Thomas A. DeFanti

Reliable Blast UDP : predictable high performance bulk data transfer

High speed bulk data transfer is an important part of many data-intensive scientific applications. This paper describes an aggressive bulk data transfer scheme, called Reliable Blast UDP (RBUDP), intended for extremely high bandwidth, dedicated- or Quality-of-Service-enabled networks, such as optically switched networks. This paper also provides an analytical model to predict RBUDPs performance and compares the results of our model against our implementation of RBUDP. Our results show that RBUDP performs extremely efficiently over high speed dedicated networks and our model is able to provide good estimates of its performance.

The ImmersaDesk and Infinity Wall projection-based virtual reality displays

Virtual reality (VR) can be defined as interactive computer graphics that provides viewer-centered perspective, large field of view and stereo. Head-mounted displays (HMDs) and BOOMs™ achieve these features with small display screens which move with the viewer, close to the viewers eyes. Projection-based displays [3, 7], supply these characteristics by placing large, fixed screens more distant from the viewer. The Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) of the University of Illinois at Chicago has specialized in projection-based VR systems. EVLs projection-based VR display, the CAVE™ [2], premiered at the SIGGRAPH 92 conference.In this article we present two new, CAVE-derived, projection-based VR displays developed at EVL: the ImmersaDesk™ and the Infinity Wall™, a VR version of the PowerWall [9]. We describe the different requirements which led to their design, and compare these systems to other VR devices.

Overview of the I-Way: Wide-Area Visual Supercomputing

This paper discusses the I-WAY project and provides an overview of the papers in this issue of IJSA. The I-WAY is an experimental environment for building distributed vir tual reality applications and for exploring issues of distrib uted wide-area resource management and scheduling. The goal of the I-WAY project is to enable researchers to use multiple internetworked supercomputers and ad vanced visualization systems to conduct very large scale computations. By connecting 12 ATM testbeds, 17 super computer centers, 5 virtual reality research sites, and over 60 applications groups, the I-WAY project has created an extremely diverse wide-area environment for exploring advanced applications. This environment has provided a glimpse of the future for advanced scientific and engineer ing computing.

The OptIPuter

This architecture/infrastructure of parallel optical networks couples data exploration, visualization, and collaboration technologies through IP at multi-gigabit speeds.

Visualization: expanding scientific and engineering research opportunities

The use of scientific visualization to represent the solutions obtained in computational science and engineering is discussed. The short- and long-term needs of those who use visualization tools and those who create them are addressed. For the user a three-tiered model environment is beginning to emerge that categorizes visualization systems by such factors as power, cost, and software support. Workstations with access to supercomputers are also required. The need to educate the scientific and engineering research communities about the available equipment is also discussed, and the available software and hardware are described.<<ETX>>

Scientists in wonderland: A report on visualization applications in the CAVE virtual reality environment

The authors present the experiences at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) in introducing computational scientists to the use of virtual reality as a research tool. They describe the virtual environment, the CAVE. They then describe several applications currently being developed at EVL using the CAVE and conclude with a discussion on possible research paths to follow in making virtual reality an effective tool for visualization.<<ETX>>

TransLight: a global-scale LambdaGrid for e-science

This global experiment wants to see if high-end applications needing transport capacities of multiple Gbps for up to hours at a time can be handled through an optical bypass network.

A review of tele-immersive applications in the CAVE research network

This paper presents an overview of the tele-immersion applications that have been built by collaborators around the world using the CAVERNsoft toolkit, and the lessons learned from building these applications. In particular the lessons learned are presented as a set of rules-of-thumb for developing tele-immersive applications in general.

Multi-perspective collaborative design in persistent networked virtual environments

We present an approach to applying virtual reality in architectural design and collaborative visualization which emphasizes the use of multiple perspectives. These perspectives, including multiple mental models as well as multiple visual viewpoints, allow virtual reality to be applied in the earlier, more creative, phases of the design process, rather than just as a walkthrough of the final design. CALVIN, a prototype interface which implements these ideas, has been created using the CAVE virtual reality theatre.

Advances in the Dynallax Solid-State Dynamic Parallax Barrier Autostereoscopic Visualization Display System

A solid-state dynamic parallax barrier autostereoscopic display mitigates some of the restrictions present in static barrier systems such as fixed view-distance range, slow response to head movements, and fixed stereo operating mode. By dynamically varying barrier parameters in real time, viewers may move closer to the display and move faster laterally than with a static barrier system, and the display can switch between 3D and 2D modes by disabling the barrier on a per-pixel basis. Moreover, Dynallax can output four independent eye channels when two viewers are present, and both head-tracked viewers receive an independent pair of left-eye and right-eye perspective views based on their position in 3D space. The display device is constructed by using a dual-stacked LCD monitor where a dynamic barrier is rendered on the front display and a modulated virtual environment composed of two or four channels is rendered on the rear display. Dynallax was recently demonstrated in a small-scale head-tracked prototype system. This paper summarizes the concepts presented earlier, extends the discussion of various topics, and presents recent improvements to the system.