Abstract: A system and related method for simulating IR halos in a computer graphics display generates a set of halo candidates corresponding to each new scene by scanning the frame buffer for that scene to flag pixels associated with unocculted light sources as halo candidates, or prospective halo centers around which simulated halos are to be drawn. The system adjusts the defocus value of flagged halo candidates based on their pixel distance and determines whether identified halo centers are new, continuing, or expired by comparing the current scene and its halo candidate list to the preceding (currently displayed) image and its list of current halo centers. The system generates a dual visible/IR image, adding IR-only polygonal halos to the identified halo centers based on pixel attributes. The dual image is projected for viewing by night vision goggles, which the IR-only image and component halos will stimulate.