visualization and simulation for research and...

1 Tech Paper: Visualization and Simulation for Research and Collaboration (+01).866.559.8197 www.avispl.com

Visualization and Simulationfor Research and Collaboration

www.avispl.com (+01).866.559.8197

An AVI-SPL Tech Paper


Why are Visualization and Simulation Systems so Important?Data is easy to come by, in part because it’s very inexpensive to acquire. What’s difficult is taking that data and making use of it. If you can visualize the data, usually through the use of a variety of software tools that presents it in a visual field, it then becomes easier for groups to collaborate and gain consensus on whatever it is they’re investigating. Having the right tools to properly visualize data is necessary to achieve understanding. It’s also of paramount importance to be able to make the right decisions about the information. This is the goal of advanced visualization, which immerses individuals and groups into simulated environments.

For visualization applications, not only does the system need to be easy to use, but the visual display needs to suspend the viewer’s belief system, with the proper visual acuity, so that it makes for an unencumbered analysis of the visual data. Visualization technology is being used across many industries to create immersive virtual realities that helps increase understanding and promote discovery among team members. Because these environments are projected on a large scale, teams can collaboratively interact with their data.

Simulators can combine sound, sight, motion, and scent to make you feel that you are experiencing the actual situation for which you are being trained. Factors such as geometry, image blending and warping, resolution, color and brightness uniformity, and latency are key criteria that are addressed when designing simulation display solutions. The result is a training experience as realistic as the real world. The goal for a high-performance simulation is to accurately and consistently replicate an environment where trainees can safely practice routines and tasks that can’t be repetitively performed in the real world. In education and training, simulators enable users to safely learn from their mistakes. These virtual environments can immerse trainees in realistic conditions so they can practice their courses of action. A simulator can also provide for safety engineering, testing, training, improved performance, and education.

Today’s advanced technology is amazing wide-ranging, and allows for:

• Hologram environments where even the floor is a simulated environment• Personal, self-contained environments• 3D environments that allow user interaction via motion tracking• Images seamlessly warped and blended on any object• Unprecedented image fidelity using 4K resolution

Naval ROTC students train within an environment that simulates the bridge of a Navy vessel


How a Prestigious Library Uses Advanced Simulation and VisualizationSchools like North Carolina State University have invested in visualization and simulation solutions to partner with outside businesses and agencies for conducting research and to train students within a safe environment.

Using solutions from Christie, and working from a design by the Sextant Group, AVI-SPL turned multiple library spaces at N.C. State’s Hunt Library into collaboration areas that include simulation and visualization technology. The U.S. Navy partnered with N.C. State to create a dedicated space for Naval ROTC students within library’s Creativity Studio. There, its Mariner Skills Simulator (MSS) program enhances training in the areas of maritime navigation, ship handling, and naval operations. This advanced implementation sets training inside real-time scenarios with a physical layout that simulates the bridge of any major vessel in the fleet. The space is powered by 32 ceiling speakers, a surround-sound system, six 3D-capable Christie DLP projectors (including its Mirage and DHD800 models), and 280 degrees of immersive video. Located on the same floor as the Creativity Studio, the Teaching and Visualization Lab is a “black box” theater that uses 10 Christie Mirage DLP projectors and Christie Spyder X20 video processors to generate high-definition visualization and simulation (including 3D immersion) across three walls. In this space, students can investigate virtual crime scenes, help engineers plan new highways, and create 3D building designs. The Spyder X20s can blend, window, and scale the projection images and send them to the chosen display or set of displays.

Space is at a premium in the Visualization Lab and the Creativity Studio, so Sextant chose the Mirage and DHD800 models because they combine the high resolution and color depth needed within a compact design. The Mirage WU7K-M is the most compact projector in its class, one that provides three modes of 3D input, 6,300 ANSI lumens, and a WUXGA resolution of 1920x1200. The DHD800 is easy to use and maintain.

Watch the video case study and read about the implementation here.

Students assess terrain in the Teaching and Visualization Lab.

http://www.avispl.com/north-carolina-state-university-hunt-library/


Choosing the right visualization or simulation systemAdvanced visualization and simulation are about more than the hardware or software they use. There’s a variety of different system configurations that are more or less appropriate for different types of applications.

It’s important to not look at the technology as just a software component or a hardware component. It is much better to address the benefits of visualization and simulation by trying to understand what you need to accomplish. Technology in and of itself is useless if it doesn’t benefit the community that it is supposed to assist.

A number of Christie technologies address those needs, including accurate display of high-speed simulation content, night-time rendering for training applications, and warping and blending on any projection surface.

The complex nature of today’s simulation applications offers a variety of display and image challenges. Christie’s integrated display solutions can produce images at any size or shape. They include images that can be front- or rear-projected; spherical, cylindrical, conic or flat screen; and amenable to displays ranging from small-scale screens to large-scale dome configurations. The method of data visualization or simulation takes on various forms that are dependent on what needs to be seen, experienced and communicated.

The Difference between 2D and 3DIn terms of resolution, 2D and 3D visualization and simulation systems have a resolution in tens of millions of pixels. The difference is that 3D adds depth of field, which is useful in applications such as modeling for equipment design, simulated reality training environments, lifelike scenarios, and the exploration of microscopic elements.

Automotive companies use advanced visualization to augment their clay modeling. This allows designers to create and evaluate designs in a shorter amount of time than just using clay would allow. Geophysical data visualization is now very commonplace for oil and gas exploration. Exploration teams can evaluate more efficient extraction methods because they can visualize what’s underneath the earth. In the past this was done from sheets and sheets of numeric seismic data, but now with the use of data visualization, they see a much clearer picture of what the data represents.

Applications for visualizationand simulation technology

• 3D simulation and training environments

• Product design reviews• Architectural and industrial

design• Manufacturing• Maintenance and service

training• Medical training• Museums and education• Oil and gas exploration• Scientific research• Topographical analysis

Christie DHD800


If an integrator does its job correctly, the technology involved in the integration of the total system solution will go completely unnoticed to the audience. All sub-systems will work in harmony so as to ensure seamless integration between the data or environment and the viewers. By working with Christie’s world-class engineers, AVI-SPL’s certified technicians can determine the type of system that will work best in your environment for the desired application and outcomes.

To find out more about visualization and simulation for research and collaboration, contact AVI-SPL at our toll-free number 866-559-8197, email us at [email protected], or visit www.avispl.com.

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About AVI-SPLAVI-SPL is the world’s leading integrator of communication and collaboration solutions that support organizations of all types. Our certified engineers design, build, and integrate systems for video collaboration, digital signage, 3D visualization, AV distribution, and intelligent building control.

We also provide a wide range of remote and onsite support services, including cloud-based video conferencing. We have nearly 40 offices across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the UAE, as well as an international network of solution providers in 30 other countries.

Corporate Headquarters:AVI-SPL6301 Benjamin Road, Suite 101Tampa, FL 33634

About the SponsorChristieChristie is a global visual technologies company offering diverse visual display solutions for business,

entertainment, and industry. With expertise in film projection since 1929 and professional projection

systems since 1979, we’ve established a reputation as the world’s single source manufacturer of

variety of display technologies and solutions for cinema, large audience environments, control rooms,

business presentations, training facilities, 3D and virtual reality, simulation, education, media and

government.

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