Global, geometric, and feature-based techniques for vector field visualization

Vector field visualization techniques are subdivided into three categories: global, geometric, and feature-based techniques. We describe each category, and we present some related work and an example in each category from our own recent research. Spot Noise is a texture synthesis technique for global visualization of vector fields on 2D surfaces. Deformable surfaces is a generic technique for extraction and visualization of geometric objects (surfaces or volumes) in 3D data fields. Selective and iconic visualization is an approach that extracts important regions or structures from large data sets, calculates high-level attributes, and visualizes the features using parameterized iconic objects. It is argued that for vector fields a range of visualization techniques are needed to fulfill the needs of the application.