No / Three-dimensional (3D) representations of com- plex geometric shapes, especially when they are recon- structed from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and com- puted tomography (CT) data, often result in large polygon meshes which require substantial storage for their handling, and normally have only one fixed level of detail (LOD). This can often be an obstacle for efficient data exchange and interactive work with such objects. We propose to re- place such large polygon meshes with a relatively small set of coefficients of the patchwise partial differential equation (PDE) function representation. With this model, the approx- imations of the original shapes can be rendered with any desired resolution at interactive rates. Our approach can di- rectly work with any common 3D reconstruction pipeline, which we demonstrate by applying it to a large reconstructed medical data set with irregular geometry.

In this paper we introduce an algorithm for the creation of polyhedral approximations for objects represented as strongly connected sets of voxels in three-dimensional binary images. The algorithm generates the convex hull of a given object and modifies the hull afterwards by recursive repetitions of generating convex hulls of subsets of the given voxel set or subsets of the background voxels. The result of this method is a polyhedron which separates object voxels from background voxels. The objects processed by this algorithm and also the background voxel components inside the convex hull of the objects are restricted to have genus 0. The second aim of this paper is to present some improvements to our convex hull algorithm to reduce computation time.

In this paper we introduce an algorithm for the creation of polyhedral approximations for objects represented as strongly connected sets of voxels in three-dimensional binary images. The algorithm generates the convex hull of a given object and modifies the hull afterwards by recursive repetitions of generating convex hulls of subsets of the given voxel set or subsets of the background voxels. The result of this method is a polyhedron which separates object voxels from background voxels. The objects processed by this algorithm and also the background voxel components inside the convex hull of the objects are restricted to have genus 0. The second aim of this paper is to present some improvements to our convex hull algorithm to reduce computation time.

A height field is a set of height distance values sampled at a finite set of sample points in a two-dimensional parameter domain. A height field usually contains a lot of redundant information, much of which can be removed without a substantial degradation of its quality. A common approach to reducing the size of a height field representation is to use a piecewise polygonal surface approximation. This consists of a mesh of polygons that approximates the surfaces of the original data at a desired level of accuracy. Polygonal surface approximation of height fields has numerous applications in the fields of computer graphics and computer vision. Triangular mesh approximations are a popular means of representing three-dimensional surfaces, and multiresolution analysis (MRA) is often used to obtain compact representations of dense input data, as well as to allow surface approximations at varying spatial resolution. Multiresolution approaches, particularly those moving from coarse to fine resolutions, can often improve the computational efficiency of mesh generation as well as can provide easy control of level of details for approximations. This dissertation concerns the use of wavelet-based MRA methods to produce a triangular-mesh surface approximation from a single height field dataset. The goal of this study is to obtain a fast surface approximation for a set of height data, using a small number of approximating elements to satisfy a given error criterion. Typically, surface approximation techniques attempt to balance error of fit, number of approximating elements, and speed of computation. A novel aspect of this approach is the direct evaluation of wavelet coefficients to assess surface shape characteristics within each triangular element at a given scale. Our approach hierarchically subdivides and refines triangles as the resolution level increases. / Ph. D.

The high level of realism and interaction in many computer graphic applications requires techniques for processing complex geometric models. First, we present a method that provides an accurate low-resolution approximation from a multi-chart textured model that guarantees geometric fidelity and correct preservation of the appearance attributes. Then, we introduce a mesh structure called Compact Model that approximates dense triangular meshes while preserving sharp features, allowing adaptive reconstructions and supporting textured models. Next, we design a new space deformation technique called *Cages based on a multi-level system of cages that preserves the smoothness of the mesh between neighbouring cages and is extremely versatile, allowing the use of heterogeneous sets of coordinates and different levels of deformation. Finally, we propose a hybrid method that allows to apply any deformation technique on large models obtaining high quality results with a reduced memory footprint and a high performance. / L’elevat nivell de realisme i d’interacció requerit en múltiples aplicacions gràfiques fa que siguin necessàries tècniques pel processament de models geomètrics complexes. En primer lloc, presentem un mètode de simplificació que proporciona una aproximació precisa de baixa resolució d'un model texturat que garanteix fidelitat geomètrica i una correcta preservació de l’aparença. A continuació, introduïm el Compact Model, una nova estructura de dades que permet aproximar malles triangulars denses preservant els trets més distintius del model, permetent reconstruccions adaptatives i suportant models texturats. Seguidament, hem dissenyat *Cages, un esquema de deformació basat en un sistema de caixes multi-nivell que conserva la suavitat de la malla entre caixes veïnes i és extremadament versàtil, permetent l'ús de conjunts heterogenis de coordenades i diferents nivells de deformació. Finalment, proposem un mètode híbrid que permet aplicar qualsevol tècnica de deformació sobre models complexes obtenint resultats d’alta qualitat amb una memòria reduïda i un alt rendiment.

