Scientific visualization, medical imaging, flight simulation, flow modelling, animation, gaming and visual effects are areas in which high performance 2D and 3D graphics applications are in high demand. Standard graphics APIs like OpenGL® are ideal for complex graphics rendering, but offer little support for programming the user interfaces to serve these diverse markets.

In this paper, we will discuss the common challenges faced by developers of visualization software, and present techniques for easily integrating advanced 2D and 3D graphics into native, high-performance applications. Using the Qt® application framework, we will demonstrate how these techniques speed visualization development, and enable deployment across multiple operating systems from a single codebase.