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Overview
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Inv3rsion worked closely with Alias
programmers to extend Maya to allow it to
operate as a clustered visualization application.
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Project Requirements
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Our customer requirements for this solution were that it had to:
- Operate on a cluster of off-the-shelf Linux PC's
- Allow navigation of the scene with a VR wand
- Allow head-tracked stereo visualization
- Allow changes made on the desktop to update the virtual environment
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Our Solution
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In cooperation with Alias, we came to the conclusion that a plugin-based approach
would be the most beneficial to the end-user. This solution was determined to be:
- Full-Featured
- Rendering of the scene is done by Maya, so the VR display will have
the most accurate representation possible.
- Very little will be "lost in translation", which would have been a major
problem going through a third party VR application.
- Fast
- Our design allowed us to use a
lightweight data stream to synchronize the nodes. This allows for faster
screen refresh and scene updates.
- Maintainable
- The plugin-based approach ensures compatilbility with future versions of
Maya that offer the same API functionality.
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Results
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Our final solution came in three parts:
- The mayaVRDisplay plugin
This plugin runs on the visualization cluster nodes and is based on
VR Juggler, an open-source
framework that handles VR devices and syncronized rendering across a
cluster. The plugin enables seamless display of the Maya scene across
multiple screens as well as wand-based navigation of the scene.
- The mayaVRDesign plugin
This plugin resides on a machine running the usual Maya desktop interface.
Once the plugin is activated, any changes to the Maya scene are communicated to
the VR nodes, so designers and animators can load files, make changes, etc.
- SinterPoint Server
Inv3rsion's SinterPoint networking
architecture serves as the hub for desktop-to-VR communication, allowing
information to be communicated quickly & easily between the different nodes. It also
enables multiple VR installations to share an environment.
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Plugins enable a desktop version of Maya (left) to drive a cluster of computers that comprise
an immersive visualization system (right).
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More Information
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The solution described here is an example of the type of services we offer. If
you are interested in a similar solution to meet your own organization's
needs, please
contact us.
For information about Maya, please visit the
Alias website.
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