MIXR is a multi-platform simulation platform designed to help engineers and software developers rapidly prototype and build robust, scalable, virtual and constructive, and stand-alone and distributed simulation applications. It has been used extensively to build applications that demand deterministic real-time performance. This includes applications used to support human factor studies, operator training, or the development of complete distributed virtual simulation systems. The Mixer Platform has also been used to build stand-alone and distributed constructive applications oriented at system performance analysis.
MIXR is a mature software simulation platform that has been in active development for over a decade. The framework includes interoperability interfaces to support the development of distributed applications, as it includes interfaces that support the Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) protocol. Numerous DIS compliant distributed simulation applications have been built using this framework as the foundation.
The platform is described in the book titled “Design & Construction of Virtual and Constructive Simulations Using OpenEaagles” (OpenEaagles was its previous name). This is one of the first modeling and simulation books published that focuses on the construction techniques of virtual and constructive performance-oriented high fidelity simulations.
Project News
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Release Candidate 1 Posted
Improving aspects of framework, how code is organized, etc… plus moving to 64 bits, improving premake files and moving towards visual studio 2022.
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Working on the Next Release
Not to be forgotten, renewed interest in this project has occurred.
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Working on the Next Release
Time has blessed us, as we revert back to this project to work on it some more - I am reluctant to say this is a final release, as renewed interest in this project has occurred.
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Working on the Final Release
We are diligently working on the final release of MIXR. Due to current interest, this will probably be the last release of MIXR before possibly moving to Rust and rehosting the capabilities it provides in Bevy.
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Working on Next Release
We are diligently working on the next release of MIXR. Due to current interest, we plan to “wrap up” and package current improvements into a release. Eventually we will “divide” or “partition” MIXR into two packages, 1) the simulation/models/physics of entities and interactions and 2) the graphical aspects of displaying a virtual world. The framework has always been organized this way, but explicitly breaking these aspects out into packages will 1) make it more obvious, and 2) significantly reduce the 3rd party dependencies current provided to build, compile and run non-graphical applications. This will also make it easy to put the core simulation aspects into a container for independent execution.
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Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022 Compatible ABI
MIXR has been compiled and tested using Visual Studio 2022 Preview 3 (which includes platform toolset v143) - it correctly converts the premake generated files (for 2019) and builds all example applications. This next release includes 64 bit 3rd libraries precompiled using Visual Studio 2019, which means it is compatible with 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022. Updated 64 bit binaries have been posted.
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Next Release is 64 Bit Visual Studio Ready
This next release of MIXR is focused on improvements and direct support for 64-bit Visual Studio compilation. Supplied pre-compiled 3rd party libraries will be compatible with Visual Studio 2015, 2017 and 2019. MIXR has been used and compiled (for a long time) in 64 bit Linux; this next release addresses compiling with Visual Studio. Also, the build script (used in Linux) has been significantly improved to compile the absolute latest dependency libraries.
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JSBSim Update
JSBSim model interface code has been updated to use the most current release (version 1.1.8). The Linux 3rd party source code and build scripts have been updated, as well as the associated model data files.
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Code Development
Code development in progress. Received several bug fixes which have been integrated. Testing for compatibility for Raspberry Pi 4 is under way - initial results are very positive! Also downloads page has been updated to reflect the development version of the code.
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Domain Name Change and Move to a Secure Website
We are changing the hosting website and the domain name for the MIXR project. We are now hosting the site using GitHub pages in conjunction with the Jekyll system to create the static content. The new domain name is mixr.dev which is a secure (https) site.
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Website Development
Website development for this project is underway; effort is focused on web hosting and website design. Time availability has been in short supply the past year, but now, for a variety of reasons, our focus has turned back to this project.
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Next MIXR Release
Work to release the next version is in progress; it will be directly supported for Visual Studio 2017 (x32) and Visual Studio 2019 (x64) with supplied compiled dependency libraries. It (as always) can be compiled and used within the Linux ecosystem. Much work has already been accomplished to improve the configuration of inputs associated with number values with numbers associated with a particular unit (i.e., quantities).
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Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 Released
Visual Studio 2019 is now available, testing with MIXR begins!
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Updates to 3rd Party Source Package
Several updates were made to this package; specifically, the build script, documentation (i.e., README), and dependencies (ZeroMQ, bison, and OpenSceneGraph). It is now included as part of the 18.01 release. Work has begun on the next set of improvements, slated for release early next year.
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MIXR Event / Presentation at Worldcomp 2018
MIXR presentation at Worldcomp 2018 happening tomorrow.
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MIXR Event / Users Group July 2018 - Details
This is the official call for papers on topics related to Military and Defense Modeling and Simulation. We encourage paper submissions concerning MIXR and MIXR-based applications.
