What is High Definition Volume Rendering?
High Definition Volume Rendering is a CPU-based, advanced visualization platform that allows original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in a variety of fields to deliver unparalleled quality, performance and scalability to their customers. Fovia's flexible, innovative XStream HDVR platform overcomes the inherent limitations of other imaging technologies, and enables local, enterprise-wide and remote volumetric rendering with off-the-shelf hardware. XStream HDVR delivers high fidelity 2D, 3D, 4D and 5D (e.g., fusion 4D) real-time rendering anytime, anywhere. By natively integrating XStream HDVR, OEMs can control their own proprietary product workflows. See Technology to learn more.
What sectors, fields and applications does Fovia support?
Fovia supports all fields that use volumetric data, including Medical, Dental, Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical, Scientific, Industrial, Seismic, Veterinary and 3D Printing. Visit Markets to learn more.
Who are your current customers?
Fovia’s customers, such as GE Healthcare, IBM, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Schlumberger, are widely respected in their fields. United States agencies such as NASA and the Department of Defense also use High Definition Volume Rendering. For a representative list, see Customers.
How easy is it to integrate the XStream HDVR engine?
Very easy. The component architecture of XStream HDVR provides multiple points of integration for OEM customers, allowing the easy incorporation of example code within proprietary applications. XStream HDVR is available in C++, Java and .NET, with bindings that support zero-download clients through HTML5 and mobile devices. See How to Integrate to learn more.
What is an SDK?
A Software Development Kit (SDK) is a set of software development tools that enable the creation of applications for a specific software package or development platform. Fovia provides the XStream HDVR SDK Suite for integration via implementation of its APIs and libraries within OEM imaging products.
Why not build our own 3D?
Why start from scratch and use a great deal of your R&D resources when Fovia has already created a solution that has been recognized as best-in-class? We know of many companies that have spent years developing their own 3D, and have come to us for integration once they realize that Fovia’s technology is superior. Integrating XStream HDVR allows your company to focus on its own product line development, while being able to offer world-class 2D, 3D, and 4D.
We are currently GPU-based, why should we switch? Does XStream HDVR work with existing GPU systems?
It is never too late to switch to a more scalable technology. A small amount of work in the short-term can provide significant long-term benefits. Once an XStream HDVR integration is complete, all volumetric data can be rendered on the CPU, including polygon objects, texture maps, UI components and any other renderable objects.
Fovia’s XStream HDVR engine provides anytime, anywhere image access. The option to invoke an existing GPU engine in executable code is available, this may limit where your software will run.
How does XStream HDVR perform in the cloud or in large-scale enterprise deployments compared with GPU-based solutions?
The XStream HDVR CPU-based solution is superior to GPU solutions for many reasons.
For the IT staff, deployments are greatly simplified. The server can be deployed across the enterprise or cloud since it can be virtualized. Additionally, XStream HDVR has no client hardware requirements because viewing is via a thin-client or a zero-download HTML5 viewer.
CPU-based rendering eliminates the challenges imposed by GPU solutions, giving the end user a richer experience. Interactive and final quality are virtually identical because there is no downsampling. The developer is freed from the complexities of GPU architecture and the hardship of compatibility testing (e.g., an NxM matrix of video cards vs. different versions of Windows).
XStream HDVR offers many additional benefits over GPU solutions including the ability to render large datasets with uncompromised interactive quality and performance, deliver high fidelity image quality (even on the largest monitors), run clients anywhere without compatibility issues (on any legacy hardware), and more—just ask or visit CPU vs. GPU!
From a development standpoint, why should I choose Fovia’s CPU-based solution over a GPU-based one?
XStream HDVR offers the significant development benefits over a GPU implementation:
- GPU programming is more difficult than CPU programming. XStream HDVR deploys smart algorithms, with clear advantages and much more flexibility than the “brute force” approach required by GPUs and OpenGL.
- XStream HDVR eliminates the GPU quality assurance headache—MxN matrix of each flavor of Windows against each type of video card—and yes, each one has to be tested!
- XStream HDVR allows integrators to build more flexible and less complex long-term implementations that are easier to maintain.
In addition, Fovia’s CPU-based solution deploys easily across the enterprise or to the cloud, lowers equipment cost, needs no special purpose hardware or graphics cards, requires less real estate, less power, and therefore produces less heat, and facilitates deployment to any number of clients.
