Volumetriline

Volumetriline is a conceptual data representation that encodes volumetric information along a one-dimensional path. In this model, a line, polyline, or curve carries a sequence of volumetric samples that together describe a three-dimensional region or field.

Each sample along the volumetriline is associated with attributes such as density, opacity, color, or scalar fields. The sampling interval and interpolation scheme determine the implied spatial resolution and smoothness.

Volumetriline can be constructed by projecting a 3D volume onto a path, by tracing anatomically or geometrically meaningful trajectories, or by transforming a voxel grid into a sequential series of samples. Common approaches include sampling along the path and fitting local interpolants, or aggregating directional projections to preserve integral properties.

Visualization typically maps sample attributes to visual channels such as color and opacity, enabling compact previews of complex volumes. Interpolation between samples enables continuous rendering; line width, shading, and texture along the line can convey depth cues.

Applications appear in medical imaging to summarize tract-based or vessel-centered volumes, in scientific visualization for showing material distributions along paths, and in data streaming where volumetric data is compressed into a one-dimensional representation.

Limitations include potential loss of spatial context, dependence on the chosen path, and sensitivity to sampling density. It is typically used as a complementary representation rather than a replacement for full 3D volume rendering.

See also volume rendering, voxel grid, line integral, tractography.