Aivia Software
Mesh Creator
The Mesh Creator lets you generate mesh surfaces using an ISO range. This tool is useful for identifying and fitting complex meshes to 3D objects and regions of interest that can be distinguished by their intensity.
Interface
The Mesh Creator is one of nine tools found in the 3D Tools tab of the Analysis Panel. Go to 3D View or 3D Plane View to show the 3D Tools tab. Click on the 3D Tools tab, and then click on the Mesh Creator icon to launch the tool. When you launch the Mesh Creator, all image channels are set to the Preview Surface rendering mode in order to help you visualize how the mesh surface(s) will look once created.
Tool options
The options that are available in the Mesh Creator tool are described in the table below:
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Select Input Channel | Lets you choose which image channel to use for generating mesh surfaces |
Select Output Set | Lets you choose which object set to output created mesh surfaces to |
Toggle Smoothing | Toggles whether to apply smoothing during the creation of the mesh surface(s) |
Create All or Largest Mesh(es) | Lets you choose whether to create all mesh surfaces for the specified ISO range or only the largest mesh surface, and then lets you generate the mesh surface(s) |
Overwrite Meshes | Lets you choose to replace any mesh surfaces that are on the current frame and are in the output object set with the newly created mesh surface(s) |
Set ISO Minimum | Allows you to set the minimum ISO level for inclusion in the created mesh surface(s) |
Set ISO Maximum | Allows you to set the maximum ISO level for inclusion in the created mesh surface(s) |
Using the Mesh Creator
To launch the Mesh Creator, click on the 3D Tools tab in the Analysis Panel in Aivia and select the Mesh Creator tool from the 3D Tools toolbar; alternatively, you can run the Mesh Creator command from the search bar. This opens the Mesh Creator and displays the image in the Preview Surface rendering mode with the ISO range that is specified in the Mesh Creator interface.
Select the input channel
The input image channel is set, by default, to be the topmost visible image channel in the Channel Settings panel. Click on the Select Input Channel box (see below) to expand a menu where you can select the image channel to use for mesh creation.
The surface preview in the Image Viewer includes surfaces based on all shown image channels, but the Mesh Creator tool creates mesh surfaces that are based on only one image channel (the channel specified in the Select Input Channel box).
Adjust the ISO range
You may adjust the ISO range using the Iso Level sliders or textboxes. Another option is to use the ISO Level sliders/textboxes in the Channel Settings panel to adjust the ISO range.
Toggle smoothing
Click the Toggle Smoothing icon (see below) to turn on or off mesh smoothing. Smoothing is not reflected in the ISO preview but is applied during the final mesh creation.
Overwrite existing meshes
Click to check the Overwrite Meshes box to replace any existing meshes in the specified output object set and current frame with the created mesh surface(s). Meshes that are created without the Overwrite Meshes box checked are added to the output object set.
Select the output object set
Click on the Select Output Set box (see below) to expand a menu where you can select the object set to output mesh surfaces to. Only object sets of appropriate types (not neuron, outline, or cell object sets) are available for selection. Choose <Create Object Group> to output mesh surfaces to a new object set.
Generate mesh surfaces
If the Create All or Largest Mesh(es) box already shows the option you would like to use, click on the text to begin generating the mesh surface(s). Otherwise, click on the downward triangle to expand a menu from which you may select the desired option. The Create All option creates all mesh surfaces that are defined by the specified ISO range and input image channel. The Create Largest option creates the largest mesh surface defined by the specified ISO range and input image channel. There is a pop-up window titled "Extracting Mesh..." that is shown while the mesh surface(s) is/are being created.