[comp.graphics.visualization] Features to compare

andyrose@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Andy Rose) (12/01/90)

This list of features may be helpful to compare visualization software.
Much of this is drawn from AVS, apE and PV~WAVE

2D isocontours
2D plots
3D isosurfaces
3D mesh
Animation
Arbitrary cutting plane, orthogonal cutting plane
Ribbons, Ball and Stick
Bubbles (spheres at data point with scalars mapped to color, transparency,size)
Image Overlay (compositing with transparency, stencils)    
Dot Surface
Dynamic Probe
Feature Marking
Graphical Editing
Image Processing (contrast enhancement, edge detection, dithering, etc.)
Interactive Viewing (i.e. enough graphic speed to display and move objects under
      user control)
Molecular Docking 
Multivariate Plots
Adjustable transparency 
Particle animation
Particle tracing
Real-time playback (enough display speed to show consecutive rendered frames
   quick)
Adjustable rendering complexity
Shaded surfaces, Ray Tracing, etc.
Wireframe Display, hidden line display
Curve fitting
Space Filling
Stereoscopic viewing
Volume rendering 
Streamlines
Hedgehog (display vectors related to polygons. Normals for example)
Colormap editor, properties editor
Visual programming paradigm
  Asynchronous and synchronous modules
  Distriubuted computing
  extensible 
    Data structures (regular mesh, triangular mesh, n-D n-vector fields, geom)
    Widgets 
    Geometry description language
  Portable
  Application Programmer's Interface (hides the network from end-user)
  Cyclic networks
  Hierarchical object database
  Event history
  module library management
  command line interface

Bounding box
2D/3D texture mapping
2D/3D contour geometry
Axis display


V for vis.

-- 
Andrew Newkirk Rose '91 Department of Visualization CNSF/Theory Center
632 E & T Building, Hoy Road Ithaca, NY 14583  
607 254 8686  andy@cornellf.tn.cornell.edu