Variable names different than those in Fluent.

Problem:

I loaded some data into Tecplot from Fluent and the variable list came out different than I expected in Tecplot. Some of the variable names have t-1 or t-2 after them. Some of them have #1 or #2 or #3 after them. What is Tecplot doing with the names of the variables?

Solution:

Fluent allows for different variables in one zone than in another while Tecplot requires that all zones have the same variable list. This means that Tecplot may do the following with the variables that come in through Fluent:

1. Add a t-1 t-2 etc to a variable name. This refers to time levels or phases. T-1 is the first time level and t-2 the second time level and so on. These are equivalent to M1 and M2 in Fluent.
2. Expand a vector variable into 3 scalars so you would see in Tecplot its vector components shown using the name of the variable with -1, -2, -3 appended.
3. A variable in Fluent can be duplicated appearing in two different zones. When loaded into Tecplot it will appear as #X where X identifies the Fluent subsection.
4. Fluent can calculate variables on the fly. Sometimes this causes confusion in that:
   1. Variables calculated on the fly in Fluent are not part of the dataset and so are not loaded into Tecplot.
   2. When Fluent calculated some variables on the fly that were related to an actual variable and gave the actual and calculated variables the same name. When the data is loaded from Fluent only the real variable from this group is loaded. If Tecplot applies t-1 or t-2 or some other suffix to the variable name representing the real variable from this group it can mislead you into thinking that the suffixes refer to the other variables from that group that Fluent calculated on the fly.