# Improving Slicer README on GitHub

This document was created to help further improve the Slicer README following a pull request [PR-8208](https://github.com/Slicer/Slicer/pull/8208) from [@aynamiii](https://github.com/aynamiii).

## Original

_As of [Slicer@71394e295](https://github.com/Slicer/Slicer/blob/71394e2955e040f3b7ffcb36538b1cb751a77f17/README.md)_

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[](https://github.com/Slicer/Slicer/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](https://securityscorecards.dev/viewer/?uri=github.com/Slicer/Slicer)

Slicer, or 3D Slicer, is a free, open source software package for visualization and
image analysis.

3D Slicer is natively designed to be available on multiple platforms,
including Windows, Linux and macOS.

Build instructions for all platforms are available on the Slicer wiki:
- https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/developer_guide/build_instructions/index.html

For Slicer community announcements and support, visit:
- https://discourse.slicer.org

For documentation, tutorials, and more information, please see:
- https://www.slicer.org

See License.txt for information on using and contributing.

## Proposal by @aynamiii

_See [PR-8208](https://github.com/Slicer/Slicer/pull/8208)_

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# 3D Slicer
Slicer, or **3D Slicer**, is a free, open-source software package for visualization and image analysis. It is cross-platform and supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.

## Installation
3D Slicer is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

### Download
- Get the latest stable release from: [Slicer Downloads](https://download.slicer.org)

### Install
- **Windows**: Run the `.exe` installer and follow the setup wizard.
- **macOS**: Open the `.dmg` file and drag **Slicer** to the Applications folder.
- **Linux**: Extract the tarball and run `./Slicer`.

## Quick Start
1. Open 3D Slicer.
2. Load a medical image (`File -> Add Data`).
3. Use the "Segment Editor" to analyze regions of interest.
4. Export results in various formats (DICOM, STL, etc.).

## Contributing
We welcome contributions! See our [Contribution Guidelines](https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/developer_guide/contribute/index.html) for:
- Reporting bugs
- Submitting feature requests
- Writing documentation
- Contributing code

To set up a development environment, follow our [Build Instructions](https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/developer_guide/build_instructions/index.html).

## Citing 3D Slicer
If you use 3D Slicer in your research, please cite:

> Kikinis R, Pieper SD, Vosburgh KG. "3D Slicer: A Platform for Medical Computing." J Biomed Imaging, 2014.

For BibTeX format:

@article{Kikinis2014,
  author = {Kikinis, Ron and Pieper, Steve D and Vosburgh, Kirby G},
  title = {3D Slicer: A Platform for Medical Computing},
  journal = {J Biomed Imaging},
  year = {2014},
  doi = {10.1155/2014/639567}
}

## Proposal by @jcfr

[](https://github.com/Slicer/Slicer/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](https://securityscorecards.dev/viewer/?uri=github.com/Slicer/Slicer)

# 3D Slicer

**3D Slicer** is a free, open-source software platform for **visualization, segmentation, registration, processing, and analysis** of medical, biomedical, and other 3D images and meshes. It is also used for **planning and navigating image-guided procedures**.
Slicer is available for **Windows, macOS, and Linux**.

## 🚀 Get Started

### Download & Install

- **Latest stable release:** [Slicer Downloads](https://download.slicer.org)
- **Windows:** Run the `.exe` installer.
- **macOS:** Open the `.dmg` and drag **Slicer** to Applications.
- **Linux:** Extract the tarball and run `./Slicer`.

### Quick Start

Once installed, follow these steps to get started:

#### 1️⃣ Load Data

- Open **3D Slicer**.
- Use the **Welcome panel** to load your own data or download **sample datasets** for exploration.
*(Sample data is useful if you don’t have your own files yet.)*
➡️ [Learn more about loading data](https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user_guide/getting_started.html#load-data)

#### 2️⃣ View Data

- Use the **Data module** to manage and organize datasets.
- Click the **eye icon** 👁️ to show/hide data in different views.
- Customize views (orientation marker, ruler, transparency) using the **view controls**.
➡️ [More on viewing data](https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user_guide/getting_started.html#view-data)

#### 3️⃣ Process Data

Slicer provides a **modular architecture** for data processing. Key modules include:
- 🏠 **Welcome:** Load data & customize settings.
- 📂 **Data:** Organize and manage datasets.
- 📷 **DICOM:** Import/export medical imaging data.
- 📊 **Segment Editor:** Perform 3D segmentation.
- 🔄 **Volume Rendering:** Visualize volumetric datasets.
- 📌 **Markups:** Annotate and label structures.
➡️ [Full list of modules](https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user_guide/modules/index.html)

#### 4️⃣ Save Data

- Use `File -> Save Data` to store your work.
- Export specific datasets via the **Data module** (`Export to File...` or `Export to DICOM...`).
➡️ [More on saving data](https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user_guide/getting_started.html#save-data)

#### 5️⃣ Install Extensions (Optional)

Slicer supports **extensions** that provide additional tools and workflows:
- Open the **Extensions Manager** (`View -> Extensions Manager`).
- Browse and install **community-contributed modules**.
➡️ [Explore available extensions](https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user_guide/extensions_manager.html)

#### 6️⃣ Learn More

- **Step-by-step tutorials**: [Slicer Training Portal](https://training.slicer.org)
- **User guide & documentation**: [Slicer Docs](https://slicer.readthedocs.io)
- **Community forum & support**: [Slicer Forum](https://discourse.slicer.org)

## 🛠️ Building from Source

For developers, follow our [Build Instructions](https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/developer_guide/build_instructions/index.html) to compile 3D Slicer on your platform.

## 🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! See our [Contribution Guide](https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/developer_guide/contribute/index.html) for:
- Reporting bugs & requesting features
- Writing documentation
- Submitting code

## 📖 Documentation & Support

- **User & Developer Guides:** [Slicer Documentation](https://slicer.readthedocs.io)
- **Community Discussions & Support:** [Slicer Forum](https://discourse.slicer.org)
- **Slicer Training Compendium:** [Training Portal](https://training.slicer.org)
_Step-by-step tutorials with sample datasets to help users effectively utilize 3D Slicer for various applications._

For **community announcements and additional resources**, visit:
🔗 [Slicer Forum](https://discourse.slicer.org) | 🔗 [Slicer.org](https://www.slicer.org)

## 📚 Citing

If you use 3D Slicer in your research, please cite the [Slicer website](https://slicer.org) and the following publication:

> Fedorov A., Beichel R., Kalpathy-Cramer J., Finet J., Fillion-Robin J-C., Pujol S., Bauer C., Jennings D., Fennessy F.M., Sonka M., Buatti J., Aylward S.R., Miller J.V., Pieper S., Kikinis R. 3D Slicer as an Image Computing Platform for the Quantitative Imaging Network. Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 2012 Nov;30(9):1323-41. PMID: 22770690. PMCID: PMC3466397.

For convenience here is a bibtex entry:

@article{fedorov20123d,
  title={3D Slicer as an image computing platform for the Quantitative Imaging Network},
  author={Fedorov, Andriy and Beichel, Reinhard and Kalpathy-Cramer, Jayashree and Finet, Julien and Fillion-Robin, Jean-Christophe and Pujol, Sonia and Bauer, Christian and Jennings, Dominique and Fennessy, Fiona and Sonka, Milan and others},
  journal={Magnetic resonance imaging},
  volume={30},
  number={9},
  pages={1323--1341},
  year={2012},
  publisher={Elsevier}
}

## 📜 License

3D Slicer is open-source. See License.txt for details.

For historical context and a comparison to other open-source licenses, see the [3D Slicer Overview](https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user_guide/about.html#license).