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Technology for research

Visualization and Digitization Systems

From scientific and information visualization tools to advanced media techniques, 3D digitization methods, and interactive exhibit development, we can help you optimize the way you gather, examine, and present information.

Advanced Visualization Lab

The UITS Advanced Visualization Lab (AVL) promotes and supports the innovative application of visual technologies to enhance research, education, creative activity, and community outreach missions at IU. We offer consulting on advanced media techniques; consulting and production for 3D printing, models, and environments; and resources for utilizing virtual and augmented reality.

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Visualization Systems

AVL’s distributed systems include large-format, ultra-resolution displays for visualization and collaboration (IQ Walls) distributed across multiple campuses and departments, along with specialty display installations and a range of online software tools and services.

  • Crystal Display Wall

    Largest curved, mobile CLED display in the world; located at the Cyberinfrastructure Building (CIB) in Bloomington.

  • The Collectome

    An open, web-based service for creating and exhibiting collections of web-based media for viewing on IQ-Walls or personal systems.

  • IQ-Walls at IU

    Large format, ultra-high resolution, tiled video display systems located at IU Bloomington, IUPUI, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU Southeast, and IU South Bend.

  • Science on a Sphere

    A 6-foot spherical display for presenting scientific and informational visualizations; located at the Cyberinfrastructure Building (CIB) in Bloomington.

Visualization consulting

We offer short-, medium-, and long-term consulting services for IU researchers, educators, and artists seeking to use advanced visualization techniques and technologies to enhance their work.

Advanced imaging

AVL’s Advanced Imaging team provides services and expertise for specialized 2D media formats. Technologies and services cover the acquisition, processing, and presentation of advanced formats such as spherical 360, stereoscopic 3D, ultra-high resolution, high dynamic range, and multi-view imaging.

  • 360 and 3D imaging

    Acquire spherical 360 or stereoscopic 3D images or video from real of synthetic worlds for use in virtual tours and environments.

  • Multi-view imaging

    Computer-controlled turntables and DSLR cameras provide professional-quality capture of objects or artifacts for presentation or analysis.

  • Augmented Reality and Reconfigurable IQ-Walls

    This project demonstrates the use of augmented reality technology to pre-visualize potential arrangements of AVL’s reconfigurable IQ-Wall display technology.

  • Dimensionalization of 2D Art

    AVL collaborated with staff from the Eskenazi Museum of Art to create 3-dimensional versions of iconic art pieces for enhancing education and outreach.

  • Life Inside a Globular Cluster

    A web-based virtual experience of how the night sky would appear if you lived on a planet at or near the center of a globular star cluster, developed with IU Bloomington astronomy researchers based on their HPC simulations.

  • Campus Limestone Tour

    An annotated spherical 360 tour of the Old Crescent buildings of IU Bloomington, focused on features of the limestone buildings; developed in conjunction with IGWS.

IU3D

The IU3D initiative unifies the digitization, display, and distribution of 3D content at IU. This includes projects as varied as digitizing biological specimens, running large-scale 3D scans of facilities and cultural heritage collections, and bringing artwork into a 3D environment.

Exhibit development services

Digitized objects and spaces are useful only when effectively shared to enhance research, education, or outreach missions. Our exhibit development services are the complement to our digitization services and cover both online and in-person exhibit technologies. Exhibit development services are available through medium- and long-term consulting projects.

  • Online exhibits

    Supported technologies include immersive virtual tours with annotations, interactive 3D object viewers, browsable interfaces for collections, and best practices for data management and metadata.

  • In-person exhibits

    Technologies and techniques include multi-touch interfaces, large-format and holographic displays, projection mapping, virtual and augmented reality, and high-end 3D prints.

IU 3D showcase

Our work covers a wide variety of projects at IU and beyond.

  • Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit

    IU3D partnered with the IU Office of the Bicentennial and AVL to provide a range of physical exhibits and content for this mobile museum.

  • Campus Quest

    Developed for the Traveling Bicentennial Exhibit, this 360 experience, originally presented in a VR headset, allows users to visit interior and exterior spaces on of each of IU’s eight campuses.

  • Herron School Galleries

    IU3D has partnered with the Herron School of Art + Design at IUPUI to document its public galleries where exhibits change every three months.

  • The Lilly Library from A to Z

    IU3D collaborated with Darlene Sadlier and curators at the Lilly Library to digitize realia and create this 3D companion site to Sadlier’s book.