VelocityFelder

VelocityFelder is a software framework and visualization toolkit for managing and rendering velocity fields in computational simulations and motion graphics. It supports two- and three-dimensional velocity data on structured and unstructured grids and emphasizes interoperability with existing CFD tools and graphics pipelines. The project aims to provide a cohesive API for data representation, analysis, and visualization of vector fields.

VelocityFelder originated as a collaborative project in 2020 among researchers and developers focused on fluid dynamics visualization. The first public release appeared in 2021 under an open-source license. It has since evolved through community contributions and ongoing maintenance, with reference implementations in C++ and bindings for Python.

Core features include a flexible data model for velocity fields, operations for vector calculus such as divergence, curl, and gradient, and various interpolation schemes for evaluating velocity at arbitrary points. The toolkit also supports particle-based advection, seeding, and generation of streamlines and pathlines. Visualization options include glyphs, line integrals, and volume rendering, with GPU acceleration via CUDA and OpenCL.

VelocityFelder is used in fluid dynamics research, atmospheric and oceanographic analysis, and visual effects workflows. It provides APIs for integration with CFD codes and simulation pipelines, and bindings for scripting languages to facilitate rapid prototyping. It is designed to handle large datasets through streaming and out-of-core techniques.

Reception has highlighted its modular architecture and performance on modern hardware, while reviewers note a learning curve and the need for comprehensive documentation. Development continues with planned improvements to scalability, cloud workflows, and expanded ecosystem of plugins.