openglobe

Openglobe is a cross-platform software library that renders interactive 3D globes and planetary-scale scenes using OpenGL. It targets geospatial visualization, education, and simulation, providing tools to display terrain, imagery, oceans, and atmosphere on a spherical or ellipsoidal world model.

Key features include tile-based terrain streaming, level-of-detail management, textured imagery and bathymetry, realistic water rendering, atmospheric scattering, day-night shading, and support for lighting, shading, and post-processing effects. The system is designed to handle large datasets and streaming data efficiently.

Architecture comprises a core rendering engine, a data pipeline for terrain and imagery providers, a scene graph, a shader system, and input and camera controls. It typically exposes a C++ API with bindings for other languages and can be embedded in desktop applications or standalone viewers.

Development and use: openglobe originated in the open-source geospatial visualization community to provide a flexible, OpenGL-based globe framework. It is maintained by a contributor community, with documentation, samples, and tutorials to support integration, experimentation, and education.