From database to 3D, a new vision thing - Tech News - CNET.com Though scientists have long used computers to run virtual experiments and map new areas of research, such as human DNA, until now it was not technically or financially practical to turn the results of an experiment into anything more than a small 3D image.
The hardware needed to generate giant 3D pictures can still fill a room, but it's getting much cheaper now than it has ever been thanks to the advent of the Linux operating system and low-cost, rack-mountable servers.
"I don't know if four or five years ago (this) would have been reasonable to do," Bresnahan said.