tecio

A Python interface for reading and writing Tecplot data files.

This package wraps Tecplot’s TecIO C library for reading and writing binary SZL (.szplt) and PLT (.plt, .bin) formats as well as providing read/write utilities for ASCII DAT (.dat, .tec) files.

The Tecplot data format is organised around zones, a flexible object that can represent a structured or unstructured block, subdomain, or boundary surface of a CFD solution, a single time step in a transient dataset, or a line or scatter point in a plot. Zone data may be structured (IJK-ordered matrix) or unstructured (nodes and cells with an explicit connectivity map). A file may contain both grid and solution data, or just one or the other via the GRID and SOLUTION file types.

All zones in a dataset share the same variable list, though individual variables may be marked passive (no data for that zone) or shared from another zone to avoid storing redundant data, commonly used to share grid coordinates across time steps. Auxiliary data can be attached at the dataset, variable, or zone level as free-form key-value strings. Special Common.* auxiliary data keys are recognised by Tecplot 360 EX on load and can be used to automatically configure axis variables, velocity vectors, the default contour variable, and more.

The SZL (.szplt) format additionally uses a proprietary node-map compression algorithm that produces significantly smaller files compared to the classic PLT format, particularly for large unstructured meshes.

The TecIO C library is proprietary software distributed by Tecplot, Inc. under a permissive license agreement. This package is an independent utility and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tecplot, Inc. Use of tecio requires an existing Tecplot installation to provide the shared library, but does not require an active Tecplot license.

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Contents

1. Installation

   • Software Dependencies

   • Locating the TecIO Shared Library

2. Quickstart

   • Examples

   • Indexing Conventions

   • Getting Help

3. API Reference

   • tecio.open — open a file for reading, writing, or appending

     • AppendWrite — append zones to an existing file (mode='a')

     • AppendReadWrite — append and read in the same session (mode='a+')

   • Submodules

     • tecio.szl — read and write Tecplot SZL (.szplt) files

       • szl.Read

       • szl.Write

     • tecio.plt — read and write Tecplot PLT (.plt) files

       • plt.Read

       • plt.Write

     • tecio.dat — read and write Tecplot ASCII (.dat) files

       • dat.Read

       • dat.Write

     • tecio.libtecio — low-level C library bindings and enums

       • Enums

       • SZL Read Functions

       • SZL Write Functions

       • Classic API Functions

     • tecio.utils — locate Tecplot installations and the TecIO library

4. Console Scripts — command-line tools

5. Demos

   • Lorenz Attractor Animation

   • Gravity Waves Around Binary Black Holes

   • Spectral Incompressible Navier–Stokes (Kelvin–Helmholtz)

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