Multi-dimensional transfer functions for interactive 3D flow visualization

Transfer functions are a standard technique used in volume rendering to assign color and opacity to a volume of a scalar field. Multidimensional transfer functions (MDTFs) have proven to be an effective way to extract specific features with subtle properties. As 3D texture-based methods gain widespread popularity for the visualization of steady and unsteady flow field data, there is a need to define and apply similar MDTFs to interactive 3D flow visualization. We exploit flow field properties such as velocity, gradient, curl, helicity, and divergence using vector calculus methods to define an MDTF that can be used to extract and track features in a flow field. We show how the defined MDTF can be applied to interactive 3D flow visualization by combining them with state-of-the-art texture-based flow visualization of steady and unsteady fields. We demonstrate that MDTFs can be used to help alleviate the problem of occlusion, which is one of the main inherent drawbacks of 3D texture-based flow visualization techniques. In our implementation, we make use of current graphics hardware to obtain interactive frame rates.