Simple 3-D Image Synthesis Techniques From Serial Planes

Several techniques now well established in computer graphics and graphic animation are combined in this work to develop a realistic presentation of anatomic structures. A rudimentary type of ray tracing is implemented for routine clinical CT exams. In particular, we describe our method in the context of a standardized cross-reference set of multiplanar reformatted CT pictures. In addition, an image coherence technique is briefly outlined that speeds rendering of a series of 3-D views. This paper describes a method by which object surface information from an existing view is used to help predict where ray tracing can begin to search for ray object intersections in the subsequent view. This method is shown to reduce the computational expense of finding ray-object intersections by beginning this search in the proximity of object surfaces. Finally, we have casted shadows in the scene of objects rendered by our method. Several example images illustrate our results.