Contextual Visualization of Adaptive Meshes using YT

Sammanfattning

This thesis project is a collaboration between the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and Linköping University. The aim is to integrate visualizations from astrophysical simulations generated with the python package yt into the OpenSpace software. This integration was developed due to yt’s limited support for contextual visualization and support for immersive environments. However, yt is effective at processing and rendering unstructured adaptive mesh refinement hierarchical grids. OpenSpace, on the other hand, provides the tools for public exploration through its immersive experience and user-friendly interface, but lacks the support for AMR hierarchical grids. By combining the strengths of yt with the visualization capabilities of OpenSpace, it will enhance the accuracy of scientific visualizations and make complex data more accessible. This collaboration bridges the gap between detailed scientific research and broader public understanding, promoting enhanced scientific understanding and encouraging the development of future researchers. To integrate yt into OpenSpace, volume rendering is accomplished and displayed through a pyglet application window, utilizing the yt-idv package within yt. The volume rendering is then processed as an OpenGL texture and transmitted to OpenSpace via a Spout sender. This results in a prototype with two separate windows: OpenSpace and the Pyglet application window, each with its own individual functionality. The aim of the project was achieved by integrating yt into OpenSpace. The pipeline adapts yt’s AMR hierarchical grids for OpenSpace’s structured grid, ensuring accurate volume rendering with minimal data loss. The use of Spout for media transfer demonstrates the feasibility of displaying these grids in OpenSpace. This integration also enhances the presentation of astrophysical research by facilitating interactive 3D visualizations of simulations, which can assist researchers and educators in explaining complex astrophysical phenomena. However, there remains potential for improvements, such as design aspects, compatibility with macOS and Linux operating systems, and sending information from OpenSpace back to yt.