In this exercise, you visualize the C++ Shapes project to view the class hierarchy.
The C++ shapes project contains a set of classes that represents 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes. The shape class is the base class from which every other class inherits. The shape2d class and the shape3d class inherit from the base shape class to represent 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes. Accordingly, each shape inherits from either the 2-dimensional shape class or the 3-dimensional shape class.
You can use the C++ visualizer to view the hierarchy of your application before you extend it. You can better understand the structure of the application by viewing the relationships between the classes. You can also use the visualizer to quickly extend your applications by using the class diagram modeling interface.
Before you begin, you must import the Shapes project. You can import the shapes project from the Samples Gallery, or click See a related sample on the Overview page.
To compile the project, you must have a compatible C++ compiler installed. For more information about C++ compilers, see the online help.
You can visualize the shape and circle classes to better view and understand the project hierarchy.
The diagram represents the hierarchy of the Shapes project. The diagram shows the visualized classes, their operations, and the inheritance and usage relationships that exist between classes. This diagram illustrates the 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional class hierarchies and their relationship to the base shape class.
In the next exercise, you use this diagram to visually extend the Shapes project.
To continue, proceed to Exercise 2: Extending the circle and sphere classes.