Visualization strategy/choosing a framework
Visualization strategy/choosing a framework
- Subject: Visualization strategy/choosing a framework
- From: "Adam Foltzer" <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:19:29 -0500
Hello everyone,
I've been lurking here for a while as I've been learning the Cocoa ropes,
and I'm at the point where I need to put the (excellent) Hillegass theory
into practice. My app is an interactive particle swarm optimization (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_swarm_optimization for the curious)
that generates N-dimensional coordinates representing individuals in a very
compelling, organic way. For visualization, of course, I'm mainly concerned
with two- and three-dimensional instances of these swarms.
My trouble is in deciding which graphics framework to pursue for the
visualization. Since all I need are representations of points, the path of
least resistance for 2-D visualization seems to be using a simple loop with
calls to [NSBezierPath fillrect:]. However, I suspect this pattern would not
extend well to rendering a scene with 3-D instances of the swarms.
Beyond the use of Bezier paths, my knowledge falls short pretty quickly. I
often hear people sing the praises of Core Animation, but the emphasis on
layering in the documentation makes me doubt its capability to draw such a
3-D scene.
I also see Quartz mentioned as a friendlier wrapper for OpenGL, but again I
get the impression that it's more geared toward 2-D rendering than anything
else. Is a straight dive into full OpenGL the way to go here? I realize that
these frameworks have similarities, and that picking the "wrong" one won't
at all be a waste of my time, but I'd be thrilled to hear thoughts on their
comparative virtues before I take the plunge either way.
Cheers, and a Happy New Year to you all,
Adam
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