The Scientific Visualization Toolkit is a framework to develop applications with a focus on the visual representation and interactive exploration of scientific datasets. It provides a complete C++ class library with which one can conviently develop 3D applications that run on Virtual Reality environments as well as on standard workstations and PCs.

SVT is portable and runs on most Unix platforms (e.g. SGI/Irix or Linux) and also on common Windows PCs.

The class library is used for several in-house developments, but also for the public available program SenSitus. SenSitus is an interactive fitting program for biomolecular structures.

SVT is a hierarchical system of libraries. Underlying components like svt_system provide basic services like the encapsulation of all operating system dependent tasks. The most important part is the svt_core module which implements a scenegraph architecture and renders it on virtual reality systems as well as on standard one-monitor computers.

In the core set of components only fundamental visualization techniques are implemented. More specialized features like e.g. the rendering of biomolecules are outsourced to separate components like svt_pdb. By this way we are able to keep the svt-kernel small and maintainable and can garantee that the applications only link to modules they actually use.

We also developed special modules which build bridges to other existing visualization libraries like VTK. This enables the application programmer to combine visualization methods provided by different sources. Nevertheless, the SVT core component is free of any link to additional libraries - by this way we keep SVT portable and lean.

SVT relies on OpenGL for the output of 3D graphics. OpenGL is portable (supported on all major operating systems like most of the Unix derivates, Windows or Apple Mac) and the defacto standard for scientific computer graphic applications.

The library is not intended to be a public open-source project as we don't have the manpower to provide end-user support. Although, if you are interested to use SVT for your own project, don't hesitate to contact us. We collaborate with several institutions worldwide and provide SVT for free (academic use only).