Subject: Freeware DIS Implement

From: Jerry Isdale <[email-masked]>
Date: 03 Jul 94 01:27:38 EDT

> Date:       6/28/94 5:39 PM
From: [email-masked] (Eyal Lebedinsky)
> Subject:    Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) standard
> 
> I though it may be appropriate to mention the
> emerging DIS standard that defines protocols for Distributed Interactive
> Simulation applications. This is the kind of protocols used for a while
> by the military in their Simnet, which had multiple simulators connected
> in real time.
> 
> There is no current (to my knowledge) free implementation of the DIS standard
> protocol, however the core is not that complex. I plan to implement it for
> 

Obviously, <g>, Eric has not read "What Is VR? A Homebrew Introduction and
Information Resource" (ftp://sunee.uwaterloo.ca/pub/vr/papers/whatisvr.txt, i
think), which contains the following paragraphs.....
--------
  The basic DIS protocol has been adopted as a standard for communication
between distributed simulations by the IEEE (IEEE 1278-1993).  Basic
information on DIS and SIMNET, including a C library to support the
communication protocol is available via FTP from the Internet site
taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil (pub/warbreaker/NPS_DIS...). Other contact points for
DIS include:

  Danette Haworth Institute for Simulation & Training 12424 Research Parkway,
Suite 300 Orlando, Florida 32826 (407)658-5000

  Defense Modeling and Simulation Office (DMSO) has an Internet site to support
Advanced Distributed Simulation Technology (ADST). The IP address is
137.249.32.17
Administrative Contact: Kevin Mullally 407.382.4580, Technical Contact: Brad
Mohning 408.473.4962
------
Hmm, maybe it doesnt have all that data, but it does have the NPSNET
information. There is also a new release of the NPSNET system V4.0 on Taurus. I
forget exactly where it is located, but there is a WWW (.html) file for the
system that gives directions. This is an excellent site to dig around in.  Be
warned that the V4.0 of NPSNET is heavily dependent on the Performer libraries
from SGI.  The communciation level (IEEE 1278-1993, aka DIS) is not part of
Performer, so it should be accessible.

Also, DIS assumes you have a TCP protocol stack for the lower comm layers.
There are a number of other assumptions that make it work really well for
multiple vechile simulations. However, it is not intended for, or appropriate
to,  applications with direct manipulation (glove) of the environment (pick
things up, etc.)

Jerry Isdale
Illusion Inc.
(author of "What Is VR" - with V3.0 in production)