GLE (Graphics Layout Engine) is a high quality graphics package for scientists, combining a user friendly interface with a full range of facilities for producing publication quality graphs, diagrams, posters and slides.
GLE provides LaTeX quality fonts together with a flexible graphics module which allows the user to specify any feature of a graph (down to the line width of the subticks, for example).
Complex pictures can be drawn with user defined subroutines and simple looping structures.
GLE, itself, is essentially a command line application. It comes with a user interface QGLE. The interface provides a preview window that receives messages from GLE and displays the resulting EPS file. It can also open GLE and EPS directory. It has the ability to add and edit simple objects, and also change various projects of objects such as line width, and colour.
The strength of GLE lies in its adaptability and reproducibility . Rather than a set of pixel values, a GLE diagram is stored as a series of vector drawing instructions. A line is stored as a line, a circle as a circle. The GLE package itself takes these instructions and converts them into a recognisable graphic.
Features include:
- Suitable for producing graphics for reports and scientific papers.
- Lines, circles, boxes, arrows, and text.
- Mathematical functions such as, sin(), cos(), log(), exp(), etc.
- For-next loops, subroutines, variables, if-then-else.
- A graph module for drawing graphs of data and functions.
- Advanced graphics commands like paths, clipping, and rotation.
- Inclusion of bitmap and PostScript files.
- Inclusion of other GLE files thus allowing libraries.
- Uses LaTeX for text output and supports mathematical formulae in graphs and figures.
- Outputs to graphics file formats such as Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) or Portable Document Format (PDF).
Website: www.gle-graphics.org
Support: Documentation, FAQ
Developer: Many contributors
License: BSD license
GLE is written in C++. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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