Simulation 3D Vehicle

Implement vehicle in 3D environment

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Libraries:
Vehicle Dynamics Blockset / Vehicle Scenarios / Sim3D / Sim3D Vehicle / Components

Description

Note

Simulating models with the Simulation 3D Vehicle block requires Simulink^® 3D Animation™.

The Simulation 3D Vehicle block implements a vehicle with four wheels in the 3D simulation environment.

To use this block, ensure that the Simulation 3D Scene Configuration block is in your model. If you set the Sample time parameter of this block to -1, the block uses the sample time specified in the Simulation 3D Scene Configuration block.

The block input uses the vehicle Z-down right-handed (RH) Cartesian coordinate system defined in SAE J670¹. The coordinate system is inertial and initially aligned with the vehicle geometric center:

• X-axis — Along vehicle longitudinal axis, points forward

• Y-axis — Along vehicle lateral axis, points to the right

• Z-axis — Points downward

Tip

Verify that the Simulation 3D Vehicle block executes before the Simulation 3D Scene Configuration block. That way, Simulation 3D Vehicle prepares the signal data before the Unreal Engine^® 3D visualization environment receives it. To check the block execution order, right-click the blocks and select Properties. On the General tab, confirm these Priority settings:

• Simulation 3D Scene Configuration — 0

• Simulation 3D Vehicle — -1

For more information about execution order, see Control and Display Execution Order.

You can configure the Simulation 3D Vehicle with Ground Following block to import custom meshes and control vehicle lights.

Examples

Scene Interrogation with Camera and Ray Tracing Reference Application

Interrogate a 3D Unreal Engine scene with a vehicle dynamics model by using a camera and ray tracing reference application project.

• Open Script

Ports

Input

Translation — Vehicle translation

5-by-3 array

Vehicle and wheel translation, in m. Array dimensions are 5-by-3.

• Translation(1,1), Translation(1,2), and Translation(1,3) — Vehicle translation along the inertial vehicle Z-down X-, Y-, and Z- axes, respectively.

• Translation(...,1), Translation(...,2), and Translation(...,3) — Wheel translation relative to vehicle, along the vehicle Z-down X-, Y-, and Z- axes, respectively.

The signal contains translation information according to the axle and wheel locations.

$$Translation=\left[\begin{array}{ccc}{X}_v& Y_v& Z_v\\ X_{FL}& Y_{FL}& Z_{FL}\\ X_{FR}& Y_{FR}& Z_{FR}\\ X_{RL}& Y_{RL}& Z_{RL}\\ X_{RR}& Y_{RR}& Z_{RR}\end{array}\right]$$

Translation	Array Element	Translation Axis
Vehicle, Xv	Translation(1,1)	Inertial vehicle Z-down X-axis
Vehicle, Yv	Translation(1,2)	Inertial vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Vehicle, Zv	Translation(1,3)	Inertial vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front left wheel, XFL	Translation(2,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front left wheel, YFL	Translation(2,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front left wheel, ZFL	Translation(2,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front right wheel, XFR	Translation(3,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front right wheel, YFR	Translation(3,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front right wheel, ZFR	Translation(3,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Rear left wheel, XRL	Translation(4,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Rear left wheel, YRL	Translation(4,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Rear left wheel, ZRL	Translation(4,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Rear right wheel, XRR	Translation(5,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Rear right wheel, YRR	Translation(5,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Rear right wheel, ZRR	Translation(5,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis

Rotation — Vehicle rotation

5-by-3 array

Vehicle and wheel rotation, in rad. Array dimensions are 5-by-3.

• Rotation(1,1), Rotation(1,2), and Rotation(1,3) — Vehicle rotation about the inertial vehicle Z-down X-, Y-, and Z- axes, respectively.

• Rotation(...,1), Rotation(...,2), and Rotation(...,3) — Wheel rotation relative to vehicle, about the vehicle Z-down X-, Y-, and Z- axes, respectively.

