Interactive visualization of transient 3D electromagnetic and n-dimensional parameter spaces in virtual reality

Purpose - Nowadays many parameter studies for the design and optimization of electromagnetic devices are carried out by means of 2D and 3D nonlinear finite element (FE) models. Through optimization algorithms selecting one design as optimal with respect to the chosen cost function, the user does not gain any intuitive clue of the interrelations existing between design parameters, although numerous computations have been performed across the whole parameter space of the system. The purpose of this paper is to visualize a complex nonlinear FE solution system, which is parameterized through a number of control variables, in virtual reality (VR). Design/methodology/approach - This paper presents a visualization approach for n-dimensional parameter spaces of FE solutions in VR and the corresponding interpolation methods for enabling navigation through it Findings - The solution of an arbitrary electromagnetic FE problem is categorized with respect to possible changes, due to chosen design parameters, within the solution itself and variations in the underlying mesh in order to find appropriate interpolation methods for the visualization of each type of parameter space. Practical implications - The implementation is based on modifying the popular Visualization Toolkit (VTK). Originality/value - The paper presents different solution approaches for the visualization of an interpolation between arbitrary different meshes, but the problem remains unsolved and requires further research.