diff --git a/install/examples/ascent/tutorial/ascent_intro/cpp/ascent_tutorial_cpp_utils.hpp b/install/examples/ascent/tutorial/ascent_intro/cpp/ascent_tutorial_cpp_utils.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f0dce55d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/install/examples/ascent/tutorial/ascent_intro/cpp/ascent_tutorial_cpp_utils.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~//
+// Copyright (c) Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC and other Ascent
+// Project developers. See top-level LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT files for dates and
+// other details. No copyright assignment is required to contribute to Ascent.
+//~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~//
+
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+///
+/// file: ascent_tutorial_cpp_utils.hpp
+///
+//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+#ifndef ASCENT_TUTORIAL_CPP_UTILS_H
+#define ASCENT_TUTORIAL_CPP_UTILS_H
+
+#include <iostream>
+#include "conduit_blueprint.hpp"
+
+#include <math.h>
+
+using namespace conduit;
+
+const float64 PI_VALUE = 3.14159265359;
+
+// --------------------------------------------------------------------------//
+void
+tutorial_tets_example(Node &mesh)
+{
+    mesh.reset();
+
+    //
+    // (create example tet mesh from blueprint example 2)
+    //
+    // Create a 3D mesh defined on an explicit set of points,
+    // composed of two tets, with two element associated fields
+    //  (`var1` and `var2`)
+    //
+
+    // create an explicit coordinate set
+    double X[5] = { -1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0 };
+    double Y[5] = { 0.0, -1.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0 };
+    double Z[5] = { 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0 };
+    mesh["coordsets/coords/type"] = "explicit";
+    mesh["coordsets/coords/values/x"].set(X, 5);
+    mesh["coordsets/coords/values/y"].set(Y, 5);
+    mesh["coordsets/coords/values/z"].set(Z, 5);
+
+
+    // add an unstructured topology
+    mesh["topologies/mesh/type"] = "unstructured";
+    // reference the coordinate set by name
+    mesh["topologies/mesh/coordset"] = "coords";
+    // set topology shape type
+    mesh["topologies/mesh/elements/shape"] = "tet";
+    // add a connectivity array for the tets
+    int64 connectivity[8] = { 0, 1, 3, 2, 4, 3, 1, 2 };
+    mesh["topologies/mesh/elements/connectivity"].set(connectivity, 8);
+
+    const int num_elements = 2;
+    float var1_vals[num_elements] = { 0, 1 };
+    float var2_vals[num_elements] = { 1, 0 };
+    
+    // create a field named var1
+    mesh["fields/var1/association"] = "element";
+    mesh["fields/var1/topology"] = "mesh";
+    mesh["fields/var1/values"].set(var1_vals, 2);
+
+    // create a field named var2
+    mesh["fields/var2/association"] = "element";
+    mesh["fields/var2/topology"] = "mesh";
+    mesh["fields/var2/values"].set(var2_vals, 2);
+
+    //  make sure the mesh we created conforms to the blueprint
+    Node verify_info;
+    if(!blueprint::mesh::verify(mesh, verify_info))
+    {
+        std::cout << "Mesh Verify failed!" << std::endl;
+        std::cout << verify_info.to_yaml() << std::endl;
+    }
+}
+
+// --------------------------------------------------------------------------//
+void
+tutorial_gyre_example(float64 time_value, Node &mesh)
+{
+    mesh.reset();
+    int xy_dims = 40;
+    int z_dims = 2;
+    
+    conduit::blueprint::mesh::examples::braid("hexs",
+                                             xy_dims,
+                                             xy_dims,
+                                             z_dims,
+                                             mesh);
+
+    mesh["state/time"] = time_value;
+    Node &field = mesh["fields/gyre"];
+    field["association"] = "vertex";
+    field["topology"] = "mesh";
+    field["values"].set(DataType::float64(xy_dims*xy_dims*z_dims));
+    
+    Node &vec_field = mesh["fields/gyre_vel"];
+    vec_field["association"] = "vertex";
+    vec_field["topology"] = "mesh";
+    vec_field["values/u"].set(DataType::float64(xy_dims*xy_dims*z_dims));
+    vec_field["values/v"].set(DataType::float64(xy_dims*xy_dims*z_dims));
+    vec_field["values/w"].set(DataType::float64(xy_dims*xy_dims*z_dims));
+
+    float64 *values_ptr = field["values"].value();
+    float64 *u_values_ptr = vec_field["values/u"].value();
+    float64 *v_values_ptr = vec_field["values/v"].value();
+    float64 *w_values_ptr = vec_field["values/w"].value();
+
+    float64 e = 0.25;
+    float64 A = 0.1;
+    float64 w = (2.0 * PI_VALUE) / 10.0;
+    float64 a_t = e * sin(w * time_value);
+    float64 b_t = 1.0 - 2 * e * sin(w * time_value);
+    // print("e: " + str(e) + " A " + str(A) + " w " + str(w) + " a_t " + str(a_t) + " b_t " + str(b_t))
+    // print(b_t)
+    // print(w)
+    int idx = 0;
+    for (int z=0; z < z_dims; z++)
+    {
+        for (int y=0; y < xy_dims; y++)
+        {
+            // scale y to 0-1
+            float64 y_n = float64(y)/float64(xy_dims);
+            float64 y_t = sin(PI_VALUE * y_n);
+            for (int x=0; x < xy_dims; x++)
+            {
+                // scale x to 0-1
+                float64 x_f = float(x)/ (float(xy_dims) * .5);
+                float64 f_t = a_t * x_f * x_f + b_t * x_f;
+                // print(f_t)
+                float64 value = A * sin(PI_VALUE * f_t) * y_t;
+                float64 u = -PI_VALUE * A * sin(PI_VALUE * f_t) * cos(PI_VALUE * y_n);
+                float64 df_dx = 2.0 * a_t + b_t;
+                // print("df_dx " + str(df_dx))
+                float64 v = PI_VALUE * A * cos(PI_VALUE * f_t) * sin(PI_VALUE * y_n) * df_dx;
+                values_ptr[idx] = sqrt(u * u + v * v);
+                u_values_ptr[idx] = u;
+                v_values_ptr[idx] = v;
+                w_values_ptr[idx] = 0;
+                // values[idx] = u * u + v * v
+                // values[idx] = value
+                // print("u " + str(u) + " v " + str(v) + " mag " + str(math.sqrt(u * u + v * v)))
+                idx++;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    //print(values)
+}
+
+#endif