Most of our work reaches a government program indirectly. We are rarely the name on the contract. We are the specialists a prime, a systems integrator, or a national-lab-funded university team brings in to solve the hard graphics, vision, or simulation problem that was holding a program up. We are a US-owned small business, DLA DD2345 and ITAR registered, and comfortable with closed-source and export-controlled work.
How we work with government
We work the way a deep specialist should: as a subcontractor, a team-augmentation partner, or the hired brain for one hard piece, not as a general body shop. Primes and integrators bring us in when a program needs someone who has actually shipped real-time 3D, computer vision, or visual simulation, and needs it done right the first time. Because we do not sell a platform or a product, our advice is not steering you toward our own catalog. Because we are small and senior, you get the people who solve the problem rather than a layer of management over junior staff.
Programs we have contributed to
- US Army. We put OpenSceneGraph on HoloLens for the US Army's IVAS mixed-reality program, built the operator interface for the GEARS autonomous ground-vehicle program, and have contributed to immersive augmented-reality training for soldiers. This is the visual simulation and VR, AR, and xR work the Army actually fields.
- NASA. We have built lunar-landing simulation for the commercial lunar payload (CLPS) effort and on-orbit visualization for space domain awareness, planetary-scale rendering where the math has to be right.
NASA flight controllers in the ISS Flight Control Room, Johnson Space Center. NASA / Robert Markowitz (public domain).
- Department of Energy. We did extensive CAD simplification and optimization inside the open-source OSGWorks library, funded through Iowa State University, and we have built CAD, forensics, imaging, and subsurface-energy visualization for a Department of Energy national laboratory. That is our CAD and 3D graphics craft applied to government science.
- The defense and aerospace industrial base. Through primes and integrators we have contributed orbital situational awareness and MIL-STD-2525 symbology (our Nobori toolkit), synthetic-aperture-radar analysis, airborne terrain and synthetic vision, holographic and plenoptic display demonstrators, and safety-critical glass-cockpit rendering.
Why a small specialist fits government work
Government programs are full of hard, narrow problems a large prime would rather subcontract than staff. That is exactly where we live. We hold DLA DD2345 and ITAR registration, we work in open and closed-source codebases, and we are used to the constraints that come with export-controlled and mission-critical software. When the graphics, the vision, or the simulation is the part that has to work, we are who gets called.
Who works on it
AlphaPixel is a US-owned small business, founded in 2004, with senior developers who each have decades in real-time 3D, computer vision, and simulation. DLA DD2345 / ITAR registered. We take closed-source defense work and open source alike, and we do not sell a product, so our advice is not a sales pitch for one.
Frequently asked questions
Does AlphaPixel work on government and defense programs?
Yes, usually indirectly. We are rarely the name on the contract. We are the specialist a prime, a systems integrator, or a national-lab-funded university team brings in to solve the hard graphics, vision, or simulation problem holding a program up. We are a US-owned small business, DLA DD2345 and ITAR registered.
How does AlphaPixel engage on government work?
As a subcontractor, a team-augmentation partner, or the hired brain for one hard piece, not as a general body shop. Because we do not sell a platform or product, our advice does not steer you toward a catalog, and because we are small and senior, you get the people who solve the problem instead of a layer of management over junior staff.
Which government programs has AlphaPixel contributed to?
Work has reached US Army efforts (including mixed-reality soldier training and an autonomous ground-vehicle operator interface), NASA (lunar-landing simulation for the commercial lunar payload effort and on-orbit space-domain visualization), and the Department of Energy (CAD simplification in the open-source OSGWorks library funded through a university, plus national-lab visualization). All of it reaches the program through primes, integrators, or university teams.
Is AlphaPixel ITAR and DD2345 registered?
Yes. AlphaPixel holds DLA DD2345 and ITAR registration and works in open and closed-source codebases, comfortable with the constraints of export-controlled and mission-critical software.
Why choose a small specialist instead of a large prime?
Government programs are full of hard, narrow problems a large prime would rather subcontract than staff. That is exactly where we live. When the graphics, the vision, or the simulation is the part that has to work, a deep specialist is who gets called.
What kinds of problems do you take on for defense and aerospace?
Real-time 3D, computer vision, and visual simulation: orbital situational awareness and MIL-STD-2525 symbology, synthetic-aperture-radar analysis, airborne terrain and synthetic vision, safety-critical glass-cockpit rendering, and holographic and plenoptic display work.
Can you handle closed-source or sensitive work?
We routinely take closed-source defense work under DD2345 and ITAR. For code that cannot go to the cloud, we also run air-gapped, on-premise AI code audits so nothing leaves your facility.
Talk to us
Tell us what you’re building and where it’s stuck. We’ll tell you straight whether it’s something we can help with, and how we’d approach it.
Or see how we run consulting and software development engagements.
