Electronic Visualization Laboratory Research Articles

Electronic Visualization Laboratory's 50th Anniversary Retrospective: Look to the Future, Build on the Past

Abstract September 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). EVL's introduction of the CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment in 1992, the first widely replicated, projection-based, walk-in, virtual-reality (VR) system in the world, put EVL at the forefront of collaborative, immersive data exploration and analytics. However, the journey did not begin then. Since its founding in 1973, EVL has been developing tools and techniques for real-time, interactive visualizations—pillars of VR. But EVL's culture is also relevant to its successes, as it has always been an interdisciplinary lab that fosters teamwork, where each person's expertise contributes to the development of the necessary tools, hardware, system software, applications, and human interface models to solve problems. Over the years, as multidisciplinary collaborations evolved and advanced scientific instruments and data resources were distributed globally, the need to access and share data and visualizations while working with colleagues, local and remote, synchronous and asynchronous, also became important fields of study. This paper is a retrospective of EVL's past 50 years that surveys the many networked, immersive, collaborative visualization and VR systems and applications it developed and deployed, as well as lessons learned and future plans.

Contributors’ Notes

Contributors’ Notes

Immersive Analytics Lessons From the Electronic Visualization Laboratory: A 25-Year Perspective.

This paper provides a 25-year-long perspective on immersive analytics through the lens of first-in-kind technological advancements introduced at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago, along with the challenges and lessons learned from multiple immersive analytics projects.

The Interactive Image: A Media Archaeology Approach

This paper examines the history of the influential Interactive Image computer graphics showcase, which took place at museum and conference venues from 1987 to 1988. The authors present a preliminary exploration of the historical contexts that led to the creation of this exhibition by the Electronic Visualization Lab (EVL), which included the integrated efforts of both artists and computer scientists. In addition to providing historical details about this event, the authors introduce a media archaeology approach for examining the cultural and technological contexts in which this event is situated.

Integration of Fogo Player and SAGE (Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment) for 8K UHD Video Exhibition

After 4K, 8K UHD resolution can be considered the new challenge for film, visualization and television. Due to the dimension of 8K image, the remote micro and macro images are considered appropriate for visualization with scientific and educational purposes. This article describes the implementation of the 8K video plug-in to play UHD videos into the SAGE, a collaborative environment for the advancement of scientific research and education developed by EVL (Electronic Visualization Laboratory), upgrading its current resolution for video playing. It also presents the challenges of producing 8K content, the development of the code and introduces the features to view 8K ultra high definition videos in multiple tiles through the use of low cost computer clusters. The SAGE 8K video plug-in implementation was made possible because of the previous development of the Fogo Player, a system to run 4K and 8K content. The results were successfully presented at the CineGrid International Workshop 2013 in San Diego.

A GeoWall with Physics and Astronomy Applications

A GeoWall is a passive stereoscopic projection system that can be used by students, teachers, and researchers for visualization of the structure and dynamics of three-dimensional systems and data. The type of system described here adequately provides 3-D visualization in natural color for large or small groups of viewers. The name “GeoWall” derives from its initial development to visualize data in the geosciences.1 An early GeoWall system was developed by Paul Morin at the electronic visualization laboratory at the University of Minnesota and was applied in an introductory geology course in spring of 2001. Since that time, several stereoscopic media, which are applicable to introductory-level physics and astronomy classes, have been developed and released into the public domain. In addition to the GeoWall's application in the classroom, there is considerable value in its use as part of a general science outreach program. In this paper we briefly describe the theory of operation of stereoscopic projection and the basic necessary components of a GeoWall system. Then we briefly describe how we are using a GeoWall as an instructional tool for the classroom and informal astronomy education and in research. Finally, we list sources for several of the free software media in physics and astronomy available for use with a GeoWall system.

A Decade of Increased Oil Recovery in Virtual Reality

Finding oil is always a difficult and expensive task, and moving exploration and production (E&P) offshore quickly drives those costs sky-high. Because most easy oil has already been found, any new discoveries are often subtle and relatively small. Once a company does find a reservoir, deciding where and how to drill to maximize production - and thus return of investment - is a major task. The wrong approach or small inaccuracies can easily ruin an entire reservoir's ROI. Clearly, we need good tools to complete these difficult E&P tasks. In 1992, the University of Chicago's Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) introduced the CAVE, a room-sized, multiperson projector-based immersive VR environment. CAVE laid the foundation for a new paradigm: using VR for petroleum E&P. The HydroVR project both changed work processes and increased revenue for petroleum E&P in general. In this paper, we describe the project's major application milestones and summarize how and why the project has sustained its extensive activity over the past 10 years.

The first functional demonstration of optical virtual concatenation as a technique for achieving Terabit networking

The optical virtual concatenation (OVC) function of The Terabit LAN was demonstrated for the first time at the iGrid 2005 workshop in San Diego, California. The TERAbit-LAN establishes a lambda group path (LGP) for an application where the number of lambdas/L2 connections in a LGP can be specified by the application. Each LGP is logically treated as one end-to-end optical path, so during parallel transport, the LGP channels have no relative latency deviation. However, optical path diversity (e.g. restoration) can cause LGP relative latency deviations and negatively affect quality of service. OVC hardware developed by NTT compensates for relative latency deviations to achieve a virtual bulk transport for the Electronic Visualization Laboratory’s (EVL) Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment application.

The Artist and the Scientific Research Environment

The authors reflect on the experiences of collaboration between artists and scientists at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago. They outline the measures that enable both media artists and computer scientists to benefit from the collaborations. In particular, if long-term collaborations are to be successful, the collaborators must garner rewards not only in the field of the collaboration but also in their own respective academic or professional fields.

Personal Varrier: Autostereoscopic virtual reality display for distributed scientific visualization

As scientific data sets increase in size, dimensionality, and complexity, new high resolution, interactive, collaborative networked display systems are required to view them in real-time. Increasingly, the principles of virtual reality (VR) are being applied to modern scientific visualization. One of the tenets of VR is stereoscopic (stereo or 3d) display; however the need to wear stereo glasses or other gear to experience the virtual world is encumbering and hinders other positive aspects of VR such as collaboration. Autostereoscopic (autostereo) displays presented imagery in 3d without the need to wear glasses or other gear, but few qualify as VR displays. The Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has designed and built a single-screen version of its 35-panel tiled Varrier display, called Personal Varrier. Based on a static parallax barrier and the Varrier computational method, Personal Varrier provides a quality 3d autostereo experience in an economical, compact form factor. The system debuted at iGrid 2005 in San Diego, CA, accompanied by a suite of distributed and local scientific visualization and 3d teleconferencing applications. The CAVEwave National LambdaRail (NLR) network was vital to the success of the stereo teleconferencing.

The VarrierTMautostereoscopic virtual reality display

Virtual reality (VR) has long been hampered by the gear needed to make the experience possible; specifically, stereo glasses and tracking devices. Autostereoscopic display devices are gaining popularity by freeing the user from stereo glasses, however few qualify as VR displays. The Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has designed and produced a large scale, high resolution head-tracked barrier-strip autostereoscopic display system that produces a VR immersive experience without requiring the user to wear any encumbrances. The resulting system, called Varrier, is a passive parallax barrier 35-panel tiled display that produces a wide field of view, head-tracked VR experience. This paper presents background material related to parallax barrier autostereoscopy, provides system configuration and construction details, examines Varrier interleaving algorithms used to produce the stereo images, introduces calibration and testing, and discusses the camera-based tracking subsystem.

Augmenting elementary school education with VR

At the University of Illinois at Chicago's Electronic Visualization Laboratory, we use virtual reality technology to complement real-world experiences rather than replace them. For more than two years, we've been deploying ImmersaDesk applications in a Chicago-area elementary school. We want to know whether these virtual environments (VEs) help children make sense of mathematics and scientific phenomena. If so, can educators adapt them to the realities of elementary school learning and teaching? Our experience indicates that VR can successfully augment scientific education as well as help to equalize the learning environment by engaging students of all levels.

Augmenting elementary school education with VR

At the University of Illinois at Chicago's Electronic Visualization Laboratory, we use virtual reality technology to complement real-world experiences rather than replace them. For more than two years, we've been deploying ImmersaDesk applications in a Chicago-area elementary school. We want to know whether these virtual environments (VEs) help children make sense of mathematics and scientific phenomena. If so, can educators adapt them to the realities of elementary school learning and teaching? Our experience indicates that VR can successfully augment scientific education as well as help to equalize the learning environment by engaging students of all levels.

Virtual Reality System for Comprehending Complex Phenomena

One of the most practical benefits of utilizing a virtual reality system in science is to make it possible to percept a really tangled complex phenomenon in an intuitive way. We have developed a virtual reality system called ‘CompleXcope’ as an important part of the man-machine interactive system for simulation (‘MISSION’). This CompleXcope is designed so that not only three-dimensional objects but also an auditory environment can be represented. In the past, the principal tool to analyze the data obtained by computer simulation was a 2D (plane) visualization tool. As the simulation study progresses in accordance with the progress of supercomputer technologies, it becomes possible to simulate a tangled nonlinear phenomenon. The traditional 2D-visualization tool becomes a slow coach to grasp what is happening in the simulation of a complex phenomenon. The electronic environments surrounding computers have realized a commercial-based 3D (solid) virtual reality system such as “CAVE”. This environmental condition has driven us to develop an integrated man-machine interactive system for promoting new frontiers of Simulation Science into which virtual reality system is integrated. CompleXcope is a projection-based VR system based on CAVE system 1) that is developed at Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Visualization in teleimmersive environments

