To be honest, ParaView doesn't make loading in a simple list of coordinates as easy as it should. It's something we will be working on in the near future (e.g. bug #5016, http://www.paraview.org/Bug/view.php?id=5016). However, it is still possible to do what you want, it just takes a few more steps than it should.
I think the easiest way to get your data into ParaView is to convert it to a legacy VTK file. From what you attached below, all you need to do is add some header in front of it. Below I have included a modified form of your data that conforms to the legacy VTK file format (hopefully line endings are preserved again, because they matter in the header). Copy the data into a file with a .vtk extension and you will be able to load it into ParaView. When you first load this into ParaView, you will not actually see anything drawn. This is because I was too lazy to add cells to the data. However, you can use the Glyph filter to add the exact geometry you described (a sphere of radius 0.5). After loading the data (don't forget to hit the Apply button), add the Glyph filter (there is a convenient toolbar button with an image of a large sphere covered by smaller green spheres). Change the "Glyph Type" to "Sphere". The default radius happens to be 0.5, so you are good to hit the Apply button and you should see your particles. Hope that helps. -Ken # vtk DataFile Version 2.0 Some example 50 particles. ASCII DATASET POLYDATA POINTS 50 double 5.488638491049999857e+01 4.533285539199999903e+01 5.990067340830000120e+01 5.507634645640000315e+01 4.690055020359999816e+01 6.205816942250000068e+01 5.611924302530000119e+01 4.584485860769999732e+01 6.292926739199999986e+01 5.641759022880000174e+01 4.340893347419999770e+01 5.895382539940000299e+01 5.693618177649999978e+01 4.489218829629999874e+01 6.410368616600000280e+01 5.555939302830000059e+01 4.362780979029999884e+01 5.951328359800000101e+01 5.554350617000000057e+01 4.188482518459999682e+01 5.878381606479999988e+01 5.604427505559999645e+01 4.649609805720000111e+01 6.210705354470000117e+01 5.530048293149999949e+01 4.624494566079999913e+01 5.959863344469999902e+01 5.467705995490995718e+01 4.355678678950000204e+01 5.875568285069999774e+01 5.621869458380000140e+01 4.439583221640000232e+01 5.924903889080000141e+01 5.561998122079999973e+01 4.394605972949999995e+01 5.851489735050000007e+01 5.690921858690000334e+01 4.582500510620000256e+01 6.362092096509999806e+01 5.475098914309999998e+01 4.619126324740000200e+01 6.049120611730000263e+01 5.641635311080000292e+01 4.243341419539999748e+01 5.854919389150000342e+01 5.621830122240000094e+01 3.991548769199999924e+01 5.863887904930000161e+01 5.719361166030000021e+01 4.174063668590000020e+01 5.835930649010000337e+01 5.616689354599999717e+01 4.325470363480000202e+01 5.795258720969999899e+01 5.579069489220000122e+01 4.498163925800000129e+01 5.848915900779999788e+01 5.481830772069999824e+01 4.707179765050000242e+01 6.105822532359999855e+01 5.564110346620000058e+01 3.912246424140000300e+01 5.901021183169999773e+01 5.621457283520000203e+01 4.152797633419999812e+01 5.806957834979999689e+01 5.719488688780000274e+01 3.994124700609999934e+01 5.900162063970000048e+01 5.665532662689999910e+01 4.495426231879999790e+01 6.309290282119999915e+01 5.580952576610000193e+01 4.721484517420000060e+01 6.137584942670000032e+01 5.561332834329999741e+01 4.679007541709999884e+01 6.043663970149999898e+01 5.518545746840000277e+01 4.457136614680000264e+01 5.923679874550000335e+01 5.647997341979999675e+01 4.154384547210000278e+01 