# How to add additional time steps to exodus file
**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/how-to-add-additional-time-steps-to-exodus-file/17278
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Created:** [October 31, 2025, 1:52pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/how-to-add-additional-time-steps-to-exodus-file/17278 "2025-10-31T13:52:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@frkanz](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/frkanz)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2025, 1:52pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/how-to-add-additional-time-steps-to-exodus-file/17278/1 "2025-10-31T13:52:40Z")
I am trying to read an exodus file, add a new variable _and_ some additional time steps with potentially `Python Calculator` or regular `Calculator` , and export it in exodus format again?
More details about the problem and what I am trying to achieve:
We are using ArborX in a CFD solver. ArborX reads the `pointData` from the external file at given time steps and CFD solver uses the `pointData` during the run time. In this procedure, in order to recover the expected order of convergence, I need to export the exodus file in specific nonuniform time steps in Paraview. As of now, what I am doing is that:
1. I am generating exodus file with uniform time steps by using our CFD solver.
2. Reading it in Paraview and using a `PythonCalculator` to calculate a variable with an expression, let’s say `tanh(2*t_value - 5.0)`.
3. Export it again with the original uniform time steps.
I want to add some additional nonuniform time instances to the original exodus file that I read in Step 1 and export it because generating an exodus file with the target nonuniform time steps in our CFD solver is not trivial.
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### Author:  [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/how-to-add-additional-time-steps-to-exodus-file/17278/2 "2025-10-31T15:43:29Z")
> [@frkanz](#):
>
> I want to add some additional nonuniform time instances
GenerateTimeSteps filter may do the trick.
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### Author:  [@frkanz](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/frkanz)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2025, 6:55pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/how-to-add-additional-time-steps-to-exodus-file/17278/3 "2025-10-31T18:55:35Z")
Until your message, I thought `Generate Time Steps` filter is not doing what I want because I tried it on a Windows machine and there was no data generated. After your message, I wanted to give it a try on a linux machine as well and it worked! I never thought the problem might be platform specific.
For future readers, I am using Paraview 5.11.0 on my Windows 11 machine and `Generate Time Steps` filter is not working as intended.
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### Author:  [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2025, 8:26am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/how-to-add-additional-time-steps-to-exodus-file/17278/4 "2025-11-03T08:26:38Z")
> [@frkanz](#):
>
> I never thought the problem might be platform specific.
Please share the issue you have on Windows, this is unexpected.
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### Author:  [@frkanz](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/frkanz)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2025, 2:21pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/how-to-add-additional-time-steps-to-exodus-file/17278/5 "2025-11-03T14:21:38Z")
Here is what I do to test on a simple data:
On windows:
This is `Generate Time Steps` filter:
When I repeated the exact same procedures on a linux machine, this is what I get:
The plot is correct. It is not just plotting issue because I tried to save the data in exodus format on both machine and, in linux, everything was expected while, in Windows, the exported file did not have any data in it.
Probably it is not relevant but, in linux, when I export the data with time steps of 1.23456789, the exported data will export up to 4 significant digits, which leads to a time=1.235 in the exported data. This is not just a visualization problem. I actually read the file on my CFD solver and it reads as 1.235 despite it needs to be 1.23456789.
Attached is the simple data if you would like to test it on your end. Please let me know if you need any further information.
[test.e](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/short-url/q3QlBwbhNZaqoRtcnIzT6hxny6R.e) (11.4 KB)
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### Author:  [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2025, 8:30am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/how-to-add-additional-time-steps-to-exodus-file/17278/6 "2025-11-05T08:30:38Z")
Works perfectly fine on Windows with ParaView 6.0.1.
Here is a statefile:
[state.pvsm](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/short-url/7thpXp20py2vQb1ZXMbi4yuCrCz.pvsm) (536.8 KB)
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### Author:  [@frkanz](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/frkanz)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2025, 3:12pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/how-to-add-additional-time-steps-to-exodus-file/17278/7 "2025-11-05T15:12:48Z")
I tested your state file on my computer and it is not working. However, I tested on a different Windows 11 computer and it was working fine. It looks like my computer somehow messing things up. Win 11 upgrade led to many issues overall. I would not be surprised if this issue is because of Win 11 as well. I can try a fresh installation on my free time.
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### Author:  [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2025, 3:22pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/how-to-add-additional-time-steps-to-exodus-file/17278/8 "2025-11-05T15:22:04Z")
I was using win11 fyi.