(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecplot)
Tecplot 360 is a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and numerical simulation software package used in post-processing simulation results. Tecplot 360 is also used in chemistry applications to visualize molecule structure by post-processing charge density data.[4]
Common tasks associated with post-processing analysis of flow solver (e.g. Fluent, OpenFOAM) data include calculating grid quantities (e.g. aspect ratios, skewness, orthogonality and stretch factors), normalizing data; Deriving flow field functions like pressure coefficient or vorticity magnitude, verifying solution convergence, estimating the order of accuracy of solutions, interactively exploring data through cut planes (a slice through a region), iso-surfaces (3-D maps of concentrations), particle paths (dropping an object in the "fluid" and watching where it goes).
Tecplot 360 may be used to visualize output from programming languages such as Fortran.[5][6] Tecplot's native data format is PLT or SZPLT. Many other formats are also supported, including:
CFD Formats: CGNS, FLOW-3D (Flow Science, Inc.), ANSYS CFX, ANSYS FLUENT .cas and .dat format and polyhedra, OpenFOAM, PLOT3D (Flow Science, Inc.), Tecplot and polyhedra, Ensight Gold and HDF5 (Hierarchical Data Format).
Data Formats: HDF, Microsoft Excel (Windows only), comma- or space-delimited ASCII.
FEA Formats: Abaqus, ANSYS, FIDAP Neutral, LSTC/DYNA LS-DYNA, NASTRAN MSC Software, Patran MSC Software, PTC Mechanica, SDRC/IDEAS universal and 3D Systems STL.
ParaView supports Tecplot format through a VisIt importer.
