Geometry and visual realism of ship models for digital ship bridge simulators

Abstract

This article addresses the main requirements and the process of creating the geometry of ship models that fulfil the highly demanding request for realism and performance of the virtual environments currently used in modern ship bridge simulators. It starts with a classification of the ships based on their role in the simulation and on the type of simulator used, and defines the main characteristics of the models. It also discusses the importance of a well-defined workflow and its impact on the modelling time and on the quality of the final product. The article provides contributions in the following areas: identification of the main requirements of polygonal models of ships for ship simulators; effective workflow for ship three-dimensional modelling and identification of most suitable modelling techniques for efficient creation of ship models. The study is supported by real examples of three-dimensional modelling of ships with different sizes and characteristics currently used by the ship manoeuvring simulator in the Centre for Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering of the University of Lisbon.