Software — free catalog
Astromaterials 3D Website and Explorer Application
A NASA software catalog entry available for reuse or request.
About this technology
Overview
This is the first virtual library of NASAs collections of Apollo Lunar and Antarctic meteorite samples. This web-based custom visualization tool presents each extraterrestrial rock in a visually stunning.
Release notes
Streaming this data over the web requires a clever approach that avoids transmitting the voxel dataset to the browser and instead simulates the result of viewing each XCT slice using a combination of sprite graphics in the browser canvas and on demand high resolution downloads. This data is rendered in real time in the users browser using WebGL, a technology that enables high performance, hardware-accelerated 3D visualizations in the browser. The result is a performant, lean application that requests from the server only the data required to meet a users expectations. High-fidelity data is streamed on-demand resulting in a very high-quality sample visualization with the lowest possible bandwidth and browsing computer processing power requirements.