Amherst Systems proposes to develop a real-time scene generation capability which combines the advantages of both geometry-based and image-based rendering systems. This capability shall be provided by extending the current capabilities of Amherst Systems' Real-Time Infrared Scene Simulator (RISS) to include post processing of the rendered scenes. The RISS shall be run at slower than real-time frame rates to provide time for the generation of high-fidelity images. Post processing of the rendered scenes will provide image pan, tilt, rotation and warping functions to support real-time interpolation of the synthetic images between the non-real-time samples. A phased approach towards the realization of improved real-time scene generation capabilities is proposed. The feasibility of the proposed approach shall be investigated under the Phase I effort. This initial analysis shall define the impact of post processing on image fidelity and rendering efficiency. Image processing algorithms and their range of application shall also be defined. A definition of the system requirements and top-level design will be based on the results.
