What's New in VRSG Version 7
VRSG real-time scene visualizing the gaze of the wearer of a Varjo XR-3 mixed-reality headset through the collection of eye-tracking data. The scene features an F18C entity with Finnish markings in flight over 3D terrain of Albacete Air Base, Spain.
VRSG real-time scene with the new Bell 360 Invictus entity model on the ultra-high-resolution virtual terrain of Amarillo International Airport.
VRSG real-time scene with two Russian air/missile defense models distributed in the 3D model libraries with VRSG v7.0: 76T6.ru.green and 51P6.ru.green.
Real-time VRSG scene of runway 4/22 at the virtual Amarillo International Airport. The 5mm drone imagery of the runway was collected by SRP Aero.
MVRsimulation has released Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG®) version 7.0 with the following new features and enhancements, and 3D content:
- New features in the Varjo HMD plugin include using Varjo eye-tracking capabilities for visualizing in VRSG, for real-time monitoring (on a separate VRSG channel in stealth mode) and in training mission playback for after action review. Such features (controlled in the Dashboard’s Varjo tab) include Enable Gaze Tracking which turns on tracking and pupil calibration, and Eye-Track Action Review, which inserts the headset wearer’s head position and pupil gaze data into the DIS stream. Other features include foveated rendering options for Varjo headset and the ability to render the VRSG scene in an external display in addition to within the Varjo headset.
- The Eye Track Visualization option on the More Graphics Options dialog box turns on the rendering of the eye-tracking data (head position and pupil gaze) from a Varjo headset that has been captured in the DIS stream in a recorded VRSG session, as described above. Head position is depicted with a head model and pupil gaze direction is depicted with red and blue cones.
- New features in sensor simulation include:
- Built-in sensor fusion, enabling you to select two new possible sensor mode options: Visual Electro-Optic fused with IR White Hot and Visual Electro-Optic fused with IR Black Hot. You can control the fusion blend ratio by CIGI component controls or the slider on the Sensor tab of the VRSG Dashboard.
- Use of a JSON file for creating a radiance profile of materials for sensor simulation. This means you can now generate your own radiance profile either from IR Setup or from scratch in Notepad from a third-party sensor model or notional data. The IRSetup (under ITAR control) now produces an editable JSON file. - Ability to improve the appearance of dynamic cast shadows when viewing the scene through a narrow field-of-view (FOV), such as those typically used for UAV sensors. A narrow FOV induces high magnification and greater standoff distances, which can cause shadows to become washed out or to disappear entirely. Use the Shadow Quality checkbox on the Shadows tab to direct VRSG to render dynamic shadows at a higher resolution, for FOV angles below a given threshold. (You can find the FOV in use on the Dashboard's Graphics tab.)
- 343 new models (including 240 new military models) have been added to MVRsimulation’s 3D model libraries since the previous release of VRSG in February, bringing the total count to over 8,920 models.
- New support for multiple sizes of pageable textures: 512 x 512, 1024 x 1024, and 2048 x 2048 in 3D terrain built with newly released Terrain Tools v2.0. Terrain databases converted from OpenFlight source also benefit from multiple sizes of pageable textures with MVRsimulation's updated OpenFlight to VRSG terrain format conversion utility.
- Remote Regeneration options Generator/Receiver on the Attach Offsets dialog box configure a given VRSG machine in UAV mode to transmit telemetry via DIS packets to a remote VRSG client machine.
- Ability to attach a light lobe to a dynamic moving model via a JSON file.
- The 2D sensor overlay AN/DAS-1 has been updated to AN/DAS-4.
- New SetPDU interface ATTRV_LOAD_MODEL_MAP supplies the directory of a specific ModelMap.ini to load.
- New CIGI component control, CIGI_ComponentIdRotorWashParams, controls particle dispersion of a rotor wash effect: AGL height at which the effect begins, particle speed, and particle speed variance.
- New CurvedDisplay plugin provides horizontal distortion correction for curved monitors.
- New PixelShift plugin supports projectors that require a pixel shift for emulated 4K resolution.
- VRSG has been recompiled in Visual Studio (VS) 2019. User-developed plugins built with VS 2015 and 2017 will remain compatible with VRSG version 7.0.
- In addition to the rebranding of the company name to MVRsimulation, this release includes a new naming convention for cultural feature files, viewpoint files, PDUlogs, sensor profiles, and microtextures is: vrsg.clt, vrsg.viewpoint, vrsg.pdulog, vrsg.irm, vrsg.json, and vrsg_microtexture_ x_y_z.tex. Previously created files with the older convention of "metadesic" filename are respected by VRSG 7.
- Scenario Editor version 2.3, with full support for newly named vrsg.clt, vrsg.viewpoint, and vrsg.pdulog files. Previously created files with the older convention of "metadesic" in their name are respected.
