The intricacies of the brain, a marvel of complexity, encompass billions of neurons, astrocytes, and a network of elaborate blood vessels. Unraveling the structure and interactions within this intricate organ is paramount in the realm of neuroscience.
A powerful technique that has emerged in recent years is the application of signed distance fields (SDFs) to construct realistic shapes directly from raw data, eliminating the need for meshes. These shapes are dynamically generated at rendering time from simple primitives such as spheres, cylinders, cones, etc.
The signed distance field technique excels in generating high-fidelity graphics that faithfully represent the complexities of biological structures. By encoding distance information for each point in space, this technique facilitates the creation of intricate and realistic 3D reconstructions directly from raw data (.h5 or .swc).
A notable advantage of employing signed distance fields is their capacity to enable interactive exploration. Researchers can seamlessly navigate through reconstructed 3D models of neurons, astrocytes, and blood vessels, gaining a dynamic and immersive understanding of their spatial relationships. This interactive feature enhances the exploration process, fostering a more intuitive and insightful analysis of the data.
The utilization of the signed distance field technique to visualize and explore neurons, astrocytes, and blood vessels signifies a substantial advancement in the field of neuroscience. This potent approach, originally developed with insights from Inigo Quilez's blog, provides high-quality graphics that empower researchers to study the intricacies of the brain's architecture.
The implementation of the signed distance field technique, initially available in the Blue Brain BioExplorer CPU back-end, underwent a transformative upgrade. Over the last two days, I successfully ported the technique to GPU using the CUDA programming language and the NVIDIA OptiX ray-tracing framework. This enhancement not only accelerates the visualization process but also opens new horizons for real-time, high-performance exploration of intricate neural structures. This collaborative fusion of cutting-edge technologies ensures that the exploration of neural intricacies remains at the forefront of scientific discovery, propelling our understanding of the brain into new dimensions.
- Blue Brain BioExplorer: https://github.com/BlueBrain/BioExplorer
Inigo Quilez - articles- distance functions: https://iquilezles.org/articles/distfunctions/
SDF Tracing visualization: https://www.shadertoy.com/view/lslXD8
