Visual Programming for Engineers

Rainer Mauth

With its Volcano applications framework for Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51, MacroVision Creative Software brings easy software extensibility and components reusability into the realm of graphical applications development. Version 1.0 comes with a rich code base for 2-D and 3-D mechanical and architectural CAD as well as GIS applications. Although this code is general-purpose, the good thing about Volcano is that you can easily develop your own components based on existing code modules (i.e., components). These components are grouped into categories of classes and methods, but they don't provide for reuse of components via inheritance.

MacroVision has constructed this tool on its Eagle graphics kernel, which includes a high-level macr o language. When you start a new project, the System Browser lets you pick components from the Volcano data dictionary. If you understand the Eagle programming language, you can simply drag the components into the Workbench Editor and adjust them to your needs.

You can also incorporate C/C++ programs and custom DLLs into Volcano's data dictionary and together with, for example, the Visual C++ compiler create executable files and DLLs. However, you can't write components to the OLE/ActiveX interface.

Volcano is a slick visual environment for engineers who want to develop graphic and spatial system applications for use in their corporations. Professional software developers who are not willing to learn a new macro language may, however, want to pass.

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Product Information

Volcano.................................US$2000 per license

MacroVision Creative Software
Dublin, Ireland

Phone:    +353 1 6671111
Fax:      +353 1 6671418
E-mail:   
macroVision@msn.com

Circle 1054 on Inquiry Card.

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