Brief summary

This section provides tutorial-style content to get started with Met.3D as a user.

We provide a page describing first steps with the tool after installation (First steps with Met.3D), as well as slides that we use for our introductory workshops (Slides: Introductory Met.3D tutorial)

     Met.3D enables the visualization of meteorological data, by handling the data and the visualization elements as separate entities. The data description is in the form of data pipelines and the visualization elements viz., maps, vectors, color bars, isosurfaces etc. are all referred to as actors. The creation and description of the actors, once the Met.3D application is launched, is stored in files called session files. Similarly the description of a given data set is stored in pipeline files.  Because of the independent description and storage of data and actions performed by the actors, in the form of data pipeline files and session files respectively, it is easy to repeat the actions on different data sets using a given session file. Also, Met.3D stores the complete settings of the application in a configuration file.

    Met.3D can be used in interactive as well as non-interactive(batch) mode. Both the modes rely on the configuration file described above. The non-interactive mode is steered using the session files as well as data pipeline files, that are created during an earlier interactive mode usage.

    In the following section, first the interactive mode is described, with details about the data pipelines as well as various actors available in Met.3D. Subsequently, the non-interactive mode is described. Then, certain use cases are described in a short tutorial demonstrating the overall usage of the application. Towards the end of the documentation, there is a glossary on the terminology used in the Met.3D parlance to aid the new user in quickly getting used to the application. As a constant endeavor to support the Met.3D user community, a section on the advanced tasks that are possible with Met.3D application as well as the FAQ posed by the user base is presented.