visit Overview

VisIt is a interactive, parallel analysis and visualization tool for scientific data. VisIt contains a rich set of visualization features so that you can view your data in a variety of ways. It can be used to visualize scalar and vector fields defined on two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) structured and unstructured meshes. VisIt was designed to handle very large data set sizes in the tera- to peta-scale range and yet can also handle small data sets in the kilobyte range.

Support

Usage

VisIt uses a client-server architecture. You will obtain the best performance by running the VisIt client on your local computer and running the server on NCCS resources. VisIt for your local computer can be obtained here: VisIt Installation While installing VisIt, you will be prompted for a remote host preference. Make sure you select ORNL. Once you have installed VisIt on your local computer:
  • Open VisIt on your local computer.
  • Go to: "File/Open file"
  • The top entry in the dialog specifies the remote host. Choose Rhea.
  • This will prompt you for your NCCS password, and connect you to Rhea.
  • Navigate to the appropriate file.
  • When the file is opened, it will ask you how many nodes and processors you would like to use (remember that each node of Rhea contains 16 processors), and the Project ID, which VisIt calls a "Bank" as shown below.Use the Bank field to enter your project ID
  • Once specified, the server side of VisIt will be launched, and you can interact with your data.
Please do not run VisIt's client from an NCCS machine. You will get much better performance if you install a client on your workstation and launch locally. You can directly connect to NCCS machines from inside VisIt an access your data remotely. Running "module list" from the command line on NCCS machines will not show you the available versions of VisIt. Refer to the chart at the bottom of this page to find the available versions. For additional resources, please see the VisIt Wiki.

Troubleshooting

VisIt keeps asking for your Password. If VisIt keeps asking for your "Password" in the dialog box below, and you are entering your correct PIN + RSA fob passcode, you need to select "Change username" and then enter your OLCF username when prompted. Screen Shot 2016-01-06 at 11.10.19 AM This will give you a new opportunity to enter your PIN+passcode and your username will appear in login request box as shown below. Screen Shot 2016-01-06 at 11.06.25 AM VisIt will not connect when you try to draw an image. If VisIt will not connect to Rhea or Titan when you try to draw an image, you should login to Rhea or Titan and enter "qstat" from the command line. Your VisIt job should appear in the queue. If you see it in a state marked "Q" you should wait a bit longer to see if it will start. If you do not see your job listed in the queue, check to make sure your project ID is entered in your VisIt host profile. See the Modifying Host Profiles section below for instructions.

Modifying Host Profiles

In version 2.0 of VisIt, the host profile interface was overhauled. To make changes to an exiting host profile, do the following: * Go to Options/Host Profiles
  • The window will display the known hosts on the left, with the settings for that host shown on the right in the "Host Settings" tab.
  • You can modify settings relevant to this host machine. For example, you can change the "Username" field if your NCCS username differs from your local computer username.
  • Once you have made your changes, press the "Apply" button, and then save the settings (Options/Save Settings).
Each host can have several launch profiles. A launch profile specifies VisIt can be run on a given host computer. To make changes to a host's launch profile, do the following: * Go to Options/Host Profiles
  • Select the host in the left side of the window.
  • Select the "Launch Profiles" tab in the right side of the window. This will display the known launch pofiles for this host.
  • Select a "Launch Profile" and the settings are displayed in the tabs below.
  • You can set your Project ID in the "Default Bank/Account" field in the "Parallel" tab.
  • You can change the queue used by modifying the "Partition/Pool/Queue" field in the "Parallel" tab.
  • Once you have made your changes, press the "Apply" button, and then save the settings (Options/Save Settings).
Builds

RHEA

  • 2.10.0
  • 2.11.0
  • 2.12.0
  • 2.8.0
  • 2.9.0