Interactive signal input during simulation

You can use the Dashboard to provide interactive signal inputs during a simulation. This means, for example, you can use the Dashboard to modify gear ratios, throttle, braking etc. for a vehicle simulation, and directly adjust these inputs during a simulation. This is done by placing an external input external input component on the sketch, linked to the component you wish to be able to control. This can also be achieved through Tunable parameters, which can be associated with (for example) the Numeric Input primitive (see the Submodel Editor documentation).

This component is available in the Simulation library.

Note

If a model created in a previous version of Simcenter Amesim makes use of the external input x@externinput parameter, it is not possible to visualize the value of the x@externinput instance(s) from old simulation runs. This will only be possible after the model has been updated and a new simulation run has been performed.

Figure 43: External input linked to gear Graphic Primitive

In the above screenshot, an External input component is connected to the gearbox graphic primitive, by dragging and dropping the value for output parameter onto the State property of the gear box graphic primitive in the Dashboard. This means that modifying the gearbox state (by clicking on the different gear ratios in the graphic primitive, or by typing a new value for its state property in the object inspector) during the simulation allows you to dynamically input the gear ratios in real time.

Note

As well as the gearbox graphic primitives, other control graphic primitives are available, as described in The Basic Controls toolbox.

Note

You can control a simulation not only by associating the x parameter of the External input component, but also by creating associations with any tunable parameter.

If you do associate a tunable parameter with a value, please be aware that values set for such parameters during interaction with Dashboard primitives will not be updated immediately in the Simcenter Amesim contextual view. However, when the simulation ends, if a value was modified in the Dashboard during the simulation, and the user has not changed that value afterwards in the contextual view, this value is updated once the simulation ends.

Please consult the Submodel Editor documentation for more information.

If we run a simulation and plot the gearbox ratio control variable with the plot Automatic update function activated (see Automatic update), we can observe the changing gearbox ratios as we change them in the Dashboard:

Moreover, the Dashboard can play back an animation of the gear changes after the simulation run if you press the play button.

Note

You can add a time synchronization component from the Simulation library to your sketch.

This enables you to slow the simulation down and simplify interaction during the animation. See SIMSYNCTIME for more information.