The document describes PV-4D, a parallel 3D rendering engine that can generate images from volumetric, triangular, and polygon datasets without requiring a GPU. It is capable of photorealistic and game-style rendering of huge datasets, works across multiple CPUs, and supports features like real-time interaction, slicing, and integration with OpenGL. Examples shown include CAD modeling, animated characters, seismic data visualization and triangulated models with hundreds of millions of triangles. The technology uses parallel CPU raytracing and optimized algorithms to allow real-time rendering of large datasets solely on CPU memory and cores.

1. © Tobias Goetz, Fraunhofer ITWM
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3D VIZ WITHOUT THE GPU
The PV-4D Render Engine

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Content
1. Introduction
2. Features
3. Examples
4. Technology
5. Target Applications & Competition
6. Implementation: XtreemView

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Introduction
PV-4D is
 a parallel 3D render engine, i.e. software/code to generate images from three (or
more) dimensional datasets.
 completely CPU based, i.e. does not require graphic hardware
 capable of rendering huge datasets
 scalable, i.e. adjust the hardware to the problem not vice versa.
 able to deliver photorealistic renderings as well as game/animation style images
 easy and intuitive to implement in a software solution

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Introduction
PV-4D directly supports three different kind of data types:
1. Volumetric Data (e.g. seismic data, MRI/CT datasets, 3D X-Rays, …)
2. Triangulated Objects (e.g. CAD/CAM, Games, Architecture, Film, …)
3. Polygon Objects (i.e. hexahedrons / tetrahedrons, e.g. reservoir simulations)
Besides those datasets, PV-4D has an interface for regular OpenGL programming,
thus users can add custom objects easily into and/or on top of a 3D scene

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Features
 High quality display of full real amplitude values (32bit float) in HD quality.
 Easy and gradual blending between two volumetric datasets.
 Volume rendering on entire datasets. Transparency set by alpha value for the
color, associated to certain values.
 Real-time support for full quality zoom, pan, and rotate, as well as scaling and
translating individual objects within the scene
 Perspective and parallel projection for easy orientation and fast, distortion free
browsing through large datasets.
 Easy cross-section displays and slicing of x, y and z planes.
 Easy advanced slicing along I, j, k hexa-planes with range selection in real-time
using rebuilt multi bounding volume hierarchy.
 Instant read-out of cursor position and amplitude value(s) at any given position.

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Features
 PV-4D directly supports triangles, voxels, hexahedrons; all other objects indirectly
with OpenGL
 Full scene graph for easy management of multiple objects
 OpenGL can co-exist in both directions using depth buffer management:
 PV-4D  OpenGL
 OpenGL  PV-4D
 Available 32bit z-Buffer for integration of user objects with OpenGL/Mesa
 On single node systems, OpenGL can be used directly on the GPU, on multi-node
systems, Mesa3D is used. Engine switches automatically
 Engine comes with documentation as well as example code snippets to illustrate
how it is used.

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Features
 State-of-the-art geometry handling (compiler, traversal, intersection)
 Full HDR pipeline
 Scene lighting using HDR environment maps (individual light sources under
development)
 High-Quality texture filtering
 High-Quality anti-aliasing
 C/C++ library (Intel compiler required to link because of specific intrinsics)
 Builds under Linux, Windows and Mac (parallel version only for Linux)

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Examples
High-Quality CAD Visualization
 ~ 25 million triangles
 Resolution: 2800 × 1050
 Full ray differentials
 HQ texture and normalmap filtering
 Un-compressed textures (up to 4k x 4k)
 16x anti-aliasing
 Mitchell-Netravali-Filter reconstruction
 Fully interactive framerate

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Examples
Dynamic Fairy With Shadows
 ~ 170,000 triangles (< 5 ms rebuild)
 Keyfreame animation with 100k triangles
 Resolution: 2800 × 1050
 Full ray differentials
 HQ texture and normalmap filtering
 Un-compressed textures (up to 2 k × 2 k)
 8 × anti-aliasing
 Cone-filter reconstruction
 > 60 fps on average

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Examples
Triangulated CAD Model
 ~ 350 million triangles
 Resolution: 2800 × 1050
 Triangles distorted/displaced on
purpose by model provider
 No textures, but up to uncompressed
4k x 4k possible
 Fully interactive framerate on a single
workstation

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Examples
Interactive Volume Rendering
 2x 57GB seismic dataset
 First rendered using volume rendering,
focusing on interesting layers with high
amplitude values
 Second rendered as regular volume and cut
back to reveal transparent one
 Resolution: 1900 x 1050
 Full 32bit float value used
 Fully interactive framerate on a dual
workstation setting

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Technology
 Realtime CPU-based parallel
Raytracing, i.e.
 no special graphics hardware
required, and
 no bandwidth bottleneck between
main memory and GPU memory.
 Keep all data in memory: instant
access at all times
 Parallel and scalable: match hardware
to problem!
 Parallel handling of data: double the
hardware, double the speed
Main Memory, RAM (256GB)
CPU
File System
Graphic Card
4 – 8 GB
~100 GB/s
~8 GB/s
Main Memory, RAM (256GB)
CPU
Main Memory, RAM (256GB)
CPU
Main Memory, RAM (256GB)
CPU
Main Memory, RAM (256GB)
CPU
Main Memory, RAM (256GB)
CPU
Main Memory, RAM (256GB)
CPU
Main Memory, RAM (256GB)
CPU
Main Memory, RAM (256GB)
CPU
Parallel File
System
~100 GB/s each
Classic approach:
Data runs through
GPU for visualization
and needs to go
through 8GB/s
bottleneck.
PV-4D approach:
Omit GPU and do all
visualization on CPU
and in parallel.

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Technology: GPI2
 Partitioned Global Address Space (PGAS) solution by Fraunhofer ITWM
 Allows to create large block of memory over many compute nodes with direct
read and write access for all nodes  asynchronous communication
 Uses Ethernet (10GB / 40GB) or Infiniband Interconnects
 Allows fastest image composition even with large number of compute nodes
(the more nodes are calculating an image, the harder the compositing step)

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Technology
 Several patented algorithms for under-the-hood tasks
 Fast algorithms for bounding volume hierarchy (BVH) traversing
 Hybrid acceleration structures with dual multi BVH
 State of the art quad / hexahedron intersection detection
 Realtime primitive compilers
 Fastest software based image compositing over many nodes

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Anyone who needs fast,
large scale data
visualization
Oil & Gas
Communication
Processing & Interpretation
Interpretation Departments
Processing DepartmentsAutomotive
Design Stage
Virtual Showroom
Medical X-Ray, CRT, MRI
Filming/
Gaming
Animated Movies
Fast CGI
Architecture
Life walk-through
Photorealistic
…
Possible Application Fields

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QUESTIONS?
Tobias Goetz
North-America Representative
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM)
Competence-Center High-Performance Computing
San Francisco, CA 94103
cell: +1 (510) 908-0867
mail: tobias.goetz@itwm.fraunhofer.de