A streaming narrow-band algorithm: interactive computation and visualization of level sets
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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Fabrication, Operation and Flow Visualization in Surface-acoustic-wave-driven Acoustic-counterflow Microfluidics
Published on: August 27, 2013
Aaron E Lefohn1, Joe M Kniss, Charles D Hansen
1School of Computing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. lefohnae@cs.utah.edu
Abstract:
Deformable isosurfaces, implemented with level-set methods, have demonstrated a great potential in visualization and computer graphics for applications such as segmentation, surface processing, and physically-based modeling. Their usefulness has been limited, however, by their high computational cost and reliance on significant parameter tuning. This paper presents a solution to these challenges by describing graphics processor (GPU) based algorithms for solving and visualizing level-set solutions at interactive rates. The proposed solution is based on a new, streaming implementation of the narrow-band algorithm. The new algorithm packs the level-set isosurface data into 2D texture memory via a multidimensional virtual memory system. As the level set moves, this texture-based representation is dynamically updated via a novel GPU-to-CPU message passing scheme. By integrating the level-set solver with a real-time volume renderer, a user can visualize and intuitively steer the level-set surface as it evolves. We demonstrate the capabilities of this technology for interactive volume segmentation and visualization.
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