Abstract
Real-time visualization of large volume data sets demands high-performance computation, pushing the storage, processing and data communication requirements to the limits of current technology. General-purpose parallel processors have been used to visualize moderate-size data sets at interactive frame rates; however, the cost and size of these supercomputers inhibits the widespread use for real-time visualization. This paper surveys several special-purpose architectures that seek to render volumes at interactive rates. These specialized visualization accelerators have cost, performance and size advantages over parallel processors. All architectures implement ray casting using parallel and pipelined hardware. We introduce a new metric that normalizes performance to compare these architectures. The architectures included in this survey are VOGUE, VIRIM, Array-Based Ray Casting, EM-Cube and VIZARD II. We also discuss future applications of special-purpose accelerators.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
