The

Dendrite Arm Spacing

Add-In
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 The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" Add-In

Dendrite Arm Spacing

The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement"
Add-In 4

What is the DAS value? ...........................................4

How do I measure the DAS value? ..........................4
Displaying the button bar ..........................................5
Activating the add-in .................................................5

Preparing a DAS measurement 6

Why do I need threshold values? .............................6

Manually setting threshold values ............................6
Measurement
Automatically calculating threshold values ...............7

Executing a DAS measurement 9

Executing a dendrite arm spacing measurement .....9

Measurement results 11

Starting a new measurement .................................12

Burning intercept lines.............................................12
EDAS1007
 The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" Add-In

The "Dendrite Arm Spacing

Measurement" Add-In
The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" add-in enables you to interac-
tively determine the DAS value of dendritic structures found in aluminum
alloys. The measurement results are exported in sheet form.

What is the DAS value?

The DAS value of a dendritic structure is a numerical value which describes
the fineness of the structure. It has the dimensions of a length. The smaller
it is, the finer the structure. The abbreviation "DAS" stands for Dendrite Arm
Spacing. The add-in examines the spaces between neighboring dendrite
arms.
Four neighboring dendrite
arms.
Center axes
1
When speaking about the 2
space between two neigh- 3
boring dendrite arms, we
Distance between 4
mean the distance between
their center axes. dendrite arms
2 and 3

The DAS value of the whole structure is defined as the mean value of all of
these distances.

How do I measure the DAS value?

Define numerous intercept lines in the structure when measuring the DAS
value. The intercept lines should be located on areas that are typical of the
4

whole structure, and each intercept line should intercept numerous neigh-
boring dendrite arms at a right angle. The system calculates the correspond-
ing measured distance from each intercept line. For the system, the mea-
sured distance begins where the intercept line intercepts the first dendrite
arm. It ends where the intercept line leaves the last dendrite arm.
This example shows the
intercept line conveniently
placed through the four Intercept line
1
neighboring dendrite arms. 2
3
4
 The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" Add-In

DAS button bar Both of the commands required for preparing and executing a dendrite arm
spacing measurement can be found in the DAS button bar.
DAS Thresholds (page 6)
DAS Measurement (page 9)

Displaying the button bar

This is how you display the button bar, should it not be visible:
1) Rightclick in any button bar to open the button bar section's context
menu.
" In this menu, button bars that are already on display are indicated
by a check.
2) Click the DAS entry to affix the check and to put the DAS button bar on
display.
Alternatively, you can also display or hide the button bar by using the Special
> Edit Button Bars... command. To do so, select or clear the check box for
the DAS entry, then click OK.

Activating the add-in

You first have to activate the add-in should the button bar not be visible and
not be shown in the button bar section's context menu:
1) Select the Special > Add-In Manager... command.
2) In the Available add-ins list, select the check box for the Dendrite Arm
Spacing measurement (DAS) entry.
3) Click the Close button.
• Afterwards, the DAS button bar will be at your disposal.

5
 The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" Add-In

Preparing a DAS measurement

Click the DAS Thresholds button to set appropriate threshold values for a
dendrite arm spacing measurement or to check the current threshold values.

Why do I need threshold values?

The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" add-in interprets the image of a
dendritic structure as particles with dendrite arms. In turn, the add-in inter-
prets a particle as a connected mass of image pixels located within a defined
intensity range. Therefore, it is important to define an adequate intensity
range prior to each measurement. You can do this by determining a lower
and upper threshold value.
Manually or Both threshold values can either be set manually or automatically calculated
automatically by the system (when necessary, manually optimize afterwards).
Color images While the threshold values are defined, a color image is treated and dis-
played as a gray-value image. This gray-value image corresponds to the
intensity component of the color image.

Manually setting threshold values

1) Load the image into an image buffer.
2) Click the DAS Thresholds button.
3) Activate the Manual tab located in the Set Thresholds - DAS dialog box.
The colored bar beneath the
histogram shows you the
intensity range in which the
system is searching for the
particles with the dendrite
arms.

The current threshold val-

ues are shown in the histo-
gram as two perpendicular
6

lines. The lower threshold is

blue and the upper is red.

The intensity range between

the two threshold values is
displayed in the image in
color so that you have a
constant visual check of the
settings. A requirement for
this is that either the Current
or All option has been
selected in the Preview
group.

