Overview

Over the course of the last 15 years, CHAI3D has grown to become one of the most popular open-source multi-platform haptics simulation frameworks, and has been used in a large number of research and production projects, in such diverse areas as games, simulators, educational software, interactive art, scientific visualization, and medical applications.

Written in C++, CHAI3D has been designed to make it easier and more intuitive for developers to produce applications that combine 3D modeling with force-feedback rendering capabilities. By supporting different types of force-feedback devices, CHAI3D offers a unique interface to easily design and deploy advanced computer haptic solutions.

Haptics Algorithms

CHAI3D combines an extensive number of force rendering algorithms, including the finger-proxy model, potential fields and implicit based models which allow programmers to easily develop sophisticated simulations with integrated force-feedback capabilities.

Graphics Rendering

The CHAI3D framework also provides the necessary data structures required to create multi-level scene-graphs which carry static, dynamic and articulated bodies. A lightweight OpenGL-based graphics engine provides the foundations for easy rendering of virtual environments using dedicated 3D graphic acceleration hardware. Object meshes, implicit shapes, surface materials and texture properties are all represented in well-organized base classes that can easily be extended by the programmer to incorporate more advanced or application-specific features.