Tecplot RS Files

XY Data Files

Tecplot RS supports several different file formats that contain data suited for display as XY Line plots. The files may contain observed data or data output by a simulator.

Generally, the data are in the form of an independent variable and one or more dependent variables. While the independent variable is frequently time, this is not a requirement (for example, an RFT data set uses depth as the independent variable). The data are usually further divided by entity (for example, wells).

The list of supported files changes as new loaders are added regularly. Tecplot RS 2025 R1 supports the following XY data file formats:

Eclipse Unified Summary files (.unsmry)
VIP plot files (.plt) - including compositional plot data
VIP observed data file (.obs)
VIP RFT files (.rft)
CHEARS history files (.hist)
CHEARS comma-separated value files (.csv)
Intersect historical data (.obsh)
Eclipse RFT files (.rft or .frft)
Eclipse USER files (.user)
Generic ASCII files (see Generic ASCII Files)
Log ASCII Standard Files (.las)
Sensor Fort.61 well production data files (*.*61)
3DSL well allocation files (.waf)
Frontsim well allocation files (.alloc)
VIP/StreamCalc well allocation files (.dat)
RS well allocation files (.rswaf)
CMG files (.irf, .mrf, .sr3)
VDB Folder (.vdb) - including compositional and observed plot data
UTCHEM files (.OVERAL)

In some cases, Tecplot RS requires additional, related files to be present along with the referenced file. For example, the Unified Summary file also requires a Summary Specification file (.smspec). When these additional files are required you do not need to open them individually. Ensure that the files are available in the same folder, and that the root name matches that of the primary file. Tecplot RS finds the additional files automatically, and reports a problem only when they are not available.

In Windows operating systems, the file names are not case-sensitive; however, Linux systems do make the distinction. While the root name may contain a mixture of upper- and lower-case, Tecplot RS requires that the extensions be all of one case. In other words, Sample.unsmry and Sample.UNSMRY are acceptable, but Sample.UnSmry is not.

Generic ASCII Files

In the case of loading generic ASCII files, Tecplot RS reads ASCII text files containing data which may come from a variety of sources, as long as it is formatted into a simple text file with a basic structure (defined following). By default Tecplot RS looks for files with a .txt extension, but you can use either a .txt extension or a .prn extension.

The format used in the file must conform to the following rules:

Data can be separated by commas, tabs, or spaces.
Lines can be a maximum of 2048 characters long, including the terminating carriage return/ line feed.
Well names, units, and variable names may not include spaces.

If a DEPTH variable is provided in the VARS line, any TYPE line above it will be ignored, and the type will be RFT.
By default, all entities described in the file are assumed to be wells, except when the VARS list includes a DEPTH variable, in which case the data is assumed to be RFT data for the specified well. You may include other entity types in the same file. To do this, include a line with the keyword TYPE followed by one of the following:

WELL
FIELD
LAYER or COMPLETION
AREA or GROUP
REGION
RFT
AQUIFER
NETWORK
CONNECTION
NODE

A VARS line must immediately follow each TYPE line to define the variable names used by the entities of that type. If there is no TYPE line, a VARS line must appear before any data values. If it is repeated, only the first occurrence is recognized. Different entity types may have different variables, but all entities of a single type must have the same variables. You need at least two variables to produce XY plots.

If fewer values occur in a data line than in the VARS line, Tecplot RS will assign zero values to the missing variables. If more items occur, the extra items are ignored.

The first value on a data line is taken to be the name of the entity. This value is not named in the VARS line.
You can include an optional line identifying the units of each measured variable. This line must begin with the identifier "UNITS".

If provided, the UNITS line must immediately follow the VARS line.

Each line of data must begin with the entity name followed by values for each of the variables specified in the VARS line.
The first variable after the entity name should be the independent variable (usually time or date), and the additional variables should be dependent values. However, this is not an absolute requirement, since you can choose any variables for the X- and Y-axes when you create the plot. To create meaningful plots, make sure that the independent variable is ordered in the file. Assuming time is the independent variable, organize the data so that time increases down the file.
A variable identified as a "DATE" (all capitals) can be saved in any of these formats:
```
yyyy.yy
dd-mm-yy or dd-mm-yyyy
dd/mm/yy or dd/mm/yyyy
dd-mmm-yy or dd-mmm-yyyy where "mmm" is JAN, FEB, MAR, and so forth
dd/mmm/yy or dd/mmm/yyyy
```
If your time value is not in one of these formats, use a variable name other than "DATE."

