Patent ID: 8638328
Filing Date: 2014-01-28
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
1. A method for imaging a plurality of three-dimensional volume data sets, which represent different attribute volumes, as a final image, which comprises: accepting input from a user at runtime to identify the different attribute volumes to be intermixed, wherein intermixing the different attribute volumes corresponds to combining attributes for the different attribute volumes, wherein the attributes are associated on a data level, a voxel level, a pixel level, or an image level; accepting an equation from a user at runtime to be used at any selected step of intermixing from voxel intermixing, pixel intermixing, and image intermixing; processing each attribute volume without a graphics card by data intermixing to form a first combined attribute volume or a first plurality of corresponding attribute volumes based on the different attribute volumes, wherein the data intermixing applies to intermixing tasks not suitable for the graphics card; sampling or interpolating the first combined attribute volume or the first plurality of corresponding attribute volumes using the graphics card; processing the first combined attribute volume or the first plurality of corresponding attribute volumes using a pixel shader of the graphics card by the voxel intermixing to filter and remove data from the first combined attribute volume or the first plurality of corresponding attribute volumes and to form a second combined attribute volume or a second plurality of corresponding attribute volumes; color mapping and filtering voxels in the second combined attribute volume or the second plurality of corresponding attribute volumes into pixels using the graphics card; processing the second combined attribute volume or the second plurality of corresponding attribute volumes using a pixel shader of the graphics card by the pixel intermixing to form a third combined attribute volume or a third plurality of corresponding attribute volumes, wherein the third combined attribute volume or the third plurality of corresponding attribute volumes correspond to a rendered image or rendered images; and processing the third combined attribute volume or the third plurality of corresponding attribute volumes using the graphics card by the image intermixing to form the final image that combines the rendered image or rendered images based on the third combined attribute volume's attributes or the third plurality of corresponding attribute volumes' attributes.