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MIXR Platform v18.01 Released
This release includes a number of improvements in terms of overall platform organization and implementation.
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MIXR Event / Users Group July 2018!
There is a tentative plan to organize a session within the WorldComp 2018 conference for “mixed reality simulations” - in the military, they are often referred to as “distributed virtual simulations” or even Live, Virtual, Constructive (LVC) simulations due to the way they are assembled. The planned conference session is open to all the above!
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CentOS 7.4.x - GCC 4.8.5
MIXR has been tested with CentOS 7.4 which includes GCC 4.8.5; everything compiles, links and executes as expected. We strive to maintain compatibility with this important Linux distribution as it’s often accepted as an approved operating system to be used within certain facilities and/or operating environments.
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Fedora 27 - GCC 7.2.1 and Ubuntu 17.10 - GCC 7.2.0
MIXR has been tested with Fedora 27 and Ubuntu 17.10, which includes GCC 7.2.1 and 7.2.0 compilers, respectively, by default; everything compiles, links and executes as expected.
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Winter Simulation Conference
If you are attending the Winter Simulation Conference 2017, be sure to attend the military keynote speech on Monday, 4 December at 10 am. The title of the talk is “Military Simulation: A Ubiquitous Future” – it is oriented at defining the term “Mixed Reality” in the context of military simulation and highlights opportunities to leverage it for serious concerns, such as training, test support and exploratory analysis.
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MIXR Example Data and 3rd-Party Library Binaries for Visual Studio
The next release of MIXR is currently in the works. As part of this next release, a few high-level, organizational aspects will change as follows:
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Poll! Removal of serialize() Method from Class Definitions?
All MIXR classes include a method called serialize() that can be used to write and save object state data associated with input configuration parameters (i.e., slots). Using this feature, in theory, a subset of state data for each created object within an executing simulation application could be recorded and used to reset or restart an application at any given time with a degree of precision - a ‘checkpoint’ of sorts.
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Fedora 26 - GCC 7.1.1
MIXR was just tested with Fedora 26, which includes GCC 7.1.1 compiler; everything works without issue, as expected. The Linux install notes page has been updated to reflect Fedora’s move to ‘dnf’ to install packages.
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MIXR Platform v17.06c Released
This release presents the successor to the OpenEaagles project called the Mixed Reality Simulation Platform (MIXR). To facilitate the transition from OpenEaagles to MIXR, no API or functional changes have been made from the previous OpenEaagles release (v17.06a); all changes are associated with the renaming of project artifacts. This includes the name of include file paths (e.g., #include “mixr/base/Object.hpp” as opposed to #include “openeaagles/base/Object.hpp”), namespace (i.e., “namespace mixr” as opposed to “namespace oe”), and compiled libraries (e.g., “mixr_base” as opposed to “oe_base”).
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OE v17.06a Released
This release includes numerous relatively minor documentation improvements throughout the framework - no API functionality or changes have been made. This “a” version does fix a problem with one of the examples.
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OE v17.04 Released
This release includes a substantial number of updates and improvements. A major theme is the use of modern C++ paradigms and concepts (i.e., C++11/14/17) in conjunction with more use of standard library capabilities. The refactoring of existing code to embrace and leverage these concepts available in current compilers (e.g., Visual Studio 2013, 2015, 2017, GCC, Clang, etc.) is proving beneficial in many ways. Not only is the number of lines of code shrinking, but so-called RAII concepts are beginning to surface, and the general understandability of what exists, how it works, and how it’s initialized is more accessible. In a nutshell, we are striving to make the package more flexible and capable by removing complexity rather than by exposing new functionality.
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OE v16.11 Released
This release fixes a bug from the previous release and substantially improves the included Qt-based simulation example. We also improved the build script included with 3rd party source code to streamline compilation on CentOS 7 Linux distributions.
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OE v16.10a Released
Corrected a bug related to an “unused” macro unintentionally being used in a way not intended; GCC 6.20 compiler picked up on conflict and flagged code as in error (GCC 6.20 is installed by default with the Ubuntu 16.10 release). Lesson learned - macros stink and can be dangerous. Modern C++ compilers in general not only generate errors for C++ code that does not conform to the standard or syntactically make sense, but they also are starting to generate warnings if code quality or clarity of purpose is in question - this is a good thing.
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OE v16.10 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted. This release includes a few code corrections and adjustments to improve consistency. The major change for this release includes the renaming of include file extensions from *.h to *.hpp. This was done to make explicit the nature of file contents – namely, C++ declarations and/or template code. The practice of clearly differentiating C from C++ is not always done but is considered good practice within the community as it yields clarity of file purpose and other benefits. One particular benefit to moving this direction concerns code compilation using precompiled headers (e.g., compiling a *.h file to either *.pch or *.gch to improve performance) - if C++ code is found in a *.h file, a warning often results.