You can include both a DATE and TIME variable for your data. It is up to the user to make sure they are consistent.
An optional HH:MM:SS value may be included after the DATE. If included, this value will be added to the dates.
You can include comments or other header information. Use an octothorpe (#) as the first character of the line to tell the program to ignore these lines. Blank lines are also ignored.

This sample file displays example data:

TYPE,WELL
VARS,DATE,BHP
PB-01D,1992.1726,1794
PB-01D,1997.6959,955
PB-01D,1998.8055,1020
PB-07,1969.54,4648
PB-07,1992.2137,3557
PB-10,1972.5151,2959
PB-10,1977.5562,2863
PB-10,1978.3315,2829
PB-10,1979.3288,2778
PB-10,1980.5178,2731
PB-10,1981.4822,2755
PB-10,1983.4548,2724
PB-10,1984.3479,2658
PB-10,1987.3644,2691
PB-10,1988.4795,2673
PB-10,1992.211,2537
PB-10,1998.3425,2491
TYPE FIELD
VARS,DATE,CUMOIL,CUMGAS
TOTALS,1992.1726,3.724e5,9.32e3
TOTALS,1997.6959,8.332e5,5.64e4

For the WELL entity types, each line will contain two variables, DATE and BHP, after the well name. For the FIELD data, there are three variables. In the sample file, all the data are grouped by entity name, and commas are used as delimiters.

You can also group the data by date or other independent variable and use tabs rather than commas as delimiters. The following example illustrates this, and also includes the UNITS line and comments:

# Reservoir Q-41 readings from 1/1/87 through 1/6/87

VARS    DATE      OPR      WPR      GPR
UNITS   years   STB/Day  BBL/Day  MSCF/Day
WELL1   1/1/87     0       0        0
WELL2   1/1/87     0       0        0
WELL3   1/1/87     0       0        0
WELL4   1/1/87     0       0        0
WELL1   1/2/87     351.5   .45      1472.2
WELL2   1/2/87     207.1   .61      1004.8
WELL3   1/2/87     664.0   2.5      492.6
WELL4   1/2/87     595.8   .88      812.7
WELL1   1/3/87     231.4   .67      1380.0
WELL2   1/3/87     251.6   .55      944.5
WELL3   1/3/87     677.2   3.3      581.1
WELL4   1/3/87     630.9   .71      913.7
. . .

Here is an example showing RFT data. Note the presence of the DEPTH variable, which causes Tecplot RS to consider this RFT data for the wells specified.

VARS     DATE        DEPTH    PRESSURE
UNITS    YEAR        FT       PSIA
LMB-01   1982.0847   5205.0   2709.3
LMB-01   1982.0847   5265.0   2727.8
LMB-01   1982.0847   5320.0   2744.7
LMB-01   1982.0847   5355.0   2755.4
LMB-01   1982.0847   5410.0   2772.3
. . .

Tecplot RS treats a data set loaded from an ASCII file like any other XY data set, and can load the data set in all the plotting options as either the active or comparison data set.

CHEARS CSV Files

You can load CHEARS csv files into Tecplot RS, with the Load XY Data dialog. Refer to Loading XY Data for details on loading XY data.

A given data set generated from CHEARS csv files can have up to three related files, each containing different data types. All files in the data set have a .csv extension, and the three characters immediately preceding the extension will identify them as containing the CHEARS data. The name formats are:

<name>prd.csv Data for wells, groups, field and material balance regions
<name>lyr.csv Data for layers
<name>cmp.csv Data for completions

The root <name> must be the same for all related files. The identifier (prd, lyr, or cmp) and the .csv extension must be in lower-case.

To load a CHEARS csv file, select one of the available files. Tecplot RS will load that file, along with any available files with the same root name that meets the name format criteria.

Do not choose all three files using the multiple-file loading options. This will create three separate, identical data sets with all the data in each.

Well Allocation Factor Data Files

Tecplot RS supports well allocation factor (WAF) data so that you can further visualize the relationships between your injector and producer wells. WAF data files define how a producer well is influenced by the injectors nearby, or how an injector well influences nearby producer wells. Since well allocation factors are usually measured in percentages, the factors should add up to 100%. In addition, there must be at least a starting and ending time step in your WAF data file, and this range must encompass the range of the other data that will be utilizing the WAF values.

