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Problem:
I want to run LaTeX in Tecplot 360, however my LaTeX engine, MiKTeX, is giving me an error when I try to generate LaTeX.
Solution:
We see users on Windows, specifically with MiKTeX, encounter one of two issues. This article addresses both of these, so that you can get back to using LaTeX in Tecplot 360.
Problem 1) I see an error with a path to ‘Temp’ directories:
To generate LaTeX, Tecplot 360 uses a temporary directory on the device. Examining the image closely, the path to this temporary directory is incorrect. The username is shortened to fit 8dot3 notation, so the path searched for is not found.
To fix this, we can manually set the path which Tecplot 360 is using for the temp directory.
Step 1: Find the file tecplot.cfg in the main Tecplot 360 install directory.
Step 2: The temp directory path can be any valid path you want. However, to use the path that Tecplot 360 was attempting to find in the error above, use something like the following:
$!FileConfig TempFilePath = “/Users/<username>/AppData/Local/Temp/tecplot”
Step 3: Save the file and reload Tecplot 360. The filepath should no longer fail to find the temp directory. The LaTeX expression should compile as expected.
Another solution we have seen to this problem is to uninstall MiKTeX, and reinstall MiKTeX globally, rather than as a user, thus removing the shortened username in the path.
Problem 2) I get an error describing files not found:
This tells us that necessary packages in MiKTeX need to be installed.
Step 1: Open MiKTeX console.
Step 2: Navigate to the packages tab and search for the package name listed in the error. In this case, amsthm.sty.
Step 3: The parent package, in this case, amscls should appear. This package contains the .sty file which Tecplot could not find; download this.
Step 4: Reload Tecplot 360 and try using LaTeX again, this package should no longer cause issues.
Note: We have also seen this happen with the zhmetrics package; the same process applies.
This issue may be avoided completely if you allow MiKTeX to install packages “on-the-fly” when prompted during the MiKTeX install.
With these changes, you should be able to run LaTeX within Tecplot 360 in all text fields where it is available, as expected. If you do run into any other trouble, reach out to us at support@tecplot.com and we will try to resolve your issue.