Perception-based quality metrics for volume rendering

• US 20080012856A1
• Filed: 05/07/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Nafziger, John S., Nadar, Mariappan S., Johnson, Jeffrey P., Yu, Daphne, Stingl, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US11/800,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20080012856A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/424
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection

Abstract

Perception-based visual quality metrics are used in volume rendering. A perception-based visual quality metric is measured from one or more three-dimensional representations. For example, people tend to notice edges, so a numeric value representing the noticeable edges is calculated. The perception-based metric is used for developing volume renderers, calibrating across different renderers, calibrating across different rendering platforms, determining rendering parameter values as a function of rendering speed, selecting rendering parameter values for a given situation, providing a range of rendering options associated with gradual perception changes, and/or combinations thereof. The perception-based visual quality metric provides a quantifiable representation of importance to the user for a given application, assisting optimization of volume rendering.

Claims

1. A system for a perception-based visual quality metric in volume rendering, the system comprising:

a memory operable to store a dataset representing a three-dimensional volume; and

a processor operable to volume render, as a function of the first setting of the at least one rendering parameter, a two-dimensional representation from the dataset, the two-dimensional representation representing the volume, the first setting being a function of the perception-based visual quality metric;

a display operable to display the two-dimensional representation of the volume, a visual aspect of the two-dimensional representation being more visually perceptible for the first setting than another two-dimensional representation of the volume rendered as a function of a second setting of the at least one rendering parameter.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the perception-based visual quality metric is a function of vertical features, horizontal features, angle features, contrast sensitivity, luminance sensitivity, psychophysical masking, or combinations thereof.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one rendering parameter comprises sample size, sampling rate, classification, sampling variation, volume size, rendering method, or combinations thereof.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to determine a difference of a first value of the perception-based visual quality metric with a second value of the perception-based visual quality metric, the first value being for the two-dimensional representation and the second value being for another two-dimensional representation based on the second setting.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first setting is a function of combination of values of the perception-based visual quality metric and at least another perception-based visual quality metric.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a user input operable to receive an input of a selectable level of visual perception of an image feature;

wherein the processor is operable to map the input to the first, second or other setting of the at least one rendering parameter, a quality of the visual aspect responsive to the input of the selectable level.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to calibrate different rendering images as a function of the perception-based visual quality metric.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable with the first, second, and a third settings, the first, second and third settings corresponding to at least a threshold difference in the perception-based visual quality metric.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory is operable to store groups of settings, a first group including the first setting, each group for a plurality of rendering parameters, including the at least one rendering parameter, associated with different quality levels as a function of the perception-based visual quality metric, the groups being a function rendering speed.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to determine a value for the perception-based visual quality metric and operable to select the first setting as a function of the value and a rendering performance difference between the first and second settings.

11. A method for use of a perception-based visual quality metric in volume rendering, the method comprising:

predicting, with a processor, visibility to a user of an image feature; and

volume rendering as a function of the predicted visibility.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein predicting comprises calculating the perception-based visual quality metric as a function of vertical features, horizontal features, orientation features, contrast sensitivity, luminance sensitivity, psychophysical masking, or combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein volume rendering comprises volume rendering with a value or values for sample size, sampling rate, classification, sample variation, volume size, rendering method, or combinations thereof, the value or values being selected as a function of the predicted visibility.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising comparing the predicted visibility of a first volume rendered image with a predicted visibility of a second volume rendering image.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein predicting comprises calculating values for a plurality of perception-based visual quality metrics and combining the values.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein predicting comprises predicting different levels of visibility as a function of values for rendering parameters;

further comprising providing for user selection of one of the different levels;

wherein the volume rendering comprises rendering with the values corresponding to the selected level.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

calibrating the visibility between different renderers, different rendering platforms, or combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

generating, as a function of the visibility, visibility transitions for different levels of the volume rendering.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

selecting rendering parameters as a function of rendering speed and differences in the visibility predicted for different rendering parameters.

20. In a computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for a quality metric in volume rendering, the storage medium comprising instructions for:

volume rendering an image representation of a volume from a data set representing the volume; and

calculating a first quantity of a visual perception metric from the image representation.

21. The instructions of claim 20 further comprising:

calibrating as a function of the first quantity.

22. The instructions of claim 20 further comprising:

selecting values for rendering parameters as a function of the quantity.