No. 100 (00223)

Family name : Taylor
Given name : Lucas
Affiliation : Northeastern University
Abbreviation : CMS
E-mail address : Lucas.Taylor@cern.ch
Title : High-performance 2D and 3D Visualisation System
Authors : Lucas Taylor, on behalf of CMS
Abstract : 
The IGUANA project has developed visualisation tools for multiple
high-energy experiments.  At the core of IGUANA is a generic,
high-performance visualisation system based on OpenInventor and OpenGL.
This paper describes the backend and a feature-rich 3D visualisation
system built on it, as well as a new 2D visualisation system that can
automatically generate 2D views from 3D data, for example to produce
R/Z or X/Y detector displays from existing 3D display with little
effort.

IGUANA has collaborated with the open-source gl2ps project to create a
high-quality vector postscript output that can produce true vector
graphics output from any OpenGL 2D or 3D display, complete with surface
shading and culling of invisible surfaces.  We describe how it works.

We also describe how one can measure the memory and performance costs of
various OpenInventor constructs and how to test scene graphs.  We
present good patterns to follow and bad patterns to avoid.  We have
added more advanced tools such as per-object clipping, slicing,
lighting or animation, as well as multiple linked views with
OpenInventor, and describe them in this paper.  We give details on how
to edit object appearance efficiently and easily, and even dynamically
as a function of object properties, with instant visual feedback to the
user.