Media Studio Graz Releases VoluMedic
Media Studio Graz, a leading developer of custom LightWave plugins and 3D graphics software in association with Safe Harbor and NGC Corporation, today announced the launch of the first medical software based on a commercial 3D application, VoluMedicTM for LightWave 3DTM.VoluMedic is an add-on for LightWave 3D, the award-winning 3D software from NewTek, Inc. VoluMedic is so powerful and so well integrated into LightWave3D that it becomes a whole new piece of software for use in medical visualization, material science, forensic animation and even astronomy. VoluMedic is also a great tool for creating stunning visual effects.
VoluMedic allows animators to turn any sequence of images into a volumetric object that can then be rendered with VoluMedic’s blazingly fast software volume rendering in the highest (and to-date unseen) quality.
In addition to this, VoluMedic offers real-time hardware volume rendering for interactive previewing and scene setup and hundreds of functions for import and processing of volumetric data as well as tools to create geometry from volumetric objects.
"We are very excited about finally releasing VoluMedic to the public," said Elmar Moelzer, Product Developer for VoluMedic. "This software represents over 4 years of research and development from a team of programmers, medical doctors and 3D artists. The combined power of VoluMedic and LightWave3D brings - for the first time in history - professional medical imaging to the high-end 3D animation market."
VoluMedic enhances LightWave3D with the following features:
- VoluMedic can import data from virtually any biomedical imaging modality (including MRI, SPECT, PET, CT, ultrasound, and digital microscopy). The powerful Importer provides direct and automatic support for reading most standard computer image and picture formats, including the DICOM standard for radiological images and the very popular Analyze format. Unknown data formats can be imported as well through RAW-data import. Support for additional image formats can be added via LightWave3D-Image-I/O-plug-ins Preprocessing of image data is possible through VoluMedic’s Slice Editor
- This powerful tool allows interactive pre segmentation, rotation, scaling and cropping of volumetric datasets.
- VoluMedic’s "Scalar Object" volume objects offer a wide and comprehensive toolset for segmentation and coloring as well as settings to help defining the look in the final rendering.
- The integration with LightWave’s Preset Shelf allows users to apply previously made settings and to store settings for later use.
- A simpler version of the "Scalar Object" object control panel is also available, giving new users an easy start.
To guarantee an ideal image, even with lower res datasets, VoluMedic offers different interpolation methods that help to create clear shapes in situations where other imaging solutions fail.
- Scalar Object settings:
- Render modes: (Volume, Solid and Xray)
- Interpolation (Nearest Neighbour, Linear, Bicubic2/4 and BSpline)
- Color and Opacity Gradients
- Luminosity
- Diffuse Illumination
- Specularity
- Glossiness
- Color Highlights
- Shading softness
- Sampling Distance
- Shading Quality
- ...and much more
VoluMedic’s Bounding Boxes allow to show only those parts of the Volume Object that are within at least one Bounding Box.
A single Volume Object can have an unlimited number of Bounding Boxes which can be parented and of course animated.
VoluMedic offers highest quality software rendering with support for all of LightWave’s light types, offering a full integration into LightWave’s Floating Point render pipeline.
VoluMedic’s software rendering is fully integrated with LightWave’s Screamernet allowing network rendering with unlimited rendernodes.
In addition to software rendering, VoluMedic offers real-time OpenGL hardware volume rendering for previewing and scene setup directly in LightWave’s viewports.
Users can create additional GLSL shaders to change the look of the OpenGL preview.
Like VoluMedic’s software rendering, the hardware rendering has support for Antialising, Depth of Field and Motion blur (via Shift F9- hot key).
VoluMedic’s Surface Mesh Creation tool allows users to turn volumetric objects into polygon meshes which can then be manipulated in LightWave’s Modeler and later rendered with LightWave’s own Render engine or exported to CAD or web applications (only available in LightWave 9.0).
Pricing and Availability:
VoluMedic: Plugin
This version of VoluMedic is meant for existing users of LightWave3D who want to enhance LightWave’s toolset with the functionality of VoluMedic. The package includes VoluMedic Installation CD, Menu Config files and Manual. The suggested retail- price of VoluMedic: Plugin is 2,800.- Euros excl. VAT ($3599 USD).
VoluMedic: Complete
VoluMedic Complete includes one seat of VoluMedic and one seat of LightWave3D in a single package. It is meant for users that do not own LightWave3D yet.
The Package includes VoluMedic Installation CD, Menu Config files, Manual and the full package of LightWave3D. (Installation CDs, content CDs, Manual, Dongle). Please contact Safe Harbor Computers for pricing information.
VoluMedic: System
A complete turnkey System. The Package includes VoluMedic Installation CD, Menu Config files, Manual and the full package of LightWave3D (Installation CDs, content CDs, Manual, Dongle) all ready to go on a high end workstation.
Please contact Safe Harbor Computers for detailed hardware specs and pricing information.
More information can be found at www.volumedic.com.
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Last updated June 26, 2006 at 3:17pm
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