Introduction

3DSurface Viewer is a small Web application that creates high quality images of 3D surfaces defined by mathematical expressions. The quality of the images and the speed with which they are created compare favorably with any commercial graphing application. A brief description of the Viewer follows, along with the system requirements. Full documentation is contained in the three pages preceding 'Draw Surfaces' in the list at left. If this is your first visit, we advise you to click on each link in turn and look over the information; of course, if you just can't wait, feel free to jump directly to the Draw Surfaces! page.

Version 2.3 of the 3DSurface Viewer was released on 21 April 2008. All users are encouraged to download the new version; see the Installation page for upgrade information. The new version now includes limited support for older ATI-based graphics systems, and is built with the same math engine as our commmercial products.

Installation

Running the 3DSurface Viewer on your computer requires the installation of a small graphics software package. You only need to do this once, and doing so can take less than 30 seconds - see 'Installation'. Once the software is installed, you can use the viewer without having to be online.

Use

The surfaces are drawn as Z = F(...). The expressions defining the surfaces may contain any of the standard math operators, as well as the variables 'X', 'Y', 'R', and/or 'Theta'. An example of the images produced is shown at right. The images can be rotated, allowing the surface to be inspected from any angle; the scale and region drawn can be altered with the click of a button. For more information, see 'Using the Viewer' .

System Requirements:

As noted at upper left, this site uses Windows-specific capabilities, and in order to use the 3DSurface Viewer you must be on a Windows machine and be using Internet Explorer, version 4.0 or above. The performance will be affected by the hardware of your particular system; the minimum recommended configuration is a 233MHz Pentium with an OpenGL - capable video board. The Viewer will work on 256 color displays, but this will have a negative effect on performance and image quality - higher color resolution is recommended. The minimum recommended screen area is 800x600 pixels.

The software component used by the Viewer will not interfere with other installed software - see 'Installation' for more information. Support is commensurate with cost - and this is free, after all. If you really have a problem, though, contact us, and we will try to reply as time allows.

Programming

The ActiveX™ control on which the site is based is available free of charge for use in your own software programs. For more information, see 'Program the Viewer' .