SBIR-STTR Award

High-end weather simulation tools currently available focus on the visual aspects of weather effects or predication modeling and can rarely interact with objects or aircraft in a simulation. Though this capability can be offered by large flight simulators, their costs are most often prohibitive. Fortunately, new advancements in the modeling and simulation industry have made it possible to create affordable PC-based simulators that can work with exterior data to support critical tasks without intense hardware requirements. PLANET LLC proposes to expand its current work on realistic physics-based 3D training tools to develop a new tool to simulate weather conditions. Using PLANETs Hypercosm software and with experts in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) from its sister company, Orbital Technologies Corporation, the results from CFD analysis on aircraft under specific weather conditions would be used to feed Hypercosm 3D simulations with physics-based behaviors. The 3D simulation would be generated in real-time using the forces on the aircraft and the effects of different variables, such as wind speed and direction, would be shown. The delivery would be in Hypercosms web-based 3D format, meaning that simulations could be viewed at any time or place with computer access.

Benefit:
The overall objective of this project is to study the impacts of dynamic weather forces on aspects on critical naval tasks performed by helicopter and tilt-rotor crews and prototype a software system that will simulate, in real-time, the effects of these forces in a training environment. Take for example the case of a rescue helicopter attempting to drop a lifesaving device to a person in the ocean. Many factors are at work: wind speed, rotor wash, wave action, air speed, weight of the rescue device and others that individually or combined could alter the accuracy of the hoist operation. In a situation where every second may count, having a PC-based tool available that could more accurately simulate the exact weather conditions on the type of helicopter in use and predict a more realistic outcome may save lives. By providing a solution that is based on currently available software tools that interface with standard 3D modeling programs, the tools can also be quickly integrated into the toolsets of instructional systems designers and training content creators throughout the military.

Keywords:
Modeling, Modeling, Wind, Helicopter Training, 3D simulation, Weather Simulation

There are many high-end weather simulation tools available, but most focus on visual aspects of weather effects or predication modeling and not the capability (without extreme levels of programming) to demonstrate the physical effects of weather on objects in a realistic manner. The goal of this Phase II project is to create a set of real-time weather conditions and other shipboard physical phenomena (roll, pitch, vibration) that can interface with common 3D graphics programs for courseware designers to use in standard desktop PC-based training simulations. The projects innovation is to base each condition on realistic physical data, allowing it to behave appropriately within a simulation, including reacting to objects or user actions in a scene. Using models of tilt rotor craft, shipboard operations training demonstrations with these effects will be created to show the capabilities and authoring process of the software. To complete these tools and demonstrations, the scope of the Phase II project will include additional CFD analysis, algorithm construction, multiplayer communication development, pre-defined scenario authoring, and statistical performance tracking. The end product is a set of commercially available templates for use in deployable, web-based training.

Benefit:
The software innovations demonstrated in the Phase I have shown that it is not only feasible to simulate weather effects on objects in an on-line training simulation, but that it is also possible to create a toolset of weather and shipboard effect algorithms for courseware designers to use in standard desktop PC-based training simulations. Prior methods used for real-time weather simulation may look simple to the user, but represent a great deal of programming and graphic design to simulate the effects required if the weather must interact with other objects in the simulation. The automatic tools that would be built in the Phase II project and integrated into the commercially available Hypercosm exporting software would truly be a first of their kind and advance the state of the art of PC-based 3D technology to a level where weather effects can be easily programmed to interact with objects in a simulation of any procedure, operation, or task. This directly impacts the effectiveness of certain training courses, and greatly improves the situational awareness of outdoor training. As a greater number of military training programs are required to be deployable for continued training, PC-based trainers with highly realistic simulation capabilities will be necessary.

Keywords:
PC-Based Training, 3D simulation, 3D training, Weather Simulation, tilt-rotor training, physics-based simulation