3D visualization applied to electromagnetic engineering

Over the past few years, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NavSea) Topside Design Group has conducted extensive development of the electromagnetics code for naval ship topside design. Analysis of computational electromagnetic data has long been a challenging task for surface ship designers. There are a number of very good computational models for analyzing a surface ship's electromagnetic characteristics. Unfortunately, the output of these models consist of huge matrices of real numbers that are very difficult to analyze. This paper sill show how NavSea, in conjunction with Naval Command, Control and Ocean Surveillance Center RDT&E Division (NCCOSC/NRaD) and Rockwell International, is using computer graphics to help surface ship topside designers optimize the electromagnetic characteristics of a ship's design. NavSea has developed 2D and 3D scientific data visualization tools that provide an intuitive ''feel'' for the output of the numeric computational electromagnetic models. This paper will also describe how industrial software standards and fast, inexpensive graphics engines will provide electromagnetic design engineers with much more capable, robust, flexible, portable, and economical scientific visualization tools.