Visualization
The Visualization Group in GEaRS investigates emerging visual computing technologies and implements several leading-edge solutions, in a cost-efficient manner. to help faculty better integrate such tools in instructional and research programs at Penn State. The group provides facilities and consulting expertise in the areas of scientific and artistic visualization and digital animation as well as digital media and hardcopy output.
215 Osmond VR System Installation
ACCESS Grid (AG) Tele-collaborative Facilities
Immersive Environment Labs
215 Osmond VR System Installation
The Visualization Group is providing as systems integration and application development support for a newly revitalized 3-D visualization and virtual reality (VR) system in 215 Osmond. The new facility provides a conveniently located and freely available visualization and VR resource for the central, University Park campus science community. The facility is a floor-to-ceiling, rear-projected, 3-D stereoscopic display attached to a graphics workstation with 3-D motion tracking devices for user interaction. The system allows human scale, interactive, 3-D data visualization of complex data or results from numerically intensive simulations. Initial application investigations are being conducted in materials science and gravitational physics.
ACCESS Grid (AG) Tele-collaborative Facilities Development
The deployment of ACCESS Grid (AG) tele-collaborative facilities and related community support continued throughout 2005-06 in GEaRS Visualization Group.
- 140 Computer Building AG Node
The GEaRS AG node continues to provide a convenient and freely available local venue for Penn State faculty to participate in ACCESS Grid seminars and conference programs, as well as individual, project-based and group-to-group tele-collaboration with colleagues at remote institutions. - 519 Wartik ACCESS Grid Node Installation
The Visualization group installed ACCESS Grid teleconferencing capabilities in Room 519 Wartik to provide convenient access for those who want to explore ACCESS Grid capabilities within the life sciences research community. The room provided a local access point for the 2005 Virtual Conference on Genomics and Bioinformatics, giving Penn State researchers an opportunity to attend and participate in this global and multi-institutional program. - ConferenceXP Node Development Award
This year, the GEaRS group received a ConferenceXP Node Development Opportunity grant from Microsoft Research External Programs. The ConferenceXP research platform is similar to ACCESS Grid in that it offers a group-oriented, multimedia tele-conferencing framework to enable rich media, multi-group-to-multi-group collaborative work sessions and learning experiences in and out of the classroom. The award consists of two Dell Dimension XPS graphics workstations, video conferencing hardware and Microsoft Developer Network subscriptions. The award extends the GEaRS group's ongoing investigation of group-to-group tele-collaborative tools by allowing ConferenceXP to be implemented along side of ACCESS Grid, inSORS and Polycom solutions for tele-collaborative research and teaching.
Immersive Environment Labs
- Immersive Construction (ICon) Lab Renovation and Upgrade
The Immersive Construction (ICon) Lab is a partnership between the Visualization Group and the Department of Architectural Engineering. In 2005-06, the lab underwent physical renovation and console computer and applications upgrades, during the transfer of that facility from the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture to the Department of Architectural Engineering. Current activity in the lab focuses on using immersive visualization in teaching and research related to construction planning and management of large construction processes. Distributed and collaborative workgroups and design spaces also are emerging areas of study for the lab. - New Immersive Environments Lab (IEL) Development
With the relocation of the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture to the Stuckeman Family Building, a new Immersive Environments Lab is being designed for dedicated space in the this building. The new lab will employ improved screen and projector technology, as well as upgrades to the display console and supported applications base. It is anticipated that the lab will continue to build upon prior teaching in undergraduate architectural design studio, as well research into deploying immersive display technologies in architectural study and practice.