Animation of Interactive Fluid Flow Visualization Tools On a Data Parallel Machine

We describe a new graphics environment for essentially real-time interactive visualization of computational fluid mechanics. The researcher may interactively examine fluid data on a graphics display using animated flow visualization diagnostics that mimic those in the experi mental laboratory. These tools include display of moving color contours for scalar fields, smoke or dye injection of passive particles to identify coherent flow structures, and bubble wire tracers for velocity profiles, as well as three-dimensional interactive rotation and zoom and pan. The system is implemented on a data parallel super computer attached to a framebuffer. Since most fluid visualization techniques are highly parallel in nature, this allows rapid animation of fluid motion. We demonstrate our interactive graphics fluid flow system by analyzing data generated by numerical simulations of viscous, in compressible, laminar and turbulent flow over a back ward-facing step and in a closed cavity. Input param eters are menu-driven, and images are updated at nine frames per second.