Project: Distributed Visualization

Intel Grant

PI: Chandrajit Bajaj

Six Dual 400 Mhz Intel Xeon Processors PC with 512 Mbytes of RAM and Intergraph Intense 3D Pro 3410T Graphic adapters

• 16 Mbytes of video RAM
• no Geometry acceleration
• 9.1 Gybyte Ultra-2 SCSI hard drive

Six Dual 550 Mhz Intel Xeon Processors PCs with 512 Mbytes of RAM and Intergraph Intense 3D Wildcat 4000 Graphic adapters

• 16 Mbytes of video frame buffer
• 64 Mbytes of texture memory
• 2 Gflops of geometry accelleration allowing 3.4 Million Triangles/second
• 9.1 Gybyte Ultra-2 SCSI hard drive

Sub-project A

is peer-to-peer collaborative visualization on the multimedia desktop . Our current collaboration architecture defines an extensible environment for developing collaborative visualization applications that support large scale geographically dispersed interaction amongst multiple participants and systems. The architecture is connectionless, scalable, supports multi-group federation, has an adaptable data location model, supports flexible applications coupling, , multiple coordination strategies, dynamic downloading of executable code and is event driven. Interoperable implementations exist in C, C++. and Java.

Sub-project A	Sub-project B

Sub-project B

is on multi-pipe, multi-projector distributed visualization on a panoramic power wall. The cluster of Intel machines shall be connected using a high speed switch (fast, low latency). Three of the machines shall initially serve as display or graphics servers and drive a set up of three electrohome projectors in a rear projection panoramic power wall. The research challenges include dynamic resolutions visualization with guaranteed display frame rates, scalability across diverse network bandwith, disk transfer rates and inter-processor communication latency.

Grants related to the use of the Intel machines include:

1. "Modeling and Visualization with algebraic surfaces and splines"; National Science Foundation
2. "Data Intensive Visulization"; National Aeronautics and Space Administration
3. "Data and Display Intensive Visualization"; Sandia National Labratories

Leveraging from other projects we have obtained the following necessary equipment utilizing funds from NSF/KDI, and DOE-ASCI grants:

1. 6 Extron 112+
2. 3 flat panel displays
3. Altinex 8 x 4 RGBHV matrix switcher
4. 3 electrohome 9500projectors with fast phosphor
5. 3 extended range stereo emitters and 3 active LCD stereo glasses
6. an 8 port KVM Switch allowing a single control point to an 8 machine cluster.

Additionally we plan to obtain the following:

1. An additional cluster of 6 Merced based Intel machines (as they become available.)
2. an 8 port Myrinet switch
3. 8 Myrinet NICS for the Intel PCs
4. 4 Top of the line 21" monitors or flat panel digital displays