The Interface
This page provides a comprehensive overview of the Volvicon user interface and its main components—from the title bar where you'll find quick-access tools, to the status bar that keeps you informed about memory usage and coordinate tracking.
Interface Overview
The Volvicon interface consists of these main areas:
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Title Bar | Quick access buttons (save, undo, redo), command search bar, theme selector, and window controls |
| Ribbon | Tabbed toolbar containing all commands organized by function |
| 3D View | Displays volume renderings, surface meshes, and volume meshes |
| 2D Views | Displays slice views (XY, XZ, YZ planes) |
| Project Management Dock | Lists all objects in the current project |
| Properties Panel | Shows and edits properties of the selected object |
| Status Bar | Displays voxel coordinates, gray values, memory usage indicator, and status messages |
Main Components
Title Bar
The title bar sits at the very top of the Volvicon window and provides immediate access to frequently-used commands without navigating through ribbon tabs. Think of it as your productivity shortcut zone.
Quick Access Buttons
On the left side of the title bar, you'll find a set of quick access buttons that let you perform common actions with a single click:
| Button | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Save | Ctrl+S | Saves the current project immediately |
| Undo | Ctrl+Z | Reverses the last action performed |
| Redo | Ctrl+Y | Restores an action that was undone |
The Undo and Redo buttons are context-aware—they automatically enable or disable based on whether there are actions available to undo or redo. When a button appears grayed out, it means there's nothing in that direction of the history stack.
When working on complex segmentation tasks, use Ctrl+Z liberally to undo brush strokes or threshold adjustments that don't look right. The undo history maintains multiple levels, so you can step back through several operations if needed.
Command Search Bar
The search bar is your fastest path to any command in Volvicon. Rather than navigating through multiple ribbon tabs, simply type what you're looking for:
How to use the search bar:
- Click in the search field or start typing when it has focus
- Type keywords related to the command you need (e.g., "threshold", "smooth", "export")
- As you type, matching commands appear in a dropdown list
- Click a result or use arrow keys and
Enterto select
The search uses intelligent matching—it searches through command names, tooltips, and related keywords. For example, searching for "denoise" will find the smoothing filter even though "denoise" isn't in the button name.
The search bar becomes active once you open a project. On the startup backstage view, search functionality is disabled until you create or open a project.
Theme Selector
On the right side of the title bar, you'll find the theme button (represented by an down-chevron icon). Volvicon offers extensive visual customization through a variety of color themes.
Available themes include:
| Category | Themes |
|---|---|
| Light themes | Light, Blue, Green, Red, Bubblegum, Cool Breeze, Cool Slate, Ice Mint, Juicy Plum, Mango Paradise, Moonlight Glow, Mystical Forest, Silk Pink, Spicy Red, Sunny Day |
| Dark themes | Dark, Dark+, Midnight Slate, Starlit Moonlight |
To change the theme:
- Click the theme button in the title bar (down-chevron icon on the right)
- Select your preferred theme from the dropdown menu
- The interface updates immediately with the new color scheme
Your theme preference is saved automatically and persists across sessions.
If you work in varying lighting conditions, consider using a light theme during the day and switching to a dark theme for evening work sessions. Dark themes can reduce eye strain in low-light environments.
The Ribbon
The ribbon is the main toolbar located at the top of the window. It organizes commands into tabs based on function:
- File – Project management, import/export, media capture
- View – View layouts, camera controls, display options
- Image – Volume image operations and filters
- Segmentation – Mask creation and editing tools
- Surface – Surface mesh generation and processing
- Volume Mesh – Volume mesh generation and operations
- Measure – Measurements, primitives, and statistics
- Analyze – Analysis tools (wall thickness, deviation, curvature)
- Advanced – Scripting, AI segmentation, plugins
- Favorite – User-customizable shortcuts
- Help – Documentation and support
See The Ribbon for details.
3D View
The 3D view displays:
- Volume renderings of image data
- Surface mesh models
- Volume mesh models
- Measurements and primitives
See The 3D View for details.
