Distributed virtual environment real-time simulation network

Distributed real-time simulation requires a time and space coherent representation of a virtual environment. The Distributed Virtual Environment Real-time Simulation Network (Virtual Environment Real-time Network, or VERN) protocol forms the software basis for an environment that will support experiments with a network of visual simulators operating in a pseudo-universe. This paper explains the concepts and implementation of a virtual environment asynchronous real-time network (VEARN). The frame rate of a VEARN-based simulation is not affected by network communication. Instead a higher network speed improves the fidelity of the simulation\u27s interactions between objects. Loosely-coupled interactive simulation is thus realistic. Moreover, the fidelity of the simulation can be kept as high as possible for objects running on fast workstations. This is in contrast to the old approach in which the slowest process determined the fidelity attained by all other processes