Visualization schema for HPC data

Project reference: 1823

ParaView is ubiquitously used in HPC to provide insight to complex data structures often stored in custom data formats that require transformation before they can be visualised. Furthermore, information is dispersed at many places and one needs to extract it from “databases”. This project aims to provide a  visualization schema  (visualization description) for data used by HPC codes together with the description of data.

The ParaView plugin framework shown in Fig. above uses various components to produce the final visualization. The plugin mainly consists of two parts: Client-side features that include the GUI and Properties window for visualization and Server-Side features such as the VTK algorithm and UAL Protocol that add on to the algorithmic capabilities of ParaView for fusion visualization. The client-side features are implemented with a Qt based GUI using a ServerManager XML file to expose parameters of the plugin GUI to the user. The parameters for plugin are specified within the XML file. It activates corresponding input fields within the properties window as seen in Fig on the left side of the ParaView tool.

Project Mentor: Dejan Penko, MSc

Project Co-mentor: Prof. Leon Kos, PhD

Site Co-ordinator: Prof. Leon Kos, PhD

Learning Outcomes:

• Student will master:
  • XML
  • ParaView internals
• Student will obtain/improve their skills and knowledge in the use of:
  • Linux OS
  • GIT version control system
  • Makefiles
  • visualization utilities
  • HPC

Student Prerequisites (compulsory):

• C++
• Basic programming skills in Python
• Familiar with basic concepts of grid geometry and its components (point, line, 2D cell…)

Student Prerequisites (desirable):

• Experience in 2D and 3D visualization
• Familiar with:
  • Linux OS
  • GIT version control system
  • XML and XSLT programing language and usage of Makefiles

Training Materials:

• http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6859597/
• http://www.bu.edu/tech/support/research/training-consulting/online-tutorials/introduction-to-scientific-visualization-tutorial/

ParaView material:

• https://www.paraview.org/paraview-guide/
• http://www.bu.edu/tech/support/research/training-consulting/online-tutorials/paraview/

ParaView Custom Plugin material:

• https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView/Plugin_HowTo
• https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView/Plugin_HowTo#Embedding_Python_Source_as_Modules
• https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/Python_Filters_Tutorials
• https://github.com/Kitware/ParaView/tree/master/Plugins/PythonQtPlugin

VTK material:

• http://www.bu.edu/tech/support/research/training-consulting/online-tutorials/vtk/#INTRO

Using VTK with Python material:

• https://www.vtk.org/Wiki/VTK/Examples/Python
• https://www.vtk.org/doc/release/7.1/html/

Workplan:

• W1: Introductory week;
• W2: Creating and describing schema with XSL Translation
• W3-5: Coding and evaluating 2D representaions in ParaView
• W6: ParaView Plugin finalization
• W7: Final report and video recording
• W8: Wrap up

Final Product Description:

• XML language for Visualisation representations
• ParaView Plugin in C++

Adapting the Project – Increasing the Difficulty:
We can increase the size of data or add an additional IDS to be implemented.

Adapting the Project – Decreasing the Difficulty:
We can decrease the size of data.

Resources:
HPC cluster at University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and other available HPCs.

Organisation:
University of Ljubljana