This paper describes the development of graphic user interface (GUI) systems for the visualization of graphical results of engineering analyses or performance.
Three representative computer graphic libraries, OpenGL, OpenCASCADE, and OpenGL Performer, are selected based on their performance and functionalities. Those libraries are integrated to Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC) to form a graphic window frame. Advantages and disadvantages of each GUI system are discussed to suggest a way to choose an appropriate graphic library suitable to a specific visualization purpose.
The performance of the constructed GUI systems are analyzed with respect to their rendering capability. A complicated geometric model and its sub models are adopted for rendering with the standard data formats such as IGES, STEP, as well as other formats used in popular CAD systems. The results of rendering performance verifies the known capability of the graphic libraries.