Smart Graphics in Medical VisualizationSmart Graphics in Medizinischen Visualisierungen

Abstract Smart graphics techniques have a great potential in supporting medical treatment planning and education. In particular, the use of high-level knowledge and carefully selected default values reduces the interaction effort in exploring complex 3D data sets. Automatic viewpoint selection techniques may support the exploration of patient-specific 3D models. Camera movements and other animation techniques allow to emphasize important anatomic structures and convey complex spatial relations. Illustrative rendering techniques and smart visibility techniques enable the expressive visualization of nested surfaces which is important, e. g., to understand the location of a tumor inside an organ. General smart graphics techniques, however, have to be carefully adapted to support medical applications. In-depth discussions of usage scenarios, requirements, priorities and preferences are therefore a prerequisite for successful developments. In this paper, we give an overview of smart medical visualizations.