In this the most common configuration, all of the data for a particular visualization system is generated prior to using Eye-Sys. The data is brought into Eye-Sys via input objects (e.g., a database reader) and used to drive a visualization created by manually adding, configuring, and arranging manipulator objects, display objects, and display systems. Data from many sources can be used (including generating data within Eye-Sys) but there is no live data feed or interaction with other applications.

A slightly augmented version of this configuration is one where the visualization system is not created manually; instead, the visualization system is created by a separate program or script. This separate program typically has knowledge of a complex system and uses that knowledge to write out an XML based Eye-Sys project file. This approach works well for systems that are too complex or intricate to be reasonably created manually.

In many system architectures one or more applications produce data that must be visualized at run-time. Eye-Sys can operate as the back end to such systems by gathering data while they run and using it to drive visualizations. Eye-Sys has an extensive COM interface that permits other applications to do programmatically almost anything a user can do manually. This feature allows applications to create or open visualization systems and access the objects inside of it for the purposes of sending data to them, changing any of their properties, or reconfiguring the system altogether.

In the event that one or more of the data producing applications is not able to use COM there are two options available: use the SDK to create custom objects that can communicate with the applications (e.g., a custom input object that uses sockets) or create a small “bridge” application that communicates with the applications and then uses COM to communicate with Eye-Sys.

In addition to pulling data from applications at run-time, Eye-Sys can also be used to control them. In these situations Eye-Sys acts as the front end and user interface to systems of one or more applications working in tandem. Control panels, visualization systems, and custom scripts can be combined to both visualize data at run-time and communicate commands and settings to the system via COM (or one of the other methods described in the previous section).

Using Eye-Sys in this manner can often combine the tasks of presenting data and controlling its production in a unified environment for end users. For example, a steering wheel control could send navigation input to a vehicle simulation application. That application could use that input during the next time step and send position/orientation data back to Eye-Sys to be visualized.

It is also possible to use Eye-Sys in all three of these configurations at once. The visual programming nature of Eye-Sys means that any of its pieces can be used independently, in conjunction with each other, or not at all. A single system in Eye-Sys is free to load and visualize static data from a database, collect data from a live network resource, and provide an interface to a third party application.

When considering Eye-Sys the question does not have to be “which of my tools will it replace?” It can also be “will Eye-Sys enhance any part of my system?” Sign up for a free evaluation to find out.