More Comfort in Digital Microscopy

Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH introduces version 4.6 of the AxioVision software for digital microscopy in biomedicine and materials applications. The software, which also supports the Axio Observer microscopes with incubation modules launched by ZEISS in October 2006, features new functions and improved convenience for the recording, archiving, processing, analysis and reconstruction of images.

Carl Zeiss offers the following modules for the first time: Topography, Online Measurement, Physiology and Digital High Speed Recorder. The "Topography" module, for example, permits roughness measurements according to EN ISO 4287 in height maps generated from Z-stacks taken with light microscopes and stereomicroscopes, while the "Online Measurement" module enables interactive measurements in online images into which grids and reticles can be projected. An additional new feature is the wavelet algorithm for the calculation of images with extended depth of focus at optimum quality. Furthermore, it is possible to automatically compensate for the lateral displacement of Z-stack images taken with stereomicroscopes.

The software has also been supplemented with functions for the evaluation of measuring data, thus enabling the generation of statistics, histograms, etc. So far, external evaluation programs (e.g. Microsoft ExcelTM) had to be used for this purpose. The "Mixed" mode of the "Inside 4D" module permits the simultaneous display of transparency and surface render methods. The section plane mode enables the shaded display of section planes so that the user can "look into" 3D structures. The distances between objects can be measured three-dimensionally.