Technique for conveying three-dimensionality from a sequence of image-level slices

A simple and easily implemented image-processing technique has been developed that conveys an impression of three-dimensionality from a sequence of image-level slices. The technique has been applied to a series of contourslice images generated by a new microscopy developed at Sandia National Laboratories. The resulting composite images convey a striking appearance of three-dimensionality that is similar to that observed in a scanning electron micrograph. Stereo pairs can be generated directly from the level-slice data without any necessity for imaging two angularly separated sequences.