Vehicle Dynamics International
  • News
    • Braking
    • Chassis
    • Driveline & Transmission
    • Dynamics Software
    • Electronic Dynamic Control
    • Lightweighting
    • OEM News
    • Ride Comfort
    • Simulation
    • Steering
    • Tires and wheels
    • Vehicle Testing
  • Features
  • Online Magazines
    • December 2024
    • May 2023
    • December 2023
    • May 2023
    • November 2022
    • Spring 2022
    • Subscribe Free!
  • Videos
  • Supplier Spotlight
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job – It’s FREE!
    • Manage Jobs (Employers)
  • Events
  • VDI Awards
    • 2022 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
    • 2021 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
    • 2020 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
    • 2019 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
    • 2018 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
    • 2017 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
LinkedIn YouTube X (Twitter)
Subscribe to Magazine SUBSCRIBE TO EMAIL NEWSLETTER MEDIA PACK
LinkedIn
Vehicle Dynamics International
  • News
      • Braking
      • Chassis
      • Driveline & Transmission
      • Dynamics Software
      • Electronic Dynamic Control
      • Lightweighting
      • OEM News
      • Ride Comfort
      • Simulation
      • Steering
      • Tires and wheels
      • Vehicle Testing
  • Features
  • Supplier innovations
  • Online Magazines
    1. December 2024
    2. May 2024
    3. December 2023
    4. May 2023
    5. November 2022
    6. Spring 2022
    7. Subscribe Free!
    Featured
    December 10, 2024

    The December 2024 issue of Vehicle Dynamics International is out!

    Braking By Web Team
    Recent

    The December 2024 issue of Vehicle Dynamics International is out!

    December 10, 2024

    The May 2024 issue of Vehicle Dynamics International is out!

    May 20, 2024

    The December 2023 issue of Vehicle Dynamics International is out!

    December 19, 2023
  • Videos
  • Supplier Spotlight
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job – It’s FREE!
    • Manage Jobs (Employers)
  • Events
  • VDI Awards
    • 2023 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
    • 2022 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
    • 2021 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
    • 2020 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
    • 2019 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
    • 2018 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
    • 2017 Vehicle Dynamics International Awards: the winners!
LinkedIn
Vehicle Dynamics International
Simulation

Mechanical Simulation is accelerating development of simulation tools – here’s why

Adam GavineBy Adam GavineJuly 18, 20183 Mins Read
Share LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email
hanical Simulation has updated its vehicle dynamics simulation tools, and is releasing the 2018.1 versions of CarSim, TruckSim, and BikeSim

Mechanical Simulation has updated its vehicle dynamics simulation tools, releasing 2018.1 versions of CarSim, TruckSim, and BikeSim. Departing from its usual yearly release schedule, this release comes just seven months after the previous major update of the packages in December 2017.

Dr Michael Sayers, CEO and CTO at Mechanical Simulation explained the relatively short timescale, “Our past practice was to provide a major software upgrade about once per year, and at the half-way point incorporate minor updates for bug fixes or features that weren’t quite ready for the full release. In earlier days, our products were used mainly to study vehicle dynamic behavior, and many of the improvements involved the math model of the vehicle behavior.”

The difference is that the focus for the simulation software is no longer just vehicle dynamics, as customers are increasingly wanting to incorporate validation of controllers for ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) and autonomous driving in progressively more complicated scenarios.

Such simulations must include more vehicles, operating under a wider range of conditions, and with more interactions between the subject vehicle and pedestrians and other vehicles. In past applications, according to Mechanical Simulation, a vehicle might be simulated a few thousand times to characterize dynamic behavior, replicating the physical tests usually carried out in closed proving grounds.

Sayers stated that, “simulated conditions have expanded to include running with the many built-in controllers in hundreds of thousands or even millions of simulations to cover situations in which the controllers must always perform safely.”

All this means that in addition to vehicle math models and visualization tools, the simulation tools need to include multiple 3D road surfaces, other vehicles, and options for pedestrians and/or animals. The software packages have been extended to fill these needs, with many new animation resources such as walking pedestrians, moving cyclists and running animals, road surfaces and paint markings, road signs, and other features and potential hazards that appear along a road. These resources can be developed using a tool called VS Scene Builder (introduced in the previous 2018.0 versions), which can build scenes, with a ‘drag-and-drop’ function to locate paths and objects. A web-based tool called Atlas can download GPS data from mapping services such as Google in order to simulate existing roads and intersections.

For the 2018.1 release, Mechanical Simulation claims there are many improvements in the vehicle models, but that the improvements are perhaps more significant in the scenario-building tools and supporting resources. According to the company, new capabilities include: improvements in the Atlas tool to include GPS altitude along with latitude and longitude when downloading data; improved smoothing and editing of data when importing GPS data into CarSim, TruckSim and BikeSim; and software improvements in VS Scene Builder (undo/redo, dragging and dropping animator assets into the scene, access to global X-Y coordinates in scene).

The shorter timescale for the introduction of 2018.1 is not an anomaly, as Sayers added that the rapid pace of ADAS development process and the need for ever-more powerful simulation systems means that the company will now be making major product releases at six-month intervals.

Share. Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email
Previous ArticleSchaeffler concept demonstrates the future for vehicle dynamics
Next Article The Minardi M191B is back!
Adam Gavine
  • X (Twitter)

Adam divides his time as an editor between the worlds of aviation and motoring. These worlds may seem a little diverse today, but autonomous technology and future urban mobility is bringing them ever-closer. Adam is also chairman of the Vehicle Dynamics International Awards.

Related Posts

Industry news

ATTI Awards winners to be announced on 20 May

May 19, 20254 Mins Read
Industry news

VI-grade launches Cloud platform to boost scalable vehicle simulation capabilities

May 14, 20252 Mins Read
Industry news

Virtex to open simulation facility at Spa-Francorchamps

May 14, 20252 Mins Read
Latest Posts

Awards for ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle innovation to be announced this week

May 19, 2025

ATTI Awards winners to be announced on 20 May

May 19, 2025

VI-grade launches Cloud platform to boost scalable vehicle simulation capabilities

May 14, 2025
Our Social Channels
  • LinkedIn
Getting in Touch
  • Free Email Newsletters
  • Meet The Editors
  • Contact Us
  • Media Pack
Related Topics
  • Electric & Hybrid Vehicle
  • Industrial Vehicle Technology
FREE NEWS EMAIL!

Get essential industry news from this website direct to your inbox every fortnight


© 2023 Mark Allen Group Ltd | All Rights Reserved
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.