Visualizing Images: Displaying images using the triplanar-dual view
The triplanar-dual view displays two image datasets (referred to as Image A and Image B) and a blended version of both Image A and Image B from three orthogonal planes.
To view image datasets using this view
1 Open two 3D or 4D images, which become known as Image A and Image B.
2 Load Image B into Image A.
3 Select Image > Views > Triplanar-Dual. The triplanar-dual view appears in an image window.
The image window for the triplanar-dual view is quite similar to the image window for the triplanar view. The File and Options menus contain the same commands except for one command-the Options menu for the triplanar view contains the command Link to Another TriImage. Since the triplanar-dual view shows two datasets in the image window and allows you to manipulate them together, linking to another image is not necessary. Most of the icons and buttons on the toolbars for both views are the same with one primary difference: The triplanar-dual view allows you to create VOIs on the images; the triplanar view does not.
Like the triplanar view, you can use the icons and buttons on the toolbar to change magnification, draw, change colors, change opacity, and apply a new intensity to selected voxels in the images.
Showing and hiding axes, cross hairs, and Talairach grid
By default, the triplanar-dual view automatically shows the axes and cross hairs on Image A, Image B, and the blended dataset.
To show or hide axes on images
To hide the axes, select Options > Show Axes (Figure 2). The check mark disappears from the check box in front of the command on the menu, and the axes disappear from all of the images.
To display the axes on the images again, simply select Options > Show Axes. The check mark reappears in the check box in front of the command.
To show or hide cross hairs
Showing or hiding cross hairs works just as showing or hiding axes. To hide the cross hairs, select Options > Show Cross Hairs. To show them, select Options > Show Cross Hairs again.
To show or hide the Talairach grid
By default, the Talairach grid does not automatically display on the images unless you specifically select it to do so. To show the grid, select Options > Show Talairach Grid. The grid appears on all of the images shown in the triplanar-dual view. When you want to hide the grid, select Options > Show Talairach Grid again.
Creating VOIs on images
You can create point or line VOIs on the images.
To create point VOIs
1 Click .
2 Click in the image where you want to create a point.
3 Repeat steps 1 and 2 for all other desired points.
To draw line VOIs
1 Click .
2 Click in the image where the line should begin and drag the line to where it should end.
The numbers beneath the line indicate the length of the line in millimeters.
To change the line VOI, simply click on the VOI and then drag it to another position in the image.
You can only create one line VOI per orthogonal plane, although you can create a line VOI in each one of the three orthogonal planes.
To delete line VOIs
You cannot delete a line VOI. However, you can remove the display of the line VOI on the image. To do so, click . The line VOI disappears.
To delete point VOIs
1 Click the first point on the image aligning the middle of the cursor with the center of the point.
2 Click . The point disappears.
3 Repeat the first two steps for every point you want to delete.
Aligning the datasets
The Alignment Tool icon, , allows you to create a new transformation matrix for the dataset.
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1 Click .
A closed angle appears on each of the images in the triplanar-dual view. On Image A, the angle is red; on Image B, it's yellow; on the blended image, the angle is green.
2 Move the cursor to the arrow on the thin line to the right, and align the cursor with the end of the arrow. At this time, the cursor should be a red cross.
3 Change the size of the angle by dragging the arrow on the thin line up or down depending on the type of angle you want to create. The exact number of degrees appear on the left below the angle.
4 Release the mouse button when you reach the desired number of degrees.
5 Click on the image or on any other area of the triplanar-dual view. The arrows disappear from the angle.
6 Click on the angle again to be able to change the angle again. The arrows reappear and you can repeat the previous steps.
Finding the center of image datasets
To find the center of the dataset, click . The center of each image dataset, shown as , appears in each image in the triplanar-dual view.
Erasing part or all of drawings
If you used the paint brush to draw on the image, you may at times find a need to erase a part of the drawing or the entire drawing.
File:MIPAV VisualizationTools189.gif
Make sure that you want to erase a part of the drawing or the entire drawing. There is no undo.
To erase a part of the drawing
1 Select the image that contains the drawing you want to erase. In other words, select Image A, Image B, or Both.
2 Click .
3 Click on the part of the drawing that you want to erase.
4 Repeat step 3 for as long as needed.
To erase all of the drawing
1 Select the image that contains the drawing you want to erase. Specifically, select Image A, Image B, or Both.
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2 Click . MIPAV removes all of the paint from the image.
Cropping images
MIPAV allows you to extract the crop volume as a separate image, which is helpful if you need to work with or use only that portion of the image. The first step in cropping images is to identify what portion of the image is in the crop volume. Then you need to use the bounding cube for cropping the image.
