What render engine/framework would you recommend for developing your own rendering components?
My focus is on participating media rendering, like clouds and smoke. I would like to include my rendering modules in a general OpenGL rendering framework which ideally, but not necessarily provides simple terrain, ocean and vegetation rendering. I'm intending to you use it primarily for testing and development and not for developing a commercial product.
What rendering frameworks are there?
Which do provide easy ways to include own rendering modules/plugins?
I came about Houdini and Blender? Any experiences with those?
Thanks in advance!