With the large computing capabilities of today, scientists and
engineers are now able to solve finite element problems on a scale
that was impossible just a few years ago.  These problems, ranging
from several hundred thousand elements, to millions of elements are
now routinely being solved.  With this ability, however, comes a new
problem; viewing the 3D finite element mesh on a 2D screen.  When the
mesh is non-uniform and composed of thousands of elements, humans'
perception abilities fail to graspthe complexities and spatial
relationships of the elements.

We have developed a new computational module for interactively
visualizing large-scale 3D unstructured finite element meshes.  The
program includes two novel real-time interactive methods that overcome
the difficulties of visualizing unstructured 3D grids on 2D screens: a
clipping ``surface'' utility and a growth algorithm.  Used separately
or together, these new utilities allow the user to better explore
complicated unstructured polygonal domains.