Visualizing outputs
Converting output to VTK format
To convert the binary output files to VTU files, run
2vtk.py modelname
modelname should be the one defined in the config file.
To see full usage information (including options for marker data VTP files), run
2vtk.py -h
The processed VTU (node and cell data) and VTP (marker data) files can be visualized with ParaView or VisIt.
Some outputs can be disabled by editing 2vtk.py and output.cxx.
VTKHDF output format
DES3D can write output in the VTKHDF format (.vtkhdf), a
self-contained HDF5-based format supported by ParaView 5.11+. VTKHDF
files bundle all time steps into a single file, making them easier to
manage for long runs than the equivalent per-step VTU collection.
Updating an existing VTKHDF file
The -u / --update-vtkhdf flag lets you add or recompute derived
fields (e.g., strain-rate invariants, second invariant of stress) in an
existing .vtkhdf file without regenerating it from scratch. This is
useful when you want to add a newly supported output quantity to a
completed run.
2vtk.py --update-vtkhdf modelname.vtkhdf
Requirements: h5py must be installed (pip install h5py or
conda install h5py).
Safety: The update is performed in-place. Back up your file before running if it is large or irreplaceable. The script prints a warning and exits if the target file does not look like a valid VTKHDF file.
On some parallel or network filesystems, HDF5 file locking can cause a
BlockingIOError. DES3D disables HDF5 locking automatically when
writing VTKHDF output. If you encounter this error when running 2vtk.py
externally, set HDF5_USE_FILE_LOCKING=FALSE in your environment.