
vmspan(1)                    Khoros                     vmspan(1)

PROGRAM
     vmspan - Dilate a binary image region by a single pixel

SYNTAX
     vmspan

     -i             input image

     -o             output image

     [-s]           source value

     [-m]           medium value

     [-w]           wave value

     [-iter]        iterations

     [-V]           Gives the version for vmspan

     [-U]           Gives the usage for vmspan

     [-P]           Prompts for command line options

     [-A [file1]]   Creates the answer file called vmspan.ans or
                    file1

     [-a [file1]]   Uses vmspan.ans or file1 as the answer file

DESCRIPTION
     Although classified with the morphological routines, this
     does not fit the classical theory of mathematical morphol-
     ogy.  It is a simplified version of a conditional dilation.

          vmspan takes three integer arguments which are pixel
          values or colors: a source, a medium and a wave.  Image
          regions where a pixel with a value equal to source lie
          next to a pixel with value medium, the medium pixel is
          replaced with the value wave.  This is like a condi-
          tional morphological dilation with a fixed, 3x3 square
          kernel.  The process is repeated iter times.  Spanning
          an image twice is equivalent to dilating with a 5x5
          kernel;
           spanning three times is equivalent to dilating with a
          7x7 kernel, etc.

          This routine is patterned after the span routine in the
          C4PL image processing lanuage developed by the Eviron-
          mental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM), Ann
          Arbor, Michigan.

REQUIRED ARGUMENTS
     -i     type: infile
            desc: input image

     -o     type: outfile
            desc: output image

OPTIONAL ARGUMENTS
     -s     type: integer
            desc: source value
            default: 255
            bounds: 0 < [-s] < 255

     -m     type: integer
            desc: medium value
            default: 0
            bounds: 0 < [-m] < 255

     -w     type: integer
            desc: wave value
            default: 255
            bounds: 0 < [-w] < 255

     -iter  type: integer
            desc: iterations
            default: 1
            bounds: no range checking

EXAMPLES
     vmspan -i image1 -o image2 -s 128 -m 0 -w 255
     Dilates or grows regions of value 128 over regions of value
     0, replacing them by the value 255.

SEE ALSO
     intro(1), verror(3), vgparms(3), vutils(3), lvmspan(3)
     lvmspan(3), vmdilate(1), vmerode(1)

RESTRICTIONS
     vmspan accepts only BYTE images.  The structuring element
     is an image file, but it should always be created by  vmcus-
     tom.

COPYRIGHT
     Copyright 1991, University of New Mexico.  All rights
     reserved.

Khoros                    Release: 1.0                          1

