arivis solutions are widely reputed for their ability to handle large image data. At the core of this ability is the way that we store, access and process image data. A more thorough explanation of why we do things this way and the basic concepts behind it can be found in the KB article How does arivis handle large datasets, but for now, it suffices to state that Vision4D requires images to be saved in a specific format to work. 

The first two points to note on this are:

• Import only needs to be done once.
  Importing is the process of copying the image data from whatever format it is saved in, into a new SIS file that Vision4D can open. Once the SIS file is created that file can be used from then on for the rest of the visualization and analysis workflow and the original file can be kept as a backup if needed
• Importing is usually a very straightforward process.
  In most cases, especially those concerning popular imaging file formats such as those of the most common microscope suppliers, importing an image requires very little user interaction beyond simply selecting a save location for the output SIS file. However, arivis does offer advanced import options for cases where the image format is not fully supported.