Tecplot

1. Platforms, prices, and company
• Windows 9x/NT/2000 PCs, Linux PCs, and UNIX workstations including those from Compaq, HP, IBM,SGI, and SUN.
• Tecplot® 10.0
Single-Computer, Perpetual License
• Windows9X/NT/2000/ME/XP :$1,600
• Linux: $1,600
• UNIX: $1,600

Multi-Platform $3,200/user
• Tecplot,Inc.:http://www.tecplot.com
2. Applications
   • Tecplot is versatile plotting and visualization software. It enables you to plot and animate all your simulation and experimental data exactly the way you want. Arrange multiple XY, 2 and 3-D plots in one layout, automate plotting tasks, and present your results with brilliant, high-quality output.
   • Tecplot is the most powerful tool for scientific and engineering data visualization. It is easy to use and compatible with Windows, Linux, and Unix.. There is no major learning curve--simply load in the data and start visualizing and tailoring the plots. Tecplot is a high quality graphic tool, which allows much creativity and flexibility in presenting scientific data. Some applications include visualization of 3D surfaces and volumes, metal cutting simulation, streamlines and vector, and animation. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) Analyzer is an add-on tool for Tecplot that has an ability to calculate a variety of flow functions, perform integrations, generate time-dependent particle paths, and perform error analysis on finite difference solutions.

3. Examples and Samples of Tecplot Visualization
   • Tecplot Gallery: http://www.tecplot.com/showcase/gallery/gallery_main.htm
   • Animation Plots: http://www.tecplot.com/showcase/gallery/animation/thumbnails.htm
   • Streamline Plots: http://www.tecplot.com/showcase/gallery/stream/thumbnails.htm
   • Contour Plots: http://www.tecplot.com/showcase/gallery/contour/thumbnails.htm
   • Multi-plot layout: http://www.tecplot.com/showcase/gallery/layout/thumbnails.htm
   • Artistic Plots: http://www.tecplot.com/showcase/gallery/artistic/thumbnails.htm

4. Functions:

   • Features:
     • Multiple Contour Variable Features enable you to view and analyze multiple variables at once. Assign different contour variables to different zones or display multiple contours for a given zone. You can also display a separate contour variable on iso-surfaces.
       
     • 3-D Scatter Symbols enable you to display spheres and other 3-D shapes for symbols. Like all symbols in Tecplot, you can size them proportionally to a specific variable
     • Image Import allows logos and bitmapped images to be incorporated into your plots.
     • Super Sampling Options create anti-aliased images that export with eye-pleasing on-screen graphics. Anti-aliasing softens jagged edges making text easy to read and objects appear to be smooth.
     • JPEG Export Options enable you to display continuous-tone images in HTML documents over the Web and other online services. JPEG, a true color format, retains all color information in an image while compressing file size by selectively discarding data (lossy compression). To control lossy compression a Quality slider is used.
     • Slicing Tool: Interactively slice 3-D data displaying mesh, contours, and vectors on the slice plane. Display multiple slices. Move slice continuously or by steps. Slice on X-, Y-, and Z-planes or grid planes. Iso-surface Tool: Interactively change iso-surface values. Display as paneled or Gouraud surfaces with translucency.
     • Probing Tool: Interactively click on surface and display interpolated variable values and cell indices. Snap selection to nearest grid point.
     • Streamtrace Tool: Interactively insert streamlines, streamrods, and streamribbons in 2- and 3-D. Specify lines to terminate streamlines. Display markers along streamlines spaced by vector magnitude. Integrate upstream, downstream, or both directions. Place streamline rakes. Configure integration parameters, color, shape, and translucency.
     • Data Labeling Tool: Display the values of a field variable or node indices at data points.
     • 3-D Viewing Tools: Rotate, translate, and zoom into plot. Orthographic and perspective projections. Fly through data.
     • Contour Tool: Interactively click on surface to add and delete contour lines or levels.
     • Extraction Tools: Interactively define sets of points or polylines to which 2- and 3-D surface data is interpolated and extracted for display as a separate plot.
     • Curve Fits: Least squares linear, polynomial, power, and exponential curve-fits. Least squares curve-fit of linear combination of userspecified functions. Create customized curve-fits with the Tecplot Add-on Developer’s Kit.
     • Data Blanking: Set multiple constraints (or masks) to clip the display of data based on local field variables, functions of variables, grid indices, or depth from viewing position. Cut-away blocks of 3-D volume to reveal internal variations.
     • Plot Approximation Mode: Reduce the number of grid points used to render an image, while retaining its style. Control the threshold for activation, and the percentage of the grid points to use. View changes can be orders of magnitude faster.
     • Data Extraction: Extract iso-surfaces, slices, subsets, streamtraces, polylines, and point sets from 3-D data to new data segments (zones) for further plot customization. Includes all variables from source data. Extract 2-D contour lines.
     • Outer-Surface Extraction: Extract the surface of 3-D volume finiteelement data.

