Interactive Slice Plane

If users have difficulty in determining whether a three-dimensional cursor is at a greater depth than a feature, then they may benefit from being able to move an opaque or translucent plane through the volume. This ``slice plane'' is merged into the data in a way similar to that used for the cursor. The slice plane may be moved closer to, and further from, the viewing plane (an abstraction in three-dimensional space which corresponds to the screen). As the slice plane is moved from the back to the front of the volume, progressively less of the volume will be visible. If an ambiguity in the structure of a feature exists, this slice plane may be brought forward to obscure all but the closest tip of the feature. Early results indicate that the slice plane can indeed reduce these ambiguities.

© Copyright Astronomical Society of Australia 1997