VPython: Real-time 3D Visualization for Science and Engineering

跨学科（99）物理（13）该项目正在开发软件，使科学家，工程师和他们的学生能够轻松创建物理系统的计算机模型，包括实时，3D，交互式图形。三维计算机可视化在科学和工程教育和研究中的价值得到了广泛的认可。 化学和生物学中分子的3D建模可能是最广泛使用的3D工具，其高实用性证明了开发适当软件的昂贵性。许多数学软件包生成函数的3D表示。然而，更普遍的使用三维可视化，加上通用编程语言的灵活性，已被阻止了巨大的技术困难，需要高的计算机技能来克服。这对于教育应用来说尤其受限。 即使在存在3D工具的化学和生物学领域，科学家也很难或不可能修改或扩展这些软件包。这些应用程序不具有编程语言的开放式灵活性。一个新的工具，VPython，使许多科学家和工程师，以及科学和工程的学生，能够快速，轻松地创建3D可视化，再加上编程语言的灵活性和功能。此外，这些可视化可以在真实的时间内进行交互，超越了罐头电影的限制。 该项目将VPython提升到开源开发的成熟水平，以便此后可以轻松维护和扩展，为科学和工程研究和教育的基础设施做出贡献。

Interdisciplinary (99) Physics (13) The project is developing software to make it easy for scientists, engineers, and their students to create computer models of physical systems that include real-time, 3D, interactive graphics. The value of 3D computer visualization in science and engineering education and research is widely recognized. 3D modeling of molecules in chemistry and biology is perhaps the most widely used 3D tool, whose high utility has justified the expensive development of appropriate software. Many math packages generate 3D representations of functions. However, more general use of 3D visualization, coupled to the flexibility of a general-purpose programming language, has been blocked by great technical difficulties which require high computer skills to overcome. This is particularly limiting for educational applications. Even in chemistry and biology where 3D tools exist, it is difficult or impossible for scientists to modify or extend these packages. These applications do not have the open-ended flexibility of a programming language. A new tool, VPython, makes it possible for many scientists and engineers, and students of science and engineering, to create 3D visualizations quickly and easily, coupled to the flexibility and power of a programming language. Moreover, these visualizations can be interactive in real time, transcending the limitations of a canned movie. The project is bringing VPython to a mature level of open source development, so that thereafter it can be easily maintained and extended, as a contribution to the infrastructure of science and engineering research and education.