MotionDesk

3-D Online Animation of Simulated Mechanical Systems in Real Time

dSPACE MotionDesk is a 3-D online animation software application that visualizes the results of hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations for ECU tests. MotionDesk supports hardware simulation platforms from dSPACE, such as SCALEXIO and DS1006. The tool also supports offline simulation based on dSPACE VEOS and Simulink® and comes with valuable features for developing and testing ADAS scenarios. These include camera sensor simulation during which MotionDesk video data is fed directly to the camera ECU and ideal point-cloud sensor models for the development of radar and lidar sensors.

The product MotionDesk can no longer be purchased.

Instead, we offer our new generation of visualization and sensor simulation software: AURELION.

For more information on the product life cycle and the dSPACE product life cycle model in general, please refer to our website.

  • MotionDesk 4.6

    Visualization of routes and markers defined for arbitrary driving trajectories

    • New 3-D models for motorcycles
    • New materials database editor to add and modify materials, e.g., reflectivity, including the instant, color-coded visualization of the reflectivity of different materials
    • API for the automated configuration of sensor position and orientation of physics-based sensor models
    • Usability improvements such as:
      • Sensor compositum on individual screens
      • Extended observer controls

  • MotionDesk 4.5

    • Usability improvements for radar and lidar simulation

  • MotionDesk 4.4

    • Multi-instance support for Sensor Simulation with synchronized, sensor-specific content provided to user applications, including control and monitoring features
    • Extended lighting objects library, such as headlights, turn signal, and license plate light
    • Physical sensor simulation option was taken out of the MotionDesk and is now provided as a separate product: Sensor Simulation. Smooth integration of Sensor Simulation in MotionDesk, e.g., for defining 3-D scenes.

  • Stay Safe on the Roads

    Euro NCAP tests with virtual test drives

    Read more

  • Eyes on the Road

    Well-coordinated tools for simulation, testing and visualization are indispensable in validating modern driver assistance systems. Together, the Automotive Simulation Models (ASM), ModelDesk and MotionDesk from dSPACE form a perfectly coordinated tool chain for this task.

    Read more

  • Seeing is Knowing

    In developing controllers for applications like vehicle dynamics or driver assistance systems, simulations are crucial. The best way to understand the behavior of a simulated system is with animated visualization in realistic 3-D scenes.

    Read more

  • A Moving Variety – Efficient tests for commercial vehicle ECU variants

    For commercial vehicles, diversity is a standard. Scania has a nearly endless selection of vehicle types and modular vehicle configurations. And the generic electronic control unit (ECU) system has just as many variants. In a new test lab, Scania shows how this system can be validated with reliability.

    Read more

  • Validating Advanced Driver Assistance systems – Virtual test drives with hardware-in-the-loop simulation

    To validate the automatic emergency brake system, MAN uses a camera-in-the-loop setup, with innovative radar-camera data fusion.

    Read more

  • All Success Stories on MotionDesk

  • Supports testing of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)
  • Tight integration to ModelDesk and ASM
  • Intuitive graphical scene design

MotionDesk is easy to handle. You can perform all the important operations, such as 3-D scene creation, in one tool.

MotionDesk’s general usability is improved by a renewed ribbon-based user interface. To adapt the interface to your use cases and requirements, you can customize the toolbars to quickly access your most important commands.

Pedestrian detection
Improved simulation of realistic lighting conditions in MotionDesk
6 Videos

Application Areas

The best way to understand the behavior of a simulated system is to use animated visualization in realistic 3-D scenes. Combining a simulation system with real-time animation is the ideal way to get the whole picture. Since animations can be recorded and replayed, it is easy to compare different controller development strategies by using overlay techniques. MotionDesk enhances the dSPACE tool chain by visualizing how mechanical objects move in the 3-D world. MotionDesk is the perfect tool to visualize any kind of vehicle dynamics concept and driving maneuvers, such as lane change, split-μ, and cornering.

Key Benefits

MotionDesk helps you get more out of your HIL simulator, visualizing your simulation in virtual worlds that represent the simulation scenarios exactly. MotionDesk reads the data from the HIL simulator and displays the animation of the moving objects (vehicle, wheels, steering wheel, etc.) in real time, using the perspectives and render modes that you choose yourself, to give you a clear understanding of how the simulated objects actually behave. You can store the animations as experiment files and record video files to document and illustrate your developments.

Support of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

MotionDesk provides enhanced support for all ADAS aspects, where the complexity of an action has to be seen to be understood. When an ADAS is tested, the visualization must be realistic enough for object recognition, and a high frame rate is crucial.

MotionDesk’s rendering engine guarantees detailed and realistic visualization. Even complex scenes can be rendered at a steady rate of 60 frames per second, and beyond.

For camera-based system tests as well as for radar and lidar developments, MotionDesk comes with valuable features, such as optical path simulations, camera sensor simulations, and ideal point-cloud sensor models. These features support developers of camera, radar, and lidar sensors in their work and simplify the test setup significantly, e.g., by eliminating the need for a simulation box with a camera ECU filming MotionDesk.

