Asylum Research, a manufacturer of advanced atomic force microscopes (AFMs), announces ARgyle Light, a stand alone software application that allows advanced 3D rendering and data channel overlay in an easy-to-use interface. The application also allows users to easily share their image files outside the instrument’s IGOR Pro native operating environment. The application is exclusively for use with the MFP-3D™ AFM.
“This stand alone application is an ideal tool for three dimensional rendering outside our normal instrument software,” said Bruce Wallace, developer of ARgyle Light. “ARgyle Light has all the advanced rendering capabilities found in the MFP-3D instrument software in an easy-to-use application. This tool allows images in our native file format to be shared amongst the scientific community for those that do not have access to the full installation of the instrument software. ”
ARgyle Light is an OpenGL® application that easily installs on any Windows® 2000/XP/Vista-based computer. Once installed, users can open any Asylum Research data file that was created within the MFP-3D IGOR Pro environment. ARgyle Light will import all the channel data and parameters for offline image rendering and exporting. It has the same powerful rendering tools found in the native software for creating stunning AFM images with controls for scaling, viewing and lighting.
The unique data channel overlay feature allows image data such as phase, amplitude or other channels to be overlaid on a second channel, such as the height, for data correlation. Viewing features include zoom capabilities, rotation, pitch and panning. Scaling of data for the Z axis includes range, offset and aspect ratio adjustment. Lighting and color capabilities provide spot lights, specular lighting controls, and all the color palettes that are available in the native version.
In addition, image acquisition information can be viewed in a dialog box that lists all relevant scanning parameters. Stereo anaglyph support is provided to give the image depth projection for viewing with red/cyan 3D glasses. Images can be saved and exported in a variety of common graphic file formats such as TIFF, JPEG, PNG, or BMP. Specific channel data can also be exported in raw ASCII text for analysis in other third party software packages.
(ARgyle Light and MFP-3D are trademarks of Asylum Research. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. OpenGL is a registered trademark of SGI.)
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