A NEW software technique will allow researchers to present interactive 3D models of their work that give readers the ability to scrutinise the findings and even make new discoveries. Developed by researchers at Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology, the technique involves interactive 3D visualisations being embedded into Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) files.

Co-developer Christopher Fluke, an astronomer based at Swinburne’s Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, said there was a trend away from physical, paper-based journals to fully online digital publications.

“In the past, the way you would have shared a 3D model is that you would either have to make a movie of it - so you might rotate that with one particular set of views, or you would have to present it as a series of individual images,” Dr Fluke said.

“The problem there is that as the person creating those movies, or those images, you are making decisions about what you want the reader to see.”

Dr Fluke, together with astronomer Dr David Barnes, developed a programming library, called S2PLOT, with the goal of making it easier for researchers to get their data in a 3D form.

It has since been extended to make it possible to export 3D models into an intermediate format that then can be fed directly into the PDF document.

Dr Fluke said the interactive method meant readers could scrutinise the data in a way that had not been previously available to them.

“So rather than seeing a static, single image of a 3D object, readers can click on the image, rotate it around, and view it from different angles, as well as zoom in and out,” he said.

“We have also looked at adding simple functions so that you can turn on and off labels or select different types of presentation formats for that data.”

The software will initially be aimed at other astronomers, but has applications over a wide range of sciences. The researchers expect to commercialise the software in the future.

“The great thing about the PDF format is that you don’t have to worry as a creator about the type of software or the computer that your ultimate reader is using,” Dr Fluke said.

“So putting it into a self-contained format, which has become a standard, makes it very easy for us to share these results.”

Further work on the software will involve making complex figures quicker to load and interact with, as well as considering whether there are ways to reduce file size.

Dr Fluke said there was also a specific application for education that involved creating an interactive textbook.

“So students can get a PDF document and have all of their 3D models integrated into that, which is a much better educational experience for them,” Dr Fluke said.

–Courtesy AUSTRALIA WIDE NEWS - 22/05/2008 10:30:00

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National Institute For Aviation Research (NIAR)

The National Institute For Aviation Research is a state-of-the art aviation research center, recognized for their contributions to aviation safety and performance.

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Description courtesy NIAR web site.

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