Applying Code Analysis and 3D Design Pattern Grouping to Facilitate Program Comprehension

The increasing size and complexity of software systems introduces new challenges in comprehending the overall structure of programs. Modeling languages and notations were introduced to provide abstractions from existing source code during forward engineering. However, these same modeling techniques and notations fail during source code reverse engineering due to: (1) Information overload; and (2) the existence of a conceptual gap between the abstractions derived during forward and reverse engineered. Our tool uses a 3D representation for UML in combination with source code analysis to facilitate the comprehension process. We also address issues of crosscutting, navigation, and the use of animation to visualize design patterns