Software
Software and libraries designed specifically for CAVE applications are available. There are several techniques for rendering the scene. There are 3 popular scene graphs in use today: OpenSG, OpenSceneGraph, and OpenGL Performer. OpenSG and OpenSceneGraph are open source; while OpenGL Performer is free, its source code is not included.
CAVELib 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 that it abstracts 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.
VR Juggler is 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.
CoVE is a suite of APIs designed to enable the creation of reusable VR applications. CoVE provides programmers with an API to develop multi-user, multi-tasking, collaborative, cluster-ready applications with rich 2D interfaces using an immersive window manager and windowing API to provide windows, menus, buttons, and other common widgets within the VR system. CoVE also supports running X11 applications within the VR environment.
Equalizer (software) is an open source rendering framework and resource management system for multipipe applications, ranging from single pipe workstations to VR installations. Equalizer provides an API to write parallel, scalable visualization applications which are configured at run-time by a resource server.
Syzygy (software) 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 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. Applications in Avango are written in Scheme and run in the scripting layer. The scripting layer provides complete access to fieldcontainers and their fields; this way distributed collaborative scenarios as well as render-distributed applications (or even both at the same time) are supported. Avango was originally developed at the VR group at GMD, now Virtual Environments Group at Fraunhofer IAIS and was open-sourced in 2004. An in-depth description can be found in here.
CaveUT 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.
Quest3D A real-time 3D engine and development platform, suitable for CAVE implementations.
Vrui (Virtual Reality User Interface) is a development toolkit that handles real-time rendering, head tracking, etc. in multi-display environments such as the CAVE. 3DVisualizer, LidarViewer, and several other software packages were developed using Vrui to provide visualization tools for specific data types. These tools have been publicly released with continuing development by the Keck Center for Active Visualization in Earth Sciences. Oliver Kreylos maintains Vrui documentation and source code on his website.
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) easy to use with CAVEs and a variety of input devices.
VR4MAX is a package for real-time 3D rendering and development of interactive 3D models and simulators based on Autodesk 3ds Max content. VR4MAX Extreme supports multi-projection for CAVE implementations and provides extensive tracking support.
Cave5D is an adaptation of Vis5D to the CAVE. It enables users to interactively explore animated 3D output from weather models and similar data sets.
EON Icube is a hardware & software package developed by Eon Reality that uses PC-based technology to create a multi-sided immersive environment in which participants may be completely surrounded by virtual imagery and 3D sound. The Icube software supports edge blending and the capability to create full quad buffer stereo images in 3D.
libGlass is a general purpose distributed computing library, but has been used extensively in distributed computer graphic applications. There are many applications running at the five-sided CAVE. For example: astronomic application,arcade-like flight simulator and OpenGL demos.
TechViz XL is a commercial software package that makes any existing 3D OpenGL application (like CATIA, Pro/E, Unigraphics...) work directly in a CAVE, without any source code modification. Working like an OpenGL driver, it takes the commands of the existing application, streams them on a PC cluster, and changes the camera so that the viewpoint is dependent on the tracking system.
VirtualSight is a visualization software developed by Lumiscaphe which can be configured into a CAVE.
Read more about this topic: Cave Automatic Virtual Environment