[vtkusers] VTK graphical interface idea

[John Biddiscombe]

and www.skippingmouse.co.uk

JB

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Toon Huysmans" <denhuys at hotmail.com>
To: "vtkusers" <vtkusers at vtk.org>
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2004 4:13 PM
Subject: Re: [vtkusers] VTK graphical interface idea


> I think this has been done: SciRun
>
> http://software.sci.utah.edu/scirun.html
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Matt Valerio" <m-valerio at onu.edu>
> To: "vtkusers" <vtkusers at vtk.org>
> Sent: Friday, July 30, 2004 4:46 PM
> Subject: [vtkusers] VTK graphical interface idea
>
>
> > Hello VTK Users,
> >
> > I've just recently started learning VTK and am _very_ impressed with its
> > capabilities.
> >
> > I see how the classes can be assembled into a graphical pipeline that go
> > from sources to data to actors to mappers to renderers to renderwindows.
> >
> > So, I have an idea.  Take it for what it's worth, discuss it, ignore it,
> > I don't care.  Just throwing it out on the table for general
consumption.
> >
> > How about a "Visual VTK" graphical programming interface?  I've attached
> > a picture of something I whipped up from the
> > Examples/Tutorial/Step1/Cxx/Cone.cxx example (with a
> > vtkRenderWindowInteractor tacked on.)
> >
> > The program could perform all type checking for the interconnecting
> > arrows so that you don't do something silly like connect the output of
> > the vtkConeSource directly to the vtkRenderWindowInteractor.
> >
> > Benefits of such a program:
> > -Would make constructing the VTK pipeline a snap
> > -Would reduce development time for simple applications
> > -Would decrease the learning curve for VTK and increase the user base
> > (similar to LabVIEW, which made instrumentation control programming
> > easily more accessible to scientists and researchers without any coding
> > experience)
> >
> > Possible feature ideas:
> > -The program could load XML-based data about the member functions of
> > each class.  This XML data could be generated directly from the
> > documentation.
> > -The classes could be grouped into menus.  To use a class just drag it
> > onto the working area to create a block.  The block would show the type
> > of class and let you give it a name.
> > -To add a member function to a block, just right-click and select one
> > from a context menu.
> > -Program would perform all type checking between blocks.
> > -Program would output a .cpp code snippet.  Then that code snipped would
> > only need slight modifications to turn into a fully-functioning
> application
> > -Program could show a preview window to show the output.
> > -Program would check to make sure all required member functions have
> > been accessed correctly.  For example, the SetMapper() member function
> > of a vtkActor would be added to the block as soon as it is dragged out
> > of the menu.
> >
> > Again, this is just an idea.  I taught myself how to use VTK over the
> > last 2 weeks in my spare time, and am only a novice (so far).  I don't
> > know a whole lot about GUI programming (I'm trying to learn wxWindows
> > too), otherwise I would start writing some code for such an application.
> >    If someone wants to take the idea and run with it, more power to you!
> >
> >
> > -Matt
> >
> >
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