Strange Engine home page
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"The blue pain fades to a point where
it doesn't fade it stayed... blue.
Stirred his red coat heart to
this strange engine"
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Strange Engine News
Oct 15, 2003
Sorry for the delay. At last Build 12 is released
to the public!
New features include:
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New image toolbar
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Grey window thresholding improved
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Plot server for analysis and comparison of image profiles
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New IPhantom and IPhantomElement COM interfaces for backprojection of phantoms
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Some bug removed
Strange Engine History
Feb 6, 2001
Strange Engine build 12 presented as my Ph.D.
thesis.
Sep 28, 2000
Build 11 (internal). Features:
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Added button "Erase plots" to the Dialog Plot Server.
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Agofdk plugin kernel modified.
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Agodietz plugin revised.
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FDK plugin revised: now it supports UI, backprojection of collections and
phantom projection.
Aug 20, 2000
Build 10 (internal). Features:
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IPhantom e IPhantomElement COM interfaces added
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Agofdk plugin now implements BackProjectPhantom interface
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Removed bug for cameo creation
Jul 18, 2000
Build 9 (internal). Features:
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New toolbar for SurfaceView
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New slider (in toolbar) for Grey Window Width and Level adjustments
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Grey Window Width and Level are now in the range 1-1000 (was 1-100) and
are view specific (was document specific)
Jun 16, 2000
Build 8 (special build for IST). Features:
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Unicode is not available on Windows 95/98: minor internal modifications.
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Slice export to Bitmap is now working ok.
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Fdk control : new constant 8/np (was 1/sqrt[np])
March 2000
Strange Engine won 3rd prized at ACM Student Research
Contest in Austin, Texas!!
Dec 12, 1999
Strange Engine will attend SIGCSE 2000 for the ACM
Student Research Contest in Austin, Texas!!
See http://www1.acm.org/spost
for details.
Nov 10, 1999
Build 6 (public) is now available!
Features of this new release include:
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New Import/Export facilities including: Sinogram Binary Matrix and Windows
AVI video format
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New Dialogs for setting source and detector properties
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Fourier Farm dll (ffarm.dll) is not anymore necessary for the Strange Engine
main executable
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Installation provided by InstallShield script
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ActiveX support. You can now write your own ActiveX backprojector component
and plug it into Strange Engine!
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Strange Engine Icon Desktop. Interactions are as easy and friendly as using
the Windows Explorer.
Nov 6, 1999
Build 5 (internal). New features:
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Minor internal modifications
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Introducing the all-new (experimental) Strange Engine Icon Desktop
Oct 24, 1999
Build 4 (internal). new Features:
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Active X Plugin can also be provided by Component Categories Manager under
Windows NT 4 SP3 and Windows 2000
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Agofdk, Fdk and Dietz OCX updated to support CATIDs
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Backprojector Renderer property page interface is now more friendly
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Digitizer object is not available if a Matrox Genesis is not found in the
system
Oct 8, 1999
Build 3 (special edition for prof. Louis). New features:
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Custom registry Active X search routine and Insert Plugin dialog
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Plugging in Active X controls for backprojector algorithms is now possible
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Agofdk OCX available
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Introduction of preliminary Fourier Farm 2D classes to support 2D transforming
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Example source code for Fdk and Dietz OCX
Sep 19, 1999
Build 2 (internal). New features:
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Offline collection loading procedure upgraded to Version 2: much much faster.
Version 1 files still supported
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Minor internal modifications
Sep 4, 1999
Build 1. First public release.
Strange Engine FAQ
What the hell is Strange Engine?
Strange Engine is an object-oriented project I've worked on between late
1998 and early 2001 for my Ph.D. research.
Strange Engine is written in Visual C++ and offers a fully featured
Windows graphical user interface.
Strange Engine is essentially a "common ground" enviroenment for fully
3D cone-beam tomography.
Ok, but how does it work?
Strange Engine offers many useful services. I would like to mention:
Cone-beam projection manager
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Display of single and collections of projections
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Load/save from/to disk in a compressed proprietary format
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Export to DICOM 3, NCSA HDF and raw binary formats
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Import from raw binary format
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Backproject to a volume by using my fast Feldkamp-on-a-circle algorithm
or
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Write and use your ActiveX backprojector!
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Volume manager
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Display volumes by trasversal, coronal or sagittal plane sections
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Load/save from/to disk in a compressed proprietary format
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Export to NCSA HDF format
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Phantom manager
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Assemble analytical phantoms by addding ellipsoids and truncated cyclinders
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Load/save from/to disk in a proprietary format
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Project phantoms to cone-beam projections
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Slide manager
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Capture intensity slides from Matrox Genesis frame grabber
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Load/save from/to disk in a proprietary format
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Convert slides to projections via open-field slides
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Is a manual or online help provided?
Sorry a manual is not available. However you can refer to my Ph.D.
thesis for instructions and analysis of the Strange Engine.
If you need further help just write me an e-mail!
Is Strange Engine available?
Yep! An alpha public release is available.
Last public version available
is: v. 1.0.0 alpha Build 12 of February 2001.
My 1D Fourier Farm wrapper, located here,
is now included in the Strange Engine distribution.
ActiveX backprojector writers should also look at the Strange Engine
COM mini API specification.
How can I develop a backprojector algorithm to work with
the Strange Engine?
It is not that difficult if you know C++ or C. Please refer to Strange
Engine COM mini API.
More information is provided in my Ph.D.
thesis.
On what Strange Engine features are you currently working
on?
Strange Engine development has been stopped from 2001 because I'm currently
working on other projects.
Hopefully development will be resumed in the near future.
Is it possibile to contribute to Strange Engine development?
You're encouraged to use the Strange Engine releases I put on this page.
If you like/dislike some features or if you think a new feature needs to
be implemented please just write me an e-mail, I'll be happy to discuss
it with you.
What kind of PC will I need to use Strange Engine?
You will need a Windows workstation-grade machine. 3D CT is very power
hungry so the bigger the better.
Minimum recommended setup includes:
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Pentium Pro or above Intel processor,
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Windows NT 4 or Windows 2000,
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64 MB of RAM and a GB sized HD.
Who are Marillion?
Marillion is a great rock band from the United Kingdom. Please visit their
home site at www.marillion.com.
"This Strange Engine" is a song from Marillion released in 1997 which
I find to be special.
Stefano Agostinelli - agostinellis@bigfoot.com
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