Noise-based volume rendering for the visualization of multivariate volumetric data
File(s)Kainz_TVCG2013.pdf (5.24 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Khlebnikov, R
Kainz, B
Steinberger, M
Schmalstieg, D
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Analysis of multivariate data is of great importance in many scientific disciplines. However, visualization of 3D spatially-fixed multivariate volumetric data is a very challenging task. In this paper we present a method that allows simultaneous real-time visualization of multivariate data. We redistribute the opacity within a voxel to improve the readability of the color defined by a regular transfer function, and to maintain the see-through capabilities of volume rendering. We use predictable procedural noise - random-phase Gabor noise - to generate a high-frequency redistribution pattern and construct an opacity mapping function, which allows to partition the available space among the displayed data attributes. This mapping function is appropriately filtered to avoid aliasing, while maintaining transparent regions. We show the usefulness of our approach on various data sets and with different example applications. Furthermore, we evaluate our method by comparing it to other visualization techniques in a controlled user study. Overall, the results of our study indicate that users are much more accurate in determining exact data values with our novel 3D volume visualization method. Significantly lower error rates for reading data values and high subjective ranking of our method imply that it has a high chance of being adopted for the purpose of visualization of multivariate 3D data.
Date Issued
2013-12-16
Date Acceptance
2013-08-01
Citation
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 2013, 19 (12), pp.2926-2935
ISSN
1077-2626
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Start Page
2926
End Page
2935
Journal / Book Title
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics
Volume
19
Issue
12
Copyright Statement
© 2013 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.
Publication Status
Published