Comparing and evaluating computer graphics and visualization software

When starting a new computer graphics or visualization software project, students, researchers, and businesses alike must decide whether or not to start from scratch or with third‐party software. Since computer graphics and visualization applications are typically quite large, developers often build upon existing software libraries in order to take advantage of the tens of thousands of hours worth of development and testing already invested. Thus, developers and managers must face the decision of which library to build on. We present a side‐by‐side comparison and evaluation of four popular, state‐of‐the‐art visualization and computer graphics libraries, namely the Visualization Toolkit (VTK), Open Inventor, Coin3D, and Hoops 3D. The evaluation is based on the feature set, ease of installation, development of a benchmark application, documentation, and technical support for each package. The results of our comparison and evaluation are described and recommendations are given as for whom the libraries are best suited. The VTK prevails on top in many of the aspects we compared and evaluated. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Attention and visual memory in visualization and computer graphics

A fundamental goal of visualization is to produce images of data that support visual analysis, exploration, and discovery of novel insights. An important consideration during visualization design is the role of human visual perception. How we "see" details in an image can directly impact a viewer's efficiency and effectiveness. This paper surveys research on attention and visual perception, with a specific focus on results that have direct relevance to visualization and visual analytics. We discuss theories of low-level visual perception, then show how these findings form a foundation for more recent work on visual memory and visual attention. We conclude with a brief overview of how knowledge of visual attention and visual memory is being applied in visualization and graphics. We also discuss how challenges in visualization are motivating research in psychophysics.     

Are autostereograms useful for computer graphics and scientific visualization

Autostereograms are images that can be observed as “flat” 2D pictures or as a display of 3D objects without any extra apparatus. More than one million copies of books on this subject have been sold recently, but are autostereograms useful for computer graphics and scientific visualization? This short note provides some assistance for easily designing still and animated autostereograms, and tries to encourage reader involvement in finding new scientific applications.     

The role of computer graphics in validating simulation models

Fault finding in a model that is only tentative can present major difficulties. Trying to detect an unknown number of unspecified errors by perusing tables of numbers is difficult and time–consuming with no guarantee of success. For simulation programs graphical techniques can be a useful means of detecting faults in coding and logic. The non-specific nature of visual monitoring makes use of the ability of the human brain to recognize spatial relationships and detect deviations from expected behaviour.     

The business of computer graphics

As 1999 ended, total computer graphics revenues reached $71.7 billion. Applications include CAD/CAM/CAE, art, animation, multimedia, real-time simulation, scientific visualization, graphics arts and virtual reality. As we move into the next millennium, the computer graphics industry will continue to evolve and grow. I forecast that in the year 2000, revenues worldwide will reach $81.7 billion and grow to $149.2 billion by 2005. Web graphics is one of the fastest growing segments. I forecast that about 6.4% of the 2000 world-wide computer graphics revenues and about 9.2% of the 2005 world-wide revenues will come from Internet/intranet application products and services. Certainly, the Internet will affect distribution techniques. In addition to the Internet opportunities, computer graphics can expect to benefit from a number of other “revolutions”, such as the growth of embedded computers, handhelds, DVD, HDTV and wearable computers     

The mathematics of computer graphics

Until relatively recently, researchers in computer graphics paid scant attention to the numerics of their computations. Computation was used as a simple tool to evaluate algorithms or transform data into some appropriate pictoral representation. Thus standard computer graphics texts have little to say about numerical methods, just as earlier numerical analysis textbooks had little to say about computer graphics. This is now changing, for the important reasons outlined in this paper.     

The business of computer graphics

The development of computer graphics products and the growth of the market for those products during the 1980s are reviewed. It is asserted that the market can sustain at least 10%-per-year dollar volume growth over the next five years, and it is estimated that US supplier shipments will exceed $40 billion by 1995, with the highest growth coming from software and systems, closely followed by workstations and PCs. Particulars are given to support these forecasts     

Standards in computer graphics

GKS, which recently became the International Standards Organization (ISO) standard for computer graphics programming, is the first of a set of interlocking graphics standards. This paper outlines the important ideas behind GKS, describes its relationship with other standards and discusses the benefits of standardization.     

The computer graphics wars heat up

The author describes the present status of computer graphics hardware. While console games flourished, PC game sales have plummeted. The plans of Nvidia and ATI, the 3D graphics world's two dominant players are described.     

