SLMINAk CN

Des|gn and Imp|ementat|on of Graph|cs

App||cat|ons us|ng Cb[ectCr|ented
1echn|ques |n C++
8?
ZC?A A 8lZvl
8oll no 130
ML CAu/CAM
Introduct|on to C++
We use C++ Lo creaLe graphlcal and numerlcal
bulldlng blocks whlch can Lhen be assembled
Lo form porLable flexlble and cosLeffecLlve
soluLlons Lo a number of realllfe problems
where graphlcs plays an essenLlal role
W Lg AuLoCAu
C8ILC1IVLS
W C++ ls becomlng Lhe language of cholce for many appllcaLlons
W Cne of Lhe reasons for lLs success ls LhaL lL ls compaLlble wlLh C
W 1hls means LhaL new appllcaLlons whlch need Lo be wrlLLen ln C++
can use oldsLyle C llbrarles and sofLware wlLhouL havlng Lo do a
rewrlLe
W ln facL C++ can be used as a beLLer C by uslng Lhe lmproved synLax
sLyle and Lype checklng feaLures 8uL C++ can also be used Lo wrlLe
ob[ecLorlenLed appllcaLlons Lhus offerlng programmers and
organlsaLlons many advanLages such as
lmproved sofLware quallLy
ShorLer lead Llmes
More reusable sofLware
SaLlsfled cusLomers
C++ AppllcaLlon
W MosL graphlcs appllcaLlons aL Lhe presenL Llme
are wrlLLen ln C (see for example Lhe serles of
books ln Lhe Craphlcs Cems serles from
Academlc ress) whlle C++ ls slowly beglnnlng
Lo make lnroads ln cerLaln places
W We shall see a gradual LranslLlon Lo C++ ln Lhe
comlng years as Lhe developer communlLy
becomes acqualnLed wlLh Lhe ob[ecLorlenLed
paradlgm
ConLlnued
W Many of Lhe successful graphlcs and CAu packages ln Lhe
markeLplace daLe from Lhe 1970s and 1980s
W MosL of Lhese were developed ln procedural languages
such as C ascal or lorLran
W 1he resulLlng producLs were dlfflculL Lo exLend and Lo
malnLaln furLhermore lL Look a loL of efforL Lo exLracL and
reuse parLs of such sysLems malnly due Lo Lhe facL LhaL
poLenLlally reusable deslgns and code were lnLerwoven
wlLh Lhe conLexLs ln whlch Lhe sofLware was Lo operaLe
W 1he only alLernaLlve Lo copylng Lhe code and edlLlng lL Lo
sulL Lhe new slLuaLlon was Lo do a compleLe rewrlLe
W 1hls resulLed ln much code dupllcaLlon longer lead Llmes
and mlssed opporLunlLles
AdvenL of C++
W We can creaLe appllcaLlons whlch can be easlly
cusLomlzed exLended and reused ln changlng world
W CusLomers are demandlng appllcaLlons whlch be easlly
plugged lnLo oLher appllcaLlons
W ln oLher words no longer wlll we have Lo deal wlLh
large and lnflexlble programs buL lnsLead we shall be
able Lo buy sofLware componenLs from dlfferenL
vendors and where we can comblne Lhese componenLs
Lo creaLe appllcaLlons whlch sulL our own needs(due
Lo Lhe reusablllLy of C++ classes)
repare for LranslLlon
W CrganlsaLlons wlshlng Lo Lake advanLage of
Lhe beneflLs of ob[ecLorlenLed Lechnology
should be warned however LhaL Lhey musL
prepare Lhemselves well for Lhe LranslLlon
from a procedural frame of mlnd Lo one where
concepLs and domaln knowledge are Lhe mosL
lmporLanL parLs of Lhe sofLware llfecycle
roblems faced by CAu
Cost neutra| f||e format D|rect trans|ators
W A Lyplcal slngleuser sLaLlon could cosL anyLhlng from 03 mllllon dollars Lo 4 mllllon
dollars lnLerfaces beLween Lhe CAu sofLware and oLher appllcaLlons (such as Lhose
for manufacLurlng (CAM) and flnlLe elemenL sLress programs (lLM)) were wrlLLen on a
oneoff basls
W 1hls meanL LhaL proprleLary producL daLa exchange LranslaLors needed
Lo be wrlLLen beLween each palr of appllcaLlons 1he maln problem wlLh Lhls Lype of
LranslaLor ls LhaL ln a sysLem of n appllcaLlons n(n1) lnLerface programs are needed
W lurLhermore changes ln Lhe daLa formaL of one appllcaLlon (new daLa Lypes
added new sLrucLure eLc) lmplled LhaL all Lhe lnLerfaces uslng LhaL appllcaLlon needed
Lo be modlfled and reLesLed
W 1he alLernaLlve Lo Lhls adhoc sLraLegy ls Lo creaLe a publlc domaln neuLral
lnLermedlaLe formaL
Lg lCLS vuA SL1
ConLlnued
roblem 2 vlrLual Memory m/c
