ZVTM

As a software for creating complex visual editors with large amounts of objects or complex geometrical shapes, ZVTM offers a unique Zoomable User Interface (ZUI) toolkit which is implemented in Java. While other Graphical User Interface toolkits like Swing are powerful, generic and portable, they cannot be used for some generic application classes such as graph editors, making it difficult for programmers to use lower-level APIs such as Java2D which are often more expressive but harder to use.

ZVTM offers a different metaphor of universes that can be observed through movable/zoomable cameras. It also offers features such as perceptual continuity in object animations and camera movements meant to enhance the end-user's overall experience. The ZVTM has a graphical object model that makes creating, modifying, and animating graphical entities more manageable. Users can easily define custom shapes via a simple API, and the software offers smooth zooming capabilities (2.5D/zoomable user interface) with support for multiple independent layers inside a single viewport, multi-threaded views, and export of SVG documents.

The ZVTM is a continuation of a project initiated by the developer and Jean-Yves Vion-Dury at Xerox Research Centre Europe during the developer's PhD. Initially called XVTM (Xerox Visual Transformation Machine), the ZVTM builds upon its predecessor's success and is now available for public use under the LGPL license (see COPYING for more details).

The ZVTM has been used to develop IsaViz, a visual browser/editor for RDF that represents models as 2D graphs that are zoomable. In summary, the ZVTM is a powerful Java-based software used in building high-quality visual editors with ease. Its unique features enhance the overall experience of end-users while offering a simple API for creating, modifying, and animating graphical entities with ease.