Viewer Region

The viewer region is the primary visualization interface in Flow360 GUI, providing interactive 3D visualization capabilities for geometry inspection, mesh analysis, and results visualization.

Example Views

Geometry View Mode

Example of the geometry view mode showing a CAD model with entity selection panel.

Mesh View Mode

Example of the mesh view mode displaying a mesh visualization.

Core Features

Feature	Icon	Description
View modes		Toggle between Geometry, Mesh, and Visualization views
Boundary conditions		Toggle coloring of boundaries based on their assigned boundary condition
Diagnostic tools		Geometry quality inspection features
Mesh display		Mesh display options: solid or solid with edges
Entity selection mode		Tools for selecting and managing geometry entities
Entities visibility		Toggle the visibility of entities by clicking the eye icon when hovering over them
Mesh metrics		Expand the mesh metrics view by clicking on the icon when in mesh view
Viewpoints		Controls for saving and loading specific camera positions
Length scale indicator		Visual reference showing model dimensions to help maintain perspective
Rotation cube		Interactive orientation widget for quick view rotation to standard angles

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Detailed Descriptions

View modes

Toggle between Geometry/Mesh/Visualization views using top toolbar tabs.

• Geometry: View CAD geometry

• Mesh: Inspect surface and volume mesh

• Visualization: View simulation results and post-processing

Note: Each mode provides context-specific tools and options.

Boundary conditions

Toggle coloring of boundaries based on their assigned boundary condition.

Note: Helps verify boundary condition assignments before mesh generation.

Diagnostic tools

Tools for geometry quality inspection and validation that color areas of geometry depending on their level of confidence.

Mesh display

Control the visualization of mesh elements and their properties. Can be set as either solid or solid with edges.

Entity selection mode

Tools for selecting and managing geometry entities.

Entity Type	Icon	Description
Points		Select individual points/vertices
Edges		Select edge elements
Faces		Select face/surface elements
Volumes		Select volume elements

Note: You can use any combination of selection modes.

Entities visibility

Toggle the visibility of entities by clicking the eye icon when hovering over them.

Mesh metrics

Quantitative mesh quality assessment tools for analyzing both surface and volume mesh characteristics.

Element types overview

The mesh quality visualization provides statistics for different element types commonly found in CFD meshes:

Nodes are present in every mesh and represent the intersection points of mesh elements, they are fundamental to defining the mesh structure and geometry.

• Surface Elements:

  • Triangles: Primary surface mesh elements

  • Quadrilaterals: Optional structured surface elements

• Volume Elements:

  • Tetrahedrons: Unstructured volume elements

  • Prisms: Boundary layer elements

  • Pyramids: Transition elements between different element types

  • Hexahedrons: Structured volume elements

• Surface metrics

  Key metrics for assessing surface mesh quality:

  Metric	Description	Importance
  Area	Face area of surface elements	Identifies areas of highly non-uniform mesh resolution
  Area Ratio	Ratio between adjacent face areas	Indicates mesh growth rate and smoothness
  Aspect Ratio	Ratio between longest and shortest edge	Measures element skewness and potential numerical issues
  First Layer Height	Height of first prismatic layer	Critical for boundary layer resolution

• Volume metrics

  Essential metrics for volume mesh quality assessment:

  Metric	Description	Importance
  Aspect Ratio	Element shape quality indicator	Identifies highly stretched or compressed elements
  Volume	Element volume measurement	Helps detect very small or large elements that might affect solution stability

Viewpoints

Controls for saving and loading specific camera positions.

• Usage:

  • Click the + icon to add a new viewpoint that will be the current camera position

  • Name the viewpoint to be representative of the camera position

Length scale indicator

Visual reference showing model dimensions to help maintain perspective.

• Features:

  • Dynamic scale adjustment

  • Unit system consistency

  • Reference dimension display

Rotation cube

Interactive orientation widget for quick view rotation to standard angles.

• Usage:

  • Click cube faces for orthogonal views

  • Click vertices or edges for isometric views

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💡 Tips

• Use keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl/Cmd) with mouse operations for enhanced control

• Save frequently used viewpoints for quick access

• Customize entity visibility to focus on areas of interest

• Use the fit-to-view option when navigating large models

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

• How can I reset the view if I get disoriented?

  Use the “Fit to Screen” option in the view menu.

• Why can’t I select certain entities?

  Verify that the correct entity type is enabled in the selection toolbar.

• How do I save a custom viewpoint?

  Use the “Save Viewpoint” option in the View context menu after positioning the view as desired.