A Middleware for Integrating Components of Modern Distributed Virtual Reality Systems

Distributed virtual reality systems (DVR systems) represent one of the most intensively developing branches of distributed simulation technology to date. Examples of such systems include various human-in-the-loop applications for training, educational and entertainment purposes. Modern DVR systems require sophisticated data exchange mechanisms to provide consistent and at the same time responsive interaction of a large number of heterogeneous components. While many DVR systems have been implemented in the past decade, there is still exists a lack of universal, easily deployable and extensible framework that enables rapid creation of complete systems from scratch. In this work we present the TerraNet framework which is a middleware allowing an application developer to easily implement and deploy medium-sized DVR systems for specific tasks without direct low-level network programming. TerraNet framework provides a high-level application programming interface to create, manage and distribute objects in a shared virtual environment. In paper we discuss overall framework system architecture, its basic features and functionality, as well as possible practical applications.