Pre-integrated volume rendering with non-linear gradient interpolation

IEEE Trans Vis Comput Graph. 2010 Nov-Dec;16(6):1487-94. doi: 10.1109/TVCG.2010.187.

Abstract

Shading is an important feature for the comprehension of volume datasets, but is difficult to implement accurately. Current techniques based on pre-integrated direct volume rendering approximate the volume rendering integral by ignoring non-linear gradient variations between front and back samples, which might result in cumulated shading errors when gradient variations are important and / or when the illumination function features high frequencies. In this paper, we explore a simple approach for pre-integrated volume rendering with non-linear gradient interpolation between front and back samples. We consider that the gradient smoothly varies along a quadratic curve instead of a segment in-between consecutive samples. This not only allows us to compute more accurate shaded pre-integrated look-up tables, but also allows us to more efficiently process shading amplifying effects, based on gradient filtering. An interesting property is that the pre-integration tables we use remain two-dimensional as for usual pre-integrated classification. We conduct experiments using a full hardware approach with the Blinn-Phong illumination model as well as with a non-photorealistic illumination model.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Computer Graphics*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Databases, Factual
  • Head / anatomy & histology
  • Humans
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / statistics & numerical data*
  • Models, Anatomic
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / statistics & numerical data