Displacement mapping is a rendering technique which allows small details, represented as height displacements (often in the form of a texture map), to be applied to a polygonal mesh. The objective of the proposed effort is to develop an innovative automated process that unlocks the advantages of real-time displacement maps (and related technologies), combined with geo-specific two and three dimensional source imagery, for providing highly-complex terrain surface regions in virtual environments for real-time training simulators. In Phase I, we will work to develop an innovative approach to incorporating displacement mapping and related techniques into a real-time visual system. The goal of this approach will be to provide an automated capability, requiring little or no manual database generation effort. A procedure for generating the displacement map from mono and stereo imagery will be developed. Existing published research in these areas will be leveraged, but with a specific focus on techniques that can be performed on-the-fly, in real-time. Challenges which will be addressed in Phase I include any impediments to a complete end-to-end solution, sensor simulation issues, patch insertion issues, occulted data hole issues, multiple source data issues, modeler time and skill issues, as well as compatibility issues with other simulation systems.
Keywords: Real-Time, Real-Time, Automated, Training Simulation, Visual Simulation, Geospecific, Gpu-Based, Shaders, Displacement Mapping
