Real-Time Display of Time Dependent Data Using a Head-Mounted Display
Abstract
The purpose of this investigation was the development of a software system to integrate time-dependent data with a three-dimensional virtual environment. Red Flag data tapes were used as a source of time-dependent data. To project this into a virtual environment a head-mounted display was used. The software development was done on a Silicon Graphics Iris 3130 workstation. The design of the software system allows the user to be free of the keyboard for most situations. The position of the user's head was determined using a Polhemus 3-space tracker. The user could exercise basic control of the system with input from mouse buttons. The user was allowed to move to any position in the environment by looking in the direction of desired travel. The user was also given the option to ride in any cockpit which was in the environment. This allowed the user to see the environment from a pilots perspective at a specific point and time in the display sequence. Minimal machine dependent routines were used in the development of the software system. The software system was developed using the C programming language. The results of this effort were encouraging. There appears to be further possibilities of use for a system of this type in the training arena. The update rate of this system is about 10 frames per second. There appears to be several open questions concerning the benefits of such a system in the training environment. Theses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA203051
Entities
People
- Gary K. Lorimor
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology