3 Case Study: The ``3D-Med'' System

The ``3D-Med'' system is implemented in C++ and Java. The architecture of the prototype ``3D-Med'' system is illustrated in Figure 3. Overall, it contains three components: UserInterface, Viewer and Repository. UserInterface provides user menus and produces corresponding actions according to user interactions. Viewer processes images and produces 3D image views on the screen. Repository is a data base for storing images. Two connectors, $Con\_User\_View$ and $Con\_UserView\_Repo$, connect these three components. Figure 3 gives the graphical presentation of an overview of the system architecture by means of jigsaw patterns .

Figure 3. Overview of the ``3D-Med'' prototype architecture

Each component and connector can be taken as a new system and be decomposed in the same notation. Figure 4 illustrates the decomposition of the component UserInterface, and Figure 5 shows the decomposition of the connector $Con\_User\_View$.

Figure 4. Decomposition of the component UserInterface

Figure 4 also gives examples of the Application modules. For instance, a standard C++ linkage glues a C++ object in the javaglue.cpp module, and a standard Java linkage glues a Java object in the button.java module.

Figure 5. Decomposition of the connector $Con\_User\_View$

Figure 4 and Figure 5 illustrate how a subsystem is decomposed using jigsaw patterns . In this particular case, components and connectors are expressed in terms of C++ and Java modules. Here we did not specify the interfaces. This could be done by using a header file or the package concept of C++ and Java.