Particle Tracing Algorithms for 3D Curvilinear Grids

This paper presents a comparison of several particle tracing algorithms on curvilinear grids. The fundamentals of particle tracing algorithms are described and used to split tracing algorithms into basic components. Based on this decomposition, two different strategies for particle tracing are described in greater detail: tracing in computational space and tracing in physical space. Accuracy and speed tests are performed for both types of algorithms. From these tests it is concluded that particle tracing algorithms in physical space generally perform better than algorithms in computational space

EUROGRAPHICS ’97 / D. Fellner and L. Szirmay-Kalos (Guest Editors) Volume 16,(1997), Number 3

Surface extraction from data fields is often used in scientific visualization, as surfaces can represent meaningful information and they are well suited for display. This paper describes a general method for localized surface extraction from scalar and vector fields. An initial polygonal surface is placed within the field, and the shape of the surface is adapted to the field by iterative displacement of surface nodes according to a displacement criterion. To achieve a good approximation of a smooth surface, the polygon mesh can be locally refined during iteration. The type of surface extracted depends on the displacement criterion, which can be any function of the available field variables. Techniques for displacement and mesh refinement are discussed in detail. The results we show are generation of a local isosurface and extraction of a vortex tube. Finally, we will draw conclusions and discuss some issues for further development