MetaVR News Volume II, Issue 1 July 16, 1998 MetaVR can help you uncover the meaning of your virtual worlds[tm]. In This Issue: 4.A -- MetaVR At SIGGRAPH 98 4.B -- MetaVR At IMAGE 98 4.C -- SimNet On A PC 4.D -- MetaVR And MultiGen Team Up 4.E -- VRSG Down Under 4.F -- VRSG With Network Radio 4.G -- Customer Applications 4.H -- Hardware Upgrade Path 4.I -- MetaVR Evaluation Systems 4.J -- Latest Versions Of MetaVR Products 4.K -- An Awkward Attempt At Humility... **************************** 4.A -- MetaVR At SIGGRAPH 98 We are grateful to InterSense for hosting MetaVR and other Viz-Sim providers in their booth (#1317) at the 25th International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques Sponsored by ACM SIGGRAPH. We will be displaying MetaVR’s Virtual Reality SceneGenerator (VRSG[tm]) with the ImmerSim option, which integrates the Virtual Research Systems V8 Binoculars and InterSense IS-300 inertial tracker. This year’s exhibitions will be open to the public July 21-23 at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida, USA. **************************** 4.B -- MetaVR at IMAGE 98 MetaVR will have a number of products on display that use the core VRSG technology at the IMAGE Society conference August 2-7, 1998, Scottsdale, AZ, USA. During the Networked Simulation track, Brian Holmes of STRICOM will present the paper, "Migrating From Proprietary Networked Image Generators to Windows-Based PCs". His case study describes the migration from a BBN GT-111 image generator to a MetaVR PC-based ChannelSurfer system. See the related story in this issue (4.C). MetaVR provided the March 1998 image of the month on the IMAGE Society Web site. The image simultaneously displays a 2D ModSAF and VRSG 3D view on a single monitor. **************************** 4.C -- SimNet On A PC The Night Vision Labs (NVE) at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey recently acquired a complete ChannelSurfer system along with the STRICOM PC-based reconfigurable rotary wing aircraft (RWA) simulator. Both the simulation application and source code were delivered to facilitate their research efforts into advanced situational awareness displays (SAD). The STRICOM reconfigurable RWA supports simulation of the UH-60, AH-64, CH-47, and AH-1 helicopters via user editable configuration files, **************************** 4.D -- MetaVR And MultiGen Team Up A number of joint efforts have culminated in enhanced interoperability of MultiGen and MetaVR products: MetaVR is now a reseller for the Northeast region of the US for MultiGen Creator NT software. Quick Immersion now supports OpenFlight as an output format. A free plug-in for Creator NT is also available that provides the ability to save databases directly to the MetaVR MDB run-time format and can be downloaded from our Web site. A free, command line conversion utility can also be downloaded to convert OpenFlight databases to MDB format. **************************** 4.E -- VRSG Down Under The Australian Defence Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) is using the MetaVR Quick Immersion, VRSG, and MultiGen tools to provide rapid terrain creation and visualization. The DSTO creates correlated 2D ModSAF and 3D VRSG terrain databases using NIMA DTED and satellite imagery. MetaVR provided modifications to ModSAF to allow for simulation in the Southern Hemisphere to support the DSTO’s desire to perform simulation exercises on their native soil. The ModSAF modifications have been published on the ModSAF reflector for the benefit of the entire simulation community. MetaVR was pleased with its first Australian report card. Said Scott Robertson of the DSTO Land Operations Division, "Your VRSG terrain is fantastic--full marks to you all." **************************** 4.F -- VRSG With Network Radio VRSG with the Communications (VRSGCom[tm]) option now supports network based radio traffic using the DIS protocols. The user is able to encode digitized voice as either MuLAW at 8 KHz, or CVSD at 16 KHz for talking to other simulations on the network. Users can also subscribe to multiple frequencies for receiving voice transmissions while attached to entities and listen to crew radio communications. **************************** 4.G -- Customer Applications Here are some examples of how a few of our customers are using MetaVR systems: The C-130 H model program recently acquired five VRSGs, Quick Immersion, and Creator NT. The VRSGs provide the out-the-window views and sensor modes for the C-130 H trainer. Imagery and NIMA DTED are used to create geographically large terrain databases for fire control training. Creator NT is used to build the dynamic models used for targeting. Ft. Leavenworth is using six VRSG’s and Quick Immersion for the Army Experiment 5 experiments. The VRSG application is used to provide the video feed from a ModSAF simulated UAV. The PC-based VRSG processes approximately 