JBud:
Collision detection is funny huh? amazing how it can detect a tiny pcannon projectile hitting you, but a whole planet? nothing is there!

On 2007-12-07 21:12, Rocko Willis wrote:
IDL?.... If you are refering to Industrial Light and Magic its.. ILM...

Being a person that actually grew up in the same area as George Lucas, and actually meeting him, he is a great one...

If you are refering to the software IDL then... IDL is the ideal software for data analysis, visualization, and cross-platform application development. IDL combines all of the tools you need for any type of project, from "quick-look," interactive analysis and display to large-scale commercial programming projects. Thousands of technical professionals use IDL every day to rapidly develop algorithms, interfaces, and powerful visualizations and quickly crunch through large numerical problems. Brought to you by ITT Visual Information Solutions.

Or if you are refering to IDL - Interactive Data Language - The Interactive Data Language (IDL) is a proprietary software system distributed by Research Systems, Inc., of Boulder, CO (http://www.rsinc.com), now a division of Kodak. IDL grew out of programs written for analysis of data from NASA missions such as Mariner and the International Ultraviolet Explorer. It is therefore oriented toward use by scientists and engineers in the analysis of one-, two-, or three-dimensional data sets. RSI claims over 150,000 users.

IDL is currently available in UNIX, LINUX, Windows, and Macintosh versions for most of the popular scientific data processing platforms including Sun, HP, IBM, SGI, PC's and Mac's (see list at http://www.rsinc.com/idl/detail.cfm). IDL device drivers are available for most standard hardware (terminals, image displays, printers) for interactive display of image or graphics data.

The data reduction and display software that most astronomers are familiar with, including IRAF, STSDAS, AIPS, CIAO, MIDAS, and SUPERMONGO, consists primarily of specialized, task-oriented routines not intended for customization or enhancement by the user. These mostly function like "black boxes" and do not provide the user with easily understandable access to their inner workings.

By contrast, IDL is genuinely a computer language, readily understandable by any computer-literate user. It offers all the power, versatility, and programmability of high level languages like FORTRAN and C. But it adds three capabilities that are essential for modern data analysis: interactivity, graphics display, and array-oriented operation.

(IDL is array-oriented in the sense that arrays can be referenced without the use of subscripts or do-loops and that code is automatically vectorized for fast array computations.)

Users who are conversant with FORTRAN, C, C++, or other high level languages will have little trouble understanding IDL. Its syntax and operation are clear, sensible, and convenient (most similar to FORTRAN's). Because it is interactive, learning IDL through on-line trial-and-error is rapid.


Which do you mean?