An Overview of the Visualization, Media and Imaging Laboratory

1
An Overview of the Visualization, Media and
Imaging Laboratory
ITG Forum
Ben Grosser
August 31, 2000
2
Information

• The VMIL is a facility of the Imaging Technology
  Group (ITG)

• Hours
• Open 24/7/365
• Fees
• BI-Affiliate 37/month
• Non-BI 65/month
• (hourly charges for a few items)
• Web/Email
• vmil_at_itg.uiuc.edu
• http//www.itg.uiuc.edu/
• New User Orientation
• Approximately 45 minutes
• Held Regularly Wed _at_1pm, Fri _at_10am

3
Usage Categories

• Image Processing/Creation
• Quantitative Image Analysis
• Data Acquisition
• Data Backup
• AV Editing/Recording
• 3D Animation/Modeling
• Scientific Visualization
• Scientific Computing
• Research Presentation

4
Hardware Resources

• Computing Infrastructure
• Fast Ethernet Networking
• 2 IBM F50 MP Servers
• 1TB disk
• 1.5TB Magstar Backup Library

• Computer Platforms
• Macintosh
• PowerPC G4
• PC-compatible
• Pentium-III, Xeon,
• AMD Athlon
• Silicon Graphics
• R10000, Max Impact
• R5000, O2
• IBM RS/6000
• Power2, PowerPC

• Printing (BISS)
• HP 8000 duplex B/W
• Tektronix Phaser 450 Dye-Sub (2)
• Tektronix Phaser 560 color laser (2)
• Tektronix Phaser 600 wide-format
• Stratasys Genisys XS 3D Modeler (ITG)

5
Imaging Hardware

• Leaf Systems Leafscan45
• 35mm-gt4x5, positive/negative, 5000dpi
• Umax Powerlook 3000
• letter size, positive/negative, 3000dpi
• Umax Mirage IIse
• tabloid size, positive/negative, 1400dpi
• Umax Powerlook
• legal size, positive/negative, 2400dpi
• Nikon LS-2000/1000
• 35mm, 2400dpi
• Lasergraphics LFR Mark-II/III
• 35mm Film Recorder, 4000/8000 dpi

• Leafscan45 _at_ 4000 dpi 52m? section,
• mouse somatosensory cortex
• Image courtesy of William Greenough

6
Multimedia Resources

• Audio EQ
• Mackie 24x Mixing Console
• Leitch Audio DA
• AKG Solidtube Mic
• Aphex Mic Preamp
• Tascam CD
• Tascam DAT
• 2 Sound Isolation Booths
• Alesis Audio Compressor
• Rane Parametric EQ
• Hafler Amp
• Tannoy PBM 6.5 Studio Monitors

• Tasks
• Project Documentation
• Broadcast-Quality Video Production
• Audio Recording
• Data Capture
• Audio/Video Data Analysis
• Quicktime/Streaming Conversion
• Still-frame Capture
• Uncompressed Video Capture
• Format Conversion
• Tape Dubbing
• Noise Reduction
• Audio Editing

• Software
• Avid MediaComposer
• Premiere 5.0
• After Effects 4.0
• Media Cleaner Pro 4.0
• Composer
• Eddie

• Video Formats
• Beta SP
• miniDV (9/00)
• DVCAM (9/00)
• DVCPRO (9/00)
• DVD (9/00)
• S-VHS
• VHS
• Hi8
• 8mm
• NTSClt-gtPALlt-gtSecam

7
Software Resources

• Image Processing/Analysis/Editing
• Adobe Photoshop
• Imaging Research AIS
• Amerinex Applied Imaging Aphelion
• Image Processing Toolkit (IPT)
• Noesys (Spyglass, etc)
• NIH Image
• Digital Micrograph
• Freehand
• Illustrator
• DeBabelizer

• Multimedia Production
• Avid MC1000
• Adobe Premiere
• Director
• Eddie
• Composer
• After Effects
• Sound Forge
• SoundEdit
• MediaCleaner Pro