3,700 unique entities while on the simulation network using a 400 x 500-km terrain database. US Army CECOM has obtained both a VRSG and Quick Immersion on a complete system. They intend to use it for data fusion processes and intelligence data dissemination in support of R&D work in the modeling and simulation arena at the I2W Directorate at Ft. Monmouth. Night Vision Labs uses three of their five channels ChannelSurfer to provide the commander’s view, commander’s independent thermal view, and gunner’s views for their MAK Technologies[tm] Dial-a-Sim[tm] M1 reconfigurable simulator. The Manned Flight Simulator (MFS) lab uses VRSG and Quick Immersion as an analysis tool for mission planning. The lab staff drapes CIB imagery over NIMA DTED and is able to view the resulting terrain database at 60 Hertz with a 30 km far clipping plane using the new MetaVR MDX format that supports terrain level of detail switching. The MDX format is expected to be a part of the normal VRSG release starting with version 3.0 in the fall of this year. Amherst Systems in Huntsville, Alabama, recently upgraded the TSMO XMVIS experimental ground vehicle simulator from an eight channel GT-111 image generator to an eight channel MetaVR ChannelSurfer. The ChannelSurfer provides the out-the-window views through S-Video to facilitate reuse of the existing simulator hardware. The simulation host was ported from the GT-111 in a previous effort and now runs on a DEC Alpha. The Reality By Design[tm] (RBD[tm]) SoundStorm 3D[tm] sound system was replaced with a VRSG visual channel equipped with a SoundBeast option. **************************** 4.H -- Hardware Upgrade Path MetaVR’s goal is to support our customer base with a hardware migration path that exploits the innovation occurring in the PC world. Our new program for updating previously purchased MetaVR complete systems gives the user the option to either upgrade selective components or replace the entire system at list price for the hardware. **************************** 4.I -- MetaVR Evaluation Systems MetaVR provides fully configured evaluation systems for the potential customer who may be wary of our sometimes over enthusiastic (but, well-meaning) claims. We encourage members of the community to compare our products with any system of their choosing. Our customers tell us that the most compelling evaluations are when they provide us with a MultiGen OpenFlight database and we convert it prior to delivery of a complete system. They can then perform a side-by-side comparison of competing systems with little financial risk. MetaVR qualifies these evaluations in an effort to support serious inquiries. We encourage you to perform comparisons with your existing Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) hardware -- even SGI Infinite Reality[tm] systems. We think you will be pleasantly surprised. To date, 100% of our pre-qualified complete system evaluations have resulted in the customer purchasing the system. **************************** 4.J -- Latest Versions Of MetaVR Products Version 2.4 of VRSG and Quick Immersion will be shipping August 15. Please feel free to download our latest Users Guide to review the entire MetaVR product line. **************************** 4.K -- An Awkward Attempt At Humility... ... from the brash crew at MetaVR: On the occasion of our one-and-a-half-year anniversary, we at MetaVR feel truly blessed. In January of 1997, when we embarked on this daunting adventure, we had five goals in mind: (1) to do work we felt passionately about; (2) to make a meaningful contribution to the simulation community by promoting a culture of performance-based competition; (3) to not lose our shirts; (4) to be able to bring the dog to work; and (5) to learn as much as we could from whatever mistakes we made. We are humbled and overwhelmed by the opportunity that we have been given to realize this dream. Whatever the future may hold, we are indebted to the visual simulation community for opening the door and giving us this chance of a lifetime. **************************** InterSense and the IS-300 are trademarks of InterSense, Inc. MultiGen, Creator NT, and OpenFlight are trademarks of MultiGen, Inc. MAK Technologies and Dial-a-Sim are trademarks of MAK Technologies, Inc. Reality By Design, RBD, and SoundStorm 3D are trademarks of Reality By Design. Silicon Graphics and Infinite Reality are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc. **************************** Previous issues of MetaVR News can be found at . This electronic newsletter may be redistributed without restriction in any format as long as the contents are unaltered. Copyright 1998, MetaVR, Inc. Please let us know if you do not want to receive future mailings by sending email to no_news@metavr.com. Requests for subscription to MetaVR News can be sent to news_request@metavr.com. 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