Tensor glyph explained

In scientific visualization a tensor glyph is an object that can visualize all or most of the nine degrees of freedom, such as acceleration, twist, or shear – of a

3 x 3 matrix. It is used for tensor field visualization, where a data-matrix is available at every point in the grid. "Glyphs, or icons, depict multiple data values by mapping them onto the shape, size, orientation, and surface appearance of a base geometric primitive."^[1] Tensor glyphs are a particular case of multivariate data glyphs.

There are certain types of glyphs that are commonly used:

• Ellipsoid
• Cuboid
• Cylindrical
• Superquadrics

According to Thomas Schultz and Gordon Kindlmann, specific types of tensor fields "play a central role in scientific and biomedical studies as well as in image analysisand feature-extraction methods."^[2]

Further reading

• Superquadric Tensor Glyphs (Images and Examples)
• Book: Bertin, Jacques . Semiology of Graphics . Jacques Bertin . 978-1589482616 . 2010 . 1967 . .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Superquadric Tensor Glyphs . Joint EUROGRAPHICS – IEEE TCVG Symposium on Visualization (2004) . 2004 . September 1, 2012 . Kindlmann, Gordon.
2. Superquadric Glyphs for Symmetric Second-Order Tensors . Schultz, Thomas and Gordon L. Kindlmann . IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics . November–December 2010 . 16 . 6 . 1595–604. 20975202 . 10.1109/TVCG.2010.199 . 10.1.1.461.3948 . 10026004 .