16. Global Modules, Part II

This section describes the use of a suite of VisTools modules termed "global" modules. These modules are designed to provide sevices for managing solution domain and results data for an entire discretized mathematical model. These modules support finite element (unstructured) grids. For finite element analysis systems, the global modules form a complete set of data structures for model and results information. A summary of the basic features of the global modules appear below:

Element (cell) connectivity and adjacency management for unstructured and structured grid topologies.
Store and query node and element associations such as material identifier, analysis coordinate system identifier, etc.
Query for external faces, unique edges, feature edges, etc. for any model subset.
Support for curvilinear, rectilinear and uniform structured grids.
Generate and manage element, face, edge and node subsets. Perform Boolean operations on subsets.
Support user defined entity identifier to sequential index translation, (arbitrary node and element numbers).
Manipulation of scalar, vector and tensor field data. Provide for mapping of fields between nodes, elements and element nodes. Compute invariants of vector and tensor fields.
Manipulation and storage of sparse scalar, vector and tensor field data based at element faces and element edges.
Quick searching over the spatial domain or results range for lists of entities which have a set of properties.
Comprehensive data structures for load and restraint cases and element properties and material properties.
Compute element shape parameters and perform connectivity consistency checking.

Table of Contents

16.1 Module Summary

The global modules are designed to be integrated into existing engineering pre and/or post processing systems or used as a comprehensive code base for building new engineering systems. The modules may be used in existing visualization software systems, finite element pre/post processors or visual data analysis systems with minimal impact upon established data structures. Major data structures such as element connectivity and node coordinate arrays may be maintained by the host application or managed by a global module. The modules currently delivered as VisTools global modules may be divided into the following categories: 1) grid topology and geometry, 2) entity sets and identifier translation, 3) data manipulation, 4) space and range searching, 5) load and restraint cases, 6) element properties and material properties and 7) utilities

Grid Topology and Geometry

Connect     Finite element (unstructured) grids
GridFun     Define grid function pointers to host grid (domain) data

Entity Sets and Identifier Translation

Group       Manage entity sets
IdTran      Perform identifier translation and manage entity lists

Data Manipulation

ElemDat     Manage element face and edge data
History     Manage history results
State       Manage solution results
RedMat      Manage system degree of freedom vectors and matrices
ZState      Results compression

Space and Range Searching

Space       Spatial searching
Range       Range searching

Load, Constraints and Initial Condition Cases

LCase       Load Case
RCase       Restraint Case
MCase       Multipoint Constraint Case
ICase       Initial Condition Case
CPair       Contact Pairs
APair       Analytic Surfaces.

Element, Material and Solution Properties

EProp       Element Properties
MProp       Material Properties
SProp       Solution Properties
TCurve      Tabular Functions
RProp       Results Properties

Utilities

Model       Finite element model encapsulation
ElemChk     Element checking
MassPrp     Mass properties