The signal contains rotation information according to the axle and wheel locations.

$$Rotation=\left[\begin{array}{ccc}Rol{l}_v& Pitc{h}_v& Ya{w}_v\\ Rol{l}_{FL}& Pitc{h}_{FL}& Ya{w}_{FL}\\ Rol{l}_{FR}& Pitc{h}_{FR}& Ya{w}_{FR}\\ Rol{l}_{RL}& Pitc{h}_{RL}& Ya{w}_{RL}\\ Rol{l}_{RR}& Pitc{h}_{RR}& Ya{w}_{RR}\end{array}\right]$$

Rotation	Array Element	Rotation Axis
Vehicle, Rollv	Rotation(1,1)	Inertial vehicle Z-down X-axis
Vehicle, Pitchv	Rotation(1,2)	Inertial vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Vehicle, Yawv	Rotation(1,3)	Inertial vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front left wheel, RollFL	Rotation(2,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front left wheel, PitchFL	Rotation(2,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front left wheel, YawFL	Rotation(2,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front right wheel, RollFR	Rotation(3,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front right wheel, PitchFR	Rotation(3,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front right wheel, YawFR	Rotation(3,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Rear left wheel, RollRL	Rotation(4,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Rear left wheel, PitchRL	Rotation(4,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Rear left wheel, YawRL	Rotation(4,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Rear right wheel, RollRR	Rotation(5,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Rear right wheel, PitchRR	Rotation(5,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Rear right wheel, YawRR	Rotation(5,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis

Scale — Vehicle scale

5-by-3

Vehicle and wheel scale, dimensionless. Array dimensions are 5-by-3.

• Scale(1,1), Scale(1,2), and Scale(1,3) — Vehicle scale along the inertial vehicle Z-down X-, Y-, and Z- axes, respectively.

• Scale(...,1), Scale(...,2), and Scale(...,3) — Wheel scale relative to vehicle, along vehicle Z-down X-, Y-, and Z- axes, respectively.

The signal contains scale information according to the axle and wheel locations.

$$Scale=\left[\begin{array}{ccc}{X}_{V_{scale}}& Y_{V_{scale}}& Z_{V_{scale}}\\ X_{F{L}_{scale}}& Y_{F{L}_{scale}}& Z_{F{L}_{scale}}\\ X_{F{R}_{scale}}& Y_{F{R}_{scale}}& Z_{F{R}_{scale}}\\ X_{R{L}_{scale}}& Y_{R{L}_{scale}}& Z_{R{L}_{scale}}\\ X_{R{R}_{scale}}& Y_{R{R}_{scale}}& Z_{R{R}_{scale}}\end{array}\right]$$

Scale	Array Element	Scale Axis
Vehicle, Xvscale	Scale(1,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Vehicle, Yvscale	Scale(1,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Vehicle, Zvscale	Scale(1,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front left wheel, XFLscale	Scale(2,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front left wheel, YFLscale	Scale(2,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front left wheel, ZFLscale	Scale(2,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front right wheel, XFRscale	Scale(3,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front right wheel, YFRscale	Scale(3,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front right wheel, ZFRscale	Scale(3,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Rear left wheel, XRLscale	Scale(4,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Rear left wheel, YRLscale	Scale(4,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Rear left wheel, ZRLscale	Scale(4,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Rear right wheel, XRRscale	Scale(5,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Rear right wheel, YRRscale	Scale(5,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Rear right wheel, ZRRscale	Scale(5,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis

Light controls — Vehicle light controls

1-by-6 vector

Light controls input signal, specified as a 1-by-6 Boolean vector. Each element of the vector turns a specific vehicle light on or off, as indicated in this table. A value of 1 turns the light on; a value of 0 turns the light off.

Vector Element	Vehicle Light
(1,1)	Headlight high beam
(1,2)	Headlight low beam
(1,3)	Brake
(1,4)	Reverse
(1,5)	Left signal
(1,6)	Right signal

Dependencies

To create this port, on the Light Controls tab, select Enable light controls.

Data Types: Boolean

Parameters

Vehicle Parameters

Type, PassVehMesh — Type

Muscle car (default) | Sedan | Sport utility vehicle | Small pickup truck | Hatchback | Box truck | Formula student vehicle

Specify the vehicle type. This table provides links to the vehicle dimensions.

Vehicle type Setting	Vehicle Dimensions
Muscle car	Muscle Car
Sedan	Sedan
Sport utility vehicle	Sport Utility Vehicle
Small pickup truck	Small Pickup Truck
Hatchback	Hatchback
Box truck	Box Truck

Dependencies

Selecting Custom enables parameters that allow you to import a custom mesh for your vehicle.

