Computer display of reconstructed 3-D scalar data

This paper addresses the problem of visualizing 3-D scalar data, initially represented as an ordered set of digital images stacked parallel to each other. An observer's ability to perceive the geometry of the structures in these data fields depends on the methods of reconstructing and displaying 3-D representations. We describe three computer-based visualization methods that share the common goal of displaying the interior structures of 3-D data, and we present the results of applying these methods to a set of fluid-flow data. Interactive peeling of smooth opaque contour surfaces is the best of the three methods: it gives excellent perception cues.