GFtbox

GFtbox is a powerful software tool for Matlab designed to help scientists simulate how plants grow and develop. It’s all about understanding biological growth, particularly in 3D living surfaces like leaves and flowers.

What Does GFtbox Do?

The name GFtbox stands for Growth Factor Toolbox. This software models how leaves, petals, and entire flowers grow by looking at how certain substances called morphogens (or growth factors) are spread out on the surface of a plant. The areas where these substances concentrate help decide where new growth happens. So, if you think about a leaf, the spots with more morphogens will determine where it grows more.

Research Areas

GFtbox is useful for two main research areas: computational biology and algorithms. In computational biology, it helps grow plants based on specific gene expressions, lets researchers view 3D images from microscopes, and analyze different shapes—not just of plants but also of faces!

Diving Into Algorithms

The algorithm side of GFtbox allows users to work with various filters like MSER and connected-set filters. You can even explore things like light and shade in paintings or study topics like reaction-diffusion and morphogenesis.

User-Friendly Features

Once you install GFtbox in Matlab, you can easily access it through a special window. This window lets you create new meshes or edit existing ones using the ‘Mesh Editor’ panel. You can tweak many features such as radius, rings, Z shape, flip orientation, and more!

Create & Load Leaves Easily

If you want to create a new leaf shape, GFtbox gives you options from many predefined shapes! And if you’re bringing an existing leaf into the program? Just hit the ‘Load’ button at the top to find your project on your computer.

Who Can Use GFtbox?

This software is really made for folks who have advanced knowledge in biology and some experience with Matlab. But don’t worry! It comes with comprehensive documentation that will help guide users through everything they need to know to get started.

If you're curious about trying out this awesome tool or want to learn more about it, check out this link.