A report in Scientific Computing highlights the use of lidar to create impressive 3D visualizations of digital terrain models.
“It’s like a scene from a gamer’s wildest dreams: 12 high-definition, 55-inch 3-D televisions all connected to a computer capable of supporting high-end, graphics-intensive gaming. On the massive screen, images are controlled by a Wii remote that interacts with a Kinnect-like Bluetooth device (called SmartTrack), while 3-D glasses worn by the user create dizzying added dimensions.
But this real-life, computer-powered mega TV is not for gaming. It’s for engineering.
Welcome to Brigham Young University’s VuePod, a 3-D immersive visualization environment run by BYU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Student-built and operated, under the supervision of civil engineering professor Dan Ames, the VuePod is changing the way engineers are viewing environmental engineering challenges.”
“This is gold,” said fellow BYU civil engineering professor Kevin Franke. “This technology has the ability to revolutionize my job as an earthquake engineer.”
