MACE User’s Group (MUG)

Held Tuesday, April 30th – May 2nd, 2019

Largest Turnout Yet at the Emerald Coast MUG, Fort Walton Beach Florida

Thanks for Joining Us!

Thanks to all who joined us for another successful MACE User’s Group (MUG)!  Our community is growing quickly and the MUG is a great opportunity to interact directly with the team behind MACE and all of the other BSI products, such as the newly announced ARMOR (a free add-on to MACE). We continue to hold two MUG’s per year so look forward to seeing you at our next MUG during I/ITSEC this fall in Orlando.

MUG Main Forum with the Growing MACE User Community

During the MUG, continually ran two sessions that included a large presentation room and a dedicated training room where we addressed advanced MACE topics.  Having the dedicated training room allowed us to additionally address user’s custom requirements which allowed us to dynamicall tailor the MUG to specific user needs.

Courses being taught in the smaller training room

Thanks the ARMOR’s Augmented Reality (AR) we were able to dodge incoming airstrikes during our evening social

The MUG is a great opportunity to bring the user community together to include the development team behind MACE.  BSI uses the MUG to demonstrate and train the latest capabilities of MACE, ARMOR and other ongoing innovations; we also use this time to discuss our future road map for our product line.  

Highlights from this year’s MUG included the latest improvements to MACE’s:

  • Enhanced Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS) Modeling
  • Combat Air Forces (CAF) DMO MP17 compliance efforts
  • Mobility Air Forces (MAF) DMO compliance efforts
  • Introduction to BSI’s Augmented Reality Mission Observation and Rehearsal (ARMOR) VR/AR system
  • Various performance improvements

MACE showcasing the ability to represent a complex ground and air environment within an Integrated Air Defense System (IADS)

A-10 Scene Rendered by MetaVR’s Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG)

For the outline from our 3-day course schedule, please refer to the links on the right-hand side of this page (or below if viewing from a mobile device).  During the MUG, BSI demonstrates and trains users on the latest capabilities of MACE, ARMOR and other software simulation products.

MACE Generating Search/Track Beams from a Surface-to-Air Missile System

Don’t Settle for Only Part of the Battlespace!

Below are a couple of our latest MACE videos that give you an idea on just a few of the new features that are now available in MACE.  Be sure to check out our videos page for more great BSI content, including MACE training videos.
This video demonstrates MACE now operating in ARMOR (our Augmented Reality Mission Observation and Rehearsal tool).  ARMOR is a free extension to MACE that allows users to visualize the synthetic battlespace in a 3-dimensional screen view, in virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR).
ARMOR terrain displayed in augmented reality
Quick demonstration of using ARMOR to augment reality.
MACE sensor demonstration as an MQ-5B has begun its watch over an urban environment and is assessing pattern of life.
This video demonstrates a head-to-head engagement between a virtual A-10C and a virtual SA-8.

Day One – MACE Basics

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Lesson One: MACE Overview & Setup
This lesson is designed to provide users with an overview of MACE and outlines the various uses and capabilities of the software, as well as how to configure all of the settings and data paths when MACE is initially installed. Students will be shown how to set up data paths for maps & charts, elevation, imagery as well as how to connect to the OSM server and proper use of MACE map projections.
Lesson Two: Understanding the User Interface
This lesson is designed to teach users the basic operations within MACE, including how to interact with the map, how to load a mission, and how to access the various property windows. Students will learn the difference between platforms, sites and cultural entities as well as review the contents of the various property windows. Adding and removing equipment from platforms will also be covered.
Lesson Three: Building Missions
During this lesson students will be shown how to perform the basic operations to build a mission, such as adding & removing entities and building routes & formations. Domain-specific entity behaviors such as loiters for aircraft, road-following for vehicles, and pathfinding/random walks for lifeforms will also be covered. Students will also have an opportunity to create a basic mission on their own.
Lesson Four: Mission Execution
During this lesson students will be shown how to “run” a MACE mission and dynamically control various parts of the mission. Students will control both individual entities and groups of entities. This lesson will also explain the various tools and information available during mission execution such as heading lines, health bars, detection indications, delta states, orbit tool, etc.
Lesson Five: MACE Settings
This lesson is designed to show how to configure MACE System and Mission settings for user-specific needs such as: coordinate format, mission log, weather, visual settings (IG), joystick settings, and distributed mission settings. Users will also be shown how to use the layer manager to affect what is shown in the MACE mission area and other layers that affect mission operations, such as the collision avoidance feature.

Day Two – MACE Intermediate

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Lesson One: Introduction to the Script Editor
In this lesson, students will learn how to create basic scripts using the Script editor. Users will learn how to create triggers and actions for entities within a specific MACE mission.
Lesson Two: Advanced Scripting & Buttonized Scripts
In this lesson, students will learn how to create advanced scripts, including the use of variables within scripts, and using abstract platform references to ‘buttonize’ scripts for re-use in any mission.
Lesson Three: JTAC/Joint Fires tools – In Depth
This lesson is designed to expand on Joint Fires interfaces such as the 9-Line, 5-Line, CFF and Fire Planning interfaces.
Open Session/Discussion
Opportunity for open discussion on anything MACE.  Have questions, need additional clarification, looking for new features, this is a great time to ask the MACE engineering team directly!

Day Three – MACE Advanced

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Lesson One: Electronic Warfare Modeling
This lesson is designed to show users how to use MACE to perform advanced dynamic EW modeling. Topic covered will include building an IADS, assigning radar systems and jamming pods to platforms, and radar/IADS behavior in MACE.
Lesson Two: Advanced Topics
This lesson is a flexible user-driven lesson to examine specific needs such as Man-in-the-Loop flight simulation (setting up a MACE role player station, shoot from sensor, etc), DIScord and Viper DIS Radio integration.
Lesson Three: The Mission Objects Configuration Tool (MOCT)
This lesson is designed for what we call “power users” who will be responsible for maintaining/customizing the data used in MACE. In this lesson students will be shown where these files are located and which types of data are editable and extensible using the Mission Objects Configuration Tool (MOCT). Users will learn how to use the MOCT to create and modify the data that MACE consumes at runtime.
Open Session/Discussion
Opportunity for open discussion on anything MACE.  Have questions, need additional clarification, looking for new features, this is a great time to ask the MACE engineering team directly!
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