High-quality Visualization Research Articles

Kepler WebView: A Lightweight, Portable Framework for Constructing Real-time Web Interfaces of Scientific Workflows

Modern web technologies facilitate the creation of high-quality data visualizations, and rich, interactive components across a wide variety of devices. Scientific workflow systems can greatly benefit from these technologies by giving scientists a better understanding of their data or model leading to new insights. While several projects have enabled web access to scientific workflow systems, they are primarily organized as a large portal server encapsulating the workflow engine. In this vision paper, we propose the design for Kepler WebView, a lightweight framework that integrates web technologies with the Kepler Scientific Workflow System. By embedding a web server in the Kepler process, Kepler WebView enables a wide variety of usage scenarios that would be difficult or impossible using the portal model.

Can 3D Virtual Prototype Conquer the Apparel Industry?

A scenario of an apparel industry without paper fashion drawings which become patterns and then cut and sewn fabric to end up to a prototype is too optimistic. A future scenario of a fashion designer comfortable enough with 3D technology to create from the beginning that initial fashion drawing in a three-dimensional space making quick decisions, trying out different fabrics, colors and contrasts, communicating his/her ideas with the pattern maker and the entire development team in true to life 3D and within hours instead of days or weeks, sounds exciting but for some, science fiction. Threedimensional (3D) technology - while well established in many other industrial sectors like automotive, aerospace, architecture and industrial design, has only just started to open up a whole range of new opportunities for apparel designers. The paper will discuss the process of 3D simulation technology enhanced by high quality visualization of data and its capability to ensure a massive competitiveness in the market. Secondly, it will underline the most frequent problems & challenges that occur in the process chain when various partners in the production of textiles and apparel are working together. Finally, it will offer a perspective of how the Virtual Prototyping Technology will make the global textile and apparel industry change to a level where designs will be visualized on a computer and various scenarios modeled without even having to produce a physical prototype. This state-of-the-art 3D technology has been described as transformative and “disruptive” comparing to the process of the way apparel companies develop their fashion products today. It provides the benefit of virtual sampling not only for quick testing of design ideas, but also reducing process steps and having more visibility. The so called “digital asset” can be used for other purpose such as merchandising or marketing.

論理演算に基づく，日本伝統家屋のレーザ計測点群データのセグメンテーションと半透明可視化への応用

Recently, the terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) is actively used to acquire point cloud data of historical sites. Then, visualization of the acquired data is becoming an important research target. In our previous work, we reported the stochastic point-based rendering (SPBR), which realizes quick and high-quality visualization of laser-scanned point cloud data. It is a novel rendering solution with transparent rendering effect and quick rendering speed. As an extension of this previous research of ours, this paper proposes a novel method for segmentation of laser-scanned data to realize visualization of multi-level transparency. The proposed data segmentation method utilizes the general features of human-made structures, and is based on logical operations of point cloud sets.

Visualization of a simulated long-track EF5 tornado embedded within a supercell thunderstorm

A breakthrough thunderstorm simulation is rendered with high fidelity.Cloud model I/O is improved by utilizing buffered HDF5 I/O.VisIt and Vapor software tools are used to create high-quality imagery.Visualization techniques reveal new flow structures never seen before. Tornadoes are one of nature's most destructive forces, creating winds that can exceed 300 miles per hour. The strongest tornadoes are produced by supercells, long-lived thunderstorms characterized by a persistent rotating updraft. The sheer destructive power of the strongest class of tornado (EF5) makes these tornadoes the subject of active research. However, very little is currently known about why some supercells produce long-track (a long damage path) EF5 tornadoes, while other storms in similar environments produce short-lived, weak tornadoes, or produce no tornado at all.Recently, a breakthrough simulation was conducted on the Blue Waters supercomputer in which a simulated supercell produces an EF5 tornado that is on the ground for almost two hours. In this paper we report on the visualizations illuminating the simulation, which elucidate three-dimensional features thought to play an important role in creating and maintaining the tornado. Several obstacles needed to be overcome in order to produce the visualization of this simulation, including managing nearly 100 TB of model output, interfacing the model output format to high-quality visualization tools, and choosing effective visualization parameters.

