# Writing vtk data at Gauss points of cells and displaying it in ParaView

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/writing-vtk-data-at-gauss-points-of-cells-and-displaying-it-in-paraview/10500
**Category:** Feature Requests
**Created:** [October 13, 2022, 10:33am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/writing-vtk-data-at-gauss-points-of-cells-and-displaying-it-in-paraview/10500 "2022-10-13T10:33:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![ferhun.caner](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/ferhun.caner/32/10160_2.png) [@ferhun.caner](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/ferhun.caner)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2022, 10:33am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/writing-vtk-data-at-gauss-points-of-cells-and-displaying-it-in-paraview/10500/1 "2022-10-13T10:33:36Z")

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Currently ParaView can interpolate the point data loaded from a vtk file onto Gauss points in order to visualize them. That is wonderful.

Most finite element calculations create data at Gauss points directly, such as stress and strain tensor components. Currently ParaView cannot read tensor data directly at the Gauss points of a cell. The lack of this feature in ParaView is a deal breaker in the finite element analysis community.

Please implement this feature.

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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: [October 13, 2022, 10:34am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/writing-vtk-data-at-gauss-points-of-cells-and-displaying-it-in-paraview/10500/2 "2022-10-13T10:34:54Z")

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Can you share some example screenshot of what you have in mind ?

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### Author: ![Sagues](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sagues](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/Sagues)
#### Post date: [September 20, 2023, 12:21pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/writing-vtk-data-at-gauss-points-of-cells-and-displaying-it-in-paraview/10500/3 "2023-09-20T12:21:30Z")

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I have the same problem than you. I have models with stresses at gauss points but I do not how I can write a vtk file with these results at gauss points and how I can open this file with paraview.

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### Author: ![jbje](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@jbje](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/jbje)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2026, 6:08am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/writing-vtk-data-at-gauss-points-of-cells-and-displaying-it-in-paraview/10500/4 "2026-05-21T06:08:48Z")

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I have the same issue. I’m considering to use ParaView to visualize results from our in-house FE software. The in-house software works with various element types (2-node truss elements, 3-node curved beam elements, 8-node curved shell elements, and solid elements. The beam element has two gauss points and a shell element has 4 gauss points where sectional forces are calculated while displacements and reactions are reported in the nodes. When using the visualization module in the in-house software, contour surfaces are interpolated between gauss points using parabolic shape functions.