Streamlines

Use the Streamlines tool to generate streamlines using any available nodal or elemental vector field (typically a velocity field).

In addition, streamlines can also be animated with particles traveling along the streamlines. Velocity fields are directly written to H3D files by many solvers such as: Radioss, HyperXtrude, Moldflow, etc. Velocity fields and other scalar and vector data fields are also saved in EnSight format by most CFD solvers (see the Saving EnSight files with Fluent section for additional information).

HyperView has a direct reader of EnSight files, thus allowing post-processing of typical CFD results from a large class of industry practices. The EnSight reader has been enhanced to support particle data (for example, modeling of dust particles in a flow) existent in a data set which can be animated; as well as transient data, including mesh deformation (for example, sliding mesh and ALE). The EnSight file type (*.encas, *.case) is available in the Files of type drop-down menu, located in the Load Model File or Load Results File selection dialog. In addition, Ensight files produced by SC/Tetra and other CFD solvers (for example, AcuSolve, Fluent, etc.) can also be loaded into HyperView by selecting the Auto option from the drop-down menu located in the Reader Options dialog. A separate SC/Tetra Ensight files option is also available for loading SC/Tetra files only (see the CFD Ensight Reader topic for additional information).

From the Create tools, select Create > CFD.

Figure 1. Streamlines Panel


On the left-most side of the panel is the Rakes list. The Streamlines status is also shown in this listing. When streamlines have been created from a rake, the Streamlines status changes from N/A to Available. You can add and delete rakes/streamlines from the list. Check boxes allow you to activate/deactivate streamlines. You can also sort the items in the Rakes list by clicking on one of the list headings. In addition, keyboard shortcuts and a context menu are available for items within the list.
Tip: There are options available in the Results Browser that can also be used to control the visibility, color, and transparency of a rake/streamline (including the rake outline).
Note: The Streamlines and Tracers tab will only be displayed if there are items in the Rakes list.

Saving EnSight files with Fluent

  • With Fluent 6.*: select File/Export, select EnSight Case Gold as the File Type, then select the functions that you would like to export/post-process with HyperView (for example, Static Pressure and Total Pressure), leave the default options set at Node and Binary, and click Write to export the set of EnSight files.
  • With Fluent 12.*: select File/Export/Solution Data…, select EnSight Case Gold as the File Type, then select the Quantities that you would like to export/post-process with HyperView (for example, Static Pressure and Total Pressure), leave the default options as Node and Binary, and click Write to export the set of EnSight files.
    Attention: By default Fluent will save the volume and boundary groups/components, therefore you do not need to select any Interior Zones. In Fluent, interior zones do not refer to the volume zones but instead refer to all of the faces (in 3D) between each pair of cells. It is very unlikely that you will ever need them, as they are used by Fluent for the solution process, and they are not needed for post-processing (as their numbers are so large that it will slow down your post-processing tasks considerably).