# Animating on two different 'levels'

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/animating-on-two-different-levels/16039
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Tags:** vtk
**Created:** [January 24, 2025, 12:20pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/animating-on-two-different-levels/16039 "2025-01-24T12:20:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![JoranZwet](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@JoranZwet](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/JoranZwet)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2025, 12:20pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/animating-on-two-different-levels/16039/1 "2025-01-24T12:20:39Z")

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Hi there,

I work in topology optimization and our results usually consists of the design and various relevant fields (think: temperature, displacement, forces, stresses) in vti files for all optimization iterations. We use the [name].[number].vti format in order to animate how the design and fields evolve throughout the optimization process.

This works very well in most cases, however I run into a problem when each optimization iteration is also optimizing for a transient process. In my case I now have a transient thermal analysis of N time steps for each optimization iteration, and I want to be able to animate both using the same files. Is there any way to do this?

Thanks in advance!

Joran

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### Author: ![mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/mwestphal/32/17_2.png) [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2025, 12:55pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/animating-on-two-different-levels/16039/2 "2025-01-24T12:55:26Z")

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> [@JoranZwet](#):
>
> In my case I now have a transient thermal analysis of N time steps for each optimization iteration, and I want to be able to animate both using the same files. Is there any way to do this?

So you have two different temporal dimensions ?  
The simplest way to handle that would be to write .series file for the different animations you want.

[https://gitlab.kitware.com/paraview/paraview/blob/v5.5.0/Documentation/release/ParaView-5.5.0.md#json-based-new-meta-file-format-for-series-added](https://gitlab.kitware.com/paraview/paraview/blob/v5.5.0/Documentation/release/ParaView-5.5.0.md#json-based-new-meta-file-format-for-series-added)

best,