Feature Description Benefit
Instant animation
  • Powerful rendering engine
  • Low latency between simulation and animation
  • Intuitive motion model to accurately position the observer in the scene
  • Smart objects for simulating and visualizing state-dependent objects stimulated by the real-time simulation model (e.g., traffic lights, brake lights, direction indicators)
  • NEW: Hardware instancing
  • Detailed and realistic visualization
  • Even complex scenes can be rendered at a steady 60 frames per second.
  • Realistic man-in-the-loop simulation
  • NEW: Hardware instancing improves performance while using a large number of the same objects (e.g., trees, street lamps, buildings)
Multitrack mode
  • Visual comparison of simulation run with reference data tracks
  • Parameter behavior studies
Force vector visualization
  • Forces represented graphically, e.g., by arrows
  • You can easily see which forces influence motion and how
3-D scene creation
  • Graphical interactive scene design
  • Scene creation integrated in MotionDesk
  • All done via drag & drop
  • Automatic generation of guard rails, noise barriers and environment objects
  • Automation API for remote-controlling MotionDesk
  • Automatic scene generation based on ModelDesk scenery types like city, highway, country road, alley, etc.
  • Precise definition and visualization of lane lines
  • Support of free lane lines and markings, delineators and safety barriers
  • NEW: Road definition in ModelDesk allows for specifying Z-profiles on junctions
  • Easy, intuitive operation
  • Operation from one tool
  • Fast scene creation and modification
  • Synergy with other tools for optimized workflow
  • Exact representation of lane lines is a necessity for developing and testing lane assistant systems
  • NEW: Realistic simulation of real-world junctions with incoming and outgoing lanes at different height levels
3-D object library
  • 3-D object libraries based on standardized COLLADA file formats
  • Imports and migrates VRML2
  • 3-D object search via keywords and names
  • Grouping 3-D objects
  • Steadily growing library of 3-D objects: cars, houses, trees, etc.
  • Animated characters (optional)
  • International traffic signs (optional)
  • Easy migration from older MotionDesk versions
  • 3-D object libraries can be extended by user-defined objects in COLLADA
  • Better overview of all objects
  • Better scene structures
  • More than 1200 3-D objects available for creating detailed and realistic scenes for various use cases from vehicle dynamics to advanced driver assistance systems and Car2x
Lossless, time-based data acquisition
  • Time-based simulation data acquisition with equidistant time stamps
  • Synchronized replay of recorded animations in real time
Speed control
  • Variable slow- and fast-motion replay
  • You can slow down the animation to observe details and speed it up during uneventful sections
Video file generation
  • Animations exported into video files (AVI, MPEG-4, etc.)
  • Archiving and distributing important animations
Multi-PC support
  • Scalable visualization system for interactive driving simulators via Multi-PC Interface Kit or directly with SCALEXIO simulators
  • More views increase realism during man-in-the-loop simulation
Optical path simulation
  • Simulation of optical paths for behind-sensor-stimulation (simulation of visual features such as lens distortion, chromatic aberration, vignetting in MotionDesk)
  • No need to set up a simulation box with camera ECU filming MotionDesk
Ideal point-cloud sensor model
  • Reflection points of traffic environment with high 3-D angular resolution
  • Different values for each reflection point: Distance, azimuth/elevation angle, relative speed, etc.
  • GPU-based camera sensor models in MotionDesk
  • Basis for development of radar and lidar sensors
Advanced lighting technology
  • Light sources can be attached to all objects
  • Shape, color, and intensity selectable for each light source
  • Different luminance distributions available for all light sources
  • Automatic positioning of the sun, based on a simple ephemeris model
  • Ambient light and shadows change dynamically
  • Realistic lighting behavior and visualization (e.g., reflections of brake lights)
  • Simulation of changing light conditions (e.g., sunset, sunrise) and night drives for the development of adaptive front-lighting systems (AFS)
  • Testing real headlights in real time
NEW: Terrain generation and long-road support
  • Creation of road geometries with varying elevations on the basis of real satellite and elevation model data
  • Generation and real-time simulation of extremely long roads and road networks (thousands of kilometers and more)
  • Realistic simulation of the terrain to embed roads and road networks
  • Dynamic loading of the road segments ensures stable and high performance
NEW: Sensor simulation modules
  • Windows® console application
  • Generated sensor raw data is provided by HDMI ports or via a shared memory interface
  • Support of camera features and effects, such as Bayer pattern, lens distortion, chromatic aberration, vignetting, and shadow calculation as well as simple and advanced lighting
  • Postprocessing API
  • No performance loss caused by unnecessary user interfaces and supporting processes
  • Easy transmission of sensor data to ESI units and virtual ECUs (V-ECUs)
  • Allows for using all MotionDesk visualization features to address the requirements for the calculation of an optical path and realistic lighting scenarios
  • External interface to extend the functionality for customers (e.g., probabilistic model on sensor output)

Simulator Hardware Hardware-in-the-loop simulators and simulator-specific hardware for ECU testing. SCALEXIO Modular real-time system for RCP and HIL applications MicroAutoBox Hardware Compact, stand-alone prototyping unit with real-time hardware, I/O, and signal conditioning MicroLabBox Hardware Compact prototyping unit for the laboratory Automotive Simulation Models Tool suite for simulating the engine, vehicle dynamics, electrical system, and traffic environment ModelDesk Graphical user interface for parameterization, management, and simulation
  • MotionDesk Product Information, PDF, English, 5314 KB
More Information Documentation Contact Information

Drive innovation forward. Always on the pulse of technology development.

Subscribe to our expert knowledge. Learn from our successful project examples. Keep up to date on simulation and validation. Subscribe to/manage dSPACE direct and aerospace & defense now.

Enable form call

At this point, an input form from Click Dimensions is integrated. This enables us to process your newsletter subscription. The form is currently hidden due to your privacy settings for our website.

External input form

By activating the input form, you consent to personal data being transmitted to Click Dimensions within the EU, in the USA, Canada or Australia. More on this in our privacy policy.