What is the exact definition/meaning of skeleton segments (and their radius)? How are they obtained?

[lukablagoje]

Hi,

I'm trying to reconstruct the neurons as realistically as possible and I'm using the segment data (x,y,z coordinates, radius and the connected parts) to do it. At the moment, I'm using them as starting and ending points of cylinders with segment radius.

Is this an accurate way to do it? Moreover, what do segments and their radii really represent? Someone mentioned that they are distance transforms of neuron masks, but I don't understand exactly what that means.

Thanks