Visualization and Collaboration: Tiled Display Wall System

1
Visualization and CollaborationTiled Display
Wall System

• PRIME 2006
• Osaka University, Japan
• Robert Sy
• University of California San Diego

2
Personal Profile

• Name Robert Sy
• Education4th YearUndergraduateUniversity of
  CaliforniaSan Diego
• MajorVisual Arts Media with Computing Emphasis

3
PRAGMA / PRIME

• Pacific Rim Applications Grid Middleware
  Assembly
• Pacific Rim Undergraduate Experiences
• Promote international research and cultural
  experience for the global workplace of the 21st
  century
• Supporting Institutions

4
Osaka University, Japan

• I chose Japan for my PRIME experience because
• I am interested in Japanese culture
• I have developed friendships with Japanese
  International Students at UCSD
• Japan is known for digital imaging which is
  closely related to my field
• Human Computer Interaction is a recurring theme
  in my pieces

5
My Project Goals

• Familiarization with Tiled Display Wall system
  (especially SAGE)
• Surveying and comparison with NCHC TDW
• Installation and configuration of SAGE-based
  tiled display system
• Troubleshooting of SAGE applications with new
  version

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Overview

• Background Vis Wall
• Benefits
• Applications
• Technologies
• Survey of TDWTechnologies
• Hardware Technologies
• Software Technologies
• SAGE
• Installation
• Architecture
• Software
• Culture
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgements

7
Benefits of Visualization Wall
Visualization wall High resolution big screen
display

• Multiple application windows
• High-resolution desktop workspace environments
• High resolution
• View hi-res images and high-definition videos at
  native resolution
• View models in great detail while maintaining
  spatial reference

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Applications of Visualization Wall

• Examples
• View scientific data
• Medical data
• Geographical data
• Instrument output
• Videoconferencewith many colleagues
• Access grid
• Presentation demonstration
• Teravision
• VNC Viewer
• Entertainment
• Gaming!

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Current Major Available Options for Constructing
Vis Wall(1/3)Single PC with multiple monitors

• Ordinary PCs with dual-head graphics cards or PCI
  express graphics cards can drive multiple
  displays
• Plug and Play on popular operating systems
  Windows, MacOS, Linux
• Computing power limited by single computer

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Current Major Available Options for Constructing
Vis Wall(2/3)CAVE

• Requires a lot of space
• Creates an immersive virtual environment that a
  researcher can navigate through
• User wears a helmet that tracks head movement and
  uses a remote to move through a space

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Current Major Available Options for Constructing
Vis Wall(3/3)Tiled LCDs or Projectors

• Multiple LCD monitors or projectors driven by a
  cluster of computersie. Tiled Display Walls at
  Osaka University and NCHC in Taiwan

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Comparison of Options for Visualization Wall
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Overview

• Background Vis Wall
• Benefits
• Applications
• Technologies
• Survey of TDWTechnologies
• Hardware Technologies
• Software Technologies
• SAGE
• Installation
• Architecture
• Software
• Culture
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgements

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Survey of Tiled Display Walls

• Tiled Display Wall Technologies
• Hardware Technologies
• LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
• Projector
• Software Technologies
• Individual Application
• Middleware

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Hardware Technologies for TDWTiled LCDs vs.
Tiled Projectors

• Pros
• Slim profile
• Easily expandable
• Relatively cheap
• Cons
• Bezel creates discontinuity

• Pros
• Seamless Image
• Size of each tile adjustable
• Cons
• Requires much more space
• Expensive
• Difficult to mount

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Tiled LCDs vs. Tiled Projectors

• Pros
• Balanced Lighting
• Consistent Color

• Pros
• Easier to create stereoscopic effect
• Cons
• Lighting Balance and Geometry issues

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Software Technologies for TDW

• Individual Applications managing entire tiled
  display wall (ie. NCHCs TDW)
• Middleware managing application output to tiled
  display wall (ie. SAGE)

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Osaka Universitys TDW Environment

• Hardware
• LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
• Software
• SAGE (Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment)

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Overview

• Background Vis Wall
• Benefits
• Applications
• Technologies
• Survey of TDWTechnologies
• Hardware Technologies
• Software Technologies
• SAGE
• Installation
• Architecture
• Software
• Culture
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgements

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Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment

• System currently being utilized by UCSD tiled
  display systems such as the tiled display walls
  being used at NCMIR, CalIT2, and SDSC
• Acts as a pixel manager
• Allows moving and resizing of windows
• Splits high resolution image into parts and
  directs machines of a cluster system what to
  display

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Advantage of SAGE

• Unified Architecture
• SAGE windows can overlap and can be freely
  resized and moved across the entire tiled display
  wall

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SAGE Set Up
Installation

• Creating a cluster systemOperating System Linux
• Network File System
• Installing necessary libraries

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Installation
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Installation
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SAGE Configuration
Installation

• Identify size and location of each display
• SAGE is scalable by adding hardware and modifying
  configuration files

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Installation Completion

• Successful running of Atlantis benchmark
  application

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SAGE Architecture
Architecture
Tiled Display Wall
FreeSpace Manager
SAIL
SAIL
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SAGE User Interface

• Cross-platform GUI for SAGE
• Alternative to fsConsole command line

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SAGE User Interface

• Graphical User Interface Command Line

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SAGE Software
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JuxtaView
Software

• Displaying and navigation (panning, zoom) of high
  resolution images on tile display systems
• My Progress1. Compilation of source code
  successful2. Installation Successful3. Initial
  Configuration Completed4. Did not have data set
  for testing

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SVC
Software

• Playback for decompressed MPEG2 video from
  IEEE1394 or files
• My progress1. Source code successfully
  compiled2. Installation and configuration
  successful3. IEEE1394 interface streaming and
  m2t file support operational

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VNC Viewer
Software

• Modified version of a VNC client application so
  that what is shown on the servers display is
  mirrored on the tiled display
• SAGE allows multiple simultaneous instances of
  the VNC Viewer application
• My Progress1. Installation andconfiguration
  complete2. Currently testing VNCserver apps

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RasMol
Software

• Molecular Viewer
• Modification of source code necessary
• Successful modification and implementation by
  Host Mentor Kohei Ichikawa

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OpenGL wrapper
Software

• OpenGL wrapper intercepts pixels in a native
  OpenGL application and sends the pixels to SAGE
  utilizing the glSwapBuffer command
• My Progress1. Successful build of 32-bit
  version library2. Installed and Configured for
  SAGE3. Operational successful testing with
  GlxGears4. Operational successful testing with
  UCSF Chimera

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Tiled Display Wall Demonstration
Researchers Mr. Levesque and Mr. Maeno utilizing
VNC Viewer and Rasmol
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Overview

• Background Vis Wall
• Benefits
• Applications
• Technologies
• Survey of TDWTechnologies
• Hardware Technologies
• Software Technologies
• SAGE
• Installation
• Architecture
• Software
• Culture
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgements

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Japanese Food!
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Festivals!!!
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Japan )
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Conclusion

• Research-Gained in-depth understanding of TDW
  technology (especially SAGE)-Successfully
  implemented a SAGE TDW system-Experienced a work
  environment very different from normal art
  oriented workplaces
• Culture-Became proficient in the use of public
  transportation-Improved Japanese language
  knowledge-Experienced Japanese festivals

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Project Mentors

• Tomas MolinaSan Diego Supercomputer
  CenterSoftware Developer
• Raj SinghNational Center for Microscopy and
  Imaging ResearchVisualization Wall Specialist
• Nicholas SchwarzElectronic Visualization
  LaboratoryJuxtaview Developer

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Acknowledgements

• Id like to thank the following people for making
  this experience possible

Ichikawa-sanTomomi-sanDate-senseiShimojo-sensei
Nakagawa-san
Dr. Peter ArzbergerDr. Gabriele WeinhausenTeri
SimasLinda FeldmanTomas MolinaRaj Singh
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References

• PapersA Survey of Large High-Resolution
  Display Technologies, Techniques, and
  ApplicationsSAGE the Scalable Adaptive
  Graphics EnvironmentCollaborative
  Visualization using High-Resolution Tiled
  DisplaysScalable Graphics Architecture for
  High-Resolution DisplaysSAGE Documentation
• PPT PresentationsNut Taesombut OptiPuter
  Middleware Software Implementation PlansJason
  Leigh Status and Plans for EVL Software
  Components
• Website Links http//www.evl.uic.edu
  http//tdw.nchc.org.tw/