A virtual cockpit for a distributed interactive simulation

We developed the virtual cockpit as an inexpensive flight simulator, using off-the-shelf equipment. This system functions as a component of a distributed interactive simulation. Any flight simulator has three principal tasks: image display, image generation, and flight dynamics. We built the flight simulator, the virtual cockpit, using a head-mounted display (HMD) to display the out-the-window imagery and the cockpit interior. The virtual cockpit consists of a Silicon Graphics workstation and supporting hardware components, such as an HMD and position tracker. The software falls into three areas by function: flight dynamics and cockpit instruments; network interface (either SimNet or DIS PDUs); and display of the out-the-window view. The virtual cockpit developed uses a multiprocessor Silicon Graphics Iris (the 4D/440VGXT) connected to a Polhemus Laboratories fiber-optic head-mounted display, a Polhemus magnetic head tracker and a hands-on-throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) by Thrustmaster. The software uses the AT and T C++ translator and the Silicon Graphics C compiler running under Irix 4.0.5. a Unix operating system. We use Software Systems' MultiGen to create the geometric models and the terrain database.>