Solve development tasks effectively with SimulationX 3.7

Advanced control elements for real-time modifications during simulations as well as unique thermodynamic state diagrams help users analyse the behavior of multiphysics systems fast and accurately. As a fully functional Modelica tool, SimulationX 3.7 is now even more powerful and flexible and paves the way to cloud-based system simulations through the interface standard FMI 2.0.

The extremely user-friendly focus and efficiency are well reflected in the new control elements for real-time modifications during simulations, for example, which allow users to interact with the simulation at any time. Unique thermodynamic state diagrams now show the states of fluids live during a simulation in the diagram view directly in the modeling environment. Users are thus enabled to see the system’s behavior immediately during a simulation to understand and optimise it without the need for additional software programmes.

Other innovations, such as the Motion Track sensor for easier evaluations of transmission concepts or the support for multiple screens to show different model views simultaneously, save users a great deal of time in the modeling process and make their work a breeze.

SimulationX 3.7 comes with an array of new features and extensions: recent libraries and hundreds of new and improved models enhance the development of mechatronic systems. They include libraries for drive technology, thermodynamics, energy technology, vehicle transmissions, planar linkages, chain drives, dynamic heat exchangers and electrical energy storage solutions. The validated transmission and controller models as well as pre-configured models for automatic transmissions and automated manual transmissions, dual-clutch transmissions and manual transmissions allow users to easily assess transmission concepts early on.

Models from the library chain drives permit early analyses and precise improvements of the transmission and transient oscillation behavior as well as of eigenfrequencies of chain drives with respect to the control and drive systems. Pre-configured and validated linkage models from the new SimulationX library Mechanisms enable users to design and optimise drive geometries within one model structure regardless of the linkage’s complexity.

With the library Dynamic Heat Exchangers, users can analyse detailed thermodynamic processes, such as heating up, cooling down, vaporization and condensation, and make early predictions about dynamic effects. Also battery aging can be accurately predicted with the SimulationX library Electrical Energy Storages which ha been developed in close collaboration with the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Austria’s largest non-university research organisation.

As a driving force from the very beginning, ITI has played an active role for years in the ongoing development of the FMI standard and the integration of the Modelica Standard Library in SimulationX. Thanks to FMI 2.0 and the nearly complete integration of all examples from the Modelica Standard Library, users benefit from increased openness and flexibility. SimulationX leaves it to the users to decide whether they want to use pre-configured models from the SimulationX libraries or whether they prefer custom-built models and libraries based on Modelica.

FMI 2.0 allows for various model import and export options, for co-simulation and for cloud-based system simulation online. In addition to that, functional mock-up units can be used for real-time simulations in hardware-in-the-loop environments, for example.

With its 25^th anniversary and 15 years after the introduction of SimulationX 1.0, ITI proves yet again with SimulationX 3.7 that it can turn a complex simulation task into a simple solution for development engineers. “With SimulationX, ITI has always pursued the goal to provide users with a user-friendly tool to enable them to design, test and optimise even the most sophisticated mechatronic system with ease. Industry-specific application packages for typical development tasks are designed to meet the many different requirements of manufacturers, suppliers and service providers and comprise libraries with validated, fully parameterised models and proven analysis methods. This enables also simulation novices to make the most of system simulation in no time”, says Dr. Andreas Uhlig, Managing Director, ITI.

Thomas Neidhold, Head of Software Development, ITI, adds: “With each new version, our customers expect from us news ways and new approaches that enable them to react even faster and more flexibly to changing market requirements. Besides the many new libraries and models, SimulationX 3.7 lives up to this also through new and improved features, interfaces and analysis methods. Apart from that, we always strive for better simulation performance and increased usability and efficiency with each new SimulationX release. After all, users should be able to focus on what they are best at: finding the perfect design, from the very beginning.”