Evans & Sutherland (E&S) has introduced an image-generator architecture which will enable it to take advantage of the rapid advances in commercially available hardware and software. Under development for two years, the Universal 3D Architecture is E&S' response to the success of Silicon Graphics (SGI) in the visual-simulation market, using commercial technology.
The first products in the new E&S range are the REAL image graphics-accelerator card for workstations, and the Harmony high-end image generator for simulators. Intermediate products will be introduced over the next year. The family is based on Intel's Pentium Pro microprocessor.
Uniting the family is a new database-development system called Integrator NT, which enables visual databases to be compiled using any software tool compatible with the Microsoft Windows NT operating system.
This enables databases to be developed on NT workstations, such as the REAL image, at one-tenth of the cost of the UNIX-based workstations now required, E&S says.
The company's first Harmony application is for the British Army's Westland/McDonnell Douglas WAH-64D Longbow Apache training system.
SGI introduced its latest Infinite Reality image-generator earlier this year and the machine is being used by Hughes Training, Thomson Training & Simulation and IVEX.
Source: Flight International