About D3PLOT2HDF5

D3PLOT2HDF5 is a file converter that transforms LS-DYNA’s d3plot binary files into HDF5. It is free for non-commercial use.

On top of D3PLOT2HDF5, powerful tools for further postprocessing can be developed, e.g. by processing the HDF5-file directly in MATLAB or Octave. Moreover, D3PLOT2HDF5 automatically creates an XDMF file, which references the HDF5 data and which can immediately be processed by freely available visualization tools like ParaView or VisIt as well as by the ANSYS product EnSight.

For more information we recommend to visit the discourse forum.

By installing or using D3PLOT2HDF5, you agree to the license terms. If you do not agree, do not install or use the software.

To use the software you must obtain a license file.

Usage

For basic usage, the command is:

d3plot2hdf5 -o <output-basename> <d3plot-file>

Additional options are shown with:

d3plot2hdf5 -h

License

D3PLOT2HDF5 requires a valid license file d3plot2hdf5_license.json which can be obtained from the D3PLOT2HDF5 License Form. Once you have received such a license file, you will have to place it into one of the following locations:

Linux

• /etc/d3plot2hdf5/d3plot2hdf5_license.json (system-wide)
• /opt/d3plot2hdf5/d3plot2hdf5_license.json (system-wide)
• $HOME/.config/d3plot2hdf5/d3plot2hdf5_license.json (user install)
• $HOME/.d3plot2hdf5/d3plot2hdf5_license.json (user install)

macOS

Like for Linux, additionally: - /Library/Application Support/TAILSIT/d3plot2hdf5 (system-wide) - $HOME/Library/Application Support/TAILSIT/d3plot2hdf5 (user install)

Windows

• %PROGRAMDATA%\TAILSIT\d3plot2hdf5\d3plot2hdf5_license.json (system-wide)
• %APPDATA%\TAILSIT\d3plot2hdf5\d3plot2hdf5_license.json (system-wide)
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\TAILSIT\d3plot2hdf5\d3plot2hdf5_license.json (user install)

If you want to choose an arbitrary destination, point to it by declaring the environment variable D3PLOT2HDF5_LICENSE_FILE.

Non-Commercial Software License

Copyright © 2026 TAILSIT GMBH

Permission is granted, free of charge, to use and copy this software (the “Software”), subject to the following terms:

1. Non-commercial use. The Software may be used only for personal, educational, research, or other non-commercial purposes.
2. No commercial use. You may not use the Software, directly or indirectly, as part of a commercial product or service, or in connection with an activity primarily intended to generate revenue, without obtaining a separate commercial license from TAILSIT.
3. No modification or reverse engineering. You may not modify, adapt, translate, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code of the Software, except to the extent that such restriction is prohibited by applicable law.
4. Redistribution. You may redistribute unmodified copies of the Software for non-commercial purposes, provided that this license and the copyright notice are included with each copy.
5. No sublicensing. You may not sublicense, sell, rent, lease, or otherwise transfer the Software for commercial purposes.
6. No warranty. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, TAILSIT SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE.

Any use of the Software that does not qualify as non-commercial use requires a separate written license from TAILSIT.