# Viewer Region

The viewer region is the primary visualization interface in Flow360 GUI, providing interactive 3D visualization capabilities for geometry inspection, mesh analysis, and results visualization.

# Example Views

# Geometry View Mode

viewer_geometry Example of the geometry view mode showing a CAD model with entity selection panel.

# Mesh View Mode

viewer_mesh Example of the mesh view mode displaying a mesh visualization.

# Mouse Operations

Control viewport camera and model interaction using mouse inputs.

  • Left Mouse Button: Rotate the view around pivot point
  • Right Mouse Button Click: Opens a view menu with options including:
    • Hide/Show controls for visibility
    • View adjustment options (Reset view, Fit view)
    • Fit to specific elements (selected, walls, farfield)
    • Toggle features (origin point, legend)
    • Access to saved viewpoints
  • Right Mouse Button Hold: Pan the view
  • Mouse Wheel: Zoom in/out

Note: Hold Shift while rotating to snap to principal axes.

# Core Features

Feature Icon Description
View modes view selection Toggle between Geometry, Mesh, and Visualization views
Boundary conditions boundary conditions Toggle coloring of boundaries based on their assigned boundary condition
Diagnostic tools diagnostic tools Geometry quality inspection features
Mesh display mesh display solid mesh display edges Mesh display options: solid or solid with edges
Entity selection mode entity selection Tools for selecting and managing geometry entities
Entities visibility entities visibility Toggle the visibility of entities by clicking the eye icon when hovering over them
Mesh metrics mesh metrics Expand the mesh metrics view by clicking on the icon when in mesh view
Viewpoints viewpoint Controls for saving and loading specific camera positions
Length scale indicator length scale Visual reference showing model dimensions to help maintain perspective
Rotation cube rotation cube Interactive orientation widget for quick view rotation to standard angles

# Detailed Descriptions

# View modes

Toggle between Geometry/Mesh/Visualization views using top toolbar tabs.

  • Geometry: View CAD geometry
  • Mesh: Inspect surface and volume mesh
  • Visualization: View simulation results and post-processing

Note: Each mode provides context-specific tools and options.

# Boundary conditions

Toggle coloring of boundaries based on their assigned boundary condition.

Note: Helps verify boundary condition assignments before mesh generation.

# Diagnostic tools

Tools for geometry quality inspection and validation that color areas of geometry depending on their level of confidence.

# Mesh display

Control the visualization of mesh elements and their properties. Can be set as either solid or solid with edges.

# Entity selection mode

Tools for selecting and managing geometry entities.

Entity Type Icon Description
Points points Select individual points/vertices
Edges edges Select edge elements
Faces faces Select face/surface elements
Volumes volumes Select volume elements

Note: You can use any combination of selection modes.

# Entities visibility

Toggle the visibility of entities by clicking the eye icon when hovering over them.

# Mesh metrics

Quantitative mesh quality assessment tools for analyzing both surface and volume mesh characteristics.

# Element types overview

The mesh quality visualization provides statistics for different element types commonly found in CFD meshes:

Nodes are present in every mesh and represent the intersection points of mesh elements, they are fundamental to defining the mesh structure and geometry.

  • Surface Elements:

    • Triangles: Primary surface mesh elements
    • Quadrilaterals: Optional structured surface elements

  • Volume Elements:

    • Tetrahedrons: Unstructured volume elements
    • Prisms: Boundary layer elements
    • Pyramids: Transition elements between different element types
    • Hexahedrons: Structured volume elements

  • Surface metrics

    Key metrics for assessing surface mesh quality:

    Metric Description Importance
    Area Face area of surface elements Identifies areas of highly non-uniform mesh resolution
    Area Ratio Ratio between adjacent face areas Indicates mesh growth rate and smoothness
    Aspect Ratio Ratio between longest and shortest edge Measures element skewness and potential numerical issues
    First Layer Height Height of first prismatic layer Critical for boundary layer resolution

  • Volume metrics

    Essential metrics for volume mesh quality assessment:

    Metric Description Importance
    Aspect Ratio Element shape quality indicator Identifies highly stretched or compressed elements
    Volume Element volume measurement Helps detect very small or large elements that might affect solution stability

# Viewpoints

Controls for saving and loading specific camera positions.

  • Usage:
    • Click the + icon to add a new viewpoint that will be the current camera position
    • Name the viewpoint to be representative of the camera position

# Length scale indicator

Visual reference showing model dimensions to help maintain perspective.

  • Features:
    • Dynamic scale adjustment
    • Unit system consistency
    • Reference dimension display

# Rotation cube

Interactive orientation widget for quick view rotation to standard angles.

  • Usage:
    • Click cube faces for orthogonal views
    • Click vertices or edges for isometric views

💡 Tips
  • Use keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl/Cmd) with mouse operations for enhanced control
  • Save frequently used viewpoints for quick access
  • Customize entity visibility to focus on areas of interest
  • Use the fit-to-view option when navigating large models

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

  • How can I reset the view if I get disoriented?

    Use the "Fit to Screen" option in the view menu.

  • Why can't I select certain entities?

    Verify that the correct entity type is enabled in the selection toolbar.

  • How do I save a custom viewpoint?

    Use the "Save Viewpoint" option in the View context menu after positioning the view as desired.

← Entities browser →