Path to custom mesh, MeshPath — Path to custom mesh

/MathWorksSimulation/Vehicles/Muscle/Meshes/SK_MuscleCar.SK_MuscleCar (default) | valid path

Path to custom mesh.

To create a custom vehicle mesh, see Prepare Custom Vehicle Mesh for the Unreal Editor.

Example: /MathWorksSimulation/Vehicles/Muscle/Meshes/SK_Sedan.SK_Sedan

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Type to Custom.

Color, VehColor — Color of vehicle

Red (default) | Orange | Yellow | Green | Blue | Black | White | Silver | Dazzle camouflage

Select the color of the vehicle.

Name, ActorName — Name of vehicle

SimulinkVehicle1 (default) | character vector

Name of vehicle. By default, when you use the block in your model, the block sets the Name parameter to SimulinkVehicleX. The value of X depends on the number of Simulation 3D Vehicle with Ground Following and Simulation 3D Vehicle blocks that you have in your model.

Sample time — Sample time

-1 (default) | scalar

Sample time, T_s. The graphics frame rate is the inverse of the sample time.

Light Controls

Enable light controls — Option to control vehicle lights

off (default) | on

Select whether to control the vehicle headlights. Use the enabled parameters to set the light parameters, including headlight intensity.

Dependencies

Selecting this parameter:

• Creates the input port Light controls.

• Enables these light parameters.

  Lights	Light Parameters
  Headlights	Headlight color High beam intensity Low beam intensity High beam cone half angle Low beam cone half angle Left headlight beam orientation Right headlight beam orientation
  Brake lights	Brake light intensity
  Reverse lights	Reverse light intensity
  Turn signal lights	Turn signal light intensity Period Pulse width

Headlights

Headlight color [R,G,B], HeadlightColor — Headlight color

[1,1,1] (default) | 1-by-3 vector of RGB triplet values

Headlight color, specified as a normalized 1-by-3 vector of RGB triplet values.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Enable light controls.

Data Types: int8 | uint8

High beam intensity, HighBeamIntensity — High beam intensity

100000 (default) | positive scalar

High beam intensity, in cd.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Enable light controls.

Data Types: double

Low beam intensity, LowBeamIntensity — Low beam intensity

60000 (default) | positive scalar

Low beam intensity, in cd.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Enable light controls.

Data Types: double

High beam cone half angle, HighBeamConeAngle — High beam cone half angle

1.22 (default) | positive scalar less than pi/2

High beam cone half angle, in rad.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Enable light controls.

Data Types: double

Low beam cone half angle, LowBeamConeAngle — Low beam cone half angle

1.22 (default) | positive scalar less than pi/2

Low beam cone half angle, in rad.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Enable light controls.

Data Types: double

Left headlight beam orientation [Pitch, Yaw], LeftHeadlightOrientation — Left headlight beam orientation

[0,0] (default) | 1-by-2 vector with values between -pi and pi

Pitch and yaw orientation of the left headlight beam orientation in the Z-down coordinate system, specified as a 1-by-2 vector, in rad. The first element of the vector, [1,1], is the pitch angle. The second element of the vector, [1,2], is the yaw angle.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Enable light controls.

Data Types: double

Right headlight beam orientation [Pitch, Yaw], RightHeadlightOrientation — Right headlight beam orientation

[0,0] (default) | 1-by-2 vector with values between -pi and pi

Pitch and yaw orientation of the right headlight beam orientation in the Z-down coordinate system, specified as a 1-by-2 vector, in rad. The first element of the vector, [1,1], is the pitch angle. The second element of the vector, [1,2], is the yaw angle.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Enable light controls.

Brake Lights

Brake light intensity, BrakelightIntensity — Brake light intensity

500 (default) | positive scalar

Brake light intensity, in cd/m^2.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Enable light controls.

Data Types: double

Reverse Lights

Reverse light intensity, ReverselightIntensity — Reverse light intensity

500 (default) | positive scalar

Reverse light intensity, in cd/m^2.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Enable light controls.

