.. include:: ../../macros.hrst
.. include:: ../../abbreviations.hrst

.. _chapter:BeginningParaView:

Beginning: ParaView
###################

Introduction
============

This tutorial will describe how to start |paraview|, find information and
help about |paraview|, and describe some of the more important controls
used by ParaView.

The |ParaView| web site is located at https://www.paraview.org. New
versions of |paraview| can be found here, along with different tutorials
and advice. |ParaView| versions include 32 and 64 bit versions of Linux,
Windows and Mac OS X. Training (practice) data is included in all ParaView
downloads, and can be accessed through **File → Open → Examples**.


.. admonition:: **Did you know?**
   :class: tip

   |paraview| now has an integrated help. It is found under the menu item **Help → Help**.

A simple example
================

Start ParaView
--------------

-  On Windows, go to **Start → All Programs → ParaView x.x.x →** and click **ParaView**.

-  On Mac, in the finder, go to the ParaView directory (in the Application directory where you
   installed ParaView) and click on **paraview**.

-  On Linux go into the |ParaView| directory (where you downloaded ParaView), then **bin** and type **paraview**.

Startup Screen
--------------

-  The **Startup Screen** includes two important links. Both of these
   links can also be found from the **Help** menu. They are the **Getting
   Started Guide** and **Example Visualizations**.

.. figure:: ../../images/Beginning_paraview_StartupScreen.jpg

Getting Started Guide
---------------------

-  The **Getting Started Guide** is a two page mini tutorial that
   shows fundamental |ParaView| usage.

.. figure:: ../../images/Beginning_paraview_GettingStartedGuide.jpg

-  **Example Visualizations** provide three finished visualizations.
   You can then play around with a |ParaView| pipeline.

.. figure:: ../../images/Beginning_paraview_ExampleVisualizations.jpg

Help Menu
---------

-  The **Help** menu looks like this:

.. figure:: ../../images/HelpMenu.png

Open can.ex2
------------

-  Open can.ex2.

   -  can.ex2 is one of the datasets included with ParaView in the
      Examples folder.
   -  In |paraview|, **File → Open**.
   -  In the upper left corner, there is a folder called **Examples**. Go into this folder.
   -  Select can.ex2.
   -  **OK**.
   -  Under the **Properties** tab, all **Block Arrays** will be selected.
   -  **Apply**.

-  Turn off the node variables for ACCL. Since any variable that is
   selected takes up memory, and since some datasets are huge, often the
   user will only read in the data that is needed for a run.

   -  Click **ACCL**, turning the check box OFF.
   -  **Apply**.

-  The screen should now look like this. (The square will show up as
   red, since |ParaView| defaults to coloring by block, and the block we
   are seeing is red.) You are looking at the bottom of the plate that
   the can is sitting on.

.. figure:: ../../images/Beginning_paraview_2New.jpg
   :width: 1000px

-  Lets move the 3d object. Grab the can using the **left** mouse
   button. Try the **center** button. Try again with the **right**
   button. Try all three again holding down the **SHIFT** key. Try again
   holding down the X, Y and Z keys.
-  Place your mouse on a corner of the can. Now, hold the **CTRL** key down,
   and move the mouse up and down. You can zoom into and out of that
   location.

-  Now the screen looks like this:

.. figure:: ../../images/Beginning_paraview_2BNew.jpg
   :width: 1000px

-  Notice that the can dataset is being painted in two colors -

-  To change the representation, change **Surface** to **Wireframe**
   (right below **Help**).

-  Then, change it to **Surface with Edges**.

-  Finally, turn it back to **Surface**.

-  Change the variable used for color. Change this from **Solid Color**
   to Displacement (Point **DISPL**). (This is found just below the
   **Sources** menu.) Everything should go blue.

.. figure:: ../../images/Beginning_paraview_3.jpg

-  Animate the can one frame. Right above the window of the can are
   animation controls. Click the right arrow with a bar to its left
   once. The plate turns red.

.. figure:: ../../images/Beginning_paraview_4.png

.. admonition:: **Did you know?**
   :class: tip

   The can dataset has displacement information in
   it. We are actually running the plate into the can, and the whole
   object is moving.

-  Notice that our color map is not set correctly. It needs to be set over the whole range of
   displacement, so that it grades from blue to red.

.. admonition:: **Be careful!**
   :class: warning

   Very, very large data can take a long time to
   process. Don’t animate your data unless you have to with very
   large datasets.

-  Click the single right arrow, running to the end of the simulation.
-  Click the **Rescale to Data Range** button.
-  Rewind using the animation control furthest left arrow, then click
   the single right arrow again.

Getting back GUI components
---------------------------

-  If you accidentally close the **Properties** tab, the **Information** tab
   or the **Pipeline Browser** tab, open them again from the **View** menu.
-  If you accidentally undock one of the tabs, just drag it back into
   place, wait for a gray shadow to appear, and drop it into place.

.. figure:: ../../images/Beginning_paraview_ViewB.png