specify equations 305
create duplicate zone 324 spline settings 157
create mirror zone 324 stineman interpolation 160
create multiple frames 481 strand editor 493

555
INDEX

streaklines 368 Extract 211, 379, 381

streamtrace 240–251 attachment lines 381
streamtrace details 239–252 contour lines dialog 211
text details 276 existing zone data 326
latex 285 flow features dialog 379
regular 276 separation lines 381
text options 278 subzone dialog 326
time details 446 vortex core 380
translate/magnify 51 Extract Precise Line add-on 485
triangulate 334 Extrapolation, Richardson 377
turbulence 367 Eye coordinate system 248
unsteady flow 349
value blanking 298 F
vector arrowheads 217 Face neighbor 61
vector length 216 fallback, fonts 277
write data options 399, 496 Field plot 175–189, 298
zone style 176–181 3D plots 184–189
Dynamic Text 280 labels 182
time aware 181–182
E value blanking 298
Edge layer 191–195 Field variables dialog 343
display 195 File format, export BMP file 413
modify 194 Finite-element data 59
Edit 52 Fit 50
active frame 41 Fit, data 50
boundary dialog 348 Flow, unsteady 349
clear 53 Fluid properties dialog 339
copy 53 font fallback 277
cut 53 font folders 277
paste 53 FontPath 277
undo 52 Fourier transform 319
Enter ASCII character dialog 165 Frame
Enter contour level range dialog 202 create 40
Enter mapping name dialog 149 create new 34
Enter range dialog 359 delete 46
EPS export 409 edit 41
Equations, see Calculate 315 edit frame name 43
Error analysis dialog 377 link 43
Error Bars, XY line 165 redraw 49
Excel Frames 40
carpet format 84 Function, select 353
loader restrictions 85
macro 507 G
other formats 85 Gamma ratio 340
Exponential curve-fit 155 Gas constant, calculate 340
Exponential fit settings dialog 155 General curve-fit 159
Export 393–417 Geometries 275–293, 345
antialiasing 417 3D line 292
AVI 458 CFD options 345
BMP 413 creating 288
clipboard 417 details dialog 290
dialog 409–461 insert 34
EPS 409 link to macro 292
image 412 Geometry and boundary options dialog 345
Movie 457 Goodness of fit 162
PNG 415 Gradient, calculate 353
PostScript 411 Grid, set up 48
printing 401 Group zones by time step dialog 350
Tecplot viewer 408
TIFF 416 H
vector graphics 409 Hard limits 549
WMF 411 Help 34
Exposed cell face 179 Hot Keys, see Keyboard shortcuts
Extended Curve-fit 158

556
 Image 275–293, 412

I map 26
Image 275–293, 412 mesh 191–195
BMP graphics format files 413 modify 192
export 412 types 192
geometry details dialog 289 scatter 221–224
georeferenced image dialog 290 shade 225–226
insert 33 symbols 163
supersampling 417 translucency 227–230
Incompressible fluid 341 vector 213–219
Indices, I,J, K 169 Layout package file 398
Integrate dialog 355–367 Legend
Interface 20 contour 209
interface coordinate systems 39 scatter 224
management options 47 legend box 211
menubar 20 Light source dialog 229
paper setup 47 Lighting 227–230
sidebars 22 Line
status line 34 extract contour 211
toolbar 27 specify number format 172
workspace 34 Line legend 170
workspace fit 52 dialog 170
Interpolation Line segments 160
data 329 Linear Fit 153
kriging 333 Linear interpolation dialog 329
Inverse-distance interpolation dialog 330 Link
Irregular data 62 frames 43
Iso-surface 253–257 Link Time 43
animate 450 Load
contour and shade 255 style from file 46
definition 254 Load data 65–132
extract 257 CGNS 75
groups 253 CONVERGE 79
mesh and vector 256 DEM 79
DXF 80
J EnSight 81
Journal, data 136 Excel 82
FEA 86–92
K Flow-3D 92–96
Keyboard shortcuts 513–517 FLUENT 96–100
Kriging dialog 333 General Text 102–111
HDF 5 112–114
L HGF 111–112
Label Kiva 114
contour 207 overwrite files 131
contour labels 33 PLOT3D 115–116
field plot 182 PLY 121
points and cells dialog 183 Tecplot-format 121–122
spacing 266 Text Spreadsheet 124
LaTeX Load Remote Data 126
examples 286 LPK view 509
setup 286
Layer 191–211 M
contour 197–211 Macro 315, 421–427, 455, 484, 507
bands 205 create 421
coloring 202 create movie file 455
labels 207 debug 425
legend 209 equations 315
lines 207 Excel 507
modify 198 extend time 484
curve types 151–160 play back 424
edge 191–195 recorder dialog 421
display 195 text and geometry links 292
modify 194 variables dialog 426
line map 150–163 Mapping

