Visualization of vortical flow using multiple slices

In the present paper, a new technique is proposed for visualizing a vortical flow field using multiple texture-mapped slices. First, the vortex centers are identified by finding and classifying critical points in the flow field. Then the flow field is projected onto the slicing planes which pass through the critical points and are perpendicular to the vortex axes. Finally, the projected flow fields are visualized intuitively by advecting tracers located around the critical points. The resulting images are mapped to rectangles having transparent attributes in a VRML format. The proposed technique is applied to various flow fields and the effectiveness of this technique is confirmed.