Cinematic rendering of unfolded 3d volumes

A method for generating a volume rendering in a medical system, the method comprising:

• receiving a plurality of voxels representing a plurality of volumes, wherein each voxel has three-dimensional coordinates;
• extracting the plurality of three-dimensional volumes from the voxels;
• unfolding the plurality of three-dimensional volumes;
• and
• rendering the unfolded three-dimensional volumes on a display.

A system for generating a volume rendering, the system comprising:

• a scanner configured to capture an input volume of a patient;
• and
• a renderer configured to:
• receive, from the scanner, the input volume;
• extract an anatomical structure from the input volume;
• spatially transform the anatomical structure to a flattened representation, the flattened representation being along a slab thinner in one dimension than the anatomical structure as represented in the input volume;
• and
• generate, using volumetric path tracing, a volume rendering of the unfolded anatomical structure.