API Reference

API Reference#

In this section, you can learn more about how PyVista wraps different VTK mesh types and how you can leverage powerful 3D plotting and mesh analysis tools. Highlights of the API include:

  • Pythonic interface to VTK’s Python bindings

  • Filtering/plotting tools built for interactivity (see Widgets)

  • Direct access to common VTK filters (see Filters)

  • Intuitive plotting routines with matplotlib similar syntax (see Plotting)

Core API

Learn more about PyVista’s different mesh types and direct access to common VTK filters.

>>> import pyvista as pv
>>> mesh = pv.Sphere()
>>> sliced = mesh.slice()
>>> sliced.length

1.409317132047406
Core API
Plotting API

Explore PyVista’s robust plotting interface for visualizing the core data structures.

>>> import pyvista as pv
>>> mesh = pv.Cube()
>>> pl = pv.Plotter()
>>> actor = pl.add_mesh(mesh, scalars=mesh.points)
>>> actor.prop

Property (0x7fede80ea6e0)
  Ambient:                     0.0
  Ambient color:               Color(name='light_blue', hex='#add8e6ff', opacity=255)
  Anisotropy:                  0.0
  Color:                       Color(name='light_blue', hex='#add8e6ff', opacity=255)
  Culling:                     "none"
  Diffuse:                     1.0
  Diffuse color:               Color(name='light_blue', hex='#add8e6ff', opacity=255)
  Edge color:                  Color(name='black', hex='#000000ff', opacity=255)
  Edge opacity:                1.0
  Interpolation:               InterpolationType.FLAT
  Lighting:                    True
  Line width:                  1.0
  Metallic:                    0.0
  Opacity:                     1.0
  Point size:                  5.0
  Render lines as tubes:       False
  Render points as spheres:    False
  Representation:              RepresentationType.SURFACE
  Roughness:                   0.5
  Show edges:                  False
  Specular:                    0.0
  Specular color:              Color(name='light_blue', hex='#add8e6ff', opacity=255)
  Specular power:              100.0
  Style:                       "Surface"
Plotting
Readers

Use PyVista’s Reader classes to read data files using pyvista.get_reader().

>>> import pyvista as pv
>>> from pyvista import examples
>>> reader = pv.get_reader(examples.hexbeamfile)
>>> reader

VTKDataSetReader('/home/runner/_work/pyvista/pyvista/.tox/docs-build/lib/python3.14/site-packages/pyvista/examples/hexbeam.vtk')
Readers
Utilities

Utilize PyVista’s helper modules, conversion tools, and geometric object creation routines.

>>> import pyvista as pv
>>> mesh = pv.ParametricSuperEllipsoid(xradius=0.1)
>>> mesh

PolyData (0x7fede6418d00)
  N Cells:    19602
  N Points:   10000
  N Strips:   0
  X Bounds:   -9.997e-02, 9.997e-02
  Y Bounds:   -9.999e-01, 9.994e-01
  Z Bounds:   -1.000e+00, 1.000e+00
  N Arrays:   1
Utilities
Examples & Datasets

Browse PyVista’s built-in and downloadable example datasets, including the interactive dataset gallery with 200+ datasets.

>>> from pyvista import examples
>>> examples.download_bunny()

PolyData (0x7fede6419a20)
  N Cells:    69451
  N Points:   35947
  N Strips:   0
  X Bounds:   -9.469e-02, 6.101e-02
  Y Bounds:   3.299e-02, 1.873e-01
  Z Bounds:   -6.187e-02, 5.880e-02
  N Arrays:   0
Examples & Datasets
Command Line Interface

Command-line interface for plotting, converting, and validating one or more mesh files, and for generating environment reports, without needing to write any Python.

$ pyvista --help
Usage: pyvista COMMAND

╭─ Commands ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ plot         Plot one or more mesh files in an interactive window.           │
│ compare      Compare two or more mesh files side-by-side.                    │
│ convert      Convert one or more mesh files to another format.               │
│ validate     Validate data, points, and cells for one or more mesh files.    │
│ report       Generate a PyVista software environment report.                 │
│ --help (-h)  Display this message and exit.                                  │
│ --version    Display application version.                                    │
╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
Command Line
Backed by CoDimensional PBC