title: 3-D visualization and animation technologies in anatomical imaging.
abstract: This paper explores a 3-D computer artist's approach to the creation of three-dimensional computer-generated imagery (CGI) derived from clinical scan data. Interpretation of scientific imagery, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is restricted to the eye of the trained medical practitioner in a clinical or scientific context. In the research work described here, MRI data are visualized and interpreted by a 3-D computer artist using the tools of the digital animator to navigate image complexity and widen interaction. In this process, the artefact moves across disciplines; it is no longer tethered to its diagnostic origins. It becomes an object that has visual attributes such as light, texture and composition, and a visual aesthetic of its own. The introduction of these visual attributes provides a platform for improved accessibility by a lay audience. The paper argues that this more artisan approach to clinical data visualization has a potential real-world application as a communicative tool for clinicians and patients during consultation.
authors.affiliation: Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK. j.mcghee@dundee.ac.uk
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McGhee
mesh_terms: D000715:Anatomy / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*