| Summary: | A study was conducted to examine the ray casting algorithm (RCA), a new, reproducible, accurate, and fully automated computerized segmentation method for high-resolution computed tomography (CT) data sets of fossil and recent cancellous bone. Data were obtained from tests of extant and fossil material. The RCA method was compared with commonly used techniques of image thresholding—the half-maximum height protocol and the automatic, adaptive iterative thresholding procedure. While the quality of the input images is vital for conventional image segmentation, findings revealed the RCA method to be robust with regard to the signal to noise ratio, beam hardening, ring artifacts, and blurriness. Findings indicated a need for careful consideration of optimal CT scanning parameters. Findings are discussed in detail.
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