vfplot

vfplot is a software for plotting 2D vector fields.

Features:

• Large arrows:
• The idea of vfplot is to plot vector fields with relatively large arrows - large enough to be perceived individually
• Curvy:
• For large arrows to accurately represent the field they need to follow it in their shape; vfplot uses simple circular arcs
• Placed apart:
• Placement of large arrows on a regular grid would limit the dynamic range possible; vfplot places the arrows via a packing of their bounding ellipses
• Field input:
• Fields can be specified by data in a number of formats: a simple ASCII grid format, Gerris gfs files, or a pair of GMT grd files. Several test fields are built in and adding another is straightforward if you have a little C experience
• Vector output:
• Output is in the PostScript format which can be converted to SVG, PDF and other vector formats with standard tools. The files are small, typically a few tens of kilobytes
• Limited in scope:
• The vfplot program plots only arrows, it will not be a general purpose plotting program
• Free software:
• Released under the GNU GPL v3, contact the author for other licencing

What is new in this release:

• This version sees a rewrite of the multi-thread code, resulting in a substantial speedup on multi-processor hardware.
• Additionally, the supporting gfs2xyz2D utility was updated to the latest version of the Gerris library.

What is new in version 1.0.7:

• A buffer overrun was fixed.

What is new in version 1.0.5:

• Output to the POV-Ray scene language.

What is new in version 1.0.4:

• This release adds a graphics-state cache for easier final adjustment of line widths, fill colour, etc.
• It adds read support for Matlab binary files.

What is new in version 1.0.3:

• Simplified potential used in the dynamic (removal of the attractive tail) allows a reduction in the number of neighbors and speeds up the dynamic by around a factor of two.
• Plots look cleaner.
• Several bugfixes and minor feature enhancements.

What is new in version 1.0.2:

• Added a --glyph option for alternative glyphs. New wedge and triangle glyphs.
• Added a --aspect option to adjust the aspect (the ratio of length to width) of the glyph.