Frequently Ask Questions (FAQ)

Usage

1. What platforms (operating systems) does your software run on?
   

   All our software run on PC running Windows, including Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP and Vista.
   
   The software would probably run on Linux or Unix system if they have a Windows binary emulator installed but we have not tested them for compatibility.
   

2. What are the system requirements?
   

   • Operating System: Windows (95, 98, NT, 2000, XP or Vista)
     
   • Memory: aim for at least 1 Gbytes if your data set have more than 50 slices
     
   • Graphic Card: we recommend the cards based on the NVidia chipset (such as the GeForce cards)
     
   • Screen Resolution: a good display resolution (some laptop are limited to 1024x768 which is not enough. I use a Dell with a 1900x1280 resolution. It's perfect for sliceO though probably too much for the other applications (the text and icons are so small!))
     
   • USB port: we need one to plug the dongle that contains the license
     

3. Can I have a temporary license to evaluate your software?
   

   You do not need any license to evaluate the software!
   Just download the software from our web site. Without licenses, the software has some limitations: you will not be allowed to save anything; but that should not prevent you from testing the different segmentation functions.
   
   You may also want to download (from the same page) the segmentation tutorial to see how you can use the software to compute the fat content of your images. The user manual is also available. If you need all the features available to complete your evaluation, please contact us.

4. What are the prices and do you have an educational discount available?
   

   You can find the pricing of sliceOmatic and the information on how to order a license, on this "how to buy a license" page.

   There is a 10% educational discount for sliceOmatic.
   

   To be eligible for the education discount, the P.O. (purchase order) for sliceOmatic must come from an university or the P.O. should come with a letter from the university confirming that your organization is affiliated with them.

5. We wish to purchase a license. What is the procedure for ordering/paying?
   

   You can find the procedure to purchase a license on this "how to buy a license" page.
   In this page, you will also have access to our automatic quote generator and order forms.
   

1. The application does not see my licenses
   

   Most problems with the licenses can be solved by following the instructions in the License troubleshooting page.

2. Do I have to uninstall the previous version when I upgrade the software?
   

   No you dont. Just install the new version on top of the old one.

   However with the new installation, some of the tables may have changed. Since you may have a copy of these files in your user directory (C:\Documents and Settings\your name here\Application Data\TomoVision), your copy may be out of date. If it is, the program will let you know. If which case you can either delete your copy to force the program to use the new one from the installation directory, or add the latest modifications to your copy of the files.

   Also, if your upgrade license has expired, the new version of the software will not be recognized by the licenses.

   If this is the case, you may want to renew your update contract.

3. Can I transfer my licenses to another computer?
   

   Yes you can, the license is in your dongle. Just install the program on the new machine and move your dongle to that system.

1. What can I do if I get the message "Unable to display tool!"?
   

   This is a simple enough problem. Go to the "File" Menu, select "Preferences", and change the "Interface Tools Size" to Medium (or even "Small"), and then click the "Apply" button. Another solution is to change the display resolution: right click the mouse with the pointer over the windows background (not over any windows), in the pop-up, select Properties, then "Settings" and from there increase the display resolution (depending on your screen, you may or may not be able to do this...).

2. What 3D formats does sliceOmatic support for export?
   

   SliceOmatic export the 3D geometries in:

   • STL ascii and binary format (used by Stereo Lithographic systems);
   • DXF format (the format defined and used by AutoCAD);
   • MOVIE.BYU format (and old polygon format used by many systems);
   • VRML format (used by most WEB based software).

   The software does not export IGES files, but most software will be able to import one of the format used by sliceOmatic.

3. What is the best way to segment my images?
   

   Ouch! That's a tough one... It does depend a lot on the type of images you want to analyze.

   For example, if you want to segment the different fat tissues in an abdominal image (either CT or MR), I would suggest the following:

   For the sub-cutaneous fat, use Morpho, then use the "Tag Lock" tool to protect what you have done and use the "Paint" sub-mode of region growing to segment the intra abdominal fat.

   If, on the other hand, you want to segment the bones in a knee, I would suggest using the Snake mode.

   But even then it does depend on a lot of variables like the type and quality of the images... My best suggestion would be to try different technique and see which one you prefer.

4. I want to use sliceOmatic in a blind study. How can I prevent the user from seeing the patient's name?
   

   During installation, you will have the option to "Run sliceOmatic in Anonymous Mode". If you select this option, the patient information will not be displayed in sliceOmatic.

   If you want to change this setting once the program is installed, you can do it by modifying the register variable "anonymous" in "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Tomovision/SliceOmatic". (From the "Start/Run" menu, type in "regedit" and click O.K. to start the registry editor.)