Application Areas

To observe simulated mechanical systems on computers, it is a great help if you can display them graphically. The best way of visualizing the actual behavior of a simulated system is animation in realistic 3-D scenery. Combining a simulation system with real-time animation is the ideal way to get the whole picture. Since animations can be recorded and replayed, it is easy to compare different controller development strategies using overlay techniques. MotionDesk supplements the dSPACE tool chain and visualizes the movement of mechanical objects in the 3-D world.

Key Benefits

MotionDesk helps you to get more out of your dSPACE Simulator by visualizing your simulation in virtual worlds that exactly represent the simulation scenarios. MotionDesk reads the data from the dSPACE Simulator in real time and displays the animation of the moving objects (for example, vehicle, wheels, steering wheel) online. You can choose the perspectives and render modes for graphical representation that gives you a clear understanding of how the simulated objects actually behave. The animations can be stored as experiment and AVI video files to document and illustrate your developments.

For you to compare different simulations, MotionDesk synchronously replays multiple simulations that have been assigned to different tracks. One track acts as the reference, playing either online, offline, or stored simulations. Each of the other tracks synchronously replays data from previous simulation runs. The other tracks also contain clones of the moving objects defined for the reference. The object clones can be given different colors and render modes, e.g., textured, transparent, or wire frame, so that the simulations are easy to distinguish. Synchronized replay makes it easy to pick the best strategy for your control application.

Multitrack Mode

MotionDesk offers two animation modes:

• Online – connected with a dSPACE Simulator
• Offline – connected with Simulink

You can therefore start observations as early as the specification phase and later compare them with the results of hardware-in-the-loop simulation with the final electronic control unit. The sooner you are aware of certain effects and understand the problems, the easier it is to solve them. MotionDesk’s multitrack mode makes comparisons easy and clear.

Braking on a Split-µ Surface The same maneuver is shown with and without Electronic Stability Program (ESP). MotionDesk displays the two different simulations in one animation. Maneuver Comparisons