Detailed Jet Dynamics in a Collapsing Bubble

We present detailed visualizations of the micro-jet forming inside an aspherically collapsing cavitation bubble near a free surface. The high-quality visualizations of large and strongly deformed bubbles disclose so far unseen features of the dynamics inside the bubble, such as a mushroom-like flattened jet-tip, crown formation and micro-droplets. We also find that jetting near a free surface reduces the collapse time relative to the Rayleigh time.

Demonstration of nasopharyngeal surgery with a single port operator-controlled flexible endoscope system.

Nasopharyngeal surgery is commonly performed with a rigid endoscope using a transnasal or transoral approach. Here, we demonstrate a flexible single port computer-assisted endoscopic system enabling easy transoral access to the nasopharynx. Transoral nasopharyngeal surgery was performed in human cadavers (n = 8) using the Flex System (Medrobotics, Raynham, MA). Learning curves were evaluated based on the time necessary for reaching the Eustachian tube. Mock surgical procedures were performed with compatible flexible instruments. Nasopharyngeal surgery is feasible with the Flex System with a nontraumatic approach. The inbuilt HD digital camera enables high-quality visualization of the nasopharynx. The design of the flexible compatible tools adequately meets the requirements for surgical procedures in the nasopharynx. The single port operator-controlled flexible endoscope system is a feasible way to approach the nasopharynx for surgical manipulation. Further clinical studies as well as development of supplemental tools are in progress.

Development of a surgical navigation system based on augmented reality using an optical see-through head-mounted display

The surgical navigation system has experienced tremendous development over the past decades for minimizing the risks and improving the precision of the surgery. Nowadays, Augmented Reality (AR)-based surgical navigation is a promising technology for clinical applications. In the AR system, virtual and actual reality are mixed, offering real-time, high-quality visualization of an extensive variety of information to the users (Moussa et al., 2012) [1]. For example, virtual anatomical structures such as soft tissues, blood vessels and nerves can be integrated with the real-world scenario in real time. In this study, an AR-based surgical navigation system (AR-SNS) is developed using an optical see-through HMD (head-mounted display), aiming at improving the safety and reliability of the surgery. With the use of this system, including the calibration of instruments, registration, and the calibration of HMD, the 3D virtual critical anatomical structures in the head-mounted display are aligned with the actual structures of patient in real-world scenario during the intra-operative motion tracking process. The accuracy verification experiment demonstrated that the mean distance and angular errors were respectively 0.809±0.05mm and 1.038°±0.05°, which was sufficient to meet the clinical requirements.

Potential Advantages of a Single-Port, Operator-Controlled Flexible Endoscope System for Transoral Surgery of the Larynx.

Transoral surgery of the larynx is commonly performed with a rigid laryngoscope, a microscope, and a laser. We investigated the potential utility of a flexible, single-port, robot-assisted and physician-controlled endoscopic system to enable easy, transoral surgical access to the larynx. Transoral laryngeal surgery was performed in human cadavers (n = 4) using the Flex System and compatible flexible instruments. Anatomical landmarks were identified, and mock surgical procedures were performed. Standard laryngeal surgical procedures were completed successfully in a human cadaver model. The built-in HD digital camera enabled high-quality visualization of the larynx. Epiglottectomy, as well as posterior cordectomy, were performed by laser and radio-frequency resection. The flexible design of the compatible tools enabled a nontraumatic approach. The Flex System has the potential to improve surgical access to the larynx, especially in patients with challenging anatomy. The associated flexible instruments enabled completion of surgical procedures in the larynx in a human cadaveric model. Further clinical studies, as well as the development of supplemental technology and tools, are recommended for future clinical applications.

Workflows for automated downstream data analysis and visualization in large-scale computational mass spectrometry.