Data Types: double

Turn Signal Lights

Turn signal light intensity, SignallightIntensity — Turn signal light intensity

500 (default) | positive scalar

Turn signal light intensity, in cd/m^2.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Enable light controls.

Data Types: double

Period, SignallightPeriod — Turn signal light period

1 (default) | positive scalar

Turn signal light period, in s.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Enable light controls.

Data Types: double

Pulse width, SignalPulseWidth — Pulse width

50 (default) | positive scalar less than 100

Turn signal light pulse width, specified as a percent of the period.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Enable light controls.

Data Types: double

Initial Values

Initial array values to translate vehicle per part, Translation — Vehicle initial translation

zeros( 5, 3 ) (default) | 5-by-3 array

Initial vehicle and wheel translation, in m. Array dimensions are 5-by-3.

• Translation(1,1), Translation(1,2), and Translation(1,3) — Initial vehicle translation along the inertial vehicle Z-down coordinate system X-, Y-, and Z- axes, respectively.

• Translation(...,1), Translation(...,2), and Translation(...,3) — Initial wheel translation relative to vehicle, along the vehicle Z-down X-, Y-, and Z- axes, respectively.

The parameter contains translation information according to the axle and wheel locations.

$$Translation=\left[\begin{array}{ccc}{X}_v& Y_v& Z_v\\ X_{FL}& Y_{FL}& Z_{FL}\\ X_{FR}& Y_{FR}& Z_{FR}\\ X_{RL}& Y_{RL}& Z_{RL}\\ X_{RR}& Y_{RR}& Z_{RR}\end{array}\right]$$

Translation	Array Element	Translation Axis
Vehicle, Xv	Translation(1,1)	Inertial vehicle Z-down X-axis
Vehicle, Yv	Translation(1,2)	Inertial vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Vehicle, Zv	Translation(1,3)	Inertial vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front left wheel, XFL	Translation(2,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front left wheel, YFL	Translation(2,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front left wheel, ZFL	Translation(2,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front right wheel, XFR	Translation(3,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front right wheel, YFR	Translation(3,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front right wheel, ZFR	Translation(3,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Rear left wheel, XRL	Translation(4,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Rear left wheel, YRL	Translation(4,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Rear left wheel, ZRL	Translation(4,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Rear right wheel, XRR	Translation(5,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Rear right wheel, YRR	Translation(5,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Rear right wheel, ZRR	Translation(5,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis

Initial array values to rotate vehicle per part, Rotation — Vehicle initial rotation

zeros( 5, 3 ) (default) | 5-by-3 array

Initial vehicle and wheel rotation, about the vehicle Z-down X-, Y-, and Z- axes.

Array dimensions are 5-by-3.

• Rotation(1,1), Rotation(1,2), and Rotation(1,3) — Initial vehicle rotation about the inertial vehicle Z-down coordinate system X-, Y-, and Z- axes, respectively.

• Rotation(...,1), Rotation(...,2), and Rotation(...,3) — Initial wheel rotation relative to vehicle, about the vehicle Z-down X-, Y-, and Z- axes, respectively.

The parameter contains rotation information according to the axle and wheel locations.

$$Rotation=\left[\begin{array}{ccc}Rol{l}_v& Pitc{h}_v& Ya{w}_v\\ Rol{l}_{FL}& Pitc{h}_{FL}& Ya{w}_{FL}\\ Rol{l}_{FR}& Pitc{h}_{FR}& Ya{w}_{FR}\\ Rol{l}_{RL}& Pitc{h}_{RL}& Ya{w}_{RL}\\ Rol{l}_{RR}& Pitc{h}_{RR}& Ya{w}_{RR}\end{array}\right]$$

Rotation	Array Element	Rotation Axis
Vehicle, Rollv	Rotation(1,1)	Inertial vehicle Z-down X-axis
Vehicle, Pitchv	Rotation(1,2)	Inertial vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Vehicle, Yawv	Rotation(1,3)	Inertial vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front left wheel, RollFL	Rotation(2,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front left wheel, PitchFL	Rotation(2,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front left wheel, YawFL	Rotation(2,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front right wheel, RollFR	Rotation(3,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front right wheel, PitchFR	Rotation(3,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front right wheel, YawFR	Rotation(3,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Rear left wheel, RollRL	Rotation(4,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Rear left wheel, PitchRL	Rotation(4,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Rear left wheel, YawRL	Rotation(4,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Rear right wheel, RollRR	Rotation(5,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Rear right wheel, PitchRR	Rotation(5,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Rear right wheel, YawRR	Rotation(5,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis

Initial array values to scale vehicle per part, Scale — Vehicle initial scale

ones( 5, 3 ) (default) | 5-by-3 array

Initial vehicle and wheel scale, dimensionless. Array dimensions are 5-by-3.

