An application to interact with 3D models reconstructed from medical images

Abstract

Although the reconstruction of 3D models from medical images is not an easy task, there are many algorithms to perform it. However, the reconstructed models are usually large, have a lot of outliers and have not a correct topology. To interact with these models, the methods must be fast and robust. In this paper, we present an application that enables the interaction with models reconstructed from medical images. The application uses Marching Cubes to generate triangle soups from the medical scans. Then, the user can define models by selecting sets of triangles. Once the models have been defined, the application allows to interact with them. In addition, a detailed collision detection is calculated between the models in the scene not only to avoid that models in the scene collide, but also to determine which triangles are overlapping. In addition, the calculation of distances and nearest points provides visual aid when the user is interacting with the models. Finally, the Leonar3Do system have been incorporated to improve the interaction and to provide stereo visualization. The presented application can be used in the field of education since users can manipulate individual body parts to examine them. Moreover, the application can be utilized in the preparation of an intervention or even as a guide for it, since it enables the utilization of models reconstructed from real medical scans.