Volumetric Digital Image Correlation (VDIC)

In all of the previous sections, images of an object surface that are acquired by a sensor array are combined with a calibrated imaging model to convert the image sensor information into 2D or 3D surface position data. Typically, the imaging model is a form of perspective transformation, with functions defined to correct the model predictions.

In recent years, a series of advances in imaging, not only of surfaces but also for material volumes, have resulted in new opportunities for quantitative internal measurement of 3D positions throughout an entire volume. Computed Tomography (CT) scanners [26,27,30,155,156,188,265], Confocal Imaging Microscope architectures (CIM) [80] and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) [219,324,325] systems are examples of modern hardware that are now able to obtain and store massive amounts of digital volumetric image data, oftentimes exceeding the ability of the hardware or software to process and analyze the data.