An Easy-to-use Generic Model Configurator for Models in Multiple Tool Formats

Application models for simulation are usually built by combining and configuring a selection of component models into an application model. This can be done by manually editing the model text representations. However, it is usually much easier to use a graphic editor for selecting och connecting components. The MathModelica tool has such a graphic editor, adapted for components in Modelica libraries. However, since Modelica is a generic model description language, it has been possible to extend the editor to support configuration of components in other modeling tool formats, e.g. ADAMS or ANSYS. When the editor is used in this generic way, the Modelica connections and interfaces are translated into the format of the specific tool. The editor does not need to know anything about the internals of model components that are combined, just the interfaces. The configurator has successfully been used to configure and simulate mechanical bearing models as well as a wheel loader model, currently supporting three different formats: Modelica MBS, ADAMS, and ANSYS, with ongoing development for the SKF BEAST MBS model format