State-of-the-Art in Volume Graphics

Volume data are 3D entities that may have information inside them: they might not consist of surfaces and edges, or they might be too voluminous to be represented geometrically. Volume visualisation is a method of extracting meaningful information from volumetric data using interactive graphics and imaging, and it is concerned with volume data representation, modelling, manipulation, and rendering [1-3]. Volume data are obtained by sampling, simulation, or modelling techniques. For example, a sequence of 2D slices obtained from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or Computed Tomography (CT) is 3D reconstructed into a volume model and visualised for diagnostic purposes or for planning treatment or surgery. The same technology is often used with industrial CT for non-destructive inspection of composite materials or mechanical parts. Similarly, confocal microscopes produce datasets which are visualised to study the morphology of biological structures. In many computational fields, such as in computational fluid dynamics, the results of simulation, typically running on a supercomputer, are often visualised as volume data for analysis and verification. Recently, many traditional geometric computer graphics applications, such as CAD and simulation, have exploited the advantages of volume techniques called volume graphics for modelling, manipulation, and visualisation.