Enhanced 3D Module

What is it?

The FLAMES Enhanced 3D module allows you to visualize FLAMES scenarios using scenes drawn with high-resolution, texture-based, three-dimensional (3D) graphics. Scenes are rendered using data derived from spatial databases in Presagis™ (formerly MultiGen-Paradigm® ) OpenFlight® format that contain a detailed visual description of terrain and features such as roads, rivers, buildings, and trees. Units are rendered in a scene using data derived from 3D visual models that are also in OpenFlight format. Depending on the size and complexity of your spatial database, the number of Units in your scenario, and the processing power of your computer and graphics hardware, scenes can be rendered in real time at a visually appealing frame rate.

The OpenFlight visual scene databases used by the Enhanced 3D module must be created using a third-party visual database generation product. While any product that generates visual databases in OpenFlight Version 15.8 (or compatible) format can be used, Ternion highly recommends using Terra Vista™ from Presagis [formerly Terrain Experts™, Inc. (TERREX™)] with the Pro Builder option. Terra Vista is the only product that can create OpenFlight visual databases that are perfectly correlated with the data used by the FLAMES Advanced Correlated Terrain (FACT) module.

The OpenFlight 3D model data used to render Units in a scene is available from a wide variety of sources and can be created using several third-party tools. The Enhanced 3D module can support models with multiple levels of detail, state switches, animation, and degree-of-freedom (articulation) nodes.

What is included?

The Enhanced 3D module includes:

• The Enhanced 3D Scene Importer, which imports a visual scene database in OpenFlight format to create an Enhanced 3D Scene dataset. Such datasets can then be loaded by FORGE and FLASH and used to render a 3D scene.

• The Enhanced 3D Icon Importer, which imports 3D models in OpenFlight format to create FLAMES 3D icons and store them in icon datasets. The icons can be loaded by FORGE and FLASH and used to render the Units in a scenario. They can also be loaded by FIRE to allow models in FIRE to control the state of the icons.

• Display software, which renders the 3D scene and icons in FORGE and FLASH. This software, including the underlying “scene graph” software, was custom developed for FLAMES by Ternion and includes advanced rendering capabilities, such as level of detail switching, animation, and scene database paging. No third-party graphics software is used other than OpenGL® .

• Example Enhanced 3D Icon datasets, some of which were built from Facets™ 3D models provided by Quantum3D® or demonstration 3D models provided by Computer Sciences Corporation™ (CSC™) and Presagis (formerly MultiGen-Paradigm). These high-quality, real-time 3D icons are delivered with multiple levels of detail (LOD) and highly realistic textures. Where applicable, these icons also include damaged/destroyed states, articulated parts, and animations.

• Example Enhanced 3D Scene datasets, some of which include proprietary 3D models provided by Presagis (formerly TERREX).