Tensor glyph

Short description: Visual aid used in mathematics

In scientific visualization a tensor glyph is an object that can visualize all or most of the nine degrees of freedom, such as acceleration, twist, or shear – of a [math]\displaystyle{ 3 \times 3 }[/math] matrix. It is used for tensor field visualization, where a data-matrix is available at every point in the grid. "Glyphs, or icons, depict multiple data values by mapping them onto the shape, size, orientation, and surface appearance of a base geometric primitive." Tensor glyphs are a particular case of multivariate data glyphs.

There are certain types of glyphs that are commonly used:

• Ellipsoid
• Cuboid
• Cylindrical
• Superquadrics

According to Thomas Schultz and Gordon Kindlmann, specific types of tensor fields "play a central role in scientific and biomedical studies as well as in image analysis and feature-extraction methods."

Further reading

• Superquadric Tensor Glyphs (Images and Examples)
• Bertin, Jacques (2010). Semiology of Graphics. ISBN 978-1589482616.