MetaVR News Volume IV, Issue 2 November 27, 2000 http://www.metavr.com/ MetaVR provides personal computer based products for high-speed 3D visualization and rapid creation of high fidelity networked virtual worlds for simulation, training, and location-based entertainment. In This Issue: 8.A -- i2STAR Wins Best Exhibit Award at IAAPA Using MetaVR Visual System 8.B -- See MetaVR at I/ITSEC 2000 8.C -- Digital Realms Purchases 72 Visual Channels for National Guard 8.D -- MetaVR Recent System Sales 8.E -- MetaVR Delivers Full CCTT Primary II Database Running On A PC ***************************************************************** 8.A i2STAR Wins Best Exhibit Award at IAAPA Using MetaVR Visual System The i2STAR booth at this year's International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) in Atlanta, Georgia received first place for Best Exhibit. The i2STAR location based entertainment (LBE) ride features a MetaVR multi-channel, visual system with hardware synchronization. The theme park capable ride consists of an Apache Longbow like helicopter simulator and cockpit on a full motion platform. To create a fully immersive experience, the six MetaVR visual channels are projected on a 180x180 degree, edge-blended, distortion-corrected dome display from SEOS. The ride scenario is of a rescue effort centered on Alcatraz and the San Francisco Bay area. The MetaVR system provides video-like image quality but with the interactivity of a real-time visual simulation in order to support the theme park and LBE markets. The visual database consists of nearly three gigabytes of geospecific imagery with 25-centimeter resolution imagery at the highest level of detail. The San Francisco virtual world visual is currently on display at this years I/ITSEC tradeshow in Orlando, Florida (see 8.B). http://www.metavr.com/IAAPA/IAAPA.html http://www.metavr.com/LBE/i2STAR.html http://www.i2star.com/ http://www.seos.co.uk/ http://www.iaapa.org/ ***************************************************************** 8.B See MetaVR at I/ITSEC 2000 MetaVR PC-based multi-channel image generation and virtual world creation technology is on display in our booth (#1230) at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando, FL which opens today and runs through Thursday (November 27-30). MetaVR will be featuring a new terrain database developed for STRICOM of the National Training Center (NTC) area. This virtual world terrain database was developed using DTED Level-2 elevation data and has user defined levels of detail for both terrain geometry and geo-specific textures. This 60x60-kilometer terrain database is comprised of 3GB of 2-meter geo-specific imagery and includes geo-specific cultural features. The cut-and-fill road network geometry inserted into the terrain skin precisely follows the road networks visible in the aerial imagery. Road and runway textures were user selected to represent the appropriate surfaces. This database is featured on the IMAGE society web pages as the image of the month for August 2000. Here is a sample of how our customers are using and displaying MetaVR technology at this years I/ITSEC tradeshow: * SAIC is using multiple MetaVR visual systems running the full Primary-2 terrain database to provide visualization of their CCTT SAF Workstation entities (see 8.E). * Digital Realms has on display a full crew based tank simulator and a stand-alone SimNet driver simulator in the MetaVR booth. Both simulators use the Digital Realms BattleStorm reconfigurable simulation model and MetaVR multi-channel visual systems (see 8.C). * RAYDON is displaying a single 2U high MetaVR Commercial Ruggedized Rackmount visual system that provides four sub-pixel full-scene anti-aliasing using the retail 3dfx Voodoo5 5500 (US $300) graphics card. * i2STAR is displaying their high-resolution San Francisco virtual world in the MetaVR booth on a three-channel visual system, which is suitable for low and high-speed aircraft simulations (see 8.A). The MetaVR Ruggedized Rackmount systems that are used to render the San Francisco virtual world are using the new NVIDIA GeForce2 Ultra US $500 3D graphics card. * United Defense is displaying a MetaVR multi channel visual system to provide the views from the vision blocks for their simulated Crusader ground vehicle. http://www.public.asu.edu/~image/IMG/Img0008.html http://www.metavr.com/ntc/Evolution_of_NTC.html http://www.metavr.com/worldperfect.html http://www.metavr.com/worldperfect_uncovered.html http://www.iitsec.org/ http://www.metavr.com/CCTT_P2.html http://www.metavr.com/DR_NG2000_sale.html http://www.raydon.com/ http://www.metavr.com/commercial_ruggedized_rack_mount_vrsg.html http://www.metavr.com/IAAPA/IAAPA.html http://www.metavr.com/LBE/i2STAR.html http://www.metavr.com/ruggedized_rack_mount_vrsg.html http://www.metavr.com/nvidia.com ***************************************************************** 8.C Digital Realms Purchases 72 Visual Channels for National Guard Digital Realms Incorporated recently acquired 72 PC-based visual channels running MetaVR's VRSG software and 14 MetaVR Simulation Host systems as part of their delivery for the National Guard 2000 (NG2000) program. The recently delivered MetaVR visual systems provide four sub-pixel full-scene anti-aliasing (FSAA) using low-cost commercial 3D graphics technology. The goal of the NG2000 program is to re-host 14 National Guard simulators used to train M1 and M2 crews, with