MetaVR Extends Virtual NTC

MetaVR has developed an enhanced version of the industry standard virtual National Training Center (NTC) terrain for use on PC-based visual systems. The terrain database is used for maneuver training and, with the addition of the Tiefort City Mobile Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) buildings, to train infantry for urban operations.

	Scenario on the Bicycle Lake area of MetaVR's NTC database, rendered in Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) at 60 Hz. The scene features site-specific building models, and character and vehicle models from MetaVR's 3D content libraries. This scene is from a MetaVR demo scenario.

The National Training Center (NTC) at Ft. Irwin, CA, is one of the most frequently modeled terrain databases for simulation. The facility is used heavily by the U.S. armed ground forces for live fire and manuever training; approximately 42,000 soldiers are trained at NTC each year. More recently, training includes combined arms operations in mock urban areas. Virtual-world representations of NTC are used in simulators that enable soldiers to train in the virtual NTC when they are not engaged in live training. After receiving training in the virtual NTC, soldiers go on rotation to train at the actual NTC facility.

An article describing MetaVR PC-visuals and the company's NTC database in use at the Ft. Irwin Live and Simulation Integration system was featured in the December 2, 2002 issue of DefenseNews. The article describes the technology used at NTC in virtual training to replicate warfighting rehearsal; it includes a description of the role VRSG plays in the Digital Battlestaff Sustainment Trainer.

	Another view of MetaVR's NTC database, rendered in Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) at 60 Hz. The buildings and runway of the Bicycle Lake area are visible in the background. Click the image to swap rendered and wireframe views.

MetaVR’s NTC database was constructed (in MetaVR’s MDX format) from .5 meter resolution natural color aerial imagery, and 25-meter elevation posts. Cultural features that match the imagery were manually and automatically added to the terrain with MetaVR's WorldPerfect terrain-generation product.

The NTC photo-realistic terrain database is actively being used, and the visual and SAF terrain databases have demonstrated to be well correlated.

	Images from a scenario running on the Bicycle Lake area of MetaVR's NTC database.

Specifications

Specifications for MetaVR's NTC terrain database, in MDX format, constructed with WorldPerfect:

	Image/view statistics (for the images above):
		Far horizon FoV Polygon count Display Color depth Frame rate Graphics card		= 50 km = 60 degrees horizontal = 40,490 triangles = 2560 x 1600 pixel res. with 4 subpixel AA = 32-bit = 60 fps = ATI Radeon x1900 Pro 512 MB DDR memory
	Terrain database statistics:
		Database size Size on disk Imagery build time Geometry build time		= 60 x 60 km = 13 GB = 8 hrs 38 mins = 41 mins
		Extents:
			N35 38' W116 57' W116 18' N35 6'
		Terrain LoDs Texture LoDs Terrain post spacing Source imagery		= 4 = 7 = 16 mpp = 58 GB
		Elevation coverage: 25 meter per post
		Imagery coverage: 0.25 mpp color Bicycle Lake (3.5 x 3.5 km) 0.35 mpp color satellite Tiefort City (375 x 375 m) 0.5 mpp color aerial (60 x 60 km) 1 mpp color (30 x 30 km) 15.0 mpp color-fused satellite whole database (60 x 60 km)
		Cultural features:
		772 geotypical buildings 89 photospecific/photorealistic buildings (Tiefort City) 865 geotypical volumetric trees and bushes 11,075 road segments 110 fence segments 200 telephone poles and wires 133 cones and generators 115 barriers, portable toilets, surveillance cameras, and gas tanks (Tiefort City) In addition, the database has hundreds of light points and runway lights.

Tiefort City urban training site

One area of detail on MetaVR’s NTC database is the virtual Tiefort City. This site is one of nine mock urban training villages at NTC. Located near the Tiefort Mountain in the Mojave Desert, the village is the largest urban training ground at NTC for preparing troops for combat in a desert setting.

	MetaVR's virtual Tiefort City urban village at the National Training Center. The scene below features site-specific mobile MOUT models and vehicle models from MetaVR's 3D content libraries. Click the image to swap rendered and wireframe views.

The Tiefort City site is made up of a large cluster of low-rise prefabricated plywood structures. These structures, which look like shipping containers with windows, are reconfigurable mobile MOUT training shelters and containers. Modular, transportable and stackable, they can be used for various types of building site configurations; for example the structures can be stacked and attached to create multi-story buildings. At the site soldiers undergo training scenarios such as setting up ambushes, house-to-house searches for insurgents, responding to snipers, and identifying car bombs and improvised explosive devices. Tiefort City provides a realistic urban training ground; it is the last stop for many U.S. soldiers before deployment to Iraq. MetaVR’s virtual-world representation of Tiefort City can be used in simulators so that soldiers can continue with training scenario activities when they are not engaged in live training.

MetaVR’s virtual Tiefort City MOUT site contains several high-resolution site-specific models. The mobile MOUT structure models were custom created for this virtual MOUT site; these models were based on perspectiveless digital photographs of actual mobile MOUT structures at Tiefort City built by Anteon. The models were created in Blender, an open source 3D modeling application. The model designers made use of MetaVR’s new plugin to Blender, which exports models in MetaVR’s HPX format. The virtual mobile MOUT structures have articulated doors that can be set in various states. The virtual site also has models of other cultural elements such as barriers, gas tanks, power generators, portable toilets, surveillance cameras; these models too were modeled from on-location photographs. All models are in MetaVR’s HPX format.

The comparison images below show a photograph of an actual mobile MOUT unit on the left and the MetaVR model on the right.

Click here to view real-time recordings of scenarios rendered in VRSG featuring this database and others. The media clips were made with VRSG's new real-time MPEG encoding feature.

This MetaVR NTC terrain database is available free of charge to all US Government agencies and contractors (for official use only) and requires VRSG version 5.0 or higher.