Unlike the CAVElib™ software, VR Juggler does not have to manage shared memory with other VR Juggler instances. Thus, when writing a VR Juggler application, memory can be created as in a normal, single-threaded C or C++ application.

As a result of the shared memory model described above, VR Juggler has different requirements for context-specific data than the CAVElib™ software. Information such as display lists and texture objects must be managed using context-specific data. A display context is the location to which OpenGL rendering commands draw. Compiled OpenGL commands such as display lists do not get shared across multiple contexts (or windows), and thus, they must be initialized once per display context. In a VR Juggler application, these OpenGL initializations must be placed in vrj::GlApp::contextInit(). It is called once per display context after each context has become active. For a more detailed description of these concepts and a tutorial on how to use them, please refer to the section called “Context-Specific Data”.