ParaView 4.2 available for download

Continuing the process of avoiding users to have to switch between panels, which started with combining the Properties and Display panels into one, in 4.2 the View properties are now accessible from the Properties panel itself. Of course, some users may still prefer to have separate panels for each. For those, we have added a mode to customize this as well.

Application Settings

The infrastructure for managing user preferences and application settings was refactored from ground up. You can not only only change the configuration options previously exposed through the Settings dialog, but also change the default values for properties for any pipeline module including readers, filters, views and displays.

Not to be left behind, the Settings dialog was also redesigned to follow the now increasingly ubiquitous panel design with default/advanced view modes and searching capabilities.

Improved Python scripting and tracing

The Python tracing infrastructure received a much needed facelift in this release. Several changes to the underpinnings of the ParaView application logic now make it possible for sharing application logic between the graphical and Python-based applications. Thus, performing operations such as setting up color maps, rescaling color maps, creating views and displays, initializing filter defaults are now consistent between the two modes. Furthermore, tracing was made more robust are reliable to include working with color maps, multiple views, etc. Multiple tracing modes allow you to control the trace verbosity, making tracing a useful tool in learning ParaView’s Python API.

Improved NumPy integration

For users of Programmable Filter, Programmable Source, scripting become easier with improved NumPy integration. Writing NumPy expressions that work with distributed and/or composite datasets is now greatly simplified. Refer to the series of blog posts for more details starting with Improved VTK – numpy integration. Improved NumPy support also means improvements to Python Calculator and Find Data mechanism. For the first time, global operations like max(TEMP), min(Pres) are supported and work across ranks and data blocks.

Additional color legend options

The color legend has a slimmer default width when in the vertical orientation. The ranges are now displayed in scientific notation format, which can be customized, and have been moved to the same side as the intermediate numeric labels. Optionally, the numeric labels and tick marks can now be moved to the left side. Additionally, justification options for the title have been added (left, centered, and right). Tick marks, tick labels, and range labels may be independently turned off if so desired. All settings for color legends can be saved as custom defaults using the new settings capabilities described under Application Settings above.

User’s guide

The ParaView Book (or User’s guide) is being updated quite extensively. Updated version of the pdf as well as the printed book will be available soon.

ParaView Catalyst improvements

The ParaView Catalyst library can now be initialized without all processes by passing in the desired communicator to be used. The ParaView Catalyst script pipeline is now read only by process 0 and broadcast to all of the other processes.

ParaView Catalyst Live

ParaView Catalyst is a library that adds ParaView analysis and visualization capabilities to a simulation program. Furthermore, Catalyst can exchange data with a remote ParaView enabling easy inspection of simulation status and modification of analysis and visualization parameters. We call this connection ParaView Catalyst Live. For more information about Catalyst Live see the Introduction to ParaView Catalyst Live blog post.

ParaView Web improvement

The main ParaViewWeb application had a facelift with new features and capabilities. It is becoming more flexible and getting closer to the actual ParaView Qt application UI philosophy.