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OE v16.06 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted. This release includes a considerable amount of work poured into the framework over the past year. See included changelog for details. This release starts a steady transition to leveraging modern C++11 capabilities. It is fully supported by the Visual Studio 2013 and 2015 compilers, as well as modern versions of GCC and Clang.
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New Release in the Works
Expect a new release soon. A considerable amount of work has been in progress these past few months. Planned support includes Visual Studio 2015.
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OE v15.07 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted.
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Issues Addressed Leveraging Coverity
Leveraging Coverity’s static analyzer results, we have reduced “defect density” statistic for the entire OpenEaagles framework to only 0.12. To put this number in context, Linux, the gold standard in terms of quality benchmarks has a defect density of only 0.59 and typical proprietary code measures in about 0.68.
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Scanning Framework with Coverity
We have started using Coverity’s online scan static analysis tool as another quality check on the framework source code. The posted OpenEaagles project with analysis results at Coverity’s website can be found here.
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C++11 'nullptr' and 'override' Progress
After having spent a considerable amount of time manually working and nearly completing this effort, we come to discover clang’s automated modernizer tool. Clang is a compiling environment/system, and the modernizer is a supporting tool that can be used to convert, transform or migrate existing C++ code to use newer, modern programming features introduced in C++11. For example, the intelligent replacement of 0’s or NULL’s with ‘nullptr’ and the discovery of where the context keyword ‘override’ can be used are two such transformations. Specifically, the modernizer locates where to apply particular transformations and applies hem as directed.
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Adopting C++11 'nullptr'
We have started the process of adopting C++11’s nullptr throughout the framework. The introduction of this literal (of type std::nullptr_t) finally once and for all unambiguously defines a pointer as pointing at nothing. Previously, developers indicated this meaning by setting pointers to either the macro NULL (macros are bad!) or simply the integer value 0 (as done throughout openeaagles). Like override leveraging this literal improves code documentation and also helps prevent some interesting side efforts from occurring.
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Adopting C++11 'override' Context Keyword
We have embraced the C++11 defined context sensitive keyword override throughout the framework. Using override throughout the framework serves two important purposes; 1) it adds clarity and serves as a form of documentation to developers - by using it, overridden subclass methods are clearly distinguished from newly defined ones, and 2) it informs the compiler as to developer intent - meaning, it marks the method(s) that are intended to be overrides and not intended to define new ones that possibly inadvertently shadow base methods.
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Military Grid Reference System Transformations
Thanks to a nice contribution, we are adding support for the Military Grid Reference System. New capabilities will be in git repo within the next few days and included in next OE release.
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Clang++ / LLVM Compiler Supported
Framework and examples compile cleanly with Clang / LLVM compiling infrastructure. Clang++ did highlight a few virtual methods inadvertently being hidden in subclasses due to name scoping that will be corrected shortly.
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Adopting CMake Build System
We hope to fully adopt cmake as our build system for the next release of the framework. Moving to cmake provides several advantages including support for the most recent versions of Visual Studio, more visible user selectable compiling options, and it’s a valuable tool to implement continuous integration concepts.
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Fedora 21, GCC 4.9.x and More...
Just compiled the oe framework using GCC 4.9.x which is part of Fedora 21 Linux - everything checks out ok. As a result, the “Linux Notes” page has been updated to include more Fedora or “yum”-based installation instructions.
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FAQ Moved to Google Groups Forum
The frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on this website has been reformatted into individual forum topics. This ensures that answers to these questions are found along with other forum searches.
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Google Group Forum Established
A new Google Groups forum for OpenEaagles has just been established. Please post comments and/or questions at this new location. The old forum can still be searched and will be available in a ‘read-only’ mode until this transition is complete.
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OE v14.09 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted. In this release, several bugs have been squashed (due to user feedback) and much effort has gone into improving the code base itself by revising some existing code to adhere to more stringent coding standards.
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Prepping Next Release Continues...
We are planning on adding behavior tree modeling capability to the framework in this release followed by the inclusion of a substantial amount of work contributed by the Command and Control Laboratory at the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA) in Brazil (in the next release). ITA has extended some of the existing behavior modeling capabilities of the framework by providing interfaces to the Lua scripting language, the SOAR production system-based cognitive architecture and the CLIPS expert system.
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Prepping Next Release
The next release of OpenEaagles is due out soon. In this release, a few bugs have been squashed (due to Forum feedback) and much effort has gone into improving the code base itself by revising some existing code to adhere to more stringent coding standards. Expect a new release to be posted within the next few weeks. As always, progress can be followed on GitHub here.
