The ImageFixedBox widget belongs to a family of widgets for spatiotemporal exploration of the properties and variables of an oilfield, which we have developed for PetroSynapsis software. These PetroSynapsis widgets have spatiotemporal sampling capabilities, which means that if a property or a variable of the reservoir varies over time then this property is displayed dynamically. This feature makes these widgets an excellent tool for assessing global phenomena occurring at the oil field during the simulations.

A ImageBox widget can be stored in the iBox format which has been developed for PetroSynapsis to save simulation cubes. When an object of type iBox is read, is presented in three-dimensional scene in its original position and orientation, as a ImageFixedBox, using all the resolution with which the user stored the simulation cube. The figure below shows two ImageFixedBox widgets along with a ImageBox widget, seen from above (left) and in perspective (right).

There are several differences between a ImageBox widget and a ImageFixedBox widget, now we mention only three differences.

• The widget ImageFixedBox is not interactive, it is fixed in the space, and you can only select the property to be displayed, including a temporal sequences of properties or variables.

• The resolution of the ImageBox widget is limited to the native resolution of the cells of the reservoir model. The smallest detail shown on the surface of an ImageBox depends on the resolution of those cells and the type of interpolation used. Instead, an ImageFixedBox widget has its own sampling matrix contained in the widget box, with the points of the boundary of the 3D matrix on its own surface, for example a cube of 64x64x32 cells, equivalent to a matrix 65x65x33 points. This resolution is preserved regardless of the size of widget. So you can display smallest details.

• Finally an iBox type file is generated by our 3D simulator, storing the results of the simulation including variables that vary over time and space, and therefore this simulation can be visualized (in space and in time) using an ImageFixedBox widget. Is clear that it makes no sense that this widget possess spatial interactivity, and it is sufficient that can display the properties and variables. Also the results of a cube of simulation can be stored in the format GRDECL. In both cases the simulation cube can be displayed along with the 3D model of the reservoir.