Dynamically extending a networked virtual environment using Bamboo and the high level architecture

Abstract

The design and execution of anetworked virtual environment(NVE) are challenging tasks madeeven more difficult by the fact thatNVEs are becoming more complexand difficult to manage. In adistributed environment, eachsimulation not only computes itsown behaviors and publishes themto the network, but it mustaccurately represent all otherentities participating in the NVE. Tosimplify this task, this thesisimplements method to makedistributed simulations dynamicallyextensible, flexible, specific, andconsistent. Bamboo provides theability to dynamically extend thevirtual environment by defining aconvention by which plug in modules can be added during simulation runtime. The HLA provides the network communication layer thattransports entity state updates toall members of the distributedsimulation. These two toolscombine to create a uniquesolution to problems inherent indesigning modem networkedvirtual environments. Theimplementation is dynamicallyextensible which increases theflexibility implementers have indesigning virtual environments.The HLA transports the entityupdates and the module name thatmust be used to represent the entity. This method allows programmers to design only their module because modules representing other entities will load as needed during the execution. This method of implementing virtual environments that promises to streamline the design and implementation process.