Simulation Software Solution Does the Math.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 01 November 2000
• Author: Kutner, Joshua A.

'Object-oriented' models let engineers manipulate military vehicle designs

One significant challenge in developing an effective simulation isbeing able to predict the behavior of the objects being duplicated. Animated objects are particularly difficult because their behavior is unpredictable. However, the behavior of inanimate objects or machines can be determined through a series of mathematical equations.

A case in point is the simulation used to train military pilots. There is a puch from the Defense Department to make all helicopter cockpits standard, said Don Johnson, vice president of marketing for Global Majic Software, manufacturer of 3DLinx, a simulation software product.

"3DLinx takes advantage of [established industry standards] to bring [simulated] models [such as helicopter cockpits] to life by making them independent objects that have unique behaviors and characteristics," according to company literature. These industry standards are Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM) architecture and ActiveX technology. This means programmers do not need to know how to do 3D programming to work within 3Dlinx.

COM is the basic architecture of the simulation, and ActiveX is the defined object model built on top of that architecture, said Johnson.

Global Majic Software, based in Huntsville, Ala., builds 3D simulations, visualizations and training environments for...