Path: nih-csl!uunet!pipex!uknet!doc.ic.ac.uk!dundee.ac.uk!not-for-mail From: pjclinch@dux.dundee.ac.uk (Pete Clinch) Newsgroups: sci.image.processing Subject: Re: Mac IP paks, summary Date: 21 May 1993 17:20:03 +0100 Organization: Information Technology Services University of Dundee Scotland, UK Lines: 174 Message-ID: <1tivfj$pom@dux.dundee.ac.uk> References: <1tiv26$pll@dux.dundee.ac.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: dux.dundee.ac.uk X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8] There seem to be several people out there who want to know about Mac Packages, so here's an edited list of replies I kept... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'm pretty happy with a package called DipStation. I think you can also make user code modules that are basically written in c. dip->contact = William H. Conner whc@po.cwru.edu (216) 721-2388 (USA) BTW. My only complaint is lack of user support. The manual says that they send out demo disk, and if you call to get one, tell him there's someone at UNC that emailed him about 3d render that would like to talk to him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As far as I know, there are two image processing applications available on the Mac - one is freeware and the is a commercial program. The freeware is NIH Image - the latest version of which is available via anonymous FTP at many Mac software sites (try SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU, WUARCHIVE.WUSTL.EDU, or MAC.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU). This is a great program to get started with on the Mac. It supports several common image-grabber boards and has a reasonably comprehensive set of image manipulation/ analysis routines as part of the basic code. It has a limited, but useful, macro building ability to automate collections of commands. You can extend its functionality, but I think you have to use Pascal, not C. The program itself is written in Pascal. The commercial program is IPLab and is written and supported by a company called Signal Analytics. They are located somewhere in Virginia, USA - I'm at home now and don't have a manual readily available. They are available over the Internet via AppleLink. This is a package that we've used extensively over the last year to automate the analysis of immunofluorescence images of tissue sections. It has a relatively flexible macro building capability that we've used often. IPLab contains hooks which enable you to create code extensions in Think C/Pascal or MPW C/Pascal. We've done all our programming in Think C (from Symantec) and have had very good luck getting the program to do what we want it to do. NIH Image is a wonderful program written and supported by a very talented programmer at the NIH, but IPLab has a whole company working to expand it. They advertise it as a scientific imaging tool, so they are keyed into the needs of research imaging systems. They have also recently hired a biophyicist to help tailor IPLab for use on ratio imaging systems (ion sensitive dye measurements in single cells - e.g., FURA, BCECF,etc.). I have had a great deal of personal contact with them while writing code extensions for IPLab, and they have been very helpful. They are also available as consultants for a fee, so if you have a specific functionality you need to add to the program, you can hire them to do it for you. The program itself contains extensive image processing routines; we have rarely had to resort to writing our own code. When we have, it was to do something trivial. They have very efficient versions of most of the standard image processing filters already written into the basic package. The program also supports a large array of frame-grabber boards and a very powerful set of NuBus Image array processing boards (made by a company called Perceptics). I believe the current price for a single user version of IPLab is ~$1200. For another $120/year, you get free bi-annual upgrades and unlimited support services via phone (not very practical for you) or Internet (they always get back to me within two days when I send them e-mail). P.S.: I found my annual product guide issue of Science. Here's Signal Analytics vital stats: Signal Analytics Corp. 374 Maple Ave, East Suite 204 Vienna, VA 22180 (703) 281-3277 (703) 281-2509 [FAX] You know, there are a few other packages available for the Mac. I've forgotten about them, because we've become so attached to IPLab. One is by a company called Biological Detection Systems in Pittsburgh,PA. They are a company that has been around in one form or another for the last 5 years or so. It was formed to capitalize on technology developed at Carnegie-Mellon's Center for Fluorescence Studies. The package they sell is a turnkey system that comes with a computer. The main product is the software, however, and includes such niceties as removal of out-of-focal-plane light to de-blur images and 3-D reconstruction of a spatial series of images. Their software is at least $10,000 for the basic package, and it can be much more than that depending on how many of their add-ons you buy. Axon Instruments [(415)571-9500 {FAX}] and Jandel Scientific [(800) 874-1888] both have general purpose Mac imaging packages available, but I don't know anything about them, because they have come out in the last year, after we bought IPLab. The most widely available commercial Mac imaging software is a package tailored for use in computer-aided manufacturing. It is designed to interface well with video input devices that can be used to monitor and evaluate the manufacturing process. The name of this system slips my mind - I think it's Image Analyst -, but it is also more expensive than IPLab, and not quite tailored to the needs of basic research. It uses a set of libraries called MacRail which were written specifically for imaging processing and video control systems. Finally, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign has created a large variety of data visualization tools and are starting to do more direct work with image processing. Most of their packages are available in commercial form(and some as freeware) for the Mac. They would be a good source for advice, as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Currently I am using "Image Analyst" by Automatix for image processing in fluid mechanics. Seems to work quite well. I have a RasterOps frame grabber in my Mac IIfx and the images are taken directly from a video source. There is a version called "Image Analyst/Source" which has a high level developers environment incorporated into the package. It supports user-written C programs and Automatix C libraries. As well it uses a generic macro language called RAIL as an interpretive image processing and control language. Contacts are Automatix Inc. 755 Middlesex Turnpike Billerica, MA 01821 508/667 7900, Fx. 508/663-5482, or Automatix Int. UK Ltd. Fairfield Court Unit 2 Wheler Road Coventry CV3 4LJ 44 203 639609, fx. 44 203 639 010 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NIH Image is the "standard" free software environment for Macs. I do not know if it is extendable in C. Image Analyst is a very good commerical package, particularly for dimensional measurements. However you write in an intrepreted lanuage call MacRAIL. I can provide a contact if you want further information. Alternatively you could use the Mac as a X terminal and run a UNIX based image processing routine which provides the features your require. I use Khoros. Khoros, by the way, runs on Mac's with AUX and X11. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Biological Detection Systems has a system like this: BDS-Image. Very powerful, aimed at the microscopy market. You should call our sales people at 301-990-0100 (USA) and ask for some information, or write to: Biological Detection Systems 15200 Omega Drive, Suite 105 Rockville MD 20850 Phone (301) 990-0100 FAX (301) 990-8391 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Also, National Instuments LabView for Mac also has many function which can be used for IP. Similarly, you could check out Momentum Data Systems at (714) 557-6884. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I've taken out some of the repeated information. Thanks to all those who sent it to me, and I hope people find this useful. Pete. p.s. sorry for the blip at the start, with this as a followup rather than the posting, but if I say I'm using vi I'm sure you'll understand :-) -- Peter Clinch University of Dundee phone 44 382 (voice) 60111 x 2050 (fax) 632970 Department of Medical Physics email pjclinch@dux.dundee.ac.uk Ninewells Hospital Dundee, DD1 9SY, Scotland, UK