This paper presents a novel environment for the visual design and prototyping of computer vision systems. The proposed environment consists of a modular architecture, where each module instance performs a pre-specified task. This is well suited for the implementation of computer vision systems, which are typically highly modular. A graphical user interface allows for the visualization and comparison of intermediate results, as well as for the design of complex systems by interconnecting modules. Categories and Subject Descriptors I.4 [Image Processing and Computer Vision]: Miscellaneous General Terms Algorithms, Design Keywords computer vision, real-time imaging systems, visual prototyping