Data Interface Software for Windows PC-compatible Virtual Reality Scene Graphs

In this article we review commonly used data translation software for Windows PC-based virtual reality (VR) scene graphs. The goal is efficient data input and output from various VR software. VR using Windows OS is considered because it is growing, and is likely to become significant in the years to come. Also many of Windows solutions currently operate on LINUX or UNIX, so it represents interoperability to some extent. This article does not deal with the user tracking software in VR, it however deals with software capabilities for the scene graph content creation from a rendering, navigation and animation standpoint. Among others, in particular we review Pro/Engineer-VR software interface, because such an interface is highly representative of the challenges and difficulties involved. Data conversion represents a significant challenge, e.g. according to a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) study, imperfect interoperability is costing the US automotive supply chain at least one billion dollars per year [1].