Three-dimensional vortical structures identified for the time instance t = 5774 s of the CO5BOLD simulation. The displayed structures are obtained by stacking two-dimensional vortices in different height levels that are sufficiently well aligned with each other in the vertical direction. Only those structures that are rooted in the photosphere and reach the plane at z = 700 km are displayed. The three-dimensional vortices are colored according to the Rortex value R averaged over their surface at each height z. The surface of optical depth τ₅₀₀ = 1 is shown with the vertical magnetic field B_z color coded on it. The black box outlines the 4.0 × 4.0 Mm² horizontal domain used for Figs. 3 and 5, while zoomed-in renderings of the two red boxes labeled A and B are shown in Figs. 8 and 9, respectively.