Introduction

Like IMPROMPTU, a user can employ VFX to construct an arbitrary sequence of operations to run automatically on an input volume. This sequence, referred to as a process, can be made up of operations selected from any of several categories. Each category, which represents one general type of image-processing operation, contains a number of functions.

The VFX manual can be found in pdf format in /psu/manual/vfx under the filename VFXBOOK.pdf. Also, Greg Simon's MS thesis on VFX can be found in the same directory, /psu/manual/vfx, under the filename simo96ms.pdf.

VFX currently runs in a console mode or script mode. Console mode allows a user to interact with VFX via a command-line console. In script mode, VFX is run using UNIX shell-commands. See the on-line VFX manuals for how to run VFX and to add VFX plug-ins. Below is a list of the main attributes of VFX:

1.

The input is a volume of 8-bit voxels. The input can be one slice (i.e., a 2-D image) if you wish. This input can be read in with VFX from disk.

2.

The output of processing is written into the memory space occupied by the input volume (provided the user specifies this). It can also be written into a specified 8-bit output volume-database file.

3.

Measurements of various volume parameters can be generated. As examples, gray-level histograms and a volume's global gray-scale standard deviation can be generated. Such outputs are made by creating new files or by printing messages to the console.

4.

Any arbitrary process, within the confines of functions available, can be set up. A process can be saved as a script and used repeatedly. Processing can be done 1-D, 2-D, or 3-D (depending on the function). Also, text files, containing the parameter values of operations in a process can be generated.

5.

Any IMPROMPTU process can be run in VFX, including processes generated with INTERSEG.

6.

The user can select a prespecified portion of a volume to process.

7.

The programmer can add new functions and categories of functions to VFX.

Subsequent sections of this report describe the operation of VFX, the functions within VFX, and the software structure of VFX.