infocus #54 June 2019 From Confocal Microscopy to Virtual Reality and Computer Games; technical and educational considerations

DOI: 10.22443/rms.inf.1.173

The article outlines the workflow involved in taking confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) data through to fully immersive virtual reality (VR) and interactive games.

For the past 30 years, the size of standard CLSM data sets has generally exceeded the capabilities of standard desktop PCs and thus hindered the ability to process them in creative ways. Modern gaming PCs, high end graphics cards and VR headsets have changed all that.

A moderately priced desktop PC can now extend the value of a CLSM data set through the use of 3D animation software and game engines. There are considerable technical processes that CLSM datasets need to pass through as there is no single piece of software that will cover the entire sequence. However, most of the required software components are freely available and this article serves as an introduction to these. Finally, the use of these new multimedia technologies is considered in an educational context.