Excel 3D?

Excel as a 3d engine?

So i’ve just started programming more seriously in the past few days. The first thing that occurs to me is that I wish I could program in a non linear fashion. Rather, I’d prefer to be able to build my code in a more encapsulated flow-chart environment. Variables would have lines going into and out of ports from node to node like a Houdini or a Shake node network.

I’m an artist but I honestly think text editing isn’t the best way to build software. Interconnected data and information flow is important to visualize. You can’t simply “see” what you’re doing with text. You have to read comments. I don’t to have to read about where data is going to I sould just be able to see a line to where the data came from and where it’s going to.

Anyway, Crystal has a nice flowchart UI, but it still really sucks as a fully realized way to write software. Give it a few years, or wait till XSI shows people how to program with a node graph. ICE as it’s now called is a pretty slick way to build software that operates inside of the application. Data is connected from node to node through wires and the nodes act as functions or methods etc. Cool stuff, can’t wait!

The excel article mentions that data is laid out in a different way in excel. To which I say, well yes, data isnt a linear thing, horray for a programmer to say such a thing! To me it’s obvious. Programmers are trapped in a habbit of writing their basic starting with 100 do something 200, goto 100. weak sauce. Anyway, I’m not holding my breath. Programmers would think I’m stupid.