Working with the Australian Defence Simulation Office (ADSO) and Bohemia Interactive Australia (BIA), Calytrix Technologies today delivered the first version of their VBS to JSAF Gateway to the Australian Department of Defence.

VBS provides fully interactive, three-dimensional training systems with premium synthetic environments suitable for a wide range of military (or similar) training and experimentation purposes. Within the Real Virtuality engine, a participant views the virtual environment from the first-person perspective and is able to move, interact and otherwise operate as he or she would in real life. Participants may operate weaponry, drive vehicles, and fly aircraft within the simulation for any training or analytical purpose.

VBS is currently used by a number of military organizations worldwide, including the Australian Defence Force and the United States Marine Corps. Applications of VBS include collective training (e.g. combined arms, MOUT), individual training (e.g. helicopter loadmaster training, mortar training), experimentation and analysis, as well as terrain and 3D model visualisation and walkthroughs for AO familiarization and limited mission rehearsal. VBS2, an entirely new product currently under development and due for release in mid-2006, provides a greatly enhanced game engine and introduces a range of new features and improvements (www.virtualbattlespace.com/press_vbs2_iitsec.htm).

Using Calytrix SIMplicity® (simplicity.calytrix.com), Calytrix has created an agile DIS, HLA and 1516 Gateway for VBS; enabling participants immersed in the VBS Real Virtuality game engine to interoperate with existing military live, virtual, and constructive simulations. In preparation for major joint/coalition training operations, the first application of the new Gateway was an integration between VBS and the US developed Joint Semi-Automated Forces (JSAF) constructive simulation environment, allowing VBS participants to be immersed in a much larger (battalion level or greater) training exercise. The Gateway delivers two-way communications, allowing entities controlled in either VBS or JSAF to show up in both simulations simultaneously and for entities to move, shoot and destroy each other.

Calytrix, in collaboration with BIA, has already identified a number of new Systems Integration efforts and will be looking to extend its range of DIS, HLA, 1516 and TENA supported environments. For more information on the VBS Gateway or Systems Integration enquires please contact Calytrix Technologies at info@calytrix.com.