Penrose

Abstract

We introduce a system called Penrose for creating mathematical diagrams. Its basic functionality is to translate abstract statements written in familiar math-like notation into one or more possible visual representations. Rather than rely on a fixed library of visualization tools, the visual representation is user-defined in a constraint-based specification language; diagrams are then generated automatically via constrained numerical optimization. The system is user-extensible to many domains of mathematics, and is fast enough for iterative design exploration. In contrast to tools that specify diagrams via direct manipulation or low-level graphics programming, Penrose enables rapid creation and exploration of diagrams that faithfully preserve the underlying mathematical meaning. We demonstrate the effectiveness and generality of the system by showing how it can be used to illustrate a diverse set of concepts from mathematics and computer graphics.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Aug 12, 2020
Source ID
10.1145/3386569.3392375

Entities

People

  • Dor Ma'ayan
  • Jenna Wise
  • Jonathan Erik Aldrich
  • Joshua Sunshine
  • Katherine Ye
  • Keenan Crane
  • Max Krieger
  • Wode Ni

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory
  • Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
  • National Science Foundation

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Database Systems and Applications