Software Tools

Software-based tools for access, assessment, and documentation of immersive media.

The software tools listed here support preservation activities for compiled, executable files or project files. Some are proprietary and require a license or developer account, and some are open source. Not all may be currently supported or compatible with your files or hardware.

Tool	Purpose	Description	Link	Platforms	Open source?
Android Debug Bridge (adb)	Debugging, sideloading	Command line tool for debugging projects and sideloading content to Android-based hardware	https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/adb	Windows, Mac, Linux	Yes
Android Logcat	Debugging	Android Logcat Package is a utility for displaying log messages coming from Android device in Unity Editor	https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.mobile.android-logcat@0.1/manual/index.html	Unity 2019.1 or above	No
apitrace	Debugging	Tools for tracing OpenGL, Direct3D, and other graphics APIs	https://github.com/apitrace/apitrace	Windows	Yes
Ardour	DAW	Opensource Digital Audio workstation ; ambisonic and binaural plugins avalaible	https://ardour.org/	Linux, Mac, Windows	Yes
Blender	3D	Opensource 3D suite and more	https://www.blender.org/	Linux, Mac, Windows	Yes
FRAPS	Video Recording; Monitoring / Metrics	Screen recording and frame rate monitoring tool (DirectX, OpenGL)	https://fraps.com/	Windows XP, 2003, Vista, and Windows 7	Free, not open source
NVIDIA Ansel	360° images	Capture 360° still images	https://developer.nvidia.com/ansel	Unreal Engine 4, Unity 5	Requires account on developer.nvidia.com to access SDK
Intel Graphics Performance Analyzers	Graphics Analysis	Command line and scripting interface to expose capture and playback functionalities	https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/tools/graphics-performance-analyzers/overview.html	Windows, Ubuntu	Free, not open source
iVRY	Hardware Emulator	Use iPhone 6+, Android 4.4+ to view Valve OpenVR/SteamVR content for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift on Windows 7+	https://store.steampowered.com/app/992490/iVRy_Driver_for_SteamVR/	Windows	No
libsurvive	Driver / Library	Open-source tracking library for Valve's Lighthouse and Vive tracking systems	https://github.com/cntools/libsurvive	Windows, Debian	Yes
monado	XR runtime	Runtime for VR and AR on mobile, PC/desktop, and HMDs (OpenXR API)	https://monado.freedesktop.org/	GNU/Linux	Yes
LIV	Video recording	Live capture and streaming of user interactions	https://www.liv.tv/	Windows / SteamVR	No
Microsoft Hololens Emulator	Hardware Emulator	Test Hololens apps on PC, use mouse/keyboard inputs instead of controllers without code adaptation	https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/mixed-reality/develop/advanced-concepts/using-the-hololens-emulator	Windows	Free, not open source
NVIDIA GeForce ShadowPlay	Video recording	Screen capture in real-time 3D applications (not 360°)	https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/geforce-experience/shadowplay/	Windows, NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards	Free, not open source
Oculus 360 Capture SDK	Video Recording	360° video recording in real-time 3D applications	https://developer.oculus.com/blog/announcing-360-capture-sdk/	Unity, Unreal, NVIDIA and AMD GPUs	Free, not open source
vr5kplayer	Video Recording	Create and play a view-dependent version of a 5K x 5K 360 degree stereo video on Oculus mobile VR systems.	https://developer.oculus.com/downloads/package/vr5kplayer	Oculus Go or Samsung S8 (and later) Gear VR systems.	Free, not open source
Oculus Compositor Mirror tool	Monitoring, Documentation	Displays the content that appears within the Rift headset on a computer monitor. It has several display options that are useful for development, troubleshooting, and presentations.	https://developer.oculus.com/documentation/native/pc/dg-compositor-mirror/	Windows, Oculus Rift	Free, not open source
Oculus HMD head motion emulation	Hardware Emulator	Simulate the movement of a user directly in the Unity Editor	https://developer.oculus.com/documentation/unity/unity-hmd-emulation/	Windows, Unity, Quest, Rift	Free, not open source
