Volume data mining using 3D field topology analysis

Volume visualization has served as an indispensable tool for exploring the inner structures and complex behavior of volumetric objects embedded in large-scale sampled or simulated 3D data sets. A novel approach to automating the settings of visualization parameter values for volume data mining is proposed. The conventional Reeb graph-based approach to topological modeling of 3D surfaces to capture the topological skeleton of a volumetric field is extended. The analyzed results take the form of hyper Reeb graphs, which give the basic reference structure for designing comprehensible volume visualization.