Interactive Editing and Automatic Evaluation of Direct Volume Rendered Images

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Department of Computer Science and Engineering


PhD Thesis Defence


Title: "Interactive Editing and Automatic Evaluation of Direct Volume Rendered 
Images"

By

Mr. Yingcai Wu


Abstract

Direct Volume Rendering is a powerful volume visualization method which 
allows users to visually explore the volume datasets in a highly flexible 
manner. Despite the powerful capability of direct volume rendering for 
exploring volume data, its inherent complexity of specifying rendering 
parameters often results in a tedious and non-intuitive visualization 
process. In addition, because of its complicated ray casting and 
compositing process, its results (direct volume rendered images)  usually 
contain misleading information such as artifacts and depth ambiguity, 
which makes the visualization unreliable  and ineffective for volume 
exploration. In this thesis, we present four methods for improving the 
intuitiveness and effectiveness of direct volume rendering as follows.

1). An editing framework for direct volume rendered images, allowing users 
to interactively explore complex volumetric datasets by directly editing 
direct volume rendered images.

2). A palette-style volume visualization method, which can automatically 
store and systematically organize intermediate results created during a 
volume visualization process, such that users can locate their desired 
results quickly and generate a new result based on the editing framework.

3). A new framework for creating depth-revealing and relation-preserving 
animations of direct volume rendered images based on the editing framework 
and an adapted fuzzy spatial ontology.

4). A set of quantitative effectiveness measures, i.e., the 
distinguishability, the edge consistency, the contour clarity, and the 
depth coherence measures, to evaluate the effectiveness of a direct volume 
rendered image or a whole visualization process from different 
perspectives.

With these four proposed methods, a comprehensive volume visualization 
system has been developed, enabling users to interactively edit, 
intuitively organize, effectively animate, and automatically evaluate 
direct volume rendered images.


Date:			Thursday, 10 December 2009

Time:			4:00pm – 6:00pm

Venue:			Room 3311
 			Lifts 17/18

Chairman:		Prof. Chii Shang (CIVL)

Committee Members:	Prof. Huamin Qu (Supervisor)
 			Prof. Albert Chung
 			Prof. Chi-Keung Tang
 			Prof. Weichuan Yu (ECE)
 			Prof. Pheng-Ann Heng (CSE, CUHK)


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