Software plots route to improved presentation

The latest version of Tecplot from software developer Amtec Engineering is now available in the UK from Adept Scientific.

The latest version of Tecplot from software developer Amtec Engineering is now available in the UK from Adept Scientific.

Tecplot is technical plotting software with extensive x-y, 2 and 3D capabilities for visualising data from analyses, simulations and experiments.

Tecplot 10 marks a major milestone for Amtec, which first released Tecplot in 1988.

This latest release includes new capabilities in three key areas: plotting tools, data management and the user interface.

These enhancements help give Tecplot users complete control to explore, analyse and communicate their results.

This flexibility is what sets Tecplot apart from other competing data visualisation products, which restrict or limit the options users have to create the exact plot that they want.

New multiple contour variable options in Tecplot 10 enable users to view and analyse several variables at once.

Users can assign different contour variables to different regions of data or display multiple contours for a specific region.

Other new plotting capabilities include polar plots (much requested by electrical engineers), specular highlighting (to bring 3D outputs to life), RGB colour flooding (proportional to values of up to three variables), and 3D scatter symbols (where spheres, cubes and octahedrons can be specified for the scatter points, with sizes scaled by field variables).

Bitmap images can also be included in any plot, which means that users can now incorporate logos or even overlay graph contours on to maps.

When combined with Tecplot's already powerful suite of plotting options, these new capabilities help Amtec achieve their goal of giving Tecplot 10 users complete control of how they look at their data.

Data journaling is a brand new Tecplot 10 feature that makes working with large data sets more efficient and easier than ever before.

The data journal records plotting alterations in Tecplot layout files and applies them when a file is reopened.

This allows users to manipulate their data and return to a specific configuration without having to write a new data file.

"Data files are growing in size and complexity", says Mike Peery, Amtec's President and cofounder.

"Users want the ability to perform calculations on their data and save a plot configuration without having to generate additional data files.

Data journaling saves time and computing resources".

Additional data management improvements include the ability to read and display cell-centred data, options to attach auxiliary information to data files, and variable and node map sharing.

Undo options have been added for style, data and view changes in Tecplot 10.

Together with the new data journal capability, users now have more freedom to explore and analyse their data without hesitation.

Tecplot 10's general technical plotting and high-end 3D visualisation capabilities create superb on-screen graphics and presentation-quality output.

It is the ideal tool for anyone working with large datasets created by numerical simulation software, data from analysis and testing, and those seeking a one-stop-shop for data visualisation.

Engineers and scientists can rely on Tecplot to give them total control of their plots; to produce high quality graphs and animations; and to present their work in the best possible light and "bring data to life", so that colleagues can more fully understand and appreciate their work.

Tecplot 10 is available for Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP, Mac OS X, Linux and most Unix workstations.

Tecplot is supplied and supported in the UK and Ireland by Adept Scientific.

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