Focus+Context Visualization with Distortion Minimization

Yu-Shuen Wang¹, Tong-Yee Lee¹,Chiew-Lan Tai²

IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (Proceedings of IEEE Visualization 2008),

Vol. 14, No. 6, Nov. 2008

¹National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan

²Hong Kong University of Science & Technology

(left) Original view of the thorax model. For a detailed observation of the cervical vertebra, an intuitive approach is to shorten the distance between the model and the camera. However, the other regions, such as the lower part of the spine, will be clipped off due to the limited screen space (middle). In contrast, our method magnifies the focal region whilekeeping the entire model displayed on the same screen (right).

The need to examine and manipulate large surface models is commonly found in many science,engineering, and medical applications. On a desktop monitor, however, seeing the whole model in detail is not possible. In this paper, we present a new, interactive Focus+Context method for visualizing large surface models. Our method, based on an energy optimization model, allows the user to magnify an area of interest to see it in detail while deforming the rest of the area without perceivable distortion. The rest of the surface area is essentially shrunk to use as little of the screen space as possible in order to keep the entire model displayed on screen. We demonstrate the efficacy and robustness of our method with a variety of models.