TEC Files

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 files are:

• ASCII (although TECPLOT can 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:

TECPLOT

Programs to view a TEC file include:

• TECPLOT

Programs to convert a TEC format to another format:

• TECPLOT

Programs to convert another format to TEC format:

• IVREAD
• TECPLOT_WRITE

Files you may copy:

• 2DFED.TEC, 2D finite element data, using FEPOINT format and QUADRILATERAL element;
• 3DGEOM.TEC, 3D geometries, using using POINT and BLOCK formats;
• 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;
• CUBE.TEC, uses the FEPOINT format and TRIANGLE elements;
• CYLINDRICAL.TEC, uses the POINT format;
• FEBRFEB.TEC, 3D finite element volume plot T(X,Y,Z), using FEBLOCK format and BRICK element;
• FEBRFEP.TEC, 3D finite element volume plot T(X,Y,Z), using FEPOINT format and BRICK element;
• FETEBK.TEC, 3D finite element tetrahedral data, using FEBLOCK format and TETRAHEDRON element;
• FETETPT.TEC, 3D finite element tetrahedral data, using FEPOINT format and TETRAHEDRON element;
• FLOW_FIELD.TEC, 2D flow field data, (U,V)(X,Y), Rho(X,Y), in FEPOINT format using TRIANGLE elements;
• HUMAN.TEC 3D color data (R,G,B)(X,Y,Z), for a human figure, FEPOINT format using TRIANGLE elements;
• MOVIE.TEC, a very simple "animation" of two tiny frames, using the POINT format;
• MULTZN2D.TEC, a multizone 2D plot, using the POINT format;
• ORDER1.TEC, 3D finite element volume plot PSI(X,Y,Z), using FEPOINT format and BRICK element;
• 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, but using four zones, and weights;

Back to the data home page.