4) Use the histogram to directly define the intensity range for the particles.
• To do this, move the mouse pointer over the blue or red threshold
value line. Keep the left mouse button depressed and drag the
threshold value to the desired value.
 The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" Add-In

• Move the mouse pointer over the colored bar located beneath the
histogram and keep the mouse button depressed to move the
entire intensity range as a whole.
The threshold values are
adequate for the dendrite
arm spacing measurement
when the colored areas and
the particles to be measured
overlap optimally.

Top left: both of the thresh-

old values have been well
chosen.

Top right: the upper thresh-

old value is too low.

Bottom left: the lower

threshold value is too high.

Bottom right: the lower

threshold value is too low.

5) Confirm the new threshold setting by clicking OK.

" The threshold values have now been defined and will be used for
future dendrite arm spacing measurements.

Automatically calculating threshold values

1) Load the image into an image buffer.
2) Click the DAS Thresholds button.

7
3) Activate the Auto Settings tab located in the Set Thresholds - DAS di-
alog box.
" The system uses the image's histogram to automatically calculate
threshold values for the dendrite arm spacing measurement.
These values are suggestions that you can apply.
 The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" Add-In

The threshold values sug-

gested by your system
depend on the settings
made in the Auto Settings
tab.

4) Enter value 1 into the No. of phases field.

• Exactly one phase will be required for a dendrite arm spacing
measurement.
5) Select the Preview check box to display the intensity range between
the two threshold values in the image in color.
• This enables you to have a constant visual control of how the cur-
rent settings affect the automatic calculation of the threshold val-
ues.
• The threshold values are adequate for the dendrite arm spacing
measurement when the colored areas and the particles to be
measured overlap optimally.
6) Select the appropriate option from the Background group:
• Select Low if the particles are lighter than the background.
• Select High if the particles are darker than the background.
• The None option is irrelevant for dendrite arm spacing measure-
ments.
8

7) Activate the Manual tab.

8) Click the Auto button to adopt the threshold values suggested by your
system.
• If necessary, you can manually optimize the threshold values.
• If you do not click the Auto button, the suggested threshold values
will be ignored.
 The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" Add-In

9) Confirm the new threshold setting by clicking OK.

• The OK button is only available if the Manual tab has been acti-
vated.
" The threshold values have now been defined and will be used for
future dendrite arm spacing measurements.
Warning When wanting to carry out other threshold-value based image analyses
while working with the "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" add-in, please
note the following: for other threshold-value based image analyses, you will
use the Image > Set Thresholds... command to open the Set Thresholds dia-
log box. There you will also discover an Auto Settings tab. Any alterations
made to the settings on this tab have an effect on the Set Thresholds - DAS
> Auto Settings tab and vice versa.

Executing a DAS measurement

Click the DAS Measurement button to start a dendrite arm spacing mea-
surement. This button can be found on the DAS button bar.
During the course of a dendrite arm spacing measurement, you define
numerous intercept lines successively in the image. The system immedi-
ately assesses each intercept line and transmits the length of the measured
distance, as well as the number of dendrites and the calculated DAS value
of the intercept line thereof, to the results sheet before you define the next
intercept line.
In doing so, the DAS value of the individual intercept lines are collected in
the results sheet. At the same time, all of the intercept lines that have been
defined are evaluated. The resulting total DAS value is written to the top of
the results sheet and is continually updated.
Note If you do not maximize the image window, you can see the image and the
results sheet simultaneously while you are making a measurement.
You can also use the arrow buttons instead of moving your mouse to posi-
tion the mouse pointer.

9
Executing a dendrite arm spacing measurement
1) Load the image into an image buffer.
2) Should the image have not yet been calibrated, use the Image > Cali-
brate Image... command to perform an X/Y-calibration.
3) If you still have not set appropriate threshold values for the image or if
you want to check the current threshold values, click the DAS Thresh-
olds button.
" As long as the Set Thresholds - DAS dialog box is opened and the
Manual tab has been activated, the intensity range between the
two current threshold values is displayed in the image in color. A
requirement is that the Current or All option has been selected in
the Preview group.
• The current threshold values are adequate for the dendrite arm
spacing measurement when the colored areas and the particles to
be measured optimally overlap.
 The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" Add-In

