Real-time merging of visible surfaces for display and segmentation

Abstract

A technique has been developed which combines the high image quality of volumetric rendering with the interactivity associated with surface rendering by texture mapping pre-rendered images onto depth map-based partial models of the surface. An original real-time algorithm is presented which allows us to combine multiple overlapping visible surfaces free of occlusion artifacts associated with poorly estimated fragments. In virtual exploration, decoupling the rendering process from display can result in improved interactivity and navigability without a corresponding loss of image quality. Visible surfaces can also be used as an aid in segmentation for applications requiring object models and to easily combine volumetrically defined structures with purely geometric information (e.g., computed isodose surfaces).