VR-Vantage IG
Visual & Sensor Image Generation – VR-Vantage IG
3D Image Generation for Out-the-Window, Camera, and Sensor Channels
VR-Vantage IG is a configurable desktop image generator for customers who need an out-the-window (OTW) view or a picture from a remote camera. Vantage IG is designed for easy integration into desktop trainers and war gaming simulations.
SensorFX for Physics-based Sensor Displays
The SensorFX module converts VR-Vantage IG from a visual scene generator to a sensor scene generator. Based on the SenSim and SigSim run-time products from JRM Technologies, SensorFX models the physics of light energy as it is emitted, reflected, and transmitted through the atmosphere and into a sensing device. It also models the collection and processing properties of the sensing device to render an accurate electro-optical (EO), night vision (NVG), or infrared (IR) scene. Many of the models that come with VR-Vantage IG are already “sensor-ready,” but you can use JRM’s Genesis tool to materially classify the textures in your terrain and custom models.



Features
High Level
- PC-based IG Software
- 3D Image Generation
- CIGI, HLA, and DIS Compliant
- Shader-based environment rendering
- SensorFX Module for EO/IR/NVG
- Multi-Channel distributed rendering
- Large area terrain database paging
- Terrain agile
- Based on OpenSceneGraph
- Customizable through VR-Vantage Toolkit
Animations and Entity Effects
- Contrails. A trailing effect for fixed-wing aircraft.
- Explosions. Animations for exploding ordnance.
- Fire and detonation lines. Fire events and detonation events are displayed with lines between the source and destination of the event.
- Flames. Flame animations are displayed for destroyed objects.
- Footprints. A trailing effect for humans.
- Missile trails. A trailing effect for missiles.
- Muzzle flash. Animation for ballistic guns, such as tank cannons and rifles.
- Shadows. Entities can cast shadows on the ground.
- Smoke plumes. Animation of smoke rising from a destroyed entity.
- Tactical smoke. Display smoke plumes created when VR-Forces entities fire smoke ordnance.
- Track histories. Display 3D ribbons that show the path a moving entity has taken.
- Wakes. A trailing effect animation for surface entities.
- Treadmarks. A trailing effect animation.
Performance
- File caching. Terrain and model data is cached for quick loading.
- Instancing. Models can share resources such as geometry and texture to improve performance.
- Interest management. An implementation of HLA data distribution management that improves performance of simulation with many entities.
- Statistics viewer. Performance statistics. Includes OSG statistics and VR-Vantage-specific statistics.
Third Party Library Support
- DI-Guy characters. Human entities and some animals are displayed using Boston Dynamics, DI-Guy characters.
- GL Studio cockpits. Cockpit displays for vehicles and aircraft created with GL Studio.
- Silverlining environment. Lighting, clouds, moon, and sun are rendered using SilverLining software.
- SpeedTrees. High quality trees using SpeedTree software.
Information Display
- 3D entity labels. Name, entity type, and other entity information can be displayed on an overlay panel.
- Height-above-terrain lines. Displays the height of aircraft and tactical graphics vertices that are above ground level.
- Measurement unit customization. Users can choose the measurement unit used in the GUI and dialog boxes, such as meters vs. feet and kilometers vs. miles.
- Overlays. A way of organizing tactical graphics as if they were drawn on clear plastic overlays. VR-Vantage displays overlays sent from VR-Forces.
- Radio communications lines. Squawk indicators and communications lines are displayed when radio messages are sent between entities.
- Tactical graphics display. Displays tactical graphics, such as routes, waypoints, and areas, sent by VR-Forces or applications using the Remote Draw API.
Entity Modeling
- 3D model set. Entities are displayed as realistic 3D models, with articulated parts.
- Aggregate visualization. Aggregate entities are visualized using translucent volumes. Aggregate type is represented by 2D icons.
- Emitter volumes. Displays electromagnetic emissions, such as radar, for entities.
