FIRST: a flexible and interactive resampling tool for CFD simulation data

We introduce a flexible, variable resolution tool for interactive resampling of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation data on versatile grids. The tool and coupled algorithm afford users precise control of glyph placement during vector field visualization via six interactive degrees of freedom. Other important characteristics of this method include: (1) an algorithm that resamples any unstructured grid onto any structured grid, (2) handles changes to underlying topology and geometry, (3) handles unstructured grids with holes and discontinuities, (4) does not rely on any pre-processing of the data, and (5) processes large numbers of unstructured grid cells efficiently. We believe this tool to be a valuable asset in the engineer's pursuit of understanding and visualizing the underlying flow field in CFD simulation results.     

非结构矢量场的特征区域可视化方法

基于特征比对的可视化方法涉及的问题主要包括,如何判断一个矢量场中是否存在另一个矢量场中的一些特定结构,如何评价两个矢量场结构间存在的相似性,如何从诸多矢量场中将这些特定的结构检测,定位并绘制出来.给出了一种基于曲线结构的矢量场特征区域可视化方法,该方法通过构造与曲线结构相关联的柱坐标系,保证了提取特征的平移、旋转和尺度不变性;采用曲线积分的Clifford Fourier变换,获取了曲线结构的频域特征并简化计算;利用多曲线结构匹配和多尺度逼近等方法,实现了区域结构的特征可视化.     

Adaptive and Feature-Preserving Subdivision for High-Quality Tetrahedral Meshes

We present an adaptive subdivision scheme for unstructured tetrahedral meshes inspired by the       -subdivision scheme for triangular meshes. Existing tetrahedral subdivision schemes do not support adaptive refinement and have traditionally been driven by the need to generate smooth three-dimensional deformations of solids. These schemes use edge bisections to subdivide tetrahedra, which generates octahedra in addition to tetrahedra. To split octahedra into tetrahedra one routinely chooses a direction for the diagonals for the subdivision step. We propose a new topology-based refinement operator that generates only tetrahedra and supports adaptive refinement. Our tetrahedral subdivision algorithm is motivated by the need to have one representation for the modeling, the simulation and the visualization and so to bridge the gap between CAD and CAE. Our subdivision algorithm design emphasizes on geometric quality of the tetrahedral meshes, local and adaptive refinement operations, and preservation of sharp geometric features on the boundary and in the interior of the physical domain.     

Vortex visualization for practical engineering applications

In order to understand complex vortical flows in large data sets, we must be able to detect and visualize vortices in an automated fashion. In this paper, we present a feature-based vortex detection and visualization technique that is appropriate for large computational fluid dynamics data sets computed on unstructured meshes. In particular, we focus on the application of this technique to visualization of the flow over a serrated wing and the flow field around a spinning missile with dithering canards. We have developed a core line extraction technique based on the observation that vortex cores coincide with local extrema in certain scalar fields. We also have developed a novel technique to handle complex vortex topology that is based on k-means clustering. These techniques facilitate visualization of vortices in simulation data that may not be optimally resolved or sampled. Results are included that highlight the strengths and weaknesses of our approach. We conclude by describing how our approach can be improved to enhance robustness and expand its range of applicability.     

Volume rendering of unstructured hexahedral meshes

Important engineering applications use unstructured hexahedral meshes for numerical simulations. Hexahedral cells, when compared to tetrahedral ones, tend to be more numerically stable and to require less mesh refinement. However, volume visualization of unstructured hexahedral meshes is challenging due to the trilinear variation of scalar fields inside the cells. The conventional solution consists in subdividing each hexahedral cell into five or six tetrahedra, approximating a trilinear variation by a nonadaptive piecewise linear function. This results in inaccurate images and increases the memory consumption. In this paper, we present an accurate ray-casting volume rendering algorithm for unstructured hexahedral meshes. In order to capture the trilinear variation along the ray, we propose the use of quadrature integration. A set of computational experiments demonstrates that our proposal produces accurate results, with reduced memory footprint. The entire algorithm is implemented on graphics cards, ensuring competitive performance. We also propose a faster approach that, as the tetrahedron subdivision scheme, also approximates the trilinear variation by a piecewise linear function, but in an adaptive and more accurate way, considering the points of minimum and maximum of the scalar function along the ray.     