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OE v14.01 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted. Much work has gone into the framework in several areas including the addition of a small, simple, reconfigurable 4 degrees of freedom aerodynamic model (i.e., perfect for autonomous control), new Factory classes for all of the libraries, a number of bug fixes, improved code formatting and documentation, and improved organization and naming of framework examples. This release also includes an experimental ZeroMQ-based network handler with the examples.
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Visual Studio 2013
OpenEaagles compiles cleanly with Visual Studio 2013, but, not all of 3rd party packages do, such as Google Protocol Buffers version 2.5.0. As soon as all 3rd party packages compile cleanly with VS 2013, an update of OpenEaagles3rdParty libraries will be posted.
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Prepping Next Release
The next release of OpenEaagles is due out soon. As always, much work has gone into the framework in several areas including the addition of a small, simple, reconfigurable 4 degrees of freedom aerodynamic model (i.e., perfect for autonomous control), a number of minor bug fixes, improved code formatting and documentation, and improved organization and naming of framework examples. Also planned is the inclusion of an experimental ZeroMQ-based network handler. This opens the door to a wide range of interesting networking capabilities.
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OE v13.07 Released
This release includes numerous improvements, support for Visual Studio 2012, and an updated vehicle interface class for a more recent version of JSBSim. Almost all of the 3rd party packages have also been updated.
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OE v13.01 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted.
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Linux Notes Updated
Updated the Linux installation notes page for Fedora and Ubuntu distributions.
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OE v12.09 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted. This new version includes mostly bug fixes.
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OE v12.07 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted. This new version includes a new data recording package that leverages Google’s protocol buffers technology for efficiently storing simulation data in a binary format. Also included is a new behavioral modeling framework for developing intelligent agents.
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OE v12.03 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted.
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OE v12.01 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted.
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OE v11.11 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted.
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OE Developmental Version Posted
The latest developmental version posted. Includes updates to Fox and FLTK GUI examples, some Makefile improvements for Linux, a more consistent set of inputs across several examples to demonstrate “out-of-the-box” DIS interoperability across simulations (see mainSim1, mainSim2, mainSim3, and mainSim4).
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OE v11.10 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted. This update includes 64-bit platform compatibility.
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OE v11.09a Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted. This update to v11.09 ensures player position (as calculated within a flat earth reference frame) does not exceed 180 degrees longitude (east or west).
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OE v11.09 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted.
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OE v11.08 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted.
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OE Developmental Version Posted
New developmental version posted. Functionality has been added to the OpenGL-based Display class so that rendered graphics can be saved as a bitmap file. For a demonstration of capability, open and execute the “mainw” example - press the “f” key. A file called “test.bmp” will be saved.
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OE Developmental Version Posted
New developmental version posted. The focus is on existing and new classes for navigation (Nav), predefined and user-defined earth models (EarthModel) and dead reckoning algorithms (NavDR).
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OE Developmental Version Posted
New developmental version posted. The most visible aspect of this version is a new OpenEaagles “glut” library that contains GLUT-specific graphics classes. This change promotes a cleaner separation of GLUT functionality from the more general OpenGL-based graphics toolkit. Also included in this release are two new applications that demonstrate how to display OE-based graphics using Fox and FLTK GUI toolkits.
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OE v11.07 Released
The latest stable version of OpenEaagles posted. Well tested with Visual Studio 2008 and 2010, Fedora 15 and Ubuntu 11.04. Package includes a host of improvements (see included changelog) and updated 32-bit 3rd party libraries for Visual Studio. This package also includes a current version of JSBSim.
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OE Developmental Version Posted
New developmental version posted.
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Linux Installation Notes
The Linux Notes section has been significantly updated to provide instructions for installing OpenEaagles on Fedora and Ubuntu systems.
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Visual Studio 2010 Service Pack #1 Released
Microsoft just released service pack #1 for Visual Studio 2010. Therefore, we will recompile all 3rd party libraries with this service pack installed. Expect a new developmental version to be posted shortly with an updated set of 3rd party libraries.
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OE Developmental Version Posted
New developmental version posted. Several refinements can be seen, one is support for Visual Studio 2010 and MinGW compilers. This version being posted is most definitely being refined in several areas especially for MinGW support - it’s being posted for those interested in seeing what’s in the works.
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Prepping Next Release
The next release of OpenEaagles is due out soon. Much work has gone into the framework in several areas, including an improved IR modeling environment, support for Visual Studio 2010, support for MinGW (this include Code::Blocks and CodeLite IDE support), a better set of GUI examples, etc. Expect a new developmental version to be posted soon.
