Last Verified: 2023-12-19
Overview
ParaView is an open-source, multiplatform data analysis and visualization application found at ParaView.org. ParaView users can quickly build visualizations to analyze their data using qualitative and quantitative techniques. The data exploration can be done interactively in 3D or programmatically using ParaView's batch processing capabilities.
ParaView was developed to analyze extremely large datasets using distributed memory computing resources. It can be run on supercomputers to analyze datasets of petascale as well as on laptops/desktops for smaller data.
Environment
Machines and Versions
See LC visualization software page.
Location
Links to the latest version exist in /usr/tce/bin
Multiple versions may be accessible via modules. Type module avail paraview to see the available options. You can specify a particular version in the module command, e.g., module load paraview/5.11.0
The actual installation directories are in /usr/tce/packages/paraview and /usr/gapps/paraview/ParaView
Settings
The module load paraview command will setup your PATH and any other needed environment variables.
X forwarding is not supported by the latest versions of ParaView! X forwarding cannot support newer versions of OpenGL and several required OpenGL extensions. Therefore, the ParaView client GUI should not be run remotely.
Instead, ParaView should be run in client-server mode, which connects a local workstation's ParaView installation to an instance of ParaView running on an LC host. This allows access to the data and processing power that is available on the LC systems. It also runs far more efficiently than over X forwarding, and provides a more responsive interface. Please see the additional setup instructions for Running ParaView in Client-Server Mode.
If you still encounter OpenGL errors when trying to connect via client-server mode, try running module load opt mesa before starting the ParaView server.
Connecting from Windows
Unfortunately, even the older ParaView client is not compatible with X-Win32 on Windows. When connecting from a Windows system, ParaView must be installed locally and run in client-server mode (see Running ParaView in Client-Server Mode).
Usage
ParaView is not compatible with X11 forwarding. To use ParaView on an LC system, ParaView should be installed locally and run in client-server mode (see Running ParaView in Client-Server Mode).
Help
Several links to ParaView documentation, guides, tutorials, and other resources are provided in the "Help" menu within the ParaView application. They are also available directly from the ParaView Resources web page.
An excellent and wide-ranging set of tutorials is available via the ParaView Tutorials page.
Further LLNL specific help is available from the LC Hotline: lc-hotline@llnl.gov, (925) 422-4531.
Download
You can install ParaView on your local workstation; there is no license restriction. Downloads for Windows, Linux, and MacOS, as well as for building from source code are all available on the ParaView Download webpage.