Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The degree to which visualization can be supported by a generic workstation is a function of the
workstation's overall system performance, specific hardware characteristics, the standards supported
by the system, and their affect on overall performance, including the availability of software drivers
and other interface technologies that may affect researcher's use or system performance.
Visualization is one of the most computationally intensive processing challenges for workstation-
based applications. Dedicated rendering workstations typically have the multiple, highest-speed
processors commercially available, a gigabyte or more of RAM, and at least one fast hard drive for
maximum image throughput. Special hardware or firmware graphics accelerators are typically used
to handle operations such as providing perspective, shading of figures, and refreshing the screen
quickly between redraws of images being manipulated in hardware that would otherwise have to be
communicated through the computer bus, executed on the main CPU, and then communicated to the
video card.
Software also profoundly affects the range of possibilities for visualizing simple graphics or complex
3D models. A visualization package written in Assembler by an accomplished programmer may
outperform a poorly written application even when the later is running on higher-performance
hardware. For example, if the application doesn't recognize the hardware graphics accelerator or
make up for the maximum amount of RAM available, the visualization application won't deliver as
much performance as possible. Similarly, the operating system may enhance or limit the
performance of the visualization application. Support for OpenGL-compatible graphics accelerators
and multiple processors is a basic requirement. Compatibility with industry-standard drivers, storage
media, and networking protocols is also essential.
When it comes to visualization on generic hardware, standards are a double-edged sword. The high
performance that is possible with specific graphics accelerators and software drivers and applications
may make the workstation virtually incompatible with any other applications, even other visualization
applications. The creation of a dedicated, high-speed visualization workstation by adding coprocessor
boards and special drivers on an otherwise generic workstation may be a viable option if the
enhanced performance and time savings is worth the additional expense and resources required to
maintain an additional system.
