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MetaVR provides visuals for F-16 Collision Avoidance Simulators

June 27, 2011 (by MetaVR, Inc.) - MetaVR, Inc. announces it has delivered 24 visual channels for an immersive dome-based F-16 simulator being built for the Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT) Fighter Risk Reduction Program (FRRP) program.

A real-time VRSG scene featuring MetaVR's F-16 ACAT model in flight over virtual Edwards AFB. The model is from MetaVR’s 3D content libraries. [MetaVR photo]

ZedaSoft, Inc. is building the dual-dome reconfigurable ACAT F-16C simulator, which uses 12 MetaVR real-time 3D visual channels per dome, for the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company (LM Aero) Advanced Development Programs (ADP) group.

ACAT/FRRP is a follow-on phase to the Aviation Week Laureate award winning Ground Collision Avoidance System (GCAS) program developed with the U.S Air Force Research Laboratories at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio. This new phase will test similar automatic collision avoidance technologies between USAF fighter aircraft.

The dual dome solution provides two F-16C reconfigurable cockpit systems in high-resolution large field-of-view display and projection systems from Immersive Display Solutions, Inc. (IDSI), and visual scene rendering software from MetaVR.

The portable dual dome system will use the MetaVR Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) software to render the dome visual scene content. As part of the system, MetaVR is providing a 3D terrain database comprised of satellite terrain imagery for the entire continental United States at 1-meter resolution with higher resolution insets for the Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Edwards AFB, and Fort Worth Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NASJRB) areas. MetaVR is also providing an authentic high-resolution 3D model of the F-16 ACAT aircraft, built for real-time simulation.

The 3.4 meter diameter dome leverages existing joint development between MetaVR and IDSI, which uses the same technology as in the F-16 X-DTT partial dome simulators recently delivered to the Aviano Air Base.

This simulation solution provides the balance of lower overall costs with a small 16’ x 32’ footprint installed under a 10’ ceiling. The dome screen provides a 270 degree horizontal by +120 degree/-30 degree vertical field of view. This extended vertical field-of-view allows simulator pilots to look up 30 degrees past vertical while providing a 2.5 arc-minutes-per-pixel high-resolution image.

MetaVR’s North America 3D terrain in Metadesic format is available for purchase to all MetaVR customers who are on active VRSG software maintenance and are US Government or contractors (for official use only). The terrain is provided in MetaVR's terrain format and will only run with a valid VRSG version 5.7 software license.


Courtesy of MetaVR

Additional images:

Illustration of the dual dome reconfigurable F-16 simulator system [MetaVR photo]