Welcome to KirbyCalculator.net! Below are links to a cross-platform alpha version of the "Kirby Calculator" software currently under development by Frank Swenton of Middlebury College. If you use Kirby diagrams in your research or teaching and are interested in having some input on the direction of the project, please send me an e-mail at fswenton@middlebury.edu!
Basic information:
- The software is currently available both for Windows and Mac OS X, which share all functionality and use compatible files. Many thanks to Nokia for their Qt development environment, which has made this possible!
- The homepage for the most recent "alpha" version has links for downloading the Windows and Mac OS X versions of the software, along with notes on the program's features and interface. [The old page for the more clunky pre-alpha Windows-only version is available here.]
The three YouTube videos below demonstrate some of the features available in the current alpha version of the software (best viewed in HD at full-screen size!):
- Video 1 (version 0.3a): basic interface and manipulations, plus the new features of strand-focus and meta-Reidemeister moves.
- Video 2 (version 0.3a): more basic features, including blowup/blowdown and handle-slides.
- Video 3 (version 0.5a): new features in versions 0.4 (improved circle-packing) and 0.5 (proper treatment of 1-handles).
- Video 4 (version 0.55a): knots (including Seifert, polynomial, and hyperbolic invariants) and export of printable PDF figures.