Visualizing Your Research Data with Virtual Reality

Description: Due to recent advances in technology, virtual reality (VR) is now widely available as a medium for scientific data analysis, specifically analysis of large and/or complex 3D data such as the results of high-resolution 3D scanning, tomography, or advanced numerical simulation. This means that researchers interested in using VR no longer have to contract with a centralized VR visualization facility, but can set up their own VR systems in their own offices or labs, and use them on their own.

This workshop will teach the practical aspects of setting up and operating a VR system based on commodity technology, and of using DataLab-developed open-source VR software applications to analyze several types of scientific data.

Learning Objectives: In the first part of this workshop, participants will learn how to set up a VR system, including installing and configuring the DataLab-developed open-source Vrui VR "operating system" and VR scientific data analysis applications.

In the main part of this workshop, participants will learn how to employ several of those VR applications in their scientific workflows. This involves learning how to prepare data, how to load those data into appropriate VR applications, and how to use those applications from inside the virtual environment.

Prerequisites: Participants should have a basic understanding of how to use the UNIX command line (such as having completed DataLab's "Introduction to the Command Line" workshop), and how to view/edit scientific data using desktop tools such as text editors or spreadsheet software.

Software: None

Instructor: Oliver Kreylos

Instructor Bio: Oliver Kreylos received his PhD in computer science from the University of California, Davis, in 2003. Oliver's main research area is interactive data analysis using the medium of virtual reality (VR). Oliver has created and operates Vroom!, DataLab's VR laboratory. Oliver has more than 30 years of experience in commercial and academic software development and is the author of several large open-source software packages, including the Vrui VR development toolkit and the Augmented Reality (AR) Sandbox.