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Legacy 3D mesh formats used in Modeling and Simulation (M&S) are either proprietary or lack
the capabilities required for modern M&S requirements. On the other hand, modern 3D mesh formats used for content creation and visualization in AR/VR and WebGL technologies lack the ability to store much of the information that is necessary for virtual, constructive, and live simulation. Consensus standards such as 3D tiles and glTF for 3D and Geospatial data could enable vendor and technology neutral use cases for the entire M&S lifecycle. By working within the consensus-based standards process, the development of M&S extensions to existing 3D data standards such as glTF will enable greater alignment of M&S systems with modern 3D visualization systems, gaming platforms, AR/VR systems, and content creation tools. Read the full paper here. Cognitics, partnering with CAE, Leidos, The US Army AGC, and the Joint Staff J7 has contributed to an Open Geospatial Consortium discussion paper . As one of the initiators for the CDB/GeoPackage Interoperability Experiment, we will work with the CDB standards working group to investigate and define a possible enhancement or extension to the CDB, leveraging GeoPackage as a replacement for the use of ShapeFiles within the CDB.
You can read more about the interoperability experiment here. Please join us at the 2018 Interservice/ Industry Training, Simulation and Education (I/ITSEC) Conference in Orlando Florida. We will be presenting a tutorial on the data standards and the role they play in the Modeling and Simulation ecosystem. Our tutorial will cover the organizations that develop and maintain the standards as well as the process that these standards follow, from the initial introduction through the approval and maintenance phases. This tutorial is free to all I/ITSEC attendees including those with exhibit only and exhibitor badges. This tutorial will be held at 08:30 on 26 Nov 2018.
Proceedings of the Interservice/ Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference 2017
Read the full paper here OpenFlight™ (a trademark of Presagis, Inc.), the de-facto standard for 3D models and terrain for simulation and training, has been in common use for decades. Despite revisions and expansion over the years, the format remains largely unchanged. The OpenFlight format does not lend itself to storage of abstract feature data and relationships between 3D visual objects and related abstract objects. A typical OpenFlight terrain database or 3D model built for one Image Generator (IG) may lack collision volumes or trafficability rules needed by another system. The OpenFlight database cannot preserve the relationship of polygons to the source features they were built from. Modern SAFs and specific gaming systems all require conceptually different data models, meaning many output files and formats are required to support a confederate of training and simulation platforms. Meanwhile, the Open Geospatial Consortium has adopted the GeoPackage format for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data. GeoPackage provides a data model and consistency across applications. GeoPackage is built on SQLite, an open source, self-contained, cross-platform embedded database engine. As such, GeoPackage is ideal for expansion in support of the simulation industry. By storing abstract features with relationships to their specific counterparts, a single GeoPackage file could be used to exchange correlated data for simulation systems as well as mission command and GIS applications. A single feature stored in a GeoPackage file can have a relationship to a 3D model used in a legacy image generator and also a model designed for use in a gaming system or SAF. This paper reports on SE Core’s investigation into expanding on the GeoPackage standard for use in simulation and training. We present a demonstration where a single database with visual and abstract objects can provide all the intermediate data necessary to create database products for use in production. Authors: Kevin Bentley, Ronald Moore, Mark Johnson Proceedings of the Interservice/ Industry Training, Simulation and Education (I/ITSEC) Conference 2013
Read the full paper here As the overall fidelity and performance of simulation systems increases, there is a need for improved representation of transportation features. Roads, bridges, tunnels, and other drivable features need to be accurate representations of the real world and interoperable across a confederate of training systems. Improvements in the fidelity of these features in the past have primarily been focused on increased texture resolution and integration of hand modeled features. However, as the capabilities and expectations of ground based training systems increases, there is a need for major upgrades to the representation of transportation features. This paper details the research and implementation efforts to greatly improve the appearance and functionality of transportation features on simulation systems. Authors: Kevin Bentley, Jim Pivonka, Mark Johnson |