Bruce Damer, CEODigitalSpace Corporation343 Soquel Ave, Suite 70Santa Cruz, CA 95062Ph: 831 338 9400Email: bdamer@digitalspace.com

Digital Spaces (DSS)An open source 3D simulation platform for

space applications

Digital SpacesOpen Source Real-time 3D Modeling and Simulation

I. OverviewII. BeginnningsIII. Early Work

IV. Surface MobilityV. Demo – ESS STS-125

VI. Architectural OverviewAcknowledgements

I. Overview• Development funded by: NASA Ames, HQ & NASA Centers, ESA, Raytheon, Boeing, Adobe & numerous smaller entities • Predecessor work: 1998-2002, DSS development from: June 2003• Public Developer Release: digitalspaces.net Nov 2007• Applications developed: 24 projects and additional under contract• Awards: Techbriefs, Spinoff, SBIR lead commendation• Ongoing Users: NASA, European Space Agency, Univ Toronto, sysRAND, Humanspace, JHU/APL

II. Beginnings- In 1999-99, designing immersion through story in the Virtual Walk on the Moon with Apollo astronaut

Rusty Schweickart

Rusty Schweickart in Cyber Space - 1999

Rusty Schweickart in Outer Space - 1969

On July 20, 1999 Rusty Schweickart entered an avatar space as our narrator to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Apollo XI moon landing

This work was presented to NASA leading to the funding of DigitalSpace and Digital Spaces (DSS)

and the following Portfolio of Projects

III. Early work (2000-2003) - Modeling human/machine activities in Mars Analogs, BrahmsVE

utilizing Adobe Atmosphere, Clancey, Sierhuis, NASA ARC

BrahmsVE/SimHabModeling process

Video and other activity capture

Geographic model: waypoints

Brahms agent model

Object, gesture and agent 3D models

- Planning meeting, water tank filling, EVA prep

BrahmsVE/SimHab

BrahmsVE/SimHab

PSA Robot aboard a Virtual Space Station

PSA Robot aboard a Virtual Space Station

Shuttle Operations and ISS Construction

- Training environment for STS-114 (NBL) 2004

Educational Spacewalk Simulation- STS-125 Hubble Servicing Mission (May

2009)

IV. Surface Mobility- Mars surface modeling from orbital height data

and DriveOnMars MER simulation (2003-04)

DriveOnMarsDigitalSpace training environment for NBL

“Drive On Mars” lighting for night-day transition, basic modeling of vehicle systems, RAT instrument deployment

Lunar Surface Robotics- NASA ARC, Colorado School of Mines

(2004-2006)

Colorado School of MinesPrototype Lunar Bucket Wheel Excavator

DigitalSpace Lunar analog simulation of BWE

Lunar Bucket Wheel Excavator

Lunar Bucket Wheel Excavator

Raytheon CE&R studies- Telerobotically build a Lunar base (2004-2005)

Raytheon CE&R studies- Telerobotically build a Lunar base (2004-2005)

Telerobotic Lunar Outpost Construction – mission concept (animation)

Telerobotic Lunar Outpost Construction

Microsat Lander & LSAM Landing Dynamics

- NASA Ames Research Center, JSC (2006)

Microsat Lander & LSAM Landing Dynamics

Microsat Lander & LSAM Landing Dynamics

• Crater Rim (Sunlight Area) Exploration– Imaging of site from surface—time data

collection to correlate with LRO orbital images of same conditions (pan every 2 hours over 1 year)

– Geotechnical properties of lunar regolith (bearing strength, soil composition, cohesiveness, block and slope populations)

– Biological effects of radiation, reduced gravity over 1 year

• Crater Floor (Dark Area) Exploration– Physical environment and geotechnical

properties (temperatures, soil characteristics, etc.)

– Examine both surface and subsurface of cold trap region

– Volatile deposits: elemental and molecular composition, species abundance, physical state, distribution and extent; number of samples from varied locations in crater floor; locations and settings documented

