Object-oriented simulation for the superconducting supercollider

Abstract

This paper describes the design and implementation of an object-oriented simulation environment called OZ for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). The design applies object-oriented technology to data visualization, behavior modelling, dynamic simulation and version control. A meta class structure is proposed to model different types of objects in large systems by their functionality. OZ provides a direct-manipulation user interface which allows the user to visualize the data as an object in the database and interactively model the component of the system. Modelling can be exercised at different levels of the class hierarchy and then can be dynamically bound into a system for simulation. Inheritance is used to derive new configurations of the system or subsystem from the existing one, and specify an object`s behavior. Delegation is used to construct a system by instantiating existing objects and ``stealing`` their methods by delegators.