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Software engineering tools today are still characterised by a low degree of integration and a restricted visualisation. In practice, different tools are necessary to support all of the steps of the development process. Different notations are necessary to model the different aspects of the software system. As a rule, visualisations on the algorithmic level cannot support the imperative programming style common in practice or are restricted to special application domains. These restrictions do not apply to the FracTool® Modeler. Its features listed below enable a truely innovative approach to process modeling and programming.

Equivalence to C++ and Java.
FracTool® is a general-purpose modeler and supports the imperative programming style. Target languages for code generation are e.g C++, Java, JVM Bytecode or the hardware description language VHDL. Existing C++ and Java libraries as well as GUI interfaces can be easily integrated.

Complete Visualisation.
FracTool® visualisation integrates operations, operands, traverses and access on complex operands as well as flow-control and parallelism. Using the same fractal geometry the visualisation continues up to the architectural level. This enables integration and high-resolution display of an entire software system in form of a single compact graph.

Pragmatic Programming.
The visualisation used concentrates on the application-oriented aspects of the program and hides platform-oriented aspects as e.g. details of parameter passing. Semantic aspects are widely transferred to the level of automatic code generation and configuration. This implies that the qualification of the FracTool® programmer is no longer dominated by computer-specific knowledge.

Continuous Development Process.
The different phases of the development process essentially correspond to different stages of completeness of the system under development so that the process amounts to a step-wise completion without leaving notation. This enables a smooth transition from specification to implementation. Particularly, the early phases of the development process are well supported.

Database Integration.
The object database of the FracTool® Modeler stores the visual program code as well as the program documentation and the automatically generated documentation of the development process, thereby offering a consistent basis for the entire development process.

Fractal Program Structure.
Fractal views permit focussing on a module while showing all of its visual environment essential for its working and understanding. The logarithmic information reduction effect of a fractal view together with the features of abstraction and coarsening enables a clear representation of a visual program even on standard-sized screens.

Optimised Chip Area.
The area of a FracTool® program can be reduced algorithmically to a minimum. Minimal area implies increased compactness of the program and at the same time increased clearness. The possibility of optimising FracTool® programs - inconceivable for textual programs - supports a true engineering approach to software development.