Neville interpolation-based normal estimation

Abstract

Displaying useful and meaningful information from 3D data is known as volume rendering. Ray casting is one of the most frequently used direct volume rendering methods. It consists of data preparation, sampling, classification, compositing, and shading steps. Normal values are needed for efficient shading. However, 3D volumetric data are discrete and cannot be used directly for shading. Hence, the estimation of normal values, at each voxel on the surface, is needed for realistic shading. In normal estimation, the use of small voxel neighborhoods results in the staircase effect. On the other hand, the use of larger voxel neighborhoods causes loss of details in the final image. In this work, an alternative normal estimation method that uses large voxel neighborhoods is proposed for providing smoother images without losing details.