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2. Architecture of the Visualization WWW server

2. 7. Creating the visualization

The visual objects as they are created by the visualization modules are converted to VRML worlds [1]. This approach has been suggested earlier by Wood et al. [17] who used VRML to distribute visualized environmental data. Wood et al. ran an IRIS Explorer based visualization system which was controlled via the WWW. The system is dedicated to allow access to environmental data which is provided with the system. Compared to the approach suggested here, one would say that the data resides at the server's site. The visualization is then exported as a VRML world. The system described here, however, allows the visualization of data that is supplied with the server as well as data from the user. Therefore, it has a much larger potential for a wide range of applications. It also allows the user to combine visualization from different sources in a single image.

We take an approach similar to Wood et al. only for transmitting the visualization. As soon as the VRML structures are created from the visualization pipeline the JAVA visualization daemon notifies the JAVA front end applet at the client's site.

Fig. 5: Flow Visualization of vortices near a blunt fin transmitted to the VRML Viewer. The visualization may be interactively viewed using standard interaction functions of the VRML Viewer.