3D Tool for Physics-Based Weather Simulation in a Training Environment

High-end weather simulation tools currently available focus on the visual aspects of weather effects or predication modeling and can rarely interact with objects or aircraft in a simulation. Though this capability can be offered by large flight simulators, their costs are most often prohibitive. Fortunately, new advancements in the modeling and simulation industry have made it possible to create affordable PC-based simulators that can work with exterior data to support critical tasks without intense hardware requirements. PLANET LLC proposes to expand its current work on realistic physics-based 3D training tools to develop a new tool to simulate weather conditions. Using PLANET’s Hypercosm software and with experts in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) from its sister company, Orbital Technologies Corporation, the results from CFD analysis on aircraft under specific weather conditions would be used to feed Hypercosm 3D simulations with physics-based behaviors. The 3D simulation would be generated in real-time using the forces on the aircraft and the effects of different variables, such as wind speed and direction, would be shown. The delivery would be in Hypercosm’s web-based 3D format, meaning that simulations could be viewed at any time or place with computer access.