A Proposed Framework for Interactive Virtual Reality In Situ Visualization of Parallel Numerical Simulations

TL;DR

This paper introduces a software framework enabling real-time interactive virtual reality visualization of complex parallel simulations, addressing performance challenges and facilitating easier integration with simulation workflows.

Contribution

It presents a novel framework and prototype for in situ VR visualization of parallel simulations, focusing on performance optimization and ease of instrumentation.

Findings

Preliminary results demonstrate technical feasibility.

Framework supports easy simulation instrumentation.

Identifies remaining challenges for real-time VR visualization.

Abstract

As computer simulations progress to increasingly complex, non-linear, and three-dimensional systems and phenomena, intuitive and immediate visualization of their results is becoming crucial. While Virtual Reality (VR) and Natural User Interfaces (NUIs) have been shown to improve understanding of complex 3D data, their application to live in situ visualization and computational steering is hampered by performance requirements. Here, we present the design of a software framework for interactive VR in situ visualization of parallel numerical simulations, as well as a working prototype implementation. Our design is targeted towards meeting the performance requirements for VR, and our work is packaged in a framework that allows for easy instrumentation of simulations. Our preliminary results inform about the technical feasibility of the architecture, as well as the challenges that remain.