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Illustrative multilevel focus+context visualization along snaking paths

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Abstract

Artistic anatomical illustrations often focus on cross sections of long, layered, cylindrical structures. Such illustrations emphasize structures along transitions between focal points over a snaking path that optimally traverses the span of a limited space. The transitions between focal points form a multilevel visualization hierarchy. In this article, we present an approach to automatically create focus+context visualizations of the described form. First, a method to automatically create a snaking path through space by applying a pathfinding algorithm is presented. A 3D curve is created based on a 2D snaking path. Then we describe a process to deform cylindrical structures in segmented volumetric models along the 3D curve and provide preliminary geometric models as templates for artists to build upon. Our constrained volume sculpting method enables the removal of occluding material to reveal cylindrical structures of interest intended for such deformation. Finally, we present a set of created visualizations that demonstrates the flexibility of our approach and effectively mimics the form of visualization observed in motivating illustrations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Jeffrey F. Packer, Mahmudul Hasan & Faramarz F. Samavati

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  1. Jeffrey F. Packer
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  2. Mahmudul Hasan
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  3. Faramarz F. Samavati
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Correspondence to Mahmudul Hasan.

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Supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, Alberta Innovates—Technology Futures (AITF), Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education, and Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE) of Canada in Graphics, Animation and New Media (GRAND).

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Packer, J.F., Hasan, M. & Samavati, F.F. Illustrative multilevel focus+context visualization along snaking paths. Vis Comput 33, 1291–1306 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00371-016-1217-0

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