- GUI-based model mapping. Entity types are mapped to VR-Vantage element definitions using the GUI rather than text-based configuraiton files.
Observer Management
- Attach modes. You can attach the observer to entities so that it moves as the entity moves, maintaining the same relationship to the entity.
- Inset views. Secondary windows that let you view several parts of the simulation at the same time.
- Keyboard navigation. Navigate the virtual world from the keyboard using game-like keyboard mappings.
- Mouse navigation. Pan and zoom the view and move the observer using the mouse.
- Multiple observers. Configure multiple observers to quickly switch between different views and display configurations.
- Saved views. Users can capture observer views and save them for reloading in later sessions.
- Zoom observer. Magnify the view without moving the observer.
Terrain
- Contour lines. Contour lines show the gradient of the terrain.
- Streaming terrain. Supports streaming terrain using osgEarth.
- Terrain agility. Create terrains using elevation, image, and feature data from many sources.
- Terrain coloring by elevation. change the color of the terrain based on its elevation.
- Wireframe display. Display the terrain polygons.
- Ground clamping. In cases where the VR-Vantage terrain is not well synchronized between exercise participants, entities can be clamped to the terrain.
Miscellaneous
- Audio effects. You can map WAVE files to entities and detonation events.
- Ephemeris model. The ambient lighting in the scene varies with the time of day and date.
- Persistent settings. VR-Vantage remembers many display settings from one session to the next.
- Remote graphics. VR-Vantage displays graphics sent by remote applications using the VR-Vantage Remote Draw API.
- Saved display engine configurations. Users can save and reload display engine configurations, which specify the windows, channels, and observers.
- Scenes. Collectively, the environment, time of day, and optionally, the terrain.
- Sensors. Simulates how the scene would look through night vision goggles or infrared.
- Stereoscopic display. Supports active stereo, anaglyphic stereo, and polarized stereo.
- Streaming video. Outputs a video stream of the display window in formats such as MPEG and GStreamer.
- Trajectory smoothing. Calculates a smooth transition between a dead-reckoned location and the actual location following an entity update.
- View control support. Change the observer view in response to remote messages that use the VR-Vantage Control Toolkit.
Specs VR‑Vantage Versions
VR-Vantage 1.5 Released January 31, 2013 Includes: VR-Vantage Stealth 1.5 VR-Vantage IG 1.5 VR-Vantage PVD 1.5 VR-Vantage FreeView 1.5 VR-Vantage Toolkit 1.5
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Built with: VR-Link 4.0.5, FLEXlm 11.8, Qt 4.7.4 HLA Support: MÄK RTI 4.1.1 RPR FOM 1.0, 2.0 draft 6, 14, 17 (others with FOM mapper) DIS Support: Versions 4, 5, 6
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Hardware
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PC |
PC |
Operating System
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Windows XP (32 bit only)/Vista/Windows 7 |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 5 |
Compiler
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MS Visual C++ 8.0, 10.0 (64 bit)
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default compiler |
VR-Vantage 1.4.1 Released April 11, 2012 Includes: VR-Vantage Stealth 1.4.1 VR-Vantage IG 1.4.1 VR-Vantage XR 1.4.1 VR-Vantage PVD 1.4.1 VR-Vantage FreeView 1.4.1 VR-Vantage Toolkit 1.4.1
Maintenance support expires Jan. 31, 2014
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Built with: VR-Link 4.0.4, FLEXlm 11.8, Qt 4.7.4 (MSVC++ 8 and 9), Qt 4.7.4 (MSVC++ 10) HLA Support: MÄK RTI 4.0.4 (for HLA Evolved - earlier versions for HLA 1.3 and 1516) RPR FOM 1.0, 2.0 draft 6, 14, 17 (others with FOM mapper) DIS Support: Versions 4, 5, 6
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Hardware
