New cloud animation software on the horizon

Swell and Prime - two new programs that render animated, three-dimensional (3D) clouds - are the Purdue University Rendering and Perceptualization Lab's latest innovations. At the lab, directed by David Ebert, researchers are developing software that brings scientific and medical data sets to life as 3D models, computer-generated illustrations, and photorealistic images. Crude as they might appear, simulators are invaluable to weather forecasters. But they haven't replaced storm spotters: meteorologists trained in field observation still make predictions based on how clouds look in the sky. Prime's developers hope that the software will enhance forecasting's speed and accuracy by giving simulation data the look and feel of real-world weather conditions that meteorologists could instantly recognize.