Beam's light view: visualization of radiotherapy treatment planning fields on anatomic surfaces

Presents a new method for visualizing planned radiation fields on anatomical and target volumes in radiotherapy treatment planning. Our texture mapping-based method, called the "beam's light view", is a supplementary visualization method which is used together with the traditional 3D radiotherapy renderings: the beam's eye view and room's eye view. The visualization of planning fields overlaid on skin is a good verification method. Its results can be compared visually with the light fields used in positioning the patient for treatment. In treatment planning, the visualization of field geometry on patient surfaces gives the user a real-time feedback on the field coverage. Our findings indicate that the method is accurate, visually appealing and informative.