[MINC-users] Naming the axis for a 4 Dimensional MNC file

[Simon Fristed Eskildsen]

Andrew Janke wrote:
> The naming is entirely arbitrary.  For example:
> 
>    $ mincconcat -concat_dimension freddy \
>          ~/data/me/janke_andrew_256x256x256_T1.mnc out.mnc
> 
>    audrey:rotor$ mincinfo out.mnc
> file: out.mnc
> image: signed__ short -32768 to 32767
> image dimensions: freddy zspace yspace xspace
>     dimension name         length         step        start
>     --------------         ------         ----        -----
>     freddy                      1            1            0
>     zspace                    256       0.9375     -116.135
>     yspace                    256          0.9     -89.0348
>     xspace                    256       0.9375     -118.179
> 
> That said, there are a few fairly standard names such as "time" and
> "vector_dimension".

 From minc.h:

/* Dimension names and names of associated variables */
#define MIxspace           "xspace"
#define MIyspace           "yspace"
#define MIzspace           "zspace"
#define MItime             "time"
#define MItfrequency       "tfrequency"
#define MIxfrequency       "xfrequency"
#define MIyfrequency       "yfrequency"
#define MIzfrequency       "zfrequency"
#define MIvector_dimension "vector_dimension"
#define MIxspace_width     "xspace-width"
#define MIyspace_width     "yspace-width"
#define MIzspace_width     "zspace-width"
#define MItime_width       "time-width"
#define MItfrequency_width "tfrequency-width"
#define MIxfrequency_width "xfrequency-width"
#define MIyfrequency_width "yfrequency-width"
#define MIzfrequency_width "zfrequency-width"

I'm also somewhat confused about when to use other names than x,y,z 
space names. I have a vector image that I need to write as a 4D minc 
volume. Should I use the vector_dimension, and if so what is the 
dimension order? vector,z,y,x or z,y,x,vector ?

Simon