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PC |
PC |
Operating System
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Windows XP (32 bit only)/Vista/Windows 7 |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 5 |
Compiler
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MS Visual C++ 8.0, 9.0 (32 bit and 64 bit), 10.0 (64 bit)
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default compiler |
VR-Vantage 1.4 Released January 9, 2012 Includes: VR-Vantage Stealth 1.4 VR-Vantage IG 1.4 VR-Vantage XR 1.4 VR-Vantage PVD 1.4 VR-Vantage FreeView 1.4 VR-Vantage Toolkit 1.4
Maintenance support expires Jan. 31, 2014
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Built with: VR-Link 4.0.3, FLEXlm 11.8, Qt 4.6.3 (MSVC++ 8 and 9), Qt 4.7.3 (MSVC++ 10) HLA Support: MÄK RTI 4.x RPR FOM 1.0, 2.0 draft 6, 14, 17 (others with FOM mapper) DIS Support: Versions 4, 5, 6
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Hardware
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PC |
PC |
Operating System
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Windows XP (32 bit only)/Vista/Windows 7 |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 5 |
Compiler
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MS Visual C++ 8.0, 9.0 (32 bit and 64 bit), 10.0 (64 bit)
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default compiler |
VR-Vantage 1.3.1 Released August 16, 2011 Includes: VR-Vantage Stealth 1.3.1 VR-Vantage IG 1.3.1 VR-Vantage XR 1.3.1 VR-Vantage PVD 1.3.1 VR-Vantage FreeView 1.3.1 VR-Vantage Toolkit 1.3.1
Maintenance support expires Jan. 9, 2013
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Built with: VR-Link 3.13.2, Qt 4.6.3, FLEXlm 11.8 HLA Support: MÄK RTI 4.x RPR FOM 1.0, 2.0 draft 6, 14, 17 (others with FOM mapper) DIS Support: Versions 4, 5, 6
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Hardware
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PC |
PC |
Operating System
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Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7 |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 5 |
Compiler
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MS Visual C++ 8.0, 9.0 (32 bit and 64 bit) |
default compiler |
VR-Vantage 1.3 Released May 11, 2011 Includes: VR-Vantage Stealth 1.3 VR-Vantage IG 1.3 VR-Vantage XR 1.3 VR-Vantage PVD 1.3 VR-Vantage FreeView 1.3 VR-Vantage Toolkit 1.3
Maintenance support expires Jan. 9, 2013
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Built with: VR-Link 3.13.2, Qt 4.6.3, FLEXlm 11.8 HLA Support: MÄK RTI 4.x RPR FOM 1.0, 2.0 draft 6, 14, 17 (others with FOM mapper) DIS Support: Versions 4, 5, 6
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Hardware
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PC |
Operating System
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Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7 |
Compiler
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MS Visual C++ 8.0, 9.0 (32 bit and 64 bit) |
VR-Vantage 1.2.1 Released January 4, 2011 VR-Vantage 1.2 Released June 4, 2010 Includes: VR-Vantage Stealth 1.2 VR-Vantage IG 1.2 VR-Vantage XR 1.2 VR-Vantage Toolkit 1.2
Maintenance support expires May 11, 2012
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Built with: VR-Link 3.13.2, Qt 4.5.0, FLEXlm 11.6 HLA Support: MÄK RTI 3.x RPR FOM 1.0, 2.0 draft 6, 14, 17 (others with FOM mapper) DIS Support: Versions 4, 5, 6
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Hardware
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PC |
PC |
Operating System
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Windows XP/Vista (8.0 only)/Windows 7 (8.0 only) |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 4 Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 5 |
Compiler
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MS Visual C++ 7.1 and 8.0 |
default compiler |
VR-Vantage 1.1 Released October 30, 2009
Includes: MÄK Stealth 7.1
Vantage IG 1.1
VR-Vantage Toolkit 1.1
No longer supported.
