Reaching the browser: WebAssembly apps built with ActiViz and C#
In this post, Kitware unveils the first-ever web applications built with ActiViz and compiled to WebAssembly (WASM). By bringing advanced visualization in C# to the web, this milestone project demonstrates how ActiViz can power rich, high-performance web experiences.
ActiViz
ActiViz is a .NET library for 3D visualization and data processing. It exposes the API of the C++ Visualization Toolkit (VTK), to be used in C# or VB.
ActiViz interfaces with many existing applications and frameworks written in C#, including Windows Forms, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), WinUI, Avalonia, and the Unity software. This enables seamless and quick integration of advanced algorithms and rendering techniques in multiple environments, now including web browsers.
Use cases
The first application was developed for a dental imaging use case and includes advanced features such as curved planar reformation for visualizing dental scans. The frontend is built using Vue.js, though the architecture supports alternative frameworks.
A second application was specifically designed to illustrate how ActiViz can be leveraged in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) workflows for effective data visualization and analysis.
A key innovation lies in sharing the same core codebase for desktop and web deployments, enabling consistent processing and rendering logic across platforms. This not only accelerates development but also ensures a unified user experience. By leveraging WebAssembly in ActiViz, we have bridged the gap between native performance and browser accessibility.
Future work
While the current solution relies on a modified version of ActiViz, we aim to introduce WASM support in upcoming official releases of the library. The frontend is currently implemented using JavaScript frameworks. We are exploring support for C#-based UI frameworks such as Avalonia UI and the Uno Platform that can already be deployed to the web. This would empower developers to build user interfaces using C# and XAML, enabling them to maintain a fully shared codebase across platforms.
If you are interested in this breakthrough capability of Activiz, reach out to Kitware to discuss how we can support your goals.
Support and Services
Looking to take your application to new heights? Get in touch with Kitware for expert development and support services to fast-track your success with ActiViz and WebAssembly
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