To select the crop volume
1 Click . A red box appears on each image in the triplanar-dual view.
2 Align the cursor with one of the corner points of the box, and enlarge or reduce the size of the box.
3 Repeat the previous step on each corner point as required to enclose the portion of the image you want to be included in the cropped image.
The numbers on the sides of the box indicate the length and width of the box in millimeters.
Note: The size of the box changes proportionally on all of the images shown in the triplanar-dual view.
4 Release the mouse button when you are finished making changes to the box.
To crop images
1 Select one of the following:
Image A if you want only the cropped area in Image A
Image B if you want only the cropped area in Image B
Both if you want both the cropped area in Image A and the cropped area in Image B
2 Click . The Crop Image dialog box appears.
Apply
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Applies the transformation to the image dataset according to the specifications in this dialog box.
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Cancel
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Disregards any changes that you made in this dialog box and closes this dialog box.
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Help
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Displays online help for this dialog box.
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3 Click Apply.
The cropped area in the image you selected appears in a separate image window. So, if you selected Image A only or Image B only, one image appears. If you selected Both, two image windows appear: one for Image A and one for Image B.
If you selected . . .
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Then . . .
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Image A
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The cropped area appears in a separate window.
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Image B
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The cropped area appears in a separate window.
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Both
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Two small windows-one displaying the cropped area of Image A and the other displaying the cropped area of Image B-appear.
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After you generate the cropped images, you can run algorithms on the images, apply a quick LUT on the images, or use any other image processing that's available in the MIPAV window on them.
Magnifying or minifying images
Like the image toolbar on the MIPAV window, the Triplanar-Dual window includes the following magnification icons:
the Magnify image 2.0x icon -To magnify images to twice their current size
the Magnify image 0.5x icon< -To reduce images to half their current size
the Magnify image 1.0x -To restore their original size
For information on how to use these icons, refer to "magnify or reduce a region of the image. You can magnify images to 32 times their original size, reduce them to one-fourth their original size, or restore them to their original size.".
Drawing on images
You draw on images in the triplanar-dual view in the same way as you do in the MIPAV window. However, any of the changes you make on the triplanar-dual view are also made on the original images.
For example, if you highlight a particular area in the image in the triplanar-dual view, the same change is made on all of the images in the triplanar-dual view, but also on the images in the default view.
To change the paint color
Click , the Change Paint Color icon. The Pick Paint Color dialog box opens. For instructions on how to use this dialog box to change the paint color, refer to "To change background and border colors".
Painting an area on images in the triplanar-dual view affects images in the default image view
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To change paint opacity
1 Click . The Paint Opacity dialog box opens.
2 Move the Opacity slider to the level of opaqueness you want. For example, to make the paint color more opaque, or solid, move the slider to the right. To make the paint color more transparent, move the slider to the left.
3 Click Close when you have finished. The Paint Opacity dialog box (Figure 8) closes.
Opacity
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Indicates the opacity of the paint. The further right you move the slider, the more opaque the paint color. The further left you move the slider, the more transparent the paint color.
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Close
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Closes this dialog box.
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To calculate the volume of paint
The software can calculate the volume of a painted area in the number of pixels. To do so, do the following:
1 Paint the area of the image in which you are interested.
2 Click to discover the volume of paint. The software lists the number of pixels in each image and the volume in millimeters on the Data page of the Output window.
3 Amend and save, as an option, the information on the Data page.
To fill an area with color
1 Click . The Paint Grow dialog box opens.
2 Complete the dialog box.
3 Click Close.
Cursor position and voxel intensity
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Indicates the location of the cursor and the intensity value at that point
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Delta above selected voxel intensity
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Indicates the range of paint beyond
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Delta below selected voxel intensity
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Indicates the range of paint
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Unrestricted size
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Limits the total volume in 3D or 4D images or area in 2D images
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Maximum size (null)
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In development.
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Unrestricted distance
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Limits the distance from the seed point
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Maximum size (null)
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In development.
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Fuzzy connectedness
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Applies the fuzzy algorithm
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Initial variance from selected VOI
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In development.
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Display fuzzy image
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In development.
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Fuzzy threshold
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In development.
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Close
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Applies the parameters you specified
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Cancel
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Disregards any changes that you made in this dialog box and closes the dialog box
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Help
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Displays online help for this dialog box
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To erase an area of paint from images
1 Click .
2 Click the area of the paint that you want to remove.
3 Repeat the previous step for each area of paint to be removed.
4 Click when done to return the cursor to the default state.
To erase all painting from images
Click . MIPAV removes all of the paint from all of the images.
Visualizing Images: Displaying images using the surface plotter view