[Update REQ 5154]: intro and summary

["Tamara Munzner" <munzner>]

Hello Scott,
 Thanks for your message, sorry for the delay in replying.

>   1. Simple 3D manipulation:  rotate, zoom, translate, materials on/off
Geomview can certainly handle this.

>   2. Platforms: UNIX, PC, Mac
Unfortunately at this time we don't have the resources to port
Geomview to Windows/DOS or MacOS. Would the X version suffice through
Linux on a PC and MacX on a Mac?

>   3. data types: vector data, wireframs 3D, polygonal surface, 
>      volumetric mesh data (structured and unstructured) like finite 
>      difference and finite element, solids data
>   The above data types can vary as a function of time. e.g.:
>      A. weather simulations showing moving vector data
>      B. solids simulations using Dyna3D (crashing cars into telephone poles
>	or earthquake simulations with bridges, thus modify mesh structure)
>      C. eletromagnetic wave propagation
>      D. chemical model interaction display
>   Neither VRML/OOGL nor PACT has everything that we need but we would like
>   to extend OOGL to support the few features that we need (specifically
>   time variations) that it doesn't seem to have. 

At the moment we're not working on extending OOGL to support
time-varying data, and don't know of anyone else who is either. While
we do make the source available, you may have noticed that the OOGL
libraries are, shall we say, not over-documented. If you decide to try
extending them, we'll do our best to answer specific questions. 

I do know that the GRAPE designers (from Bonn, Germany) have a system
that deals with time-varying data. While I don't think GRAPE is
necessarily what you're looking for, I'm including the README below.
If that does turn out to be a useful direction, the chief designer of
GRAPE is now at the Technical University of Berlin, working on a new
system called OORANGE. I'll know more about it after a seminar here in
a few weeks.

I briefly checked out your WWWtest page a while ago, but haven't been
able to get through for a few weeks. I'm definitely interested in what
you all are doing. 

Tamara Munzner		The Geometry Center	     ((555) 555-5555
munzner at geom.umn.edu    http://www.geom.umn.edu/people/munzner.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------
What is GRAPE
-------------

GRAPE is a GRAphical Programming Environment to use the facilities of
interactive computer graphics for solving mathematical problems from
continuums mechanics and differential geometry. It has been developed
at the Sonderforschungsbereich 256 for `Nonlinear Partial Differential
Equations` at the University of Bonn.

An essential part of the conception of GRAPE is the natural approach
to mathematical visualization. GRAPE offers efficient tools for the
mathematician to work with geometric data, generate graphic output and
film sequences, and it supports numerical interaction. The environment
is based on an object oriented kernel and a machine independent
interface for the graphics. Two main branches have been developed,
both using the same conceptual ideas and interactive environment:
Differential Geometry and 3D Adaptive Finite Elements.

Our latest development is the inclusion of time dependent data
structures into GRAPE. Time is an emphasized parameter, and the data
is no longer a static model but now a model which exists for a time
period, e.g.  a deforming surface or a flow in a volume. We now use
'time objects' in the same natural way as formerly 'static objects'.
We provide tools for handling time dependent parameters, operations on
time dependent data structures, interpolation and topology changes.

This environment is designed for dynamic extension, i.e. the user may
supply new features adjusted to his own needs.


What is available
-----------------

The GRAPE software is non-commercial. It may be obtained by other
scientific sites on request from the address mentioned below only.  It
is not allowed to use GRAPE for commercial purposes and software
developed using GRAPE must be made available to us. See license.ps
for a more detailed version of the license agreement.

At the moment there are drivers available for nearly all SGI machines,
Sun workstations, X-Windows, PostScript, Titan and rendering systems
like Softimage.

The files in this directory are

   README			this file
   license.ps.Z			license agreement
   demo.tar.Z			demo files (source, main program
				and input files)
   manual.tar.Z			beginners doc and GRAPE manual
   sgivgxlib.tar.Z		library for SGI	machines like indi, gt etc.
   rs6000x11lib.tar.Z		library for IBM RS6000 with X11 graphics
   rs6000gllib.tar.Z		library for IBM RS6000 with gl graphics


WARNING: It is useless to copy these files without registering because
         these archives don't contain the headerfile grape.h which is
         needed to use GRAPE. Registered user will get this file from
         the Sonderforschungsbereich 256.


How to get GRAPE
----------------

For more information about GRAPE or if you are interested in installing
GRAPE on your machine(s) please email to

	grape at sfb256.iam.uni-bonn.de

or write to

	Sonderforschungsbereich 256
	am Institut fuer Angewandte Mathematik
	der Universitaet Bonn
	z.Hd. C. Teitzel
	Wegelerstr. 6
	53115 Bonn
	Germany.


Bonn, Dez 12, 1993 (bo)