High-Performance Visualisation framework developed at EPICentre UNSW

1. http://epicentre.matters.today | https://twitter.com/EPICentreUNSW
Multi-Modal High-End Visualization System (HEVS)
EPICentre Labs
This poster describes a production-grade software toolkit used for shared multi-model visualization systems developed by the Expanded
Perception and Interaction Centre (EPICentre). Our High-End Visualization System (HEVS) can be used as a framework to enable content to
be run transparently on a wider range of platforms with fewer compatibility issues and dependencies on commercial software. Content can
be transferred more easily from large screens (including cluster-driven systems) such as CAVE-like platforms, hemispherical domes, and
projected cylindrical displays through to multi-wall displays and HMDs such as VR or AR. This common framework is able to provide a unifying
approach to visual analytics and visualizations. In addition to supporting multi-modal displays, multiple platforms can be connected to create
multi-user collaborative experiences across remotely located labs. We aim to demonstrate multiple projects developed with HEVS that have
been deployed to various multi-modal display devices at the EPICentre.
Production software for streamlined development multi-modal visualizations
Example Projects
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Tomasz Bednarz (Director, EPICentre)
e t.bednarz@unsw.edu.au
General Enquiries
e EPICentre@unsw.edu.au
DomeLab AVIE-SC XR-Lab
EPICylinder
Control Room
Server Room
EPICylinder
340o Curved Screen
56x Projectors (1920x1080 ea)
12x IR Tracking System
32.1 Audio System
28+1 Workstation GPU Cluster
~120million Pixels in 3D
DomeLab
Full Dome Hemispherical
Screen 8x Active 3D Projectors
(2560x1600 ea)
5.1 Audio System
4+1 Workstation System
Travelling Setup
AVIE-SC
160o Curved Screen
2x Projectors (2560x1600 ea)
16x IR Camera Marker-Based
Tracking System
5.1 Audio System
1 Workstation System
HEVS in Action
Visualization projects
deployed to various viz
platforms utilising the one-
exe philosophy of HEVS.
The same applications
running on a Dome will run in
VR, CAVE, etc
REFERENCES
Daniel Filonik, Dominic Branchaud, Robert Lawther, Piotr Szul, Alex Collins, and Tomasz Bednarz. 2018. Massive Networks – Visualising
very large-scale graphs in immersive environments. In High Performance Graphics, 2018.
Pol Jeremias and Inigo Quilez. 2013. Shadertoy: Live Coding for Reactive Shaders. In ACM SIGGRAPH 2013 Computer Animation
Festival(SIGGRAPH ’13). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 1–1. https://doi.org/10.1145/2503541.2503644
Iñigo Quilez. [n.d.]. Shadertoy BETA. https://www.shadertoy.com/.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank our collaborators -
in particular Alex Collins (Data61), Bakir Babic and
Victoria Coleman (NMI) who played active role in
design process of above mentioned projects.
Massive Networks
This work presents our strategy and pipeline architecture for visualizing very
large-scale graphs in an immersive environment [Filonik et al. 2018], using a
high-performance graphics approach. Innovation lies in utilizing GPUs for
real-time cluster-based interactive rendering, and intermediate graph
representation that utilizes GLTF file format.
Visualizations of Nanoscale
In collaboration with the National Measurement Institute (NMI), EPICentre has
developed an application to visualize data from a metrological Scanning Probe
Microscope (mSPM) that is usually used for accurate length measurements at the
nanoscale. The mSPM outputs millions of data-points from the surface of an
extremely small objects that are being inferred. After processing of raw data,
usually simple images are being produced. HEVS allowed development of
another layer of analytics on the top of it. It enabled new immersive analytics
scenarios, so collaborators could ”walk into data”, interact and discover new
patterns at the same time. HEVS was initially deployment on the EPICylinder
(CAVE-like) but also works on VR HMDs enabling full scale-ability.
Creative
Mathematics
Using creative mathematics
and programmable graphics
shaders [Jeremias and Quilez
2013], coupled with HEVS’
various supported display
types, we have implemented
fully procedural real-time
visualisations where each pixel
in a display uses a
mathematical function to
generate its output colour. This
allows users to travel creatively
through world of creative
mathematics: fractals, strange
structures, etc,