Follow these steps to include well allocation factor (WAF) data in your plot:

Output the WAF data from your simulator (extension .waf, .alloc, or .dat) or create your own WAF data file (rename the file to use .rswaf as its extension).
Choose "Load XY Data" from the Project menu in Tecplot RS.
Click the Add button in the "Load XY Data" dialog that appears.
In the Open Files dialog that appears, choose a well allocation file type (3DSL Well Allocation, *.waf, Frontsim Well Allocation, *.alloc, VIP/StreamCalc Well Allocation, *.dat, of RS Well Allocation, .rswaf) as the file type to open, browse to your data file, and click Open and OK to finish the loading process.
The XY Subsets plot type works best for viewing well allocation factor data, although you can also use the XY Variables plot type if you change the filtering of the entities displayed in the sidebar (click the Filter button in the sidebar to access the Filtering dialog). To change to the XY Subsets plot type, choose XY Subsets from the Plot Type menu.

To append WAF data to your XY or grid plot, load your primary data first, before loading your WAF data. If you load WAF data first, you cannot append XY or grid data to the WAF data.

Creating a Well Allocation Factor Data File

A WAF file created manually must follow a specific table format (described following), follow a comma or space delineation, and use the extension .rswaf in order for Tecplot RS to recognize the file. We recommend using a spreadsheet and saving it as a CSV (comma separated values) file, but you could also create a text file and add commas or spaces between each value. To create a spreadsheet, Microsoft Excel works well, and from Microsoft Excel you can directly save or export the spreadsheet into CSV format. Once you have saved your WAF file as a .txt or .csv file, manually rename the extension to .rswaf.

To easily create your own WAF file, create the table of values as described in this section in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. When finished, save the file as a CSV (.csv) file. Close the file, rename it to change the extension from .csv to .rswaf, and load the file into Tecplot RS from the "Load XY Data" dialog.

The WAF file usually defines well pairs, each consisting of one parent well and one or more child wells that either contribute to or receive contributions from the parent well. Each child well should have a WAF value that defines the percentage of that child well’s contribution to or from the parent well; usually the WAF values from all children wells should add up to 100%. You can also include additional variables for each child well.

Each line (row) of the WAF file should begin with a keyword identifier for the data in that line. Keywords must appear in the following order (keywords marked with an asterisk are optional):

RSVERSION*
STARTDATE*
VARIABLES*
UNITS*
TIMESTEP (one or more per file)
PRODUCER (one or more per time step)
CHILD (one or more per producer)
INJECTOR (one or more per time step)
CHILD (one or more per injector)

Tecplot RS will treat any line in the file that does not begin with one of these keywords as a comment and ignore it.

RSVERSION

The RSVERSION row is optional but highly recommended. If it appears in the WAF file, this keyword must appear as the first non-comment line in the file.

This row defines the version number as an integer value, which identifies the WAF file to Tecplot RS. This way, if later releases of Tecplot RS support WAF files with additional data, newer version numbers will indicate files with new capabilities If this row defines a number other than a Tecplot RS version number, the program will not attempt to load the file.

To create your file, define the current version number as 5001, like this:

RSVERSION, 5001

STARTDATE

This optional line, if included, must include the date in European format (day-month-year). You can use most recognized European formats. However, the date may not contain spaces. A few possible formats include:

22-Apr-2009
22/04/2009
22-4-09
2009.3006

For example, this line could resemble the following:

STARTDATE, 22/04/2009

If you choose to include this line, you can omit the date field from the TIMESTEP; Tecplot RS will then compute the date based on start date plus elapsed time in days.

VARIABLES

If you wish to include additional variables (besides the WAF variable) in the file, use this line to indicate first the number of variables in the file and then the name of each of the variables. (WAF must appear as the first variable.)

Each variable should have a unique name (for example, you cannot include "WAT" twice in the list of variable names). If you have common values for injection and production, you can preface them with something indicating their association with the parent or child, such as "P_WAT" and "I_WAT".

If you choose to include three additional variables, for instance, this line could display like this:

VARIABLES, 4, WAF, OIL, GAS, WAT

If you include WAF as the only variable, you do not need to include this line; it will default to:

VARIABLES, 1, WAF

UNITS

If your WAF file includes this optional line, it should immediately follow the VARIABLES line, and the number of units must match the number of variables (so that each variable name has an associated unit label). Follow the keyword with the number of units and then list each unit. For example:

UNITS, 4, %, rb/day, mcf/day, rb/day

Tecplot RS displays these units on the axis title of XY plots displaying WAF values.