MS-based proteomics and metabolomics are rapidly evolving research fields driven by the development of novel instruments, experimental approaches, and analysis methods. Monolithic analysis tools perform well on single tasks but lack the flexibility to cope with the constantly changing requirements and experimental setups. Workflow systems, which combine small processing tools into complex analysis pipelines, allow custom-tailored and flexible data-processing workflows that can be published or shared with collaborators. In this article, we present the integration of established tools for computational MS from the open-source software framework OpenMS into the workflow engine Konstanz Information Miner (KNIME) for the analysis of large datasets and production of high-quality visualizations. We provide example workflows to demonstrate combined data processing and visualization for three diverse tasks in computational MS: isobaric mass tag based quantitation in complex experimental setups, label-free quantitation and identification of metabolites, and quality control for proteomics experiments.

Matching-index-of-refraction of transparent 3D printing models for flow visualization

Matching-index-of-refraction (MIR) has been used for obtaining high-quality flow visualization data for the fundamental nuclear thermal-hydraulic researches. By this method, distortions of the optical measurements such as PIV and LDV have been successfully minimized using various combinations of the model materials and the working fluids. This study investigated a novel 3D printing technology for manufacturing models and an oil-based working fluid for matching the refractive indices. Transparent test samples were fabricated by various rapid prototyping methods including selective layer sintering (SLS), stereolithography (SLA), and vacuum casting. As a result, the SLA direct 3D printing was evaluated to be the most suitable for flow visualization considering manufacturability, transparency, and refractive index. In order to match the refractive indices of the 3D printing models, a working fluid was developed based on the mixture of herb essential oils, which exhibit high refractive index, high transparency, high density, low viscosity, low toxicity, and low price. The refractive index and viscosity of the working fluid range 1.453–1.555 and 2.37–6.94cP, respectively. In order to validate the MIR method, a simple test using a twisted prism made by the SLA technique and the oil mixture (anise and light mineral oil) was conducted. The experimental results show that the MIR can be successfully achieved at the refractive index of 1.51, and the proposed MIR method is expected to be widely used for flow visualization studies and CFD validation for the nuclear thermal-hydraulic researches.

Using Scientific Visualization Tools to Bridge the Talent Gap

Abstract In this paper the use of adaptive scientific visualization tools in education, including in the area of high performance computing education is proposed in order to help students understand in depth the nature of particular scientific problems and to help them to learn parallel computing approaches to solving these problems. The proposed approach may help to bridge the talent gap in natural and computational sciences, since high quality visualization can help to uncover hidden regularities in the data with which the researchers and students work and can lead to new level of understanding how the data can be partitioned and processed in parallel. A multiplatform client-server scientific visualization system is presented that can be easily integrated with third-party solvers from any field of science. This system can be used as a visual aid and a collaboration tool in high performance computing education.

The Method for Real-time Cloud Rendering

Abstract Modeling of realistic clouds always was one of the most important problems in creating any virtual scenes outside. It has always been an extremely valuable feature for great variety of applications: from flight simulators or meteorological software to computer games especially with an open world. In this work the algorithm of rendering flat clouds in real-time is presented. The hemispherical grid was designed to fill natural placement of clouds. Tools for high-quality visualization of stratocumulus clouds were created. The model of light scattering through clouds is described. This approach allows rendering realistic clouds evolving through time at high frame rates.

High-Quality On-Patient Medical Data Visualization in a Markerless Augmented Reality Environment

To provide on-patient medical data visualization, a medical augmented reality environment must support volume rendering, accurate tracking, real-time performance and high visual quality in the final rendering. Another interesting feature is markerless registration, to solve the intrusiveness introduced by the use of fiducial markers for tracking. In this paper we address the problem of on-patient medical data visualization in a real-time high-quality markerless augmented reality environment. The medical data consists of a volume reconstructed from 3D computed tomography image data. Markerless registration is done by generating a 3D reference model of the region of interest in the patient and tracking it from the depth stream of an RGB-D sensor. From the estimated camera pose, the volumetric medical data and the reference model are combined allowing a visualization of the patient as well as part of his anatomy. To improve the visual perception of the scene, focus+context visualization is used in the augmented reality scene to dynamically define which parts of the medical volume will be visualized in the context of the patient’s image. Moreover, context-preserving volume rendering is employed to dynamically control which parts of the volume will be rendered. The results obtained show that the markerless environment runs in real-time and the techniques applied greatly improve the visual quality of the final rendering.

