10,387 research outputs found
Interactive Visualization of the Largest Radioastronomy Cubes
3D visualization is an important data analysis and knowledge discovery tool,
however, interactive visualization of large 3D astronomical datasets poses a
challenge for many existing data visualization packages. We present a solution
to interactively visualize larger-than-memory 3D astronomical data cubes by
utilizing a heterogeneous cluster of CPUs and GPUs. The system partitions the
data volume into smaller sub-volumes that are distributed over the rendering
workstations. A GPU-based ray casting volume rendering is performed to generate
images for each sub-volume, which are composited to generate the whole volume
output, and returned to the user. Datasets including the HI Parkes All Sky
Survey (HIPASS - 12 GB) southern sky and the Galactic All Sky Survey (GASS - 26
GB) data cubes were used to demonstrate our framework's performance. The
framework can render the GASS data cube with a maximum render time < 0.3 second
with 1024 x 1024 pixels output resolution using 3 rendering workstations and 8
GPUs. Our framework will scale to visualize larger datasets, even of Terabyte
order, if proper hardware infrastructure is available.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, Accepted New Astronomy July 201
Management and display of four-dimensional environmental data sets using McIDAS
Over the past four years, great strides have been made in the areas of data management and display of 4-D meteorological data sets. A survey was conducted of available and planned 4-D meteorological data sources. The data types were evaluated for their impact on the data management and display system. The requirements were analyzed for data base management generated by the 4-D data display system. The suitability of the existing data base management procedures and file structure were evaluated in light of the new requirements. Where needed, new data base management tools and file procedures were designed and implemented. The quality of the basic 4-D data sets was assured. The interpolation and extrapolation techniques of the 4-D data were investigated. The 4-D data from various sources were combined to make a uniform and consistent data set for display purposes. Data display software was designed to create abstract line graphic 3-D displays. Realistic shaded 3-D displays were created. Animation routines for these displays were developed in order to produce a dynamic 4-D presentation. A prototype dynamic color stereo workstation was implemented. A computer functional design specification was produced based on interactive studies and user feedback
Teaching introductory undergraduate Physics using commercial video games
Commercial video games are increasingly using sophisticated physics
simulations to create a more immersive experience for players. This also makes
them a powerful tool for engaging students in learning physics. We provide some
examples to show how commercial off-the-shelf games can be used to teach
specific topics in introductory undergraduate physics. The examples are
selected from a course taught predominantly through the medium of commercial
video games.Comment: Accepted to Physics Education, Fig1 does not render properly in this
versio
Visualizing Astrophysical N-body Systems
I begin with a brief history of N-body simulation and visualization and then
go on to describe various methods for creating images and animations of modern
simulations in cosmology and galactic dynamics. These techniques are
incorporated into a specialized particle visualization software library called
MYRIAD that is designed to render images within large parallel N-body
simulations as they run. I present several case studies that explore the
application of these methods to animations of star clusters, interacting
galaxies and cosmological structure formation.Comment: 25 pages, accepted in the New Journal of Physics for upcoming Focus
issue on Visualization in Physics. Accompanying animations including a free
bittorrent download of the DVD GRAVITAS are available at
http://www.galaxydynamics.org/gravitas.htm
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