Graphics Environment for Multimedia (GEM) is a set of externals (libraries

Library (computer science)

In computer science, a library is a collection of resources used to develop software. These may include pre-written code and subroutines, classes, values or type specifications....

) that provide OpenGL

OpenGL

OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...

 graphics functionality to Pure Data

Pure Data

Pure Data is a visual programming language developed by Miller Puckette in the 1990s for creating interactive computer music and multimedia works. While Puckette is the main author of the program, Pd is an open source project with a large developer base working on new extensions to it. It is...

, a graphical programming language for real-time audio processing. It is free under the GNU General Public License

GNU General Public License

The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....

 (GPL).

Originally written by Mark Danks of Sony Computer Entertainment

Sony Computer Entertainment

Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...

, it is now maintained by IOhannes m. zmölnig of the Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics

Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics

The Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics is a multidisciplinary research center within the Graz University of Music and Dramatic Arts .- Research and Development :...

. It was once (but is no longer) partly supported by a grant from the Intel Research Council for the The Global Visual Music project of Vibeke Sorensen, Miller Puckette

Miller Puckette

Miller Smith Puckette is the associate director of the Center for Research in Computing and the Arts as well as a professor of music at the University of California, San Diego, where he has been since 1994....

 and Rand Steiger

Rand Steiger

Rand Steiger is an American composer, conductor, and pedagogue.Steiger became a faculty member at the California Institute of the Arts in 1982, remaining there until 1987...

.

The externals provide support for many objects, such as polygon graphics

Polygonal modeling

In 3D computer graphics, polygonal modeling is an approach for modeling objects by representing or approximating their surfaces using polygons. Polygonal modeling is well suited to scanline rendering and is therefore the method of choice for real-time computer graphics...

, lighting

Lighting

Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...

, texture mapping

Texture mapping

Texture mapping is a method for adding detail, surface texture , or color to a computer-generated graphic or 3D model. Its application to 3D graphics was pioneered by Dr Edwin Catmull in his Ph.D. thesis of 1974.-Texture mapping:...

, image processing

Image processing

In electrical engineering and computer science, image processing is any form of signal processing for which the input is an image, such as a photograph or video frame; the output of image processing may be either an image or, a set of characteristics or parameters related to the image...

, and camera

Camera

A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...

motion.