Fusion for VBS3 Launched
SimCentric Technologies is proud to announce the launch of the Fusion API for VBS3. Fusion for VBS3 3.2 incorporates cosmetic changes to its structure in relation to its predecessors. We have taken note of the comments sent over by our extensive user network and have revamped the structure of the API and related documentation accordingly to better suit user requirements. We are also glad to announce that we have resolved the namespace conflicts related to the use of the C++ standard (std) namespace. 
 
All customers with active support for VBS2Fusion will receive a free upgrade to Fusion for VBS3. Similarly, Fusion for VBS3 will be available for all customers with an active VBSDNFusion or VBSDN Small Business subscription.

Major Improvements in Fusion for VBS3 are:
  • Brand new user guide
  • Re-vamped code comments and Code-Reference
  • New functionality
  • Extensive tutorials, examples and demonstrations of the new functionality
  • Revised versioning numbers
These new features and related documentation will be available with Fusion for VBS3 3.2, which is compatible with VBS3 3.2. Fusion for VBS3 3.2 will be released alongside the release of VBS3 3.2, which is scheduled for release later this month.

VBS2NG and VBS2VTK Fusion plugins can be loaded in VBS3 3.2 after a minor code change and a recompilation. Comprehensive tutorials on the procedure which needs to be followed to accomplish this reconfiguration can be obtained from these locations:
 
Document   Description Docs
Converting VBS2NG plugin to run in VBS3 3.2 Enables to run existing VBS2NG plugins in VBS3 3.2
Converting VBS2VTK  plugin to run in VBS3 3.2
 
Enables to run existing VBS2VTK plugins in VBS3 3.2


Fusion for VBS3 User Guide



Fusion for VBS3 user-guide has been re-written from scratch. The new structure incorporates changes related to many modifications which have been made to the API and VBS3 over the past 4 years. The new structure of the documentation has been designed to provide a better look-and-feel for its readers and provides much improved organization to facilitate the finding of relevant information within the shortest possible time. This new document is composed of three primary sections:
  • Introduction - Contains all information related to new-users of the Fusion for VBS3 API. This includes information on file composition, installation, licensing, execution and deployment.
  • Example Descriptions - Contains a detailed description of each Fusion example distributed with the Fusion for VBS3 installation. Primary concepts introduced with each example are discussed and linked to extended descriptions of related concepts within the user-guide.
  • Programming Guide - Contains a thorough description of all concepts necessary to write a Fusion plugin for VBS3. This includes sections describing callback functions and all data and utility classes. This section also contains discussions on the structure of an acceptable Fusion plugin and the conditions necessary for the plugin to be loaded and executed by VBS3. Extended tutorials are also added to describe more complex functionality.
The new user-guide will be available on your system when you install Fusion for VBS3 3.2. Alternatively, this document is available online at these locations:
 
       
pdf           chm         online

Code comments have been re-written for all the primary classes. The new commenting structure provides all information related to functions available within Fusion for VBS3 classes. Each comment has been re-written from scratch to better reflect the types of questions a developer would ask when using the function.  

Fusion for VBS3 Code-Reference has been regenerated using the new commenting structure. The new Code-Reference will be available on your computer after you install Fusion for VBS3 3.2. Alternatively, this document is available online at these locations:
 
      
 chm           online

A collection of new functions are available with Fusion for VBS3 3.2, in addition this version enables to run VBS2NG and VBS2VTK fusion plugins in VBS3 3.2. In this version, new functionality is introduced to Fusion users through comprehensive tutorials, examples and demonstrations.
 
Function name Description Demo Docs Example
Geometry Export Access the geometry of any loaded VBS3 terrain at run-time through a set of tagged vertices, edges and faces
Draw Brush functionality Select and color areas within the VBS3 terrain at mission RT using the mouse. Drawn areas will hug the terrain.
Virtual Input Device Allows easy linking of external hardware or software to VBS3 to control common operations or actions within VBS3
View Frustum Information Access information on the VBS3 frustum or current viewpoint at run-time
Joystick Control Easily link external joy-sticks to VBS3 to control entities within the RTE
Joint Function Join two VBS3 vehicles to each other programmatically

Fusion for VBS3 version numbers have been revised to better reflect the version of VBS3 it is compatible with. Therefore the version number of the compatible Fusion for VBS3 version will be identical to that of VBS3. For instance, the compatible version of VBS3 3.2 will be Fusion for VBS3 version 3.2. A new version of Fusion will be released for each new version of VBS3.

This new versioning methodology should make it much clearer and simpler for Fusion for VBS3 users to identify the correct version of the product when switching between different VBS3 versions. Backward compatibility will be maintained between all versions of Fusion for VBS3.  

We offer regular training courses in Fusion.  We have courses scheduled in the near future.  These are:
 
Dates         Description Location Cost per student
April 2014 Fusion Developer Course Farnborough, UK USD 3,500

Additionally we can arrange bespoke courses for customers at your location. Please contact sales@simct.com for more information on any of these courses.
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