A new multimedia programming paradigm is presented. It is based on a system of micro- and macro-icons (composite pictures) representing self-explanatory software components in a "film" format. A film is a series of color stills supported, if necessary, by text and sound. Each still is to represent a view of objects or processes. Each film is to represent a multiple view (an extended set of dynamic and/or static features) of objects or processes. A self-explanatory film means that the associated stills are organized and presented in such a way that the semantic richness of a computational scheme is clearly brought out. Icons and films are acquired in a net-accessible database. The user should not study them in advance. The film management system provides simple access to database items and modes to manipulate films. In this paper we explain where the database items are taken from and how the self-explanatory features of items are reached. We also describe how these items can be used for multimedia representation of methods and data and for programming users' algorithmic ideas. In addition, some technical details related to the film management system, rendering engines used for displaying various features of the software components, and the icon language are presented. Special attention is paid to how computational formulas can be attached to a film.

A visual language and a multimedia environment supporting the language are considered. The language is explained through describing a visual program for solving partial differential equations by a multigrid method. The environment is based on a database of selfexplanatory components in a ''film'' format and a film management system for searching, editing, composing and other manipulations with components. The visual program presented is only one view of a self-explanatory component. In fact, it can also be watched in dynamics and from other points of view for better understanding the method features. The goal of the visual program example is to show that visual programs can be physically much smaller than the text they replace and much easier for understanding and modifying.Keywords Visual programming, Multiple view, Self-explanatory component IntroductionMany technologies have been developed in industry and academia to improve programmer productivity and simplify software maintenance. Object-, aspect-, and component-oriented programming paradigms are a few to name. In spite of the many contributions of these approaches, it is possible to say that they are still computer-oriented rather then user-oriented technologies. People are limited from exploiting their full capabilities and forced to work like soldiers, constrained within rules imposed by computers. These technologies do not take into account fundamental facts: we are multi-channel human beings and live in four-dimensional space-time. Application problems and corresponding models can be tangible, having physical shape and size, multi-colored images and moving objects. Conventional programming languages do not support such application features and do not allow us to recognize them in the program text. These features also affect the acquisition of computational algorithms in libraries of procedures, classes and components created within these programming technologies. There is no doubt that such library items are very useful, especially if the user is going to employ them as ''black boxes.'' However, if the user wants to understand the internal algorithm and modify it, a considerable amount of energy and time should be invested.Our approach is based on the introduction of a system of icons representing self-explanatory software components in a ''film'' format. An abstract film is a series of color stills supported, if necessary, by text and sound. Each still is to represent a view of objects or processes. Each film is to represent a multiple view (an extended set of dynamic and/or static features) of objects or processes. A self-explanatory film means that the associated stills are organized and presented in such a way that the semantic richness of a computational scheme is clearly brought out. Meaning is encoded in a film by developing a series of views that can be watched (and listened to) in non-linear order. Icons and films are acquired in a network-accessible database. In general, the user should not study and remember them in advance. The film manageme...

We introduce a smooth approximation of the min∕max operations, called signed approximate real distance function (SARDF), for maintaining an approximate signed distance function in constructive shape modeling. We apply constructive distance-based shape modeling to design objects with heterogeneous material distribution in the constructive hypervolume model framework. The introduced distance approximation helps intuitively model material distributions parametrized by distances to so-called material features. The smoothness of the material functions, provided here by the smoothness of the defining function for the shape, helps to avoid undesirable singularities in the material distribution, like stress or concentrations. We illustrate application of the SARDF operations by two- and three-dimensional heterogeneous object modeling case studies.

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