Senior Project - SNaPS

Micro Analysis & Design, a consulting services and software products company, has recently developed a new discrete event simulator called Micro Saint Sharp. This product aims to improve computer simulation and modeling as well as human factors engineering. With the ability to establish a process flow, each task containing C# code compiled at run time, Micro Saint Sharp is a powerful simulation tool.

The problem with discrete event simulation is that while the simulation is executing, it is difficult to follow the flow of events and visualize what really is going on. To improve the modeler's ability to visualize the situation, as well as to create useful demonstrations of a final simulation, a 2D animation of the simulation is provided in Micro Saint Sharp. The goal of this project was to extend this animation capability into the 3D world, further improving simulation visualization.

This 3D animator was developed as a new component to Micro Saint Sharp, allowing 3D rendering of all objects currently in a simulation. The 3D Animator project creates 3D .NET controls used as plugins to Micro Saint Sharp. The 3D Animator itself is written in C# using the DirectX 9 .NET wrapper. Key features of the finished project include the rotation, translation, and scaling of objects; camera control; saving and loading of sessions; user controls; animated text; and waypoints.