``Binary_Opening'' - morphological binary opening

VFX name:

iBinOpen

IMPROMPTU Equivalent:

Binary_Opening

purpose:

Perform a binary morphological opening; i.e., an erosion followed by a dilation [25,19]. The size of the structuring element used for the erosion and dilation is given by the parameters ``x_filter_dimension'', etc.

Overall, this function smooths the surfaces of objects. It removes sharp capes from objects. It also breaks apart objects connected by narrow isthmuses.

input:

An 8-bit volume.

output:

An 8-bit binary-valued volume.

parameters:

Default parameters menu is

x_filter_dimension = 3
y_filter_dimension = 3
z_filter_dimension = 3
option = rectilinear

The same options exist for ``option'', as for ``erode'', etc.

comments:

1.

This is moderately fast, taking as long as one erosion and one dilation.

2.

This operation is idempotent; i.e., iterating the operation has no impact on the results.