• Scale(1,1), Scale(1,2), and Scale(1,3) — Initial vehicle scale along the inertial vehicle Z-down X-, Y-, and Z- axes, respectively.

• Scale(...,1), Scale(...,2), and Scale(...,3) — Initial wheel scale relative to vehicle, along vehicle Z-down X-, Y-, and Z- axes, respectively.

The parameter contains scale information according to the axle and wheel locations.

$$Scale=\left[\begin{array}{ccc}{X}_{V_{scale}}& Y_{V_{scale}}& Z_{V_{scale}}\\ X_{F{L}_{scale}}& Y_{F{L}_{scale}}& Z_{F{L}_{scale}}\\ X_{F{R}_{scale}}& Y_{F{R}_{scale}}& Z_{F{R}_{scale}}\\ X_{R{L}_{scale}}& Y_{R{L}_{scale}}& Z_{R{L}_{scale}}\\ X_{R{R}_{scale}}& Y_{R{R}_{scale}}& Z_{R{R}_{scale}}\end{array}\right]$$

Scale	Array Element	Scale Axis
Vehicle, Xvscale	Scale(1,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Vehicle, Yvscale	Scale(1,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Vehicle, Zvscale	Scale(1,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front left wheel, XFLscale	Scale(2,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front left wheel, YFLscale	Scale(2,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front left wheel, ZFLscale	Scale(2,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front right wheel, XFRscale	Scale(3,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front right wheel, YFRscale	Scale(3,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front right wheel, ZFRscale	Scale(3,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Rear left wheel, XRLscale	Scale(4,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Rear left wheel, YRLscale	Scale(4,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Rear left wheel, ZRLscale	Scale(4,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Rear right wheel, XRRscale	Scale(5,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Rear right wheel, YRRscale	Scale(5,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Rear right wheel, ZRRscale	Scale(5,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis

More About

Import Custom Meshes

To import custom meshes for defining custom vehicles, follow these steps:

1. Install the Vehicle Dynamics Blockset™ Interface for Unreal Engine Projects support package. See Customize 3D Scenes for Vehicle Dynamics Simulations.

2. On the block Parameters tab, set Type to Custom.

3. In the Path to custom mesh field, enter the path to the vehicle mesh in the Unreal Engine project. For example, enter /MathWorksSimulation/Vehicles/Muscle/Meshes/SK_MuscleCar.SK_MuscleCar.

   To create a custom vehicle mesh, see Prepare Custom Vehicle Mesh for the Unreal Editor.

4. Use the vehicle dimensions in the custom mesh to enter the dimensions in the corresponding block parameter fields.

Control Vehicle Lights

To control the lights of vehicles in a scene, follow these steps:

1. Install the Vehicle Dynamics Blockset Interface for Unreal Engine Projects support package. See Customize 3D Scenes for Vehicle Dynamics Simulations.

2. On the block Light Controls tab, select Enable light controls.

3. Use the enabled parameters to specify the vehicle lights for:

   • Headlights

   • Brake lights

   • Reverse lights

   • Turn signal lights

4. Connect Boolean light control signals to the Signal lights input port.

References

[1] Vehicle Dynamics Standards Committee. Vehicle Dynamics Terminology. SAE J670. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers, 2008.

[2] Technical Committee. Road vehicles — Vehicle dynamics and road-holding ability — Vocabulary. ISO 8855:2011. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization, 2011.

Version History

Introduced in R2019b

R2024b: New Simulation 3D Vehicle block color option

Starting in R2024b, you can specify Color, VehColor as Dazzle Camouflage for the Simulation 3D Vehicle block.

R2024a: Requires Simulink 3D Animation

Simulating models with the Simulation 3D Vehicle block requires Simulink 3D Animation.