Using Cinematic Effects to Visualize the Deep Water Impact Data Set

Abstract

The process of data visualization often involves a balance between art and science. Data must be presented in such a way that preserves their accuracy and integrity, while incorporating many, somewhat subjective, artistic elements such as color, composition, depth, and others. The latter elements help the viewer to distinguish between variables, to perceive a range of values, to identify regions of scientific interest, and to orient themselves spatially in the virtual scene. This paper briefly explores the application of different cinematic effects, such as camera movement, camera focus, slow motion, color, lighting, and the use of various graphical shaders as a means of animating data in a way that is artistically compelling and engaging, while remaining accurate and informative.