Constructing and Rendering 3D Surfaces from Topographical and Intensity Data using Softimage 3D

Benjamin Grosser

Manager, VMIL
Imaging Technologies Group

23 June 1998

Topographical and intensity images, such as those taken from an AFM or NSOM typically code height or some other parameter as a grayscale or color value in a digital image. These images can then be used as-is, or converted to 3D surfaces when appropriate for the task at hand. Most manufacturers of instruments that collect these types of images provide some method for conversion to 3D, but they are generally lacking in features, quality and control.

This forum will outline a procedure for converting these images to 3D with Softimage 3D, a high-quality animation, modeling and rendering system available in the Visualization, Media and Imaging Laboratory. Basic background, format issues and a how-to for the Softimage conversion will be provided.