ValveSoftware/openvr
Openvr
OpenVR is a software development kit and runtime that provides a unified API for accessing virtual reality hardware from multiple manufacturers. It abstracts vendor-specific headsets, controllers, and tracking systems into a common interface, enabling applications to work across different VR devices without requiring hardware-specific code. The SDK handles core VR operations including stereoscopic frame submission to a compositor, headset and controller tracking, and input binding that maps abstract application actions to physical device controls.
The runtime is built around a modular driver plugin architecture that loads hardware drivers as separate DLLs, allowing third-party devices to integrate without modifying the core system. It includes a compositor-based rendering pipeline that applies distortion correction and lens-matched display, an overlay rendering system for drawing persistent 2D images at arbitrary 3D positions, and a skeletal input pipeline for delivering hand and body animation data. The SDK also provides room-scale boundary definition and visualization through a chaperone mesh, and supports custom input binding configurations that let users create and share action-to-device mappings.
OpenVR integrates with the Steam platform to launch VR applications, manage sessions through a dashboard overlay, and customize virtual home environments with community content. It exposes interfaces for monitoring VR system status and adjusting visual, audio, and input settings. The SDK includes a Driver API for building and registering custom hardware drivers, with support for device input control exposure, server-side device provider implementation, and skeletal animation data provision.