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+~~NOTOC~~
+====== Preface ======
+Dear user of GroIMP,
+this is the user manual of GroIMP, the Growth-grammar-related
+Interactive Modelling Platform. GroIMP is OSI certified open source software
+and available at the web page [[http://www.grogra.de/|www.grogra.de]]. Currently, the GroIMP
+software is in a BETA :-o state, which means that malfunctions may occur, though
+the software has been tested in-depth. The latest news can be found at the web
+page.
+==  ==
+GroIMP arose out of academic research in the field of
+plant modelling, mainly carried out by the [[http://www-gs.informatik.tu-cottbus.de/|Chair for Practical Computer Science / Graphics Systems]] at the Brandenburg University of Technology
+Cottbus (Germany) and the [[http://fbi.forst.uni-goettingen.de/|Plant Modelling Group]] at the
+Institute of Forest Biometry and Informatics at the University of Göttingen
+(Germany). In the frame of this research, techniques of rule-based plant-modelling were
+developed and refined, and quickly it became clear that these rather abstract
+techniques had to be accompanied by a smart, interactive and user-friendly
+software platform with an up-to-date graphical user interface. The result of
+the effort of bringing together elaborated rule-based modelling and
+user-friendly, interactive software is GroIMP and its various plug-ins, the latter
+extending GroIMP with additional functionality.
+In the current version, GroIMP supports 3D modelling with OpenGL-based
+rendering, including various forms of NURBS
+surfaces, rule-based modelling using Lindenmayer systems and rule-based
+modelling using Relational Growth Grammars (RGG) expressed in the programming
+language XL. It also contains a 2D interface for
+visualization and modification of network-like structures.
+As GroIMP is open source software, you are invited to contribute to it. Have a look at the web page to get the latest news and source
+code!
+In its current state, this user manual is by far not
+complete. It explains some basics of how to work with GroIMP's user interface,
+more detailed documentation will be published later.
+We wish you
+much fun and success with GroIMP.
+The GroIMP development
+team