Andrew Gotow

So what’s the plan?

We need to build a nice re-usable table view which does what we want, but maintains a consistent interface with a “normal” table view. This way, it can be a drop-in replacement for all the UITableView instances in your app. ViewControllers shouldn’t care about layout. Therefore, we need a UITableView subclass which… features an elastic header.

What is an isosurface?

An isosurface can be thought of as the solution of a continuous function which produces a constant output in 3D. If you’re visualizing an electromagnetic field for example, you might generate an isosurface for a given potential, so you can easily determine its overall shape. This technique can be applied to other arbitrary values as well.

What will we use this system for?

I don’t work in the medical field, nor would I trust the accuracy of my implementation when it comes to making a diagnosis. I work in entertainment and computer graphics, and as you would imagine, the requirements are quite different. Digital artists can already craft far better visuals than any procedure yet known; the real challenge is dynamic data.

What are the requirements for such a system?

Given our previous use case, we can derive a few basic requirements. In no particular order… The system must be intuitive. Designers have other things to do besides tweaking simulation volumes and fiddling with configurations. The system must be flexible. If someone suggests a new mechanic which relies heavily on procedural geometry, it should be easy to get up and running. The system must be compatible.

Was it worth it?

Short answer, no. I am extremely proud of the work I’ve done, and the end result is quite cool, but it’s not a solution I would recommend in a production setting. The additional complexity far outweighs any potential performance benefit, and maintainability, while not terrible, takes a hit as well. In addition, the geometry shader approach doesn’t work nearly as well as I had hoped.