# Move effects from SegmentEditorExtraEffects into Slicer core

**URL:** <https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768>\
**Category:** Support\
**Tags:** segmentation\
**Created:** [September 20, 2021, 5:37pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768 "2021-09-20T17:37:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rbumm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/rbumm/32/9404_2.png) [@rbumm](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/rbumm)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2021, 5:37pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768/1 "2021-09-20T17:37:21Z")

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To make Slicer more user-friendly for beginners and more efficient for all:  
Could you please add the great effects from SegmentEditorExtraEffects to the default installation of the next stable build?  
Thank you.

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**Author:** ![lassoan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/lassoan/32/13_2.png) [@lassoan](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/lassoan)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768/2 "2021-09-20T17:47:08Z")

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Effects in SegmentEditorExtraEffects extension are distributed separately from the main application due to one or more of the following reasons:

- has not proven to be sufficiently different or better then similar effects in Slicer core
- is not complete or stable enough and so we want to distinguish them from the stable, well-tested effects in Slicer core
- still in development and we want to be able to be able to update them frequently, even in the Slicer Stable Release (the stable release is updated a few times a year, while extensions are updated every night)
- depends on other extensions
- has proven to be useful only for a small fraction of users: by having rarely needed effects separately makes it easier for new users to learn basic tools

Let us know if there is any specific effect that you would like to be moved to Slicer core.

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**Author:** ![jamesobutler](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/jamesobutler/32/7511_2.png) [@jamesobutler](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/jamesobutler)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2021, 5:51pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768/3 "2021-09-20T17:51:17Z")

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Currently unclear to me which is the most used effects in the extension that could make their way into Slicer core.

The “Surface cut” effect is the effect our group uses the most. We find it very easy to use when segmenting ellipsoidal shaped objects like tumors in our ultrasound images.

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**Author:** ![rbumm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/rbumm/32/9404_2.png) [@rbumm](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/rbumm)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768/4 "2021-09-20T17:58:29Z")

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> > very easy to use when segmenting ellipsoidal shaped objects like tumors

exactly !

SegmentEditorLocalThreshold  
SegmentEditorHollow  
SegmentEditorSurfaceCut

are the ones that I would love to see included.

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**Author:** ![jamesobutler](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/jamesobutler/32/7511_2.png) [@jamesobutler](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/jamesobutler)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768/5 "2021-09-20T17:59:45Z")

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We also use “Draw tube”. If “Surface cut” is moved, it should be done with “Draw tube” as both classes are similarly written. Where a change in one would likely be beneficial in the other.

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**Author:** ![muratmaga](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/muratmaga/32/3622_2.png) [@muratmaga](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/muratmaga)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2021, 6:01pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768/6 "2021-09-20T18:01:36Z")

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> [@lassoan](#):
>
> Let us know if there is any specific effect that you would like to be moved to Slicer core.

Alternatively, would it be possible to have a button that says “Enable experimental effects” (or something like that) to bring these one, and get away from having a separate extension? Extensions are not necessarily the first place new users to look into to get more features out of segment editor (because most extensions are separate modules, not necessarily enriching existing modules).

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**Author:** ![pieper](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/pieper/32/8_2.png) [@pieper](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/pieper)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2021, 6:06pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768/7 "2021-09-20T18:06:40Z")

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> [@muratmaga](#):
>
> a button that says “Enable experimental effects”

Yes, I was going to suggest this too. A “+” button in the toolbar that brings up a dialog explaining that the extensions are experimental would make sense.

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**Author:** ![lassoan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/lassoan/32/13_2.png) [@lassoan](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/lassoan)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2021, 6:14pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768/8 "2021-09-20T18:14:34Z")

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“Surface cut” and “Draw tube” effect depends on another extension, so it cannot be moved to the Slicer core in its current form.

“Local Threshold” - is still a work in progress in the sense that most users cannot figure out how to use it.

“Hollow” - it is already in Slicer core.

> [@muratmaga](#):
>
> Alternatively, would it be possible to have a button that says “Enable experimental effects” (or something like that) to bring these one, and get away from having a separate extension?

Slicer core is not updated continuously for stable releases, so we cannot actually experiment with extensions there.

> [@pieper](#):
>
> A “+” button in the toolbar that brings up a dialog explaining that the extensions are experimental would make sense.

The issue is somewhat similar to DICOM plugins. The challenge is that someone’s advanced tool is someone else’s basic tool. We could have a `+` button but it would be better to open the extension manager with extensions that contain segment editor effects.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![muratmaga](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/muratmaga/32/3622_2.png) [@muratmaga](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/muratmaga)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2021, 6:48pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768/9 "2021-09-20T18:48:34Z")

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> [@lassoan](#):
>
> The issue is somewhat similar to DICOM plugins. The challenge is that someone’s advanced tool is someone else’s basic tool. We could have a `+` button but it would be better to open the extension manager with extensions that contain segment editor effects.

Ok, at the minimum this could be something like “install experimental effects”. Something to help discovering these…

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jamesobutler](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/jamesobutler/32/7511_2.png) [@jamesobutler](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/jamesobutler)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2021, 6:51pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768/10 "2021-09-20T18:51:58Z")

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Very much along the lines of [Advise users which extensions to install to load special file or DICOM formats · Issue #4753 · Slicer/Slicer · GitHub](https://github.com/Slicer/Slicer/issues/4753) which is how to better let users know that there are extensions that can expand functionality for certain Slicer core modules.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lassoan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/lassoan/32/13_2.png) [@lassoan](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/lassoan)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768/11 "2021-09-20T19:03:33Z")

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Agreed. We could add an effect with a “+” icon that would show a button that would open up the extension manager that would list all the extensions that contain segment editor effects. I’ve added a ticket to keep track of this feature request:

> <https://github.com/Slicer/Slicer/issues/5880>
>
> \## Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
> 
> There are s…everal extensions that provide additional effects for Segment Editor. They are all listed in the Extensions Manager in Segmentation category and have the Segment Editor icon in their logo. Still this does not make them discoverable for new users.
> 
> \## Describe the solution you'd like
> 
> We could add an effect with a "+" icon that would show a button that would open up the extension manager that would list all the extensions that contain segment editor effects.
> 
> \## Describe alternatives you've considered
> 
> Moving all effects into the Slicer core would work for some effects, but not all.
> 
> \## Additional context
> 
> Discussed in https://discourse.slicer.org/t/move-effects-from-segmenteditorextraeffects-into-slicer-core/19768

As always, add a “thumbs-up” reaction to the [first post of the issue](https://github.com/Slicer/Slicer/issues/5880) to indicate that this feature would be important for you. [Issues that have a large number of reactions](https://github.com/Slicer/Slicer/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+sort%3Areactions-%2B1-desc) will more likely to get attention sooner.