Computer graphics for large scale two- and three-dimensional analysis of complex geometries

  • Authors:

  • Bruce Eric Brown

  • Affiliations:

  • University of California, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Livermore, California

  • Venue:
  • SIGGRAPH '79 Proceedings of the 6th annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques
  • Year:
  • 1979

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Abstract

A comprehensive set of programs have been developed for analysis of complex two- and three-dimensional geometries in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of California's Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. State of the art finite element and hydrodynamic codes are being used for the analytical portion of the work. To assist the analytical effort, several additional codes which depend heavily on graphics have been developed. These are basically used for the pre- and post-processing of the data. Prior to running any analysis, the geometry of the body of interest must be represented in the form of small “finite elements”. After the analysis is run, the data must be post-processed. Both spatial and temporal data exist in the database. It is the database between the analysis codes and the post-processors which allows a wide variety of analysis codes to use the same post-processors. The temporal plotting codes produce time histories for specified quantities (i.e. temperature, pressure, velocity, stress, etc.) at various locations within the body. They may also produce cross-plots of these variables (i.e. stress vs strain at a particular position). For plotting of the spatial data two codes are used. The first is for two-dimensional geometries and the second is for three-dimensional models. For three dimensions, the Watkins' hidden surface/line processor is utilized for plots. The spatial plotters will display contour lines on vector output devices and color fringes (or gray values) on raster output devices. They both may also display deformed geometries. Further the three-dimensional code has extensive animation capabilities for movie productions. These graphics codes are used with a wide variety of analyses codes and form a very comprehensive package for the engineering analysis of two- and three-dimensional bodies.