Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG)

MetaVR™ Virtual Reality Scene Generator™ (VRSG)™ is a Microsoft DirectX-based render engine that provides geospecific simulation as an image generator (IG) with game quality graphics.  MetaVR’s IG enables users to visualize geographically expansive and detailed virtual worlds on commercially available PCs. Using Microsoft commercial standards since 1997, VRSG provides real-time, single- or multiple-channel visualization of virtual environments, dynamic moving models, and special effects.

MetaVR VRSG screen capture of an A-10 entity approaching a high-resolution modeled Afghan village on MetaVR's Afghanistan database. The A-10 is one of many military models in MetaVR's 3D content libraries.

VRSG is a component of MetaVR's rapid virtual world terrain creation and visualization technologies. With MetaVR's products, you can build and visualize, at 60Hz frame rates, virtual worlds created with real-world photographic imagery, elevation, and feature data.

You can use VRSG as:

• A dedicated computer image generator, coupled to an external simulation host in single- or multiple-channel mode. As an IG, VRSG supports the features that are typically required for flight training, driving simulations, and many other applications.
• A standalone DIS or HLA stealth visualization tool, providing real-time or after-action analysis of distributed simulation exercises.
• Self-contained first person shooter to simulate individual combatants, JTACs, or forward area controllers.
• Self-contained UAV camera payload operator to render simulated UAV payload video and to stimulate video players such as a ROVER.

MetaVR VRSG screen capture of an MRAP convoy traveling within the high-resolution modeled Afghan village on MetaVR's Afghanistan database. The Husky and Buffalo are among the many military models in MetaVR's 3D content libraries.

VRSG software is Microsoft-based; it uses Windows, DirectX, and is written in C++. As an executable-ready render engine, VRSG supports but does not require programming for use. Configuration files and interface protocols provide users with the ability to control basic components of the render engine. You can use the plugin interface to augment the functionality of the render engine with your own low-level features.

MetaVR VRSG screen capture of Shadow 200 UAV entity flying over MetaVR's Afghanistan database. The image features some wireframe bleedthrough, and shows the high-resolution village inset below the Shadow entity and a haze environmental effect.

VRSG’s core features include:

• Asynchronous texture paging technology for visualizing high-resolution, photo-realistic databases at 60 Hz; can address up to 2 TB of texture in real time.
• Database geometry paging and continuous terrain surfaces with non-linear inter-LOD morphing.
• Dynamic lighting and time-of-day conditions, star fields, horizon glow, and multiple sky models.
• Volumetric clouds, fog, and haze weather conditions.
• Full-featured light points that respond realistically to visibility conditions, and light lobes.
• User-extendable special effects such as fire, missile trails, scene-illuminating flares, particle-based smoke plumes, rotor wash, explosions, and dust trails that respond to wind.
• Conversion utilities to support legacy OpenFlight databases and models.
• Full mission function support to include height above terrain, laser range, line-of-sight (intervisibility), and collision detection.
• Infrared (IR) and Night Vision Goggle (NVG) modes support; physics-based IR support.
• Ability to manage thousands of human character entities and display hundreds in the field-of-view.

VRSG screen capture of a street scenario on MetaVR's Baghdad database using characters, and cultural features from MetaVR's 3D content libraries.

• First Person Simulator™ (FPS) features that support forward area controller (FAC)-type actions in JTAC simulations. Using FPS, you can also record scenarios to play back in VRSG on a network or standalone.
• Support for simulation in the geographic shore line region (littoral) to include the sea floor, water, and coast line.
• Real-time MPEG encoding, transmitted live over UDP or streamed to a file for later playback. UAV KLV metadata (EG 0601.1 or MISB 0104.5) is encoded in the transport stream to visualize sensor payload imagery in real time.
• Support for radar simulations as the F16 DRLMS, SAR, ISAR, displays for UAVs, or similarly equipped platforms.
• MetaVR’s substantial libraries of 3D content.
• Multi-channel synchronization.
• Multiple degree-of-freedom hardware tracker support for controlling the position and/or orientation of the VRSG viewpoint.
• Common Image Generator Interface (CIGI) version 3.2 support.
• Ability to exploit a multiple-CPU computer to support asynchronous paging of both terrain geometry and texture.
• Multiple mechanisms for adding 2D overlays to the 3D display
• Unlimited number of viewports per channel.
• Virtual world sound generation system.

	Real-time VRSG screen capture of the virtual airfield at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in MetaVR's geocentric Metadesic format. The scene contains 42 buildings and 91 planes. Click to swap rendered and wireframe views. Click Zoom to see a high-resolution version.

MetaVR's terrain and texture paging technology enable you to depict ultra-realistic virtual worlds derived from gigabytes of actual aerial imagery and elevation data.

You can run MetaVR VRSG on a variety of computers that use Microsoft Windows operating systems, from a notebook computer, a 2-unit game computer, to a 1-unit desktop computer using a current commercial graphics card and a Windows XP 64-bit system.

Each new VRSG software license is delivered with an external hard drive that contains the following databases in MetaVR's UTM-based (MDX) format: Ft. Campbell, Ft. Benning, Ft. Irwin (NTC), Ft Lewis, Greater Baghdad, and Afghanistan virtual village in Kabul province.

MetaVR provides a 3D terrain-creation product that complements VRSG, Terrain Tools for ESRI ArcGIS, which uses elevation points and imagery as source data in a familiar GIS interface. MetaVR Terrain Tools work hand-in-hand with VRSG to provide rapid terrain creation and high-speed visualization.

You can order the VRSG application directly from MetaVR.