Gwyddion is a multiplatform modular

free software Free software, libre software, libreware sometimes known as freedom-respecting software is computer software distributed open-source license, under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, distribut ...

for visualization and analysis of data from

scanning probe microscopy Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is a branch of microscopy that forms images of surfaces using a physical probe that scans the specimen. SPM was founded in 1981, with the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope, an instrument for imaging ...

(SPM) techniques (like AFM, MFM, STM, SNOM/NSOM). The project is led by its main developers David Nečas (Yeti) and Petr Klapetek who work together with various developers across the world. The software is made available as free software under the terms of the

GNU General Public License The GNU General Public Licenses (GNU GPL or simply GPL) are a series of widely used free software licenses, or ''copyleft'' licenses, that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, or modify the software. The GPL was the first ...

. The name “Gwyddion” is that of a prominent god of Welsh Mythology, see ''

Gwydion Gwydion fab Dôn () is a magician, hero and trickster of Welsh mythology, appearing most prominently in the Fourth Branch of the ''Mabinogi'', which focuses largely on his relationship with his young nephew, Lleu Llaw Gyffes. He also appears ...

'' It is created for the analysis of

height field In computer graphics, a heightmap or heightfield is a raster image used mainly as Discrete Global Grid in secondary elevation modeling. Each pixel stores values, such as surface elevation data, for display in 3D computer graphics. A heightm ...

s and other 2D (image) data. While it is primarily intended for data originating from scanning probe microscopy techniques (like AFM, MFM, STM, SNOM/NSOM), it may also be used for the analysis of profilometry data, for instance. Data is calculated and stored in the native file format (.gwy) in double precision. Gwyddion supports many different file types and performs many image-based functions. Among others it can open and save the following graphics

file format A file format is a Computer standard, standard way that information is encoded for storage in a computer file. It specifies how bits are used to encode information in a digital storage medium. File formats may be either proprietary format, pr ...

s: *

Windows bitmap The BMP file format, or bitmap, is a raster graphics image file format used to store bitmap digital images, independently of the display device (such as a graphics adapter), especially on Microsoft Windows and OS/2 operating systems. The BMP fil ...

(.bmp) *

Joint Photographic Experts Group The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) is the joint committee between ISO/ IEC JTC 1/ SC 29 and ITU-T Study Group 16 that created and maintains the JPEG, JPEG 2000, JPEG XR, JPEG XT, JPEG XS, JPEG XL, and related digital image standard ...

(.jpeg, .jpg, or .jpe) *

Portable Network Graphics Portable Network Graphics (PNG, officially pronounced , colloquially pronounced ) is a raster graphics, raster-graphics file graphics file format, format that supports lossless data compression. PNG was developed as an improved, non-patented ...

(.png) *

TARGA Targa or TARGA may refer to: Car racing events *Targa Adelaide, in Australia * Targa Canada West, in British Columbia *Targa Florio, in Sicily, Italy, 1906–1977 * Targa Florio Rally, in Sicily, Italy, from 1978 * Targa High Country, in Victoria ...

(.tga) *

Tagged image file format Tag Image File Format or Tagged Image File Format, commonly known by the abbreviations TIFF or TIF, is an image file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and photographers. TIFF is w ...

(.tiff, .tif) * Portable aNy Map (.pnm)Complete list of currently supported file formats
/ref>

Technical features

Quote from homepage of Gwyddion: 'Gwyddion uses a fairly general physical unit system, there are no principal limitations on the types of physical quantities data (and lateral dimensions) can represent. Units of slopes, areas, volumes, and other derived quantities are correctly calculated. SI unit system is used whenever possible. Tools and other dialogs remember their parameters, not only between tool invocations during one session, but also between sessions. Gwyddion native file format (.gwy) supports saving all data specific settings: false color palette, masks, presentations, selections, associated 3D view parameters, graphs associated with that data and their settings, etc.' Gwyddion is mainly developed on

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

platform using

GNU GNU ( ) is an extensive collection of free software (394 packages ), which can be used as an operating system or can be used in parts with other operating systems. The use of the completed GNU tools led to the family of operating systems popu ...

set of compilers and utilities. Its

graphical user interface A graphical user interface, or GUI, is a form of user interface that allows user (computing), users to human–computer interaction, interact with electronic devices through Graphics, graphical icon (computing), icons and visual indicators such ...

is based on the popular interface toolkit ''

GTK+ GTK (formerly GIMP ToolKit and GTK+) is a free software cross-platform widget toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It is licensed under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License, allowing both free and proprietary s ...

''.

Availability and versions

It is available for Linux platforms and has been ported to other unix flavors that has support the GNU Autotools or its equivalent. The

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

version is slightly incomplete due to limitations of the platform, but supports nearly all major features. The

Mac OS Mac operating systems were developed by Apple Inc. in a succession of two major series. In 1984, Apple debuted the operating system that is now known as the classic Mac OS with its release of the original Macintosh System Software. The system ...

version can be built using

Xcode Xcode is a suite of developer tools for building apps on Apple devices. It includes an integrated development environment (IDE) of the same name for macOS, used to develop software for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. It w ...

, and some pre-built binaries are available. Apple Darwin, or

OpenDarwin Darwin is the core Unix-like operating system of macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS, iPadOS, audioOS, visionOS, and bridgeOS. It previously existed as an independent open-source operating system, first released by Apple Inc. in 2000. It is composed ...

is the only major platform Gwyddion has not been thoroughly tested on. Gwyddion program could also be ported to other branches of the

BSD The Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD), also known as Berkeley Unix or BSD Unix, is a discontinued Unix operating system developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) at the University of California, Berkeley, beginni ...

operating system.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gwyddion (Image Data Analysis Program) GNOME Applications Free science software Science software that uses GTK Science software for Linux