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1/** @mainpage Generic Math Template Library
2 *  @section Using Using This Reference Guide
3 *  Welcome to GMTL.  To use this reference guide effectively, we suggest
4 *  you see the <a href="modules.html">Modules</a> section first.
5 *  The <a href="modules.html">Modules</a> section provides the most
6 *  intuitive navigation of the reference guide because this
7 *  section is structured very similar GMTL.  Be sure
8 *  to read the GMTL Programmer's Guide (available on the
9 *  <a href="http://ggt.sf.net">GMTL web site</a>) to
10 *  understand the philosophy behind GMTL.  Understanding abstractly what
11 *  GMTL is and why it is designed this way will make
12 *  your life with GMTL very easy.  Lastly, you should subscribe to the mailing
13 *  lists so that you can ask questions, or propose extensions to the library.
14 *
15 *  Please see the @ref gmtlfaq "GMTL FAQ"  for more information.
16 *
17 *  @section API Quickly Understanding The GMTL API
18 *  The GMTL API has two aspects you should keep in mind. The <i>data</i>
19 *  types, and the <i>operations</i> on the data.
20 *  <p>
21 *  All data types and operations are defined in the <tt>gmtl</tt>
22 *  namespace.
23 *  Thus all types must be prefixed with the <tt>gmtl::</tt>
24 *  scope or a <tt>using gmtl;</tt> command can be used to bring all
25 *  of the GMTL functionality into the local scope.
26 *
27 *  @subsection Types Supplied GMTL Math Types
28 *  GMTL comes with many math data types: Vec, Point, Matrix, Quat, Coord,
29 *  Sphere.
30 *  Please read the programmer's guide for more detailed information.
31 *  Or read on for a light overview on what GMTL is.
32 *
33 *  @section Overview A Light Overview Of GMTL
34 *  GMTL stands for (<b>G</b>)eneric (<b>M</b>)ath
35 *  (<b>T</b>)emplate (<b>L</b>)ibrary.
36 *  It is a math library designed to be high-performance,
37 *  extensible, and generic. The design is based upon discussion with many
38 *  experts in the field of computer graphics and virtual reality and is the
39 *  culmination of many previous graphics math library efforts. GMTL gives
40 *  the graphics programmer several core math types and a rich library of
41 *  graphics/math operations on those types.
42 * 
43 *  @subsection Design Design
44 *  The design of GMTL allows extensibility while mantaining a stable core.
45 *  Core data types are separated from operations. This allows anyone to write
46 *  their own math routines to extend or replace parts of the GMTL. This
47 *  feature
48 *  allows a very stable core set of math primitives that seldom change due to
49 *  extensions, maintainance, or programmer error.
50 *  <p>
51 *  All math primitives in GMTL use generic programming techniques
52 *  to give the programmer many options to define their data. For example,
53 *  matrices
54 *  and vectors can be any dimension and any type. GMTL suffers no loss of
55 *  performance
56 *  due to these generalities because the parameter choices made are bound
57 *  at <i>compile time</i>.
58 *
59 *  @subsection Implementation Implementation
60 *  GMTL is implemented using generic programming and template metaprogramming.
61 *  Generic
62 *  programming allows selection by the user of size and type information for
63 *  all
64 *  data types in GMTL. For example, the generic Matrix type allows a
65 *  programmer
66 *  to select between any size (N x M) and any datatype (float, double,
67 *  int...).
68 *  The selection of these parameters is done through <i>template
69 *  parameters</i>. To ease the use of these parameters, the system declares
70 *  several typedefs that capture commonly used options.
71 *  <p>
72 *  Requested data types are statically bound and optimized by the compiler.
73 *  The operations supplied with GMTL are implemented generically using a
74 *  technique
75 *  called <i>template metaprogramming</i>. Template metaprogramming
76 *  allows things such as loops to be unrolled and conditionals to be
77 *  evaluated
78 *  <i>by the compiler</i>. Things such as loops and conditionals are
79 *  evaluated statically, rather than at runtime. In addition, advanced
80 *  optimizations
81 *  can be performed that do this such as eliminate temporary variables and
82 *  other
83 *  intermediate computations. The result is compiled code that can behave as
84 *  fast
85 *  (or faster) then using traditional hand-coding methods such as loop
86 *  unrolling, etc...
87 *
88 *  @subsection Testing Testing
89 *  GMTL has an integrated test suite included in the source code distribution.
90 *  The suite tests GMTL for correctness as well as performance degradation.
91 *  The GMTL developers have put much time and effort into the test suite
92 *  because
93 *  we think that it will ensure that the code stays stable when changes are
94 *  made,
95 *  and that changes don't introduce performance hits. The bottom line is,
96 *  if any
97 *  behaviour changes in GMTL we want to know about it before it bites us.
98 *  As a result
99 *  of this philosophy, any contributions to GMTL also need to be well
100 *  tested.
101 *  Submissions will not be accepted without tests for correctness and
102 *  performance.
103 *
104 *       
105 */
106 
107/** @defgroup Defines Global Flags: Xelt, XYZ, etc...
108 *  Constant Static Global Flags
109 */
110 
111/** @defgroup Math C Math Abstraction: sin, cos, tan, Min, Max, PI
112 *  We've abstracted C math to be cross platform and typesafe.
113 */
114
115/** @defgroup Types Abstract Data Types: Matrix, Vec, Quat, Coord, Sphere, Plane
116 *  GMTL comes with many math data types: Vec, Point, Matrix, Quat, Coord, Sphere.
117 */
118
119
120
121/** @defgroup Ops Mathematical Operations: add(...), sub(...), mul(...), div(...), invert(...), dot(...), cross(...)
122 *  Implements fundamental mathematical operations such as +, -, *, invert, dot product.
123 */
124
125/** @defgroup Transforms Spacial Transformers: xform( ... ), operator*( ... ).
126 *  Transform points and vectors by Matrices and Quaternions.  Note that xform
127 *  is defined differently for Point and Vec.  By Point is a full xform, by Vec
128 *  is only a rotation.
129 */
130
131/** @defgroup Compare Comparison: isEqual(...), isEquiv(...), ==, !=
132 *  Tests for equality between GMTL data types.
133 */
134
135/** @defgroup Generate Generators: make( ... ), set( ... ).
136 *  Make get and set functions for all math types in gmtl.
137 */
138
139/** @defgroup Interp Interpolation: lerp(...), slerp(...)
140 *  Functions to interpolate between two values.
141 */
142 
143
144/** @defgroup Output Output Stream Methods: operator<<( ... ).
145 *  Output GMTL data types to an ostream.  std::ostream& operator<< methods...
146 */
147
148
149/** @defgroup Meta Template Metaprogramming Utilities */
150/** @defgroup HelperMeta Template Metaprogramming Utilities (Helpers) */
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