TEC Files
a format used by TECPLOT

These are some examples of TEC files. TEC files are used by the TECPLOT program, which is a visualization program for technical data. Typical, a user has an application program (fluid flow solver, engineering stress program, aeronautic simulator, heat flow program), that produces lots of data.

The user must write a subroutine that packages this data into a TEC file format ( there are several, including special finite element forms). Then the user can postprocess the data, and display it, by running TECPLOT.

TEC File Characteristics:

• ASCII (although TECPLOT can also create and use binary data files);
• Color is not associated with the data, but can be added during postprocessing by the TECPLOT program, or by associating variables "R", "G" and "B" with data, for instance;
• 2D or 3D data, and can have time dependence;
• No compression (except for the binary data format option);
• Geometric data is stored, but the user can also store associated quantities such as pressure, temperature, or velocity.
• Data is grouped into zones whose meaning is determined by the user. Animation is achieved by starting with each zone being a "time snapshot", and displaying one zone at a time.

Reference:

1. The TECPLOT Reference Manual.
2. The TECPLOT User's Manual.
3. The TECPLOT home page:
   http://www.tecplot.com/

Programs to view a TEC file:

• TECPLOT

Routines to read a TEC file:

• TEC_IO is a set of FORTRAN90 routines for reading or writing a TEC file containing a finite element model.
• TEC_IO is a set of MATLAB routines for reading or writing a TEC file containing a finite element model.

Routines to write a TEC file:

• TEC_IO is a set of FORTRAN90 routines for reading or writing a TEC file containing a finite element model.
• TEC_IO is a set of MATLAB routines for reading or writing a TEC file containing a finite element model.
• TEC_WRITE is a set of FORTRAN90 routines for writing out data to a file in TEC format.

Programs to convert a TEC file to another format:

• TEC_TO_FEM is a program that can convert a TECPLOT graphics file defining a finite element dataset into a set of FEM files. It is available in a FORTRAN90 version and a MATLAB version.
• TEC_TO_OBJ is an executable FORTRAN90 program which can read in a TEC file describing a surface or triangles or quadrilaterals in 3D, and write out a corresponding Alias OBJ file;
• TEC_TO_UCD is an executable FORTRAN90 program which reads a (finite element) TEC file and writes an equivalent AVS UCD file.
• TECPLOT can read a TEC file and save it in another format.

Programs to convert a file in another format to a TEC file:

• FEM_TO_TEC is a program that can convert a set of FEM files into a TEC graphics file. It is available in a FORTRAN90 version and a MATLAB version.
• IVREAD, can read data in a variety of formats, and write some of the information out in TEC format.
• mfloader.exe is a program for Windows only, which can be downloaded from the TECPLOT web site, and which can load a Matlab MAT file into TECPLOT, after which the data can be written out as a TEC file.
• PREPLOT is a program included with TECPLOT which can read a PLOT3D file and convert it to a form that can be read by TECPLOT.

Sample TEC files:

• 3dgeom.tec, 3D geometries, using using POINT and BLOCK formats. Contains 2 zones;
• block_febrick_3d.tec, 3D finite element, scalar data T(X,Y,Z), using the "BLOCK" datapacking and "FEBRICK" element;
• feblock_tet_3d.tec, 3D finite element tetrahedral data, using "BLOCK" datapacking and "FETETRAHEDRON" element;
• channel.tec, 2D channel flow, with two boundary lines and an internal dashed line drawn, using POINT format;
• crystal_plot.tec, 2D data, uses the BLOCK format, created by the CRYSTAL_PLOT program;
• cylinder_3d.tec;
• cylinder_slice.tec;
• cylindrical.tec, uses the POINT format;
• humanoid_quad.tec color data (R,G,B)(X,Y,Z), for the SURFACE of a 3D human figure, using "DATAPACKING=POINT" and the "FEQUADRILATERAL" element;
• humanoid_tri.tec color data (R,G,B)(X,Y,Z), for the SURFACE of a 3D human figure, using "DATAPACKING=POINT" and the "FETRIANGLE" element;
• humanoid_tri.png a PNG image of the humanoid;
• movie.tec, a very simple "animation" of two tiny frames, using the POINT format. Contains 2 zones.
• multzn2d.tec, a multizone 2D plot, using the POINT format; Contains 2 zones.
• plane_slice.tec;
• fepoint_brick_3d_01.tec, 3D finite element volume data T(X,Y,Z), using "DATAPACKING=POINT" and "FEBRICK" element;
• fepoint_brick_3d_02.tec, 3D finite element data PSI(X,Y,Z), representing a superconductivity computation, using "DATAPACKING=POINT" and "FEBRICK" element;
• fepoint_quad_2d.tec, 2D finite element data, using "DATAPACKING=POINT" and and "FEQUADRILATERAL" element;
• fepoint_tet_3d.tec, 3D finite element tetrahedral data, using "DATAPACKING=POINT" and "FETETRAHEDRON" element;
• fepoint_tri_2d_01.tec, 2D finite element data, (a very simple cube), uses "DATAPACKING=POINT" and "FETRIANGLE" elements;
• fepoint_tri_2d_02.tec, a 2D finite element flow field, (U,V)(X,Y), Rho(X,Y), using "DATAPACKING=POINT" and "FETRIANGLE" elements. computed and written by the FLOW5 program;
• fepoint_tri_2d_03.tec, a 2D finite element flow field, (U,V)(X,Y), Rho(X,Y), using "DATAPACKING=POINT" and "FETRIANGLE" elements. computed and written by the FLOW6 program;
• simp3dbk.tec, simple 3D block volume data, density(X,Y,Z), using the BLOCK format;
• simp3dpt.tec, simple 3D point volume data, density(X,Y,Z), using the POINT format;
• simpscat.tec, a scatter plot using POINT format;
• simpxy.tec, a simple (X,Y(X)) plot of temperature versus distance;
• simpxy2.tec, an (X,Y(X)) plot of temperature versus distance. Uses weights. Contains 4 zones.

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