View source for Vector-based graphical user interface

{{Short description|Computer interface}}
A '''vector-based graphical user interface''' is a mostly conceptual type of [[graphical user interface]] where elements are drawn using [[Vector graphics|vector]] rather than [[Raster graphics|raster]] information.

[[Image:3D GUI.png|thumb|200px|An example of a vector-based window, found in a privately funded vector-based graphical user interface research project.]]

[[File:2D Vector GUI.png|thumb|2D GUI. All window decorations and elements inside them are vector-based, the background is generated from multiple sine waves and the shapes are defined in-runtime. The final image is rasterized, anti-aliased and optionally composited, here the compositing is disabled.]]

==Pros and cons==
The benefits of a completely vector-based graphical user interface would include:
:*more efficient, independent scalability; The resolution (measured in [[dots per inch]] or DPI) could be set higher or lower than 1px:1px without causing [[pixelation]], enabling better use of high resolution monitors.

Cons might include:
:*Difficulty integrating raster-based applications. With some effort, this could be accomplished by texturing the entire raster-based application to a vector-based plane (though the disadvantages of raster-based graphics would still stand).
:*Slower rendering, greater system requirements. Because today's monitors display only raster-based information, the vector information would have to be rasterized (and optionally [[Spatial anti-aliasing|anti-aliased]]) before appearing.

==Usage in 3D graphical user interfaces==
Since current [[3D computer graphics|3D Graphics]] are usually vector-based, rather than raster-based, vector-based graphical user interfaces would be suitable for 3D graphical user interfaces. This is because raster-based 3D models take up an enormous amount of memory, as they are stored and displayed using [[voxel]]s. Current [[operating systems]] such as [[Windows Vista]], [[Mac OS X]], and [[UNIX|UNIX-based]] operating systems (including [[Linux]]) have enjoyed much benefit from using 3D graphical user interfaces. In Windows Vista, for example, [[Windows Aero|Flip3D]] textures each window to a 3D plane based on vector graphics. Even though the window itself is still raster-based, the plane onto which it is textured is vector-based. As a result, the windows, when rotated, appear flat. In Linux desktops, [[Compiz Fusion]] can texture each raster-based workspace onto a 3D vector-based cube.  As operating systems evolve, eventually the entire window would be made from 3D vector graphics, so that when rotated, it does not appear "flat". Also, advanced lighting may make 3D graphical user interfaces more aesthetically pleasing.

==Usage in 2D graphical user interfaces==
As most computer monitors become more and more [[dots per inch|high resolution]], everything displayed would be smaller. However, if the screen resolution were turned down, everything would appear pixelated. Thus, [[resolution independence]] is currently being designed to solve this problem. With raster graphics, all icons need to be extremely high resolution, so as to not appear pixelated on higher resolution screens. This may take up enormous amounts of memory, and hard disk space.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} If vector graphics were used instead, it could be easily scalable and never lose data nor appear pixelated.

Some Graphical User Interfaces on [[Operating System]]s such as [[IRIX]] use vector-based icons.  A number of vector-based icon sets are also available for window managers such as [[GNOME]] and [[KDE]].

With Windows, applications built using [[Windows Presentation Foundation]] (which is native{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} to [[Windows Vista]], but can be downloaded for [[Windows XP]] and [[Windows Server 2003|Server 2003]]) are vector-based and scale losslessly based on Windows [[Dots per inch|DPI]] settings.  However, even without this, it has always been possible to build applications to be DPI-aware.<ref>[http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms969894.aspx MSDN: How to Write High-DPI Applications]</ref>  Additionally, in Vista, the [[Desktop Window Manager]] detects when an app is not DPI aware and, if the computer is set to a different DPI than normal, uses bitmap scaling to render the window at a larger size.<ref>[http://blogs.msdn.com/greg_schechter/archive/2006/08/07/690704.aspx High DPI Support in Windows Vista Aero]</ref>

New version of [[AmigaOS]] 4.1 enhanced in 2008 its [[Workbench (AmigaOS)|Workbench]] with 2D vector graphical interface based on [[Cairo (Graphics)|Cairo]] libraries, but pragmatically integrated it with a 3D Compositing Engine based on [[Alpha Channel|Porter-Duff]] Routines.

==See also==
* [[Zooming user interface]]
* [[Resolution independence]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vector-Based Graphical User Interface}}
[[Category:Graphical user interfaces]]