The 3D Toolbar: Visualization of Another Dimension

Since biology happens in space and time, 3D or 3D time series imaging gives researchers more information about histological and cellular structure and the expression pattern of genes and proteins as they exist in multiple dimensions. This capability adds relevant and often crucial context where 2D imaging is frequently limited.

To visualize 3D images, Definiens Developer XD can display any axial view as a single viewing pane. Alternatively, all planes, together with the 3D rendering of image objects, can be exhibited in a multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) view. The content of each pane can be configured individually to show the original image or the segmentation and classification results. Visualization of classes and transparency settings can be configured for the 3D pane. The 3D rendering of results supports any 3D navigation and perspective.

Control over images is enhanced as all panes are linked to each other. Selecting a specific image object in one pane will cause all other panes to display the level that contains the center of gravity of the selected object and to move the object into the center of the pane.  Furthermore, the visualization includes both 2D and 3D time-series images together with the analysis results.

As in 2D, image objects in 3D or in time series are interactively linked with development tools such as Image Object Information, providing efficiency and transparency for the rule set development process. The entire range of visualization functionalities is integrated into the small, user-friendly 3D toolbar.