WYSIWYP: What You See Is What You Pick.

Area of Science:

• Computer Graphics
• Scientific Visualization
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Domain experts often prefer slice-based (2D) visualizations for detailed analysis over 3D renderings.
• Combining the overview benefits of 3D with the analytical strengths of 2D visualizations remains a challenge.
• Existing methods for bridging 2D and 3D visualization often rely on pre-segmented data or metadata.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a new, generally applicable volume picking technique called WYSIWYP (what you see is what you pick).
• To enable automated positioning of slices in 3D data based on user perception.
• To improve the integration of 2D slice-based and 3D volumetric visualizations.

Main Methods:

• Developed the WYSIWYP technique for volume picking, which does not require pre-segmented data or metadata.
• The picking positions are determined by the data, transfer function, and user perception of the volumetric rendering.
• Applied the method to automated slice positioning in volumetric scalar fields across various application domains.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the utility of WYSIWYP in positioning slices for diverse volumetric scalar fields.
• A user study compared 3D locations selected by users with those generated by WYSIWYP.
• The study confirmed that WYSIWYP-generated positions correlate well with user-perceived locations.

Conclusions:

• WYSIWYP offers a robust and broadly applicable method for volume picking in scientific visualization.
• The technique effectively bridges the gap between 2D and 3D visualization by aligning slice positions with user perception.
• WYSIWYP enhances detailed analysis within 3D datasets by leveraging user-guided slice selection.