Day 24: Custom Colormaps — Making Simulation Data Actually Readable

Subtitle: Because bad colors hide good data

This feature didn’t start with a bug. It started with a realization.

Even when the simulation was correct — sometimes the visualization wasn’t helping.

Colors were there. But clarity was missing.

Day 24 fixes that.

The Problem

Most default charts use generic color schemes.

They work — but not for research.

Issues I noticed:

• Hard to distinguish values in dense regions

• Poor contrast in certain ranges

• Not accessible for colorblind users

• No consistency across different charts

👉 The data was right, but the interpretation was harder than it should be.

What’s New

Sionna Visualizer now supports custom colormaps.

Users can switch between multiple palettes:

• Viridis (scientific standard)

• Plasma

• Inferno

• Cool/Warm

• Grayscale

• Colorblind-safe palette

Each palette is designed to improve readability for different scenarios.

How It Works — Color Mapping Layer

Instead of hardcoding colors, charts now use a mapping function:

value → normalized range → color scale → rendered output

Every data point passes through this pipeline.

This allows:

• Smooth gradients

• Better contrast

• Consistent visual meaning

Frontend — Dynamic Palette Switching

Angular now includes a colormap selector.

When the user switches palette:

• Charts re-render instantly

• No need to rerun simulation

• Same data, different perspective

One Subtle Challenge

Not all colormaps behave the same.

Some exaggerate differences. Some compress them.

Fix: → Normalized value mapping before applying color

This ensures consistency across all palettes.

Why This Matters

In research, visualization is not decoration.

It’s interpretation.

A poor colormap can:

• Hide patterns

• Mislead analysis

• Reduce clarity

A good one can:

• Reveal trends instantly

• Highlight anomalies

• Improve understanding

The Bigger Shift

This feature moves Sionna Visualizer from:

→ “Displaying results” to → “Helping interpret results”

That’s a big difference.

What’s Next

Day 25: Starting Phase 3 — The Shift to a Research Platform

Because visualization alone is not enough anymore.

Sionna Visualizer — github.com/Vinu2111/sionna-visualizer Live: https://sionna-visualizer.vercel.app

NVIDIA AI Aerial / 6G Developer Program Building in Public — Day 24