# ParaView editing grid

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-editing-grid/17421
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Created:** [February 2, 2026, 5:29am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-editing-grid/17421 "2026-02-02T05:29:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Vinicius](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/vinicius/32/11512_2.png) [@Vinicius](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/Vinicius)
#### Post date: [February 2, 2026, 5:29am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-editing-grid/17421/1 "2026-02-02T05:29:07Z")

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Hi, I know this is a long shot, but I thought it was worth asking.

I have a structured (curvilinear) grid vtk file in which each cell is assigned a property value:

 ![image](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/default/original/3X/2/c/2c32d6ca42d2715baf26ac544474965b33580e6a.png)

I also have the same grid with all property values set to zero:

 ![A grid of a cube AI-generated content may be incorrect.](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/default/original/3X/6/8/68573165efc792900d4feaebe089818b0fada82f.jpeg)

What I need is to “paint” the model grid so that it mimics a 3-D version of the following geological map:

 ![A map of a geological study AI-generated content may be incorrect.](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/default/original/3X/e/d/edbd5d95c934ebfb6c605228aca47e5fefff1b7a.png)

For example, the image below shows a conceptual slice of the fully “painted” 3-D model:

 ![A diagram of a land plot AI-generated content may be incorrect.](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/default/original/3X/5/4/54d775e6eecf32d68401615acb3c2e7aa32d559b.jpeg)

I am aware that one possible workflow is to select a subset of the grid, extract it, modify the values, and then append it back to the dataset. However, for my case this approach is not practical: it is very easy to introduce errors, and it becomes difficult to iteratively modify the geometry (for instance, when I want to extend a geological body):

 ![A computer screen shot of a blue square AI-generated content may be incorrect.](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/default/original/3X/f/6/f639c5fd5ee68b27afebd175c7ae2dc8dc7487f4.jpeg)

My question is therefore whether there is a more efficient way to “paint” the model directly in ParaView. Ideally, I would like to be able to define a geometric object (for example, a sphere or another implicit shape), insert it into the model grid, and then merge it with the grid so that the corresponding cells are assigned the desired property values.

I am open to any suggestions or alternative workflows. I am using ParaView 5.12.

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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: [February 2, 2026, 12:37pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-editing-grid/17421/2 "2026-02-02T12:37:12Z")

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> [@Vinicius](#):
>
> is to select a subset of the grid, extract it, modify the values, and then append it back to the dataset.

Instead, you should create a filter that take a grid and a “selection” as inputs, this way you will be able to modify the data associated with the selection only.

This filter would need to be implemented in python or C++.