PACE Announces Launch of the VAPS Software Renderer (VSR)
PACE Aerospace & IT, a leader in software and services for the aviation industry, has announced its newest solution, VAPS Software Renderer (VSR), designed to allow Aerospace Developers to build and deploy Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) onto platforms when GPU usage is not available, certification of the GPU would be complex, or delay program timelines. The VSR is an innovative solution with an optimized API to match the requirements of safety critical 2D avionics graphics rendering.
“We are excited to introduce the VAPS Software Renderer to the market,” said Andrea Bassi VAPS Line of Business Manager at PACE Aerospace & IT. “Our team has worked closely with aviation industry leaders to ensure this product provides fast, accurate rendering with minimal CPU use providing a safe and simplified path to certification. We believe it will revolutionize the way Aviation Industry certifies future platforms.”
“Using the VAPS team’s 35 years of experience building avionics displays allowed us to understand how to produce an optimized rendering solution that matches the needs of HMI development” said Matt Jackson Technical Product Manager for HMI and Embedded Systems at PACE Aerospace & IT. “Reducing certification effort and ensuring high quality visualization of HMI was key in the development and we are excited that this provides options when choosing hardware solutions. This fits with the open approach VAPS developers have come to expect which will allow them to deploy HMI applications to systems with and without GPU with no rework of designs required.”
Key Features of VAPS Software Renderer:
- Optimized for Aerospace 2D HMI applications and certification
- Simplifies the process for certifying a system up to DO-178 DAL A
- Reduces the certification risk, time, and cost vs. using a GPU.
- Allows for an increased selection of CPU supporting 32bit or 64bit systems.
- Integrated with VAPS XT tools to allow rapid HMI design supporting MOSA, developed in alignment with the FACE® Technical Standard, and ARINC 661.
- Graphical Library support for common design elements including, clipping, masking, alpha blending and antialiasing.
- Flexible architecture takes advantage of hardware features, when available to increase performance.
The VSR is designed to work with VAPS XT, the industry leading solution for HMI development allowing users to utilize this new capability with little to no changes to their existing designs. New users can rapidly develop new HMIs or migrate existing assets to VAPS XT projects enabling the use of the VAPS Software Renderer creating a cross platform WYSIWIG solution.
The VSR expands the hardware options available for certified HMI applications. Running on Intel, ARM or other chipsets along with Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) such as DDC-I Deos, Sysgo PikeOS and Wind River VxWorks.
Franz Walkembach, VP Marketing & Alliances said, “The combination of SYSGO’s ITAR-free certified hard real-time RTOS PikeOS and PACE VAPS XT allow avionics customers a full certifiable software stack from hardware over RTOS to HMI.”
Patrizio Bollini, Former CTO of Cockpit and Computing at Leonardo Electronics, said, “building certified avionics systems can be costly and time consuming with many areas of complexity. The VAPS Software renderer removes complexity from the certification process, heat dissipation and power consumption, providing portability of project without limits to the CPU or RTOS. Overcoming these factors, results in lower risk and reduced program timelines.”