TIMESTEP

This required line should indicate the beginning of a time step, in the following format:

TIMESTEP, <time>, <date>

Tecplot RS recognizes the time as the number of days elapsed since the start date, and the date in European format as recognized on the STARTDATE line.

For example:

TIMESTEP, 1.5, 23 Apr 2009

You can omit the date if you included the STARTDATE line. If you choose to do this, Tecplot RS will compute the date by adding the time to the start date.

If you choose not to include the start date, and instead include the date with each time step, the time does not necessarily need to appear in days.

PRODUCER

This line marks the beginning of a well pair group, defining the role of the parent well as a producer. Include the name of the producer parent well immediately following the keyword in this line, like this:

PRODUCER, PWELL01

You can name the well whatever you like, but do not include your delineator (spaces or commas).

WAF file must include at least one PRODUCER or INJECTOR well pair group. A well pair group consists either of a single producer well and all of the injector wells that contribute to it, or a single injector well and all of the producer wells that contribute to it.

INJECTOR

Use the injector line to mark the beginning of a well pair group with an injector parent well, and to name the injector parent well. Include the name of the injector parent well after the INJECTOR keyword, like this:

INJECTOR, IWELL01

You can name the well whatever you like, but do not include your delineator (spaces or commas).

Be sure to include either one INJECTOR parent well with its CHILD well(s) in your WAF file, or one PRODUCER parent well with its CHILD well(s).

CHILD

One or more CHILD lines should follow the PRODUCER or INJECTOR parent well lines in the WAF file to indicate the child well(s) and their WAF value(s) (as well as additional variable values if desired). In this line, follow the CHILD keyword with the name of the child well (in general, match the names used in the XY or grid data sets included in your project), the WAF value for that child well, and then any other variable values, in the same order as on the VARIABLES line. For example, a CHILD line could look like this:

CHILD, IWELL_02, 39.2

If you want to include flow going into or coming from outside sources, you may wish to include this as a child well named descriptively, like "OTHER" or "BOUNDARY", so that the WAFs add up to 100%.

Sample Data

To practice creating and using WAF files, copy either of the following tables into a spreadsheet, save it as a comma-separated values (CSV) file, rename it and load it into Tecplot RS.

This table shows a simple spreadsheet with three producer wells, each receiving from multiple child wells:

RSVERSION

5001

STARTDATE

15-APR-1992

TIMESTEP

3.17

PRODUCER

PRODUCER1

CHILD

IWELL_02

39.2

CHILD

IWELL_03

42.5

CHILD

IWELL_05

18.3

PRODUCER

PRODUCER2

CHILD

IWELL_01

87.6

CHILD

IWELL_02

12.4

PRODUCER

PRODUCER3

CHILD

IWELL_01

12.7

CHILD

IWELL_04

67.3

CHILD

BOUNDARY

20.0

The following table shows how to include optional variables. Tecplot RS will automatically solve the parent totals when loading the data. This also illustrates inclusion of the date on the time step line, instead of defining a start date.

RSVERSION	5001
VARIABLES	4	WAF	OIL	GAS	WAT
UNITS	4	%	rb/day	mcf/day	rb/day
TIMESTEP	0	03/01/2001
PRODUCER	PROD1
CHILD	INJ02	100.0	12000.0	0.0	0.0
PRODUCER	PROD2
CHILD	INJ02	48.4	3384.812	0.0	0.0
CHILD	INJ01	51.6	3615.187	0.0	0.0
PRODUCER	PROD3
CHILD	INJ02	7.9	1963.265	0.0	0.0
CHILD	INJ04	58.8	14708.182	0.0	0.0
CHILD	INJ01	15.3	3814.709	0.0	0.0
CHILD	INJ03	18.0	4513.842	0.0	0.0

XYMulti File

You can load multiple XY files simultaneously by loading an .xymulti file. An .xymulti file is an ASCII file that contains list of XY data files. This file must include the absolute path of the files to be loaded. The files to be loaded can be in any of the supported XY file formats. An example of an xymulti file is shown following:

