Centre for Virtual Reality and Visualistion

Since 2012, the Centre for Virtual Reality and Visualisation – or V2C for short – has been supporting researchers to visualise data and bring research results into the spatial words of augmented, virtual and mixed reality (AR, VR, MR).

Visualisation is the art of illustrating complex data structures so that researchers and all of us can better understand them. Images of the largest interstellar turbulence to date, an astonishing visualisation of the blood flow in arteries and veins, the VR applications on the history of the planet or hydrology in Bavaria as well as new approaches to environmental communication using Augmented Reality: Since 2012, we have been working with scientists and students of the natural sciences and humanities to produce groundbreaking results. Our V2C team combines experience, knowledge, state-of-the art software and hardware technologies and passion.

V2C Showcase

Immerse yourself in fascinating digital worlds: Explore an ancient Babylonian villa in impressive detail, experience an interactive simulation of a quantum computer or float with us through breathtaking baroque ceiling paintings - let this video give you an impression of our work.

Our mission: to make research data tangible

We provide state-of-the-art hardware and software as well as knowledge in the fields of visualisation and visualisation technologies and support research at the highest international level. Not only do we use our expertise in the fields of visualisation, virtual and augmented reality to support researchers, but we also pursue our own research and implement visualisation projects in collaboration with scientists.

The use cases for virtual reality and scientific visualisation are diverse: from psychology and medicine to fluid mechanics, the visualisation of art objects and much more.

At the LRZ, we have the right hardware and software for many application cases and make various visualisation options available to users. We work together to determine which visualisation and technology is best suited to which application. The quality of the data or the possibilities of the interaction are only two of the factors that determine the interplay between hardware, software and excellent results.

LED-CAVE

Sharper images, brighter colours, higher resolution: The LED cave at the LRZ takes the shape of an open 5-sided cube and has consisted entirely of LED panels since 2023. It provides researchers with a higher resolution and significantly improved image quality, as well as greater reliability and simpler use than the previous projector-based system.

LED-CAVE

Powerwall

That cinema feeling in a league of its own: The Powerwall uses 4k projectors to produce high-quality images. What is especially helpful for researchers is the projection is from the rear, which avoids shadows being cast when viewing the scientific data.

Powerwall

3D LED-Display

The 3D LED display is the finishing touch the high-end hardware infrastructure in the V2C. Excellent brightness and contrast values amaze visitors even in daylight.

3D LED-Display

Visualisation Software

Which software is the right one to visualise my scientific data? We offer and support a selection of different programs, including Amire and EnSight.

To our documentation

State-of-the-art research in VR

The digital twin
CompBioMed

The visualisation of blood flow in the forearm was created as part of the international CompBioMed research project, for which around 20 universities, research institutes and supercomputing centres have been developing technologies for the digitalisation of medicine and pharmacy under the supervision of chemist and computer scientist Dr Peter Coveney at the University College London (UCL) since 2016. The focal point is the creation of a ‘virtual human’, a digital twin of the human being.

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Baroque art in Bavaria
Imperial hall, Bamberg

The Corpus of the Baroque Ceiling Painting (CbDD) has set its sights on comprehensively documenting, analysing and presenting the inventory of over 4,000 preserved and reconstructable art monuments from the period from around 1550 to 1800 in the Federal Republic of Germany. The result is an impressive realisation in virtual reality. One of which: The Imperial Hall at the New Residence in Bamberg.

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Contemporary witnesses in VR
LediZ

LediZ brings together educators, historians, linguists, social scientists and computer scientists. The V2C and service providers such as the Bright White design agency are lending their technology and experience to preserve accounts from contemporary witnesses like Abba Noar or Eva Umlauf, who spent the first few years of her life in work and concentration camps, for posterity, and prepare them for teaching.

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Inside a quantum computer
A virtual demo

You’ve always wanted to know what the inside of a quantum computer looks like. This fascinating visualisation from inside a cryostat will amaze you.

Watch for yourself