Large-Scale Point-Cloud Visualization through Localized Textured Surface Reconstruction.

In this paper, we introduce a novel scene representation for the visualization of large-scale point clouds accompanied by a set of high-resolution photographs. Many real-world applications deal with very densely sampled point-cloud data, which are augmented with photographs that often reveal lighting variations and inaccuracies in registration. Consequently, the high-quality representation of the captured data, i.e., both point clouds and photographs together, is a challenging and time-consuming task. We propose a two-phase approach, in which the first (preprocessing) phase generates multiple overlapping surface patches and handles the problem of seamless texture generation locally for each patch. The second phase stitches these patches at render-time to produce a high-quality visualization of the data. As a result of the proposed localization of the global texturing problem, our algorithm is more than an order of magnitude faster than equivalent mesh-based texturing techniques. Furthermore, since our preprocessing phase requires only a minor fraction of the whole data set at once, we provide maximum flexibility when dealing with growing data sets.

Augmented reality usage for prototyping speed up

The integral part of production process in many companies is prototyping. Although, these companies commonly have high quality visualization tools (large screen projections, virtual reality), prototyping was never abandoned. There is a number of reasons. The most important is the possibility of model observation from any angle without any physical constraints and its haptic feedback. The interactivity of model adjustments is important as well. The direct work with the model allows the designers to focus on the creative process more than work with a computer. There is still a problem with a difficult adjustability of the model. More significant changes demand completely new prototype or at least longer time for its realization.The first part of the article describes our approach for solution of this problem by means of Augmented Reality. The merging of the real world model and digital objects allows streamline the work with the model and speed up the whole production phase significantly. The main advantage of augmented reality is the possibility of direct manipulation with the scene using a portable digital camera. Also adding digital objects into the scene could be done using identification markers placed on the surface of the model. Therefore it is not necessary to work with special input devices and lose the contact with the real world model. Adjustments are done directly on the model. The key problem of outlined solution is the ability of identification of an object within the camera picture and its replacement with the digital object. The second part of the article is focused especially on the identification of exact position and orientation of the marker within the picture. The identification marker is generalized into the triple of points which represents a general plane in space. There is discussed the space identification of these points and the description of representation of their position and orientation be means of transformation matrix. This matrix is used for rendering of the graphical objects (e. g. in OpenGL and Direct3D).

Scalable Multi-Platform Distribution of Spatial 3D Contents

Virtual 3D city models provide powerful user interfaces for communication of 2D and 3D geoinformation. Providing high quality visualization of massive 3D geoinformation in a scalable, fast, and cost efficient manner is still a challenging task. Especially for mobile and web-based system environments, software and hardware configurations of target systems differ significantly. This makes it hard to provide fast, visually appealing renderings of 3D data throughout a variety of platforms and devices. Current mobile or web-based solutions for 3D visualization usually require raw 3D scene data such as triangle meshes together with textures delivered from server to client, what makes them strongly limited in terms of size and complexity of the models they can handle. This paper introduces a new approach for provisioning of massive, virtual 3D city models on different platforms namely web browsers, smartphones or tablets, by means of an interactive map assembled from artificial oblique image tiles. The key concept is to synthesize such images of a virtual 3D city model by a 3D rendering service in a preprocessing step. This service encapsulates model handling and 3D rendering techniques for high quality visualization of massive 3D models. By generating image tiles using this service, the 3D rendering process is shifted from the client side, which provides major advantages: (a) The complexity of the 3D city model data is decoupled from data transfer complexity (b) the implementation of client applications is simplified significantly as 3D rendering is encapsulated on server side (c) 3D city models can be easily deployed for and used by a large number of concurrent users, leading to a high degree of scalability of the overall approach. All core 3D rendering techniques are performed on a dedicated 3D rendering server, and thin-client applications can be compactly implemented for various devices and platforms.

