Software Design, Part 1

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• Questions?
• Program Design
  • Plan programs/modules before you write them
    • Programs: what are the main modules and their relationships?
      • “Architecture”
    • Modules: what are the interfaces, internal representations, uses of other modules?
      • Potential reuses
  • e.g., Monte Carlo integrator module
    • Uses: areal lights, participating media, refraction, etc.
    • Need PDF as input
      • Or separate integrators for lights, media, etc.
      • Maybe store table of samples in integrator once it knows PDF
    • Some functions in this module
      • makeSampler
      • generalPDF
        • Needs normalizing constant
    • Consensus idea: let a “PDF” module/ADT represent PDFs, integrator’s constructor takes one as an argument and saves it in a struct
  • “Design patterns”
    • (From object oriented programming)
    • Stylized, reusable, forms for solving problems
    • For example
      • Module = struct + functions
      • Abstract class (1 interface, several implementations)
        • Function handles are helpful for doing this
• Next
  • Finish design example/discussion

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