# Data objects¶

A dataset loaded into OVITO from a simulation file may consist of several individual data objects, which represent different facets of the information, e.g. the simulation cell geometry, the atomic coordinates, the bond list, etc. Modifiers operate on these data objects and may add dynamically computed data objects to the dataset as it is processed in the data pipeline.

Note that, in OVITO, the visualization of data is delegated to so-called visual elements, which are responsible for producing the three-dimensional graphical representation of the numerical data stored in the data objects. That means data objects themselves have no configurable visualization parameters; only the visual elements rendering the graphical representation do.

Data object type

Description

Particles

A set of particles which may be associated with an arbitrary set of per-particle property values

Bonds

A set of bonds connecting pairs of particles

Simulation cell

The simulation cell geometry and boundary conditions

Surface mesh

A mesh structure representing a two-dimensional closed manifold embedded in the simulation domain

Triangle mesh

A general polyhedral mesh made of vertices and triangular faces

Data table

A table of values arranged in columns and rows, which can be visualized as a 2d data plot

Voxel grid

A structured 2d or 3d grid made of uniform voxel elements

Trajectory lines

The continuous particle trajectory lines computed by the Generate trajectory lines modifier

Dislocations

Line crystal defects extracted by the Dislocation analysis (DXA) modifier

ovito.data.DataObject (Python API)