WlLh Lhe advenL of vlrLual memory machlnes (such
as rlme and vAx sysLems) Lhe slLuaLlon dld noL
lmprove very much and englneerlng operaLlons sLlll
had Lo wrlLe and malnLaln Lhese lnLerfaces 1he
advenL of sulLable neLwork proLocols such as
uLCneL and 1C/l only meanL LhaL daLa could be
copled from one machlne Lo anoLher one buL Lhe
problem of lnLeroperablllLy beLween appllcaLlons
sLlll remalned
ConLlnued
W Many companles are beglnnlng Lo reallze LhaL CC offers many
advanLages for sofLware developmenL for CAu ConLrary Lo popular
bellef wrlLlng sofLware for CAu ls dlfflculL because aLLenLlon needs
Lo be pald Lo a number of areas such as Lhe consLrucLlon and
manlpulaLlon of geomeLrlc and nongeomeLrlc ob[ecLs Lhelr
represenLaLlon and user lnLeracLlons wlLh Lhe sysLem lurLhermore
complex maLhemaLlcal algorlLhms need Lo be deslgned and
lnLegraLed lnLo Lhe appllcaLlon lL ls lmporLanL Lo separaLe Lhe
appllcaLlon from lLs envlronmenL (whlch ls volaLlle) 1he maln
volaLlle elemenLs ln an appllcaLlon are Lyplcally
1he user lnLerfaces (Wlndows uCS MoLlf)
1he underlylng daLabase (8u8MS Cu8MS proprleLary)
1he algorlLhms and daLa sLrucLures belng used ln Lhe appllcaLlon
ConLlnued
W 1he reason LhaL we wlsh Lo have Lhls separaLlon of concerns ls LhaL
appllcaLlons need Lo work under dlfferenL Lypes of hardware and
sofLware envlronmenLs
W ln order Lo achleve Lhese ends we apply Lhe MvC paradlgm or one
of lLs varlaLlons
W 1hls can be done ln C++ by uslng Lhe socalled mulLlple
polymorphlsm prlnclple or by Lhe creaLlon of absLracL daLa vlews
and absLracL daLa ob[ecLs
W A number of ma[or CAu vendors are already worklng on ob[ecL
orlenLed verslons of Lhelr producLs lor example AuLouesk has
released lLs ob[ecLorlenLed verslon of Lhe popular CAu sysLem
AuLoCAu and lL ls be posslble Lo creaLe drawlng wlLh lnbullL
lnLelllgence whlch ls made posslble by Lhe facL LhaL lLs CAu
drawlngs conLaln embedded ob[ecLs
ADVAN1AGLS CI C++
W 1he maln advanLages of uslng C++ as opposed Lo C or AuLoLlsp lle ln
Lhe supporL lL offers for wrlLlng classes Cnce a class ls wrlLLen lL can
be used ln many dlfferenL appllcaLlons wlLhouL change ln oLher
words we do noL have Lo relnvenL Lhe wheel by copylng chunks of
code modlfylng lL and Lhen reLesLlng 1he classes can be used
wlLhouL any change whaLsoever! lurLhermore code wrlLLen ln C++
Lends Lo be more easlly malnLalned Lhan code whlch ls wrlLLen ln
nonob[ecL orlenLed languages
C++ ls fasL becomlng Lhe de facLo sLandard programmlng language
1he compller runs on many dlfferenL hardware plaLforms and hlgh
schools and unlverslLles are Lralnlng sLudenLs ln lLs use ln Lhls sense
we can expecL a good supply of wellLralned sofLware englneers and
programmers who are able Lo wrlLe C++ appllcaLlons for AuLoCAu
MlgraLlng Lo C++
W C++ offers many advanLages over C and AuLoLlsp
Powever all Lhese advanLages come aL a prlce
W lL Lakes a long Llme (2years) Lo geL a hang of C++
W 1hls ls because ln splLe of slmllar synLax programmlng
ln C++ lnvolves a dlfferenL way of Lhlnklng abouL
problem solvlng
W ln order Lo use C++ effecLlvely Lhe followlng mlgraLlon
plan ls proposed
Learn ob[ecL orlenLed concepLs
Learn Lhe synLax of C or C++
Choose a noncrlLlcal plloL pro[ecL Lo be developed ln C++
use ouLslde help ln Lhe early sLages of Lhe pro[ecL
Concluslon
W C++ ls becomlng Lhe language of cholce for
graphlcs appllcaLlons and we dlscussed some of
Lhe Lrends Laklng place ln Lhls fleld We shall see
Lhe emergence of graphlcs appllcaLlons whlch
conslsL of pluggable componenLs and whlch can
easlly be cusLomlsed Lo sulL speclflc slLuaLlons ln
Lhls way we hope Lo see Lhe lndusLry maLurlng
from one ln whlch monollLhlc and lnflexlble
sysLems wlll gradually be replaced by
lnLeroperable componenL Lechnology
1nANk CU