Physics MCP Server

--- title: Phase 5 Visualization Examples kind: tutorial header_svg: src: "/assets/svg/cas-lab-hero.svg" static: "/assets/svg/cas-lab-hero-static.svg" title: "Phase 5 Visualization" animate: true theme_variant: "auto" reduced_motion: "auto" --- # Phase 5: Advanced Visualization Examples This document provides examples of using the Phase 5 advanced visualization tools in Phys-MCP. ## Overview Phase 5 introduces four new graphics-first tools with GPU acceleration and advanced rendering capabilities: 1. **plot_volume_3d** - 3D scalar field visualization with slices and isosurfaces 2. **plot_animation** - Time evolution animations with multiple renderers 3. **plot_interactive** - Parameter sweep with interactive UI specifications 4. **plot_vr_export** - Export 3D meshes to VR/AR formats (GLB, PLY) ## Prerequisites Ensure you have the required dependencies: ```bash # Run the preflight check ./scripts/verify_phase5_prereqs.sh # Install additional dependencies if needed pip install trimesh[easy] # For VR export pip install torch # For GPU acceleration (optional) ``` ## Examples ### 1. Volume 3D Visualization #### Basic 3D Scalar Field with Slices ```json { "method": "plot_volume_3d", "params": { "f": "exp(-(x**2 + y**2 + z**2)/2)", "x": [-3, 3, 50], "y": [-3, 3, 50], "z": [-3, 3, 50], "mode": "slices" } } ``` This creates orthogonal slice views of a 3D Gaussian function. #### Isosurface Visualization ```json { "method": "plot_volume_3d", "params": { "f": "sin(x) * cos(y) * sin(z)", "x": [-6.28, 6.28, 60], "y": [-6.28, 6.28, 60], "z": [-6.28, 6.28, 60], "mode": "isosurface", "iso_level": 0.5 } } ``` Visualizes isosurfaces at a specific level of a 3D sinusoidal function. #### Animated Volume Sweep ```json { "method": "plot_volume_3d", "params": { "f": "x**2 + y**2 - z**2", "x": [-2, 2, 40], "y": [-2, 2, 40], "z": [-2, 2, 40], "emit_animation": true, "animate_axis": "z", "fps": 24, "format": "mp4" } } ``` Creates an MP4 animation sweeping through Z-axis slices. ### 2. Time Evolution Animations #### Wave Packet Evolution ```json { "method": "plot_animation", "params": { "frame_expr": "exp(-(x-2*t)**2/2) * cos(5*x - 10*t)", "x_range": [-10, 10, 200], "t_range": [0, 5, 100], "renderer": "line", "fps": 20, "format": "mp4", "emit_csv": true } } ``` Animates a traveling wave packet with CSV data export. #### Heat Diffusion Simulation ```json { "method": "plot_animation", "params": { "frame_expr": "exp(-x**2/(1+t)) / sqrt(1+t)", "x_range": [-5, 5, 100], "t_range": [0, 10, 50], "renderer": "imshow", "fps": 10, "format": "gif" } } ``` Creates a GIF showing heat diffusion over time. #### Quantum Harmonic Oscillator ```json { "method": "plot_animation", "params": { "frame_expr": "exp(-x**2/2) * cos(x*sqrt(2)*cos(t))", "x_range": [-4, 4, 150], "t_range": [0, 6.28, 60], "renderer": "line", "fps": 15, "emit_frames": true } } ``` Animates quantum oscillator wavefunction with frame data export. ### 3. Interactive Parameter Sweeps #### Damped Oscillator Analysis ```json { "method": "plot_interactive", "params": { "expr": "exp(-gamma*x) * sin(omega*x + phi)", "x_range": [0, 10, 200], "controls": [ {"name": "gamma", "min": 0.1, "max": 2.0, "step": 0.1, "default": 0.5}, {"name": "omega", "min": 0.5, "max": 5.0, "step": 0.5, "default": 2.0}, {"name": "phi", "min": 0, "max": 6.28, "step": 0.314, "default": 0} ], "renderer": "line", "grid_limit": 18 } } ``` Generates thumbnail grid for different damping and frequency parameters. #### Polynomial Family Explorer ```json { "method": "plot_interactive", "params": { "expr": "a*x**3 + b*x**2 + c*x + d", "x_range": [-3, 3, 100], "controls": [ {"name": "a", "min": -1, "max": 1, "step": 0.2, "default": 0.1}, {"name": "b", "min": -2, "max": 2, "step": 0.5, "default": 0}, {"name": "c", "min": -3, "max": 3, "step": 0.5, "default": 1}, {"name": "d", "min": -2, "max": 2, "step": 0.5, "default": 0} ], "grid_limit": 24 } } ``` Explores cubic polynomial parameter space. ### 4. VR/AR Export #### Simple Geometric Shapes ```json { "method": "plot_vr_export", "params": { "geometry": { "vertices": [ [0, 0, 0], [1, 0, 0], [1, 1, 0], [0, 1, 0], [0, 0, 1], [1, 0, 1], [1, 1, 1], [0, 1, 1] ], "faces": [ [0, 1, 2], [0, 2, 3], [4, 7, 6], [4, 6, 5], [0, 4, 5], [0, 5, 1], [2, 6, 7], [2, 7, 3], [0, 3, 7], [0, 7, 4], [1, 5, 6], [1, 6, 2] ] }, "format": "glb", "extras": {"name": "unit_cube", "material": "metal"} } } ``` Exports a unit cube to GLB format for VR applications. #### Point Cloud Export ```json { "method": "plot_vr_export", "params": { "geometry": { "vertices": [ [0, 0, 0], [1, 0, 0], [0, 1, 0], [0, 0, 1] ], "faces": [ [0, 1, 2], [0, 1, 3], [0, 2, 3], [1, 2, 3] ], "colors": [ [255, 0, 0, 255], [0, 255, 0, 255], [0, 0, 255, 255], [255, 255, 0, 255] ] }, "format": "ply" } } ``` Exports a colored tetrahedron to PLY format. ## Advanced Features ### GPU Acceleration The tools automatically detect and use available GPU acceleration: - **CUDA** (NVIDIA GPUs) - **MPS** (Apple Silicon) - **ROCm** (AMD GPUs) - **XPU** (Intel GPUs) Set environment variables to control acceleration: ```bash export ACCEL_MODE=auto # auto, gpu, cpu export ACCEL_DEVICE=auto # auto, cuda, mps, xpu ``` ### Performance Tuning #### Memory Management ```json { "method": "plot_volume_3d", "params": { "f": "complex_function(x, y, z)", "x": [-5, 5, 100], "y": [-5, 5, 100], "z": [-5, 5, 100], "samples_cap": 80, // Reduce for memory constraints "allow_large": false // Enforce caps } } ``` #### Animation Optimization ```json { "method": "plot_animation", "params": { "frame_expr": "heavy_computation(x, t)", "x_range": [-10, 10, 500], "t_range": [0, 20, 200], "frames_cap": 100, // Limit frames "allow_large": false, "dpi": 100 // Reduce resolution if needed } } ``` ## Error Handling The tools include comprehensive error handling: - **GPU OOM**: Automatic fallback to CPU - **Invalid expressions**: Graceful error messages - **Missing dependencies**: Clear installation instructions - **File I/O errors**: Detailed error reporting ## Integration with Existing Tools Phase 5 tools integrate seamlessly with the consolidated tool interface: ```json { "method": "plot", "params": { "plot_type": "volume_3d", "f": "x**2 + y**2 + z**2", "x": [-2, 2, 30], "y": [-2, 2, 30], "z": [-2, 2, 30] } } ``` ## Output Formats ### Volume 3D - **PNG**: Contact sheet with orthogonal slices - **CSV**: Sampled scalar field data - **MP4/WebM/GIF**: Optional animations ### Animation - **MP4**: H.264 encoded video (default) - **WebM**: VP9 encoded video - **GIF**: Animated GIF - **CSV**: Frame-by-frame data - **JSON**: Frame metadata ### Interactive - **PNG**: Thumbnail grid (base64 encoded) - **JSON**: UI specification for sliders ### VR Export - **GLB**: Binary glTF 2.0 (recommended for VR) - **PLY**: Stanford polygon format ## Best Practices 1. **Start Small**: Begin with low resolution for testing 2. **Use GPU**: Enable acceleration for large datasets 3. **Monitor Memory**: Watch for OOM conditions 4. **Cache Results**: Leverage built-in caching for repeated operations 5. **Validate Inputs**: Check expressions before heavy computation 6. **Choose Formats**: Use appropriate output formats for your use case ## Troubleshooting ### Common Issues **FFmpeg not found**: ```bash # Ubuntu/Debian sudo apt-get install ffmpeg # macOS brew install ffmpeg # Windows # Download from https://ffmpeg.org/ ``` **GPU acceleration not working**: ```bash # Check PyTorch installation python -c "import torch; print(torch.cuda.is_available())" # Check MPS (Apple Silicon) python -c "import torch; print(torch.backends.mps.is_available())" ``` **Trimesh import errors**: ```bash pip install trimesh[easy] ``` ### Performance Tips - Use `allow_large=false` to prevent memory issues - Reduce `samples_cap` and `frames_cap` for faster iteration - Use `dpi=80` for draft quality, `dpi=150+` for publication - Choose `format="gif"` for small animations, `"mp4"` for quality ## See Also - [Phase 2 Implementation](Phase2-Implementation.md) - [Phases 7 & 8 Implementation](phases_7_8_implementation.md) - [Plot Tool Reference](Tools/Plot.md)