Volumetric-based method and system for visualizing datasets
View Patent ↗The present invention is a method for visualizing a plurality of stochastic datasets. The present invention provides a more accurate account of situations in the real world to better enable scientists and engineers to utilize the results of computer models. The method employs a two-stage process comprising a preprocessing stage and a visualization stage. Activity begins with the preprocessing stage. In this stage, the individual output from a plurality of different computations are converted from being described as two-dimensional surfaces in three-dimensional space to a three-dimensional voxel-based representation. For each surface set in the plurality of two-dimensional representations, a count is obtained of the total number of surfaces in the surface set which intersects the subspace of a voxel (each element of the data structure represents the subspace of a voxel in the three-dimensional voxel-based representation). The count is obtained for each element of the data structure, and the sequence is repeated for each surface set. Finally, in a visualization stage, after the volume is saved as an image file, transparency and color values are determined based on one or more look-up tables. Finally, the volume is rendered and drawn with user-controllable transparency and color.
1. A method of visualizing output from a plurality of dataset computations, wherein the output comprises a plurality of two-dimensional surface sets, each of the surface sets comprising a plurality of surfaces, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
(a) initializing a three-dimensional data structure to represent the plurality of two-dimensional surface sets in a three-dimensional voxel-based format;
(b) computing the number of said surfaces in each of said surface sets that intersects with each voxel in said voxel-based format, said number representing a total number of intersecting surfaces for a particular voxel;
(c) assigning said number to its corresponding said voxel;
(d) scaling said number to a specified component size, and
(e) saving said data structure as an image file.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
(f) repeating steps (a)-(e) a plurality of times if a problem analyzed by the dataset computations is dynamic to generate a series of three-dimensional voxel-based representations spanning a time sequence.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein step (d) comprises, for each data structure element i, j, k representing a particular voxel, the steps of:
(i) calculating and storing a number representing a total number of said surfaces;
(ii) calculating the product of a specified value representative of said specified component size and said number representing a total number of intersecting surfaces for the particular voxel;
(iii) calculating the quotient of said product and said number representing said total number of said surfaces; and
(iv) replacing said number representing a total number of intersecting surfaces for the particular voxel with said quotient, said quotient representing a scaled value for said total number of intersecting surfaces for the particular voxel.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein step (i) comprises the step of:
(a) calculating and storing a value representing a total number of surfaces spanning a number of time periods.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein said image file is a Tiff file.
6. The method of claim 2 , further comprising the step of:
(g) rendering said image file.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the step of:
(h) drawing a volume, said volume represented by said three-dimensional data-structure.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein step (g) is accomplished by employing a volume rendering application program interface (API).
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein step (g) comprises the steps of:
(1) generating a texture look-up table; and
(2) calculating and storing values in said texture look-up table, wherein each of said values in said texture look-up table is indexed by a value representative of a scalar value for each voxel in said three dimensional data structure.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein step (1) comprises the step of:
(1) generating a texture look-up table comprising values representative of the colors red, green, and blue, and a transparency value.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein step (1) comprises the step of:
(i) generating a first and a second texture look-up table.
12. A system for visualizing output from a plurality of dataset computations, comprising:
a plurality of two-dimensional surface sets, each surface set comprising a plurality of surfaces;
a three-dimensional voxel-based data structure, said data structure representing said plurality of two-dimensional surface sets in a three dimensional format, and
a texture lookup table containing values that are indexed by a value representative of a scalar value for each voxel in said three-dimensional voxel-based data structure.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein each voxel of said three-dimensional voxel-based data structure comprises:
a value representing a number of said two-dimensional surfaces that intersect said voxel.
14. The system of claim 12 , further comprising:
an application programming interface (API), said API employing said texture lookup table to render a volume represented by said three-dimensional voxel-based data structure; and
a main application program, said main application program containing a graphical user interface (GUI) wherein a user can alter transparency and color values of said volume.
15. The system of claim 12 , wherein said three-dimensional voxel-based data structure is an array.
16. The system of claim 12 , further comprising:
an image file comprising a volume represented by said three-dimensional voxel-based data structure.