Pos3D

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There are several hard problems in the fields of Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, and others, problems that don’t have an analytical solution. Thus, they are resolved by numerical simulations. A numerical simulation is an attempt to reproduce a physical event on the computer. Some of its activities are model preparation, numerical analysis, interpretation and results visualisation.

One of the most popular numerical method in this kind of simulation is the finite element method (FEM). It is a numerical technique for finding approximate solutions to partial differential equations (PDE) and their systems, as well as integral equations. FEM is a method for dividing up a very complicated problem into small elements that can be solved in relation to each other. In simple terms, it splits the models into simple well-known shapes: triangles, prisms, cubes, tetrahedrons, hexahedral, and others, making it possible to get closer to the behaviour of known functions.

Pos3D is an interactive graphical post processor for unstructured tri-dimensional meshes, such as finite element models. The program is generic, efficient and independent of any particular analysis code. The software was developed for the visualisation and analysis of solid and surface models. Its main functionalities include: mesh generation, attribute application, result visualisation, and adaptive simulation for crack propagation in solids.

The description of the elements is made through a Neutral File, which contains information from the mesh of the elements and its results. Advanced computer graphics and database techniques make possible the study of engineering problems with high quality and detail.

The first version of Pos3D was developed in 1990 and it has been widely used in several universities all over the country since then. In 1996 we started to develop the new version as part of the co-operation project with Petrobras S/A, Brazilian Oil Company Research Center, CENPES.

Role Information:

Pos3D was my first project in the Tecgraf’s group of Visualisation and Reservoirs. I worked as a Software Engineer from February/2006 to January/2010.

The challenges of this project were the extraction of the volumetric data, development of new types of visualisation, both more efficient and effective.

The main technologies involved are: C++, Lua, IUP, OpenGL, Computer Graphics and Finite Elements.