Convert stack of 2d images into 3d image, volume rendering

Question

I want to do a texture based volume render of CT data. I have a stack of 2d CT images that I'd like to use as a 3d texture in opengl (jogl really). I have to do it the way with polygon proxy geometry that shifts when viewing parameters change. How can I convert the 2d images to one 3d texture? I have not been able to find anything about how opengl expects 3d images to be formatted. I saw this: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13509191/how-to-convert-2d-image-into-3d-image , but I don't it's the same.

Also, I am still in confusion about this volume rendering technique. Is it possible to take a 3d location in the 3d texture and map it to a 2d corner of a quad? I found this example: http://www.felixgers.de/teaching/jogl/texture3D.html but I don't know if it means you have to use 3d vertices. Does anyone know more sources with explicit examples?

Answer 1

See

http://www.opengl.org/registry/doc/glspec40.core.20100311.pdf

section 3.8.3, on defining 3D texture images.

This results in a 3d cube of texels, and yes, you can map a 3d location in this cube to a corner of a quad.

Answer 2

OpenGL does know a 3D texture format where each texel is a small subvolume in a [0;1]^3 cube. When you texture a triangle or a quad with this texture, it is like if you cut out a thin slice of this volume. If you want a volumetric you must write a volume raycaster. If you Google "GPU direct volume rendering" you should find plenty of tutorials.