Visualization Research Projects

Research software

Molecular Interactive Collaborative Environment (MICE)

P. Bourne, M. Gribskov, H. Weissig, J. Moreland, J. Tate
San Diego Supercomputer Center
S. Wavra
Southwest High School, San Diego

MICE provides interactive 3D viewing of molecular models. Collaboration features enable researchers to share viewpoints and models, in real time.

Massively Parallel Interactive Volume Renderer (MPIRE)

J. Genetti, G. Johnson
San Diego Supercomputer Center

MPIRE is a high-speed high-quality volume renderer optimized for parallel execution on platforms, such as the Cray T3D, Cray T3E, and SGI Origin 2K. An interactive front-end enables the user to quickly select new 3D viewpoints and manage image rendering.

Research hardware

High-Density Tiled Display

J. Moreland, B. Pailthorpe
San Diego Supercomputer Center
S. Reinch
JVC, San Diego

The High-Density Display (HDD) is a tiled display incorporating custom video projectors and lenses. The projectors share a common light source, enabling all tiles to have identical brightness and color characteristics.

New visualization techniques

Tele-Manufacturing Facility (TMF)

M. Bailey, D. Clark
San Diego Supercomputer Center

The telemanufacturing facility (TMF) uses rapid prototyping hardware to build real-world 3D models from computer-based data. Models have been built of mathematical functions, the surfaces of Venus, Mars, and Earth, visible human data, and more.

Visualizing Turbulent Flow

R. Charles, J. Moreland
San Diego Supercomputer Center

A new technique for generating an RGB color from flow field velocity vectors is used here to highlight vorticity within a turbulent plane jet. The technique has broad applicability to many types of fluid flow.

Visualizations

Visualization of Small-scale Turbulence

P. Diamessis, K. Nomura
UCSD Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dept.
G. Johnson, N. Bordes
San Diego Supercomputer Center

Volume visualization techniques highlight small-scale structures within turbulent flow. The flow itself has been computed using Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) that computes a numerica solution of the exact 3D time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations.

Visualizing the Evolution of the US Economy

R. Carson
UCSD Economics Dept.
G. Johnson
San Diego Supercomputer Center
N. Bordes, B. Pailthorpe
University of Sydney

Using archetype analysis, US economic data for the last 100 years was summarized by plotting boom, stagflation, and depression parameters. The resulting "snake" illustrates the ups and downs of the US economy.

Visualizing of Nerve Cells

M. Martone, S. Peltier
UCSD NCMIR
A. DeCastro, D. Nadeau
San Diego Supercomputer Center

A section of a rat cerebellum, scanned by a laser scanning confocal microscope, is re-assembled into a wide thin volume data set. The data set is then visualized to highlight nerve cells.

UCSD Cancer Center Collaboration

J. Feramisco
UCSD Cancer Center, Digital Imaging Shared Resource.
A. DeCastro, P. Fisher-Ogden, D. Nadeau
San Diego Supercomputer Center

Collaboration between the SDSC Scientific Visualization group and the UCSD Cancer Center, Digital Imaging Shared Resource.

Volume Visualization of the Orion Nebula

D. Nadeau, J. Genetti
San Diego Supercomputer Center
C. Emmart, E. Wesselak, D. Davidson
Hayden Planetarium
C.R. O'Dell, Zheng Wen
Rice University

A 3D volumetric model visualizes the ionization front and proplyds (proto stars) within the Orion Nebula, 1500 light years from Earth. The model is based upon data derived from Hubble and ground-based observations.

Volume Visualization of the Evolution of an Emission Nebula

D. Nadeau, E. Engquist
San Diego Supercomputer Center
A. Braun, C. Emmart, R. Wyatt, M. Mac Low
Hayden Planetarium

2.5 terabytes of computer simulation data are used to visualize the evolution of an emission nebula. Dust and gas condenses to form a star whose bright light ionizes the nearby gas to create an eerie red and green glow.

Visualization of Small-scale Turbulence	P. Diamessis, K. Nomura UCSD Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dept. G. Johnson, N. Bordes San Diego Supercomputer Center Volume visualization techniques highlight small-scale structures within turbulent flow. The flow itself has been computed using Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) that computes a numerica solution of the exact 3D time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations.
Visualizing the Evolution of the US Economy	R. Carson UCSD Economics Dept. G. Johnson San Diego Supercomputer Center N. Bordes, B. Pailthorpe University of Sydney Using archetype analysis, US economic data for the last 100 years was summarized by plotting boom, stagflation, and depression parameters. The resulting "snake" illustrates the ups and downs of the US economy.
Visualizing of Nerve Cells	M. Martone, S. Peltier UCSD NCMIR A. DeCastro, D. Nadeau San Diego Supercomputer Center A section of a rat cerebellum, scanned by a laser scanning confocal microscope, is re-assembled into a wide thin volume data set. The data set is then visualized to highlight nerve cells.
UCSD Cancer Center Collaboration	J. Feramisco UCSD Cancer Center, Digital Imaging Shared Resource. A. DeCastro, P. Fisher-Ogden, D. Nadeau San Diego Supercomputer Center Collaboration between the SDSC Scientific Visualization group and the UCSD Cancer Center, Digital Imaging Shared Resource.
Volume Visualization of the Orion Nebula	D. Nadeau, J. Genetti San Diego Supercomputer Center C. Emmart, E. Wesselak, D. Davidson Hayden Planetarium C.R. O'Dell, Zheng Wen Rice University A 3D volumetric model visualizes the ionization front and proplyds (proto stars) within the Orion Nebula, 1500 light years from Earth. The model is based upon data derived from Hubble and ground-based observations.
Volume Visualization of the Evolution of an Emission Nebula	D. Nadeau, E. Engquist San Diego Supercomputer Center A. Braun, C. Emmart, R. Wyatt, M. Mac Low Hayden Planetarium 2.5 terabytes of computer simulation data are used to visualize the evolution of an emission nebula. Dust and gas condenses to form a star whose bright light ionizes the nearby gas to create an eerie red and green glow.