• Scientific Visualization
• Cerius2, Quanta, etc.
• Analyze
• Noesys/Spyglass Transform, Plot
• Chemdraw
• Kaleidagraph

• 3D Animation/Modeling
• Softimage 3D Extreme FX
• Alias Wavefront Maya

• Layout/Design
• Quark Xpress
• Adobe PageMaker
• Adobe InDesign

• Miscellaneous
• Omnipage (OCR)
• Office Packages
• CD-writers
• Graphics Converters

8
Special Services

• General
• Short-term, finite projects
• Extensive assistance with a particular package
• Charged by the hour
• Evaulation on a project-by-project basis

• Examples
• Image clean-up
• Difficult or one-off scans
• Video Editing
• Package Tutorials

Visualization of ions in a Ca Channel Data by
Manoj Gupta, Karl Hess, et. al. Image produced by
Ben Grosser and Janet Sinn-Hanlon
9
Example Projects

• Language Acquisition How knowledge of sentence
  structure guides sentence interpretation.
• Dr. Cynthia Fisher, Assoc. Professor, Psychology,
  Beckman Insitute

• Tools Used
• Avid
• Audio/Video
• Soundedit

Study of word order as a structural cue to
sentence interpretation, using simultaneously
viewed multiple videos. Both videos show the same
causal action the two versions differ only in
which of the same two characters was the agent of
the action.
Frames from videos used by Dr. Fisher to conduct
language acquisition research with young
children. Videos were created using Avid Media
Composer.
10
Example Projects

• Visualization of Self-Assembling Nanostructures
  in 3D
• Dr. Janelle Gunther, Postdoctoral Research
  Associate, Beckman Institute

• Tools Used
• Maya
• custom software
• Photoshop

Investigation of self-assembling nanostructures
as materials for low friction coatings,
biomaterials applications, and as tiny circuit
elements.
20x20 micron tapping mode AFM scan of a
biopolymer of cholesterol-lactide. 3D rendering
done with Maya.
10x10 micron tapping mode AFM scan of the
island-like texture in self-assembling
nanostructured molecules. All domains (0.2 micron
diameter) are equal to the height of a single
nanostructure.
11
Example Projects

• Instructional Media Research Project
• James S. Javenkoski Dept. of Food Science and
  Human Nutrition
• Dr. Shelly J. Schmidt

Investigation of how learner comprehension of a
selected food chemistry topic is affected by the
form of instructional media in which the topic is
depicted
Frames from a first animation test showing water
molecule action under different temperatures.
Molecule created in Cerius2, converted using
mol2mel and animated in Softmage 3D.
12
New Equipment and Capabilities, Fall 2000

• DVD Authoring System and Related Hardware
• Geometrix 3Scan 3D Laser Scanner
• Final Cut Pro Video Editing Station (with
  Firewire hookup)
• Intergraph Zx10 VE Workstation (Dual 933 mHz
  Pentium III)
• Apple Macintosh G4 (Dual 500 mHz) 2
• Significant Increase in user file storage capacity

13
Upcoming Forums, Reference
Forums

• Jim Javenkoski, Use of Softimage 3D in Current
  Research, 9/7/00
• Jo Wozniak, Canon XL1 miniDV Video Camera,
  9/28/00
• Rob Gillespie, Scientific Applications of Maya,
  TBA

Reference

• http//www.itg.uiuc.edu/
• http//www.itg.uiuc.edu/vmil/

14
the end.
15
DVD Authoring (9/2000)

• Sonic DVD Creator
• Macintosh G4 Workstation
• Pioneer DVR-S201 DVD-R Drive
• Canon XL1 Mini-DV Camcorder
• Panasonic AJ-D450 Edit Deck (Mini-DV, DVCAM,
  DVCPRO)
• JVC BR-DV600 Edit Deck
• Toshiba SD-9200 Consumer DVD-Video Player
• Pioneer DVD-V7400 Industrial DVD-Video Player
• Widescreen monitors
• DVD-ROM Drives for all VMIL Workstations