Method, apparatus, signals and codes for establishing and using a data structure for storing voxel information

A computer readable medium for providing codes for directing a processor circuit to organize volumetric data associated with active voxels in a voxel block, where active voxels are those for which information has been obtained or provided, by:

• causing each active voxel in a column of voxels in the voxel block to be associated with a respective consecutive memory location in a first group of memory locations associated with said column;
• and
• causing position information indicating positions of said active voxels in said column to be stored in respective said consecutive memory locations of said first group.

A signal embodied in a carrier wave, the signal comprising:

• a first code segment for directing a processor circuit to cause each active voxel in a column of voxels in a voxel block to be associated with a respective consecutive memory location in a first group of memory locations associated with said column;
• and
• a second code segment for directing said processor circuit to cause position information indicating positions of said active voxels in said column to be stored in respective said consecutive memory locations of said first group.

An apparatus for organizing volumetric data associated with active voxels in a voxel block, where active voxels are those for which information has been obtained or provided, the apparatus comprising:

• means for causing each active voxel in a column of voxels in the voxel block to be associated with a respective consecutive memory location in a first group of memory locations associated with said column;
• and
• means for causing position information indicating positions of said active voxels in said column to be stored in respective said consecutive memory locations of said first group.

An apparatus for storing a volume data set representing at least geometric representations of active voxels in a voxel block where active voxels are those for which information has been obtained or provided, the apparatus comprising:

• memory operable to be divided into a plurality of wads of memory locations;
• and
• a processor circuit operable to communicate with said memory to cause a column of active voxels in the voxel block to be associated with a group of consecutive memory locations in at least one of said wads and to cause representations of respective active voxels in said column to be stored in respective said consecutive memory locations.

A volumetric data organization method for organizing volumetric data associated with active voxels in a voxel block, where active voxels are those for which information has been obtained or provided, the method comprising:

• associating a column of active voxels in the voxel block with a contiguous group of indices associated with corresponding memory locations in a plurality of information arrays;
• and
• causing elements of information about each active voxel to be stored in respective said information arrays, such that said each active voxel is associated with a corresponding index and said index identifies memory locations in respective said information arrays at which respective said elements of information about said each active voxel are stored.

A data structure embodied in a computer readable medium, the data structure comprising:

• a plurality of voxel element arrays comprised of consecutive memory locations, said arrays being arranged and associated with a set of indices whereby indices of said set identify corresponding consecutive memory locations in each array of said voxel element arrays;
• and
• a base array for storing an identification of a contiguous group of said memory locations in said each array in which voxel elements of a corresponding group of active voxels in the same column of a voxel block may be stored.