---
title: "Tensor glyph"
chunk: 1/1
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensor_glyph"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T11:39:44.019098+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

In scientific visualization a tensor glyph is an object that can visualize all or most of the nine degrees of freedom, such as acceleration, twist, or shear – of a 
  
    
      
        3
        ×
        3
      
    
    {\displaystyle 3\times 3}
  
 matrix. It is used for tensor field visualization, where a data-matrix is available at every point in the grid. "Glyphs, or icons, depict multiple data values by mapping them onto the shape, size, orientation, and surface appearance of a base geometric primitive." Tensor glyphs are a particular case of multivariate data glyphs.
There are certain types of glyphs that are commonly used:

Ellipsoid
Cuboid
Cylindrical
Superquadrics
According to Thomas Schultz and Gordon Kindlmann, specific types of tensor fields "play a central role in scientific and biomedical studies as well as in image analysis
and feature-extraction methods."


== References ==


== Further reading ==
Superquadric Tensor Glyphs (Images and Examples) Archived 2012-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
Bertin, Jacques (2010) [1967]. Semiology of Graphics. ISBN 978-1589482616.