RECENT UPDATES TO 3D TERRAIN
MVRsimulation’s newest geospecific 3D dataset of Amarillio Airport, TX, was built using VRSG v7.0 and MVRsimulation Terrain Tools for Esri ArcGIS, version 2.0.
The terrain is comprised of 5 mm per-pixel and 2 cm drone imagery of the airport (14 sq km), 30 cm Maxar imagery of the airport, and 30 cm Texas Open Data (TRNIS) imagery of the Amarillo metropolitan area blended to 1m NAIP base imagery of CONUS++ terrain. The elevation source includes 70 meter elevation data of the airport blended to 10 meter NED data of Amarillo and underlying DTED-1 base elevation.
This terrain contains a substantial number of 3D culture models of the airport, such as two geospecific runways, helipads, runway lights, runway signs, a control tower, multiple hangars, and CityEngine-generated 3D culture of the city of Amarillo. The terrain was compiled in our round-earth terrain format for rendering in VRSG.
This ultra-high-resolution terrain will be available on MVRsimulation’s CONUS++ South Central region 3D terrain in Q1 2022 and will be available to purchase by customers who are on active VRSG software maintenance and are US Government agencies or contractors (for official use only). The terrain can be viewed with a valid VRSG version 7.0 or greater software license with valid software maintenance.
PREVIOUS RELEASES
If you need information about an older release, please contact support@mvrsimulation.com.
VRSG 6.5, released in February 2021, included:
- Support for additional virtual reality (VR) systems: Varjo VR-2 and Varjo VR-2 Pro virtual reality systems, Varjo XR-1 and XR-3 mixed-reality systems, Valve Index VR system, and HP Reverb VR system;
- Additional options for configuring VRSG with a VR system, such as foveated rendering;
- Enhancements to tree rendering, including handling the levels of detail (LODs) of instances and automated color matching with underlying geospecific terrain imagery. (Requires terrain generated in Terrain Tools version 1.6 or newer);
- Ability to create light point and light lobe definitions in a model’s JSON metadata file;
- Further enhancements to support KLV metadata in RPA/UAV simulation, such as support for MISB ST 0601.9; achieved full NGA Community Motion Imagery Test Tool (CMITT) compliance. Also support for MISB ST 0601.1 for simulations not capable of processing the newer 0601.9 standard. A new plugin API, extUavMetaData, enables insertion and modification of KLV metadata;
- New direct video streaming option using the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) network protocol, without RTSP. (Combat Air Force Distributed Mission Operations compliant);
- New video decoding library, which enables developers to easily integrate VRSG's streaming video into their Windows and Linux applications;
- Several enhancements to MVRsimulation’s Video Player: support for decoding of synchronously-multiplexed metadata, ability to specify a multicast address for receiving video feeds, support for MPEG2 formatted-video (in addition to H.264/H.265), and a drag-n-drop interface to play pre-recorded clips. In addition, the player can now parse program association tables (PAT) and program map tables (PMT), enabling it to play video from sources other than VRSG;
- CIGI enhancements, which include ability to enable trackers on a per-viewport basis, new custom CIGI commands to facilitate mixed use of DIS and CIGI, and a new CIGI auto-tracking feature that simplifies tracking compared to standard CIGI sensor controls;
- New volumetric ray-traced cloud system, with continuously variable coverage from 0% to 100% fully overcast, and global coverage for layers controlled by the Dashboard, CIGI, or DIS interfaces. Coverage polygons can specify coverage, rain, or snow precipitation. Also, volumetric precipitation modulation for simulating reduced visibility underneath rain clouds;
- New SetDataPDU interfaces to dynamically attach particle effects to a moving model, enable remote control of video streaming, and provide cloud coverage polygons that override global coverage in a geographic area;
- New option for 3D ocean simulation to specify the distance at which to fade-out a shoreline/underwater microtexture near sea level;
- New ability to obtain the distance, in meters, between two locations on the 3D terrain;
- New animation and IR bloom effect for a human character smoking a cigarette;
- new_verts_per_meter keyword for an effects .par file;
- MDS API performance improvements, a new asynchronous load option, and updated support for newer terrain formats;
- 696 new models added to MVRsimulation’s 3D model libraries, of which 473 are military models, bringing the total count to over 8,650 models;
- The 3D terrain databases installed with this VRSG release include datasets of Hajin, Syria, and Mischief Reef, Spratly Islands, South China Sea;
- Scenario Editor version 2.2, with improved PDU log export process, ability to export cultural feature files and viewpoints separately, full support for sensor, 3D oceans, dynamic shadows, and model attribute JSON files.
Version 6.5 was the last version of VRSG that supported Windows 7.
VRSG 6.4, released in October 2019, included:
- Object-on-object dynamic shadowing (which can be customized via the Dashboard Shadows tab).
- Ability to add to, or modify attributes/metadata of, a 3D model via a .JSON file.
