A training simulator is only as convincing as the picture out the window, and the picture has to be right in ways the trainee never notices: the horizon in the correct place, the runway lights the correct intensity, the sensor view matching what the real seeker would show. We build the real-time image generation and scene software that drives simulators, trainers, and mission-rehearsal systems, including UAV and drone trainers, increasingly in the head-mounted displays that are part of our VR, AR, and xR work.
Most of this work sits on OpenSceneGraph, which we have shipped since 2004, and increasingly on Vulkan and VulkanSceneGraph as the field moves off fixed-function pipelines. We build image generators from scratch, extend existing ones, and rescue the ones that stopped compiling three toolchains ago. That includes hands-on work with MAK One, MAK's VR-Forces and VR-Vantage simulation suite, and with OpenIG, the open-source OpenSceneGraph image generator. We extend, integrate, and build on both. When a program wants a game-engine pipeline instead, we also build simulation and sand-table visualization in Unreal Engine, including a VR common operating picture driven by an external simulation.
Out-the-window and sensor views
The visible-light scene is the obvious half. The other half is sensor simulation: electro-optical, infrared, and night-vision channels that respond to material, temperature, and time of day, and radar and SAR views for seekers and synthetic-vision systems. A trainee flying an infrared approach needs the cold runway and the warm engines to look the way they will on the real display, or the training is teaching the wrong thing.
Correlated databases and terrain
Every view (out the window, the sensor, the moving map, the threat display) has to be drawn from the same world, or the simulation lies. We build correlated terrain and feature databases from real geospatial source, using the GDAL and osgEarth stack, so the mountain the pilot sees is the mountain the radar sees and the mountain on the map. The MIL-STD-2525 symbology drawn over that world, on the tactical and threat displays, comes from our Nobori SDK.
Interoperability
Simulators rarely run alone. We work with the standards that connect them: CIGI between host and image generator, DIS and HLA for distributed exercises, and OpenFlight and other model formats on the content side, so the system you build talks to the ones already in the building. We also bridge open and commercial simulators, for example integrating FlightGear with Bohemia and BAE's VBS (Virtual Battlespace).
Who works on it
AlphaPixel is a US-owned small business, founded in 2004, with senior developers who each have 25-plus years in real-time 3D and simulation. DLA DD2345 / ITAR registered. We take closed-source defense work and open source alike, and we do not sell an image generator, so our advice is not a sales pitch for one.
Frequently asked questions
What is visual simulation, and what does AlphaPixel build?
Visual simulation is the real-time picture that drives simulators, trainers, and mission-rehearsal systems: the out-the-window scene, the sensor views, and the moving map, all correct enough that the trainee learns the right thing. We build the image generation and scene software behind that, including UAV trainers and head-mounted-display systems.
Which image generators and simulation tools do you work with?
We work hands-on with MAK One (VR-Forces and VR-Vantage) and OpenIG, the open-source OpenSceneGraph image generator, and we extend, integrate, and build on both. Most of our work sits on OpenSceneGraph, which we have shipped since 2004, and increasingly on Vulkan and VulkanSceneGraph. When a program wants a game-engine pipeline, we also build in Unreal Engine.
Can you build sensor views, not just out-the-window?
Yes. We build electro-optical, infrared, and night-vision channels that respond to material, temperature, and time of day, plus radar and SAR views for seekers and synthetic-vision systems. A trainee flying an infrared approach needs the cold runway and warm engines to look the way they will on the real display, or the training teaches the wrong thing.
Do you build image generators from scratch, or extend existing ones?
Both. We build image generators from scratch, extend the ones you already run, and rescue the ones that stopped compiling three toolchains ago. That means you are not locked into a rewrite when a targeted fix or extension will do.
Can you make my simulator interoperate with other systems?
Yes. We work with the standards that connect simulators: CIGI between host and image generator, DIS and HLA for distributed exercises, and OpenFlight and other model formats on the content side. We have also bridged open and commercial simulators, for example integrating FlightGear with Bohemia and BAE's VBS.
How do you make the out-the-window view, sensor, and moving map match?
Every view has to be drawn from the same world, or the simulation lies. We build correlated terrain and feature databases from real geospatial source using the GDAL and osgEarth stack, so the mountain the pilot sees is the mountain the radar sees and the mountain on the map. MIL-STD-2525 symbology over that world comes from our Nobori SDK.
Can you use Unreal Engine or a game engine for simulation?
Yes. We build simulation and sand-table visualization in Unreal Engine, including a VR common operating picture driven by an external simulation, when a game-engine pipeline is the right fit.
How do we engage AlphaPixel for a visual-simulation project?
As a subcontractor, a team-augmentation partner, or the specialists for one hard piece of the image generator or database. We do not sell an image generator, so our advice is not a sales pitch for one. Start at our contact page.
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.
