The Crayfish Plugin is to extend QGIS' functionalities to handle mesh datasets. With Crayfish plugin, you can export your mesh data as a GDAL/OGR raster or vector, generate animations and plot time series.
Any mesh formats supported by MDAL can be used in Crayfish plugin. Crayfish is compatible with all the main desktop operating systems (Windows, Linux and MacOS).
In QGIS 2.x & Crayfish 2.x all features were implemented through QGIS's plugin layer. Rendering and format reading were written in C++ language and hence Crayfish 2 was shipped as C++ library and QGIS python plugin.
In QGIS 3.4 & Crayfish 3.x, the C++ library was abandoned and replaced by MDAL data provider for data (format) reading and QGIS Core enhancement (QgsMeshLayer).
Here is the table that helps to understand the new implementation and where to report issues with Crayfish:
| MDAL | QGIS 3.x | Crayfish 3.x | |
|---|---|---|---|
| grid input | X | ||
| data input | X | ||
| rendering | X | ||
| identify | X | ||
| styling | X | ||
| time slider | X | ||
| export grid | X | ||
| export contours | X | ||
| trace animation | X | ||
| plots | X | ||
| export animations | X | ||
| mesh calculator | X | X |
For instructions of how to install and use Crayfish, please refer to the Crayfish resources page on our website.
- load mesh layer with data source manager in QGIS
- load datasets from properties panel in QGIS
- style and browse with styling panel (f7)
- use plots and export animations with Crayfish plugin
Use QGIS plugin manager to install the latest crayfish version.
Please refer to the QGIS official plugin development cookbook and practises.