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Overview
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HOOPS Communicator is designed from the ground up to be more than just a generic web-based graphics engine. Through its tight integration with HOOPS Exchange and the :doc:`PRC </prog_guide/viewing/data_model/stream_cache/sc-and-prc>` format, HOOPS Communicator supports most of the more advanced concepts found in engineering data and makes it easy to integrate your own business logic with the potentially complex structure of a CAD model.

In the Data Model section of the Programming Guide we will discuss:

* The types of metadata and product structure information that can be accessed via the HOOPS Web Viewer component
* The underlying streaming-optimized data format and structures
* How to aggregate models
* Several other topics that go beyond pure visualization

For topics related specifically to MCAD and BIM, please see the Programming Guide Chapters below:

* :doc:`HOOPS for MCAD </prog_guide/mcad/overview>`
* :doc:`HOOPS for BIM </prog_guide/bim/overview>`
	
