Version 5.0 - Tools for Deterministic Performance

Key features and enhancements in Vega Prime 5.0 provide better performance within your visualization and simulation applications through improved utilization of system resources, better handling of data, and more effective tools that enable users to clearly identify bottlenecks that could affect performance. Vega Prime delivers cross-platform, 60hz deterministic air and ground simulation applications that are completely customizable, scalable, and leverage open standards such as CDB and OpenFlight™.

Updated Statistics Display and Gathering Tools

Performance statistics are now easier to read as well as more accurate in identifying and diagnosing performance bottlenecks, whether they are based on scene content, runtime configuration settings, or hardware. This capability allows you to get your application up and running quickly ensuring the highest performance possible.

CDB Paging Improvements

A new paging strategy now allows for improved performance by parallelizing the creation of content in the scene from the CDB data on disk.

Resource Management Improvements

Numerous improvements have been made to improve Vega Prime’s utilization of the available system resources available. Vega Prime now supports configurable resource management for textures, vertex buffer objects (VBO), and shader applies, allowing the user to stabilize the overall draw time. Improved state sharing significantly reduces the chance of detrimental memory growth and performance and stability issues associated with running out of memory. The performance of the memory allocators has been enhanced in Linux resulting in much more stable thread behavior ultimately yielding more predictable frame rates. Users also now have the ability to specify a thread priority and processor for many additional service threads in LynX Prime providing greater flexibility in configuring the system for efficient processing and stable frame rates.

Swap Synchronization Support in Vega Prime for NVIDIA® Quadro Based Hardware

Vega Prime now provides native configuration and support for synchronization of swap buffers from multiple channel/application windows which allows for frame-accurate synchronization of displays while utilizing hardware to minimize latency and provide synchronization to the same pixel rate ensuring the output pixels are in complete lock-step across multiple channels.

Version 5.0 - Add More Realism to Your Ground-Level Simulations

Vega Prime 5.0 includes new features that allow you to deliver more realism in your simulations, as well as maximize re-use of existing content by enhancing your existing databases. With support for SpeedGrass™ technology from IDV and improved Hyper-Texure Support, higher resolution imagery and ground-level content can be added to your applications without having to invest in new imagery, saving you time and money.

SpeedGrass Support on OpenFlight Databases

Now included with the SpeedTree® for Vega Prime module, which provides features that facilitate the definition and rendering of high density trees within a Vega Prime application, is the ability to generate wind-driven grass effects on OpenFlight databases using SpeedGrass technology from IDV, allowing you to add more realism to your simulation in situations where the viewpoint is near the ground.

The image below shows SpeedGrass in Vega Prime.

Material-Based HyperTexure Support on CDB Databases

Vega Prime not only supports the use of very high resolution geo-specific imagery, but also provides the ability to actually increase the detail available through the use of additional geo-typical levels of imagery. It is now possible for users to apply multiple Hyper-Textures to a CDB database, with the ability to configure the texture to apply based on the material classification at any given location. This provides more realistic scenes, automatically, based on the existing material data in the CDB.

The image below shows Marine and Hyper-Texture in a CDB database.

The first image below depicts a road in a database being viewed without Hyper-Texture. The second image is the same road being viewed in Vega Prime with Hyper-Texture. Click on the images to enlarge them.

Version 5.0 - Industry-Leading Operating System Flexibility and Productivity

The addition of support for 64-bit Windows 7, Common Database (CDB on Linux, and geo-centric TerraPage database format make Vega Prime 5.0 one of the most flexible and adaptable 3D visualization toolkits available on the market today. Maximize interoperability, reusability, and cost savings by leveraging open standards across a wide variety of platforms, giving you even more power to create your own custom visualization applications.

Windows 7 64 bit Support

Vega Prime now supports the use of the 64-bit Windows 7 Operating System with the VC9 compiler. Platform support for Vega Prime 5.0 includes the following;: Windows 7 32-bit VC9, Windows 7 64-bit VC9, Windows XP Pro 32-bit VC9, and Linux 64-bit.

CDB Support on Linux

Presagis Visualization products include as a core capability the loading, paging, and rendering of the scene content natively in CDB (Common Database) format. CDB is now supported in both the Microsoft Windows, and Linux OS in addition to the existing support of OpenFlight, MetaFlight, and TerraPage databases. CDB dramatically improves the maintainability and reusability of content by providing a means to use source data directly in many applications without modification to the database itself.

Improved HTML Help Viewer

Vega Prime 5.0  uses the system default web browser which improves the overall readability as well as search capability available when using the HTML Help or Reference pages.

Geocentric TerraPage Support

Vega Prime now supports TerraPage archives using a geocentric coordinate system, a capability which was added in a recent version of Terra Vista. TerraPage now supports round earth projections offering better precision and improved large area support.

Support for GLSL

Vega Prime now uses the GLSL shader language instead of Cg® internally which provides increased flexibility for users.  Users may still use their own shaders written in whichever language they prefer to replace default Vega Prime shaders.

Version 4.1.1 - Improved Industry Standard Support

Common Database (CDB) Marine Support

Vega Prime provides the loading, paging, and rendering of the scene content in CDB format as a core capability. The Vega Prime Marine module is now supported in CDB and provides a high performance native wave model that allows for the control of sea states, including distributions of direction, height, wavelength, and alignment with the wind.

Support for 32-bit Windows 7 Operating System

Vega Prime now supports the ability to operate on Windows 7 OS platforms.

Version 4.0 - Improved Industry Standard Support

Maintaining support for new and existing industry standards, Vega Prime now offers out-of-the-box integration with the following standards:

CDB Support

Vega Prime provides the loading, paging, and rendering of the OTW (Out The Window) scene content in CDB format as a core capability. CDB dramatically improves the maintainability and reusability of content by providing a means to use source data directly in many applications without modification to the database itself.

DIS/HLA Support

Vega Prime includes the integrated support for the DIS/HLA communication protocols. This capability is included in the base configuration of the product, includes support for Windows and Linux platforms, and is compatible with both MÄK and Pitch RTIs.

Version 4.0 - Visualization and Aesthetics Improvements

New features have been developed to provide improved realism, training value, and usability, including:

Rotor Effects

Vega Prime provides the ability to easily create, define, and render helicopter-based special effects. Users can quickly and easily define and represent blade, rotor wash, and rotor dust effects.

Dynamic Shadows Enhancements

This capability provides the ability to include dynamic shadows in the scene based on either the celestial bodies (sun/moon) or a user-defined light source. The ability to define shadows based on a user-defined light source gives increased control and flexibility to the types of applications that can benefit from the use of dynamic shadows.

Improvements for Terra Vista Generated Content

Improved workflow and performance is delivered specifically to address Terra Vista generated content that includes Smart Mesh technology. Smart Marsh provides users with the ability to match terrain tile edges along multiple LODs, preventing cracks and visual anomalies in the database.