Toward computerized morphometric facilities: a review of 58 software packages for computer-aided three-dimensional reconstruction, quantification, and picture generation from parallel serial sections.

This review gives an inventory of 58 computer-aided three-dimensional reconstruction applications in the domain of biomedical research. It is devoted to the formulation of a set of recommendations thought to be necessary for improved performance of software packages in this field. These recommendations can be used to select packages and to guide future developments of existing reconstruction systems. The survey is restricted to three-dimensional reconstructions based upon a series of parallel sections of an object. Subjects treated are programming languages, resolution and sampling, input preparation, realignment, local deformation of slices, numerical quantifications, topological complexity, internal representation, display complexity (hidden surfaces, shading, smoothing), structure extraction, descriptive elements, database, data compression, time efficiency of systems and algorithms, hardware configuration, input devices, input media, interactive aids, display devices, and output devices. Information for this survey comes from articles that appeared between 1965 and 1985.