Downloadable Sowftware Websites
A great list of Websites that offer a variety of downloadable content. Some sites offer free downloads. Inclusion on this list does not signify indoresment, It is for your benifit that we created this list.
5th Dimension Technologies
Prouducers of a variety of consumer oriented Virtual Reality products."
Active Worlds
ActiveWorlds, the web's most powerful virtual worlds experience, lets you visit and chat in incredible 3D worlds that are built by other users. The software is free. photo shown above.
DesignWorkshop; DesignWorkshop Lite
Design-Oriented 3D Modeling complete with Live Walkthrough, Presentation Rendering, and lots more!" Lite version is free.
Internet Scene Assembler
Professional web authoring for virtual animated 3D worlds. Free demo available
Smart Code
A Collection of downloadable virtual environment software.
Software Geek
A Collection of downloadable virtual environment software for Macs.
Software Informer
A Collection of downloadable virtual environment software.
Virtual Environment
an innovative company at the forefront of the development and application of powerful software simulation tools and consulting services for architects, engineers and others involved in the design, development and management of truly sustainable buildings.
CAVE Software
The list below contains software and libraries designed specifically for CAVE applications.
CAVELib
CAVEL ib is the original Application Programmer's Interface (API) developed for the CAVE(TM) system created at the Electronic Visualization Lab at University of Illinois Chicago. The software was commercialized in 1996 and further enhanced by VRCO Inc. The CAVELib is a low level VR software package in such that it abstracts away for a developer window and viewport creation, viewer-centered perspective calculations, displaying to multiple graphics channels, multi-processing and multi-threading, cluster synchronization and data sharing, and stereoscopic viewing. Developers create all of the graphics for their environment and the CAVELib makes it display properly. The CAVELib API is platform independent enabling developers to create high-end virtual reality applications on Windows and Linux operating systems (IRIX, Solaris, and HP-UX are no longer supported). CAVELib-based applications are externally configurable at run-time making an application executable independent of the display system.
VRjuggler
VRjuggleris a suite of APIs designed to simplify the VR application development process. VR Juggler allows the programmer to write an application that will work with any VR display device, with any VR input devices, without changing any code or having to recompile the application. Juggler is used in over 100 CAVEs worldwide.
Equalizer
Equalizer is the standard middleware to create and deploy parallel OpenGL-based applications. It enables applications to benefit from multiple graphics cards, processors and computers to scale rendering performance, visual quality and display size. An Equalizer-based application runs unmodified on any visualization system, from a simple workstation to large scale graphics clusters, multi-GPU workstations and Virtual Reality installations.
Syzygy
Syzygy is a freely-distributed grid operating system for PC Cluster Virtual Reality, Tele-Collaboration, and Multimedia Supercomputing, developed by the Integrated Systems Laboratory at the Beckman Institute of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This middleware runs on Mac OS, Linux, Windows, and Irix. C++, OpenGL, and Python applications (as well as other regular computer apps) can run on this and be distributed for VR.
Avango
Avango is a framework for building distributed virtual reality applications. It provides a field/fieldcontainer based application layer similar to VRML. Within this layer a scene graph, based on OpenGL Performer, input sensors, and output actuators are implemented as runtime loadable modules (or plugins). A network layer provides automatic replication/distribution of the application graph using a reliable multi-cast system.
Cave UT
Cave UT is an open source mutator for Unreal Tournament 2004. Developed by PublicVR, CaveUT leverages existing gaming technologies to create a CAVE environment. By using Unreal Tournament's spectator function CaveUT can position virtual viewpoints around the player's "head". Each viewpoint is a separate client that, when projected on a wall, gives the illusion of a 3D environment.
Vrui and 3D Visualizer
Vrui and 3D Visualizer are software packages developed for the cave in the Keck Center for Active Visualization in Earth Sciences and have been publicly released with continuing development. Vrui (Virtual Reality User Interface) handles real-time rendering, head tracking, etc. whereas 3DVisualizer provide volume visualization tools. Lidar and terrain data viewers are also under development as are a number of other projects that use Vrui as the underlying user interface.
inVRs
The inVRs framework provides a clearly structured approach for the design of highly interactive and responsive VEs and NVEs. It is developed following Open Source principles (LGPL) and easy to use with CAVEs and a variety of input devices.