Interactive volume rendering for immersive virtual environments

Immersive virtual environments (IVEs) are an appropriate platform for 3D data visualization and exploration as, for example, the spatial understanding of these data is facilitated by stereo technology. However, in comparison to desktop setups a lower latency and thus a higher frame rate is mandatory. In this paper we argue that current realizations of direct volume rendering do not allow for a desirable visualization w.r.t. latency and visual quality that do not impair the immersion in virtual environments. To this end, we analyze published acceleration techniques and discuss their potential in IVEs; furthermore, head tracking is considered as a main challenge but also a starting point for specific optimization techniques.