[Josh]

Hey guys -

I often encounter papers with boundary layer velocity profiles:



or velocity vectors:



CFX's post-processor is obviously capable of producing vectors. However, how can one go about producing graphs with the scales included? Further, can CFX produce a graph similar to the first one (velocity profiles)? Is Tecplot capable of producing a similar graph?

As a final thought, please feel free to share the typical post-processing results you extract. I study 2D airfoils, mostly. I normally calculate lift and drag and produce plots of Cp, Cf, y+ (and other grid quality measurements), velocity vectors, and contours of Reynolds shear stress, turbulent kinetic energy, and vorticity.

Thanks for any help and/or discussion topics.

[ghorrocks]

I don't think CFD-Post can do reference vectors. Sounds like an obvious feature request to me. Tecplot can definitely do it.

[Josh]

Hi Glenn -

I'm starting to feel that I should list you as a primary author for our journal paper.

I'm aware of Tecplot's ability to produce the scaled velocity vectors (second picture). However, have you used (or know how to use) Tecplot to produce the velocity profiles (first picture)?

[ghorrocks]

I have used tecplot to produce velocity vector cross sections which are similar. If you look in my thesis all the plots for my thesis (except the 3D ones at the end of the engine chapter) were done on tecplot. There is not much tecplot cannot do in post processing. It is very powerful - much more powerful than the post processors which come bundled with any CFD code.

[Josh]

In my limited experience, Tecplot is much more powerful, but much less intuitive. I have completed the included tutorial (I could only do the external aerodynamics tutorial ad that's the only license we have) and have read the manual, but I still find it difficult to accomplish any high-quality pictures.

I hate to ask, but do you know of any helpful Tecplot resources, particularly pertaining to its CFD analysis capabilities?

[ghorrocks]

I found tecplot excellent and very intuitive. I worked out how to do everything I needed to do easily enough. But it is different to CFD-Post so I guess there is a bit of a learning curve there.

Google searches should get some tecplot resources. Also the tecplot website has stuff I believe.

[Josh]

Thanks, Glenn. Your thesis is very interesting, by the way. I've read through a couple of chapters in the past. I heard you earned an award for it.

[ghorrocks]

Yup, I won the Chancellors award for the best PhD thesis at the uni that year. My work found a key design issue for the BRV engine which we then used to massively improve the engine performance over the next few years - but sadly the project got killed a few years later when some people in high places did not like the technology upsetting their empires.

[Josh]

What a downer. I'll continue this conversation in private to avoid bumping the topic.

[scott_rumage]

Josh,

I just posted some training links for Tecplot in this thread: http://www.cfd-online.com/Forums/mai...p-tecplot.html

They may be helpful in climbing the learning curve of Tecplot 360.

Cheers,
Scott

[Josh]

Thanks very much, Scott. I saw most of those links, though I appreciate the video tutorial link.