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Aviation History
1993
1993 - 0084.PDF
Every \isual manufacturer has a Hong Kong database. This is Link-Miles Cost-cutting standard formats Airlines are moving to cut the cost of simulator visual systems by promot ing a standard format for airport databases which will allow their use with image generators from different manufacturers. An International Air Transport Associa tion working group chaired by British Airways' Chris Barnes has developed a draft database-interchange format based on the US Department of Defense's Project 2851 to produce a standard for military visual databases. Barnes explains that today airlines buy the data which visual manufacturers use to build custom airport databases. Once the data is formatted to run on one visual, it cannot be used on a competing system, or sometimes even the next generation from the same manufacturer, he says. The proposed database interchange for mat is a means for airlines to re-use their investment by making visual data transportable between image generators. Highly detailed airport data would be stored in a standard format, which visual manufacturers would recompile to run on their own unique machines. This approach will allow manufacturers to tailor the database to make best use of image-generator performance, while leav ing the source data intact for re-use by the airline which paid for its compilation. More data would be stored than current image generators can use, to support future visual growth. Barnes says that a demonstration of a database-interchange format is planned involving visual manufacturers participat ing in the working group. The Pentagon and Project 2851 prime contract PRC have offered a block of the standard military visual database, covering an area of San Francisco, for the demonstration, which is planned for next October. An airline paid Hughes Rediffusion to build this LaGuardia database working with its French parent, Thomson- CSF, on a follow-on to its Image 600PT McDonnell Douglas has agreed to sell its Visual Simulation Systems unit, producer of the Vital VII, to FlightSafety International. Both a simulator maker and a user, FlightSafety is to continue development of the as-yet-unlaunched Vital 400. Hughes Rediffusion has two strands in its defence of a market share which has been at around 70% for the last three years. "Firstly, we are not about to withdraw SP-X," says Anderson. "SP-X is well-proved, much-liked...and still extremely popular with airlines wanting commonality or seek ing a rninimimum-dollar/minimum-risk so lution. We will let the market decide when it is not wanted." The second strand is a new visual prod uct announced at the Farnborough air show in September, 1992, but not to be launched formally until later this year. This is "...a completely integrated visual family, not just an image generator," Anderson says. The new visual family is based around long-time partner Evans & Sutherland's ESIG-3000 high-performance image generator. Thompson says that MaxVue's modular design will allow CAE to match any new visual launched by its competitors. The specification, he says, "...far exceeds other commercial visuals, with more polygons, lower throughput delay and the largest online texture memory". CAE's achievement in developing Max- Vue is impressive for a manufacturer which dropped out of the business in the 1970s after producing modelboard visuals for its Lockheed F-104 simulators and developing, but not proceeding with, a prototype com puter-generated image system. MaxVue has its origin in a Canadian Government-funded 1985-6 study of a visual for air-traffic-control training and the emu lation of a military-level visual in 1987-8. The architecture for a commercial visual was defined in 1989, says visual-systems manager Robert Barrette. Detailed design began in November 1989, the first channel was operational by March 1991 and integra tion of a complete system into CAE's visual demonstrator was accomplished in May 1992. DESIGNED TO UPGRADE Barrette says that MaxVue is designed to be flexible and upgradable. The design features simple hardware, a small footprint and few parts. There is only one card chassis per display channel, one cabinet per three- channel visual system and only six specific image-generator card types. Thompson says that MaxVue generates more polygons per channel than other commercial visuals: 1,000 surfaces plus 1,000 lightpoints in daylight mode (when the system runs at 50Hz, generating 50 images a second); 1,000 polygons plus 5,000 lightpoints in 30Hz dusk/night mode. Lightpoints can be traded for polygons, says ' 30 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 20 - 26 January, 1993
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