Fuzzy connected object rendering

ABSTRACT There are many situations in 3D imaging applications wherein object and non-object regions with identical imageproperties are situated in close proximity. Although the commonly used opacity functions are adequate in capturingobject gradation in these situations, the non-object regions obscure the objects of interest in volume renditions based onthese opacity assignments. These obscurations cannot be removed using simple techniques except by manually maskingthem out. We present a method based on fuzzy connectedness principles which effectively removes the obscurationautomatically. The methods are illusirated using craniomaxillofacial CT patient data for separating thin bones from skinand muscle, and muscle from skin and bone boundary. The resulting remarkable clarity of renditions are illustrated. 1. INTRODUCTIONPurpose To present a rendering strategy that automatically removes obscuration in volume renditions coming from non-objectregions with image properties similar to those of object regions.