NASA has chosen to use Lattice3D and its XVL-based applications for its Digital Shuttle Project. A joint effort between two of NASA's programs -- the Space Shuttle Program Office (SSPO), and the Engineering for Complex Systems Program (ECS) -- the Digital Shuttle Project is an ontology-based knowledge management system for a virtual Space Shuttle Orbiter, using intelligent Engineering Objects (eObjs) and immersive 3D graphics.

The eObjs are knowledge collections of entities within the orbiter, including legacy data, engineering data, system behavioral and functional properties, and 3D graphics models. Using immersive displays covering visual, aural, and tactile input and output, observers will be able to access and interact with the eObjs. A hierarchical component architecture will enable interaction with external processes, such as payload package simulations, to interact with the Digital Shuttle vehicle system and process knowledge base.

Lattice3D's technology provides excellent 3D compression and can publish complex CAD data to the web and MS Office documents at very high compression rates. Lattice3D allows companies to convert and compress 3D images into an XVL file, access the data through Lattice3D's powerful applications, then create easy-to-use, visual tools such as 3D manuals, parts lists, marketing brochures, assembly instructions, and parts databases.

"As we focus our overall information modeling on XML-based representations, we are impressed with Lattice3D's XVL-based applications and intend to use them to compress, share, and publish 3D designs across our organization and our aerospace partners," said Paul Keller, research engineer, NASA Ames. "We look forward to working on several other projects with Lattice3D in the near future."

NASA Ames will join an extensive list of clients to Lattice3D including Toyota, Mitsui, Sanyo and about 2,000 other high-end manufacturers.

"We are pleased to gain NASA Ames as a new client and are looking forward to working with NASA and its suppliers," said Alexander Garcia-Tobar, president and CEO, Lattice3D. "We are excited that our product will help NASA Ames increase efficiency, lower costs, and contribute efficiency to their designs."