Interactive Volume Rendering based on a "Bubble Model"

In this paper an interactive volume rendering technique is presented which is based on a novel visualization model. We call the basic method “bubble model” since iso-surfaces are rendered as thin semi-transparent membranes similarly to blown soap bubbles. The primary goal is to develop a fast previewing technique for volumetric data which does not require a time-consuming transfer function specification to visualize internal structures. Our approach uses a very simple rendering model controlled by only two parameters. We also present an interactive rotation technique which does not rely on any specialized hardware, therefore it can be widely used even on lowend machines. Due to the interactive display, fine tuning is also supported since the modification of the rendering parameters has an immediate visual feedback.