Edge surface extraction from 3D images

Within 3D image, edge surfaces usually correspond to structural boundaries. Therefore, their recognition and modeling are of basic importance in 3D image analysis. Several approaches have been proposed to find or visualize them, such as 3D edge detection and volume rendering algorithms. But edge detectors mainly seek discrete 3D edge-like points in a 3D image, and volume rendering is mainly used for display. Neither extracts a continuous edge surface model, which is usually needed for further analysis, understanding and interpretation of structures within a 3D image. We present two ways, simple and easy to implement, to extract surface models of step-like edge surfaces directly from a 3D image.