Point clouds allow for a flexible representation of streamlines in the wind simulation analysis. They allow you to define points that are distributed randomly or uniformly in the 3D space of areas of the model. These points represent so-called "seed points" of a regular or irregular grid in a user-defined Area. The streamlines are calculated from these starting points in order to visualize a flow field. The placement of these points determines which structures of the flow are visible (vortices, detachment zones, stagnation points).
Defining Point Cloud
Categories
In the list, select the 'Type' of point cloud. Several geometric shapes and options are available:
- 3D-Box Random: spatial arrangement of random points in a cuboid
- 3D-Box: spatial arrangement of regular points in a cuboid
- Rectangle: planar arrangement of regular points in a rectangle
- Segment: uniform arrangement of points along a line
- Sphere: spatial arrangement of uniformly distributed points in a sphere
- Circle: planar arrangement of uniformly distributed points in a circle
Parameters
Enter the 'total number of points' to be created in the point cloud. For a uniform arrangement in a 3D box or rectangle, you can also specify the number of points for the directions.
Origin Point
Enter the 'point coordinates' representing the center of the point cloud. Using the button
, you can also determine this point graphically.
Dimensions
The input options are matched to the type of point cloud. For a 3D box, the size of the cuboid is described by the dimensions that are applied symmetrically from the center in each of the three directions. Using the button
, you can also determine the distances graphically in the work window. For a sphere or a circle, enter the radius.
Options
If you select the 'Specific direction' check box, you can align the point cloud independently of a coordinate system. Define the parameters in the 'Specific Direction' tab (see chapter nodal support).
Using Point Clouds
The points of a point cloud form the basis for the representation of streamlines. You can also define multiple point clouds and thus display and analyze the streamlines in independent sub-areas simultaneously. After the wind simulation analysis, the results for the point clouds are available, which you can activate for display in the 'Navigator - Results'.
Streamlines of Point Clouds
In the Other Wind Flow Results category, you can control which streamlines are displayed graphically:
- If no user-defined point cloud is activated, the results of the general seed points in the wind tunnel are displayed. These are generated by an algorithm according to specific criteria.
- If you select one or more point clouds, the results of the specific seed points within those areas are displayed.
In the lower navigator section, in the Direction from Seed category, you can specify which streamlines are displayed starting from the seed points:
- Downstream: in the wind direction
- Upstream: against the wind direction
- Both: downstream and upstream
Animation of Streamlines
The streamlines of point clouds can also be represented as motion sequences. Click the button
in the toolbar to visualize the wind flow as an animation on the model.
In the second tab of the control panel, you can adjust the animation settings such as the number, size, and length of the strips as well as the velocity of the animation. The streamlines can be displayed not only as strips but also as particles.