Selective refinement queries for volume visualization of unstructured tetrahedral meshes

We address the problem of the efficient visualization of large irregular volume data sets by exploiting a multiresolution model based on tetrahedral meshes. Multiresolution models, also called Level-Of-Detail (LOD) models, allow encoding the whole data set at a virtually continuous range of different resolutions. We have identified a set of queries for extracting meshes at variable resolution from a multiresolution model, based on field values, domain location, or opacity of the transfer function. Such queries allow trading off between resolution and speed in visualization. We define a new compact data structure for encoding a multiresolution tetrahedral mesh built through edge collapses to support selective refinement efficiently and show that such a structure has a storage cost from 3 to 5.5 times lower than standard data structures used for tetrahedral meshes. The data structures and variable resolution queries have been implemented together with state-of-the art visualization techniques in a system for the interactive visualization of three-dimensional scalar fields defined on tetrahedral meshes. Experimental results show that selective refinement queries can support interactive visualization of large data sets.     

基于非结构化三角网格的海洋流场可视化

针对二维流场可视化均是基于结构化网格流场数据的情况,提出一种基于非结构化三角网格的海洋流场可视化策略：使用流线表达流场,流线可视化的主要挑战是种子点放置问题,即流线的初始点,制定了非结构化三角网格下基于特征引导的种子点放置策略,合理放置流线初始点以利于表达流场特征;设计了基于网格密度的层次聚类算法,引入网格密度属性对流线进行聚类并基于聚类质心进行流线放置,在保留了FVCOM 模式数据的多密度性前提下提高了流线可视化效果。实验表明,该方法可以有效地保留流场特征,并且借助 FVCOM 模式的边界拟合性能在海湾、河道等地区取得良好的可视化效果;在此基础上,基于 Cesium引擎开发了基于流线聚类数据的动态流场可视化应用,其是 FVCOM 模式数据首次应用于动态粒子流场的一次尝试,并且具有较好的可视化效果。     

Evenly Spaced Streamlines for Surfaces: An Image-Based Approach

We introduce a novel, automatic streamline seeding algorithm for vector fields defined on surfaces in 3D space. The algorithm generates evenly spaced streamlines fast, simply and efficiently for any general surface-based vector field. It is general because it handles large, complex, unstructured, adaptive resolution grids with holes and discontinuities, does not require a parametrization, and can generate both sparse and dense representations of the flow. It is efficient because streamlines are only integrated for visible portions of the surface. It is simple because the image-based approach removes the need to perform streamline tracing on a triangular mesh, a process which is complicated at best. And it is fast because it makes effective, balanced use of both the CPU and the GPU. The key to the algorithm's speed, simplicity and efficiency is its image-based seeding strategy. We demonstrate our algorithm on complex, real-world simulation data sets from computational fluid dynamics and compare it with object-space streamline visualizations.     

Region-of-interest visualization by CAVE VR system with automatic control of level-of-detail

To specify the region of interest (ROI) is an effective approach to visualize large scale simulation data. We have developed a three-dimensional visualization software with ROI function for the CAVE virtual reality systems. This software enables the user to perform fully three-dimensional and interactive visualization of large scale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) data. The user specifies a ROI in the CAVE room by a three-dimensional “mouse-drag”. The data in the specified ROI is automatically extracted from the original CFD data. This ROI procedure can be repeated recursively. The resolution in each ROI is kept approximately constant. A data set of three vector fields and eight scalar fields whose size is about 1 GB each was successfully analyzed.     

三维矢量场的流动拓扑结构抽取

提出一种基于关键点分类的三维矢量场流动拓扑结构抽取算法,可应用于三维曲线网格、结构化网格和分块网格中.在许多计算流体力学计算中,存在非滑移边界,这种边界上流体的速度为0.通过分析流场边界的表面摩擦场的拓扑,展示绕壁面流体的流动结构;使用图标定位关键点,可交互式地标记和显示涡核区域,并通过选择暗示螺旋流动的图标,沿着该关键点的实特征值对应的特征矢量方向积分流线来完成.测试结果清晰地展示了关键特征区域的流体流动特征.     

