Open source technology has been revolutionizing the way software is developed, distributed and maintained over the past few decades. It is a collaborative approach towards software development that has brought much innovation and advancements in various fields, including the virtual reality industry.
Till now, open source tech has led to the creation of robust and scalable VR platforms, accessible to developers and users alike. Making major contributions to its development, it widens the pool of immersive experiences.
As a virtual reality platform, we are looking for ways to maximize the benefits of these trends. That’s why we are creating opportunities for talented developers to contribute to our source code and become a part of the OWNverse creator community. Join us and read further to learn more about our open source or how you will be able to participate.
Open Source for the Web3 Community
The open source approach to software development is based on the idea that collaboration and transparency can lead to higher quality software — that is more secure, reliable and adaptable to changing needs. By allowing a large group of developers to contribute to a project, open source software benefits from a diversity of perspectives and expertise, which leads to a higher quality platform ecosystem.
Besides the technological benefits to the product, open source contributorship as a cooperative practice plays a major role in the social ecosystem of Web3. Collaboration and sharing practices are its salient qualities.
Our platform as a Web3 collaborative space dwells on community building and interactive clusters of users and creators. Open source development is a key component that collectively creates new solutions that benefit our virtual world and its success.
System Architecture for Open Source
System architecture is a critical component of any software project, and open source software is no exception. In fact, its unique collaborative nature makes it even more important, as it needs to meet certain criteria to enable the dynamic variability of the system.
A well-designed system architecture makes it easier for developers to collaborate on the project, and provides a clear structure for how different components of the software work together. These are some of the key requirements for the system to be able to carry out multi-source contributions:
Modularity — The architecture should be modular, meaning that it should be composed of independent components that can be added, removed or replaced without affecting the overall system. It makes the system flexible.
Scalability — It should be able to handle large amounts of data and traffic without decreasing performance or stability. This is especially important for platform systems such as OWNverse that are intended to be used by a large number of users.
Interoperability — It should be able to communicate and interact with other systems and technologies. It enables bridging as well as reuse of existing resources.
Security — It should be designed with security in mind, it should have built-in mechanisms to protect against unauthorized access, data breaches and other forms of cyber threats.
Extensibility — The architecture should be able to be extended with new features and functionalities without requiring significant changes to the existing system. This allows developers to add new capabilities to the system whenever it is needed.
Maintainability — The system should be easy to update, modify and debug.
The OWNverse Specifications
The OWNverse platform is developed using open web technologies with minimal third-party dependencies, which ensures long-term stability and viability of the platform system. Currently, the main dependencies are on ThreeJS and AmmoJS — two powerful tools for web developers to create high-quality 3D graphics and interactive simulations.
As a robust JavaScript library, ThreeJS is designed specifically for working with the WebGL standard for rendering high-quality 3D content in modern browsers. It gives access to an extensive set of features such as camera management, materials handling, lighting controls, animation options, interactivity elements such as mouse picking or touch events detection — all arranged in an intuitive API structure. AmmoJS as an essential software development kit (SDK) provides reliable physics simulation capabilities within web applications. It allows realistic motion-driven scenes with realistic physics-based movement and interaction of objects.
The backend employs Linux OS, which is a popular and particularly well-suited for open source. For development of the multiplayer, we selected C++ for its complex and large-scale application that requires high interactive performance. For other services, we use NodeJS — an open-source, event-driven solution for scalable server-side applications based on JavaScript.
Altogether, our development team uses JavaScript with its TypeScript extension, C++ and Python for different purposes and frameworks — from developing apps that run directly in the web browser to maintenance of the operating system.
Make a Contribution
Since our goal is to create a livable virtual ecosystem and a thriving wide-spread community, we made our platform partially open source or open use. Giving out the development specifications, we would like to invite interested developers to collaborate on creation of our immersive medium. One area where programmers could make a significant contribution is in creating templates for the backend.
By designing reusable code modules that can handle common tasks related to VR production and distribution, they would create solutions for various use cases — from social media app integrations to creative space builder. Communities can also create their own templates for OWNspaces and publish them on the platform.
Expected to be used and expanded by our community, we will be making the Virtual Space Constructor kernel and the library for the Multiplayer integrations available on GitHub:
To learn more about the Virtual Space Constructor, visit our White Paper:
For more about the Multiplayer, visit:
Why Contribute?
Open source technology has several advantages over proprietary software. We can count on greater flexibility, lower costs and greater security, since the software can be inspected and audited by anyone to ensure that it is free from vulnerabilities or backdoors. The further benefits for the contributors include:
Personal and professional growth — For developers, contributing to open source projects can help expand their skill set, build their portfolio and gain valuable experience working on complex and innovative projects. It provides opportunities for networking and collaboration with other developers, and oftentimes leads to new career opportunities and professional growth — at OWNverse or elsewhere!
Unique innovative field — By working together to improve our platform, you can help create more powerful and flexible VR technology, and make it accessible to a wider range of users. This can lead to new applications and use cases for VR technology overall, as well as new opportunities for businesses and organizations to leverage VR technology for training, education and entertainment. Working with VR is still a unique opportunity for many developers that would like to expand their horizons. For many enthusiasts who are new to VR, this can be a rewarding experience that may extend their passions.
Joining a strong community — Contributing to open source platforms can help to advance the state of VR technology as a whole — developers work together to create more advanced and sophisticated VR technology that pushes the boundaries of what is possible. This can lead to new breakthroughs in performance and interactivity, as well as new applications and use cases for VR technology. It drives innovation and progress in the industry, creating new opportunities and experiences for users around the world.
Final Thoughts
As Web3 grows, it becomes apparent that open source technology holds a significant role in driving innovation forward. Particularly in our case, where collaboration and sharing play a crucial part in expanding our knowledge base, open source practices provide an invaluable resource for developers and enthusiasts alike.
By utilizing the access to repositories of data-driven optimization techniques to create VR experiences, we can handle large-scale projects with ease while maintaining quality control standards.
At the same time, the community aspect brought by open source technology serves as an unparalleled platform for exchange between creators regarding emerging trends and mutual problem solving — and ultimately cultivating a culture that fuels growth through exploration and experimentation.
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