Microscope Simulator 1.3.1
The Microscope Simulator enables a scientist to simulate what 3D object models should look like under a fluorescence microscope or an atomic force microscope (AFM). It serves as a visual problem-solving environment with several applications:
- Building scientist intuition about artifacts in the imaging process by presenting the expected image from a given geometric model
- Evaluating the whether a particular microscope can be used to distinguish among hypotheses in an experiment
- Checking the validity of a specimen model by comparing simulated images to experimental images from the lab
The Microscope Simulator features two separate modules for AFM and fluorescence microscope simulation. AFMSim generates a simulated surface using grayscale image morphology accelerated with graphics hardware. FluoroSim computes the convolution of virtual fluorophores on a specimen model with the 3D point-spread function from a fluorescence microscope. It also takes advantage of recent advances in graphics hardware to make rendering of fluorescence images interactive.
AFMSim and FluoroSim share common specimen modeling features. These features are discussed in the Manual. Specific details about each module can be found in dedicated sections of the manual:
Acknowledgments
The Microscope Simulator is developed and maintained by the Center for Computer Integrated Systems for Microscopy and Manipulation, a National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Resource, award number P41-EB002025.
Legalese
The Microscope Simulator is FREE to download, install, and use, and is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.