The main language used in this program is Python 2. It was chosen because it's favored by scientists (due to its versatility, ease of use, and plentiful libraries).
On the other hand, many computer scientists are weary of it due to its relatively slow speeds, and its tendency to hide important complexities.
This project being very dependent on efficiently generating visualizations, Python has turned out to be an excellent choice.
• Matplotlib
A great library for generating graphics such as colormaps, scatterplots, and even animations. There are even built in options for exporting both
raster and vector images of many filetypes.
The interface is very simple, and there is an abundance of information about it both on their official site and online in general.
I'm using it to generate all graphics that require axes of some sort (everything but raw images).
• NumPy
This package adds extensive mathematical capabilities to python. Most notably, I'm using its array objects and methods to store vector and scaler fields.
• Python Imaging Library (PIL)
Another graphical library, much closer to the metal than Matplotlib. I use this to generate simple bitmaps from raw data.
