published_or_final_version / Computer Science / Master / Master of Philosophy

The problems of maintaining software systems are well documented. The increasing size and complexity of modern software serves only to worsen matters. Software maintainers are typically confronted with very large and very complex software systems, of which they may have little or no prior knowledge. At this stage they will normally have some maintenance task to perform, though possibly little indication of where or how to start. They need to investigate and understand the software to some extent in order to begin maintenance. This understanding process is termed program comprehension. There are various theories on program comprehension, many of which put emphasis on the construction of a mental model of the software within the mind of the maintainor. These same theories hypothesise a number of techniques employed by the maintainer for the creation and revision of this mental model. Software visualisation attempts to provide tool support for generating, supplementing and verifying the maintainer’s mental model. The majority of software visualisations to date have concentrated on producing two dimensional representations and animations of various aspects of a software system. Very little work has been performed previously regarding the issues involved in visualising software within a virtual reality environment. This research represents a significant first step into this exciting field and offers insight into the problems posed by this new media. This thesis provides an identification of the possibilities afforded byU3D graphics for software visualisation and program comprehension. It begins by defining seven key areas of 3D software visualisation, followed by the definition of two terms, visualisation and representation. These two terms provide a conceptual division between a visualisation and the elements of which it is comprised. This division enables improved discussion of the properties of a 3D visualisation and particularly the idenfification of properties that are desirable for a successful visualisation. A number of such desirable properties are suggested for both visualisations and representations, providing support for the design and evaluation of a 3D software visualisation system. Also presented are a number of prototype visualisations, each providing a different approach to the visualisation of a software system. The prototypes help demonstrate the practicalities and feasibility of 3D software visualisation. Evaluation of these prototypes is performed using a variety of techniques, the results of which emphasise the fact that there is substantial potential for the application of 3D graphics and virtual reality to software visualisation.

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Thesis (M.A.)--RMIT University, 2000. / "A Masters Project ... Animation and Interactive Media, Faculty of Art, Design and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne"--Title screen. Title from title screen.

Thesis (M.S. in Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation (MOVES))--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Darken, Rudolph. "March 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on May 6, 2009. Author(s) subject terms: Locomotion, Virtual Walking, Taxonomy, Virtual Environments Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-102). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S. in computer science)--Washington State University, May 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 14, 2009). "Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science." Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-70).

Dissertation (Ph.D. in Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation (MOVES))--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2009. / Dissertation Advisor(s): Darken, Christian J. "June 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on July 10, 2009. DTIC Identifiers: Human visual perception, visual attention, eye tracking, human behavior modeling, visual search, semantic relevance, relevance mapa. Author(s) subject terms: Human Visual Perception, Visual Attention, Eye Movements, Eye Tracking, Human Behavior Modeling, Target Detection, Visual Search, Semantic Relevance, Relevance Map. Includes bibliographical references (p. 145-149). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S. in Modeling, Virtual Environments, and Simulation (MOVES))--Naval Postgraduate School, September 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Kolsch, Mathias. "September 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on November 5, 2009. Author(s) subject terms: Augmented Reality, Fragment Shader, Water Reflection Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-62). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S. in Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation)--Naval Postgraduate School, Sept. 2004. / Thesis advisor(s): Michael J. Zyda. Includes bibliographical references (p. 59). Also available online.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Florida, 2004. / Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 51 pages. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.