a generic software platform and COTS PC hardware. This is being accomplished by replacing the simulation host software with Digital Realms' BattleStorm simulation system and replacing the image generation software with MetaVR's VRSG software. The legacy visual systems hardware, including several SGI Onyx RE2 systems were replaced with MetaVR's Commercial Ruggedized Rackmount systems in a 2U high rackmount chassis using the US $300 3dfx Voodoo5 5500 COTS video card. The MetaVR VRSG visual channels run at a resolution of 1024x768 and a sustained frame rate in excess of 30Hz with FSAA enabled; a significant improvement over the original system specifications of 640x480 at 15Hz. These systems support textures up to 2048x2048-pixels. The COTS PC based solution also eliminates all recurring annual fees and provides an inexpensive upgrade path, as new commercial components become available. These re-hosted and fully operational systems are currently on display at this years I/ITSEC tradeshow in Orlando, Florida (see 8.B). http://www.metavr.com/DR_NG2000_sale.html http://www.digital-realms.com/ ***************************************************************** 8.D MetaVR Recent System Sales Recent MetaVR sales include more than 60 PC-based visual systems and more than 90 software licenses into the military and commercial visual simulation market: * The Slovak Republic has acquired eight desktop and two laptop MetaVR visual systems for two of their simulation labs * Raytheon has purchased eight VRSG licenses for the TUAV program with HRSS plug-in licenses for their UAV visualization requirements * Redstone JTCSIL has purchased a further five units of the MetaVR Ruggedized Rackmount VRSG MUSE systems for use with their MUSE program to provide UAV visualization * Army Signal Command at Ft Huachuca has purchased five MetaVR Ruggedized Rackmount VRSG MUSE systems to provide UAV visualization * DSCI purchased an 11 channel MetaVR ChannelSurfer visual and simulation host system for a location based entertainment application * The National Simulation Center has purchased six MetaVR Ruggedized Rackmount VRSG MUSE systems to provide UAV visualization * NCW has purchased 11 VRSG with SoundBeast and HLA-Link licenses for their desktop simulation environment along with WorldPerfect and the Moving Map Toolkit * SRC has purchased two MetaVR Ruggedized Rackmount VRSG MUSE systems for use at the Fort Lewis Battle Sim Center performing UAV visualization as part of the Digital Battle Staff Trainer (DBST) fielding * Joint War Fighters Center (JWFC) - US Joint Forces Command Simulation Center has purchased three VRSG with HRSS plug-in licenses for their UAV visualization requirements * Motorola has purchased three MetaVR Ruggedized Rackmount VRSG MUSE systems to provide UAV visualization for their CSTAR program * The Australian Defence Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) have purchased two VRSG licenses with the ChannelSurfer viewpoint protocol support and a Moving Map Toolkit for multi- function displays for their simulation lab * US Army Europe 7th Army Training Command purchased WorldPerfect and VRSG on a MetaVR efficiency system to augment their existing simulation capability and has developed GIS support through external applications that write out data in the MetaVR cultural feature file format * III Corps has purchased a copy of WorldPerfect for rapid terrain creation to augment their MetaVR Ruggedized MUSE systems * MITRE purchased WorldPerfect and VRSG with HLA-Link on a MetaVR Efficiency system for creating and visualizing 3D MetaVR databases correlated with ModSAF CTDB's * Fort Knox Mounted Maneuver Battlespace Lab (MMBL) has purchased two MetaVR Economy Systems, a VRSG license, and a three channel ChannelSurfer configuration that can function as desktop stealth systems, or out-the-window views for vehicle simulators * IITRI has purchased four MetaVR Ruggedized Rackmount VRSG systems for their train simulation customers * US ARMY STRICOM has ordered six desktop simulation hosts and six MetaVR Ruggedized Rackmount VRSG systems for use with the STRICOM RWA and the MUSE UAV system http://www.metavr.com/ ***************************************************************** 8.E MetaVR Delivers Full CCTT Primary II Database Running On A PC SAIC recently took delivery of two MetaVR Ruggedized Rackmount VRSGs with the full Close Combat Tactical Trainer (CCTT) Primary II (P2) SEDRIS transmittal converted to the MetaVR MDX run-time format. These systems are prototypes for the CCTT SAF after- action review (AAR) workstation. The triangle-for-triangle conversion of the 27 Gigabyte SEDRIS transmittal yields a 154 x 107 kilometer, 800Mb MetaVR MDX database. These PC-based visual systems provide four sub-pixel full screen anti-aliasing at 30- 60Hz frame rates and 1024x768 pixel resolution using the commercial 3dfx Voodoo5 5500 (US $300) graphics card. http://www.metavr.com/CCTT_P2.html ***************************************************************** Previous issues of MetaVR News can be reviewed at: http://www.metavr.com/news_archive.html To request a subscription to MetaVR News, please send email to: mailto:news_request@metavr.com If you do not want to receive future mailings, please send email to: mailto:no_news@metavr.com. This electronic newsletter may be redistributed without restriction in any format as long as the contents are unaltered. Copyright 2000, MetaVR, Inc.