NIHmagic: 3D visualization, registration, and segmentation tool

Abstract

Interactive visualization of multi-dimensional biological images has revolutionized diagnostic and therapy planning. Extracting complementary anatomical and functional information from different imaging modalities provides a synergistic analysis capability for quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the objects under examination. We have been developing NIHmagic, a visualization tool for research and clinical use, on the SGI OnyxII Infinite Reality platform. Images are reconstructed into a 3D volume by volume rendering, a display technique that employs 3D texture mapping to provide a translucent appearance to the object. A stack of slices is rendered into a volume by an opacity mapping function, where the opacity is determined by the intensity of the voxel and its distance from the viewer. NIHmagic incorporates 3D visualization of time-sequenced images, manual registration of 2D slices, segmentation of anatomical structures, and color-coded re-mapping of intensities. Visualization of MIR, PET, CT, Ultrasound, and 3D reconstructed electron microscopy images has been accomplished using NIHmagic.