C-Radiant is an add-on module that provides physics-based spectral rendering and autogain, noise and sensor special effects for Aechelon Technology's pC-Nova image generator using advanced shader technology, without any need for hardware post-processing sensor solutions. Together with Aechelon Technology's C-Genesis geo-specific database architecture and tool set, C-Radiant spectral rendering allows the use of a single, common run-time and database for any existing or future sensor. Material descriptions in the database are defined not for just for one band but across the spectrum, enabling the generation of correlated multiple sensors such as Night Vision Goggles (NVG), Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR) and Radar. This ensures perfect mutual correlation on a per-pixel level at 60Hz between the Out-The-Window and all sensors. The use of COTS platforms with its pC-Nova and C-Radiant products has enabled Aechelon Technology to deploy geo-specific, multi-spectral, full-mission visual systems in less than six months from contract award to acceptance.
C-Radiant features true spectral real-time rendering per each texel, instead of per vertex, providing an improvement of several orders of magnitude in level of fidelity of the sensor rendering. The full radiance equation, using a normal terrain vector per texel for both emissive and reflective components, is computed with multiple materials on each texture element, enabling the use of the currently available surveillance resources to their full extent. Additionally, C-Radiant employs state-of-the-art spectral atmospheric modeling in real-time proper visibility and irradiation is computed per sensor, based on the spectral response, altitude and attitude. C-Radiant also provides proper sensor specific effects for lights, plumes and weapons.
C-Radiant provides the state of the art in both stimulated and simulated NVG, with rendering of diffuse lighting, including directional and ambient radiance, real time shadows, near IR diffuse reflectance of the sky and moon lighting and IR flares. NVG specific effects, with perfect correlation with the OTW and other sensors, are provided at very high resolution and 60hz. C-Radiant effects include: autogain, noise, non compatible lighting halos with constant screen size, accurate distance attenuation and proper line of sight occlusion, halos accumulation and blooming, city glows, cloud layer reflection/scattering, moon glows and stars ephemerides. Aircraft cockpit with HUD FLIR is also included using Inter-Sensor Fusion.
C-Radiant has also been deployed for multiple FLIR sensors in addition to the reflected radiance, it also performs the computation of the solar loading to properly add the emissive thermal component, dominant in the FLIR spectrum bands. This includes per-texel directional computation of thermal solar/wind cycle load, thereby providing the proper thermal emissive component to the rendering. To further increase the simulation realism, the true Spectral Black Body computations are also performed per texel, including multiple materials per texel. This simultaneous single pass emissive and reflective FLIR is ready for training in large area geo-specific databases at very high resolution and 60Hz.
Radar simulation with C-Radiant is deployed seamlessly using Aechelon Technology's plug-in module for the Camber Radar Toolkit. This module provides real-time paging and interpolation of the multispectral database and affords direct import into the radar simulation without lossy and costly exports/imports to OpenFlight/DFAD, thus maintaining absolute per texel correlation between the radar. In this way, the highest density of aspect and material richness is preserved allowing real time RGBM and sub-foot Expanded/SAR modes operation with unlimited number of cultural features as well as moving models.
C-Radiant in combination with the available spectral rendering technology, has fielded devices that go beyond multiple sensors correlated per-pixel into an unprecedented Inter-Sensor Fusion simulation. Deployed examples feature fully- simulated NVG, which incorporate a live sensor fused FLIR channel as found in the HUD of the aircraft. This proven technology paves the way to minimize risks in next-generation training and engineering such as image generation for helmet integrated off- axis HUDs, which would incorporate multiple sensors, establishing a new milestone in sensor fusion and aircraft in the loop simulation. Aechelon Technology image generation technology has deployed trainers that include the integration of related Display Computer and Mission Computer functions. Furthermore, Aechelon Technology products have been developed and to provide Operation Flight Program (OFP) independent image generators while including HUD and correlation of tracking symbology.
C-Radiant, with its implicit per-pixel correlation and sensor-independent database is available for physics based simulation of multi-sensor pods such as the Rafael Litening II or ATFLIR. True spectral response for both CCD and FLIR sensors is supported in real-time using the proven multi-sensor system architecture with its own autogain and noise characteristics.
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C-Radiant technology is ready for training and it is not only the best technical solution but also the lowest risk. Stock databases such as the Southwest US, truly geo-specific for all sensors, feature 10x10 degrees with sub-meter resolutions in OTW and 64bit/texel for sensors including high detailed airfields and extensive target list, are available today. Refer to Aechelon Technology's pC-Nova data sheet for details of the pC-Nova run-time environment and the C-Genesis data sheet for information about Aechelon Technology's multi-spectral database tools.