Volocity Visualization

Volocity Visualization is designed to provide you with rapid, interactive, high resolution volume rendering of your 3D and 4D data sets. This Volocity product puts you fully in control of the way that you view your volumes, offering a choice of rendering methods so that you can achieve the best results from your data. You can explore your samples as you never have before, giving you a whole new perspective on your research!

Volocity will accept a range of file types from confocal and wide field microscopes. When image capture is controlled by Volocity Acquisition, the data is acquired directly into an image sequence in a Volocity library.

Volocity Visualization includes a choice of renderers. The HR Opacity renderer provides fully interactive rendering, which in Fluorescence mode, computes each voxel in the data. Volocity Visualization includes highly advanced rendering algorithms, developed by Improvision to take full advantage of the latest Mac and PC technology. Rotating, zooming and flying through the volume can be done in real time, whilst simultaneously varying the contribution of each channel to the rendered view. Perspective rendering and optional hardware shaders enhance the realism of the image. You have the option to navigate the rendered images using a gamepad, which allows free flight around and through the volume, just like using a game console. As well as providing a powerful way to navigate, its also great fun to use!

The 3D Bookmark feature allows you to save a viewing state (orientation, zoom factor etc.) so that you can easily compare multiple data sets and be sure that you are using the same viewing parameters. The Navigation palette is used to play through your time resolved 3D volumes – you can still interact with the rendered volume even as the time series is displayed!

The Ray Tracer is a non-interactive rendering option in Volocity Visualization, which produces a very high quality rendered image, with user defined options such as lighting position, shadowing effects and background choices. The results can be spectacular in terms of the final image, although the process is more computationally intensive than the HR rendering modes. This technique is ideal for producing publication quality images, when only the best will do.

HR rendering	Ray Tracing
GFP labeled Purkinje cells. Courtesy of Dr. Alanna J. Watt, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, London

Volocity Visualization includes features to share and publish your results. The "Capture Snapshot" command is a convenient way to create images which can be exported from your Volocity library in standard publication ready formats. However, a single image cannot always convey the true 3D appearance of your volume, so why not make a movie that does? Create a collection of bookmarks then drop them into the movie making interface. You can then export the sequence as a QuickTime or AVI movie to share or publish on the internet. The option to make QuickTime Virtual Reality movies is also provided.