3-D Simulations Taking Off In Military Training
MORE COMPANIES ARE TURNING TO THE TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE PRODUCTS FOR THE MILITARY TRAINING.
Three dimensional (3-D) simulations technology is doing more these days than spicing up major motion pictures or adding excitement to your favorite video game. It’s also becoming more prevalent as a training tool with the military. Companies are incorporating 3-D simulations technology into their training product offerings as a means to provide the military with a more realistic visual training environment for troops as well as a teaching tool to improve training. The use of simulations as a training tool will continue to become more prevalent in the military in the future, according to Charles E. Hughes, professor and associate director, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Central Florida and director, Media Convergence Laboratory, at UCF. “In comparison to fi eld training, simulations have the advantage of being less expensive, less hazardous, non-destructive of the environment, more easily controlled and more amenable to collection of data,” Hughes told MT2. “Controlled here means that, while we can introduce events that are unexpected by the user, we can control the occurrence of undesirable events like commercial aircraft going overhead when the scenario is not to involve any aerial distractions. Controlled also means it is possible to deliver the same experience to multiple participants without the variability encountered in the real world.” The use of 3-D simulations technology for military training should also increase as the military will seek higher fi delity in simulations to overcome problems and issues in training that it previously had no answers for, said Ross Q. Smith, co-founder and president of Quantum3D Inc. “The whole purpose of having 3-D simulations is to provide a level of realism that makes the person who is being trained forget about the fact that they are in front of a computer and think about whatever their mission is, whether it is driving, gunner, fl ight simulations or whatever it happens to be,” Smith said. “And that is the whole point, to provide a realistic environment.”
Future of 3-D Simulations in Training
There are several thoughts on the future of 3-D simulations when it comes to military training. Hughes said he believes the future of simulations in general when it comes to military training “is in the contextually meaningful, multi-sensory capabilities of reality.” “One of the greatest challenges is getting the real and virtual objects to interact visually in such a way that they are perceived as being in the same physical space,” Hughes said. “This means that virtual objects must hide and be hidden by real objects. Moreover, each must cast shadows on the other.” Batstone said NGRAIN expects to see 3D simulations used across training and documentation. He also said he expects to see real-time diagnostics, fault isolation and troubleshooting along with simulations embedded into equipment in the fi eld. Smith said he expects two trends in the future for use of 3-D simulations for military training. The first is the use of more simulations but in a more cost-effective way. The other is the use of higher fidelity 3-D simulations for tackling problems that previously couldn’t be addressed.
Military Training Tools
There are three reasons why 3-D simulations are becoming more prevalent as a tool in military training, said Gabe Batstone, vice president of marketing, business development and customer support for NGRAIN Corporation. “First, the demographics have evolved signifi cantly—the people being trained and who will perform maintenance in the future grew up with video games,” Batstone told MT2. “As a result, they learn through interaction fi rst and reading second. Secondly, there is more pressure on budgets, and money isn’t as readily available to purchase equipment for live training as it was in the past. However, 3-D simulation provides virtual hands-on training at a fraction of the cost. He last reason has to do with operational tempo. For rapid fi elding, new equipment has to get to the fi eld immediately, thus training must occur in theater. In a nutshell, you must teach at the teachable moment, which is how 3-D simulations can hugely benefi t training programs.” David Bartlett, director of marketing and business development for the national security division at Forterra Systems Inc., said 3-D technology “greatly enhances the visual environment.” “Using virtual worlds expands the training environment to do things that gets us ready to do the real live training,” Bartlett said. “There are things that I can do with a simulator that I can’t do in the real world. And so the virtual environment allows you to do those things that you can’t do in training and enhances what you can do.”
3-D Simulations
Three dimensional simulations refer to simulations that attempt to maintain or recreate moving images of the third dimension, the illusion of depth as seen by the viewer. In military training, these simulations are mostly computer-generated graphics that utilize a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering images. These visual enhancements can be used for several things in military training tools, such as painting a more vivid picture of a visual battlefi eld to determining how a building should be searched from looking at a 3-D rendering. Hughes said 3-D simulations are “more contextually relevant than 2-D simulations.” “This means that natural cues are a part of the environment,” Hughes said. “For instance, in 3-D settings, we can properly associate the location of sound with visual events. In contrast, a 2-D simulation can result in negative training where users learn incorrect sensory associations.”
