Navy SPIDERS3D Web-based Virtual Environment
Project:
SPIDERS3D Collaboration Walkthrough for Facility Planning
Collaboration for world-wide planning of harbor and facility use is challenging. SPIDERS3D allows multiple users across the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) enterprise to conduct real-time 3D collaboration over the web on their desktop.
The Challenge: Collaboration for world-wide planning of harbor and facility use is challenging. SPIDERS3D allows multiple users across the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) enterprise to conduct real-time 3D collaboration over the web on their desktop. The platform currently contains more than 100 virtual real-world installations at various bases and locations, withover 300 different user-selectable 3D models of ships, aircraft, robots, shore equipment, infrastructure and facilities.
Solution
Naval Enterprise engineers and planners use the SPIDERS3D tool to support major defense acquisition programs by visualizing platform-to-shore interface design concepts. Identifying potential incompatibilities and risks early in the design process has powerful benefits that enable earlier consideration of program alternatives for installations worldwide. The Web-based Extensible 3D (X3D) Graphics technology utilized in SPIDERS3D provides a framework to increase 3D data interoperability. X3D is a royalty-free, open-standard file format and run-time architecture to represent and communicate 3D scenes and objects using extensible markup language. The X3D Graphics International Standard enables repurposing and visualization of other 3D data. The entire approach is complementary with emerging digital-thread technologies such as 3D scanning and 3D printing.
Additional Considerations
The strategic need for increased agility and creativity in technical-coordination activities across the enterprise has never been more important in this time of COVID-19 forced isolation. SPIDERS3D provides a ready, scalable capability to sustain remote connectedness for the Navy via the Web. Our demonstration video includes both recent and 5-year-old models, confirming the long-term power of this approach.
Developer Link:
Don Brutzman NPS, Alex Viana NAVFAC, Mike Russalesi Synergy Software Design
Products Used:
Synergy Software Design (SSD) produced this server-based application using X3DOM, HTML, X3D and JavaScript
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