Real-time Visualization of Simulation Results Using Animation Tools

In recent years, track testing in motorsports have become highly restricted due to the regulations. With track testing and lap timing being the foremost tool for the teams to develop and set up their cars, the presence of such constraints has led to a spur in demand for alternative means of testing, e.g., simulation-based analysis and virtual testing. Due to advances in computational power affordability and technology, the use of simulation-based tools has gained immense popularity, especially with higher fidelity physics-based modeling and simulation platforms at a fraction of the cost of physical prototype testing. The emergence of advanced instrumentation and sensing has also led the way for the use of digital twins as a key decision making enabler in design and operations, which partially eliminates the need for physical prototypes and reduces the costs of physical track testing. Ensuring that results provided by simulation tools could be entrusted in a highly competitive and dynamic environment, such as in motorsports, correlation with real test data is paramount, as well as continuous validation of the simulation tools. With the vast amount of data available to complete these critical tasks, model verification and validation could become a lengthy, tedious, and ineffective process for the engineering team, if done manually and without the necessary analysis and visual assessment views. With this proposed work, an integrated solution has been formulated to visualize and animate results for simulated system dynamics at multiple system levels and views. Hence, animated views of kinematic behavior can be produced for the entire vehicle, as well as with a focus on parts/subsystems of interest. A use case is presented for the kinematics compliance testing for a high performance race vehicle. Although currently implemented for a motorsport application, this concept could be applicable in other technical fields (e.g., aerospace, built environment, military, space, manufacturing), with this work acting as a pilot-level first spiral of a longer-term development.