Computer Graphics World

Virtual Environment) was built. A CAVE can have three, four, fi ve, or six walls, and stereoscopic views to give users the illu- sion of immersion. Today's systems, though, have evolved to suit a given situation. ere are still CAVEs, and their numbers are growing, but there are also power walls and high-end worksta- tions with 3D glasses, or auto-stereo scopic screens that don't require glasses, all provid- ing people with a clear view into the ab- stract. Whatever the medium, the demand is for as much reality as possible—and in real time. Europe Versus the US Over the past decade or so, European devel- opment in 3D visualization has been on the rise. Jeroen Snepvangers of RTT (Realtime Technology), with headquarters in both Eu- rope and the US, has seen both sides of the visualization/realism coin. He contends that the use of 3D visualization has increased much more in Europe than it has in the US, and a contributing factor may be a diff erence in attitude. Snepvangers heads RTT's opera- tions in the US, where, he says, the com- pany has found considerably more interest in the creation of photorealistic images. In Europe, however, RTT is being asked to build visualization centers. "Everyone has to have a CAVE," he adds. Research in raytracing, graphics algorithms that track the path of light as it travels and bounces from source to objects, has been very active in Europe, including at Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and at universities in Lund and Gothenburg, Sweden. "Even fi ve years ago, CAVEs were more popular in Eu- rope than in the US," says Snepvangers. But, there have been considerable ad- vances. Five years ago, Snepvangers says, the interactivity worked well in immersive This interior view of Lamborghini, created on RTT's DeltaGen platform, provides a clear picture of various details. More and more, materials are becoming a critical area for visualization. February 2009 27 Visualization ■ ■ ■ ■

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