Software Simulator for Dynamic Real-Time Systems
Eirik Høgmo Johansen · 75 · 2010
This thesis investigates the use of a general purpose simulator software package to encapsulate a physics engine (Open Dynamics Engine) and a scripting language (Lua) for use in place of mathematical models in traditional testing and simulation of dynamic systems. The principles behind a physics engine is explored and a scripting language is introduced as an embedded part of the server application. In the end, a software package is presented which facilitates the use of either the scripting language or the physics engine in a traditional external control system. The software package includes the simulation software, example client code, a 3D visualizer for the physics engine and a set of documentation for the program. The simulator supports some basic rigid-body mechanics, and running of Lua scripts of an arbitrary size and complexity.