Lumière: a novel framework for rendering 3D graphics in Smalltalk

Abstract

To render 3D graphics there is a number of different frameworks written in Smalltalk. While most of them provide powerful facilities, many of them are outdated, abandoned, undocumented or heavyweight. In this paper we present Lumière, a novel lightweight framework for rendering 3D graphics using OpenGL based on a stage metaphor. Lumière is implemented using the Pharo IDE. In its current state it supports basic and composite shapes to populate 3D scenes, features a camera, and a lighting model. We illustrate the usage of Lumière with Gaucho, an environment for visual programming we are currently building.