[Insight-users] Marching Cubes itkReadITKImage3DSegmentShowVTK
Luis Ibanez
luis.ibanez at kitware.com
Thu Apr 24 14:09:30 EDT 2008
mm,
This is embarrassing in the highest degree :-/
I'm now printing my email,
and will go and hide in a cave
to slowly chew it to pieces while reading:
"Against Intellectual Monopoly"
"Economic and Game Theory"
by Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine
http://www.dklevine.com/general/intellectual/against.htm
Now I know why cicadas hide for 17 years underground...
Luis
----------------------
Bill Lorensen wrote:
> Luis,
>
> A minor addition (or correction) to your comments on vtkMarchingCubes.
> The SynchronizedTemplates code you mentioned also resided in the vtk
> Patented directory. I'm pretty sure those algrotihms never eceived a
> US patent. Your employer can clarify this. While they resided in the
> Patented directory, the ST code did have the comments:
> THIS CLASS IS PATENT PENDING.
>
> Application of this software for commercial purposes requires
> a license grant from Kitware. Contact:
> Ken Martin
> Kitware
> 28 Corporate Drive Suite 204,
> Clifton Park, NY 12065
> Phone:1-518-371-3971
> for more information.
>
> The vtkMarchingContourFilter uses Marching Cubes if the data set is appropriate.
>
> Bill
>
> On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 11:09 AM, Luis Ibanez <luis.ibanez at kitware.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Prabhat,
>>
>> The surface extraction in this example is performed by the VTK filter
>>
>> vtkContourFilter
>> http://www.vtk.org/doc/nightly/html/classvtkContourFilter.html
>>
>>
>> you will find the relevant code in lines 185-196
>>
>>
>> // Draw contours around the segmented regions
>> vtkContourFilter * contour = vtkContourFilter::New();
>> contour->SetInput( vtkImporter2->GetOutput() );
>> contour->SetValue(0, 128);
>>
>> polyMapper->SetInput( contour->GetOutput() );
>>
>>
>>
>> "Marching Cubes" is one among several other algorithms that this filter
>> can execute. If you look at the collaboration diagram in the HTML
>> Doxxygen-generated documentation (above), you will find the filters:
>>
>>
>> vtkGridSynchronizedTemplates3D
>> vtkSynchronizedTemplates3D
>> vtkGridSynchronizedTemplates2D
>> vtkSynchronizedTemplates2D
>>
>>
>> as the potential delegates for implementing this task.
>> Note that "Marching Cubes" is not in the list.
>>
>>
>>
>> One of the reasons why alternative implementations to Marching Cubes
>> are available, is the GE patented Marching Cube algorithms, and in this
>> way deprived the larger community from using it. This intellectual
>> monopolization resulted in the creation of alternative algorithms.
>>
>>
>>
>> One interesting counter-example of how patents promote progress.... :-)
>>
>> This time by forcing people to invent new
>> methods *different* from the patented ones :-)
>>
>>
>> BTW:
>>
>> The Marching Cubes patent has now expired, and the algorithm,
>> after 20 years of monopoly has entered the public domain.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Luis
>>
>>
>>
>> -------------------
>>
>> prabhat246 wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I wanted to run marching cubes on my Dicom image set.
>>>I was told to refer example
>>>
>>>InsightApplications-3.4.0\Auxiliary\vtk\ itkReadITKImage3DSegmentShowVTK
>>>
>>>I can successfully run this example. but I could not find where the actual
>>
>>Marching cube algorithm is being
>>
>>>called?
>>>also How can I change the parameters of Marching cube algorithm?
>>>(If I want output mesh to be coarse or dense)
>>>
>>>Thanks a lot.
>>>Prabhat
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> Insight-users at itk.org
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>>
>
>
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