Note - September 2003

The information on this page is extremely out-of-date and is inaccurate. We are providing access to this page purely as a matter of historical interest. Please do not contact us concerning errors, inaccuracies or omissions on this page. Also, note that effective September 2000, we are no longer funded to provide Visualization services to the general Lab scientific community.

Visualization Lab @ LBNL, NERSC

A variety of computer graphics equipment is available in the Visualization Lab located in 50B/1232: Visualization/VR Hardware and Color Printers.

This equipment is available for general use by the Laboratory community. Most of this equipment is available for use if you have a valid UNIX account on the ICSD machines. The UNIX workstations are available for users with visualization applications. You need to contact Nancy Johnston or Wes Bethel for information about accessing them.

Visualization/VR Hardware

judgedee.lbl.gov: Silicon Graphics Onyx with Infinite Reality graphics. There are 4 200MHz R4400 processors with 256 MB memory. Judgedee is running IRIX Release 6.5. The system has both C-language and Fortran compilers. Available applications include AVS, Khoros.

The Wall: Using "judgedee", you have access to a 6x8 foot screen with rear view projector capable of producing stereographics output.

3D mouse: Connected to "judgedee" is a 3D mouse from Division, Inc. The 3D mouse has 6 degrees of freedom (position and orientation) and provides a very easy way of moving around and controlling 3D objects.

Haptic display: A PHANToM point-force haptic device is connected to an SGI Indigo. From a high-level point-of-view, the haptic device is used in a two-fold manner. First, the PHANToM acts as an input device, providing positional information. The position of the tip of the "stylus" in three-space can be obtained by querying the encoders. Second, the PHANToM acts as a output device by giving the user force-feedback in three dimensions. The feedback is a variable resisting force which can be used to understand or feel various surface types (e.g., smooth, rough), to understand viscosity or flow, carve a surface, etc.
Tracy: A Silicon Indigo 2 with Solid Impact Graphics and 64MB memory controls the haptic device. Tracy also has a video capture board and camera for mbone access.

Immersadesk: The Immersadesk from Pyramid Systems is a drafting-table style, projection-based virtual reality tool. Users, wearing special glasses, view a large screen (4 feet by 5 feet) on which high-resolution images are displayed. Audio and a 3D input device add to the sense of immersion.

Color Printers

These printers, with the exception of the Codonics, take PostScript only. Printers are located in 50B, room 1232. See http://www.lbl.gov/ICSD/Recharges/Print-Charges.html (the cost breakdown page).

Remote Visualization Server (Escher.nersc.gov)

The NERSC Visualization Server allows NERSC users to perform visualizations from remote locations. The Visualization Server, escher.nersc.gov, is a Silicon Graphics Onyx 2 with 8 195 MHz R10000 processors, 5 GB Memory, 2 Infinite Reality Engine Graphics Pipes, ATM, HIPPI, 100BT Network Connectivity, and 100 GB Disk Array. Its dual graphics pipes allow for two simultaneous graphics displays to be driven by the system for a minimum of two simultaneous video streams.

The NERSC Visualization Server is also a platform that will allow the Visualization Group to explore and develop new techniques in remote visualization, large data visualization and collaboration. It is connected to a high speed network testbed and the Visualization Group's ImmersaDesk.