In collaborative virtual reality (VR), the goal is to reproduce a face-to-face meeting in minute detail. Teleimmersion moves beyond this idea, integrating collaborative VR with audio- and video-conferencing that may involve data mining and heavy computation. In teleimmersion, collaborators at remote sites share the details of a virtual world that can autonomously control computation, query databases and gather results. They don't meet in a room to discuss a car engine; they meet in the engine itself. The University of Illinois at Chicago's Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) has hosted several applications that demonstrate rudimentary teleimmersion. All users are members of Cavern (CAVE Research Network) [ ] $a collection of participating industrial and research institutions equipped with CAVE (Cave Automated Virtual Environment), ImmersaDesk VR systems and high-performance computing resources, including high-speed networks. There are more than 100 CAVE and ImmersaDesk installations worldwide. The pressing challenge now is how to support collaborative work among Cavern users without having them worry about the details of sustaining a collaboration. Another problem is providing both synchronous and asynchronous collaboration. The authors detail how they've built new display devices to serve as more convenient teleimmersion end-points and to support their international networking infrastructure with sufficient bandwidth to support the needs of teleimmersive applications.

The ImmersaDesk and Infinity Wall projection-based virtual reality displays

Virtual reality (VR) can be defined as interactive computer graphics that provides viewer-centered perspective, large field of view and stereo. Head-mounted displays (HMDs) and BOOMs™ achieve these features with small display screens which move with the viewer, close to the viewer's eyes. Projection-based displays [3, 7], supply these characteristics by placing large, fixed screens more distant from the viewer. The Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) of the University of Illinois at Chicago has specialized in projection-based VR systems. EVL's projection-based VR display, the CAVE™ [2], premiered at the SIGGRAPH 92 conference.In this article we present two new, CAVE-derived, projection-based VR displays developed at EVL: the ImmersaDesk™ and the Infinity Wall™, a VR version of the PowerWall [9]. We describe the different requirements which led to their design, and compare these systems to other VR devices.

A hardware-independent virtual reality development system

Simulating virtual reality (VR) hardware allows programs to be written in a desktop environment without constant use of limited VR resources. Rather than shifting constantly between VR and workstation environments, developers at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) wanted to be able to test VR applications on the normal workstation console. We therefore created a software simulator for VR development. It simulates various VR system features with an interface that runs on an ordinary workstation. The simulator is implemented as part of the CAVE library, the programming library originally written to support the CAVE hardware. It can, however, be used to develop applications for several VR systems, including ImmersaDesks and head-coupled displays. The library itself has been designed so that use of the simulator or any supported hardware is entirely transparent to application code.

Supporting transcontinental collaborative work in persistent virtual environments

One long-term goal at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Electronic Visualization Laboratory is to create a persistent virtual environment enabling transcontinental collaboration over high-speed and high-bandwidth networks connected to heterogeneous supercomputing resources and large data stores. Our focus is on researching techniques required to support general collaboration in persistent virtual environments. These techniques include the representation of virtual co-presence, video and audio teleconferencing, virtual reality (VR) interfaces, and database technology for sustaining persistence in virtual worlds. These techniques are used in a collaborative design laboratory called Calvin (Collaborative Architecture Via Immersive Navigation). Calvin was designed to run in the Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE).

Visualization, virtual reality, and animation within the data flow model of computing

Introduction This paper presents our perspective on the utility of data-flow programming in the field of scientific visualization. The Cornell Theory Center (C'I'C) is an established center of visualizetion production. Scientists from across the country use the center's resources co explore the data collected from their research. The CTC uses IBM's Visualization Data Explorer TM to do most of its visualization, and maintains a repository of DX extensions that are available free to the public. The discussion in this paper primarily focuses on the flexibility and speed of development afforded by the use of modular programming. In particular, DX is shown to provide sufficient flexibility to be useful in settings ranging from animation production to Cornell computer science education. Examples from actual work in progress are used in this paper to underpin our advocacy OF modular data-flow programming. We be~n by examining how data from a specialized application such as chemistry can easily fit within the mathematical model of scientific data representation provided by DX. Included as examples of the modular extensibil i ty of DX are a description OF The link between DX and The Electronic Visualization Laboratory's CAVE virtual reality environment and an explanation OF the CTC-developed DX interface to RenderHan. TM Finally, as an example of the quick learning curve associated with DX, sections of the curriculum developed for Cornell computer science classes on graphics (C5417 and CS418) are presented. Researchers not only need to combine existing tools in novel and innovative ways, but need the flexibility to add new reals and new interfaces. Virtual reality, for example, is only beginning to be used in actual research, so existing codes may not yet address the needs of a specific community like chemists. Researchers also need to present their data in a clear and polished Form which not only involves higher-quality, more photorealistic rendering but animation as well. With the exception of initial design, these applications are less interactive and more batch-oriented. Education on the other hand, has its own special requirements. In the sections that follow, we address each of these needs, discussing how the data-flow paradigm fits into rhe application area and how it can be interfaced with existing programs in r.he discipline.

The cosmic worm

Sometimes scientists would like to put their heads into interesting parts of their data sets and look around, but they are hampered by the "outside looking in" aspect of workstation-based visualization. At the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago, we are attempting to break some of the visualization barriers with a distributed computing and visualization environment developed using the Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) virtual reality theater. In particular, we are trying to provide physicists and astrophysicists at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) a new vehicle for scientific discovery.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>