NISMO, the motorsport division of Nissan, has chosen rFpro as its Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) simulation software provider. NISMO will use the software to develop the team’s race cars across its racing programmes, including Super GT.
rFpro has developed an engineering-grade simulation environment for the automotive and motorsport industries. A key part of its software is TerrainServer, a high-definition road surface model created using LiDAR scan data. The model captures detailed surface information, accurate to 1cm in the horizontal and 1mm in the vertical, providing high correlation with the real circuit road surface. It enables vehicle dynamics to be simulated more accurately, allowing ride and secondary ride experiments to be conducted in real-time on DIL simulators.
The optimisation of the vehicle’s configuration has increasingly become a key performance differentiator due to the growth of common componentry and the use of Balance of Performance adjustments in some race series. On top of this, track testing is more restricted than ever, which means simulation plays an important role in enabling motorsport teams to optimise their development and adjustment process more efficiently.
“rFpro’s high-definition road surface model provides critical tyre contact patch feedback to the drivers,” stated Motohiro Matsumura, director of NISMO. “This enables our engineering department to receive more accurate performance and driveability assessments from the drivers than would otherwise be possible. One of the key reasons we chose rFpro is because the HD road surface is built to NISMO’s demanding standards.”
As well as ensuring the digital models are geometrically precise, rFpro’s art team has ensured each model is also aesthetically realistic. This realism creates a higher level of immersion for the drivers, helping ensure they react and drive as they would on a real track.
“rFpro’s high-quality graphics are key to immersing the drivers and help them to replicate the same braking, clipping and acceleration point,” added Matsumura. “Our drivers have commented that since adopting rFpro, the graphics and high-definition road surface are very close to reality and that eye strain has been significantly reduced.”
rFpro is experienced in working with race teams, supporting all the major racing categories, including Formula 1, NASCAR, WEC, IMSA, Formula E, Super GT, IndyCar and V8 Supercars. Its library of digital models consists of more than 130 race circuits and test tracks around the world.