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New HOTAS's
Got a chance to look, touch and mess around with the Thustmaster HOTAS Warthog and the Saitek PRO Flight X-65F Combat Control System today - initial impression “Wow!” - very nice sets of hardware for the money. We will ensure that configuration (input) files for OE examples are set up to support both.
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Fedora 14 and Ubuntu 10.10
A few changes to the Linux Makefiles have been made to ensure all examples compile cleanly with Ubuntu 10.10. A minor change to tutorial #5 is also included to illustrate how constructed objects can validate their data. This feature is leveraged by the OE parser to ensure input files are valid. The developmental version as of today reflects these changes and cleanly compiles with both Fedora 14 and Ubuntu 10.10.
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OE Developmental Version Posted
Latest developmental version of OpenEaagles posted. This version adds support for directed energy modeling and includes refinements in the IR modeling environment. The principal area of development is the refinement of the IR model environment with improved abstractions for both IR signature and IR atmosphere representation.
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OE v10.04 Released
Latest version of OpenEaagles posted. This version principally updates the previous stable by correcting minor inconsistencies and use of the LCreal datatype across the framework. Now LCreal can be defined as either a single (float) or double (double) datatype for math operations. Other updates include the addition of user method which allows users to process PDUs that are not handled by the default PDU handlers.
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OE v10.02c Released
Fixed a bug in the logger classes which prevented it from streaming simulation state data to a file. Also fixed time of flight calculation in the Weapon class.
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OE v10.02b Released
Fixed a flag set in the Linux makedef file to correctly specify which version of FTGL is installed on a Linux box. Added more printed I/O diagnostic information for a joystick device installed on a Linux box. See downloads page.
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OE v10.02a Released
Two issues addressed with this posting: 1) The integration of geodetic altitude has been fixed and 2) additional search paths to locate a Linux joystick device - Fedora 12 moved the default path. See downloads page.
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OE v10.02 3rd Party Package Fix
After 10.02 was posted a problem was found with the FTGL library supplied in 3rd Party dependency package. The problem is associated with a Visual Studio project setting called “Whole Program Optimization”. Without getting into a long discussion as to what it does and all of the wonderful advantages it offers in optimizing code across modules, the lesson learned is - leave the default setting alone!
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OE v10.02 Released
Latest version of OpenEaagles posted. See downloads page.
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OE Developmental Version Posted
A new developmental version of OE has been posted. We are getting ready to cut the next stable release.
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OE v9.07b Released
Updates to the latest stable version of OpenEaagles and tutorials now available. Click on the Downloads page.
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OE v9.07 Released
Latest version of OpenEaagles now posted on Sourceforge.
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JSBSim v1.0RC2 Update
Just after posting support for RC1, RC2 was released; OpenEaagles has been updated as a result. Only the 3rd party and examples files needed to change. Also, some minor compiling issues with the latest version of GGC included with Fedora 11 have been corrected.
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JSBSim v1.0RC1 Support Added
Latest developmental copy of the framework now includes support for JSBSim v1.0RC1. It is posted on Downloads page.
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OE Developmental Version Updated
Latest developmental version of the framework has been posted on the Downloads page.
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CIGI Class Library Support
Latest version of OpenEaagles in development now includes support for CIGI Class Library (CL).
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OE Development Area Created
The latest version of OpenEaagles in development is now posted on the Download page. Stable releases will continue to be posted to Sourceforge.
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Version Numbering Scheme Changed
After some discussion recently held between the core team and forum members, we decided to change the version numbering scheme used for OpenEaagles. This new scheme will follow the “Year.Month” style, also known as the “Ubuntu version scheme”.
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I/ITSEC 2008 Tutorial Slides
The slides used in the “Design & Implementation of Virtual Simulations” tutorial session at I/ITSEC have been posted. They can be found on the Documentation page.
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I/ITSEC 2008 News
We will be presenting a tutorial session titled “Design & Implementation of Virtual Simulations” at I/ITSEC this year. The session will be held on Monday, December 1 from 1030-1200 Room 414 CD. The tutorial will present a number of open-source projects such as the Virtual Terrain Project, SubrScene Image Generation Solution (IGS), CIGI, the poRTIco project, JSBSim and of course OpenEaagles. The focus is on building a virtual simulation leveraging these projects.
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OE v8.10 Released
Lots of details addressed in this version including our obsession with eliminating as many Visual Studio warnings as possible. The naming convention of input files has been changed. Files named with an extension of “.d” have been changed to “.epp” to indicate it’s an input file used in the process of building a final description. Final loadable input files previously named with an extension of “.dd” has been changed to “.edl”. EDL stands for Eaagles Description Language
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GUI Interface Examples Update
New versions of all the GUI example packages which includes FOX, both versions of FLTK and wxWidgets has been uploaded. They can be found on the GUI Support page.
