UFiga

UFiga is a framework and software library designed to generate, manipulate, and visualize universal geometric figures for mathematics education, computer graphics, and research visualization. The project aims to provide a common representation for geometric objects and their transformations, enabling cross-platform creation and rendering.

Origin and development: UFiga emerged from collaborative efforts among universities and open-source contributors in the early 2010s. The initial release provided a modular core and a small set of figure templates. Over successive versions, it expanded to support three-dimensional figures, a constraint-based definition language, and bindings for popular scripting languages.

Technical overview: At its core, UFiga uses a parametric model where figures are defined by templates, parameters, and optional constraints. Figures can be instantiated, transformed (translated, rotated, scaled, morphed), and composed into scenes. The framework offers a language-agnostic API, with bindings for Python and JavaScript, and a plugin architecture for new figure types and rendering backends. Supported export formats include SVG for 2D, OBJ and glTF for 3D, and scene graphs for interactive environments.

Applications: UFiga is used in mathematics education to illustrate theorems and proofs, in research for geometric modeling experiments, and in cultural or science museums for interactive installations. Some educational platforms integrate UFiga-based modules to provide consistent figure-creation tools across curricula.

Reception and status: The project is regarded as a flexible, cross-platform approach to geometric representation, though it faces criticism over learning curve and standardization. Development remains ongoing, with community-driven releases and periodic academic evaluations.