HOOPS Visualize is a 3D computer graphics designed to render graphics across both mobile and desktop platforms.
Features
The program features a unified API that allows users to add interactive 3D visualization to both desktop and mobile applications. HOOPS Visualize provides a hierarchical scene management engine capable of handling a range of graphics entities, together with a graphics pipeline and interaction handling algorithms. It includes clash detection, multi-plane sectioning, and large model visualization, along with many other features.
History
The HOOPS 3D Graphics System was originally developed in the mid-1980s in the CADIF Lab at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
. Ithaca Software later formed to commercialize the technology. Subsequently, HOOPS was widely adopted for
Computer-Aided Design (CAD),
Computer-Aided Manufacturing
Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) also known as computer-aided modeling or computer-aided machining is the use of software to control machine tools in the manufacturing of work pieces. This is not the only definition for CAM, but it is the most ...
(CAM) and
Computer-Aided Engineering
Computer-aided engineering (CAE) is the broad usage of computer software to aid in engineering analysis tasks. It includes , , , durability and optimization. It is included with computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) ...
(CAE) software.
In 1993, Autodesk, Inc. acquired Ithaca Software. In 1996, HOOPS was spun out of Autodesk by Tech Soft 3D, Inc., which continues to develop and sell the HOOPS 3D Graphics System under the name HOOPS Visualize. The software is made available free of charge to educational institutions.
Key Features and Capabilities
* Retained-mode graphics system with a supporting database
* Data is structured hierarchically in a scene graph
* Able to use many different contexts for rendering, including DirectX, OpenGL, as well as software and hardcopy
* Interfaces with C, C++, C#, and Java
* Out-of-core rendering mode for visualizing large point-cloud datasets
* Integrates with other engineering SDKs like ACIS, Parasolid, RealDWG, and HOOPS Exchange, as well as industry standard CAD formats
* PMI support, mark-up, model trees, point clouds
* Compatible with all major graphical user interfaces
* Platform independent input architecture
References
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Application programming interfaces
3D scenegraph APIs
C++ libraries