Many times, developers assume that a GPU-based solution is “easier to implement,” and proceed down this path without doing a complete analysis. We do our best to educate potential customers about the pros and cons of various solutions so that they are able to make well-informed decisions. See CPU vs. GPU to learn more.
I know one of our larger competitors is working with you. How can I compete with them?
While that may be true, each customer determines how to use XStream HDVR to differentiate itself from its competitors. With XStream HDVR, Fovia’s OEM customers can enhance their own proprietary workflows and user interfaces, or develop new ones based on XStream HDVR. XStream HDVR allows High Definition Volume Rendering to be natively integrated into Fovia’s customers’ applications. Unlike many 3D solutions that are “stand-alone” plug-ins requiring end users to toggle back and forth between third-party developed pages, XStream HDVR enables OEM-driven, proprietary, embedded solutions.
For example, our many PACS customers’ implementations look very different from one another, even though they are all built using XStream HDVR.
Does any other company deliver the quality and performance of the XStream HDVR engine offered by Fovia?
No. It is too computationally complex for traditional GPU-based volume rendering methods to achieve interactive High Definition Volume Rendering, and other CPU-based solutions cannot match the quality and performance of our software, developed and continually improved during the past 10+ years. Visit Quality & Performance.
Is it possible to preview the quality of XStream HDVR on your website?
Yes. Go to the Gallery menu to find movies and images rendered with the XStream HDVR engine. Visit Supported Data Formats to browse images of different types of data and rendering modes.
When I look at your sample images, the detail looks almost too lifelike—how “real” is this?
It’s real and is a direct result of deep supersampling and our ability to highlight and independently adjust different aspects of the data, such as bone, muscle or vessels. While this may sound complicated, XStream HDVR is able to produce these images interactively and in real-time. Visit Quality & Performance.
How can I be sure that the quality and performance are really as good as Fovia claims?
See it for yourself. A side-by-side comparison is the best way to appreciate High Definition Volume Rendering. We strongly encourage potential customers to conduct a trial rendering of the same, self-selected datasets using both XStream HDVR and any other volume rendering engine of their choice (either their own or one of our competitors’). Compare the quality and performance side-by-side. We’re confident that once you experience High Definition Volume Rendering, you will want to switch to XStream HDVR. Contact Us to inquire about arranging a side-by-side comparison.
Visit Quality & Performance to learn more.
Does Fovia’s solution ever use data downsampling or sub-volume resampling?
No. Although most of our competitors use these techniques, the superior quality of High Definition Volume Rendering would not be possible if we did. The supersampling algorithms of XStream HDVR make its high quality interactive rendering possible. Request a demo to see our interactive supersampling for yourself!
Do you preprocess any data?
No. All volume rendering using XStream HDVR is done in realtime.
What is the difference between “rendering” data and “handling” data?
Other volume rendering solutions claim they can handle thousands of slices, but this is not the same as being able to render them. These solutions typically downsample or resample sub-volumes of the original data, as they are unable to truly render the entire dataset. Our XStream HDVR engine can actually render these large volumes, resulting in superior interactive performance and quality.
Fovia talks about the “data explosion.” At a certain point, won’t the dataset size become too big to render in real time?
No. Our solution’s performance has increased by over 100x since we developed our first solution. Fortunately, the processing power of CPUs has been following Moore’s Law for decades, doubling performance approximately every 18 months. While the “data explosion” is real, it has not kept pace with CPU performance growth. Since XStream HDVR is purely CPU-based, it is extremely scalable, and actually outpaces dataset growth. In addition, the performance gap between XStream HDVR and other solutions increases as dataset sizes increases.
Does Fovia’s solution work with off-the-shelf hardware?
Yes. Fovia’s XStream HDVR engine works with general purpose, off-the-shelf hardware and does not require a GPU.
Does XStream HDVR require any video cards or specialized processor boards?
No. Both of these approaches have significant scalability limitations. XStream HDVR is a true software-only solution.
Does XStream HDVR require OpenGL, DirectX or any third-party 3D graphic library?
No. XStream HDVR does not require OpenGL, DirectX or any third-party 3D graphic library. Our code is self-contained.
What operating systems does XStream HDVR support?
