Visualization in computational fluid dynamics: a case study

VISUAL 3, a highly interactive environment for the visualization of 3D volumetric scientific data, is described. The volume can be broken up in a structured or unstructured manner, and the problem can be static or unsteady in time. Because the data are volumetric and all the information can be changing, traditional CAD techniques are not appropriate. Therefore, VISUAL3 was developed using intermediate mode-rendering methods. A unique aspect of VISUAL3 is the dimensional windowing approach coupled with cursor mapping, which allows efficient pointing in 3D space. VISUAL3 is composed of a large number of visualization tools that can be generally classified into identification, scanning, and probing techniques.< >