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GUI Interface Examples
GUI examples and packages for FOX, FLTK (both versions) and wxWidgets are now available off the GUI Support page. All packages can be compiled for Windows and Linux. They demonstrate how to leverage these popular x-platform GUI frameworks with OpenEaagles simulation and graphics capabilities.
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OE v8.06 Released
A new version which rolls up all fixes found to date and breaks out the FOX, FLTK and wxWidgets GUI interface classes into their own respective packages has been posted. Fixes include support for 64-bit Linux, GCC 4.3 compilers and better adherence to coding standards in a few areas. GUI examples and packages will be available for download directly from the new GUI Support page soon. Starting with this version we have transitioned to the standard GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) to ensure maximum flexibility with code used in both open and commercial settings. See License page for additional details.
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OE v8.03 Released
A new version has been posted on Sourceforge. This version rolls up all fixes found to date and a few minor enhancements with regard to units (such as Angles, etc) and font handling. This version also includes is a terrain reader for the NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) digital topographic data. See the NASA site for additional details.
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PC Working Group Conference 2008
A 30 minutes briefing on OpenEaagles will be presented at the PC Working Group Conference in Las Vegas on April 9th.
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Forum Access a Little Slow
Access to the forum is a little on the slow side. I’ve pinged the web hosting service and they know about the problem. It works, you just have to be patient. Hopefully, it will be fixed soon.
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AIAA Newsletter Article
An article about OpenEaagles can be found in the January 2008 issue of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Modeling and Simulation newsletter. The newsletter can be found on the documentation page.
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Forum Now Open
A forum for the OpenEaagles project has been established. It can be accessed by clicking on the Forum link on the sidebar. Announcement, updates, fixes, and questions about the code base will be provided in the forum. Check it out!
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Virtual and Constructive Simulations Book Now Available
The book titled “Designing & Implementing Virtual and Constructive Simulations Using OpenEaagles” is now available for purchase both in paperback or hardcover.
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SimpleOtw Updated
The simple out-the-window heads-up display application “SimpleOtw” has been updated. The application utilizes a few components from OpenEaagles but primarily leverages OpenSceneGraph to draw the 3D graphics. It is now available on Sourceforge. The package now includes all third-party libraries “SimpleOtw3rdParty” from OpenSceneGraph to link against, and required Dlls to run. Everything was compiled using Visual C++ 2005 Express Service Pack 1.
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OE v7.12 Released
A new version has been posted on Sourceforge. This is the one referenced by the book titled “Designing & Implementing Virtual and Constructive Simulations Using OpenEaagles.” When compared to previous versions you will notice that we have specifically separated C++ source code implementation files (.cpp) from header files (.h). This facilitates the installation of header and library files in Linux (i.e. “make install”). Also of note is the removal of the “Lc” prefix in front of class names in the basic and basicGL libraries. Since OpenEaagles makes extensive use of namespaces, the legacy prefix is no longer needed. This has been compiled with Visual C++ 2005 Express Service Pack 1 and Fedora 8. Note: Visual C++ 2005 Express Service Pack #1 is an important service pack. All of the third-party libraries included in OpenEaagles3rdParty have been compiled using this version.
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I/ITSEC 2007 News
I/ITSEC 2007 was a great success this year for OpenEaagles. Special thanks to the CACI folks for providing us some booth space for an attractive display. The first printed copies of “Designing & Implementing Virtual and Constructive Simulations Using OpenEaagles” arrived via UPS the first day of the show. Talk about cutting it close! By the end of the show, we had sold out and started taking advance orders. Shortly we will be posting a new OpenEaagles version that compliments the book examples.
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I/ITSEC 2007 News
Stop by and see the variety of applications that can be built utilizing the OpenEaagles framework at I/ITSEC this year (Nov 26-29). Knowledgeable folks will be available to answer questions and development activities. We will also have copies of the new book titled “Designing & Implementing Virtual and Constructive Simulations Using OpenEaagles” on display (see below). We will be located in the CACI booth # 2731.
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Fedora 8 Released, Linux Notes Updated
The Linux Notes page has been updated. It now includes installation notes for the prerequisite FTGL, freetype and freeglut graphics libraries in order to build OpenEaagles. It also contains installation and compilation instructions for the CIGI interface and notes on the OpenEaagles GUI interface classes.
