The Work Of Art Beneath It

We’ve all heard it many times: Don’t judge a book by its cover. However, a new technology indicates that we may have to start taking this approach when we look at historic artworks, too. So in this case it would be: Don’t judge a painting by its image.

A team of Italian scientists has initiated a new way of revealing layers of paints in paintings that are invisible to the naked eye. They have applied their technique to a couple of legendary works of art. The technology uncovered previously undetectable details in some paintings, such as pigments in the subjects’ armor that had been painted over during previous restorations of The Chapel of Theodelinda.

The beauty and yet mystery of what’s been found in all these old paintings is what makes it so special. The reason why most of these artists decided to create works of art on top of works of art is yet to be discovered, and we will probably never know. However, what we know about all these artists is that they were the type of artists that took art and designs to the next level.

Software development is taking art and designs to a level that was unimaginable when all these paintings were created and its creation is quite an artsy experience. It’s how we characterize our approach to software development that defines us as artists. The design and implementation phases of software can be a process of creating art, which makes the whole process interesting.

Developing the right engineering software demands vision. We not only spend a significant amount of time focusing on meeting the software goals, but also we work towards finding the beauty of a good design. While aesthetics are very important, we also develop software that is reliable and works efficiently.

The art experts have been scanning these paintings with multi-spectral imaging technology and x-ray fluorescence intensity mapping to try to identify and map the colors of the hidden painting. They want to recreate a digital image approximating the colors all these artists originally used. This will allow the audiences to understand and appreciate art more and allows them to be part of a piecing together a puzzle. Likewise we apply the latest technology and drilling engineering models into our software to meet the needs and requirements of our clients. Our software not only enriches the experience and amplifies the skill of our clients but also allows them to be part of the whole drilling process and access what was impossible before. It gives them a clearer view of what lies thousands of feet beneath the surface.

PathView - True Vertical Depth, Horizontal Displacement and Dogleg Severity

PathView - Well Path Visualization

New technology has always helped to remind us that there’s a lot more to a masterpiece than meets the eye. At PVI we thrive to offer our clients more than what they expect. Not just merely what they see on a computer, but what they’ll be able to get at a higher level. Think of it as our software being “the painting” and the achievements you’ll get from using it as “the work of art beneath it”.

Drilling Software As a Renewing Process

It is said that every 7 years, we have a whole new body, because daily our old cells are dying off and being replaced with new ones. As the New York Public Library’s Science Desk Reference (Strongsong Press, 1995) notes, “There are between 50 and 70 trillion cells in the body. “ Each type of cell has its own life span. Colon cells die off after about 4 days. Red blood cells live for about 4 months, while brain cells typically last an entire lifetime. Therefore, there’s nothing special about a 7-year cycle, since cells are renewed all the time.

In a similar way, software has its own life-cycle, from 1st version to a mature product. Functions are dropped or upgraded. Window platform changes. Development tools evolve. Even developers switch. Users want better graphics with faster calculation. All these facts contribute to the ever-changing software. Our TADPRO (torque and drag model), since its 1st appearance in 2005, now is in version 7.1. If we account both major and minor version upgrades, we must have had more than 20 releases.

We have never compared how many lines of code in version 7 are still the same as those in version 1. It is definitely getting more mature as more drilling engineers start using TADPRO every year. They are the users, testers and judges. Together with them, we nurture TADPRO from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly.

Our body is designed to be regulated and maintained. When we don’t, we pay the price, in terms of sickness. If people do not get enough sleep, they may get accident or more serious disease; if we do not get our back well supported, we get backaches, and so on.

Engineering software like TADPRO is also a living product, demanding support from both users and developers. As drilling technologies advance and computer operating system evolves, software needs to be upgraded or turned to fit into the new environment.

Some people may think software, once purchased, works wonder forever, or think technical support, upgrade and maintenance plan is unnecessary or expensive. But think about the backaches without support or the ease of engineering work with well-supported software, you might have second thought.