Interactive 3D Space Group Visualizer
Eckhard Hitzer, Christian B. U. Perwass · Acta Crystallographica Section A Foundations of Crystallography · 2008
Typically the principal reason for developing of remote access services for an X-ray diffractometer system, is the potential to increase the efficiency of use, and user base, of the instrument.Remote access also facilitates the teaching of at least some of the practical aspects of crystallographic data collection.Given variable latency in the fabric of the internet, an important consideration is to the need to ensure safe operation of the remote instrument.With this in mind, we are incorporating a virtual representation of an instrument within a Web browser driven remote access service for the instrument.In addition to providing a means of training users without risking real instrument or human injury, the use of a virtual model offers a means of safely demonstrating and assessing a data collection strategy.A virtual representation also has the important benefit of providing a low-bandwidth, interactive and immediately interpretable view of the current state of the instrument, that offsets the 'dark lab' problem arising when lighting is switched off or a web-cam fails.The virtual model can be inspected from all angles and distances, and so provides flexibility not possible with a Web-cam.We are developing models for a conventional laboratory instrument, and a synchrotron beamline instrument.Web services are being used to underpin the remote access service, and a Web-cam view compliments the virtual view.