3DVIEWNIX

3DVIEWNIX is a transportable, very inexpensive software system developed by the Medical Image Processing Group, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. It has state-of-the-art capabilities for visualizing, manipulating, and analyzing multidimensional, multimodality image information. It is designed to run on Unix machines under X-windows. It uses a data protocol that is a multidimensional generalization of the ACR-NEMA standards. It has been tested extensively on SGI and Sun workstations and PCs. Other recipients of 3DVIEWNIX have installed it on a variety of platforms including IBM RS6000s, HP700s, DEC machines, and Stardent, all from a single source code version. 3DVIEWNIX has been picked up as the TOP 10 GRAPHICS SOFTWARE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR by IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications (January 1994, pp. 87). They charge $1000.00 for the software which comes with source code and manuals. You can modify and do whatever else you want as long as it is for your own noncommercial use. 3DVIEWNIX can handle rigid, non-rigid, static, and dynamic objects and object assemblies. Can handle object information from multiple modalities and longitudinal acquisitions. Multitudes of visualization, manipulation, and analysis methods incorporated.

Preprocessing:
- Volume-of-Interest:
  - To specify subset of the n-dimensional (nD) volume image
  - To specify an intensity-interval-of-interest for reducing the number of bits.
- Interpolation:
  - To create isotropically sampled data of lower or higher resolution than input
  - Many interpolating functions
  - Interpolation in n dimensions
  - Both grey-level and shape-based methods.
- Filtering:
  - A variety of forms of enhancing and smoothing filters
  - Used for filtering surfaces, for normal estimation, for interpolation, and volume rendering.
- Masking:
  - For assisting segmentation
  - Quick operation using "paint brushes".
- Thresholding:
  - Multiple intervals can be specified
  - Iso-surface generation at any resolution.
- Segmentation:
  - 2-feature cluster partitioning
  - Quick gesture-controlled (user-guided) boundary segmentation.
- Classification:
  - 1-feature multiple material classification for opacity assignment
  - 2-feature multiple material classification for opacity assignment.
- Boundary Formation:
  - Connected, oriented, closed 3D surfaces are formed
  - Surfaces may have any resolution.
- Image Algebra:
  - Image addition, subtraction, logical operations.
Visualization:
- Slice:
  - Sophisticated form of slice display
  - Multiple input volumes of any dimensionality can be handled simultaneously
  - Multiple color maps
  - Static montage viewing and dynamic cine viewing of slices
  - Arbitrary magnification.
- Reslice:
  - Guided by 3D display
  - Reslicing through multidimensional volumes.
- Surface Rendering:
  - Multitudes of methods
  - Multiple objects with translucency and color
  - Based on the notion of a structure system: A structure system may be a collection of static objects, dynamic rigid objects, dynamic non-rigid objects or any of these coming from multiple modalities
  - Structure systems are visualized in their natural form, e.g., a beating heart is displayed in that manner
  - Viewing properties of objects can be changed independently.
- Volume Rendering:
  - A new very fast method called shell rendering
  - Interactive rendering
  - Interactive opacity and color modification
  - Interactive measurement of fuzzy surfaces.
Manipulation:
- One of the most sophisticated set of operations in 3DVIEWNIX
- A variety of complex operations including cut away, reflect, separate, move, surface marking, measure, animation
- Complex surgical procedures can be simulated.
Analysis:
- Measurement:
  - A variety of inter and intra structure morphometry
  - A variety of image intensity-based measurements such as density profile, time density curves, region-of-interest statistics and their variation with time.
- Registration:
  - Based on matching homologous features - points, curves, entire surfaces
  - For merging information from multiple modalities
  - For motion description and analysis.
- Motion Analysis:
  - Rigid object assemblies
  - Animation of motion and its quantification
  - Comparison of motion of two assemblies of objects such as two joints
  - Relationship between moving surfaces
Ongoing Work:
- Fuzzy connected component object segmentation
- A variety of user-steered quick segmentation strategies: live-wire, live-band, live-region methods
- Fast volume rendering of fuzzy structure assemblies with digital perspective
- Manipulation of shells (fuzzy objects) and shell algebra
- Registration of shells (fuzzy objects) and their motion analysis
- Portable system integration.
Platforms: Sun, SGI, PC.

Contact:

	Dr. J.K. Udupa
	Medical Image Processing Group
	Univeristy of Pennsylvania
	Department of Radiology
	418 Service Drive - 4th Floor Blockley Hall
	Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021.
	Phone : (215)-662-6780
	Fax   : (215)-898-9145
	e-mail: Vhelp@mipgsun.mipg.upenn.edu.

WWW Server: http://mipgsun.mipg.upenn.edu
FTP: demo version available at mipgsun.mipg.upenn.edu/pub/3DVIEWNIX1.1
Comments:
- Krishna Iyer: You may also want to check out some of the new surface rendering algorithms from the 3dviewnix group. They can be reached at Vhelp@mipgsun.mipg.upenn.edu. You can get some MRI images in ACR-NEMA 2.0 format at /pub/3DVIEWNIX1.0/DATA.