Volumetric visualization is an integral component in the decision making process of various application areas including medical sciences, energy, manufacturing and scientific research. Various techniques have been developed for effective and interactive visualization of volumetric data over the last 20 years. This course will include a mix of class-room teaching and hands-on software programming exercises to introduce the students with basics of volume visualization. The course will cover in depth the most commonly used volume rendering algorithm based on graphics hardware acceleration and cover topics related to this technique.

Topics Covered:

• Basics of volume visualization
• Direct and indirect volume rendering algorithms
• GPU-accelerated volume rendering
• Overview of OpenGL Volumizer
• Advanced Volume Rendering techniques
• Volumetric Shading
• Performance Optimizations and Data Management
• GPU-accelerated data processing
• Volume visualization software tools and application integration

Target Audience:
This course is intended for software professionals and students who are either developing or are planning to develop volume visualization software. The course covers introductory discussion on volume visualization and goes into more sophisticated algorithms.

Prerequisites:
Understanding of basic 3D graphics concepts and experience with OpenGL and C/C++ programming is a must and will be assumed. Familiarity with UNIX or Windows operating systems and development environments is necessary.