• Additional explanations about thresholds can be found in the

chapter entitled "Preparing a DAS measurement" on page 6.
• Close the Set Thresholds - DAS dialog box by clicking OK.
4) Click the DAS Measurement button.
" The mouse pointer will appear in the image window.
5) Define the starting and end points of an intercept line with two clicks of
the mouse.
" After the first mouse click, an auxiliary line shows you the current
course of the intercept line.
• The intercept line should intercept at least three neighboring den-
drite arms, the intercept angles should be right angles as far as
possible. The starting and end points of the intercept line must be
located outside of the dendrite arms being measured.
• You can cancel the definition of the intercept line by right clicking
your mouse.
" The DAS dialog box opens after the intercept line has been de-
fined.
Take a look at the intercept
line in the image overlay to
check the value in the Den-
drite count field: the part of
the intercept line where your
system has identified den-
drites is marked red.
10

6) Check the value in the Dendrite count field.

• Here you will find the number of dendrite arms your system has
identified along the intercept line. Correct this value if it is wrong.
Reasons for attaining a false value are threshold values that have
not been optimally aligned along the dendrite arms being currently
measured.
7) Decide whether or not you want to continue your measurement on the
current image.
• Click the OK & continue button if you would like to continue the
measurement on the current image using step 5.
• Click the OK & end button if you would like to end the measure-
ment on the current image. If you would like to continue the mea-
surement on a new image, repeat steps 1 to 7 using the new
image.
• Click the Cancel button if you want to end the measurement with-
out taking the last intercept line into consideration.
 The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" Add-In

8) Use the File > Save command to save the results sheet to your hard
disk.

Measurement results
The image overlay and the results sheet are the results of a dendrite arm
spacing measurement. The intercept lines you defined can be seen in the
image overlay. The measurement results have been entered into the sheet.
Interactive measure- Your image analysis program offers you a special measurement button bar
ments and DAS that can be used for interactive measurements. The results of the measure-
ments that have been made using this measurement button bar appear in
the image manager's measurement display. Please note that the measure-
ment functions of the "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" add-in do not
belong to these interactive measurements. Therefore, your results will not
appear in the image manager's measurement display, but rather in an own
results sheet entitled "DAS Results".
The results of a DAS mea-
surement using five inter- End result of the whole structure
cept lines.

In this example, the total

DAS value for the whole
structure amounts to
5477,44 µm.

Measurement results of the individual intercept lines

11
Results Sheet The measurement results for all of the considered intercept lines can be
found in the results sheet starting with line 3: the length of the measured dis-
tance, the dendrite count, and the resulting DAS value of the intercept line.
You can find the end result in line 2: the entire length of the measured dis-
tances, the total count of the dissected dendrites and the total DAS value.
The total DAS value is the measurement's end result. It is calculated as the
quotient of the entire length of the measured distances and the entire count
of dissected dendrites. This is the numerical value that describes the fine-
ness of the dendritic structure in the image.
 The "Dendrite Arm Spacing Measurement" Add-In

Image Overlay All of the considered intercept lines can be seen in the image overlay. They
are marked red in the sections where your system has identified a dendrite
arm. Sections located outside of the dendrite arms are colored blue.

Length of
Intercept line
Length of
Measured distance

red: over dendrite arm

blue: between/outlying

Warning Please note that the measured distances are shorter than the intercept lines
you defined. The system interprets the start of the measured distance as the
point where the intercept line meets the first dendrite arm. It ends where the
intercept line leaves the last dendrite arm. You can see the measured dis-
tance in the image overlay by ignoring the two blue partial distances located
at the beginning and end of the intercept line.

Starting a new measurement

As long as the results sheet is opened, all of the results of additional mea-
surements will be added to this sheet. That also applies for measurements
in other images. When wanting to start a new measurement with a new
sheet, you must first close the old sheet. To do so, click the button with the
cross located at the upper right edge of the sheet window. You will then be
asked if you want to save the changes. Click the Yes button to save the
sheet to a storage medium before it is closed. When starting a new mea-
surement afterwards, the results will be written to a new and empty sheet.
12

Burning intercept lines

You can irreversibly link the intercept lines shown in the image overlay with
the image. To do this, select the Overlay (button bar) > Burn Overlay com-
mand.
Should your current program configuration not offer you the Overlay button
bar, you will have to make it appear. To do so, click the Overlay Button Bar
button in the standard button bar.
Warning Save this image under another name after you have measured it and have
burnt the overlay. Otherwise you will lose the source image, since it is
impossible to remove the overlay when it has once been burnt.