DIVERSE: A Framework for Building Extensible and Reconfigurable Device-Independent Virtual Environments and Distributed Asynchronous Simulations

Files
Main article (1.7 MB)
Downloads: 1056
TR Number
Date
2003-02-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MIT Press
Abstract

We present DIVERSE, a highly modular collection of complimentary software packages designed to facilitate the creation of device-independent virtual environments and distributed asynchronous simulations. DIVERSE is free/open source software, containing both end-user programs and C++ application programming interfaces (APIs). DPF is the DIVERSE graphics interface to OpenGL Performer. A program using the DPF API can run without modification on platforms ranging from fully immersive systems such as CAVEs to generic desktop workstations. The DIVERSE toolkit (DTK) contains all the nongraphical components of DIVERSE, such as networking utilities, hardware device access, and navigational techniques. It introduces a software implementation of networks of replicated noncoherent shared memory. It also introduces a method that seamlessly extends hardware drivers into interprocess and Internet hardware services. We will describe the design of DIVERSE and present a specific example of how it is being used to aid researchers.

Description
Keywords
Accelerating scientific discovery, Visualization, Computation
Citation
Kelso, John; Satterfield, Steven G.; Arsenault, Lance E.; Ketchan, Peter M.; Kriz, Ronald D. "DIVERSE: A Framework for Building Extensible and Reconfigurable Device-Independent Virtual Environments and Distributed Asynchronous Simulations," Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, February 2003, Vol. 12, No. 1, Pages 19-36 doi:10.1162/105474603763835314