Open Broadcaster Software	Video Recording	Combine multiple computer sources in custom layout, with switching	https://obsproject.com/	Windows, Mac, Linux	Yes
Open VR Recorder	Tracking/Input Data Recording	Record tracking data from devices with drivers for OpenVR / SteamVR.	https://brekel.com/openvr-recorder/	OpenVR, SteamVR; HTC Vive, Oculus Rift VR systems	Trial 10 seconds recording; $125 license
Open XR Conformance spec	Conformance tool	Command line interface conformance test suite for OpenXR	https://github.com/KhronosGroup/OpenXR-CTS		Yes
OpenComposite	Compatibility Layer	Play SteamVR games without SteamVR	https://gitlab.com/znixian/OpenOVR		Yes
ReVive	Compatibility Layer	Compatibility layer between the Oculus SDK and OpenVR/OpenXR	https://github.com/LibreVR/Revive		Yes
OpenHMD	Reverse engineering	Distortion Maps for headsets	http://www.openhmd.net/		Yes
OVR Metrics Tool	Monitoring / Metrics	Generates performance metrics for applications running on Oculus mobile devices	https://developer.oculus.com/downloads/package/ovr-metrics-tool/	Unreal, Unity, Quest	Free, not open source
Radeon GPU Analyzer	Graphics Analysis	Performance analysis tool for DirectX, Vulkan, SPIR-V, OpenGL, and OpenCL	https://gpuopen.com/rga/	Windows, Linux	Yes
Radeon Software Adrenaline 2020 Edition (ReLive 2019)	Video Recording	Screen capture for AMD Radeon graphics cards	https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/dh2-023	Windows, DirectX, Vulkan	Free, not open source
RenderDoc	Debugging	General purpose graphics debugger	https://renderdoc.org/	Windows	Yes
RenderDoc for Oculus	Debugging	Branch of the RenderDoc project by Oculus for debugging the Oculus Quest	https://developer.oculus.com/downloads/package/renderdoc-oculus/	Unreal, Unity, Quest	Free, not open source
RivaTuner Statistics Server	Monitoring	Framerate monitoring, On-Screen Display and high-performance video capture service	https://www.guru3d.com/files-details/rtss-rivatuner-statistics-server-download.html	Windows	Free, not open source
SideQuest	Sideload utility	Sideload content to Oculus Quest	https://uploadvr.com/sideloading-quest-how-to/	Windows, Mac, Linux, Android	Free, not open source
Sites in VR	Calibration	Mobile calibration tool	http://www.sitesinvr.com/viewer/settings.htm
Spatial Media Metadata Injector	MetaData	360° video metadata injector	https://github.com/google/spatial-media	MacOS, Windows	open source
Steam VR Mirror Mode	Monitoring, Documentation	Enables you to see what the user sees in the HMD for SteamVR content	https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/SharingAndReleasing/XRDevelopment/VR/VRPlatforms/SteamVR/BestPractices/	Unreal, SteamVR Tools	Free, not open source
Surreal Capture	Video Recording	360° video recording in real-time 3D applications	https://www.surrealcapture.com/	Windows	No, paid license ($179.95) or 15-day trial
Unity Recorder Package	Recording	Capture and save data during play mode	https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.recorder@2.0/manual/index.html	Unity Editor	Included in Unity
Unity Stereo 360 Image and Video Capture	Recording	Renders the camera view for each eye; requires additional code and software settings	https://blog.unity.com/technology/stereo-360-image-and-video-capture	Unity 2018.1+	Included in Unity
Unreal nDisplay	Monitoring, Documentation	Renders a scene on multitple synchronized displays	https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/WorkingWithMedia/nDisplay/	Unreal Engine	Included in Unreal
Unreal Panoramic Capture	Video export	Exports 360° still images or frames that can be compiled into video with Adobe AfterEffects	https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/WorkingWithMedia/StereoPanoramicCapture/	Unreal Engine	Plugin for Unreal
Unreal Replay System	Recording	Console tool for recording and playback of game play	https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/TestingAndOptimization/ReplaySystem/	Unreal Engine	Unreal Engine 4 feature
Unreal VR Spectator Screen	Recording	View content from third-person perspective	https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/SharingAndReleasing/XRDevelopment/VR/VRHowTos/VRSpectatorScreen/	HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Steam VR, PlayStation VR (PS VR)	Unreal Engine 4 feature