3D-XplorMath

3D-XplorMath is a follow-on, OS X version of the well-known Macintosh mathematical visualization tool, 3D-Filmstrip. It has a home page on the web at:

http://3D-XplorMath.org/

where you will find descriptive material about the program, technical documentation, and a Gallery of visualizations produced by 3D-XplorMath.
The latest public version of the program can be downloaded from there and also from CNET's Download.com:

http://download.cnet.com/3D-XplorMath/3000-2053_4-33030.html

PLEASE NOTE! This version of 3D-XplorMath offers a choice between the classic selection via pull-down menus, and a newer one in which you select categories or objects by clicking icons on "click-image" pages. One can switch between the two interfaces using the second entry of the 3D-XplorMath Menu (just next to the Apple Menu).

• Another copy of this ReadMe file,
• a file called " What's New in this Version?",
• the application file, 3D-XplorMath,
• a folder called Settings Folder,
• a folder called 3DFSDocs, and
• a folder called USERDocs.

It is important to leave 3D-XplorMath inside the 3D-XplorMath ƒ folder, since when running it expects to find various files that it needs in the same folder that it is running from. Of course, you can put 3D-XplorMath in the Dock, and/or make an alias to it and place it anywhere to make it convenient to launch the program.

If you have not previously used 3D-XplorMath, please at least skim the rest of this file, but we highly recommend that you read the most basic part of the documentation called Getting Started. And then, to find out about some of the interesting and fun things that the program is capable of, look at Things to Try.

If you are an old user, then to find out about the new features, read the file What's New in this Version?" also in the 3D-XplorMath ƒ folder.

3D-XplorMath is a tool that runs native under MacOS X and creates striking, high quality visualizations of mathematical objects and processes. It is a Carbonized version of a Classic (Mac OS 9) program called 3D-Filmstrip. (While we no longer officially support 3D-XplorMath under Mac OS 9, informal testing indicates that it still runs without significant problems in that environment.)

3D-XplorMath has built-in algorithms for displaying mathematical objects of many different types or "categories" (plane curves, space curves, surfaces, conformal maps, polyhedra, ordinary differential equations, Waves, Sound, and fractals) and also for displaying various animations associated with these categories.

But 3D-XplorMath provides content as well as viewing and animation tools. Each category has a "Gallery" of many pre-programmed objects, and also easy to use methods for entering new User Defined objects from the category. The Gallery items are selected from a menu, while user defined objects are created without any programming by entering algebraic formulas in a dialog.

Most items in the various galleries have associated to them a text file that documents the item. These can be read while the object is being viewed by selecting "About This Object..." from the Documentation menu.

While 3D-XplorMath started out life as a research tool, written by mathematicians for other mathematicians, it has gradually morphed into a program that should be of interest to anyone with an interest in mathematics and who enjoys experimenting with and visually exploring and learning about new mathematical concepts. In fact, a good way to think of 3D-XplorMath is as an Interactive Museum of Mathematical Exploration and Explanation, the various Categories being different galleries of the museum.

The original concept, design, and algorithmic content of 3D-XplorMath was a joint effort of Hermann Karcher and Richard Palais who also carried out most of the actual coding (in Object Pascal), with important contributions from others, especially David Eck and recently Gale Paeper. In addition, a great many people have contributed their ideas, suggestions, algorithms and documentation.

If you have anybugs to report or suggestions for improvements, please send a message to:

Richard S. Palais
Department of Mathematics
RH 340 UC Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697
palais@uci.edu
Home Page: http://vmm.math.uci.edu/

The copyright to the program belongs to Richard Palais and Hermann Karcher, but there is a free license to use it for non-commercial purposes in education and research.

1. The 3DFS Consortium.
   An informal group that goes by the name The 3DFS Consortium has taken
   over joint responsibility for the enhancement of 3D-XplorMath. Currently the
   members of the Consortium are: Luc Benard, David Eck, Martin Guest, Patrick Iglesias,
   Hermann Karcher, Traudel Karcher, Michael Murray, Bob Palais, Richard Palais, Takashi Sakai,
   Markus Schmies, Daniel Steinberg, Chuu-Lian Terng, Nam Trang, Matthias Weber, and Xah Lee.
2. NSF CCLI Grant Support for Development of 3D-XplorMath.
   The NSF Dept. of Undergraduate Education has funded a CCLI Grant
   (with Richard Palais as the Principal Investigator)
   whose purpose is to further improve 3D-XplorMath as a tool for integrating
   mathematical visualization into the undergraduate mathematics curriculum.
3. David Eck is leading a project to create a platform neutral Java version of
   3D-XplorMath called 3D-XplorMath-J. It has now reached a fairly advanced
   stage of development, and a development version can be downloaded from:
   http://3D-XplorMath.org/toplevel/download