topola/README.md

# Topola

[Topola](https://topola.dev) is a work-in-progress interactive
topological router in Rust.

The project is funded by the [NLnet Foundation](https://nlnet.nl/) from
the [NGI0 Entrust](https://nlnet.nl/entrust/) fund.

<img src="./assets/nlnet_banner.png" alt="NLnet Foundation banner" width="200"/>
<img src="./assets/ngi0_entrust_banner.svg" alt="NGI0 Entrust banner" width="200"/>

## Chat

Join the official [Matrix
chatroom](https://matrix.to/#/%23topola:tchncs.de) or [IRC
channel](https://webchat.oftc.net/?channels=#topola) to talk with the
developers. Both chatrooms are bridged, so it does not matter which one
you join.

## Installation

To install Topola, follow our [Installation guide](INSTALL.md).

## Contributing

*Anyone* can contribute to Topola, including you. If you want to help us
out, please follow our [Contribution guide](CONTRIBUTING.md).

Our official repository is on
[Codeberg](https://codeberg.org/topola/topola). We also have a mirror
repository on [GitHub](https://github.com/mikwielgus/topola).

## Licence

Topola is licensed under the [MIT licence](LICENSE).

## Gallery

![Animation. There's a rubber band-like trace following cursor,
navigating a very simple maze. The maze and the trace are red, the
background is solid black but also very slightly white and dark
blue.](./assets/interactive_routing.gif)

![Animation showing a trace, behaving like a rubber band, routed around
obstacles step by step. Attempted alternative paths and a guiding mesh
are shown.](./assets/mesh_visualization.gif)

![Animation. There are two upward barriers, with some space between tem,
around which four rubberband traces, one over another, are wrapped.
Enter mouse cursor. The cursor begins to stretch the left barrier to the
right. As it's stretched, the traces cease to be wrapped around the
right barrier, becoming "free". The traces and the barrier are
two-dimensional and all solid red. The background is black but also very
slightly white and blue.](./assets/unwrapping_bends.gif "Unwrapping
bends")

![This animation shows four traces wrapped around a vertical barrier
like rubberbands. Computer cursor appears and starts dragging the
barrier's top end left and right, up and down, elastically stretching
the barrier and having the traces continue being wrapped on the barrier
regardless of its position. The traces and the barrier are all solid
red. The background is black but also very slightly white and
blue.](./assets/dragging_with_bends.gif "Dragging with bends")

![Animation. There is an upward barrier in the middle and dots on the
left and right of it, four each. A trace is drawn from the leftmost dot
on the left to the rightmost dot on the right. Then a trace is drawn
from the second leftmost dot on the left to the second rightmost dot on
the right, displacing the previous trace so that there's space for the
new one. Same happens for the remaining dots. The dots, traces and
barrier are all solid red. The background is black but also very
slightly white and blue.](./assets/shoving_around.gif "Shoving traces
under other traces")

![Animation showing three red-colored traces pass around a barrier.
Trace bends are not aligned to a grid unlike most PCB layouts these days
(this is called "topological routing"). The traces and the barrier are
all solid red. The background is black but also very slightly white and
blue.](./assets/stacked_bends.png "Stacking bends")

![Animation showing a trace zigzagging around two barriers. The trace
and the barriers are all solid red. The background is black but also
very slightly white and blue.](./assets/zigzag.png "Zigzag")