LITE Advanced Visualization Facility Opens Doors
Sep 28, 2006 8:00 PM
Christie, a major provider of visual solutions for business, entertainment, and industry, announced that it has completed the installation and integration for multiple advanced-visualization environments for LITE (Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise)—one of the world’s largest and most advanced 3D immersive visualization and supercomputing facilities.
Opened to the public on September 20th with a ceremony highlighted by keynote presentations from Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, as well as Commissioner of Administration Jerry Luke LeBlanc, LITE is a $27 million, 70,000-square-foot complex and is one of the most comprehensive data visualization and supercomputing installations in existence.
Enabling users to collaborate and interact in realtime with even the most complex of datasets, LITE provides advanced visualization resources for commercial industry, government, and research organizations.
A joint effort of the State of Louisiana, the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, LITE features SGI computer and storage solutions that Christie integrated with a complete fiber-optic signal infrastructure and multiple Christie TotalView visualization display solutions including:
- TotalView 3D Immersive Environment
One of the world’s few six-sided fully immersive room environments, this custom developed visual cube features 10’x10′ display surfaces including the walls, floor, and ceiling. Powered by the DLP-based stereoscopic projection technology, Christie’s Mirage projectors, the sense of presence and data interaction is enhanced by tracking the motions and perspective of the user. - Immersive auditorium
The immersive theater-like setting boasts 175 seats facing an 11′ H x 40′ W curved screen. Powered by Christie Mirage projectors, LITE’s Immersive Auditorium can function in active or passive stereoscopic modes. - Immersive conference room
This lecture/presentation environment features a large-scale 3D display system that also features motion tracking. - Immersive collaboration teleconference room
Accommodating an audience of up to 25 people, this system is well suited for varied presentation formats including PowerPoint, videoconferencing, and other like applications.
One of the key features of LITE is that it brings local Lafayette businesses unprecedented access to technologies that were previously available only to the world’s largest energy, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing organizations. “LITE is not only a major cornerstone for future growth and economic development in Lafayette and Louisiana, but it will be a major factor on the global stage in terms of its impact,” says Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, executive director and chief scientist at LITE. “LITE is different in that it provides unparalleled team experience and the ability to cater to a wide variety of research projects and applications.”
“LITE is a one-of-a-kind facility synonymous with innovation and will provide a wide array of businesses access to cutting-edge visualization and compute technology. This will enable them to produce better results more efficiently and more economically. Christie is extremely proud to be part of such a complex and important venture, and a participant in fueling economic growth in Louisiana,” says David Fluegeman, vice president of Christie’s visual environments group.
