Advanced visualization of large datasets for Discrete Element Method simulations

State-of-the-art Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations of granular flows produce large datasets that contain a wealth of information describing the time-dependent physical state of the particulate medium. To extract this information, both comprehensive and efficient post-processing methods are essential. Special attention must be paid to the interactive visualization of these large hybrid datasets containing both particle-based and surface-based data. In this paper, we report the use of the open-source visualization package ParaView, which we have customized specifically to perform advanced techniques for the post-treatment of large DEM datasets. Particular attention is given to the method used to render the individual particles, based either on triangulation of glyphs or using GPU-accelerated primitives. A demonstration of these techniques, and their relative merits when applied to the visualization of DEM datasets, is presented via their application to real industrial examples.