Abstract: Oilfield Visualization on the PC Platform

BUCKALEW, CHRIS, Vizolutions, Inc. and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, CA; MASOUD MEHDIZAHEH

Oilfield visualization software is still widely viewed as the province of expensive graphics workstations. Applications involving visualization of volumes and very large datasets are usually automatically assumed to require workstations. As PCs gain speed, functionality, sophisticated development tools, and fast graphics cards this assumption is less and less valid. This paper describes an oilfield visualization application developed for the PC platform, the tools implemented (including custom visualization tools for geologists), and the development process. As a result of this PC application, 3D visualization becomes less expensive and available to a wider variety of users.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90911©2000 AAPG Pacific Section and Western Region Society of Petroleum Engineers, Long Beach, California