-- Simulation results
C:\MultiFileExample\RML6_PBUSTOP.UNSMRY
C:\MultiFileExample\RML1.UNSMRY
C:\MultiFileExample\spe1b_xyp.UNSMRY
-- Observed data
C:\MultiFileExample\A-05AP_RFT.USER
C:\MultiFileExample\A-02AP_RFT.USER
C:\MultiFileExample\C30_BHP.USER
-- XY Custom file
C:\MultiFileExample\defaultDWR.rsc

UTCHEM Files

Tecplot RS currently supports UTCHEM versions 9.3 and 9.95. To load the XY data, you need the *.OVERAL file, which contains the field data, and all *.HIST files, which contain the data for one well each. The base filenames (ignoring the extension) must match for these files to be loaded together.

Well names are loaded from the *.HIST files, but these files record only the first eight characters of the full well names provided in the INPUT file. To make sure the well names are unique, a number is prepended to the well name for display in Tecplot RS.

The wellbore pressure and pressure drop variables are loaded as completion data. For more information on plotting completion data, refer to XY Subsets and Completion Profiles.

Grid Files

Tecplot RS supports Eclipse grid files, VIP grid files, Sensor grid files, CMG grid files, UTCHEM grid files, and VDB folders, as described following.

Eclipse Data Files

The Eclipse data are actually found in three or more files. These include:

grid This Grid file contains the grid geometry.
egrid This alternative format contains grid geometry. This file is more efficient and usually loads faster.
init An init file contains time-independent properties, like porosity or permeability.
unrst The unified restart file contains time stepped values, like pressure or oil saturation.
Xnnn These individual restart files contain each time step in a separate file.

You need to specify only the grid file name. Tecplot RS will find the additional files automatically, as long as the root names (base names) match that of the grid file.

If both unified and non-unified restart files are available, Tecplot RS will use the unified file.

VIP Data Files

In VIP files, the grid and solution data are both stored in files with a .map extension. The file names are generally selected to differentiate the "init" data (containing the grid geometry and other static properties) and "recurrent" data (containing the time-dependent values). Choose the init data in the Grid field and the recurrent file in the Solution Data list.

Streamline Files

Streamline data can be loaded and displayed in 3D Grid plot views. Tecplot RS 2023 R1 and later supports the newer Frontsim data formats (.slnspec extension).

Survey Well Files

The survey well files are in an ASCII format. The data may be comma or space delimited.

The file contains a list of nodes that define well geometries. Each line contains a single node in the format: coordinate values for the well nodes are arranged as follows:

WellName X Y Z

where the name of the well must begin each line.

For example:

survey_well1    1.40041E6    483051    7890.51
survey_well1    1.40041E6    483051    7935.38
survey_well1    1.40041E6    483051    8027.42
survey_well1    1.40041E6    483051    8153.24
survey_well2    1.40303E6    464384    7957.48
survey_well2    1.39311E6    474952    8166.88

Blank lines and comments (lines beginning with #) are ignored. Additional values after the first three are also ignored.

The data shown above represents two survey wells that can be displayed in grid plots. These can be shown in addition to the wells included in the simulator output.

Survey wells are loaded along with your grid data, either at the same time or in a later step. There is a separate field at the bottom of the Load Grid Data dialog for selecting the survey wells file.

If your survey wells are in a coordinate system different from the grid’s, you may be able to transform the grid coordinates to match using the Scale page of the Grid Options dialog. The option "Apply to survey wells" controls whether transformations are applied to both the grid and the survey wells, or only to the grid.

VDB Folder

A data set stored as a VDB (Virtual Database) typically uses a .vdb extension in the VDB folder name. Tecplot RS will read the static and transient grid solution data of a VDB.

Sensor Map Files

All the data to display a grid in the Sensor Map format are stored in a file with a .*71 extension.

CMG Files

CMG data are saved in multiple files with extensions such as .mrf and .dat. You need all of the files to work with the simulation. When opening CMG data in Tecplot RS, however, you should select the .irf, .mrf, or .sr3 file. This file contains a map that indicates where to find each piece of data needed.

UTCHEM Grid Files

Tecplot RS currently supports UTCHEM versions 9.3 and 9.95. Since UTCHEM files do not specify a start date, the start date is set to January 1, 2000 when the file is loaded into Tecplot RS.

Well names are loaded from the *.ECHO files, but these record only the first eight characters of the full well names provided in the INPUT file. To make sure the well names are unique, a number is prepended to the well name when displayed in Tecplot RS.

