Aerial Refueling Simulation

MetaVR's Virtual Reality Scene Generator™ (VRSG™) contains features designed specifically for high-fidelity aerial refueling training.  The 3D military vehicle model library delivered with VRSG contains a set of models that include geometric detail sufficient to support the aerial refueling mission.

Real-time MetaVR VRSG screen capture of a simulated KC-135R aircraft refueling an F-15C over virtual Burlington, Vermont.

The primary requirement of an image generator used in boom operator training is to provide accurate and high quality representation of shadows cast by potentially several light sources. VRSG version 5.5 can support up to four concurrent, independent, occulted, and shadowed light sources. Potential concurrent light sources include the sun or moon, tanker tail-mounted flood light, receiver aircraft flood light, slipway lights, and receptacle lights.

	Real-time MetaVR VRSG screen capture of a simulated KC-135R aircraft refueling an F-15C over virtual Burlington, Vermont. Notice the sun shadow and the self-shadowing of the receiver aircraft.

For each active light source, VRSG generates ultra high-resolution shadow maps to support shadows projected by tanker and receiver aircraft geometry. Thus, self-shadowing of the receiver aircraft is supported.

Real-time MetaVR VRSG screen capture of a simulated KC-135R aircraft refueling an F-15C over virtual Burlington, Vermont featuring self-shadowing of the receiver aircraft.

VRSG supports multi-sampling of the shadow maps in the pixel shader, resulting in softened and anti-aliased shadow boundaries.  During day operations when local light sources are not utilized, VRSG allocates more computing resources to the production of the sun shadow, as the sun shadow is of higher contrast and requires more anti-aliasing to achieve a quality result.  During night operations, VRSG can reallocate these resources among multiple lower-contrast shadow casting light sources.

	Real-time MetaVR VRSG screen capture of a simulated KC-135R aircraft refueling an F-15C over virtual Burlington, Vermont during night operations. The scene features the shadows cast by the KC-135R's tail-mounted flood light illuminating the F-15C, and moonlight.

VRSG also supports pilot hand-signals and other human animations. These animations can be modeled as articulated parts or with VRSG's BVH-based skinned-mesh character rendering engine.

 
Real-time VRSG screen capture of a simulated KC-135R aircraft refueling an F-15C over virtual Burlington, Vermont.