Extending the behavior of OpenSim primarily involves adding code to the simulator itself through in-world scripts written in LSL. To enable a broader set of languages and applications, we built Dispatcher, a language-independent API for external scripting of OpenSim regions. Using Dispatcher, scripts can be written in any language that provides a JSON messaging interface; the package comes with libraries for Perl and Python. The Dispatcher API supports scene update operations, asset manipulation, inventory and avatar appearance changes, and handling of in-world events.

Here are some examples of the Dispatcher in action:

• Penrose Tile Generation -- This is a Perl script that places tiles in a portion of a region using a Penrose tiling pattern. The script can be found here

• Mobdat Traffic Simulation -- Mobdat is a social traffic simulation that uses OpenSim for visualizing the movement of traffic. The Dispatcher handles real-time updates for thousands of simulated cars.

See the document, Dispatcher Overview, for more information.