Title :
A 3D perspective for radar cross section visualization
Author :
Preiss, Bruce ; Tollefson, Lt Col Mark ; Howard, Robert
Author_Institution :
Nichols Res. Corp., Albuquerque, AL, USA
Abstract :
A three-dimensional (3D) interactive visualization tool has developed to display and help analyze the radar cross section (RCS) of any target of interest. This software currently runs on a Silicon Graphics workstation and provides a consistent orientation reference by displaying a reduced size visual image next to the generated 3D RCS. The interface provides smooth rotation along multiple axes through keyboard inputs and includes an optional sphere of selectable radar return magnitude which can be superimposed using the mouse. This sphere is useful for relative comparisons or quantitative measurements of the data. The development of this software is discussed along with the importance of the underlying reference mesh. 3D RCS objects have been generated for a typical airborne and ground target to demonstrate the capabilities of the software and illustrate the relative effects of the mesh improvements. The analytical observations and generalizations for these radar return data sets are discussed
Keywords :
computer graphics; computer vision; data analysis; military computing; radar cross-sections; radar target recognition; spaceborne radar; 3D perspective; Silicon Graphics workstation; airborne target; ground target; interactive visualization tool; keyboard inputs; multiple axes; orientation reference; quantitative measurements; radar cross section visualization; radar return data sets; reduced size visual image; reference mesh; rotation; selectable radar return; software; Graphics; Keyboards; Mesh generation; Mice; Radar cross section; Radar imaging; Silicon; Three dimensional displays; Visualization; Workstations;
Conference_Titel :
Aerospace Conference, 1997. Proceedings., IEEE
Conference_Location :
Snowmass at Aspen, CO
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-3741-7
DOI :
10.1109/AERO.1997.577624
