NIST ParaView/VTK Software for Immersive Scientific Visualization Support

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate a firm-fixed priced purchase order on a sole source basis with Kitware, Inc. for follow-on contractor support services to improve ParaView software's virtual reality capability in relation to NIST's high performance computing and visualization research and to move ParaView towards the OpenXR standard. The purchase order will be for a 12-month period of performance. The specific technical objectives include adding the open-source Slang Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) shading language, implementing a scenegraph capability within ParaView, and developing support for interfacing ParaView to external tools. * Adding the open-source Slang Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) shading language for the next-generation WebGPU rendering backend in VTK * Implementing a scenegraph capability within ParaView to align with NIST's existing internal frameworks * Developing support for interfacing ParaView to external tools to ensure minimal disruption to diverse research projects spanning nanotechnology, medical, and materials science