Lines

This visual element renders continuous lines. The visual element is automatically attached to line objects created by the Generate trajectory lines modifier or the lines.create() method.

The option :guilabel:Rounded line ends provides hemispherical caps at the ends of lines. Without this option, lines end with a flat face. While this feature alters the visual appearance, it does not modify the underlying lines object.

The option Wrap lines around folds lines leaving the periodic simulation cell back into the cell. Note that this option can only yield correct results if the simulation cell size does not change with time (fixed box dimensions).

The option Show up to current time only restricts rendering of lines generated by the Generate trajectory lines to those parts which have already been traversed by the particles up to the current animation time. Thus, the trajectory lines will be gradually drawn while playing the animation, as in the examples shown on the right. This option is unavailable for lines created manually using the lines.create() method.

Line coloring

By default, the lines are all rendered with the same uniform color. Alternatively, you can activate the Color mapping option, which tells the visual element to visualize a local property along the lines using a pseudo-color map. When this option is selected, OVITO shows a separate color mapping panel, which lets you pick the source property for the pseudo-coloring and configure the color transfer function.

When using the Generate trajectory lines modifier, the source property for the line pseudo-coloring can be adopted from the particles the trajectory lines are based on. For this, make sure to activate the Sample a particle property option. This option copies the property values at each timestep from the particles to the corresponding vertices of the trajectory lines.

When manually creating Lines, user defined properties can be attached to each vertex which can be used as basis for pseudo-color coding.