Converting results to ParaView format

Tips & Tricks
1

ParaView doesn’t support CalculiX’s results (.frd) files, but there are several converters to .vtk format available:

  1. FreeCAD:
    a) Import the .frd file
    b) Select the Results object in the tree
    c) Export to .vtk
    note: FreeCAD’s FEM module currently displays results in SI(m) unit system and the conversion will also write the results in this unit system

Alternatively, in FreeCAD 1.1 or newer, open the Python console and type:

import Fem
Fem.frdToVTK("full_path\\file_name.frd")

  1. ccx2paraview
    a) Make sure a supported Python version is installed (check README) and added to Path.
    b) Open the command line (cmd) and use the following command: pip install ccx2paraview
    c) Open the command line (cmd) and use the following command: pip install vtk
    d) Open the command line in the directory with the .frd file and use: ccx2paraview file_name.frd vtk

  2. CalculiX results ‘frd’ to Paraview ‘vtk’ converter
    a) Download the executable from the Google Drive
    b) Place the .frd file in the same folder as the one with mmh_ccx2vtk.exe
    c) Open the command line in this directory and type: mmh_ccx2vtk file_name.frd

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2

Thanks for this helpul tip!
I have trouble saving the post processing done in paraview. When I “Safe Data” as vtk and reopen the file, all the filters I had applied are no longer there.

What am I doing wrong?

3

Use “Save State” instead and then “Load State”.

4

Thanks for the hint.
Sadly, when I try to load state I get an error…

image
image907×666 53.4 KB

Any ideas?

5

Maybe file path contains some invalid characters. But it’s better to ask here: https://discourse.paraview.org/c/paraview-support/7

6

The path was the issue, thanks for the advice!

7

Is there any way to export node sets and element sets defined in Prepomax to Paraview ‘vtk’ along side the results?

8

Dear FEAnalyst,
let me first thank you and Matej for the outstanding work you are doing: Prepomax is getting really a professional tool. I have a small suggestion, out of the many I’m sure you receive everyday. Since now prepomax supports time harmonic analysis alongside multiple steps analysis, it seems to me that converting frd to vtk and getting advantage of the also outstanding Paraview, FreeCAD is no longer adequate, for it is unable to deal with many steps at once: Namely, you need to convert one step at a time, if I am not mistaken. Wouldn’t it be the right time to implement a streamline conversion button (which may call ccx2paraview) ? Is it troublesome to set up? Thank you, Andrea

1 Like
9

I am not using ParaView for post-processing CalculiX results, and I am unfamiliar with the ccx2paraview tool. However, once the PrePoMax imports the results, the ccx2paraview tool will not help anymore since all results are stored in a different format. Exporting the data is not hard, but it requires time.