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Animated GIF Monitor

Creates animated GIFs from field snapshots. Supports both single-field and multi-field (comparison) modes, with different visualization options for 1D and 2D domains.

For MP4 output, see mp4.

Modes

Mode	Parameter	Description
Single-field	field	Visualize one field
Multi-field	compare_fields	Overlay multiple fields

Visualization by Dimension

Dimension	Single-field	Multi-field
1D	Line plot	Overlaid line plots with legend
2D	Pcolormesh (default) or contour lines	Overlaid contour lines

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
field	string	—	Field name (single-field mode)
compare_fields	list	—	Fields to compare (multi-field mode)
style	string	pcolormesh	2D single-field: pcolormesh or contour
contour_levels	list	[0.5]	Contour levels for 2D contour mode
every_n_steps	int	—	Output frequency (steps)

compare_fields Options

Each item in compare_fields can specify:

Key	Type	Default	Description
field	string	(required)	Field name
color	string	auto	Line color
linestyle	string	-	Line style (-, --, :, etc.)
contour_levels	list	[0.5]	Contour levels (2D only)

Output

• Single-field: {field}.gif
• Multi-field: compare.gif

Examples

1D Single-field

monitors:
  - type: gif
    every_n_steps: 10
    field: alpha

1D Multi-field Comparison

monitors:
  - type: gif
    every_n_steps: 10
    compare_fields:
      - field: alpha_no_sharp
        color: blue
        linestyle: "-"
      - field: alpha_pm
        color: red
        linestyle: "--"

2D Single-field (pcolormesh)

monitors:
  - type: gif
    every_n_steps: 20
    field: alpha

2D Single-field (contour)

monitors:
  - type: gif
    every_n_steps: 20
    field: alpha
    style: contour
    contour_levels: [0.25, 0.5, 0.75]

2D Multi-field Comparison

monitors:
  - type: gif
    every_n_steps: 20
    compare_fields:
      - field: alpha_no_sharp
        contour_levels: [0.5]
        color: blue
        linestyle: "-"
      - field: alpha_pm
        contour_levels: [0.5]
        color: red
        linestyle: "--"