COMPUTER-AIDED THREE-DIMENSIONAL RECONSTRUCTION FROM SERIAL SECTIONS: A SOFTWARE PACKAGE FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND SELECTIVE IMAGE GENERATION FOR COMPLEX TOPOLOGIES

Abstract

To extend computer-aided three-dimensional reconstruction of (microscopic) biological structures to complex topologies, a number of specially developed contour algorithms are employed to generate hidden-line displays of user-specified selections from a dual-access relational database. The database consists of piles of automatically aligned contours from either handtraced or automatically detected surface boundaries in a series of parallel cross-sections that result from the slicing of an embedded, stained biologic structure with alignment references. A video-tape with animation sequences generated with this package will be shown during the conference.