Find the LightFind the Light

Touch the IceTouch the Ice

RLEP2 Lunar Rover Polar Ice Mission- NASA MSFC, ARC, JPL/TeamX

Model: Dawes Crater

As imaged by Apollo XV

Design challenge: traverse steep

crater wall on the Lunar south pole

RLEP2 Lunar Rover Polar Ice Mission- NASA MSFC, ARC, JPL/TeamX

RLEP2 Lunar Rover Polar Ice Mission- NASA MSFC, ARC, JPL/TeamX

RLEP2 Lunar Rover Polar Ice Mission- Virtual Lunar Hazard Yard

RLEP2 Lunar Rover Polar Ice Mission- Preliminary Design

RLEP2 Lunar Rover Polar Ice Mission- Final vehicle in hazard yard

2007 Project: Lunar Regolith Dig-Balovnev model, Matlab output

2007 Project: Lunar Regolith DigSurface mesh deformation – Nader, University of Toronto

Constellation to NEO trade study- modeling, visualization

Constellation to NEO trade study- modeling, visualization

Constellation to NEO trade study- modeling, visualization

Constellation to NEO trade study- modeling, visualization

Constellation to NEO trade study- modeling, visualization

Constellation to NEO trade study- publicity

Constellation to NEO trade study- modeling, visualization

Educational Spacewalk Simulation- STS-125 Hubble Servicing Mission (May

2009)

V. Demo

Digital SpacesOpen Source Real-time 3D Modeling and Simulation

VI. Architectural Overviewwith Peter Newman

Digital Spaces Philosophy

• Leverage the experience of existing open source components

• Provide Digital Spaces for free to encourage adoption o Encourage engine development by individuals and

commercial interestso Encourage content development by individuals and

commercial interestso Provide services doing engine and content development for

commercial interests• Modular design for flexibility

o Provide back and future compatibility with clearly defined module interfaces

o Allow easy expansion and development, including component replacement, without breaking compatibility

Libraries used

• OGREo Cross platformo Multiple render systems for maximum compatibilityo Fast and efficient implementationo Free to develop and distribute

• ODEo Free to develop and distributeo Platform independent

• Pythono Cross platform o Wide range of additional librarieso Fast implementation

3D Authoring Packages Used

• 3D Studio Max• Other packages with Ogre exporters

Modular design

• Implementation is abstracted, allowing future replacement without breakageo For example, Physics_Gangsta was replaced with

Physics_ODE• Modules wrap libraries, leveraging existing development and

allowing addition of compatibility/adapter code

Loosely heirachal design

• Allows programatic control over all aspects of the system• Provides useful midlevel interfaces for reducing complexity

Module descriptionScript_Python Embeds a Python interpreter in Digital Spaces to provide a Rapid Application Development layer for Space specific logic. AgentManager Implements the control logic for a range of predefined Agent types (semi autonomous conceptual entities).  SGManager Provides a higher level coordination between other Components that involve a 3D scene graph. Responsible for parsing Scene files, and for connecting physics to graphics. Physics_ODE Provides rigid body physics simulation. 3DVisuals_OGRE Provides 3D rendering, including model, texture and particle system loading (and others).

Module descriptionUserInput_DirectInput Provides user input to the system. This includes keyboard, mouse and joystick, or any other DirectX supported device.VehicleAgent_Control Connects user input to control of a specific type of Agent.GUI_CEGUI Provides a 2D overlay UI over 3DVisuals_OGRE. CorePerforms component loading, initial inter-component communication, and work scheduling.

Not shown: All file resources are loaded through DataResource module. Allows abstraction of resource locations and types. Integrated with Core to allow initial resource loading.

Visual Content Work Flow

How visual content is processed in Digital Spaces

Space file is parsed by CoreConfiguration data is passed to appropriate components.

Scene file is parsed by SGManagerBased on the configuration data, the SGManager uses the DataResource Manager to load the Scene file, and parses it.

Heirachal objects are createdAs the scene file is processed, heirachal objects are created in the SGManager, their representations are created in any component implementing DISGRepresentative, and configured with any type specific information.

Leaf objects are createdWhen the end of a heirachal branch is reached, "leaf" objects are created in the SGManager, their representations are created in anything inmplementing DISGRepresentative, and configured with any type specific information.

Visual object creation   Visual objects (such as meshes) are created as part of creating the SGManager leaf objects. The DataResource Manager is used to load any required model resources, and are parsed and instanced in OGRE.

Positional information is appliedInformation that is common to the SGManager objects, specifically positional, orientation and scale information, is applied to the SGObjects, and thus their representations.

Summary:DigitalSpace DSS modular plug-in architecture(roadmap)

This work was funded by NASA Ames Research Center and other NASA Centers through various federal and subcontractor contracts. Special thanks to Pete Worden for supporting the public outreach direction of this work.For further information and use please contact:Bruce Damer, CEODigitalSpace Corporation343 Soquel Ave, Suite 70Santa Cruz CA 95062Ph: 831 338 9400Email: bdamer@digitalspace.com

Acknowledgements