MPAS_GRID_DISPLAY_OPENGL
Display MPAS Grids

MPAS_GRID_DISPLAY_OPENGL, C++ programs which read information from an MPAS Grid file, stored in NETCDF format, and display the main (mainly hexagonal) mesh or the dual triangulation, using OpenGL.

Usage:

grid_cells filename.nc

• filename.nc is the name of the MPAS NETCDF grid file;

triangulation_faces filename.nc

• filename.nc is the name of the MPAS NETCDF grid file;

triangulation_lines filename.nc

• filename.nc is the name of the MPAS NETCDF grid file;

Licensing:

The computer code and data files described and made available on this web page are distributed under the GNU LGPL license.

Languages:

MPAS_GRID_DISPLAY_OPENGL is available in a C++ version.

Related Programs:

FERN_OPENGL, a C++ program which uses OpenGL to display the Barnsley fractal fern.

MPAS_DRAW, a C++ program which reads an MPAS NETCDF file and allows the interactive user to select grid and solution information to be displayed using OpenGL.

MPAS_GRID_DISPLAY, MATLAB programs which can read an MPAS NETCDF grid file and display the primary polygonal mesh or the dual triangular mesh.

NETCDF, a data directory which contains examples of NETCDF files, a format for the interchange of scientific data.

NETCDF_MPAS, a data directory which contains examples of MPAS grid data stored as NETCDF files.

NETCDF_MPAS, a C++ library which reads MPAS grid data stored as NETCDF files.

SCREENSHOT_OPENGL, a C++ program which shows how a program using the OpenGL graphics library can save a screenshot of the graphics being displayed.

Reference:

1. The MPAS home page, http://mpas-dev.github.io .
2. Russ Rew, Glenn Davis, Steve Emmerson, Harvey Davies, Ed Hartne,
   The NetCDF User's Guide,
   Unidata Program Center, March 2009.
3. Todd Ringler, John Thuburn, Joseph Klemp, William Skamarock,
   A unified approach to energy conservation and potential vorticity dynamics for arbitrarily-structured C-grids,
   Journal of Computational Physics,
   Volume 229, Number 9, 1 May 2010, pages 3065-3090.

Source Code:

GRID_CELLS retrieves the information defining the polygonal grid cells, and displays them.

• grid_cells.cpp, displays the cells of the primal mesh.
• x1.642.grid_cells.png, a PNG snapshot of display from tgrid_cells for the data file x1.642.grid.nc.
• x1.2562.grid_cells.png, a PNG snapshot of display from grid_cells for the data file x1.2562.grid.nc.

TRIANGULATION_FACES retrieves the 3 cell centers around each vertex, and draws the corresponding faces of the triangulation. The display is a triangulated sphere surface.

• triangulation_faces.cpp, displays the triangulation that is the dual of the main mesh.
• x1.642.triangulation_faces.png, a PNG snapshot of display from triangulation_faces for the data file x1.642.grid.nc.
• x1.2562.triangulation_faces.png, a PNG snapshot of display from triangulation_faces for the data file x1.2562.grid.nc.

TRIANGULATION_LINES retrieves the pairs of cell centers that are neighbors, and draws lines to connect them. This actually creates the lines of the triangulation. The display is a triangulated sphere, but there are no areas filled in on the surface, so you can see through to the other side.

• triangulation_lines.cpp, displays the triangulation that is the dual of the main mesh.
• x1.642.triangulation_lines.png, a PNG snapshot of display from triangulation_lines for the data file x1.642.grid.nc.
• x1.2562.triangulation_lines.png, a PNG snapshot of display from triangulation_lines for the data file x1.2562.grid.nc.

Examples and Tests:

• x1.642.grid.nc, an MPAS grid file for a mesh on the sphere, using 642 nodes, 1280 vertices, 1920 edges.
• x1.2562.grid.nc, an MPAS grid file for a mesh on the sphere, using 2562 nodes, 5120 vertices, 7680 edges.

You can go up one level to the MATLAB source codes.