Description
The PLOT3D file type refers to a format for structured grid data that was popularized by NASA's CFD visualization software of the same name (Ref. 40).
Only bilinear B-Spline surfaces are supported for export as database entities. ASCII, Binary, and Unformatted file formats can be exported from Fidelity Pointwise in either Single or Double precision.
When the PLOT3D format is selected, the presented Export Database panel (shown below) contains four frames: File Format, Byte Order, Data Precision, and Blocking. The first frame, File Format, contains options to specify whether the CAD data should be exported in ASCII, Binary, or Unformatted format.
The Byte Order frame becomes enabled when either the Binary or Unformatted File Format option is selected. This frame contains options to specify the endianness of the data being exported: Native and Swap Bytes. If the Native option is selected, the CAD data will be exported using the endianness of the host machine. On the other hand, if the Swap Bytes option is selected, the data is exported using the opposite endianness of the host machine.
The Data Precision frame contains options to specify the precision to be used when exporting the CAD data: Single or Double. Last but not least, the options in the Blocking frame are used to specify whether the CAD data should be exported as a single (Single) or as multiple blocks (Multiple).
