Visualization Handbook

13

Flow Textures: High-Resolution Flow Visualization

GORDON ERLEBACHER,     Florida State University

BRUNO JOBARD,     Université de Pau

DANIEL WEISKOPF,     University of Stuttgart

13.1 Introduction

Steady and unsteady vector fields are integral to many areas of scientific endeavor. They are generated by increasingly complex numerical simulations and measured by highly resolved experimental techniques. Datasets have also grown in size and complexity, motivating the development of a growing number of visualization techniques to better understand their spatio–temporal structure. As explained in Chapter 12, they are often characterized by their integral curves, also known as pathlines. They can be best understood as the time evolution of ...