VuePod runs Ubuntu Linux 13.04 and uses VRUI — an open source C++ toolkit — to render point clouds of geographical LIDAR scans. Photo credit:Mark A. Philbrick, Brigham Young University.
Virtual reality may be best known for its entertainment value, but its practical applications are at least as compelling. With Cave automatic virtual environments (CAVE), for instance, engineers can save time and resources by testing out products and solutions in the lab to see which are best-suited to a particular problem or site in the real world.