On the server side, Microsoft Windows, Macintosh OS X and Linux (both Ubuntu and Red Hat distributions) are supported. On the client side, Microsoft Windows, Macintosh OS X, Linux and any web-enabled device are supported.
Flexibility is critical in today’s market, as user requirements can be complex and often change rapidly. Fovia provides the broadest and most flexible platform options in the industry, with multiple client-server configuration options available for maximum platform interoperability.
Fovia’s OEM customers can easily and seamlessly mix and match their client-server configurations with Mac, Windows, Linux, mobile, cloud and web platforms.
What types of programming languages and platforms (server/client) are supported?
The XStream HDVR client API is written in Java, C++ and C#/.NET. XStream HDVR supports Mac and Windows OS, as well as multiple flavors of Linux. For mobile devices running as a thin‑client, XStream HDVR supports JavaScript/HTML5.
Does Fovia offer a zero-footprint product?
Yes. The F.A.S.T.® Cloud SDK platform employs a flexible class of web-based applications that provide anytime, anywhere access to advanced data visualization. For the creation of zero-footprint, HTML5 web clients and applications, F.A.S.T. Cloud SDK uses pure client-side JavaScript code that is automatically downloaded and supported on any web-enabled device. Fully functional windows, enabled by XStream HDVR, can be quickly and easily embedded into web pages. Through a client-side interface, OEMs can write advanced visualization applications one time and distribute them across any web browser or mobile device.
Visit F.A.S.T. Cloud SDK to learn more.
What memory requirements does XStream HDVR have?
When compared with GPU-based volume rendering solutions, XStream HDVR is able to address an order of magnitude more data without compromising image quality. Other CPU-based solutions need significantly more memory to even approach the quality and speed of XStream HDVR, and still cannot match its high performance.
Specifically, XStream HDVR requires that the dataset reside in memory, using only ~40% memory above the dataset size (+/- 5% depending upon dataset characteristics). For example, a 100MiB dataset on disk (two bytes per voxel) will use about 140MiB of total memory.
What is the minimum recommended bandwidth? How does XStream HDVR perform at lower bandwidths, such as a 1 Mbps connection?
Fovia recommends 4 Mbps bandwidth. However, XStream HDVR can certainly run well at 1 Mbps and 100 ms ping time, providing an interactive experience of 10 frames/second (close to theoretical best case). In certain circumstances, it may be acceptable to run XStream HDVR using bandwidth as slow as 768 kb and 200 ms pings.
Many of my customers are in remote parts of the state/world. What type of network is needed?
As with any volume rendering solution, bandwidth certainly affects end user interaction, but by itself does not affect rendering time on the server. XStream HDVR achieves excellent quality and performance even in low bandwidth situations (e.g., 1 Mbps and 100 ms ping time). Furthermore, Fovia’s API allows users to interactively adjust quality and performance to meet their specific needs.
How many exams can be loaded?
The answer to this question depends upon many variables. Unlike other systems, XStream HDVR does not require duplicate copies of the data, but instead performs processing on the original, single copy of the dataset. Additionally, XStream HDVR requires minimal memory overhead‑only about ~40% of the original data size—whereas many solutions require memory overhead 2x-4x the original data size. Contact Us to discuss your specific implementation.
How fast does data load?
Because Fovia doesn’t require any pre-processing like many other solutions, XStream HDVR loads data almost instantaneously from your application’s memory space or disk. In most cases, the time-to-first-image will be less than one second because the original image data (DICOM, SEG-Y, RAW or other cross-sectional data) will already have been loaded into your application’s memory space.
Our hospital has old desktop computers and laptops. How will XStream HDVR run on this hardware?
Since XStream HDVR rendering is done on the server, as long as the server hardware is sufficient, Fovia’s client-server based architecture allows otherwise outdated desktop computers and laptops to be used as fully-functional clients. Another solution to extend the useful life of your hardware is our zero-download client available via our F.A.S.T. Cloud SDK.
While I understand the benefits of client-server rendering, my device sits in the operating room and must be self-contained. Is XStream HDVR an option for me?
Yes. Both client and server can certainly run on the same system, so that the system is self-contained. This is one deployment strategy used by some of our customers. A key benefit of XStream HDVR architecture is that with a simple preference change your application could, if you choose, also support client-server in the future without any performance impact.
