Version 8 Release Notes
This new version of DicomObjects.NET consolidates numerous incremental changes and cleans up some of the unused remnants, as well as adding significant new features, the main one being the 2D and 3D GPU rendering. The main changes are:
2D/3D GPU rendering using DirectX (HLSL)
The big advancement in this version is the GPU powered 2D and 3D rendering of images, which not only makes it a more stable option but also has a massive performance improvement with very impressive test results. Few fundamental changes to the rendering process are:
- 3D images now have a single class, and hence it is possible to move between the types (MPR, Slab, MIP & VR) by changing the Mode property, without remaking the object.
- A DicomVolume object can be used to make multiple 3D image objects, improving memory efficiency and saving CPU cycles.
DICOM Fusion Image
This is a totally new feature which can be utilised by using the DicomImageFusion class. It allows spatial transformations, which are passed on simultaneously to all the images in the collection.
Video support using FFmpeg
Starting with version 8 we have added video support with the help of FFmpeg, a well established video Codec, for handling all sorts of popular video formats. This allows importing of supported video formats, embedding them into DICOM and exporting them using the appropriate transfer syntax.
FFmpeg is licensed under the GNU Lesser Public license(LGPL). We comply with the rules as stated in FFmpeg's licensing terms (FFmpeg License and Legal Considerations) for using this open-source Codec in our product and would urge our users to be aware of the legal responsibilities of using it. For development status on this feature please check our webpage /kb/Video-Support-With-FFmpeg/
DicomLabel update
There is a single major update in this new version as a result of our effort to have a consistent API for DicomLabel handling. We have fully documented the changes in our article.
Optimization changes and benchmarking
We have hugely optimized our DICOM library which has grown over the years. We have done extensive benachmarking and you can find the report on our website
DicomObjects.NET.8.48 Assembly
Namespaces
Namespace Description
DicomObjects The DicomObjects namespace contains all the main DicomObjects classes
DicomObjects.Delegates The DicomObjects.Delegates namespace contains all the delegates used in DicomObjects events
DicomObjects.DicomCodecs The DicomObjects.DicomCodecs namespace contains all interfaces and classes related to compression and decompression of DICOM images
DicomObjects.DicomUIDs The DicomObjects.DicomUIDs namespace contains all standard defined DICOM UIDs as constants, grouped by type of UID
DicomObjects.DicomWeb
DicomObjects.Enums The DicomObjects.Enums namespace contains all enumerations used within DicomObjects
DicomObjects.EventArguments The DicomObjects.EventArguments namespace contains all the EventArgs used in DicomObjects events
DicomObjects.Video
Introduction to DicomObjects .NET version
Overview of DicomObjects.NET
DicomObjects.NET consists of an inter-related, but independent, set of .NET "Objects" that enable developers to quickly and easily add DICOM functionality to their products without needing to understand or program the intricacies of the DICOM standard. This help file provides full reference to those objects and also some introductory guidance.
Almost any aspect of DICOM image/data manipulation can be performed using DicomObjects, including:
Image display and manipulation
Network transmission of images and associated data, including worklists
Printing to DICOM and windows printers
Normalised operations including storage commitment
Image creation from scratch and import/export to/from non-DICOM formats
The main Components of DicomObjects are:
DicomViewer Control
A control that may be embedded into any .NET forms control container such as C#, Visual Basic.NET etc. It has extensive display capabilities for DICOM images, whether read from files, received over the network, or from numerous other sources, and these include a wide range of annotations, and full DICOM greyscale presentation state support.
DicomServer Class
An object that provides storage, query/retrieve and normalised facilities as a service class provider (SCP). Events are raised in response to incoming operations.
DicomQuery Class
An object that handles the query/retrieve parts of the DICOM standard as a service class user (SCU).
DicomPrint Class
An object that simplifies DICOM printing as a service class user (SCU).
DicomGlobal Class
Used for certain global operations, including logging and setting global behaviour.
DicomAssociation Class
A DicomAssociation Object represents a DICOM association, and may either be created automatically in response to an incoming query request, or explicitly by the client program. Methods of this object are used to send data, images, and verification requests.
Other classes and collections are created and used by the above, and some may also be created directly. They are:
Object Description Single Item Collection
SOP instance, containing an image DicomImage Class DicomImageCollection Class
Generic SOP instance, used for results of DICOM queries or as a sub-element of a Sequence DicomDataSet Class DicomDataSetCollection Class
Attribute (Data Element) of a DicomDataSet DicomAttribute Class
DICOM Presentation context DicomContext Class DicomContextCollection Class
Image Annotation DicomLabel Class DicomLabelCollection Class
Licensing Information and Control DicomLicense Class
DicomImage Class
An object that represents the DICOM image with the pixel data and all the attributes as accessible properties. It is a superset of DicomDataSet Class, which in turn is a collection of DicomAttribute Class. DicomAttribute is the basic unit to hold A DICOM element, it is represented by a keyword/tag in the format (gggg,eeee), where gggg equates to the Group Number and eeee equates to the Element Number within that Group. These values are in hexadecimal notation as specified for each named Data Element in the Standard (PS3.6 Data Dictionary)
There is also a 3D specific DicomImage3D Class that supports MPR, MIP, VR & Slab rendering of DicomVolume
DicomLabel Class
An object that represents annotations, markers on the displayed DICOM image.
DicomException Class
A DicomException Object represents the errors that occur within DicomObjects which is wrapped and thrown as a manageable exception in the user code with descriptive error messages.