2D Views
The 2D views display slice cross-sections through volume data:
- XY plane (Top/Axial view)
- XZ plane (Front/Coronal view)
- YZ plane (Right/Sagittal view)
See 2D Views for details.
Project Management Dock
The project management dock displays all objects in the current project organized in a tree structure:
- Volume images
- Masks
- Surface meshes
- Volume meshes
- Measurements and primitives
See Project Management Dock for details.
Status Bar
The status bar runs along the bottom of the Volvicon window and serves as your real-time information dashboard. It provides continuous feedback about where you're pointing in your data and how your system resources are being utilized.
Voxel Information Display
When you enable the Voxel Information option in the View ribbon tab (or simply hover over slice views), the status bar displays detailed coordinate and intensity information:
| Information | Description |
|---|---|
| Gray Value | The intensity value at the cursor position (displayed as GV for gray value or HU for Hounsfield units in medical CT data) |
| I, J, K | The voxel indices (discrete coordinates within the volume grid) |
| X, Y, Z | The world coordinates in the current unit system (typically millimeters) |
Example status bar reading:
65535 GV I: 256 J: 256 K: 128 X: 50.0000 Y: 50.0000 Z: 25.0000
This tells you that at voxel position (256, 256, 128), which corresponds to world position (50, 50, 25), the gray value is 65535.
The voxel information display is invaluable when you need to:
- Verify threshold ranges by checking gray values at specific locations
- Document precise coordinates for measurements or regions of interest
- Compare intensity values between different regions of your scan
- Navigate to specific voxel locations for detailed analysis
When the cursor moves outside the volume data or leaves the view, the display shows "No data or out of view" to indicate that coordinate tracking is not available in that area.
Memory Usage Indicator
On the right side of the status bar, the memory usage indicator provides real-time monitoring of how much system RAM Volvicon is currently using.
Display format:
2.45 GB (32.50 %)
This shows the absolute memory consumption (2.45 GB) and the percentage of your total system RAM being used.
LED indicator colors:
| LED Color | Memory Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 Green | Below 50% | Normal operation, plenty of headroom |
| 🟡 Yellow | 50% – 65% | Elevated usage, monitor if loading more data |
| 🟠 Orange | 65% – 80% | High usage, consider closing unused objects |
| 🔴 Red | Above 80% | Critical usage, risk of performance degradation |
When the indicator turns orange or red, performance may degrade as your system begins using virtual memory (disk swap). Consider:
- Closing unused projects or objects
- Using lower resolution preview modes
- Cropping your volume to the region of interest
- Saving your work to prevent data loss if memory becomes exhausted
The memory indicator updates automatically every 1.5 seconds, so you'll see real-time feedback as you load data or perform memory-intensive operations.
Status Messages
The left portion of the status bar displays contextual status messages during operations:
- Ready – The default message when the application is idle and ready for input
- Processing... – Indicates an operation is in progress
- Operation completed – Confirms successful completion of a task
- Error messages – Displays brief error notifications when operations fail
Progress bars also appear in the status bar during long-running operations, giving you visual feedback on completion percentage.
View Layouts
Volvicon provides several preset view layouts:
| Layout | Description |
|---|---|
| Single | One view fills the workspace |
| Side by Side | Two views horizontally |
| Three Views | 3D view with two 2D views |
| Quad | Four views (3D + three 2D planes) |
Switch layouts from the View ribbon tab or use keyboard shortcuts (1, 2, 3, 4).
Customizing the Interface
Docking Panels
- Drag panel title bars to reposition
- Double-click title bar to undock as floating window
- Drag to edges to dock in new positions
Resizing Views
- Drag the dividers between views to resize
- Double-click a view to maximize it temporarily
Showing/Hiding Panels
Use the View ribbon tab to show or hide interface panels.
Double-click a view panel title bar to maximize that view temporarily. Double-click again to restore the original layout.
Related Topics
- The Ribbon – Detailed ribbon tab reference
- The 3D View – 3D visualization controls
- 2D Views – Slice view navigation
- Project Management Dock – Object management