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Inspect simulation results in ParaView

Use this workflow when you want to inspect downloaded Vanellus fields in ParaView. ParaView is optional: the tutorials include interactive reference results, and you can use another application that reads VTU files.

Download and extract the simulation result before starting.

Before interpreting the arrays, read VTU fields and domains for their region and cell-centering semantics. Use Simulation status and result files to identify which artifacts and fields are meaningful for the run’s terminal state.

Open the fluid and solid regions

  1. Open fluid.vtu and solid.vtu together.
  2. Select both files in the Pipeline Browser and click Apply.
  3. Toggle each dataset with the eye icon to understand which cells belong to the fluid and solids.
  4. Use Outline for the complete fluid domain and Surface With Edges when checking mesh cells.

Display the fields

  1. Choose a field from Color By, such as temperature, pressure, or velocity.
  2. For velocity, choose Magnitude or one vector component rather than the raw vector.
  3. Rescale the color map to the data range.
  4. When comparing fluid and solid temperature, apply the same numeric range to both datasets.

Reveal internal flow

Apply Clip to remove the front or top of the fluid region while leaving the solid complete. This usually makes component surfaces and the surrounding flow visible together. Use Slice when you need values on one exact plane. Color the filtered fluid data by velocity magnitude or temperature.

For flow direction, apply Cell Data to Point Data to the fluid result, then use Stream Tracer or Glyph on a limited region. Applying either filter to the complete mesh can create an unreadable and expensive view.

Make comparisons reproducible

Keep the same camera, clip or slice position, color limits, and image dimensions between cases. Save a ParaView state file when you want to reopen the view or regenerate it later.

Use iteration_info.csv for convergence histories and exact scalar values. Its column prefixes distinguish residual_*, monitor_*, and junction_temperature_* values. ParaView is best used to locate spatial patterns, verify flow direction, and identify regions that need a more precise monitor or mesh check.

See also