21st CENTURY SIMULATION TECHNOLOGY
By Julian Nettlefold, Editor, BATTLESPACE
BATTLESPACE meets Ross Smith CEO of Quantum3D
Ross Smith, Quantum3D Co-founder and President, started his career in developing advanced computer graphics in 1990 at Silicon Graphics. Seeing a huge market he started 3D Effects in1993 a company providing advanced 3D computer graphics for the gaming industry. He took the company public in 1997 with a staff of 3-400 people. It was eventually bought by Invidia for $400m.
In the late nineties Ross had a number of calls from Lockheed Martin and Boeing for 3D graphics for their avionics applications, he thus spun-off Quantum3D in 1997. Kaiser Electronics and Allied Signal also used the company’s products which are now on most advanced fast jet aircraft including F-16, F-22, B-2, KC-135, AV8B and Eurocopter.
Quantum3D is the leading developer and manufacturer of Commercial-Off-the-
Shelf (COTS), open-architecture realtime visual computing solutions for the Visual and Sensor Simulation and Training, Embedded Visual Computing and Embedded/Deployable Training markets. Quantum3D combines the most advanced merchant server, desktop and mobile PC and handheld technologies with unique, advanced, value-added hardware and software technologies to deliver the highest-value COTS Image Generation solutions, software and synthetic environment content for VSST applications and unique Tactical Visual Computing Systems, Graphics Subsystems, Development Software and integrated training platforms for the avionics, vetronics, C4ISR and E/DT applications.
The company now has a turnover of over $25m and has established a lead in 3D graphics for simulators in particular, supplying systems to many manufacturers including Lockheed Martin for the CATT.
In 2000 Ross saw an opening for the development of compact high-powered computers for military use and thus developed the Thermite range.
Quantum3D’s Thermite® TVC-2.0 family is the first small form-factor tactical computing product line to bring realtime visual computing into deployed environments. Today’s first responder and battlefield environments increasingly rely on graphics and video-intensive C2, C4ISR and sensor fusion to display information needed for decision makers and operators. Until now, such applications have been the exclusive province of desktop workstations limited to benign environments and large form factor backplane systems.
Thermite Tactical Visual Computers enable advanced 2D/3D graphics and video-intensive applications to be deployed in man-wearable and vehicle-mounted environments. Thermite TVC-2.0 combines advanced CPUS, mobile graphics and Mil-Spec packaging with conduction cooling in a family of low-cost, open architecture, ruggedized PCs that uniquely balance size, performance, power efficiency and features.
In March 2007 at the AUSA Fort Lauderdale meeting, Quantum3D, Inc. announced three new small form-factor computers, Models 6300, 3500 and TL, will join the Thermite TVC-2.0 family which currently includes the Model 1000 and Model 2000 series units—both of which have been widely adopted for deployed visual computing applications. These multi-role, realtime, 2D/3D COTS Tactical Visual Computers have been specifically designed to support realtime visual computing applications in both vehicle-based and man-wearable deployed environments.
Thermite TVC-2.0 Model 6300. The Thermite TVC-2.0 6300 was designed for operation in ground vehicles, aircraft and naval vessels where Mil-Spec ruggedization and rapid insertion and removal capabilities for security and mission specific data updates are required. The Model 6300 operates in conjunction with a companion Vehicle Mounting Dock (VMD) which features an integral, rugged blind-mate connector and a host of available vehicle-specific I/O capabilities, including Mil-Std-1553A/B and CANBUS, and a range of rotating and solid state drive options. The Model 6300 may be quickly removed with on