557
INDEX

create 149 Particle paths and streaklines dialog 368

name 149 Paste 52, 53
style 146–173 Performance dialog 467–471
Mass flow rate, calculate 364 Plot 133–293
Measure Distance add-on 490 add-on 475–497
Menu animate 445–462
analyze 339 axes 259–274
copy view 52 center 51
data 318 color 142–143
edit 52 coloring 202
help 34 contour layer 197–211
management options 47 bands 205
menubar 20 labels 207
paste view 52 legend 209
sidebar lines 207
show 49 modify 198
spreadsheet 335 create 133
toolbar 27 customize 463–474
show 49 data journaling 136
translate/magnify 51 edge layer 191–195
view menu 49 display 195
Menubar 20 modify 194
Mesh layer 191–195 edit 52
modify 192 export 407–417
types 192 antialiasing 417
hidden line 192 BMP 413
overlay 192 clipboard 417
wire frame 192 EPS 409
MPEG-4 460 image 412
Multi-Frame add-on 491 Movie 457
PNG 415
N PostScript 411
Normal vector 355 TIFF 416
vector graphics 409
O WMF 411
Objects, derived extract contour lines 211
blanking settings 303 eye coordinate system 248
iso-surfaces 253–257 field 175–189
slices 231–238 geometries 275–293
streamtraces 239–252 images 275–293
Operands 305–337 iso-surfaces 253–257
Ordered data 56, 58 labels 182
Output 393–400 lighting 227–230
export 407–417 line legend 170
antialiasing 417 specify number format 172
BMP 413 mesh layer 191–195
clipboard 417 modify 192
EPS 409 types 192
image 412 points 177
Movie 457 scatter layer 221–224
PNG 415 shade layer 225–226
PostScript 411 sharing data 137
TIFF 416 slices 231–238
vector graphics 409 solution accuracy 378
WMF 411 streamtraces 239–252
printing 401–405 surfaces 178
text 275–293
P time aware 181–182
Pages 34 translate 51
Pages sidebar 27 translucency 227–230
Paper setup dialog 47, 404 types 24
Parametric spline 157 vector layer 213–219
Parametric spline settings dialog 158 XY and Polar 145–173
Particle mass options dialog 374 creating 146–150