Companies Off ering 3-D Simulation Products
There are several companies off ering 3-D simulation products for military training. They include:
3DSOLVE
3Dsolve creates collaborative simulation learning solutions for government, military and corporate applications. 3Dsolve has delivered solutions to the U.S. Army Signal School, the U.S. Army Engineer School, the U.S. Army TRADOC Futures Center, the U.S. Army Communications and Electronics Life Cycle Management Command (CE-LCMC), the U.S. Navy Submarine School and other military organizations. The company is also a member of the America’s Army development team. Products include OV3D, a collaboration tool for loading architecture data from existing databases, and DPM-3D.
ADVANCED TRAINING SYSTEMS INC.
ATS is a specialty manufacturer that designs, fabricates and installs full-scale live-fi re infantry shooting ranges, tactical target systems, 3-D full-scale vehicle and tank simulators, and live-fi re fi xed and mobile MOUT training facilities for the U.S. military. The company also provides standalone fi xed MOUT live-fi re shoothouses, mobile MOUTS with reconfi gurable ballistic walls, realistic foreign urbanscapes and livefi re combat villages for combined arms “sweeps” and troop “surges.”
ALION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Alion is an employee owned research and development company providing technology services to the Department of Defense, civilian government and commercial customers. Building on 70 years of experience, Alion training transformation and M&S solutions include JFCOM (J9) experimentation, visual simulation systems, distance learning, event simulation modeling and tools for fi rst responders. The company operates the DoD’s Modeling and Simulation Information Analysis Center (MSIAC), a clearinghouse for M&S research and support.
AUTODESK
Autodesk Government, a dedicated organization with Autodesk, delivers software solutions that integrate geospatial, manufacturing, design and engineering data with other critical information to reduce the time it takes to make informed decisions. Autodesk’s IMOUT (intelligent military operations in urban terrain) is a revolutionary approach to urban training that leverages pre-existing structural, property and geographical data to create a simulation environment that enables users to have inside outside- under visual capabilities.
BIONATICS
Bionatics is the first company in the real-time training simulation industry to deliver breakthrough technologies to reduce landscape database production costs and provide more realism. The company develops software tools providing major cost savings in the production and setting of real-time 3- D landscapes, as well as great improvement in generating photorealistic 3-D databases.
BOHEMIA INTERACTIVE AUSTRALIA
Bohemia Interactive was founded in 1999 as an independent game development company, with studios in the Czech Republic and Australia.Today, the company focuseson the development of state-of-the-art computer software and the research of advanced real-time 3-D graphics, artifi cial intelligence and physical simulation technologies for real-time interactive environments. Additional simulation products include Virtual Battlespace (VBS), the Virtual Responder Trainer (VRT) and Loadmaster Virtual Reality Simulation (LVRS).
BREAKAWAY, LTD.
BreakAway, Ltd. is a leading developer of entertainment games and game-based technology products. The company creates experiences that enable people to master skills and concepts in virtual worlds, and transfer this expertise to develop tools that provide gamebased solutions for real-world problems. For the military/defense market, the company created 24 Blue, a simulations teaching tool using 3-D technology that simulates realistic fl ight deck operations— complete with aircraft, deck equipment, and AI controlled personnel—all set amid the hazards of war and the fl ight deck itself. This training simulation was developed for the U.S. Navy to conduct launchand- recovery training and analysis.
CAE
CAE is a world leader in providing simulation and modeling technologies, and integrated training services to the civil aviation industry and defense forces around the globe. The company designs, manufactures and supplies simulation equipment and offers training and services. With annual revenues of over C$1 billion, CAE operates in 19 countries around the world and has sold nearly 700 simulators and training devices to airlines, aircraft manufacturers, training centers and defense forces for air and ground purposes in more than 40 countries.
CALYTRIX TECHNOLOGIES
Supporting and partnering with defense organizations worldwide, Calytrix optimizes individual and group training by delivering live, virtual and constructive solutions and specialized commercial off-theshelf products. The company’s products include SIMplicity, JSAF Entity Tool (Jet), CombatNet Radio Simulator (CNR-Sim), Mentor and LVC Game. SIMplicity provides rapid advanced development of DIS/HLA distributed simulations through a model-driven architecture design approach.
CUBIC DEFENSE APPLICATIONS
Cubic produces instrumented air and ground combat training systems, battle command training, studies and analysis, simulations and simulation support for military forces around the globe. Its simulation and training products/ solutions include MILES,I-HITS, AWES, P-5, an Advanced Precision Gunnery System, Joint Training Center Instrumentation System and Low- Level Urban Skills Trainer. The company developed breakthrough training capabilities during FY07 for the Joint Combined Training Capability proof-ofconcept exercise, which took place during Talisman Sabre 07 in June.
DIGIMATION INC.
