Haptization of Diffusion Tensor Values

When visualizing volume datasets, we frequently encounter a problem that optical occlusion makes it hard to grasp the spatial location (esp. depth) of target features precisely. A haptization is well-known as an effective solution to this problem. However, insufficient haptizations do not lead to a complete resolution, but also may give wrong information to users. It is important to design appropriate haptic transfer functions (HTFs) tailored specifically to a given dataset. Our primary focus in this study is placed on 3D diffusion tensors. Due to the developments of related scanning devices, the analysis of diffusion tensors has recently attracted much attention from related researchers. In this paper, we strive to present a 6DOF HTF, which utilizes 3D forces and 3D torques sophisticatedly to convey the core information of diffusion tensor values. The effectiveness of the 6DOF HTF using a PHANToM Premium 3.0 is proven through user evaluation experiments.