5.909534597060000038e+01 5.765199147479999908e+01 4.512795159830000102e+01 6.337497765989999721e+01 5.584302705049999815e+01 4.535378866500000328e+01 5.946951471839999925e+01 5.562396915850000312e+01 4.236937535799999921e+01 5.785716254439999773e+01 5.551942573040000184e+01 4.293100157170000131e+01 5.873180053770000342e+01 5.536439253620000045e+01 4.586432050150000350e+01 6.446544382109999560e+01 5.601580874620000117e+01 4.532177775110000084e+01 6.383980378760995222e+01 5.522183270229999863e+01 4.591330843859999788e+01 6.239036235070000203e+01 5.552475736130995188e+01 4.671884746799999988e+01 6.299182048400000156e+01 5.569300298889999823e+01 4.574124821929999740e+01 6.043186792259999862e+01 5.505789659319999885e+01 4.672642824350000268e+01 6.394446345749999949e+01 5.647888952489999781e+01 4.055610006399999889e+01 5.944827188789999894e+01 5.512435615700000113e+01 4.330096744890000338e+01 5.784002608130000311e+01 5.587834371390000143e+01 4.749533078369999828e+01 6.238585686929999952e+01 5.554561466909999723e+01 4.008492034519999692e+01 5.941969696160000325e+01 5.513332295810000261e+01 4.791230244629999646e+01 6.177737797679999687e+01 5.680377349180000124e+01 4.076690689720000194e+01 5.847625241530000295e+01 5.520251321359999963e+01 4.582912735579999719e+01 6.343219189789999746e+01 5.499600962339999910e+01 4.554144637859999989e+01 5.888039144079999687e+01 5.577575750479999783e+01 4.085686345740000291e+01 5.873738147630000128e+01 5.603135377430000119e+01 4.636511701490000092e+01 6.383143826789999764e+01 5.642135364429999811e+01 3.952228659610000250e+01 5.958435845870000236e+01 5.541103635689999862e+01 4.624251213800000215e+01 6.131094504189999839e+01 On 10/30/08 5:47 AM, "Lorenzo Isella" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dear All, > I am a complete newbie in visualization, so an apology in advance is > what I ask will sound trivial. > I am browsing several Paraview tutorials, but I am missing out what I > really need. > Right now, I do NOT need e.g. to plot a temperature field on a metal > slab with a non-trivial geometry. Rather, I have a set of particles > (each is a simple sphere) in a 3D-box. The raw data is an ascii file > of the form: > > x_1 y_1 z_1 > x_2 y_2 z_2 > ............. > x_N y_N z_N > > In each position {x_i,y_i,z_i} there is a sphere having radius 0.5. > Hence I do not have a grid but only a list of positions of some > spheres in space. > How should I deal with that in Paraview? Which format should I convert > my ascii file to? > In case it turns out to be useful to fix the ideas, I paste below an > example case with 50 particles (each line should contain three > numbers, but I do not know how it will be shown by your email client). > Many thanks > > Lorenzo > > 5.488638491049999857e+01 4.533285539199999903e+01 5.990067340830000120e+01 > 5.507634645640000315e+01 4.690055020359999816e+01 6.205816942250000068e+01 > 5.611924302530000119e+01 4.584485860769999732e+01 6.292926739199999986e+01 > 5.641759022880000174e+01 4.340893347419999770e+01 5.895382539940000299e+01 > 5.693618177649999978e+01 4.489218829629999874e+01 6.410368616600000280e+01 > 5.555939302830000059e+01 4.362780979029999884e+01 5.951328359800000101e+01 > 5.554350617000000057e+01 4.188482518459999682e+01 5.878381606479999988e+01 > 5.604427505559999645e+01 4.649609805720000111e+01 6.210705354470000117e+01 > 5.530048293149999949e+01 4.624494566079999913e+01 5.959863344469999902e+01 > 5.467705995490995718e+01 4.355678678950000204e+01 5.875568285069999774e+01 > 5.621869458380000140e+01 