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Built with: VR-Link 3.13.2, Qt 4.5.0, FLEXlm 11.6 HLA Support: MÄK RTI 3.x RPR FOM 1.0, 2.0 draft 6, 14, 17 (others with FOM mapper) DIS Support: Versions 4, 5, 6
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Hardware
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PC |
PC |
Operating System
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Windows XP/Vista (8.0 only) |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 4 Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 5 |
Compiler
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MS Visual C++ 7.1 and 8.0 |
default compiler |
VR-Vantage 1.0 Released March 31, 2009 Includes: MÄK Stealth 7.0 Vantage IG 1.0 VR-Vantage Toolkit 1.0
No longer supported.
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Built with: VR-Link 3.13, Qt 4.4.3, FLEXlm 11.6 HLA Support: MÄK RTI 3.x RPR FOM 1.0, 2.0 draft 6, 14, 17 (others with FOM mapper) DIS Support: Versions 4, 5, 6
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Hardware
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PC |
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Operating System
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Windows XP/Vista (8.0 only) |
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Compiler
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MS Visual C++ 7.1 and 8.0 |
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Read more...
Resources
Videos
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This video previews of some of the capabilities we are adding to our VR-Vantage visualization engine for version 1.6 - particularly in the area of marine visualization.
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<table border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td><a href="/index.php?format=raw&option=com_youtubegallery&view=ytg&layout=video&id=31&Itemid=127" rel="{size:{x:860,y:480}, ajaxOptions:{evalScripts:true}}" class="modal"> <img src="images/stories/mak/resources/video/VR-F_Features_1.jpg" alt="VR-F_Features_1" height="100" width="150" /> </a></td> <td> <h4 style="padding-left: 30px;"><a href="/index.php?format=raw&option=com_youtubegallery&view=ytg&layout=video&id=31&Itemid=127" rel="{size:{x:860,y:480}, ajaxOptions:{evalScripts:true}}" class="modal">VR-Forces 4.1 - Streaming Features</a></h4> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">See how paged feature data works in VR-Forces 4.1. This applies to feature data from VR-TheWorld Server and also to local feature data.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table border="0"> </table>
Brochure

User Guide VR-Vantage 1.5
VR-Vantage 1.4.1
Bonus Material VR-Vantage FreeView
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VR-Vantage FreeView is MÄK’s free terrain and model viewer, built on the VR-Vantage platform. With FreeView you can view your existing terrain databases and models. FreeView also allows you to experience the VR-Vantage user interface, VR-Vantage terrain composition capabilities, and the VR-TheWorld Online terrain server.
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vrvAudio Plugin
| vrvAudio is a plug-in for VR-Vantage 1.2 that allows you to add sound effects to your entities and interactions. It comes with a standard set of sounds for many commonly used entities, as well as explosions and fire effects. All sounds are easily configurable through an mtl file so one may add or modify sound effects as desired. |
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Webinar Downloads
Visualizing military exercises at various locations around the world can be challenging. Have you ever wanted to get a tactical view of a battle in a vast desert? Maybe check the status of your perimeter security cameras? Or get a picture of enemy locations in a dense urban setting? This webinar highlights the latest additions to the VR-Vantage product line, including the capabilities of VR-Vantage XR.
Finding the right solution for your 3D visualization has probably left you feeling a little like Goldilocks. This one doesn’t support your terrain format. That one isn’t documented. The other is based on old technology. What you need is a solution with the right fit. Dan Brockway, MÄK’s Director of Technical Marketing, will show you why VR-Vantage is the solution that fits – fits your simulation system, fits the way you work, and fits your budget.
FAQ
The VR-Vantage line of products includes 2D, 3D, out-the-window, and exaggerated reality visualization tools. This FAQ provides a detailed introduction to the products and describes MÄK’s Terrain Agile approach.
Successes
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“Only a COTS solution like the one offered by MÄK could meet the budget constraints of our project. It was the perfect all-in-one solution at the right price.”
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