Digimation develops and markets a vast library of high-quality, technically accurate 3-D models that are compatible with virtually all 3-D systems. In addition to offering models individually, Digimation also offers libraries and collections specifi cally tailored to the training and simulation industry. In FY07, the company received contracts from Boeing, NG, Wright-Patterson AFB, United Space Alliance, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and QinetiQ.
FORTERRA SYSTEMS INC.
Forterra Systems builds distributed virtual world technology and turnkey applications for the defense, homeland security, medical, corporate training and entertainment industries. Forterra and the U.S. Army’s Research, Development and Engineering Command are building asymmetric warfare-virtual training technology to assess virtual training for joint, interagency and multinational operations in asymmetric and unconventional warfare.
ICON SYSTEMS INC.
Icon Systems specializes in tactical training systems, product conceptualization, design, development and production. The company provides training and testing solutions that predominantly support the live domain, but are designed to fi t into an overall integrated LVC Warfi ghter environment. Icon offers a full line of laser-based forceon- force equipment, devices, support and solutions.Signature products include MILES compatible Halo, MK-19 Simulated Player Unit, Independent Target System and Wireless Independent Target System and the Smart Controller Device.
MATROX GRAPHICS INC.
Matrox Graphics Inc. is a leading manufacturer of graphics solutions for professionals. Delivering high-quality, innovative 2-D/3-D, and video graphics accelerators for over 30 years, Matrox combines its proven graphics chip designs, reliable software and dependable card manufacturing expertise to produce products that are reputed worldwide for their superior image quality, ingenuity and stability. Matrox Graphics designs and supports graphics solutions optimized for utility.
MEGGITT DEFENSE SYSTEMS FATS CASWELL
Meggitt Defense Systems FATS/Caswell, part of the Meggitt group, provides virtual- through live-fi re training solutions used by militaries, law enforcement agencies and security groups around the world. The company is a world-leading provider of technologies and services that deliver judgmental, tactical and combined arms training experiences, utilizing quality engineered weapon simulators. More than 5,200 training systems have been produced for more than 50 countries worldwide.
METAVR INC.
MetaVR creates 3-D real-time PC-based visual systems that provide the fi delity of geospecifi c simulation with game quality graphics. MetaVR’s software products enable users to build highfi delity virtual worlds with the company’s terrain generation applications Metadesic Compiler and WorldPerfect and render the resulting virtual world with its real-time 3-D visualization application, Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG).
NGRAIN CORPORATION
NGRAIN transforms the sustainment of complex equipment with 3-D performance support solutions for the aerospace and defense industry. The company increases equipment readiness by accelerating learning on complex equipment, enabling fi rst-time-right performance, and reducing maintenance cycle time. NGRAIN customers include all branches of the U.S. military, the Canadian Forces, and leading defense manufacturers and system integrators, including Lockheed Martin, NG and CAE. NGRAINenabled virtual task trainers use 3-D equipment simulations to train on operation, maintenance and repair tasks.
RAYDON CORPORATION
Responding to the need for convoy training associated with operations in Iraq, Raydon leveraged its expertise in driving simulation from its Raydon Virtual Driver commercial division to develop the initial HMMWV trainers in less than six weeks. These systems include a geo-specifi c Baghdad database and are now training military personnel for convoy scenarios they may face in Iraq. The company specializes in institutional, appended, embedded and desktop gunnery, tactical maneuver and driver trainers.
RIGHT HEMISPHERE
Right Hemisphere is a provider of Product Graphics Management software, a category of enterprise software that enables manufacturers to globally source, sell and service products more effectively by delivering the right 2-D and 3-D graphics. At the core of the company’s technology is Deep Server, which provides the automated processing engine to translate, optimize and manage the 3-D content from engineering CAD fi les into a useable format for downstream users. This year, the company has received contract awards from General Dynamics Land Systems, Bell Helicopter, Sikorsky Aircraft, Lockheed Martin and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
ROCKWELL COLLINS
Rockwell Collins is a pioneer in the development and deployment of innovative communication and aviation electronics solutions for both commercial and government applications. The company’s simulation and training product offerings span all levels of fidelity and complexity for both military and commercial markets. Newly developed products include part-task and desk-top training devices for maintenance and fl ight applications, complex maintenance training systems, ground and air vehicle simulators including rotary wing and fi xed wing crew training fl ight training devices and mission systems simulators. With the acquisition of the visual systems business of Evans & Sutherland in 2006, the company’s simulation and training capabilities now include the hardware and software to create highly realistic visual images for simulation, training, engineering and other applications.
