NCSA NEWS

Cosmic Voyage at SIGGRAPH '96

released 07.31.96

 

Contact Information
Karen Green
Public Information Officer
kareng@ncsa.uiuc.edu
217.265.0748 phone
217.265.0460 fax

CHAMPAIGN, IL.--In space galaxies collide over billions of years. Visitors to SIGGRAPH '96 August 4-9 in New Orleans can watch it in less than four minutes. The National Center for Supercomputing Application's (NCSA) three-and-a-half minute excerpt from Cosmic Voyage, an IMAX movie that takes audiences on a journey from quarks to galaxies, was selected to the SIGGRAPH Film and Video Show, the Academy Awards of computer animation.

Narration for the special clip of galaxies condensing and colliding was written by NCSA's Donna Cox, associate director for scientific visualization for Cosmic Voyage and art director for the segment, Robert Patterson, NCSA visualization and virtual environment designer, and Frank Summers, Princeton scientist. The excerpt simulates the gravitational interplay between 2 million galactic particles, something undreamed of until the age of supercomputing.

The research led to the development of a virtual reality tool to control the computer graphics camera that has changed the future of computer animation.

Computing the universe

Since primitive man first gazed up into starlit heavens, people have sought to pierce the mystery of the elusive points of light, to see the origins of the universe. Ancient people looked up at the stars and told stories. More modern people looked up and developed theories and explanations. Today's scientists are increasingly looking to their computers.

Today the power of supercomputing and visualization technology are providing a unique look into the mysteries of the universe ­ its birth, development and continuing evolution.

Cosmic Voyage is a visual story about the relative sizes of things in the universe. But it is also a testimony to the scientific ability of today's technology and a promise of its future. The film, which opens August 9 at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC, has two of the largest and best astronomical simulations ever done. Close to 15 minutes of the 35-minute film are original computer animation.

"This IMAX film is the first ever to contain this much computational science and observational data as well as work from major Hollywood computer graphics experts," said Cox, who is also a University of Illinois professor of art and design. "Fourteen minutes of 4,000 pixel high-resolution IMAX computer graphics is unheard of in the industry...this film is on the cutting edge of IMAX film-making, technology, science and edutainment."

The animation was made possible through a major collaboration. Cox orchestrated the joint effort between Pixar Animation Studios (creators of Toy Story), Princeton University, the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC), NCSA, Santa Barbara Studios, Electronic Visualization Lab (EVL) at University of Illinois at Chicago and the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC).

Together they produced simulations taking viewers through the evolution of the universe. The SIGGRAPH excerpt includes two supercomputer simulations. The first simulation represents two billion years in the early universe when matter condensed along filaments that formed galaxies. It was created by Summers and simulated and visualized on NCSA's supercomputer, the SGI POWER CHALLENGEarray. The second simulation representing the collision and merger of two spiral galaxies was developed at UCSC, simulated at SDSC and visualized at NCSA.

"The simulations and visualizations were much more of a supercomputing, mass storage and networking problem than anyone envisioned it would be," Cox said. "This project moved from a Hollywood production to a major supercomputer/mass store challenge."

From cyberspace to outer space

The simulations generated over 150 gigabytes of raw data, a quantity as mystifying and remote as the stars seemed to early humankind. Cutting-edge visualization technology transformed that raw data into 100 gigabytes of meaningful and realistic high-resolution images.

The Star Renderer, developed by PIXAR senior research scientist Loren Carpenter, efficiently created realistic images that resemble Hubble photographs from the data sets. Erik Wesselak, NCSA visualization software programmer, developed the interface between the data sets and the PIXAR Star Renderer.

To visualize the simulations, NCSA researchers Patterson and Cox conceived and designed the Virtual DirectorTM. EVL virtual environment research programmer Marcus Thiebaux designed and developed the Virtual Director software. It allowed Patterson to choreograph a visual path through data displayed visually in NCSA's CAVETM, a surround-screen, surround-sound, projection-based virtual reality (VR) system that allows total immersion in 3D computer graphics.

"Instead of typing, clicking and dragging, the Virtual Director allows you to use voice commands and a spatially tracked wand to fly around the galaxies and position the virtual camera," Patterson said. "Using the Virtual Director in the CAVE provides a more intuitive and creative environment than the standard desktop interface." This was the first time VR has been used to choreograph the camera motion for an IMAX film.

NCSA, a unit of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is dedicated to advancing leading-edge technologies in information and high-performance computing and communications in academia and industry. The center is under the leadership of Director Larry Smarr. Major funding to support its mission is received from the National Science Foundation, corporate partners, the State of Illinois and the University of Illinois. Cosmic Voyage, a production of Cosmic Voyage Inc., is funded by Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum and the Motorola Foundation, with additional support from the NSF.

 
 
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