Not all grid formats are supported. The ICOORD option in the INPUT file must be either 1 (Cartesian) or 4 (Curvilinear). Transient data will not be loaded if the grid is one-dimensional (that is, when two of the three IJK dimensions are 1, resulting in a single row or column or cells).

rspreprocess.exe cannot currently process UTCHEM files.

Files Created by Tecplot RS

File Name Extension	Notes
.rsstyx, .rssty	Style file. Holds all selections in Plot Options, plus other style settings. Pre-2009 R2 versions used extension .sty.
.rsgsx, .rsgs	State File for Grid data.
.rslayx, .rslay	Paper Layout Template. Saves options for header/footer frames plus static and dynamic text.
.rsprj	Project file. An XML file that allows you to load multiple data and style files simultaneously.
.rsrst	Indexing file for grid Restart files.
.rsinit	Indexing file for grid Init files
.rsgrid	RS optimized version of grid geometry (for active cells)
.rsgridi	RS optimized version of grid geometry (for inactive cells)
.rscrs	If a grid contains coarsened cells, this file will accompany the .rsgrid file.
.rswell	Calculated cell intersection data for wells
.rsnnc	Stores NNC data.
.rstmpl	Template file
.rssx, .rss	Selection set definitions (see Selection Sets)
.rscsx, .rscs	Holds XY Custom definitions.
.rsxsx, .rsxs	State file for XY data.
.eqn	Exported equation file.
.txt	Simulator Input or Extracted well cell file

File Name Extension

Notes

.rsstyx, .rssty

Style file. Holds all selections in Plot Options, plus other style settings. Pre-2009 R2 versions used extension .sty.

.rsgsx, .rsgs

State File for Grid data.

.rslayx, .rslay

Paper Layout Template. Saves options for header/footer frames plus static and dynamic text.

.rsprj

Project file. An XML file that allows you to load multiple data and style files simultaneously.

.rsrst

Indexing file for grid Restart files.

.rsinit

Indexing file for grid Init files

.rsgrid

RS optimized version of grid geometry (for active cells)

.rsgridi

RS optimized version of grid geometry (for inactive cells)

.rscrs

If a grid contains coarsened cells, this file will accompany the .rsgrid file.

.rswell

Calculated cell intersection data for wells

.rsnnc

Stores NNC data.

.rstmpl

Template file

.rssx, .rss

Selection set definitions (see Selection Sets)

.rscsx, .rscs

Holds XY Custom definitions.

.rsxsx, .rsxs

State file for XY data.

.eqn

Exported equation file.

.txt

Simulator Input or Extracted well cell file

Refer to the following table to determine each type of file which Tecplot RS creates.

For types of files listed above with more than one extension, the first (ending with the letter x) is the XML-based file used by current versions of Tecplot RS. These files are text-based and so may be easily viewed or edited. The second extension indicates a binary format used by older versions of Tecplot RS. Current versions of Tecplot RS can read these files, but the file will be written in the XML format.

State Files

State files are small files that save some of the last used settings associated with a particular data set. Their purpose is to return those settings to the same state the next time that file is used. State files have the same root name as the data file to which they refer. Grid state files are XML files and use an extension of .rsgsx, while state files for XY data use .rsxsx.

You are not given any choice about whether to save a state file, nor is there an option to name it. If you delete a state file, no harm is done other than the loss of the remembered settings. You may, however, direct where state files are saved. Tecplot RS attempts to save state files in the following locations, in order:

The folder defined by the RS_USER environment variable, if defined
The current working folder (Windows platforms) or Home directory (Linux platforms)
The designated Temp folder

State files are not necessarily saved with the data file to which they are attached. This means that you do not need to have write permissions to the folder containing the original data file. It also means that state files are not only specific to a data file, they may also be associated with a particular user (when the RS_USER environment variable is set). Grid state files contain:

Grid transformation options (accessible in the Grid Options dialog)
Wells selected for display
Wells selected for well blanking (Inside Views)
IJK blanking selections
IJK slicing selections
Arbitrary slice definitions

XY state files record:

Entity type filter setting
Variables and axis assignments for XY Variables plot
Variable assignments for XY Entities plot
Variables and current entity for XY Subsets plot
Variable assignments for bubble plots

Note that state files do not include every possible setting and/or selection used to create a plot.

