The Center for Advanced Visualization, Computation and Modeling (CAVCaM) is an integrated science center of the Desert Research Institute (DRI). As an integrated science center, the aim of CAVCaM is to bring together diverse areas of research to bring about synergistic scientific achievements. Unlike other DRI centers, CAVCaM does not itself focus on a particular area of environmental research. Rather, CAVCaM looks to augment the broad spectrum of DRI research areas with the tools and techniques of computer graphics research, particularly visualization renderings and virtual reality interfaces.
CAVCaM includes a variety of computational and visualization hardware and software, plus a small staff to consociate DRI researchers with the Center's hardware and software. Since the aim of CAVCaM is primarily not insolarty research into computer graphics techniques, the Center strives to work with other DRI researchers at a variety of levels. Center personnel are developing software that will directly interface to file formats in common use at DRI. This will allow many scientists to submit their data and within a few minutes view it on one of the advanced display devices. From there, collaboration with the researcher may scale up from some basic modifications, to improving existing visualization tools, to long-term, large scale research collaborations funded through external agencies.
The CAVCaM capabilities include the availability of state-of-the-art visualization and virtual reality tools and hardware. It also includes a team of researchers and programmers with expertise in visualization and virtual reality software and techniques. The Center's aim is to bring this expertise to collaborative efforts with other DRI faculty to enhance the process and results of ongoing and future environmental research.
The CAVCaM facilities include the Vislab room in the Maxey building, a 40 CPU SGI Altix, a Visbox immersive stereoscopic display, a FLEX/CAVE system in the Maxey basement, and a soon to be completed 6-sided cave in the new Computational Research and Visualization Building. CAVCaM also provides video conferencing services via Access Grid Node systems located on the Reno and Las Vegas campuses. Further details are available on the CAVCaM Facilities page.
CAVCaM is involved in a number of ongoing projects that touch each of the divisions of DRI. Currently, the Center's primary source of funding is through the U.S. Army's Simulation and Training Technology Center (STTC) via a federal research grant. In addition to funding the FLEX/CAVE, the Visbox immersive displays, and the future 6-sided cave, the funding from STTC provides internal funding for a handful of inaugural projects to introduce many DRI scientists to the capabilities of CAVCaM.