   • Data Operations
     • Create, Alter, and Transform Data : Alter your data or create new data using mathematical expressions.
     • Interpolate:Interpolate data from one set to another using various algorithms in 1-D, 2-D and 3-D.
     • Triangulate:Triangulate data points defined in a 2-D plane.
     • Convert Cell-Centered Data: Use Tecplot to convert cell-centered data to cell-corner (nodal) data.
     • Mirror:Create additional data that is a mirror image of existing data.
     • Rotate:Rotate data in the XY plane by any specified angle.
     • Equation Files:Create and store equations used for complex data creation and transformation for reuse.

       Data Analysis

     • Curve Fits: Use the standard curves or create your own with ADK (Tecplot Add-on Developer’s Kit)
     • Probing and Data Editing: Interactively probe for the values in a plot by simply clicking on the point of interest. Reposition data points interactively.
     • Data Labeling: Display the values of a field variable or the indices of each node, at each node of a plot.
     • Extracting on Lines: Interactively define sets of points or polylines to extract data.
     • Slicing:Interactively move slices through 3-D volume data while displaying data on the slice plane.
     • Data-Blanking: Mask particular sets of cells or elements from a plot based on local values of field variables, grid indices, or depth.
     • Iso-surface and Streamtrace Extraction: Extract iso-surfaces and streamtraces generated in 3-D volume data.
     • Outer-Surface Extraction: Extract and display the surface of 3-D volume finite-element data.

   • Annotating Plots
     • Text:Place text interactively anywhere on the plot. Set the text color, angle, size, font, background box, and justification. Embed Greek letters and mathematical symbols in text strings, superscript and subscript any character. Create user-defined characters.
     • European Character Set: Create annotation in European language character sets with the extended ISO-Latin1 character set.
     • Geometries:Place geometries interactively on the plot, creating polylines, rectangular boxes, circles, and ellipses. Duplicate, reposition, and resize them interactively. Fill geometries with a color. Create and modify geometries (point by point) interactively or read from a file.
     • Active Text and Geometries: Associate a macro function with any text or geometry object. Use a special keystroke to select an active text or geometry to execute the macro function.

   • Graphical User Interface
     • Page Layout: Create up to 128 plots on a single page; each plot is contained in a Tecplot Frame. Interactively layout frames on a page, and resize, move, and delete them. Customize all attributes of Frames such as background color, border, rulers, and headers. Snap Frames and plot objects into precise positions.
     • Overlaying and Superimposing Frames: Manage multiple overlaying Frames. Set selected Frame backgrounds to be transparent.
     • Frame Linking: Link style and positional attributes between Frames.
     • Animation:Create and play animations of image sequences, using Tecplot utilities, or AVI output.

   • Automating Tecplot
     • Macros:Use a macro to perform multiple, repetitive changes, and write each image to a movie file.
     • Animation Tools: Use built-in functions to automatically create movies of contour levels, slices, zones, streamtraces and more. Manually: Interactively create movies by exporting an image, then repeatedly changing and appending new images to the same movie file.
     • Output: Export AVIs which play in most movie viewers. Export Raster Metafiles (RMs) viewed with Tecplot’s Framer movie player.
     • Quick Macro Panel: Launch a macro by clicking a button in Tecplot's interactive, customizable, multi-page Quick Macro Panel.
     • Batch Mode Processing:Run Tecplot in batch mode to process data and create plots without displaying any graphics on the screen. Run Tecplot on your computer or remotely using a nongraphical terminal.
     • Layer Buttons:Display any combination of the plot types (contours, mesh grid, vectors, scatter symbols, data boundaries, surface shade) you want on each subdivision of the data set.
     • Frame Mode Buttons:Change your plot in any individual Frame quickly between XY, 2-D, and 3-D views, with a single click of the mouse.
     • Viewing:Zoom in and out, translate, rotate, and resize the view interactively. Center the data, and reset the range on any axis. Continuous zoom and translate combined with most mouse tools. Keyboard and mouse shortcuts add power and efficiency.
     • Rendering:Image is fully rendered in true color during all operations. Optional reduction in level-of-detail for 3-D motion.

5. Web Resources
   • Tecplot,Inc. Homepage: http://www.tecplot.com/products/index.htm
   • Tecplot E-Newsletter: http://www.tecplot.com/news/index.htm
   • Tecplot support (Document, Installation): http://www.tecplot.com/support/tecplot_documentation.htm
   • Download Tecplot Product Demo: http://www.tecplot.com/downloads/demo_download.htm
   • Use Tecplot 10.0 quick tutorial: http://www.tecplot.com/support/tutorials/tutorials_main.htm
   • Tecplot Plot-of-the-Month Archive: http://www.tecplot.com/showcase/potm/potm_main.htm