Style Files

Style Files save the customizable settings that determine how your plot appears on the screen or paper. These are not associated with any data file or project, and thus are not loaded automatically, but rather may be reused as needed as part of your workflow.

Paper Layout (.rslayx): A paper template that includes headers and/or footers (usually used for title blocks), placement and styles for plot labels, titles, and legends, background colors, paper size and orientation, and more.
Plot Options (.rsstyx): Colors, patterns, and symbols for line plots, options for legends, settings for contour style, labeling options, styles used for displaying wells and bubbles, scaling values, etc.
Custom Options (.rscsx): Defines a multi-frame view of a single entity (well) with the variable(s) shown in each frame. Used in XY Custom and XY Custom Entities plot types.

Any number of style files may be created and named as desired. The dialogs or sidebar that allow you to customize these files also include controls for loading and saving the files.

It is not generally necessary to load or save style files individually. These styles are embedded in the project file when it is saved. Saving them separately makes it easy to share styles among projects, but you can also read them directly from a project file.

Template Files

Template files (.rstmpl) allow the user to define standard plots, generally a layout consisting of one or more frames where the contents of each frame are defined. Templates are independent of the data; you can define a template for a particular standard plot and use it with several different data sets. Once you have defined your templates, you can open a new data file and apply the templates to quickly create the desired plot for the new data.

Templates can include variable names that may not exist in the data file being used. However, in these cases the program makes some default substitutions, and the user can easily substitute the correct variable if needed.

Template files essentially define the sidebar state. They select the plot type, the variable selections, and toggles for layers and certain other items. The exact list of what is saved depends on the plot type. They also include the paper layout and multi-frame settings.

When you apply a template, it chooses the plot type and selects the options needed to produce a certain type of plot, but without loading any data. You could record a macro that does the same thing that templates do. It is much easier, however, to save a template than it is to record the equivalent macro, and templates have an advantage of not causing an error if, for example, the desired variable doesn’t exist.

Templates files are in XML format. The current template (view) is automatically embedded in a project file in order to bring the program back to the most recently used view. The primary access to templates is via the Templates menu, where you can choose the folder that contains the templates you wish to use. The templates in this folder then appear on the template menu and can easily be applied to any project.

Project Files

Project Files (.rsprj) shorten the number of steps needed to load all the different files (both data and style) that are needed when working on a particular project. Project files record:

The names of all loaded data files, including which ones are selected as the active data set.
Embedded versions of the Paper Layout, Plot Options, and Custom Options files
All defined selection sets
Grid and XY equations
Display options (e.g. show wells, 2D view type)
Multi-frame options (how many frames, linking options)
XY Freestyle plots
Selected comparison data sets and comparison options
Template folder and 10 most recently used templates in this project
The last plot type view (essentially a template)

Note that a project file does not repeat the information in the state file. However, since the project includes the names of individual data files, as each one is loaded, Tecplot RS also retrieves the information from the associated state file if it exists.

The style data (paper layout, plot options, and custom options) are embedded in a project file. However, after loading a project file, you can switch to another style file simply by loading it. In fact, since the style data that are embedded within a project file are in the same format as in a style file, when loading a style file you can choose style file or a project file.

Well Files

Tecplot RS creates a WELLNUM variable in each cell in a grid that identifies cells that contain completions or are penetrated by a wellbore. This variable is visible when probing and is also used when activating the Well Blanking option for Inside Views in a 3D grid.

The process of computing intersected cells between completions can be a lengthy one, so Tecplot RS creates an auxiliary .rswells file to store it so it does not need to be computed each time a grid is loaded.

RSGRID File Format

The .rsgrid file speeds up grid loading. It contains the same grid geometry as the original input file, but with all post-processing completed. Post-processing includes corner smoothing, removal of inactive cells, node sharing, and face neighbor calculation. The file format is used for both .rsgrid and .rsgridi files.

There are several ways to create the .rsgrid file. When you first load a grid file in Tecplot RS, Tecplot RS creates the file automatically. It is generally rebuilt only when the original grid file is updated or when you change the grid loading options. It may also be updated when an updated version of Tecplot RS requires a change in the file format.

Tecplot RS also provides a utility called RSPreprocess. This creates the .rsgrid file outside the program environment, and is designed for use as a post-processing step after a simulator run. We also make the RSGRID file format public, giving you to option to modify the simulator to output the RSGrid file directly. The format of this binary file is shown following.

