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HOOPS Visualize
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>The HOOPS 3D Graphics System was originally developed in the mid-1980s in the CADIF Lab at <a href="/facts/Cornell_University/FGyXuXeI">Cornell University</a>. Ithaca Software later formed to commercialize the technology. Subsequently, HOOPS was widely adopted for <a href="/facts/Computer-Aided_Design/5gSXrmmN">Computer-Aided Design</a> (CAD), <a href="/facts/Computer-Aided_Manufacturing/gqYHXcK9">Computer-Aided Manufacturing</a> (CAM) and <a href="/facts/Computer-Aided_Engineering/dAsPLr5Y">Computer-Aided Engineering</a> (CAE) software. </p><p>In 1993, Autodesk, Inc. acquired Ithaca Software.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> In 1996, HOOPS was spun out of Autodesk by Tech Soft 3D, Inc.,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> which continues to develop and sell the HOOPS 3D Graphics System under the name HOOPS Visualize. The software is made available free of charge to educational institutions. </p> <h2 id="overview">Overview</h2> <p>The program features a unified API that allows users to add interactive 3D visualization to both desktop and mobile applications. HOOPS Visualize provides a hierarchical scene management engine capable of handling a range of graphics entities, together with a graphics pipeline and interaction handling algorithms. It includes clash detection, multi-plane sectioning, and large model visualization, along with many other features. </p><p>Features include: </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Retained_mode/1tetU8sg">Retained-mode graphics</a> system with a supporting database</li> <li>Data is structured hierarchically in a scene graph<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a></li> <li>Able to use many different contexts for rendering, including DirectX, OpenGL, as well as software and hardcopy</li> <li>Interfaces with C, C++, C#, and Java</li> <li>Out-of-core rendering mode for visualizing large point-cloud datasets</li> <li>Integrates with other engineering SDKs like <a href="/facts/ACIS/245HIIx2">ACIS</a>, <a href="/facts/Parasolid/x5wW0Dlg">Parasolid</a>, <a href="/facts/AutoCAD/c83IAlgP">RealDWG</a>, and HOOPS Exchange, as well as industry standard <a href="/facts/CAD_data_exchange/E2rphx4p">CAD formats</a></li> <li>PMI support, mark-up, model trees, point clouds</li> <li>Compatible with all major graphical user interfaces</li> <li>Platform independent input architecture<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="technical-overview">Technical Overview</h2> <p>Internally it uses <a href="/facts/OpenGL/xQoMWePr">OpenGL</a> or <a href="/facts/DirectX/jyy75wVN">DirectX</a> (Windows).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> Tech Soft 3D has developed its own framework for event handling.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p><p>The <a href="/facts/Geometric_modeling_kernel/1Grlk4M6">graphics kernel</a> (Core Graphics) is based on the hierarchichal <a href="/facts/Scene_graph/faNe9vSu">scene graph</a> data structures.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="file-formats">File formats</h2> Supported file formats <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a><table><tbody><tr><th>File format</th><th>Imports</th><th>Exports</th><th>Notes</th></tr><tr><td>HSF</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>HOOPS Stream File</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Wavefront_.obj_file/zEr5znPH">OBJ</a></td><td>Yes</td><td>Partial</td><td>Limited export</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/STL_(file_format)/IGvbNCYE">STL</a></td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>PTS/PTX/XYZ</td><td>Yes</td><td>?</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Parasolid/x5wW0Dlg">Parasolid</a></td><td>Yes</td><td>?</td><td>All file formats supported by Kernel</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Autodesk/6aydGFN5">Autodesk RealDWG</a></td><td>Yes</td><td>?</td><td>All file formats supported by SDK</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/PostScript/h2XwbcmC">PostScript</a></td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/PDF/C9Mn1vYL">PDF</a></td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>DXT1</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>DXT3</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>DXT5</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>JPG</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>PNG</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>TGA</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>RGB</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>RGBA</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>ARGB</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Grayscale</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Mapped8</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Technical Overview — HOOPS Visualize HPS 2023 U1 Documentation". docs.techsoft3d.com. Retrieved 2023-04-20. <a href="https://docs.techsoft3d.com/hps/latest/general/technical_overview.html#architecture" target="_blank">https://docs.techsoft3d.com/hps/latest/general/technical_overview.html#architecture</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Tech Soft 3D's HOOPS Visualize Now Available from Siemens PLM Software | Tech Soft 3D". www.techsoft3d.com. Retrieved 2023-04-20. <a href="https://www.techsoft3d.com/resources/news-events/news/hoops-visualize-now-available-from-siemens-plm-software/" target="_blank">https://www.techsoft3d.com/resources/news-events/news/hoops-visualize-now-available-from-siemens-plm-software/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Menezes, Deelip (6 October 2010). "A Long Conversation with Ron Fritz". Retrieved 2013-01-30. <a href="http://www.deelip.com/?p=3501" target="_blank">http://www.deelip.com/?p=3501</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Folini, Franco. "An Interview with Ron Fritz, Managing Partner of Tech Soft 3D (HOOPS3D)". Retrieved 2013-01-30. <a href="http://blog.novedge.com/2007/03/ron_fritz_is_a_.html" target="_blank">http://blog.novedge.com/2007/03/ron_fritz_is_a_.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Eastman, J. Ronald (1988). "Graphics Programming goes 3-D". Digital Review: 41. <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Leler, WM; Merry, Jim (1996). 3D with HOOPS: Build Interactive 3d Graphics into your C++ Applications. Longman Pub Group. pp. 383–384. ISBN 978-0-201-87025-1. <a href="978-0-201-87025-1" target="_blank">978-0-201-87025-1</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Tech Soft 3D's HOOPS Visualize Now Available from Siemens PLM Software | Tech Soft 3D". www.techsoft3d.com. Retrieved 2023-04-20. <a href="https://www.techsoft3d.com/resources/news-events/news/hoops-visualize-now-available-from-siemens-plm-software/" target="_blank">https://www.techsoft3d.com/resources/news-events/news/hoops-visualize-now-available-from-siemens-plm-software/</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Tech Soft 3D's HOOPS Visualize Now Available from Siemens PLM Software | Tech Soft 3D". www.techsoft3d.com. Retrieved 2023-04-20. <a href="https://www.techsoft3d.com/resources/news-events/news/hoops-visualize-now-available-from-siemens-plm-software/" target="_blank">https://www.techsoft3d.com/resources/news-events/news/hoops-visualize-now-available-from-siemens-plm-software/</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Tech Soft 3D's HOOPS Visualize Now Available from Siemens PLM Software | Tech Soft 3D". www.techsoft3d.com. Retrieved 2023-04-20. <a href="https://www.techsoft3d.com/resources/news-events/news/hoops-visualize-now-available-from-siemens-plm-software/" target="_blank">https://www.techsoft3d.com/resources/news-events/news/hoops-visualize-now-available-from-siemens-plm-software/</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Supported File Formats — HOOPS Visualize HPS 2023 U1 Documentation". docs.techsoft3d.com. Retrieved 2023-04-20. <a href="https://docs.techsoft3d.com/hps/latest/general/supported_file_formats.html" target="_blank">https://docs.techsoft3d.com/hps/latest/general/supported_file_formats.html</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>