Abstract

This paper presents a project devoted to developing an open system architecture for functionally based (implicit or more generally F-rep) shape modeling and its applications. The software tools are built around the shape models written in a high-level programming language called HyperFun. A model in HyperFun can serve as a protocol for exchanging F-rep models between users, modeling systems, or networked computers. HyperFun models can be collected in application-specific libraries. We describe the basic set of system components: an interpreter for parsing and function evaluation; F-rep system libraries; a modeler with an extendable graphical user interface; a multidimensional modeler with a symbolic user interface providing means for interpreting multidimensional coordinates and constructing scenes; applications for visualization (polygonization, VRML generation, ray-tracing), animation, voxelization and others; a collaborative Internet-based modeler including a HyperFun-to-Java translator and advanced interactive techniques based on the "empirical modeling" paradigm. These components are intended to be public domain to stimulate collaborative development efforts