Visualization of fluid dynamics at NASA Ames

Some of the hardware and software tools and techniques in use at NASA's numerical aerodynamic simulation facility for the analysis of computational fluid dynamics are described. The visualization process can be illustrated by video tapes and stereo pictures. Although these visualization tools have dramatically improved the ability to conduct research in fluid dynamics, a comparison of the current environment for analysis with an 'ideal' environment illustrates that there are still major improvements that should be made. The most time-consuming task in future analyses of the increasingly complex computer simulations will be the extraction and clear display of the key features. In addition, the interface between the workstation and the scientist should be improved significantly. Current research on techniques for creating these improvements is described.