Scott Budman of the Bay Area’s NBC 11 television hosted Tuesday’s keynote event featuring speakers discussing how visual computing technology affected their lives and work, and by extension how it affects all our lives.

Scott was joined on stage first by astronaut Eileen Collins who discussed how visual computing is an essential element in space exploration and training astronauts and pilots. Eileen showed a series of demos of the visual tools and simulators that NASA uses on a daily basis.

Next up was Bernard Charlès, CEO of Dassault Systèmes, makers of 3D design software. Bernard discussed the changing face of 3D design, how visual computing is making it more collaborative, among design professionals but also in collaboration with consumers, who are increasingly able to influence the design process of products they use.

Lorne Lanning, creator of Oddworld, showed a variety of digital art works and discussed the future of digital fine arts, how they are being influenced by science and physics in their creation of impossible worlds, and how in turn science is gaining inspiration from the art.

And last, but not least, was NASCAR racing sensation Kyle Busch who discussed how racing games compared to the real thing (pretty close, at least in conveying distance, speed, and sensitivity of the cars. He also talked about how visual computing is influencing the design of race cars and how he uses simulators for training, going so far as to give a demo of the simulator he has in his basement.

Yesterday’s keynote focused on the technologies, but today’s focused on how visual computing is influencing our lives.