English

A Modular Multi-Document Framework for Scientific Visualization and Simulation in Java

Software Engineering 2026-02-25 v1 Computational Physics

Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of a modular multi-document interface (MDI) framework for scientific visualization and simulation in the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) ecosystem. The framework emphasizes architectural separation between visualization layers, simulation engines, and optional hardware-accelerated 3D rendering. 3D functionality is isolated into a separate module to prevent unnecessary dependency coupling in 2D-only applications. We describe the core abstractions, threading model, simulation integration strategy, and dependency isolation approach. A case study involving a real-time 3D gas expansion simulation integrated with synchronized 2D entropy plotting demonstrates architectural cohesion. The framework is publicly available via Maven Central and targets long-lived scientific and engineering desktop applications.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2602.21026,
  title  = {A Modular Multi-Document Framework for Scientific Visualization and Simulation in Java},
  author = {David Heddle},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.21026},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

10 pages, 5 figures. Includes optional 3D extension module and integrated plotting subsystem. Source code available on GitHub