Virtual Reality at CLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
David Boyd
Virtual Reality (VR) is a powerful technology
for solving today's real world problems. The Advanced Interactive Systems
Group in the Department for Computation and Information is helping scientists
and engineers at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) to exploit VR
for visualising scientific data and for modelling and animating complex
engineering systems. We are also researching ways of improving the usability
of future VR systems. This article describes some of the VR projects recently
completed or currently underway at RAL.
The current generation of user interfaces in VR systems is somewhat
rudimentary and non-intuitive. RAL has recently been awarded funding for
a 3 year research project by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC) in which it will work in partnership with teams from York
University and ColtVR Ltd to develop new user interaction techniques and
tools for developing next generation 3D virtual environments. This problem
is of course broader than VR and it is expected that the results will be
of potential interest across a wide range of emerging 3D applications.
Virtual Reality for Visualising CFD Results
The real time interactivity provided by VR systems potentially offers
more powerful and intuitive ways of examining complex datasets. Over the
next year we will be working on another EPSRC-funded project to create
an intelligent virtual environment in which the user can visualise and
interact in real time with the results of large CFD calculations running
in parallel on a multi-processor system and selectively focus on and examine
those aspects of the solution which are of most interest.
VIVRE
In an EC-funded project, VIVRE, within the ESPRIT HPCN programme, we
will be working with end-users in a variety of industries throughout Europe
to demonstrate ways in which VR can enhance the visualization of scientific,
engineering and commercial data.
Atlas End Cap Toroid
One of the earliest VR application projects at RAL was a VR simulation
of the assembly of the Atlas End Cap Toroid (AECT), part of the Atlas experiment
being built by RAL for the Large Hadron Collider project at CERN, Europe's
Nuclear Research Centre near Geneva. AECT is a large (10m diameter) toroidal
superconducting magnet system whose complex assembly process had to be
verified and them communicated to engineers working on the project in other
laboratories across Europe. VR proved to be an ideal way of doing this
and of enabling the project engineers to examine their data immersively.
The data to construct the VR model was transferred directly from RAL's
Computervision CAD system. The AECT VR model has also been converted to
VRML and was shown in this form at the WWW Consortium meeting at RAL in
January 1997. The simulation was also written to video tape for off-line
use by the ATLAS project team.
MAPS
MAPS is a new neutron scattering experiment being built for the ISIS
Spallation Neutron Source at RAL. Its shape is sufficiently complex that
it was difficult to confirm the correctness of its design using only a
CAD system. The design was transferred from CAD into the VR system and
an animated model created showing how the incoming neutron beam was scattered
by the material sample and recorded by banks of neutron detectors. Using
this VR model, the engineers could view the MAPS system from many angles,
including from inside the vacuum vessel, and check whether the geometrical
arrangement of the design was correct. An animated walkthrough of the MAPS
VR model was produced on video tape for the projects scientists to show
the new equipment to its potential user community.
The figure shows a view of the MAPS detector with the neutron beamline
emerging from the ISIS Target Station on the right. The neutron detector
arrays are on the curved end face of the large vacuum vessel.
EISCAT Radar Model
The group is currently building a VR model of the EISCAT radar facility
which is located in northern Europe. This is used to bounce radar signals
off the ionosphere to study its properties. The facility consists of a
32m fully steerable UHF antenna and a 40m by 120m partially steerable VHF
antenna, together with a control room and power generation building. The
object of constructing the VR model is two-fold: to provide a realistic
spatial simulation of the facility for public relations purposes; and to
construct a training simulator based in the virtual control room where
staff can learn how to control the antennae and carry out experiments before
they travel to the site.
Spatial Modelling
We have also used VR to build models of the internal and external layout
of buildings on the RAL site. The group is soon to move to a new location
in RAL and we are constructing a 3D model of this to assist us with location
of equipment and to show the design to others. We would like to construct
a complete virtual model of the RAL site for the public Open Days to be
held in summer 1998.
Virtual Reality Centre
The RAL VR Centre contains an 8-processor Silicon Graphics Onyx system
with 3 Reality Engines, together with several other single processor SG
machines, all with access to a range of 3D input devices and stereo output
options including projection and HMD. The main VR run time system in use
is Division's dVS/dVISE and we use a variety of modelling tools. The VR
Centre is closely coupled to other visualization and digital media facilities
run by the group enabling video output onto tape or in MPEG-encoded form
onto CD-ROM or the WWW.
Collaboration
The group currently collaborates with several groups across Europe and
would like to develop links with ERCIM partners also working in the field.
Please contact:
David Boyd - CLRC
Tel: +44 1235 446167
E-mail: D.R.S.Boyd@rl.ac.uk
