Written by / Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

MT2 2010 Volume: 15 Issue: 2 (April)

 

The industry component of the Fort Leavenworth-based BCTP team is led by Northrop Grumman Technical Services.

The BCTP’s primary audience consists of leaders from the service’s brigade combat teams, divisions and other echelons, and joint task forces. “The current focus is mission rehearsal exercises, because most of the units we are dealing with—at the division and corps levels—are rotating in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan,” Mike Kain, director, BCTP, Northrop Grumman, told MT2.

Annually the BCTP team conducts up to 10 exercises at the corps-division level and another 10 at the brigade level, with the potential to support six Army service component command level events. As the BCTP expands its reach to active component units, the brigade level exercises will increase to 20 brigades each year. To allow the units to train as they will operate, Iraqi and Afghan role players participate in these exercises along with non-governmental actors and other participants.

The BCTP uses a blend of technologies to support the exercises. At the center of the program’s technology suite are the service’s legacy constructive simulations (Corps Battle Simulation and others), supplemented by other enablers.

Changes are occurring throughout the BCTP portfolio. The program’s training focus is evolving to include full-spectrum operations—allowing participating units to refresh their skill sets in combined arms operations as well as other missions supported on the contemporary battlefield. Kain pointed out the BCTP trainers are examining how to develop exercises which permit training audiences to “get into the offense-defense fights while we still simultaneously have to deal with the support groups—the non-government agencies and others.”

The program is also moving to use WARSIM. “WARSIM will provide more fidelity with regard to how you do full spectrum operations,” Kain said, adding, “Because it’s a newer simulation, it’s a very advanced simulation that has great potential.” Once WARSIM is in place, “it will allow us to put units through exercises that will stress what they will experience when they get in country or those types of operations,” predicted Kain.

Leah Smith: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

New Business Unit at Presagis

Presagis announced the formation of a business unit focused solely on bringing embedded graphics solutions to market. Following the company’s recent acquisition of Seaweed Systems, this dedicated group will tap into Presagis’ experience in delivering highly optimized, standards-based COTS graphics drivers and human-machine-interface (HMI) software for the embedded market. “End-users will benefit by having one supplier as the point of integrated development and support for both graphics drivers and HMI software tools, ultimately reducing project risk and improving project timelines,” read a statement provided to MT2.

Tracey Ades: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

GL Studio Update

DiSTI released its GL Studio Version 4.1 upgrade. The enhancement will increase the user’s ability to create high fidelity HMI content, and will also reduce the entire production timeline, read a company statement provided to MT2.

GL Studio 4.0, Version 4.1 is expected to dramatically increase the fidelity and image quality while still vastly decreasing the necessary time needed to develop any project. Each added feature to GL Studio 4.1 was specifically designed and implemented to ensure that every user saves time and money while ensuring a top of the line product.

“GL Studio 4.1 has several new labor saving capabilities, such as the automatic generation of Interface Control Documents and a seamless Photoshop file importer,” Rachelle Dunneback, company spokesperson, told MT2.

GL Studio users now have the ability to seamlessly integrate animated schematic diagrams with speed and direction properties into a GL Studio project with the all new Animated Schematics Plug-In. In addition, tracking and analyzing attribute definitions is now available with GL Studio 4.1, due to the User Defined Attribute Dictionary. Finally, creating design interface documents that cohesively combine this dictionary can be completed through the new Document Generator.

Scott Ariotti: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Integrating Real-Time Weapons Effects into a Game Engine or Simulation Tool

Applied Research Associates’ (ARA) Realtime Physics Effects Library (RPEL) is reported to provide fundamental capabilities that a game engine or simulation tool needs to integrate real-time high-fidelity weapons effects.

ARA notes that soon RPEL will be able to further support Army training and mission rehearsal by modeling human casualties from IEDs and detailed damage to terrain surface and terrain features.

The system works by processing incoming events, such as an IED detonation near a vehicle, and modeling the fragment flyout from the IED and the effects of the fragments on the vehicle skin and internal components. RPEL modifies the vehicle geometry and texture, cutting holes in the vehicle skin and adding burn textures to indicate damage from the fragments. A game engine can make direct calls into the programming interface and render the effects produced by RPEL.

“RDECOM STTC is currently funding RPEL as a research effort,” Jeff Lyons, ARA spokesperson, told MT2. He added, “Under this effort, we have proved out the ability to do high fidelity weapons effects calculations for IEDs and other indirect fires attacking vehicles, people, and damaging terrain. We have done the same for buildings, but this capability is a little less mature.” ARA currently has a proven methodology and a mature product, at least by research standards. “Our next step in maturing will happen early this year. We are starting an effort working with the Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity to verify and validate a number of our effects. The end goal is to prove out our effects in general, but specifically our target use case is higher fidelity effects for OneSAF,” concluded Lyons.

Jeff Lyons: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Stryker BDAR Training Delivered

Within 90 Days of Contract The Army’s Training and Doctrine Command completed a 90-day rapid deployment project to support Stryker Battle Damage Assessment and Repair Tasks (BDAR).

Following Army Training Support Center awarding a contract to Camber, the Stryker BDAR courseware was developed by C2 Technologies, using Ngrain interactive 3-D objects, Macromedia Flash content and other rich media. The courseware has been deployed by Collabworx over a secure Army network and is being used by soldiers in the U.S. and others in mobile training classrooms in Iraq, with instructors located at U.S. Army posts.

Troy Welch: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

New Projector With Remote Light Source Concept Introduced

Projectiondesign has unveiled its FR12 Remote Light Source projector.

The patent pending FR12 Remote Light Source (RLS) concept relocates the lamps from the projector to a rack-mount enclosure up to 30m (98 ft) away from the projector head. Light from the 19-inch rack-mounted RLS illuminates the projector head via an innovative liquid light guide. The company reports the result “is a compact, ruggedized, virtually maintenance-free projector head with completely silent operation. There are no limits on installation orientation and lamp maintenance is entirely simplified.”

The FR12 RLS projector is targeted for 24/7 operation and applications where fan noise and heat management are issues, as well as in any location where projector access is restricted.

Anders Løkke, international marketing and communications manager at projectiondesign, pointed out the FR12 Remote Light Source projector is perfect for military and training simulators for a variety of reasons. “Locating the lamps in a remote equipment rack dramatically simplifies asset management and virtually ensures that no one ever has to touch the projector head at the point of projection. To illustrate, when used in a multi-channel simulator there is no mechanical adjustment needed when a lamp is changed.”

This effectively reduces any maintenance down time to take just a few minutes from what traditionally takes hours or days, he said, and added, “In an environment such as simulation where every minute counts and costs money, this is obviously a critical issue. “The absence of heat and noise from the FR12 projection head also contributes to an improved training environment,” said Løkke.

Neil Wittering: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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