- New MVRsimulation Video Player. This low-latency player is optimized for VRSG H.264 streaming video and can decode and display KLV metadata.
- Support for streaming VRSG video via Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP).
- Support for recording/streaming VRSG in H.265 video format.
- Support for HTC VIVE Tracker and Samsung Odyssey HMD.
- New OpenGL interoperability plugin to enable users to code their 2D overlay graphics in machine-native OpenGL for rendering in VRSG. (This plugin supersedes VRSG having to emulate OpenGL 2D overlays with a Direct3D layer). Contact support@mvrsimulation.com for a sample Visual Studio 2015 project that illustrates how one can draw graphics using OpenGL and have the graphics display over a VRSG scene.
- 825 new models (of which 736 are military models), bringing the total count to over 7,950 models.
- Support for Battlespace Simulations’ emulated SOFLAM device.
- Support for animations that move the fingers of a character model, such as signaling animations.
- Ability to attach light lobes to entity and static models.
- ModelMap enhancements for attaching models to other models and using multiple exhaust effects.
- Support in the warp/blend plugin for Scalable Display Technologies for all new Scalable features, to include masking, black level, and color correction.
- New warp/blend plugin for using VRSG with DomeProjection on a curved surface with a projection system.
- New SetDataPDU interface for remote control of video plugins.
- Support in the OpenFlight-to-MDS terrain conversion tool for instancing models that are referenced multiple times.
- Three new options for the OpenFlight-to-HPX model conversion tool to optimize the conversion of models originally made in Esri CityEngine.
- New CIGI component control to control light points by name.
- Partial support for CIGI regional weather, via CIGI_ComponentClassRegionalWeather.
- New Model Viewer option to display an open vessel model’s lid mesh which prevents the 3D ocean from penetrating the model.
- New Model Viewer display which shows a selected articulated part’s relative position under the mouse cursor. This information helps provide numbers needed to specify certain model attributes in a .JSON file (such as where muzzle blast particle effects are attached to a model).
- Saved visualization session settings are now captured in a .JSON file.
- New ability to capture a Model Viewer session to an MPEG video. The video is recorded in H264 .mpg format using the same path and filename as used for Model Viewer screen captures.
- Several performance improvements to VRSG Radar simulation and the MDS API.
- Scenario Editor version 2.0. Scenario Editor now shares the same graphics engine as VRSG. As result of the merged codebase, visuals in Scenario Editor now match those in VRSG. In addition, Scenario Editor 2.0 features a new Dashboard, which replaces some former settings dialog boxes.
VRSG 6.3, released in May 2018, included:
- Ability for static culture models to cast shadows onto terrain and 3D oceans. This option is available on the new Shadows tab of the VRSG Dashboard. Also ability for volumetric clouds to cast shadows onto terrain and 3D oceans. As with the shadow options described above, this option is available on the new Shadows tab on the VRSG Dashboard.
- 375 new models (of which 286 are military models) added to MVRsimulation's 3D content libraries since the release of version 6.2 in April 2017. These additions bring the total model count to 7,193.
- New Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO) shading effect, which enhances the 3D perception of the shape of all models (static and dynamic) rendered in a scene. SSAO simulates the shadowing caused by the blocking of ambient light.
- Improved HTC VIVE support with new options for using wand controllers with VRSG and for using the VIVE in augmented reality mode. Also support for user-developed VRSG plugins with a new VIVE controller function.
- Improved Oculus Rift support with new options for using touch controllers with VRSG and for using the Rift in augmented reality mode. Also support for user-developed VRSG plugins with a new Rift controller function.
- Ability for VRSG's H.264 video streaming plugin to be configured as a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) server, feeding streaming video to connected client machines.
- New ability to change the color of a 3D ocean body for 3D ocean simulation. Also the ability to control ocean depth bias for simulations using narrow fields of view, like those used by UAV sensors where a larger depth bias is needed.
- New 10-bit display support for use with monitors, projectors, and graphics cards that are high dynamic range (HDR) compliant.
- New command-line options to auto-start VRSG in a customized visualization window and to control use of VRSG in tracking systems.
- New visibility vertical scale option on the Environment tab, which changes the rate of visibility improvement as a function of altitude.
- New ephemeris-calculated positions of stars in the night sky, with an option to scale star size.
- New particle system features designed to better support tracer applications.
- Improved light lobe rendering to potentially support up to thousands of lights.
- New Model Viewer feature that generates commands for a cultural feature file that set a model's appearance, articulated parts states, and BVH animation.
- New support for point feature instancing in the utility that converts OpenFlight terrain databases to MVRsimulation's round-earth terrain tile format (terrex-oflt2mds). This support improves both terrain conversion time and VRSG runtime performance.
- New default directory for VRSG screen captures that are set to be written to a file.