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Hot Off the Press, Almost
A new book focused on developing virtual and constructive simulations is in the process of being published by The Wright State Research Institute. It is titled the “Design & Construction of Virtual and Constructive Simulations Using OpenEaagles.” This 280-page book consists of eight chapters as follows: 1) Introduction, 2) Background on Modeling and Simulation, 3) Basic Data Types & Classes, 4) Crafting Simulation, 5) Constructive Simulation, 6) Input Language, 7) Developing Compliant Simulations and 8) Developing Virtual Simulations. To our knowledge, this is the first hands-on book to cover the design and implementation of both virtual and construction simulation applications. The book will come with example applications based off of the upcoming OpenEaagles version.
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Human Behavior Modeling
The paper titled “An Approach To Human Behavior Modeling In An Air Force Simulation” published at the 2005 Winter Simulation Conference has been added to the documentation page. It presents a multi-level approach to incorporating more realistic human behavior models into simulations. The intelligent agents are hosted and leverage the OpenEaagles framework.
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SubrScene Image Generator Now Available
The SubrScene visualization toolkit has been released into the open-source world. SubrScene has been used extensively as the primary image generator (IG) system for OpenEaagles-based applications. This includes driving single or multiple video displays (channels) and domes. A typical configuration for assembling an interactive virtual simulator consists of the execution of an OpenEaagles-based application (the simulation), coupled with an IG system, like SubrScene to drive scenegraph based visuals, such as heads-up displays. A good mix is to utilize OpenEaagles graphics capabilities to draw interactive operator displays such as heads-down devices with its rich set of instruments while tapping into SubrScene’s scenegraph capabilities to draw complex 3D visuals. With SubrScene’s SDK, scenegraph capabilities can be embedded into OpenEaagles-based operator displays.
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Linux Notes for Fedora 7 Added
A Linux notes page has been added to the site that contains a lot of useful installation tips when working with Fedora 7.
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Fedora Thread Issue Fixed
The threading issue with Linux has been fixed. Just download this new version of the Station class and replace it in the simulation directory. It will be incorporated into the next version.
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Fedora Thread Issue
It has been discovered that the OpenEaagles “network” thread is not running correctly with either Fedora Core 6 or the latest Fedora 7. We believe it has to do with how the new thread library is now implemented in Linux. A fix is in the works.
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Compatible with Windows Vista
OpenEaagles has been tested with Visual C++ 2005 Express and Windows Vista. Everything checks out ok. Note: In order to use Visual C++ 2005 Express with Vista a service pack from Microsoft is required.
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PC Working Group Conference 2007
A 30 minutes briefing on OpenEaagles will be presented at the PC Working Group Conference in Las Vegas on April 19th.
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ThrustMaster HOTAS Cougar Profile Loader for Linux Posted
The Thrustmaster HOTAS Cougar is a replica U.S. Air Force F-16 block 52 controller (stick and throttle). A Windows-only Control Panel is supplied with the Cougar to configure various options such as the use of the Microstick axes. Normally the Microstick cannot be read from Linux because it cannot be configured from Linux (no Control Panel exists to set them!). This released Linux application can read profile files (that yes, have been created with the Windows Control Panel) and configure the Cougar so that Linux applications can read the Microstick. This enables the high quality, reasonably priced HOTAS Cougar to be used more effectively with flight simulation applications. See the Hotas Cougar page for more information.
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Projects Page Established
With such an emphasis on frameworks, you might think we forgot about the projects and applications based upon OpenEaagles. Well, we didn’t, check out the new Projects page for an ever-growing list of interesting applications built using the OpenEaagles framework. A host of example applications is included with each OpenEaagles version as well.
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Wright State University Documentation Posted
Wright State University has posted a Doxygen-based set of documentation for OpenEaagles. They have reformatting much of the source code to facilitate comment and documentation extraction. This online set of documentation contains more information than our first cut with Doxygen. See the Documentation page for more information. WSU is also offering courses in simulation this Spring and Summer that will utilize OpenEaagles. More information to come.
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Apollo Command Service Module and Lunar Module in Orbit
Chris has been busy at work on a new application called “OpenSpace.” More information about this application can be found on the Projects page.
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OE v6.12 Released
This version includes both debug and release versions of the JSBSim model library for both Visual C++ 2003 and 2005. This version resolves an interesting issue with the use of STL in Visual C++ 2005. Apparently, when using the Standard Template Library (STL), Visual C++ 2005 expects applications compiled in debug mode to be linked to libraries compiled in debug mode if it uses STL. The same goes for release mode compiled applications. Much more discussion on this topic can be found in the newsgroups. So, to avoid the issue altogether, we have expanded our 3rd party libraries to include both
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OpenEaagles at ITEA
Sightings of OpenEaagles sporting a new TENA interoperability interface can be found at the International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA) Modeling and Simulation Conference in Las Cruces, New Mexico from December 11-14. Check out the Redstone Technical Test Center (RTTC) booth for details.
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A Busy Week Comes to a Close
Thanks to all those who visited our booth during I/ITSEC 2006. We were pleasantly surprised by the number of developers and companies already working with OpenEaagles and the interest by so many others. Make sure to report back on applications you build or any questions you encounter! So many questions were asked that we decided to start up an FAQ page. We are busy writing answers. Check back soon.
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OE v6.11 Released
This version includes the new 3D EADI instrument, a new example application (mainSim3) which uses it, and a CIGI interface for IG systems. With the example application driving the SimpleOTW application you can now “fly” around our recently released visual database. Note: For applications that utilize JSBSim and are compiled with Visual C++ Express 2005, please compile in Debug mode otherwise your application may fail. We hope to have a solution soon. December 1, 2006 Update! The problem with building an OpenEaagles based application linked with JSBSim under Visual C++ 2005 Express has apparently been solved. A new posting of OpenEaagles with a more inclusive set of 3rd party libraries will be posted soon.
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Visual Database & SimpleOTW Posted
The Portland, Oregon visual database and the SimpleOTW viewer application is now available for download.
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Portland, Oregon Visual Database
Our first open source visual database is in the works. It was created by Rob Subr and will be shown at I/ITSEC 2006 along with a simple out-the-window (OTW) application called SimpleOTW. Both the database and application will be posted on this site shortly. SimpleOTW was created leveraging OpenSceneGraph’s scene graph rendering capabilities and OpenEaagles for input file definition, parsing, and network support. If you happen to be at I/ITSEC, please stop by for a demo. OpenEaagles can be found on display in both booth #2077 and the General Dynamics booth #1815. We can also copy the database to your memory stick if desired. (It will save you time on the download as it’s over 100MB in size.)
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3D EADI Coming Soon
This new 3-dimensional Electronic Attitude Direction Indicator (EADI) will be included in the OpenEaagles instrument package soon. It should be on display at I/ITSEC 2006.
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More Documentation Posted
Documentation in the form of conference papers, presentations, coding standards, training slide sets, and online doxygen generated output has been posted.
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Visual C++ 2005 Express Installation Video
The first in a series of training videos has been released. Click on the “Videos” link for more information.
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OE v6.10b Released
Makefile improvements for Linux plus additional functionality added to Joystick device class highlight the significant changes in this release. Additional notes concerning JSBSim installation under Linux also included.
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Fedora Core 6
Just tested OpenEaagles installation and compilation with the newly released Fedora Core 6. Everything checks out ok.
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OE v6.10a Released
This update cleans up a few installation issues and adds JSBSim to mainSim1, mainSim2, and mainx9 example applications. Make sure to read the ReadMe.txt file in the 3rd party directory to properly install the correct libraries to link against if you are using Visual Studio.
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OE v6.10 Released
JSBSim interface class added to OpenEaagles vehicles library and JSBSim library added to 3rd party support packages for Visual C++ 2003 and 2005 Express. We still need to do some fine tuning, but it works. A simple example that exercises JSBSim is also in the works. Also, the Doxygen configuration files have been updated to generate optional collaboration diagrams.
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JSBSim Newsletter Article
JSBSim is a high-quality open-source flight dynamics model that, thanks to Chris Buell, will be available in the next version of OpenEaagles. Check out the summer 2006 issue of the JSBSIM Quarterly newsletter for details.
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We Have A Logo
Special thanks to Jamil Khatib for allowing us to lift some of the artistic ideas from the OpenTech Project (a distribution package for open-source EDA tools and hardware designs) logo to use in our own. Thanks again!
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OE v6.08a Released
General update of source code. Also thanks to Bob Pritchard we now have a Doxygen configuration file for OpenEaagles. More documentation to be posted soon.
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OE v6.08 Released
This version streamlines the installation process for users of Visual C++ 2003 and Visual C++ 2005 Express. A package of precompiled 3rd party support tools such as freetype, FTGL, freeglut, FOX GUI Toolkit, and FLTK has been supplied to greatly simplify a Windows installation. This version has also been compiled with GCC in Fedora Core 5.
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I/ITSEC 2006
Come see the variety of applications built utilizing the OpenEaagles framework at I/ITSEC (Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation & Education Conference). Knowledgeable folks will be available to answer your questions. A draft copy of a conference paper to be presented this year on the OpenEaagles architecture and framework is now available.
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Website and Sourceforge Project Established
This website and the OpenEaagles sourceforge project has been created to facilitate the distribution of software. This site will serve as the primary source for OpenEaagles news and information.
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Public Domain Release
OpenEaagles is based upon EAAGLES, a popular simulation framework developed and maintained by the U.S. Air Force to support a multitude of simulation activities. OpenEaagles is a subset of EAAGLES and has just been approved for public release.
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