The design of today’s visual systems is clearly different from those of years gone by. With flight simulation visual systems having led the way for real-time computer graphics for years, it was entirely natural, (and arguably necessary) for both the hardware and software to be custom designed for our applications. However, over recent years technology has developed faster than many of us thought possible, with expectations of performance, reliability, and ease of use being set by our customers’ experience at home with consumer equipment. The result has been a shift towards the use of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) elements in visual systems.

As is the case with much of simulation, every decision implies tradeoffs. This presentation will examine the challenges and benefits related to the use of COTS, and consider where we are heading.

Andrew is currently Manager, Systems Engineering within Global Development Engineering at CAE, responsible for display engineering and system architecture for visual systems. He started at CAE in 1983, and has since held a variety of positions at CAE involving display system design, system architecture, project engineering, product management and other areas associated with flight and visual simulation. He received a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario in 1983.

He lives in Montreal with his wife and two boys, enjoying all that the city has to offer. He has a great interest in aviation, applied these days to radio controlled airplanes, helicopters, and multicopters.