Implementation of large scale shadowgraphy in hydrogen explosion phenomena

The purpose of this study is to determine the performance of a portable large-scale shadowgraph system for use in hydrogen combustion experiments. Previous large-scale shadowgraph and schlieren implementations have often been limited to background-oriented techniques which are subject to noise. The system built is based on a large-scale shadowgraph technique, developed by Settles, which allows for noise-free visualization. We performed jet release, unconfined flame and detonation experiments in hydrogen mixtures. Shadowgrams taken were compared to a Z-schlieren system. Large-scale shadowgraphy offered high-quality visualization of hydrogen explosion phenomenon.

Transesophageal echocardiography during MitraClip® procedure.

The percutaneous mitral valve (MV) repair procedure performed with the MitraClip delivery system is increasingly used to treat severe mitral regurgitation in high-risk patients. The treatment involves percutaneous insertion and positioning of a clip between the MV leaflets. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) plays a key role in the procedure by providing information regarding clip navigation, clip alignment to the MV coaptation line, transmitral advancement of the system, leaflet grasping, confirmation of valve tissue catching, and assessment of the final result. Real-time 3-dimensional TEE has increasing value in percutaneous MV repair providing high-quality visualization of both the heart and the intravascular devices. Optimal visualization by 3-dimensional TEE is obtained through both the atrial and ventricular aspects. In contrast to MV surgery, where TEE is involved in the prebypass assessment phase and in evaluation of the final repair, TEE is mandatory to guide management during MitraClip repair. Cardiac anesthesiologists may provide assistance to interventional cardiologists during the procedure itself in addition to their anesthetic-related tasks.

Turbulence driven by precession in spherical and slightly elongated spheroidal cavities

Motivated by the fascinating fact that strong turbulence can be sustained in a weakly precessing container, we conducted a series of laboratory experiments on the flow in a precessing spherical cavity, and in a slightly elongated prolate spheroidal cavity with a minor-to-major axis ratio of 0.9. In order to determine the conditions required to sustain turbulence in these cavities, and to investigate the statistics of the sustained turbulence, we developed an experimental technique to conduct high-quality flow visualizations as well as measurements via particle image velocimetry on a turntable and by using an intense laser. In general, flows in a precessing cavity are controlled by two non-dimensional parameters: the Reynolds number Re (or its reciprocal, the Ekman number) which is defined by the cavity size, spin angular velocity, and the kinematic viscosity of the confined fluid, and the Poincaré number Po, which is defined by the ratio of the magnitude of the precession angular velocity to that of the spin angular velocity. However, our experiments show that the global flow statistics, such as the mean velocity field and the spatial distribution of the intensity of the turbulence, are almost independent of Re, and they are determined predominantly by Po, whereas the instability of these global flow structures is governed by Re. It is also shown that the turbulence statistics are most likely similar in the two cavities due to the slight difference between their shapes. However, the condition to sustain the unsteady flows, and therefore the turbulence, differs drastically depending on the cavity shape. Interestingly, the asymmetric cavity, i.e., the spheroid, requires a much stronger precession than a sphere to sustain such unsteady flows. The most developed turbulence for a given Re is generated in these cavities when 0.04 ≲ Po ≲ 0.1. In such cases, the sustained turbulence is always accompanied by vigorous large-scale vortical structures, and shearing motions around these large-scale vortices create smaller-scale turbulent vortices. The spatial average of the Taylor-length based Reynolds number of the turbulence in the precessing sphere is about \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$0.15\sqrt{Re}$\end{document}0.15Re for Po = 0.1.

Accuracy of computed tomography arthrography to detect cartilage defects in the ovine knee

Accuracy of computed tomography arthrography to detect cartilage defects in the ovine knee