Visualizing velocity vectors by arrow

OVITO
1

I have a dump file that looks as follows:

ITEM: ATOMS x y z vx vy vz
8.24237 1.64188 3.25677 -9.29001 4.79773 32.1441
8.52572 0.979111 1.84303 -22.6713 -18.1494 -7.48348
…

I want to visualize the velocity vector with arrows originating from each atom. From online searches, it appears that it is possible to produce such renders; however, I am not sure how exactly. I am using Ovito Basic Version 3.7.8. I would be grateful if someone could kindly provide some directions. Thanks for your attention.

2

When you load a file containing particle velocities into OVITO, a corresponding visual element is created automatically. However, it is deactivated by default to keep the viewport uncluttered. You can enable the arrow representation for velocities by checking the highlighted box.

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3

The velocity does not appear in my case. I have noticed you are using OVITO Pro. Could it be that it appears exclusively in Pro?

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Edit: The dump file does not have the atom ID information which is quite unusual. Could it be reason for this anomaly?

4

It looks like OVITO did not correctly match the particle properties. Ideally, this should happen automatically. Could you please upload your file here so I can investigate further?

As a workaround, you can manually set the column mapping using the dialog shown. More information is available in the manual. The dialog in the second screenshot needs to be configured based on your specific dump file.

Screenshot 2025-07-15 at 15.46.51
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Screenshot 2025-07-15 at 15.48.01
Screenshot 2025-07-15 at 15.48.01642×555 157 KB

5

I have looked at the column mapping and it seems fine. I have attached the dump file for your consideration.
C.250000 (526.1 KB)

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6

For me, it works in both OVITO Basic and OVITO Pro using your dump file.

Could you please update OVITO Basic to the latest version and check if the problem still occurs?

Additionally, does the issue also occur if you import the file into a new, empty OVITO session?

7

I installed the latest version and it works now. Thanks for your assistance.