A haptic interaction method for volume visualization

Volume visualization techniques typically provide support for visual exploration of data, however additional information can be conveyed by allowing a user to see as well as feel virtual objects. We present a haptic interaction method that is suitable for both volume visualization and modeling applications. Point contact forces are computed directly from the volume data and are consistent with the isosurface and volume rendering methods, providing a strong correspondence between visual and haptic feedback. Virtual tools are simulated by applying three-dimensional filters to some properties of the data within the extent of the tool, and interactive visual feedback rates are obtained by using an accelerated ray casting method. This haptic interaction method was implemented using a PHANToM haptic interface.