Notes
=====
THIS IS A REPOSITORY OF DATA AND CONVERTOR TOOLS
for MY VISUALIZATION CLASS.
IT HAS SOME OVERLAP WITH MY VISUALIZATION DATA REPOSITORY 
==============================================

3DS = 3D Studio File format.  This is one of the 
	most popular 3D formats out there.  See my
	book "3D Graphics File Formats" by Keith Rule.
	Unfortunately, it is in binary!  I think we should
	create a text form of this!

PLY format: from Stanford and UNC, 
	--http://www.cc.gatech.edu/projects/large_models/ply.html
	--There are readers available at the above site.
	--polygonal models
	--can be in ascii or binary (at website, it is ascii)
	--

plot3D (software and data format)
	-- software for visualization of aerodynamic simulation, from NASA
	-- how to get it: http://www.nas.nasa.gov/~walatka/plot3d.distribution
	-- for educational institutions : $200 (+$50 for TURB3D)
	-- it has its own data format, see

SAMPLE DATASETS from NASA: 
	http://www.nas.nasa.gov/Research/Datasets/datasets.html (7/01)
	COMMENTS: annoying that the models are in binary.
		Need to understand more about the plot3D format
		There is a chapter of web tutorial, but badly written

	(1) WingBodyTail Tutorial from Nasa:
	   -- http://www.nas.nasa.gov/Research/Datasets/Benek/index.shtml
	   -- model in plot3D, binary
	(2) grid
	   --from http://www.nas.nasa.gov/Research/Datasets/Hung/index.shtml
	   --in plot3d, single-zone, binary format
	   --All floating point data are in 32=bit IEEE format, SGI endian
	   --size: 0.5 MB

SAMPLE DATASETS FROM Georgia Institute of Technology
	http://www.cc.gatech.edu/projects/large_models/ (7/01)
	All models here have at least 2 formats: PLY and Inventor (good!)

	(1) Grand Canyon