Streaming simplification of tetrahedral meshes

Unstructured tetrahedral meshes are commonly used in scientific computing to represent scalar, vector, and tensor fields in three dimensions. Visualization of these meshes can be difficult to perform interactively due to their size and complexity. By reducing the size of the data, we can accomplish real-time visualization necessary for scientific analysis. We propose a two-step approach for streaming simplification of large tetrahedral meshes. Our algorithm arranges the data on disk in a streaming, I/O-efficient format that allows coherent access to the tetrahedral cells. A quadric-based simplification is sequentially performed on small portions of the mesh in-core. Our output is a coherent streaming mesh which facilitates future processing. Our technique is fast, produces high quality approximations, and operates out-of-core to process meshes too large for main memory     

Hardware-assisted feature analysis and visualization of procedurally encoded multifield volumetric data

We take a new approach to interactive visualization and feature detection of large scalar, vector, and multifield computational fluid dynamics data sets that is also well suited for meshless CFD methods. Radial basis functions (RBFs) are used to procedurally encode both scattered and irregular gridded scalar data sets. The RBF encoding creates a complete, unified, functional representation of the scalar field throughout 3D space, independent of the underlying data topology, and eliminates the need for the original data grid during visualization. The capability of commodity PC graphics hardware to accelerate the reconstruction and rendering and to perform feature detection from this functional representation is a powerful tool for visualizing procedurally encoded volumes. Our RBF encoding and GPU-accelerated reconstruction, feature detection, and visualization tool provides a flexible system for visually exploring and analyzing large, structured, scattered, and unstructured scalar, vector, and multifield data sets at interactive rates on desktop PCs.     

Biharmonic fields and mesh completion

We discuss bi-harmonic fields which approximate signed distance fields. We conclude that the bi-harmonic field approximation can be a powerful tool for mesh completion in general and complex cases. We present an adaptive, multigrid algorithm to extrapolate signed distance fields. By defining a volume mask in a closed region bounding the area that must be repaired, the algorithm computes a signed distance field in well-defined regions and uses it as an over-determined boundary condition constraint for the biharmonic field computation in the remaining regions. The algorithm operates locally, within an expanded bounding box of each hole, and therefore scales well with the number of holes in a single, complex model. We discuss this approximation in practical examples in the case of triangular meshes resulting from laser scan acquisitions which require massive hole repair. We conclude that the proposed algorithm is robust and general, and is able to deal with complex topological cases.     

结合边折叠和局部优化的网格简化算法

针对目前网格简化算法在将三维模型简化到较低分辨率时,网格模型的细节特征丢失、网格质量不佳的问题,提出一种保持特征的高质量网格简化算法。引入顶点近似曲率的概念,并将其与边折叠的误差矩阵结合,使得简化模型的细节特征在最大限度上得到保持。同时分析简化后三角网格的质量,对三角网格作局部优化处理,减少狭长三角形的数量,提高简化模型的网格质量。使用Apple模型和Horse模型进行实验,并与一种经典的基于边折叠的网格简化算法以及其改进算法之一进行对比。实验结果显示,两种对比算法三角网格分布过于均匀,局部细节模糊不清,而所提算法的三角网格在曲率大的区域稠密,在平坦处稀疏,细节特征清晰可辨;简化模型的几何误差的数量值与两种对比算法处于同一数量级;所提算法的简化网格的平均质量远高于两种对比算法。实验结果表明,在不扩大几何误差的情况下,所提算法不仅具有较强的细节特征保持能力,而且简化模型的网格质量较高,视觉效果较好。     

Three ways to show 3D fluid flow

Visualizing 3D fluid flow fields presents a challenge to scientific visualization, mainly because no natural visual representation of 3D vector fields exists. We can readily recognize geometric objects, color, and texture: unfortunately for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) researchers, vector fields are harder to grasp. Thus, we must construct simplified representations that human observers can understand. Simplification means focusing on relevant aspects of the flow. This offers many options, making a wide variety of flow visualization techniques both feasible and desirable. This article presents an overview of three different visualization techniques developed in the Netherlands. The three useful techniques for visualizing 3D flows are: implicit stream surfaces, turbulent particle animation, and a flow probe     

