# Plot3D single file with multiple time steps

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/plot3d-single-file-with-multiple-time-steps/8512
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Created:** [November 29, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/plot3d-single-file-with-multiple-time-steps/8512 "2021-11-29T16:14:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![fchirono](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@fchirono](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/fchirono)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/plot3d-single-file-with-multiple-time-steps/8512/1 "2021-11-29T16:14:11Z")

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Hi, new Paraview user here. I have a custom binary file containing a mesh of points moving over time, and I’d like to visualise the motion in Paraview as an animation. My file format is similar to the [Plot3d](https://nasa.github.io/Plot3D_utilities/docs/build/html/notes/plot3d.html) format, but instead of having blocks shaped _(i,j,k)_, my file uses blocks shaped _(i,j)_ and the _k_-th dimension contains the time steps. Right now I can open the geometry file just fine, but it loads all the time steps at once and it doesn’t run as an animation (since it doesn’t know to interpret the _k_-th dim as time).

I believe my problem is similar to [this previous question](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/unsteady-plot3d-file/3686) from 2020, and back then this type of reader was unsupported. Can this type of file be opened nowadays? I’m comfortable writing Python code if that helps, but I’m very new with Paraview so I don’t know if Python would be of any use here. Perhaps I could convert it to an alternative file format (suggestions?), and only then opening in Paraview?

I’m using Paraview 5.9.1 on a Win10 laptop. Many thanks!

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### Author: ![MAGAN\_SINGH](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/magan_singh/32/1978_2.png) [@MAGAN\_SINGH](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/MAGAN_SINGH)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2021, 8:24am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/plot3d-single-file-with-multiple-time-steps/8512/2 "2021-11-30T08:24:35Z")

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I don’t think if plot3d reader has been updated for this type of format. For creating an animation using this reader, you have to use .p3d file as mentioned by [Mathieu](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal). This reader doesn’t read this format “my file uses blocks shaped _(i,j)_ and the _k_-th dimension contains the time steps”. If you can take each time frame output in a separate grid and solution file then you specify these file in .p3d file and open it in Paraview using plot3d reader. This should create the animation as I did the same.

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### Author: ![fchirono](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@fchirono](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/fchirono)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/plot3d-single-file-with-multiple-time-steps/8512/3 "2021-12-16T16:00:35Z")

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Thank you for your reply Magan. I managed to create a Python script that outputs a separate grid file per timestep and the corresponding .p3d reader file as well.