Computer Visualization Facility

Both pre-rendered and interactive material can be displayed in the VisionStation, which is a hemispherical dome with a projector at the focal point. The real feature of the dome is the lens on the projector. Specially ground to ensure that no pixel compression occurs at the periphery of the images, this lens is the single most expensive and fragile component of the VisionStation. Spherically distorted animations generated in 3DSMax of 3D geometry are then projected into the dome, which provides the viewer an immersive experience that goes far beyond viewing a flat screen. The device can also be used interactively with software such as Blueberry 3D, a terrain simulator that provides excellent detail of a very large model. This software allows the viewer to interactively move about an environment, enhancing the immersive experience even further.

Aside from the VisionStation, the 3D Alpha workstation, using active shutter glasses, can be used to look at 3D geometry in 3D. The images appear to pop out of the screen and many can be interactively rotated as well. This workstation also provides scientific visualization software, including Vis5D, AVS 5 and PV-Wave. These software packages allow the visualization of highly complex datasets in meaningful ways, allowing researchers greater insight to the meaning of their calculations and also make it far easier to communicate this information to those colleagues not as familiar with the information. Often this data is generated by the supercomputer or parallel farm provided by the Melbourne Advanced Research Computing Centre (MARCCentre).

The 61-inch plasma screen represents on of the most advanced display screens available today. The luminosity of this screen has to be seen to be believed. The vibrancy of the colours makes any other display seem dull and flat. The purpose of such a large screen is to allow the collaborative investigation of data by a group. Because it is not a front projected screen, people can approach the screen without casting shadows, whereas rear projected solutions require a much darker environment in which to operate usefully. The display also has a large road case which allows it to be transported safely.

Supporting the above equipment are several pieces of hardware and software. Two high-end PCs are used to run the VisionStation and the plasma screen. These machines have been outfitted with powerful graphics accelerators, large hard drives and plenty of RAM to ensure excellent performance with the accompanying peripherals. Also provided is a DV editing suite, which includes a G4 Macintosh, a miniDV/SVHS video recorder and monitor. This allows the editing of digital video for presentation on tape, cdrom or the web. It is even possible to display the video in the VisionStation. Lastly, the CVF also provides a powerful renderfarm, which is a group of machines linked together to render images from a large animation in concert. This facility allows large, complex animations to be generated in far less time than would otherwise be possible. Something that might take a month on a single machine might take only a couple of days on the renderfarm.

Over a hundred interested parties have toured the CVF in the months since it opened. The general enthusiasm for the facility has been extremely encouraging and the facility is now starting to actively provide support for academics and postgraduates. Several projects have been suggested and have started, including a study of the types of 3D modelling software solutions, an investigation into the purpose and use of immersive imagery, and a robotic arm simulation. Projects that are still in the formation stage include a virtual tour of Antarctica and the investigation of plate tectonics and the evolution of these plates of the millennia.

The CVF has been in operation for a little over nine months and has succeeded in attracting new and varied users from a range of academic disciplines, especially from those departments that traditionally haven¹t used the high performance computers. The staff continues to actively promote the facility to departments and are continuing to investigate new technologies and determine their relevance to the University community. Also the expansion of the facility is being considered for the future, including the relocation of the CVF during 2003 to a larger and more appropriate location.