How does Open Inventor compare to OpenGL and OpenGL Performer?
Open Inventor is a toolkit at a higher level than OpenGL. Beginning graphics programmers who would find it difficult to write programs by manipulating down to the graphics primitive level of OpenGL, find they can quickly create 3D graphics applications using the Open Inventor Toolkit. Open Inventor is designed for use in modelling and animation systems by providing a full-featured scene graph with easy X Window system integration and interactive graphics widgets. These qualities allow users to develop applications quickly. OpenGL Performer is a scene-graph based 3D graphics rendering toolkit designed to extract maximum system performance for developers of real-time visual simulations, virtual reality, and other markets, which typically require higher performance and a fixed frame rate. These applications take advantage of transparent multi-processing, scene and load management, multi-pipe capabilities, and a high degree of optimization and realism offered by OpenGL Performer. The toolk
