3D Scene's View Properties

The options in the Scene's Views Properties panel, shown below, let you to select the elements that are shown within a 3D scene view, such as legends and text annotations, as well as to choose a render mode, modify background colors, and adjust lighting and other visual effects.

Scene's view properties for 3D views

See 2D Scene's Views Properties for information about setting the properties for 2D scene views.

Settings for 3D Scene Views

The settings in the top section of the Scene's Views Properties panel let you select the elements that you want to be visible in the 3D scene view, as well as to choose a render mode, projection type, background colors, and other options.

Settings for 3D scene views
	Description
Show scale bar*	If checked, a floating scale bar will be shown in the 3D view of the current scene (see Scale Bar for Orthographic Projections). Note Available for orthographic projections only,
Orthographic projection*	If checked, the 3D scene view will appear in orthographic projection mode instead of perspective (see Perspective and Orthographic Projection Modes).
Show legends**	If checked, the legend associated with the currently selected object(s) will be shown in the 2D and 3D views of the current scene (see Legends).
Show text annotations**	If checked, text annotations will be shown in the 2D and 3D views of the current scene (see Text Annotations for 3D Views).
Anti-aliasing	If checked, smoothing will be applied to the jagged edges on curved lines and diagonals.
Edge detect	If checked, a delineated edge computed from voxel depth will be applied to renderings, as shown below. This setting can help visualizations in which a leveled object’s boundaries are indistinct Edge detect only ROIs… If checked, a delineated edge will be applied only to the labeled voxels of visible regions of interest.
View mode	The following view modes, which determines how image data is rendered, can be selected: Slice… Renders data in slices (see 2D Views). Slab… Renders data as a slab, in which the maximum, minimum, or average values within a thickness value are shown (see Viewing Images in Slab Mode). 3D… Renders data in 3D. Note that only one view in a scene layout can contain a 3D view.
Interactivity	Each Interactivity option offers the optimum balance of quality and speed for different grade graphic cards and for different stages of visualization workflows. Best quality… Retains the best quality visualizations during manipulations before returning to the set quality. Quality… Retains good quality visualizations for more limited graphic cards. You can also use this mode when you’re nearing the final stages of your visualization process to quickly change and amend your scene, enhance lighting, and change material properties. Balanced… Provides a good balance between quality and speed. Speed… This mode is ideal when working with lower quality graphic cards. Fastest with lighting… Lets you quickly make manipulations without any discernible delay, while still retaining current lighting. Fastest without lighting… Lets you quickly make manipulations without any discernible delay, without the current lighting applied. Use this mode to speed up your visualization workflow from the beginning with almost instant feedback. Note Interactive rendering automatically updates rendered images in real time as you make changes in your scene. It is a great aid in modifying and transforming objects, tweaking material properties, adjusting lighting and the camera, and virtually any part of the rendered scene. You should also note that some settings, such as maximized quality, cubic interpolation, gradient filtering, and virtual floors, can lead to rendering delays. For more speed, you can turn off some of these GPU-intensive features until your visualization workflow is complete.
Render mode	The following rendering modes can be selected for 3D views in the submenu. Default… Applies the default rendering mode. MIP (maximum intensity projection)… Displays data using only the highest values for each visible voxel. ISO… Renders closed surfaces that separate 'outside' from 'inside'. Voxels with values greater than the set threshold (isovalue) are said to be 'inside' and all others are 'outside'. The boundary between 'outside' and 'inside' is the isosurface, as shown below. You can enter the isovalue that will be used to generate the surface in the Isovalue edit box that is available in the Data Properties and Settings panel (see 3D Settings). Note Finding a good isovalue is not always easy. It can sometimes help to make a histogram of the volume densities and then choose an isovalue that corresponds to the onset of a peak.
Background color***	Opens the 3D Views Background Color dialog, shown below. You can change the background color or gradient of the 3D view, as well as use a bitmap as the background.
Lighting	Lets you change the direction of the light illuminating objects and to adjust the shadowing effects (see Lighting Properties).
Focus	Lets you sharply define objects or features of interest in an image while blurring other objects and features (see Focus Properties).
Field of View	Lets you zoom in and out on objects in a 3D view without moving the camera.
Global volume opacity	Lets you adjust the opacity of all image data in a 3D view that does not correspond to the labeled voxels of visible regions of interest and visible multi-ROI classes. Note The opacity of the highlight applied to selected regions of interest and multi-ROIs, as well as the image data that corresponds to labeled voxels, are adjustable in the 3D opacity panel on the Data Properties and Settings panel, as shown below.
Change Unit****	Allows you change the default length and angle units displayed for text annotations, legends, measurements, and the dataset properties. To change the length units, click the Change Unit button and then choose the required unit in the Length Unit pop-up menu. To change the angle units, click the Change Unit button and then choose Degree or Radian in the Angle Unit pop-up menu.
Export Screenshot	Allows you to save a screen capture of the contents of the active view — including the scale bar, legends, annotations, regions of interest, and other objects that are visible onscreen — to a number of standard file formats (see Taking Screenshots).

* See Selecting the 3D Settings Preferences for information about setting the default preferences for the projection mode and scale bar.
** See Selecting the 2D Settings Preferences for information about setting the default preferences for the legends and text annotations.
*** See Selecting the Colors Preferences for information about setting default colors for virtual floors and backgrounds.
**** See Selecting the Views Preferences for information about setting a default unit for measurements and a default angle unit.

Lighting Properties

The options in the Lighting box, shown below, let you change the direction of the light illuminating objects in a 3D view and to adjust shadowing effects. You should note that many of the lighting options produce the best results when used in combination with material properties such as shininess, specular, and diffuse (see 3D Settings).

Lighting properties

Lighting controls

Lighting properties for 3D scene views
	Description
Light source position	Click and drag anywhere on the Light widget to change the direction of illumination. Changing the direction of illumination can have a dramatic effect when visualizing objects in a 3D view.
Use lighting	If checked, lighting effects will be applied to the rendered objects in the 3D view.
Deepen shadows	If checked, the depth or darkness of shadows will be increased proportionally.
Shadow strength	Determines the strength or depth of shadows. Increasing the shadow strength with the slider will result in darker shadows, as shown below.
Shadow opacity	Determines the opacity of shadows that are cast on and by objects in 3D views.

Focus Properties

The Focus properties — Focal distance, Strength, and Depth of field — let you sharply define objects or features of interest in an image while blurring other objects and features. The focal distance and depth of field are calculated from the bounding box of the currently selected object.

Focus properties

Focus properties for 3D scene views
	Description
Enable	Check this item to enable focus. As shown in the example below, all features are sharply in focus in the original image on the left. With focus enabled (image on the right), it is possible to focus in on the beetle's mandible and palps, which can create a more dramatic visual.
Auto focus	Automatically optimizes the focus of the camera. You should note the focal distance is calculated from the bounding box of the selected dataset and is placed at a depth of one third from the front.
Close up	If checked, reduces the minimum focusing distance of the camera. This lets you focus more closely to your subject, which gives you greater magnification.
Focal distance	Lets you focus in on a particular feature or area of interest. Drag the Focal distance slider to adjust the focal distance.
Strength	Lets you adjust the amount of blur applied to the foreground and background areas that are outside of the center of focus. You should note that unfocusing image areas can help make a feature of interest stand out.
Depth of field	Determines the range of distance in front of and behind a focused object within which other objects will also appear clear and sharply defined in the resulting image. Drag the Depth of field slider to increase or decrease the distance between the nearest and furthest objects in focus.