Pre- and post-processing tools

Two graphical programs bracket every ACE3P run: Cubit builds the geometry and the mesh before the solver, and ParaView displays the fields and particles after it. Both are installed on Perlmutter and on S3DF. You do not need to install them yourself; run them in a remote desktop on the HPC system, next to your meshes and results.

	Cubit	ParaView
Role	Pre-processing: geometry, meshing, sidesets and blocks, .gen export	Post-processing: fields, modes, particle trajectories, wake plots
On Perlmutter	Cubit 16.16 under $CFS/ace3p/tools/, run in a ThinLinc desktop	ParaView 5.11.0 under $CFS/ace3p/tools/, run in a ThinLinc desktop; NERSC client-server mode for large data
On S3DF	Installed, run in a NoMachine desktop or with ssh -X	Installed, run in a NoMachine desktop or through the web visualizer
On your own computer	Possible; needs a license	Possible; free download
Page	Cubit: interface, pillbox walkthrough, journal files, meshing, sidesets and blocks, export, where to run it	ParaView: starting it, SLAC toolbar, ACE3P macros, installing locally

Each tool has its own page. If you have never used Cubit, start with the Cubit page; it builds and meshes a pillbox cavity step by step and every module tutorial assumes that walkthrough. The ParaView page is short: enable the SLAC toolbar once, load the macros, and you can open any ACE3P result.