Glossary
This glossary defines the main terms used across the CASSANDRA XR documentation.
CASSANDRA XR
The Unity-based XR viewer layer of the broader CASSANDRA platform. It is responsible for spatial visualization, interaction, report viewing, and the voice-assisted experience around medical imaging data.
Study
The backend-defined unit of medical content loaded by the viewer. A study typically includes metadata, modality references, report material, and configuration values used by the runtime.
Session
The active runtime context used by the viewer after the current study has been fetched, configured, and prepared for interaction.
Modality
A specific medical imaging representation exposed by the study, such as a volume dataset or a derived view that can be loaded by the viewer.
Multimodal Fusion
The coordinated presentation of multiple imaging signals or modality-specific assets inside the same viewer workflow.
VRDF
The custom binary container format used by the project to store volumetric data, transfer-function information, and other volume-related payloads before conversion into Unity runtime resources.
VolumeDVR
The main runtime component responsible for loading decoded volume assets, configuring materials, managing label visibility, and driving the rendered volume in the scene.
StudyRuntimeSO
The central runtime ScriptableObject used to store the active study state and notify dependent systems when the study changes.
SessionDataController
The orchestration component that fetches studies, prepares runtime configuration, downloads VRDF assets, and coordinates reload behavior.
PusherClient
The websocket client used to receive backend-driven real-time events and forward them onto the Unity main thread.
MainScene
The primary Unity scene where the viewer runtime is composed. Most of the active application behavior is instantiated and wired there.
Texture3D
The Unity GPU resource used to hold volumetric data after VRDF decoding and before shader-based rendering.
URP
The Universal Render Pipeline used by the project for custom shader integration and runtime rendering on both desktop and Quest targets.
Quest Path
The mobile-oriented rendering and texture format path used when the application runs on Meta Quest hardware, with optimizations and tradeoffs tailored to device constraints.
Desktop Path
The editor and desktop runtime path used when the application runs outside Quest, typically with less constrained texture precision and rendering cost.
XR Interaction
The set of natural user interface behaviors used to manipulate or inspect the viewer in immersive contexts, including gesture-based input, mid-air interaction, and hand-tracking-driven controls.
AI-Assisted Interpretation
The voice and conversation layer that connects the viewer to backend STT, conversational inference, and TTS services in order to support interpretive workflows around the active study.