Abstract: The echo image cannot show reliable occlusion between objects, and the echo intensity cannot represent physical characteristics of electromagnetic wave propagation in the existing marine radar simulator. To solve these problems, a new method of generating radar echo image was raised on the basis analyzing the method of ray tracing. 3D visual database was used as data source, the marine radar echo image was generated by the method scene graphic rendering. A model based on radar equation was raised to compute marine radar echo intensity. The model gave the method of computing path attenuation, rain attenuation and attenuation due to cloud and fog based on ITU recommended standard. The generated echo image raised method was realized in programmable graphic pipeline. Simulation results show that the echo image object occlusion relation is clear, the echo intensity change is reasonable, and the echo reality is obviously improved.

Key words: radar image, echo intensity, visual scene rendering, GLSL