Preliminary Changes for CIGI Version 3.0

Rob Lechner(rob.lechner@boeing.com)

The Boeing Company - Training Systems and Services

- June 2003-

Rob Lechner(rob.lechner@boeing.com)

The Boeing Company - Training Systems and Services

- June 2003-

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CIGI, What Is It?

• Communication protocol for host-to-image generator interface control definition.

• Provides a high level of abstraction, simple to use.• Plug-and-play type interface.• API provided to remove error-prone data packaging.• Released open-source, non-proprietary under a GNU Lesser

General Public License.

Host Simulation

CIGI SDK

CIGI API

CIGI

IG Run-Time

CIGI SDK

CIGI API

CIGICIGI Messages

Data & Synchronization

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Availability• All data and documentation are available on http://cigi.

sourceforge.net/– includes ICD, API, and SDK

– on-line forum for help, bug tracking, and distribution list

• ICD contains complete definition of all data packets

• ANSI C design tested on W2K, Linux, IRIX, AIX UNIX, VxWorks, and Solaris.

• CIGI Host emulator test tool with scripting interface available.

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CIGI 3.0 Highlights• Improved documentation

– More detail on coordinate systems and special effects– Database load sequencing

• Interface support for byte-ordering• Changing fixed-point number to floats• Improving asynchronous operation• Entity ground clamp support• Multiple motion tracker support• Orthographic projection• Increased view count• Collision volume rotations• Splitting weather control into layered and regional• Polygon normal response to LOS/HAT/HOT• Date/time valid flags in Celestial Packet• Animation complete response• Ability to query IG for positional information

Point P

Semi Major Axis

Sem

i Min

or A

xis

Prime Meridian

Equator

latitude

longitude

altitude

Pole

N

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CIGI 3 Highlights• Under Design

– Variable-type fields in Component Control packet– Coordinate System Definition packet– Planetary Model Layering

• Celestial Control• Atmosphere Control• Surface Condition Control• Subterrain/Subaquatic Control

– Earth Reference Model Definition– Lightpoint Definition/Control packets

• Investigating– Entity Definition packet– Volumetric primitive control – awaiting input from 3DPipeline– Skinned object control – awaiting input from 3DPipeline– Sensor multi-target tracks – advanced sensor targeting

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IG Control• Added “Magic Number” field so IG can determine

whether byte swapping is necessary

• Improved support for asynchronous operation– Changed single-precision floating point time tag to 32-bit integer– Changed time tag units from 1-µs to 10-µs to provide a simulation

time of almost 24 hours before a rollover occurs

215 214 213 212 211 210 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8000h No Swap

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 80h Swap

215 214 213 212 211 210 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 80h Swap

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8000h No Swap

Big-Endian Receiver

Little-Endian Receiver

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Entity Control• Changed entity animation states

– Stop

– Play

– Pause

– Continue

• Added animation loop flag• Inherit Opacity flag• Ground Clamp flag

– Altitude

– Altitude with Pitch and Roll

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Component Control• One 8-bit discrete component state• Three 32-bit user-defined data fields

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Celestial Sphere Control• Moved date/time to this packet

– Better applicability to ephemeris model

• Added Starfield intensity

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Atmosphere Control• General atmospherics enable flag• Global Atmosphere control

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Layered Weather Control• Changed Weather Control packet to

Layered Weather Control packet.– Removed Entity ID to make packet

applicable only to global weather layers

• Adding Regional Weather Control packet (requires more research)

Elevation

Mean Sea Level

Thickness

Transition Band

Transition Band

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Motion Tracker Control• Enable/Disable Device• Mulitple Trackers • Boresight• View/View Group assignment

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Earth Reference Model Definition

• Default ERM is WGS 84• New ERM defined by specifying Equatorial

Radius and Inverse Flattening

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Light Point Definition• State (On/Off)• Type (Raster, Calligraphic)• Visibility (Day, Dusk, Night)• Front/Back Color• Front/Back Intensity• Min/Max/Actual Size• Animation Properties (flash, rotation, etc.)• Directionality (Omni-/Uni-/Bi-directional)• Lobe Angle, Intensity, Falloff• Fog Punch-Through Enable• Fading Enable• Range Mode (Z-Depth/Slant Range)

