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

跨学科(99)物理学(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地创建物理系统的计算机模型，其中包括实时、3D、交互的图形。计算机三维可视化在科学与工程教育和研究中的价值得到广泛认可。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合理性。许多数学包生成函数的3D表示。然而，3D可视化的更广泛使用，加上通用编程语言的灵活性，已经被巨大的技术困难所阻碍，这些困难需要很高的计算机技能才能克服。这对教育应用程序来说尤其有限。即使在存在3D工具的化学和生物领域，科学家也很难或不可能修改或扩展这些包。这些应用程序不具备编程语言的开放式灵活性。一种名为VPython的新工具使许多科学家和工程师以及科学和工程专业的学生能够快速、轻松地创建3D可视化效果，并结合编程语言的灵活性和强大功能。此外，这些可视化效果可以实时互动，超越了传统电影的局限。该项目正在将VPython带到一个成熟的开源开发水平，这样之后它就可以很容易地进行维护和扩展，作为对科学和工程研究和教育基础设施的贡献。

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.