SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DIGITAL VOLUME PROCESSING WITH GPU ACCELERATIONS

A method for processing digital volume image data, executed at least in part on a computer that has an associated graphics processing unit, orders the digital volume image data as a stack of two-dimensional image slices of voxels. A 1:1 mapping of each of the slices is formed, in sequential order, to a corresponding tile in a digital one-row flat volume in a global memory. For each voxel in the digital flat volume, a neighborhood is defined that has, relative to each voxel, four or more adjacent voxels that are within the corresponding tile of each voxel, and one or more adjacent voxels that are within the preceding tile, and one or more adjacent voxels that are within the next tile. Each voxel is updated according to information stored for the adjacent voxels in the defined neighborhood for said each voxel to form a rendered volume image, which is displayed.