3D virtual simulator for breast plastic surgery

We have proposed novel 3D virtual simulation software for breast plastic surgery. Our software comprises two processes: a 3D torso modeling and a virtual simulation of the surgery result. First, image-based modeling is performed ill order to obtain a female subject's 3D torso data. Our image-based modeling method utilizes a template model, and this is deformed according to the patient's photographs. For the deformation, we applied procrustes analysis and radial basis functions (RBF). In order to enhance reality, the subject's photographs are snapped onto a mesh. Second, from the modeled subject data, we simulate the subject's virtual appearance after the plastic surgery by morphing the shape of the breasts. We solve the simulation problem by all example-based approach. The subject's virtual shape is obtained from the relations between the pair sets of feature points from previous patients' photographs obtained before and after the surgery. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.