A hardware-independent virtual reality development system

Simulating virtual reality (VR) hardware allows programs to be written in a desktop environment without constant use of limited VR resources. Rather than shifting constantly between VR and workstation environments, developers at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) wanted to be able to test VR applications on the normal workstation console. We therefore created a software simulator for VR development. It simulates various VR system features with an interface that runs on an ordinary workstation. The simulator is implemented as part of the CAVE library, the programming library originally written to support the CAVE hardware. It can, however, be used to develop applications for several VR systems, including ImmersaDesks and head-coupled displays. The library itself has been designed so that use of the simulator or any supported hardware is entirely transparent to application code.