Michigan-based Mechanical Simulation has released the 2019.0 versions of vehicle simulation tools CarSim, TruckSim and BikeSim, and of the suspension simulation tool SuspensionSim.
The latest versions of the vehicle models have important new features. Version 2019.0 includes built-in support for hybrid powertrains, importing OpenDRIVE road networks, support for the Michelin TameTire model, a built-in electronic stability controller (ESC), an engineering quality plug-in for the Unreal Engine, and improvements in existing built-in controllers and programming options.
The company has extended its simulation in line with the automotive industry’s increasingly heavy investment in ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) and AV (autonomous vehicle) technologies.
Mechanical Simulation’s CEO and chief technology officer, Dr Michael Sayers, says, “With the increasing use of the advanced controllers for ADAS and autonomous driving, simulation is used in evermore complicated scenarios. Simulations reflect increased vehicle population, operating under more complex conditions and including more interactions with pedestrians and other vehicles.”
Recent releases have therefore introduced major new capabilities for building scenarios and providing more realistic video visualization in support of onboard cameras and other sensors. Simulation tools include built-in sensors and target objects that can be used to represent traffic vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, traffic signs and signals, buildings, and any other type of object that is needed to simulate a scenario of interest. New options were added for specifying motions of traffic vehicles with acceleration control to provide built-in physics needed to simulate more complex interactions.
According to Sayers, Mechanical Simulation is supporting even more external software and data, especially with tools that provide complicated 3D road networks and intersections, and with tools that provide advanced visualization. Existing capabilities for importing road GPS data from mapping services have been extended. VehicleSim software now handles road network data provided in the OpenDRIVE format. The new VehicleSim Dynamics plug-in enables any CarSim or TruckSim model to run in the Epic Unreal video environment. A new interface called VS Terrain API connects any model from CarSim, TruckSim or BikeSim with ground data from external software, such as mesh data files based on extensive measurements made with lidar systems. Another component, VS Connect, has been updated to connect VehicleSim models to multiple external environments simultaneously, such as a 3D world handled by Unreal and vehicle controllers running in Simulink.