558
 Plot sidebar 23

curve types 151–160 Pages 27

error bars 165 Plot 23
I,J,K-indices 169 Slice 231–238, 452
line bars 168 animate 452
line map layer 150–163 contour page 235
symbols map layer 163 derived from dataset 231
zoom 49 details dialog 232
Plot sidebar 23 extract to zones 237
Pltview 510 groups 232
Polar mesh, shade, edge 236
axis range options 262 position page 232
plots 145–173 tool 31
Polynomial curve-fit 154 vector page 236
PostScript export 411 Slice details dialog 452
Power curve-fit 156 Smooth dialog 317
Power fit settings dialog 156 Smooth, data 317
Preplot 510 Snap mode 26
Print 401–405 Soft limits 551
print dialog 401 Solution error 377
setup dialog 402 Solution time 446
Probe 33, 383–391 Solution time/strand editor add-on 492
Special characters 278
R Specific heat, calculate 340
Redraw 26 Specify equations dialog 305
auto 27 Specify number format 172
frame 49 Spherical rotation 30
Reference Spline 157
values dialog 342 Spline settings dialog 157
vector dialog 218 Spline, parametric 157
RGB Stineman interpolation dialog 160
coloring options 143 Strand editor dialog 493
Richardson extrapolation 377 Streaklines, calculate 368–377
right click 21 Streamribbon 241
Rollerball 30 Streamrod 241
Rotate 52, 186 Streamtrace 239–252, 453
rotation 321 add 32
Ruler, set up 48 animate 247, 453
customize lines 243
S details dialog 239–251
Scatter layer 221–224 errors 251
legends 224 extract as zone 251
modify 221 integrate 249
size/font 223 no-slip boundaries 251
Scatter size/font dialog 223 placement 241
Scripting 419–437 rod/ribbon 244
Select function dialog 353 termination line 32, 247
Select import format dialog 65 timing 245
Select variables dialog 166, 213 Style
Selector tool 28 load 46
Shade layer 225–226 loading 46
modify 225 Stylesheet 396
Sharing, data 137 Supersampling 417
Shortcut, see Keyboard shortcuts Surfaces, view fit 50
Sidebar Symbol
auto redraw 27 custom 471
map layers 26 map layer 163
plot types 24 Syntax
redraw buttons 26 load add-on 475–497
show 49 loaders 65–132
snap modes 26 SZL Server 126
snap to grid 26
snap to paper 26 T
transient controls 25 Tecplot
sidebars 22 [Link] file 476

559
INDEX

[Link] file 551 V

Tecplot Viewer 408 Value blanking dialog 298
Termination line 247 Variable 60, 344, 350
Text 275–293 calculate 350
details dialog cell centered 60
latex 285 convective 344
regular 276 curve-fit weighting 161
dynamic 280 delete 329
insert 33 dependent 160
macro, link to 292 independent 160
options nodal 60
latex 285 Vector arrowheads dialog 217
regular 276 Vector layer 213–219, 236
options dialog 278 active slice group 236
special characters 278 arrowheads 217
Tick mark length 216
spacing 266 modify 214
tiling frames 491 reference vectors 218
Time variables 213
current solution time 446 View 188, 509, 510
Time aware 181–182 3D 188
Time details dialog 446 fit everything 50
Time, animate 446 fit surfaces 50
Time/date format 272 fit to full size 50
Time-series add-on 495 last 52
Toolbar 27 LPK 509
3D rotation 30 nice fit 50
adjustor 28 Pltview 510
contour labels 33 redraw frame 49
contour level 32 workspace options 52
create new frame 34 Views
insert geometries 34 load style 46
insert image 33 load style from file 46
insert text 33 Viscosity, calculate 340
probe 33 Visual ToolKit 125
selector 28 Volume, calculate 362
show 49 VTK 125
slice 31 VTU 125
streamtrace 32
termination line 32 W
translate 30 Welcome Screen 18
zoom 29 window function 320
Total mass, calculate 363 Windows Media 461
Transient data 445–462 WMF export 411
Translate 51 WMV 461
Translate tool 30, 188 Workspace, see Interface
Translate/magnify dialog 51 Write Data as Formatted Text add-on 496
Translucency 227–230 Write data options dialog 399, 496
Triangulate, irregular data point 334
TrueType fonts 277 X
Turbulence dialog 367 X-axis rotation 30
Turbulence, calculate 367 XY plots 145–173, 260
Twist rotation 30 axis range options 260
bar chart 168
U curve types 151–160
Undo 52 line legend 170
calculation 352 line map layer 150–163
Unsteady flow dialog 349 specify number format 172
Utilities 507–511
Excel macro 507 Y
LPK view 509 Y-axis rotation 30
Pltview 510
Preplot 510 Z
Z-axis rotation 30

560
 Zone 38, 321, 326–328

Zone 38, 321, 326–328

animate zones dialog 454
create 321
data extract from existing 326
delete 328
extract streamtrace 251
point extraction 327
slice extract 237
variable sharing 314
Zone style dialog 176–181
Zoom 49
Zoom tool 29, 188

561