PxStream: Remote Visualization for Distributed Rendering Frameworks

When dealing with extremely large data sets or computationally expensive rendering pipelines, local workstations may not be able to render the full data set or maintain interactive frame rates. In these cases, high-performance graphics clusters can be leveraged for distributed rendering. However, this traditionally has removed real-time feedback from the visualization system. In order to harness the power of distributed rendering and the real-time nature of local rendering, we developed PxStream - a streaming framework to transfer dynamically rendered images from high-performance graphics clusters to remote machines in real-time. PxStream clients can range from a standard computer with single monitor to a cluster-driven tiled display wall. Additionally, the PxStream server supports multiple concurrent endpoints to allow collaborators at different physical locations to simultaneously view the image stream. Initial tests demonstrate that PxStream can simultaneously stream 66 megapixel images to two locations at nearly 50 frames per second.