Tempest is XPI Simulation’s software package specifically designed for the vis-sim industry to provide a common interface to a wide range of image generation hardware. This includes XPI Simulation hardware: P10+ and Fabriano as well as most standard OpenGL graphics cards.
Tempest API animates 3D worlds quickly and effectively and is made up of simple yet wide-ranging commands facilitating advanced application development.
Screenshot demonstrating marine effects available on Tempest Screenshot showing particle effects
Tempest features:
- Large database management, known as Terrain Paging
- Level of detail support including fading between levels and continuously adaptive terrain
- Marine calls such as rotor-blade downwash, ship's wakes and dynamic sea states
- Atmospheric effects such as falling rain, fog and snow
- Advanced features such as collision detection, which allows the user to interact more realistically in a 3D world
- Software based image warping and edge blending
- Global and local light sources including advanced shader based lights
- Built in weather effects
- Ephemeris model including 9000 stars
- Mission functions such as collision detection and terrain following
- Explosion effects such as smoke, fire and flames
- Open database format
- Inbuilt spherical and cylindrical warping
- Multi-platform support for Windows, OpenGL, Direct X or hardware specific
- Low processor requirement
- Multi-channel operation from a single PC
- Multi-window support per channel
- Anti-aliased light points
- Unlimited degrees of freedom
- Multi-texture effects such as projected textures of landing lights
- Fully synchronised multi-channel support
- Overload management ability
- Autopilot objects
- Real time prototyping i.e. interaction with the visual 3D scenario during development
- Sensor simulation
- Over 1000 moving objects supported
- Photographic backgrounds option
All these features merely highlight the versatility of Tempest.