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Introduction

Designed by the graphics team of INRIA, FORTRAN 3D (or F3D), is a suite of subroutines to visualize objects in a two or three-dimensional space using different graphics terminals (or drivers) as well as relief images on some of them.

It also provides the possibility to introduce the data using input features generally associated with these terminals.

Except for the graphics terminal interfaces (see Chapter 7, Part III), the suite of programs is written in standard FORTRAN 77, which facilitates its implementation on different computers.

Furthermore, a modular structure enables the user to use only that part of FORTRAN 3D which is strictly necessary.

The main ideas of FORTRAN 3D are the following:

• Dynamic description of objects, i.e. their description results from the execution of the program.
• Dynamic choice of the graphics output terminal.
• Dynamic choice of the input mode

In addition, the visualization of objects (definition of objects, masks, windows, display conditions, ..) and the introduction of data (see the input programs) are done independently from the terminal effectively used. Nevertheless, the programmer can obtain information (see interrogation programs) concerning his/her terminal in order to adapt to it better.

The graphics modules described in Part II of this guide all use F3D as basic, low level, graphics software.