VRSG version 6.2, released in April 2017, included:
- New 3D ocean simulation, featuring realistic wave motion, multiple Beaufort sea states, 3D wakes, vessel surface motion, accurate environment reflections, and support for bathymetric data for shoreline wave shape and opacity
- Over 300 new models (of which 187 are military) added to MVRsimulation's 3D content libraries since the release of version 6.1, bringing the total model count to 6,890.
- New tracking support for the HTC Vive virtual reality system, SA Photonics SA-62 HMD, and SA Photonics stereo SA-92 augmented reality display.
- Updated support for Oculus Rift CV1 HMD.
- New startup parameter to disable VRSG's default pre-scanning of all folders in its search path.
- Support for multiple blended microtextures, a new feature in the forthcoming MVRsimulation Terrain Tools for Esri ArcGIS version 1.4.
- Ability to increase (10x, 100x) or decrease (10x) the playback speed of a recorded pdulog or scenario built with Scenario Editor.
- Each screen capture is now saved with a corresponding viewpoint file, encoding the location of the screen capture in the scene.
- Improvements to VRSG's policy on handling the ground clamping of culture models.
- Scenario Editor version 1.6.
VRSG version 6.1, released in October 2016, put into the hands of VRSG users all the models in MVRsimulation's 3D content libraries at full resolution. The inclusion of 170 GB of 6,650 full-resolution models (including 179 new models since the release of version 6.0) provides the full benefit of rendering scenes in VRSG with MVRsimulation's highly detailed runtime models.
VRSG version 6.0, released in July 2016, contained several infrastructure updates, including full support for the Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit operating system, DirectX 11, Visual Studio 2015, and Nvidia’s new GeForce GTX 1080 gaming graphics card.
- Full support for Windows 10 64-bit systems, to support customer integration efforts, in keeping with US Department of Defense (DoD) mandate for all the military services, Unified Combatant Commands, defense agencies, and field activities to upgrade their systems to Windows 10 by January 31, 2017.
Click here for information about running VRSG 6 on Windows 7. (Note: Support for VRSG on Windows 7 ends on December 31, 2016.)
- DirectX 11 support, which includes VRSG support for Pixel Shader Model 5.0. In addition, VRSG's plugin API now uses DirectX 11 objects. (Note: any user-developed custom plugin which drew graphics or otherwise interacted with the DirectX 9 Graphics API under VRSG version 5 will need to be modified to use DirectX 11 with VRSG 6.)
- Built with Visual Studio 2015, which means that if a user-developed custom plugin extends VRSG's Dashboard interface with a property sheet, the plugin must be rebuilt with Visual Studio 2015.
- Support for Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080 gaming graphics card, which delivers considerable performance enhancements.
- Solid particle effects, which model projectiles with dust trails being cast from detonation events. These 10 new ballistic effects, located in VRSG's \Effects directory, all spew solid particles. Some effects thrust particles in a given direction that is denoted in the filename. The release also includes a new billboard flame effect.
- Heat refraction post-processing effect for sensor views. This feature, available both on the Sensor tab of the VRSG Dashboard and via a fixed-length SetDataPDU interface, adjusts the simulated heat haze appearance of a scene when it is viewed through a layer of heated air (produced from conditions such as jet exhaust).
- A total of 169 new models (including 121 new military models) were added to MVRsimulation's 3D content libraries. Among the culture models is a set of 7 trees now available with variants for all seasons. The models tree-163, tree-164, tree-cassia-001, tree-cassia-005, tree-elm-002, tree-elm-006, and tree-poplar-004 now offer 4-season variants on their appearance switch states.
- Set of 14 high-resolution microtextures of a variety of dirt, sand, and grass geotypical ground textures. Many of the textures were newly created for this release. VRSG blends a microtexture with the geospecific terrain imagery to produce the most realistic visual depiction of the terrain when it is viewed at close range.
- Scenario Editor version 1.4 with recent features that include the ability to assign damage effects to culture entities.
- MVRsimulation’s tool for converting models from FBX model format to MVRsimulation format now supports new direction properties for the Rotating Animation custom attribute. DirectionX, DirectionY, and DirectionZ are three distinct properties that define mesh rotation around an arbitrary axis other than a primary axis.
- Multichannel support is now part of the single unified VRSG executable, enabled with a check box on the Startup Parameters tab on the VRSG Dashboard.
- Changed layout of the Startup Parameters tab on the VRSG Dashboard to improve specifying the location of terrain, models, scenarios and so on, for VRSG to load (VRSG's search path).
HOW TO OBTAIN THE LATEST RELEASE OF VRSG
Customers on active maintenance can obtain the latest release of VRSG (version 7.0) by downloading the VRSG 7.0 software and model libraries from their account on MVRsimulation's Download Server. If you need an account, click here to request one.
You can order VRSG directly from MVRsimulation by filling out the quote request form.