4.439583221640000232e+01 5.924903889080000141e+01 > 5.561998122079999973e+01 4.394605972949999995e+01 5.851489735050000007e+01 > 5.690921858690000334e+01 4.582500510620000256e+01 6.362092096509999806e+01 > 5.475098914309999998e+01 4.619126324740000200e+01 6.049120611730000263e+01 > 5.641635311080000292e+01 4.243341419539999748e+01 5.854919389150000342e+01 > 5.621830122240000094e+01 3.991548769199999924e+01 5.863887904930000161e+01 > 5.719361166030000021e+01 4.174063668590000020e+01 5.835930649010000337e+01 > 5.616689354599999717e+01 4.325470363480000202e+01 5.795258720969999899e+01 > 5.579069489220000122e+01 4.498163925800000129e+01 5.848915900779999788e+01 > 5.481830772069999824e+01 4.707179765050000242e+01 6.105822532359999855e+01 > 5.564110346620000058e+01 3.912246424140000300e+01 5.901021183169999773e+01 > 5.621457283520000203e+01 4.152797633419999812e+01 5.806957834979999689e+01 > 5.719488688780000274e+01 3.994124700609999934e+01 5.900162063970000048e+01 > 5.665532662689999910e+01 4.495426231879999790e+01 6.309290282119999915e+01 > 5.580952576610000193e+01 4.721484517420000060e+01 6.137584942670000032e+01 > 5.561332834329999741e+01 4.679007541709999884e+01 6.043663970149999898e+01 > 5.518545746840000277e+01 4.457136614680000264e+01 5.923679874550000335e+01 > 5.647997341979999675e+01 4.154384547210000278e+01 5.909534597060000038e+01 > 5.765199147479999908e+01 4.512795159830000102e+01 6.337497765989999721e+01 > 5.584302705049999815e+01 4.535378866500000328e+01 5.946951471839999925e+01 > 5.562396915850000312e+01 4.236937535799999921e+01 5.785716254439999773e+01 > 5.551942573040000184e+01 4.293100157170000131e+01 5.873180053770000342e+01 > 5.536439253620000045e+01 4.586432050150000350e+01 6.446544382109999560e+01 > 5.601580874620000117e+01 4.532177775110000084e+01 6.383980378760995222e+01 > 5.522183270229999863e+01 4.591330843859999788e+01 6.239036235070000203e+01 > 5.552475736130995188e+01 4.671884746799999988e+01 6.299182048400000156e+01 > 5.569300298889999823e+01 4.574124821929999740e+01 6.043186792259999862e+01 > 5.505789659319999885e+01 4.672642824350000268e+01 6.394446345749999949e+01 > 5.647888952489999781e+01 4.055610006399999889e+01 5.944827188789999894e+01 > 5.512435615700000113e+01 4.330096744890000338e+01 5.784002608130000311e+01 > 5.587834371390000143e+01 4.749533078369999828e+01 6.238585686929999952e+01 > 5.554561466909999723e+01 4.008492034519999692e+01 5.941969696160000325e+01 > 5.513332295810000261e+01 4.791230244629999646e+01 6.177737797679999687e+01 > 5.680377349180000124e+01 4.076690689720000194e+01 5.847625241530000295e+01 > 5.520251321359999963e+01 4.582912735579999719e+01 6.343219189789999746e+01 > 5.499600962339999910e+01 4.554144637859999989e+01 5.888039144079999687e+01 > 5.577575750479999783e+01 4.085686345740000291e+01 5.873738147630000128e+01 > 5.603135377430000119e+01 4.636511701490000092e+01 6.383143826789999764e+01 > 5.642135364429999811e+01 3.952228659610000250e+01 5.958435845870000236e+01 > 5.541103635689999862e+01 4.624251213800000215e+01 6.131094504189999839e+01 > _______________________________________________ > ParaView mailing list > ParaView@paraview.org > http://www.paraview.org/mailman/listinfo/paraview > > **** Kenneth Moreland *** Sandia National Laboratories *********** *** *** *** email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ** *** ** phone: (505) 844-8919 *** fax: (505) 845-0833 _______________________________________________ ParaView mailing list ParaView@paraview.org http://www.paraview.org/mailman/listinfo/paraview