1.0 Introduction to Scientific Visualization

2.0 Data in Visualization

3.0 Techniques in Visualization

4.0 Samples

5.0 UofA Visualization Users Group

Bibliography

Academic ICT Scientific Visualization Group

The Visualization Group at the University of Alberta works within the Research Support Group of Academic Information and Communications Technologies. We currently have 3 members available to work on visualization projects, as time permits. (We also support the 3DPrinter and the AccessGrid).

In terms of scientific visualization, we can assist with:

• preparation of data for import into a visualization package
• creation of visualizations for interpretation
• preparation of graphics for publication and presentation
• providing tours of our facilities and demonstrations of their capabilities
• training (seminars or workshops) in the use of packages discussed in these pages

These pages are intended to provide discussion of visualization principles in general, along with examples of how to accomplish the tasks we discuss in some packages of interest. In particular we will cover the use of these packages:

• AVS/Express
• OpenDX
• VTK

Of course we may include other packages as they become interesting to us for whatever reason. The focus here is not a particular package, rather, we are attempting to provide a discussion of the general techniques of Scientific Visualization: these techniques are available in many packages so even if you aren't using the same packages we are, you'll know what you can look for an a package that you have available.

The pages included here are organized with links on both sides of the page in what is a fairly standard three-column web page layout. The links on the left of the page can be thought of as "chapters", while the links on the right are "pages" within the chapter. Work at organizing and filling in this site is ongoing and comments are welcome at research.support@ualberta.ca.

We are going to talk about what scientific visualization is as well as why and how it is used, with examples provided for the packages above. The Scientific Visualization portion of this website is divided roughly as follows:

1. Introduction to Scientific Visualization
   - a general overview of visualization, why represent data visually and an introduction to the Visualization Pipeline.
2. Data in Visualization
   - a discussion of the structure of data in Scientific Visualization in general as well as specific to the above mentioned packages.
3. Techniques in Visualization
   - explanations of some basic but useful techniques of scientific visualization, as well as providing examples of how to accomplish the tasks described wiht the packages listed above. This site is not going to contain extensive references to the algorithms used in the various packages, the focus here is to enable the reader to use a visualization package to accomplish tasks without (hopefully) too much pain.
4. Samples
   - some example data sets for download along with applications which demonstrate some of the possible operations that can be performed on them.

There is a very nice tutorial on Scientific Visualization provided by the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and of course a search of the Internet will provide much more information.

An advanced topic postscript: Information, about merging scientific visualization and 3D modeling, is available locally at: Visualization: VTK and Blender