RUAG ELECTRONICS
RUAG Electronics provides training materials nationally and internationally, from simple computer-based training to complex training systems for use in virtual, constructive and live simulation. These systems, which are tailored to the customer’s training objectives and methodologies, permit ecologically friendly, safe and cost effective training at every level. The company’s offerings include individual part-task trainers, full-scale and networked simulators, artillery & gunnery simulators, radio operator trainers and tactical communication simulators, computer-based training and combined arms direct fire & area weapons training systems.
QUANTUM3D INC.
Quantum3D is a leading supplier of COTS, open architecture, real-time visual computing solutions, platforms, subsystems and development and runtime software for the visual and sensor simulation and training market and the embedded/deployed visual computing market. Company products include: Independence, a fourth generation, open-architecture IG; THERMITE, a COTS man-wearable tactical visual computer; and Sentiris, an advanced COTS graphics subsystem.
SIMIGON
SimiGon’s vision is to alter the modeling, simulation and training world landscape with SIMbox technologies and to revolutionize learning, training, instruction and knowledge management for professional communities. SIMbox core technologies include highfi delity 3-D simulation, knowledge management, content building tools, high-resolution 2-D and 3-D graphic environments and full-fl edged record/ playback after-action review debriefi ng capabilities.
SUMTOTAL SYSTEMS INC.
SumTotal deploys missioncritical solutions that align learning with organizational readiness to accomplish the warfi ghter’s mission. The company’s simulation and training products and or solutions include the SumTotal Enterprise 7.2, the ResultsonDemand 7.2 and Integrated Google Search in SumTotal Enterprise 7.2. The company received contracts this year from U.S. Northern Command, Defense Security Service, U.S. Army Military Intelligence School, Defense Acquisition University and the Defense Ammunition Center.
TERRAMETRICS INC.
Since 1998, TerraMetrics Inc. has provided costeffective satellite imagery, 3-D terrain datasets and software tools to the computer visualization, simulation, mapping and animation markets. The company offers TruEarth global, natural-color satellite imagery and provides geospatial tools research and development capabilities. Customers that use TerraMetrics’ image data products and 3-D terrain-rendering technologies include the U.S. DoD, NASA, major web mapping applications, and U.S. and international television news outlets, feature fi lm productions, and international governments and computer graphics animators.
THALES TRAINING & SIMULATION
Thales Training & Simulation is a world leader in the simulation and training industry. Thales has been designing and integrating simulation and training systems for over 50 years and offers a full range of products and services, specializing in the supply of integrated training solutions, synthetic training equipment, longterm service contracts and the provision of complete training services.
THE DISTI CORPORATION
Founded in 1994, DiSTI is a global leader in human-machine interface development tools and the developer of GL Studio and GL Studio for Java, the company’s fl agship solutions. DiSTI is also renowned worldwide for its Simulation Professional Series Training classes. DiSTI’s unique blend of products, services and training provides the global simulation and training market with the expertise, advanced capabilities and resources for today’s next generation warfi ghter.
UNITECH
UNITECH is an awardwinning training and simulation technology solutions company headquartered within northern Virginia’s technology corridor with multiple, strategic locations within the United States. The company provides a complete portfolio of Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement Systems (MILES) and other force-on-force Tactical Engagement Simulation Systems (TESS), as well as range instrumentation and logistics support for fi elded, legacy TESS.
VCOM3D INC.
Vcom3D Inc. is a leader in providing multi-cultural, context sensitive, virtual communicator characters for enhanced learning. The company has created and patented a number of new technologies and won numerous awards for innovation in the use of 3-D simulation and virtual human technology. Vcom3D animated characters communicate through body language, facial expression, and lip-synched speech.
VIRTUAL HEROES INC.
Virtual Heroes Inc. (VHI), the “advanced learning technology company”, was founded in January 2004 by veterans from the interactive entertainment and defense simulation communities. The company produces collaborative interactive learning solutions for the federal systems, health care and commercial training markets. VHI also provides full life cycle software development, project management, systems integration, instructional design and professional services for our clients.
WILL INTERACTIVE INC.
Winner of the 2006 I/ITSEC “Best Serious Game” competition, 2006 SIIA “CoDie” for Best Instructional Solution , and 2006 “Davey” for Best Training Program, WILL uses a patented process to create Virtual Experience Immersive Learning Simulations (VEILS). In 2007, WILL produced VEILS with the U.S. Naval Academy Ethics Center, U.S. Army CASCOM (Forward Support Company and EOD School), U.S. Army Armor School (two simulations), U.S. Army Research Laboratory and Defense Acquisition University. Also in 2007, WILL and NG delivered a proof-of-concept prototype Joint Immersive Learning Simulation to the Joint National Training Capability. ♦