meshio
What it is
meshio is free, MIT-licensed software for reading and writing unstructured mesh files and converting among supported formats. Its listed formats include Abaqus, ANSYS msh, CGNS, Gmsh, STL, VTK, VTU, and XDMF. The Python API reads meshes, exposes points and cells, and writes them in a selected format. A command-line tool converts and inspects files, compresses or decompresses them, and switches between ASCII and binary representations. XDMF support handles time series that share one mesh. A ParaView plugin opens meshio-supported files after installation when ParaView’s Python major version matches. Installation is documented through pip and conda-forge. The all extra installs netCDF4 and h5py for formats that need them. Project metadata specifies Python 3.8 or later, operating-system-independent classification, and science and engineering topics, including scientific research. Supported platforms are Linux, macOS, and Windows.
For and against
For
- Reads and writes many mesh formats
- Python API exposes points and cells
- Command line converts and inspects files
- Supports shared-mesh XDMF time series
- MIT-licensed and free
Against
- Some formats require netCDF4 and h5py
- Requires Python 3.8 or later
- ParaView plugin needs matching Python major version
- No free trial listed
The verdict
meshio offers broad mesh-format conversion through both Python and command-line interfaces. Optional dependencies and ParaView version matching are the main setup considerations.
Who it suits
meshio suits scientific and engineering users working with unstructured meshes, conversion pipelines, Python scripts, or command-line tools. It is also relevant to researchers using XDMF time series or ParaView.
Plans and prices
meshio
MIT-licensed software · core uses NumPy · some formats require optional netCDF4 and h5py dependencies
Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
On the record
- Command line
- The command-line tool can convert, inspect, compress, decompress, and switch mesh files between ASCII and binary formats.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Formats
- Supported formats include Abaqus, ANSYS msh, CGNS, Gmsh, STL, VTK, VTU and XDMF.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Install
- The project documents installation with pip or conda-forge.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Intended audience
- Project metadata lists science and engineering among its topics and identifies scientific research as an intended audience.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- License
- meshio is published under the MIT license.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Maintainer location
- GitHub lists maintainer Nico Schlömer in Berlin, Germany.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Optional dependencies
- The all extra installs netCDF4 and h5py, which are needed for some formats.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- ParaView integration
- A ParaView plugin lets users open meshio-supported files in ParaView after installing the plugin and matching ParaView’s Python major version.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Platform support
- Project metadata classifies the operating system as independent.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- meshio reads and writes unstructured mesh files and converts between supported formats.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Python API
- The Python API can read meshes, expose points and cells, and write meshes to a selected format.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Python requirement
- Project metadata specifies Python 3.8 or later.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Time series
- Its XDMF support includes reading and writing time series that share a mesh.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