Manifold-guaranteed out-of-core simplification of large meshes with controlled topological type

In this paper, a simple and efficient algorithm is proposed for manifold-guaranteed out-of-core simplification of large meshes with controlled topological type. By dual-sampling the input large mesh model, the proposed algorithm utilizes a set of Hermite data (sample points with normals) as an intermediate model representation, which allows the topological structure of the mesh model to be encoded implicitly and thus makes it particularly suitable for out-of-core mesh simplification. Benefiting from the construction of an in-core signed distance field, the proposed algorithm possesses a set of features including manifoldness of the simplified meshes, toleration of nonmanifold mesh data input, topological noise removal, topological type control and, sharp features and boundary preservation. A novel, detailed implementation of the proposed algorithm is presented, and experimental results demonstrate that very large meshes can be simplified quickly on a low-cost off-the-shelf PC with tightly bounded approximation errors and with time and space efficiency.     

基于流体运动分解模型的流线构造方法及在CFD中的应用

流线的生成是流场可视化研究中的重要问题，也是流带、流管及流面等可视化显示方法实现的基础。经典的流线生成方法大多过于复杂。文中提出一种简化的流线生成方法，将流体质点的运动在单元网格内进行分解，通过判别条件判别流体质点流出的面，通过相邻单元之间的连接关系跟踪流线的轨迹。结合大型泵站流道CFD计算结果，对文中流线生成模型加以验证，其可视化效果良好。     

Topological segmentation in three-dimensional vector fields

We present a new method for topological segmentation in steady three-dimensional vector fields. Depending on desired properties, the algorithm replaces the original vector field by a derived segmented data set, which is utilized to produce separating surfaces in the vector field. We define the concept of a segmented data set, develop methods that produce the segmented data by sampling the vector field with streamlines, and describe algorithms that generate the separating surfaces. This method is applied to generate local separatrices in the field, defined by a movable boundary region placed in the field. The resulting partitions can be visualized using standard techniques for a visualization of a vector field at a higher level of abstraction.     

自适应K-means聚类的散乱点云精简

目的 点云精简是曲面重建等点云处理的一个重要前提,针对以往散乱点云精简算法的精简结果存在失真较大、空洞及不适用于片状点云的问题,提出一种自适应K-means聚类的点云精简算法。方法 首先,根据k邻域计算每个数据点的曲率、点法向与邻域点法向夹角的平均值、点到邻域重心的距离、点到邻域点的平均距离,据此运用多判别参数混合的特征提取方法识别并保留特征点,包括曲面尖锐点和边界点;然后,对点云数据建立自适应八叉树,为K-means聚类提供与点云密度分布相关的初始化聚类中心以及K值;最后,遍历整个聚类,如果聚类结果中含有特征点则剔除其中的特征点并更新聚类中心,计算更新后聚类中数据点的最大曲率差,将最大曲率差大于设定阈值的聚类进行细分,保留最终聚类中距聚类中心最近的数据点。结果 在聚类方面,将传统的K-means聚类和自适应K-means聚类算法应用于bunny点云,后者在聚类的迭代次数、评价函数值和时间上均优于前者;在精简方面,将提出的精简算法应用于封闭及片状两种不同类型的点云,在精简比例为1/5时fandisk及saddle模型的精简误差分别为0.29×10^-3、-0.41×10^-3和0.037、-0.094,对于片状的saddle点云模型,其边界收缩误差为0.030 805,均小于栅格法和曲率法。结论 本文提出的散乱点云精简算法可应用于封闭及片状点云,精简后的数据点分布均匀无空洞,对片状点云进行精简时能够保护模型的边界数据点。     

一种新的基于顶点聚类的网格简化算法1)

In computer graphics,models are often discribed by polygonal meshes.Because the rendering and storage cost is proportional to the number of polygons,too large models are not practical.Model simplification techniques are widely used in computer graphics fields such as computer animation,virtual reality and interactive scientific visualization.In this paper a new algorithm of mesh simplification based on vertex clustering is presented.The algorithm adopts octree structure to subdivide the mesh model adaptively.A new error control method is also presented.The implementation of the algorithm is simple and it runs very fast.Examples illustrate the efficiency of the algorithm.