[comp.lang.pascal] Graphics packages for Turbo Pascal

dmurdoch@watstat.waterloo.edu (Duncan Murdoch) (10/19/89)

I'm looking for a graphics package to use with Turbo Pascal, mainly to be
used for statistical/scientific graphics.  I'd like to be able to display
scatterplots, draw lines on them and that sort of thing (more or less
what S can do), as well as have some kind of mouse support so that
I can do some interactive selection of data points.  It would be nice
if it used the new object oriented extensions so that I could specialize
plots without lots of trouble, but that's not really necessary.  It should
use the BGI routines for output so I can run it on different monitors.

The only one I have experience with is Borland's Graphix Toolbox, which
doesn't use the BGI (!!) and has no mouse support, but otherwise looks
like a slightly low-level version of what I want.  I haven't used it 
enough to know if there are any other big problems; I know a version
to use the BGI exists on Compuserve, but is reportedly incomplete.

Has anyone had any positive or negative experiences with any other package?
I'd be interested in PD, shareware or commercial products.

Please reply by mail; if there is sufficient interest, I'll post a summary
of what I receive.

Duncan Murdoch
dmurdoch@watstat.waterloo.edu  (Internet)
dmurdoch@watdcsu.uwaterloo.ca  (Bitnet)

ajayshah@aludra.usc.edu (Ajay Shah) (10/19/89)

In article <665@maytag.waterloo.edu> dmurdoch@watstat.waterloo.edu (Duncan Murdoch) writes:
>
>I'm looking for a graphics package to use with Turbo Pascal, mainly to be
>used for statistical/scientific graphics.  I'd like to be able to display

Personally, I think the Turbo Graphix Toolbox is one of the best
written blocks of code around. Given BGI, *I* would take the trouble
of porting TGT to call BGI when needed (if i needed it, i.e.).

It's not going to be too much trouble.  Just work through the two
kernel files, find every routine that has a BGI equivalent and
destroy it. Now link in graph.tpu and you're in business.

--
_______________________________________________________________________________
Ajay Shah, (213)747-9991, ajayshah@usc.edu
                                                         Gandalf for President!
_______________________________________________________________________________

ts@chyde.uwasa.fi (Timo Salmi LASK) (10/20/89)

In article <665@maytag.waterloo.edu> dmurdoch@watstat.waterloo.edu (Duncan Murdoch) writes:
>
>I'm looking for a graphics package to use with Turbo Pascal, mainly to be
>used for statistical/scientific graphics.  I'd like to be able to display
>scatterplots, draw lines on them and that sort of thing (more or less

The packages /pc/ts/ts2st16.arc, tsdraw13.arc, and tsfunc13.arc do
these kinds of things.  Available by anonymous ftp from our site. 
No sources included, though. 

...................................................................
Prof. Timo Salmi                                (Site 128.214.12.3)
School of Business Studies, University of Vaasa, SF-65101, Finland
Internet: ts@chyde.uwasa.fi Funet: vakk::salmi Bitnet: salmi@finfun

murphy@pur-phy (William J. Murphy) (10/20/89)

In article <665@maytag.waterloo.edu> dmurdoch@watstat.waterloo.edu (Duncan Murdoch) writes:
>
>I'm looking for a graphics package to use with Turbo Pascal, mainly to be
>used for statistical/scientific graphics.  I'd like to be able to display
>scatterplots, draw lines on them and that sort of thing (more or less
>what S can do), as well as have some kind of mouse support so that
>I can do some interactive selection of data points.  It would be nice

One package that I use for doing graphic display of data to the screen
is called HGraph.  It costs $100 and comes with sources in Turbo-Pascal.
HGraph has routines for plotting axes and labeling text/data, interactive
video routines and support for 3-D plots.  I have used it to implement
a zoom function on a waveform viewer for my acoustics data.  I have also
used the 3-D functions  when viewing some pressure distribution calculations
in cavities.  The 3-D doesn't come with 3-D axis support, but I expect that
the next release will support it.

>if it used the new object oriented extensions so that I could specialize
>plots without lots of trouble, but that's not really necessary.  It should

It is compatible with Turbo 5.5, and comes as a Microsoft object code format
for use with all of the MS compilers.  I don't know what form it comes in 
for Turbo-C.

>use the BGI routines for output so I can run it on different monitors.

HGraph has support for a wide range of controllers as well as plotter and
printer support.  You need only configure the Screen/Plotter/Raster devices
to your particular system.

>
>The only one I have experience with is Borland's Graphix Toolbox, which
>doesn't use the BGI (!!) and has no mouse support, but otherwise looks

I don't know if HGraph supports the mouse.  The drawing routines are
pretty much implemented by passing a pointer to an array of data points.
I think that is the point of it all, that you need only use the package
to do your drawing/plotting.

>Duncan Murdoch
>dmurdoch@watstat.waterloo.edu  (Internet)
>dmurdoch@watdcsu.uwaterloo.ca  (Bitnet)

HGraph is available from Heartland Software Inc.
                         234 S. Franklin 
                         Ames, IA 50010 USA

I speak only as a satisfied user of HGraph and a former student of the
author who provides excellant technical support for his product.


-- 
 Bill Murphy        murphy@newton.physics.purdue.edu