vtk files for plot3d data

[lganeshs]

Hi,

I have compiled with the requisite files for vtk output. the solver generates vtk files for sm3d, bndf and slcf. however i am having trouble with retrieving field/plot3d data.
I modified the storage.fds in the examples to dump plot3d data with no success.
i have attached the .fds and erro
firex_err.txt
storage_fds.txt
r files. I use the latest firex version.
do let me know what needs to be corrected

[johodges]

Try running with WRITE_FORMAT='BOTH' rather than WRITE_FORMAT='VTK'. There are some issues on the main firex branch when writing just the VTK files. When I run it gets past the dump read but fails due to one of the ramps in the file being not defined.

[lganeshs]

thanks for the response @johodges.
i tried running it with WRITE_FORMAT='BOTH'. i got the same error once again.

[johodges]

Could you run your FDS command for the firex branch without mpi and without the input file? You should get a header block that shows the commit you are on:

 Fire Dynamics Simulator

 Current Date     : July  9, 2026  15:52:38
 Revision         : FDS-6.10.1-3545-ge050836-FireX
 Revision Date    : Thu Jul 9 10:54:50 2026 -0400
 Compiler         : Intel(R) Fortran Compiler for applications running on Intel(R) 64, Version 2025.3.0 Build 20251010
 Compilation Date : Thu-07/09/2026-12:44-PM


 MPI version: 4.1
 MPI library version: Intel(R) MPI Library 2021.17 for Windows* OS

 Hypre library version: v3.0.0 (GPU support OFF)
 Sundials library version: v7.5.0
 HDF5 library version: v1.14.5
 Consult FDS Users Guide Chapter, Running FDS, for further instructions.

[johodges]

Also I just pushed an update that fixes some bugs introduced in one of the recent merges. The base storage.fds case runs correctly now.

[lganeshs]

Fire Dynamics Simulator

Current Date : July 9, 2026 20:54:55
Revision : FDS-6.11.0-1083-g3ef804f-FireX
Revision Date : Fri Jul 3 14:56:18 2026 -0400
Compiler : GCC version 11.4.1 20231218 (Red Hat 11.4.1-3)
Compilation Date : Jul 08, 2026 15:57:00

MPI version: 3.1
MPI library version: Open MPI v4.1.6, package: <>
Hypre library version: v3.0.0 (GPU support OFF)
Sundials library version: v7.5.0
HDF5 library version: v1.14.5
Consult FDS Users Guide Chapter, Running FDS, for further instructions.

[johodges]

Go ahead and pull the latest and recompile. There were a couple of merges with the master branch since that commit.

[lganeshs]

@johodges i pulled the latest one and recompiled.
however, all i get are sm3d files, bndf and slcf files but no pl3d files yet. I'm interested in the field data: temperature, velocity and extinction primarily but no luck yet. i am using PLOT3D_QUANTITY to specify them, is that incorrect usage? does it conflict with vtk in anyway? can you share a simple .fds file to test?

[johodges]

There is not currently an implementation to dump the pl3d files as vtkhdf's. You can actually already read those in Paraview if you want, but the quantities and units will not show up correctly if you change them. However, you can use 3-D slices that go through your whole domain which will give you the same functionality with VTKHDF.