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Trends in Visualisation

 

Chan, Howard1, Cliff Lovelock2 (1) Shell International E&P, N/A, TX (2) Shell International Exploration, N/A,

 

The visualisation and collaboration environment has changed considerably since Shell built its first large scale VR room in Houston, in 1998/1999. This pioneering facility – and all of those that followed – used three projectors to create a continuous single display projected onto a curved screen. These rooms are still popular with users who see them as an ideal way to communicate the essence of a complicated model to a diverse audience. But users are now asking for smaller, co-located so they can better integrate the collaborative process into their workflows.

 

In the same way, the computers that drive these rooms have also changed. We have seen a migration from SGI Onyx servers towards high-end Linux, Unix and PC workstations that are more similar to those interpreters have on their desktops. In the process these machines offer much more RAM and faster CPUs.

 

However, more RAM means more data to display. Our current challenge is to improve the throughput of polygons and voxels from CPU/GPU to screen. In part this is addressed by improvements in graphics card technology being delivered by the commodity card manufacturers. But we are also looking at software and other middleware to maximize the graphics power available in our VR and desktop Linux boxes.

 

For such an advanced technology, virtual reality has remained in stasis for a long time. Finally, though, we are able to see a future that is free of niche hardware and is accessible and flexible enough to be a part of the everyday workflow.

 

AAPG Search and Discover Article #90063©2007 AAPG Annual Convention, Long Beach, California