Question:
Is there a way to use global variables (which change in time) to transform an object? I know how to do it in a python script and export to an image sequence, but I would prefer the object transform in the GUI as the animation plays.
Use Case #1:
I have a bunch of Cart3D (steady-state Euler CFD) runs representing a trajectory. I do a bunch of computations (dimensionalize quantities, compute convective heat flux, …) to the Cart3D surface mesh solution (which is ASCII) and store the results in an Exodus file. The flight conditions (Mach, alpha, beta) are stored as global variables. I can animate the trajectory and watch, for example, surface pressure change with time and I can plot the global variables over time, but I would like for the vehicle to rotate with alpha/beta to give a sense of orientation in time. The icing on the cake would be to also have an arrow that scales with Mach to give a sense of speed-up/slow-down over the flight.
Use case #2:
I produce thousands of CFD runs for building GNC tables. The old methodology was to only keep the aero coefficients since the full flow data is way too huge (100+Tb). However, I would like to keep something for viz. All the surface solutions can be stored in an Exodus file of reasonable size (~200Gb). Each flow solution is stored as a “time” in the exodus file. By ordering the runs, I can play alpha-sweeps at each mach/beta, followed by the next alpha sweep at the next beta, then Mach. It’s a really nice way to make a movie out of an entire database! And it makes the data far more portable and mine-able. However, it would be much easier to digest if the vehicle was pitching and yawing with alpha/beta.
Feature Request:
If there isn’t a way to do this, may I suggest that the transform fields be modified to also accept global variable names?
Thank you,
Ben Orr