Selective Volume Data Rendering for Polygon Visibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing techniques for rendering polygon and volume data often result in discomfort for users due to the unconditional overwriting of polygon data by volume data, leading to increased cases where polygon data is not displayed, and fail to effectively set inner-side volume data as a rendering target.

Innovation Solution

An information processing apparatus and method that includes a search unit to determine whether to search for inner-side volume data based on labels associated with polygon data regions, allowing for selective rendering of volume data within polygon data boundaries, utilizing a processor to perform rendering based on search results.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If volume data is unconditionally used to overwrite polygon data, then volume data rendering is improved, but polygon data visibility deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevolume data renderingVSAvoidpolygon data visibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of volume data based on its spatial relationship with polygon data. Inner-side volume data (within polygon boundaries) is handled differently from outer-side volume data. The rendering system selectively applies volume data only where appropriate (outer-side regions) while preserving polygon data visibility (inner-side regions), thus resolving the contradiction between volume rendering quality and polygon visibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Productivity

If search distance of volume data is limited, then rendering efficiency is improved, but inner-side volume data is missed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverendering efficiencyVSAvoidinner-side volume data

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the volume data search space into two distinct regions: inner-side volume data (within polygon boundaries) and outer-side volume data (outside polygon boundaries). This segmentation allows the system to apply different search strategies to each region - limiting search distance for outer-side data to maintain efficiency, while specifically targeting inner-side data to ensure completeness. The segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing selective optimization for different data types.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Loss of information

If polygon data is displayed, then polygon visibility is improved, but volume data rendering is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepolygon data visibilityVSAvoidvolume data rendering

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the conventional rendering approach by not using polygon data to overwrite volume data, but rather using polygon data as a mask to protect certain volume data regions from being overwritten. Instead of the traditional approach where polygon rendering prioritizes visibility at the expense of volume data, the system prioritizes volume data rendering in outer-side regions while preserving polygon visibility in inner-side regions through selective overwriting based on spatial relationships.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

4Reliability

If inner-side volume data is searched, then rendering completeness is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverendering completenessVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by first determining the spatial relationship between polygon data and volume data before performing the actual rendering search. The system pre-identifies inner-side volume data regions using polygon boundary information, then selectively searches only those identified regions. This preliminary classification avoids the need to search the entire volume data space, thus achieving rendering completeness for inner-side data while minimizing processing time through targeted searching.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20240257440A1Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Publication Date: 2024.08.01 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

It is desirable to provide a technique capable of performing rendering based on polygon data and volume data while reducing discomfort given to a user. There is provided an information processing apparatus including a search unit that searches volume data on the basis of a label indicating whether to search the volume data for inner-side data present at a position included in polygon data, and that obtains a search result; and a rendering unit that performs rendering based on the polygon data and the volume data on the basis of the search result.