Illustrative Visualization of Molecular Reactions using Omniscient Intelligence and Passive Agents

Authored by M. Le Muzic, J. Parulek, A. K. Stavrum, I. Viola

Date Published: 2014-06

DOI: 10.1111/cgf.12370

Sponsors: Norwegian Research Council (NRF) Vienna Science and Technology Fund

Platforms: No platforms listed

Model Documentation: Other Narrative

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

In this paper we propose a new type of a particle systems, tailored for illustrative visualization purposes, in particular for visualizing molecular reactions in biological networks. Previous visualizations of biochemical processes were exploiting the results of agent-based modeling. Such modeling aims at reproducing accurately the stochastic nature of molecular interactions. However, it is impossible to expect events of interest happening at a certain time and location, which is impractical for storytelling. To obtain the means of controlling molecular interactions, we propose to govern passive agents with an omniscient intelligence, instead of giving to the agents the freedom of initiating reaction autonomously. This makes it possible to generate illustrative animated stories that communicate the functioning of the molecular machinery. The rendering performance delivers for interactive framerates of massive amounts of data, based on the dynamic tessellation capabilities of modern graphics cards. Finally, we report an informal expert feedback we obtained from the potential users.

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