Quantity	Data type	Value
1	4 byte integer	Version ID. Currently 2741. ID number will change if format changes.
1	4 byte integer	File type ID from which RSGRID was originally created. 1=Eclipse, 2=VIP, 4=VDB, 5=Sensor, 6=CMG
1	4 byte integer	Corner optimization option used when rsgrid file was solved. 1 = no optimization. 2 = shift method 3 = average method
1	4 byte integer	Radial flag. 0 if Cartesian, 1 if radial.
1	4 byte integer	Dual-porosity flag. 0 if single grid, 1 if dual-porosity grid.
1	char[64]	Variable used to flag inactive cells (used only for VIP grids, but must be present in all files).
1	4 byte integer	Inactive cell operator: 1 = Equal to (not recommended for use) 2 = Less than 3 = Greater than
1	4 byte real	Inactive cell comparison value
1	4 byte integer	Total number of grids (global grid plus all LGRs).

Quantity

Data type

Value

4 byte integer

Version ID. Currently 2741. ID number will change if format changes.

4 byte integer

File type ID from which RSGRID was originally created.
1=Eclipse,
2=VIP,
4=VDB,
5=Sensor,
6=CMG

4 byte integer

Corner optimization option used when rsgrid file was solved.

1 = no optimization.
2 = shift method
3 = average method

4 byte integer

Radial flag. 0 if Cartesian, 1 if radial.

4 byte integer

Dual-porosity flag. 0 if single grid, 1 if dual-porosity grid.

char[64]

Variable used to flag inactive cells (used only for VIP grids, but must be present in all files).

4 byte integer

Inactive cell operator:
1 = Equal to (not recommended for use)
2 = Less than
3 = Greater than

4 byte real

Inactive cell comparison value

4 byte integer

Total number of grids (global grid plus all LGRs).

Table 1. For each grid
1	char[16]	Grid/LGR name ("GLOBAL" for main grid)
1	char[16]	Parent grid name for LGRs.
1	4 byte integer	Number of I planes
1	4 byte integer	Number of J planes
1	4 byte integer	Number of K planes
1	4 byte integer	Number of active bricks (see notes)
1	4 byte integer	Total number of bricks (NUMBRICKS)
1	4 byte integer	I1 range of parent grid (if LGR)
1	4 byte integer	I2 range of parent grid
1	4 byte integer	J1 range of parent grid
1	4 byte integer	J2 range of parent grid
1	4 byte integer	K1 range of parent grid
1	4 byte integer	K2 range of parent grid
1	4 byte integer	Total number of nodes (NUMNODES)
NUMNODES 3	4 byte reals	X, Y and Z coordinates for each node
NUMBRICKS 13	4 byte integers	Items 1-3: Brick I, J, and K Items 4-11: connectivity list of 8 node numbers (1-based) which form the brick. See the following diagram. Item 12: Brick status 0 = inactive 1 = active in matrix grid 2 = active in fracture grid 3 = active in both matrix and fracture Item 13: Face neighbor flag Each of the first 6 bits determines whether the face is shared by the adjacent (logical IJK) cell. A face is shared if all four nodes are shared.

/* node and face ordering
*
*                                      (Max,Max,Max)
*         n8+---------------------------------+n7
*          /|                                /|
*         / |              /                / |
*        /  |           -f6-               /  |
*       /   |            /  |             /   |
*      /    |              -f4-          /    |
*    Z/     |               |           /     |
*  n5+---------------------------------+n6 |/ |
*    |  f1  |                          |  f2  |
*    |  /|  |Y                         |  /|  |
*    |    n4+----------|---------------|------+n3
*    |     /          -f3-             |     /
*    |    /            |   /           |    /
*    |   /               -f5-          |   /
*    |  /                /             |  /
*    | /                               | /
*    |/                                |/
*  n1+---------------------------------+ X
*(Min,Min,Min)                         n2
*/

The efficiency of the RSGRID comes from the fact that shared nodes are not repeated. In other words, two adjacent bricks that share a common corner will point to the same node number.

The RSGRID file contains only active bricks, so the total number of bricks (NUMBRICKS) and the number of active bricks should be the same. (This duplication is a function of backward compatibility with earlier versions of the file). This value should correspond to the NACTIV value in the Eclipse Restart file.