The evolution of standards for computer graphics

Although work towards international standards for computer graphics was started in 1976, it is in the last 2 years that real agreement and progress have been achieved. The first target, the functional specification of a graphics system, is satisfied by the graphical kernel system (GKS), which is now being processed as an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) draft international standard. GKS provides a reference model for two-dimensional graphics and an agreed vocabulary of terms covering the field. Many implementations of GKS as a package are now being produced. In addition to such a functional specification, two forms of communication are appropriate for graphics: a metafile and a virtual device interface. ISO is now reviewing a proposal for a metafile standard developed by the American National Standards Institute and closely related to GKS. Standards for a graphics virtual device interface and for three-dimensional graphics systems are also being actively developed. All these efforts and their interrelationships are described and examined.     

Current trends in computer graphics

A look at the trends in computer graphics is given by analyzing important areas that affect the progress of graphics like hardware, input and output devices for graphics, programming languages, systems developments and advances in techniques and algorithms for computer graphics. Then attention is given to new and expanded application areas for the future, as well as some problems that will persistently confront people working in graphics.     

Crystal gazing in computer graphics

We, the people, are in the midst of the age of the computer. We are at the beginning of the age of computer graphics. This article will crystal gaze upon a few of the areas of life which are beginning to be and soon will be very affected by computer graphics. Topics vary from homes and cities; hardware and animation; Congress and business; and architecture and drafting to art. These show that the future uses of computer graphics are limited only by the imagination.

Underlying the whole gamut is the theme that computer graphics must be user oriented! The application user must not be required to know anything about computers or their languages or how to manipulate complex mathematics!     

Implementation of computer graphics exercises in freshman engineering graphics education

The rising application of computer-aided design (CAD) in the industrial environment has precipitated an interest in computer graphics for engineering education. At the University of Texas at Austin, a computer graphics laboratory has been established that is primarily dedicated to freshman engineering graphics education. The laboratory is currently equipped with eight Hewlett-Packard 2647 A intelligent graphics terminals. Five software modules have been developed to introduce the student to the graphics terminal and to demonstrate its capabilities for making engineering drawings. The modules permit the construction of line drawings, pictorials, graphs and charts on the CRT terminal without requiring any programming skill on the part of the student. The laboratory exercises have been successfully used by over 1000 engineering graphics students during the first two semesters of implementation. This paper describes the efforts to date in organizing and implementing this freshman computer graphics laboratory.     

Stepwise dissection and visualization of the catalytic mechanism of haloalkane dehalogenase LinB using molecular dynamics simulations and computer graphics

The different steps of the dehalogenation reaction carried out by LinB on three different substrates have been characterized using a combination of quantum mechanical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. This has allowed us to obtain information in atomic detail about each step of the reaction mechanism, that is, substrate entrance and achievement of the near-attack conformation, transition state stabilization within the active site, halide stabilization, water molecule activation and subsequent hydrolytic attack on the ester intermediate with formation of alcohol, and finally product release. Importantly, no bias or external forces were applied during the whole procedure so that both intermediates and products were completely free to sample configuration space in order to adapt to the plasticity of the active site and/or search for an exit. Differences in substrate reactivity were found to be correlated with the ease of adopting the near-attack conformation and two different exit pathways were found for product release that do not interfere with substrate entrance. Additional support for the different entry and exit pathways was independently obtained from an examination of the enzyme's normal modes.     

G-plot: graphics in the geological computer

G-PLOT is a package of programs for graphic display of data. It has been designed as an integral part of the G-EXEC data-handling system, and adopts the principles of G-EXEC: it is generalized with respect to data, it is structured and modular, and it has a simple (near-English) user interface. In addition, a number of standards have been defined to allow the greatest possible flexibility of usage of the programs, as well as to provide a consistent and powerful set of modules for the applications programmer. The two most significant of these standards are the use of the ‘plot-frame’ concept and the definition of logical raster levels between the data and a ‘logical plotter’. By the use of these standards, it is possible not only to send generated plots to any available graphic device, but also to edit plots by selection and manipulation of logical ‘subframes’—units of plot data such as axes, titling, map frames, and grids. By the combination of G-PLOT facilities with planned enhancements to the G-EXEC system, it will be possible to generate sequences of plot frames from iterative simulation models, or from successively changing parameters (scaling or rotation for example) in normal application programs.     

The ambient spaces of computer graphics and geometric modeling

Four types of ambient mathematical spaces underlie the algebra and geometry of computer graphics and geometric modeling: vector spaces, affine spaces, projective spaces, and Grassmann spaces (H.G. Grassmann, 1894-1911). The author considers at length the theoretical advantages of the coordinate-free approach to understanding geometry. He focuses attention on the operations of addition, subtraction, and scalar multiplication because these are the operations best suited for the construction of freeform curves and surfaces. But there are also spaces with multiplicative structures: structures already coming into vogue in physics (D. Hestenes, 1992) and perhaps of use as well in the fields of computer graphics and computer aided design