Emerging Multidisciplinary Technology:
Virtual and Collaborative Design Environments
Ronald D. Kriz*
University Visualization and Animation Group
* Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics
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Lecture: November 14, 2002
MBA Entrepreneurial Leadership Class
http://www.jwave.vt.edu/~rkriz/Presentations/Lang/Lang_Nov02.ppt
Presentation
• Summary of collaborative virtual environments (VEs),
application program interfaces (APIs), and applications
developed at Virginia Tech
• Future development of collaborative VEs
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Summary of Collaborative VEs APIs,
and applications developed at VT
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Collaborative APIs:
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EVL’s CAVERNsoft: Limbo / Tandem
VT’s DIVERSE
Chronology: Collaborative VEs at VT
AtomView (NSF PACI: NCSA-VT)
 Limbo Apps:
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DIVERSE Apps: Physics Based Simulations
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CAVE Collaborative Console (CCC)
CCC_atom (CCC + AtomView)
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Crane-Ship (ONR-DURIP)
Haptic Feedback - Molecular Docking (ASPIRES)
NUWC’s CONRAY Undersea Warfare (ONR-NavCIITI)
NIST’s RAVE: SmokeView
Lockheed Martin: Collaborative Engineering Design
• Crane Ship: A. Nayfeh, D. Mook, L. Arsenault, R.Williams,
R. Kriz: Added motion base to CAVE floor (ONR: $360K)
In-kind-labor to move and re-build CAVE ($432K):
A. Jarosz, J. Kelso, S. Parkih, C. Logie, R. Kriz
• Head Mounted Display VR Lab: D. Bowman (CS Dept.
$120K) VR projs. M. Setareh, R. Schubert, J. McLain-Kark
• DIVERSE: L. Arsenault, J. Kelso, R. Kriz (NIST $60K)
• Molecular Docking (ASPIRES $50K) : D. Bevan, L. Watson,
S. Parkih, R. Kriz
• NAVCIITI CONRAY (ONR: $1.6M): F. das Neves,
J. Kelso, R. Kriz
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Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
used and developed at VT:
• EVL’s CAVE-Libraries, CAVERNsoft, Limbo
http://www.vrco.com
http://www.evl.uic.edu/cavern/cavernG2
• Iowa State VR-Juggler:
http://www.vrjuggler.org
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•VT’s DIVERSE
http://www.diverse.vt.edu
What is a CAVE?
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Viewer immersed In 3D-structure.
Gives viewer unique perspective to study
3D structure / property relationships.
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Advanced Communications &
Information Technology Center
(ACITC)
VT-Collaboration on-campus
(Connecting desktop to CAVE was critical)
University Visualization &
Animation Group (UVAG)
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2100 SF
Shared Virtual Environments
CAVERNsoft - Limbo: CAVE Collaborative Console (CCC)
http://www.sv.vt.edu/future/cave/software/ccc/
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World-Wide Collaboration
Jason Leigh & Andrew Johnson
Electronic Visualization Lab, UIC
Remote Participants:
• Argonne National Lab
• IHPC, Singapore
• CRCACS, Australian NU
• IML, Tokyo Univ.
• CCPO, Old Dominion Unv.
• NCSA, UIUC
• UVAG, Virginia Tech
• Northwestern Univ.
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I hear you. You hear me. But where
are you and what are you looking at?
Collaborative
Awareness Tools
Kevin Curry
Class Project, 1998:
Rosson: Computer- Supported
Cooperative Work
M.S. Thesis, 1999:
“Supporting Collaborative
Awareness in Tele-Immersion”
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CAVE Collaborative Console (CCC)
Awareness
Participants
Fernado das Neves, Ron Kriz, John Kelso
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Recorder
AtomView
Physics based Simulation
NCSA: J. Shalf
VT: R. Kriz / D. Farkas
With AtomView material
scientists can analyze and
interpret physics based
simulation results
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AtomView Modes:
• Scale Model
• Scale Atoms
• Navigate
• Play animation
CCC features not shown:
• Shared views
• Jump next to
• Tether to
• Record play
Greg
Edwards
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Two users in CCC_atom viewing a
Large Ni-Al B2 simulated structure.
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D evice
I ndependent
V irtual
E nvironment:
R econfigurable,
S calable,
E xtensible
GNU GPL - LGPL fosters collaboration
Collaborative VEs that scale
from the desktop to the CAVE
D_Atomview: a DIVERSE application developed at VT that visually analyzes and
interprets nanostructures predicted by High Performance Computer (HPC)
models. Used both in the CAVE and a laptop computer using a CAVE simulator.
