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## Data object types

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

### See also

`DataObject` (Python API) pro

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