Large scale, multidisciplinary, engineering designs are always difficult due to the complexity and dimensionality of these problems. Direct coupling between the analysis codes and the optimization routines can be prohibitively time consuming. One way of tackling this problem is by constructing computationally cheap(er) approximations of the expensive simulations, that mimic the behavior of the simulation model as closely as possible. This paper presents a data driven, surrogate based optimization algorithm that uses a trust region based sequential approximate optimization (SAO) framework and a statistical sampling approach based on design of experiment (DOE) arrays. The algorithm is implemented using techniques from the two packages SURFPACK and SHEPPACK that provide a collection of approximation algorithms to build the surrogates and three different DOE techniques: full factorial (FF), Latin hypercube sampling (LHS), and central composite design (CCD) are used to train the surrogates. The biggest concern in using the proposed methodology is the generation of the required database. This thesis proposes a data driven approach where an expensive simulation run is required if and only if a nearby data point does not exist in the cumulatively growing database. Over time the database matures and is enriched as more and more optimizations are performed. Results show that the response surface approximations constructed using design of experiments can be effectively managed by a SAO framework based on a trust region strategy. An interesting result is the significant reduction in the number of simulations for the subsequent runs of the optimization algorithm with a cumulatively growing simulation database. / Master of Science

Treatment planning for radiation therapy inherently involves tradeoffs, such as between tumor control and normal tissue sparing, between time-efficiency and dose quality, and between nominal plan quality and robustness. The purpose of this thesis is to develop methods that can facilitate decision making related to such tradeoffs. The main focus of the thesis is on multicriteria optimization methods where a representative set of treatment plans are first calculated and the most appropriate plan contained in this representation then selected by the treatment planner through continuous interpolation between the precalculated alternatives. These alternatives constitute a subset of the set of Pareto optimal plans, meaning plans such that no criterion can be improved without a sacrifice in another. Approximation of Pareto optimal sets is first studied with respect to fluence map optimization for intensity-modulated radiation therapy. The approximation error of a discrete representation is minimized by calculation of points one at the time at the location where the distance between an inner and outer approximation of the Pareto set currently attains its maximum. A technique for calculating this distance that is orders of magnitude more efficient than the best previous method is presented. A generalization to distributed computational environments is also proposed. Approximation of Pareto optimal sets is also considered with respect to direct machine parameter optimization. Optimization of this form is used to calculate representations where any interpolated treatment plan is directly deliverable. The fact that finite representations of Pareto optimal sets have approximation errors with respect to Pareto optimality is addressed by a technique that removes these errors by a projection onto the exact Pareto set. Projections are also studied subject to constraints that prevent the dose-volume histogram from deteriorating. Multicriteria optimization is extended to treatment planning for volumetric-modulated arc therapy and intensity-modulated proton therapy. Proton therapy plans that are robust against geometric errors are calculated by optimization of the worst case outcome. The theory for multicriteria optimization is extended to accommodate this formulation. Worst case optimization is shown to be preferable to a previous more conservative method that also protects against uncertainties which cannot be realized in practice. / En viktig aspekt av planering av strålterapibehandlingar är avvägningar mellan behandlingsmål vilka står i konflikt med varandra. Exempel på sådana avvägningar är mellan tumörkontroll och dos till omkringliggande frisk vävnad, mellan behandlingstid och doskvalitet, och mellan nominell plankvalitet och robusthet med avseende på geometriska fel. Denna avhandling syftar till att utveckla metoder som kan underlätta beslutsfattande kring motstridiga behandlingsmål. Primärt studeras en metod för flermålsoptimering där behandlingsplanen väljs genom kontinuerlig interpolation över ett representativt urval av förberäknade alternativ. De förberäknade behandlingsplanerna utgör en delmängd av de Paretooptimala planerna, det vill säga de planer sådana att en förbättring enligt ett kriterium inte kan ske annat än genom en försämring enligt ett annat. Beräkning av en approximativ representation av mängden av Paretooptimala planer studeras först med avseende på fluensoptimering för intensitetsmodulerad strålterapi. Felet för den approximativa representationen minimeras genom att innesluta mängden av Paretooptimala planer mellan inre och yttre approximationer. Dessa approximationer förfinas iterativt genom att varje ny plan genereras där avståndet mellan approximationerna för tillfället är som störst. En teknik för att beräkna det maximala avståndet mellan approximationerna föreslås vilken är flera storleksordningar snabbare än den bästa tidigare kända metoden. En generalisering till distribuerade beräkningsmiljöer föreslås även. Approximation av mängden av Paretooptimala planer studeras även för direkt maskinparameteroptimering, som används för att beräkna representationer där varje interpolerad behandlingsplan är direkt levererbar. Det faktum att en ändlig representation av mängden av Paretooptimala lösningar har ett approximationsfel till Paretooptimalitet hanteras via en metod där en interpolerad behandlingsplan projiceras på Paretomängden. Projektioner studeras även under bivillkor som förhindrar att den interpolerade planens dos-volym histogram kan försämras. Flermålsoptimering utökas till planering av rotationsterapi och intensitetsmodulerad protonterapi. Protonplaner som är robusta mot geometriska fel beräknas genom optimering med avseende på det värsta möjliga utfallet av de föreliggande osäkerheterna. Flermålsoptimering utökas även teoretiskt till att innefatta denna formulering. Nyttan av värsta fallet-optimering jämfört med tidigare mer konservativa metoder som även skyddar mot osäkerheter som inte kan realiseras i praktiken demonstreras experimentellt. / <p>QC 20130527</p>