Volume visualisation via region enhancement around an observer's fixation point

Presents a novel approach to interactive volume visualisation, which offers a very intuitive method of examining complex volumes. The benefits of region enhancement are twofold: firstly, the computational requirements of interactive visualisation can be reduced drastically; secondly, the ability to view local volumetric detail might significantly improve the ease with which complex 3D structures can be understood. The constructed optics provide wide field-of-view volumetric visualisation, and the use of separate optical paths for the left and right eyes eliminates the image crosstalk found in some alternative stereoscopic displays. Imaging of the eye has been achieved relatively straightforwardly, though it remains to be seen how accurately the 3D fixation point might be tracked. A study of eye images has demonstrated that clear differences are seen when different parts of a rotating data volume are fixated upon, and since rotation is a common way of viewing volumetric data, this is seen as a promising technique. The display system is moderately restrictive in that it requires fairly careful positioning of the head. Geometric aberrations are apparent when moving the head slightly whilst viewing data volumes. Our demonstrator's performance does need to be compared with commercial tracking systems. However, as a prototype, the system allows the development of interactive visualisation techniques.