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Position Request• Specify class of object

– Entity

– Articulated Part

– View

– View Group

– Motion Tracking Device

• Specify coordinate system– World (Geodetic)

– Entity Local NED

– Submodel

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Start of Frame• Added “Magic Number” so Host can determine whether

byte swapping is necessary

• Flag indicates whether WGS 84 or other ERM is being used

• Improved support for asynchronous operation– Changed single-precision floating point time tag to 32-bit integer

– Changed time tag units from 1-µs to 10-µs to provide a simulation time of almost 24 hours before a rollover occurs

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HAT/HOT Response• Two Packets:

– Basic• Height

– Extended• Height

• Material Code

• Normal Vector Azimuth and Elevation

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LOS Response• Two Packets:

– Basic• Altitude

• Latitude

• Longitude

– Extended• Altitude,

• Latitude

• Longitude

• Material Code

• Azimuth

• Elevation

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Collision Detection Segment Response

• Intersection point defined as distance from an endpoint along test vector

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Sensor Response• Two Packets:

– Sensor Tracker Response• Gate Size X, Y

• Target Offset X, Y

– Sensor Target Position Response• TBD

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Animation Stop Notification• Entity ID

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Position Response• X, Y, Z, Yaw, Pitch, Roll• Coordinate System specified by request packet

– World (Geodetic)

– Entity Local NED

– Submodel

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Current Issues• Entity Definition: How to specify entity scale,

color, and other properties• Animation Definition: How to define animation

properties• Regional Weather Control: How to define regional

weather attributes• Surface/Subsurface Control: How to define

environmental properties

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Entity Definition• Two methods:

– Entity Definition Packet• Scale

• Color

• Other properties

– Component Controls

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Animation Definition• Possible methods for defining attributes:

– Component Control for all animation properties

– Single Animation Definition packet

– Specialized Animation Definition packets• Frame-based animations (dynamic textures, switched

geometry)

• Scripted articulations

• Smoke

• Trails and wakes

• Particle systems

• Many others

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Single AnimationDefinition Packet

• Pros– Similar to CIGI 1 and 2 (Special Effect Definition)

– Promotes standardization of interface

• Cons– Many attributes in interface do not apply to a given

phenomenon

– Must change all attributes if we change any

– Increased packet size

– Cannot foresee all needed attributes

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Specialized AnimationDefinition Packets

• Pros– Promotes standardization of interface– Attributes all apply to the animation type

• Cons– Forces implementation of a particular phenomenon

(e.g., frame-based smoke vs. particle system smoke)– Not all attributes in the interface would always be

implemented as Host-definable– Must change all attributes if we change any– Increases complexity of the interface (more packets)– Cannot foresee all types and attributes

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Regional Weather Control• Three ways to specify region:

– Entity ID (like CIGI 1 and 2)

– Grid cell number

– Define extents of a volume• area definition (point/radius)

• volume (shape definition)

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Environmental Control• Environment Control

– Leave it alone

– Separate Date/Time from Atmospheric properties

• Surface/Subsurface Condition Control– Create new packet

– Use Component Control

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Future Plans• Active News page should be up within a week

– Review for news/forums/updates– We need users to subscribe to the update mailing list so

we can get feedback

• Boeing would like to host a CIGI Working Group– Would like to know who would be interested?– We need multiple inputs on current and future designs– And a voting body on some designs

• CIGI 3.0 ICD to be released Q303– API will follow suite– Host Emulator will be released Q403

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Summary• CIGI is designed to assist suppliers and integrators of IG

systems with ease of integration, code reuse, and cost reduction.

• CIGI has become an accepted IG interface.• Boeing will continue to support CIGI, but we desire to

move CIGI to a standards organization or form a consortium with a review board.

• We desire assistance to foster future development and advancement. All inputs, contributions, and ideas are welcome!