Understanding the Capabilities of the HoloLens 1 and 2 in a Mixed Reality Environment for Direct Volume Rendering with a Ray-casting Algorithm

Abstract

Direct volume rendering (DVR) is a standard technique for visualizing scientific volumetric data in three-dimension (3D). Utilizing current mixed reality head-mounted displays (MR-HMDs), the DVR can be displayed as a 3D hologram that can be superimposed on the original ‘physical’ object, offering supplementary x-ray visions showing its interior features. These MR-MHDs are stimulating innovations in a range of scientific application fields, yet their capabilities on DVR have yet to be thoroughly investigated. In this study, we explore a key requirement of rendering latency capability for MR - HMDs by proposing a benchmark application with 5 volumes and 30 rendering parameter variations.