D_Atomview: http://www.sv.vt.edu/future/cave/software/D_atomview/D_atomview.html
D_Collab_Tools:
http://anray2.campus.vt.edu:1800/user/CollabWebPage/
Collaborative CAVE-to-CAVE-to-desktop demonstration October 2002
Desktop CAVE-simulator embedded
in a nanostructure -- avatars not shown
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VE systems used for insight
in scientific research
DIVERSE used in the CAVE at Virginia Tech (VT) and the RAVE at the National Institute
for Standards and Technology (NIST)
Examples of physics based simulations and IVRs at:
• VT’s University Visualization and Animation Group (UVAG)
• NIST: Scientific Applications and Visualization Group (SAVG)
VT’s CAVE: UVAG
fourth-order stiffness tensor
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NIST’s RAVE: SAVG
Bose-Einstein Condensate
NIST Smokeview running in DGL CAVE simulator
( DGL: OpenGL interface to DIVERSE )
NIST Smokeview 2.0
using DIVERSE DGL API
Visualization and Analysis of Complex
Flows in a Cardiovascular System
A. Etebari, P. Vlachos, R. Kriz
Desk-top, I-Desk, CAVE
Engineering Science and Mechanics
Ali
Etebari
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DIVERSE Applications:
Physics Based Simulations
Crane Ship 6-DOF
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I-Dock 6-DOF
Haptic Feedback
NUWC/NRL CONRAY
Undersea Acoustic 3-DOF
Command & Control n-DOF
ONR Crane-Ship
Simulation in the CAVE
Prof. Ali Nayfeh, ESM
Eric
Tester
CS
Dr. Lance Arsenault, CS
CAVE floor
with plug inserted
CAVE floor painted
with plug inserted
CAVE
front wall
CAVE
right wall
CAVE
floor plug removed
showing the top of the motion platform
Application of Visualization and Haptic
Feedback to Enhance Molecular Docking
D. Bevan, Biochemisty
L. Watson, Computer Sci
R. Kriz & S. Parikh, ESM
(http://www.sv.vt.edu/future/cave/resprj/idock/idock.html)
Future
Simulation
Beowulf Cluster
Bevan
Watson
Kriz
Parikh
CAVE
ONR-NavCIITI Task2.1
C & C Visualization
CONnical acoustic arRAY
CONRAY model
I-Desk
Desktop
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Das Neves
Top Ranked Project by ONR Review Panel, May 24, 2001
ONR Briefing May 24, 2001
“Visualization for Multiwarfare
Planning and Execution”
ONR-NavCIITI Task2.1
Command & Control Visualization
NUWC: K. Lima, L. Mathews, R. Shell
NRL: Larry Rosenblum, Doug Maxwell
VT: R. Kriz, J. Kelso, F. das Neves
http://www.sv.vt.edu/future/cave/resprj/navciiti/nuwc_task2-1/
Physics based
simulation model
of acoustics in a
3D world: bottom
Bounce, etc.
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Combined Research
Curriculum Development
http://www.jwave.vt.edu/crcd
Network Program Interface Builder
(NPIB) is a rapid application development tool that researchers could
use to create, maintain, and archive
numerous parametric studies based
on their legacy computer simulations.
D. Farkas, MSE
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R. Batra, ESM
R. Kriz, ESM
Example: 3D Wave Surface
Working “Real-Time” Archive
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Submit
email notifies user
simulation completed
Results Viewed at Desktop
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Results.html
Results Viewed
In the CAVE
(see next slide)
Fourth order tensor glyph viewed in the CAVE
Used in ESM5344 “Wave
Propagation in Solids” to
study anisotropies
associated with crystal
class symmetries. These
geometries are also used
to study reflected and
refracted interface waves.
Usability and Engineering Lab
D. Hix and J. Gabbard
NAVCIITI: Visualization and HCI:
Usability Engineering
Randy Levensalor
CS-Masters Thesis
Immersive WorkBench
3D Interaction Group
http://www.cs.vt.edu/~bowman/3di/
Cooperative manipulation
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D. Bowman
PhD work of Marcio Pinho (PUCRS)
Can multiple users manipulate the
same object at the same time?
Separation of DOFs
M. Pinho
single user
multiple users
3DI group collaboration with
Architecture’s VE-Lab
Immersive
structural
visualization
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SAP5
FEM
Analysis
D. Bowman
3DI Group
Design, simulation,
and visualization of
building structures
Both 2D and 3D
interfaces
M. Setareh R. Schubert
Architectures’RDF-VE-Lab
VE-HPC TRAINING
Virtual Environment Workshop, August 2001
J. Lockhart / R. Kriz
Multimedia / VRML
Organizer
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DIVERSE
Arsenault / Kelso
HPC: Clusters
S. Varadarajan
HCI Usability
J. Gabbard
HCI 2D-3D Interface Design
D. Bowman/C. Wingrave
Observations & Conclusions:
• Virtual and collaborative design environments have been
at best working prototypes that are too difficult to use as
a day-to-day application.
• Better API’s are needed so that scientists, engineers, and
educators can build their own applications based on the
content within their discipline.
• The best designed collaborative environments will work
only within existing collaborative groups.
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