Darmstadt, Germany, December 7th, 2022 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced the 2023 edition of its popular Virtual Formula competition.
For over ten years, VI-grade has promoted this competition to encourage SAE and Formula Student teams to learn how to use professional vehicle dynamics simulation tools. Thanks to a new regulatory change, more engineering students from around the world are eligible to participate in the 2023 Virtual Formula. Prestigious technical sponsors Automobili Lamborghini, Bugatti Rimac and Multimatic Inc. are lending their support to VI-grade in this important student engineering endeavor, and thus, encouraging young engineers to sharpen their virtual design skillset.
Participation in the Virtual Formula Competition is free-of-charge with a registration deadline of January 15th, 2023. Registered teams will have access to VI-grade’s state-of-the-art simulation tools, including VI-Motorsport, VI-grade’s motorsport simulation software, as well as a DESKTOP Simulator license including the VI-DriveSim and VI-GraphSim software products for real-time vehicle simulation and comprehensive driving simulator control.
More global engineering students will be eligible to participate in the 2023 Virtual Formula, thanks to new rules including the Optimization and Digital-Twin categories. The Optimization Category provides teams without a physical prototype with an electric vehicle model from VI-grade. The competition consists of an offline phase and an online phase. The goal in the offline phase is to improve and fine-tune the model’s performance. Teams will then compete against each other using their own desktop simulator in an online race event.
The Digital-Twin category also comprises an offline and online phase. Teams will create a digital twin of their 2023 Formula Student race car in VI-Motorsport. As in the Optimization category, the performance of each team’s own vehicle model (internal combustion & EV) is optimized in a dedicated offline phase. Before moving directly to the online phase, the Digital-Twin category features a technical review phase in between the offline and the online phase. During this technical review, teams have the unique opportunity to present their design decisions directly to the technical sponsors. Once the technical review phase is complete, teams will competitively race their VI-Motorsport vehicle models in an online event, utilizing their own desktop simulator.
The winning teams in each category (Optimization, Digital-Twin EV & Digital-Twin IC) who score the best lap time during the online race will win the competition. Winners will be awarded with either a hardware upgrade of their desktop simulator, or an all-expenses paid trip to one of VI-grade’s worldwide SimCenters.
“As the winner in the EV category of the 2022 Virtual Formula, I would like to express my congratulations to VI-grade for this competition. The software is easy to use, but at the same time it is so powerful and effective that we have decided without a doubt to continue applying it for the development of our vehicle and its control system”, commented Luca Massano, Head of Vehicle Dynamics and Control Systems Division at Squadra Corse (Formula SAE Team from Politecnico di Torino).
“We have participated in the last two editions of the Virtual Formula, having won in the 2022 Internal Combustion category of the 2022 competition. We have gained great value for our team from the participation. The Virtual Formula has significantly helped us test all areas of vehicle dynamics, even those that are more difficult for Formula Student teams to work on”, said Matteo Civale, Dynamics Division Manager at UniBo Motorsport (FSAE team of University of Bologna). “We also use the software to develop our FSAE cars, so it's a fundamental tool for the whole team. We’re looking forward to the 2023 edition of the Virtual Formula!”
Additional information, registration form, technical specifications and requirements and detailed schedule of the competition are available at http://virtualformula.vi-grade.com/
Novi, MI, USA, October 11th, 2022 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced their participation in the 2022 Automotive Testing Conference and Exhibition (ATE), in Novi Michigan, taking place October 25-27, 2022. VI-grade will be showcasing AutoHawk, its new Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) solution for automotive applications. Available for the first time in North America, visitors can experience AutoHawk live and in action at VI-grade’s booth, #2036. Additionally, Dean Streck, Director North America at VI-grade, will introduce AutoHawk in a dedicated, technical presentation on October 26th at 1:30pm.
With AutoHawk VI-grade becomes a significant contender in the sizeable, high-growth market of HiL testing, strategically leveraging its core strengths and experience in simulation and driving simulators. Employing the most advanced open Real Time Operating System (RTOS) available in the marketplace today, AutoHawk is powered by Concurrent Real-Time’s industry leading HiL technology. AutoHawk uniquely addresses the industry’s demand for a flexible solution comprising hardware, software, and integration services that can cost-effectively validate all variety of electronic control units (ECUs).
“I am pleased to introduce our new, flexible HiL Platform AutoHawk to the North American market at Automotive Testing Expo Novi”, said Dean Streck, Director North America at VI-grade. “The HiL market is critical for driving innovation and allowing us to leverage our core competencies and experience in driving simulation and simulators. Our vision is to build an integrated, virtual test approach with Hardware-in the Loop being an essential component of the development process. This will enable our customers to decrease the number of physical prototypes throughout the entire development cycle and to ultimately achieve virtual sign-off.”
Canton, MI, US, September 28th, 2022 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced two additional expert contributors for its first-ever North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit (ZPS) to be held on October 12th at Multimatic’s SimCenter in Novi, Michigan. Automotive race and passenger car test driver, Andy Priaulx, and renowned transportation analyst and Forbes journalist, Sam Abuelsamid, will add to the summit's high-profile program, which includes presentations from leading automotive companies such as Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Automobili Lamborghini, Bridgestone, HARMAN International, Hitachi Astemo, McMaster University and Stackpole Engineering Services.
Already at 85% of registration capacity, this positive response to the ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit underscores the strong interest the North American community has in attending an event where automotive manufacturers and suppliers demonstrate their achievements in closing the gap between CAE simulation and physical testing to achieve zero prototypes sign-off.
In his role as a professional race and test driver, Andy Priaulx will add another important dimension to the event. The three-time FIA World Touring Car Champion has been involved with Multimatic Motorsports since 2016 as an advisor and full-time test driver in numerous development projects. He will provide exclusive insights about his experience with the DiM250 driving simulator installed at Multimatic’s SimCenter.
“I look forward to attending and contributing to the first-ever North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit”, said Andy Priaulx. “I especially look forward to being able to present to attendees the benefits I’ve directly experienced using the DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator to actually impact the development process. I’ll also be holding a live racing demo session where I’ll push Multimatic’s DiM to its limits to prove the value a driving simulator brings in accelerating and refining the vehicle development process”, he added.
The Summit will be moderated by Automotive Industry Analyst and Forbes journalist, Sam Abuelsamid. After more than two decades as a product development engineer in the automotive industry developing advanced electronic control systems and embedded software, Sam is a principal analyst at Guidehouse, leading the Mobility Ecosystem Research Service with a focus on transportation electrification, automated driving and mobility services. Sam regularly contributes to a number of publications including Autonomous Vehicle Engineering, Forbes, and co-hosts the Wheel Bearings podcast.
“I’m thrilled to moderate VI-grade’s first ever North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit with such a broad array of OEMs and suppliers presenting” he said. “As the industry shifts electrification, automation and new vehicle architectures, simulation is more important than ever. I look forward to learning how these global automotive leaders are pushing the development envelope with VI-grade’s products towards achieving zero prototypes, as well as experiencing the full suite of VI-grade’s simulators at Multimatic.”
In addition to the high-level technical presentations from industry-leading companies, the North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit will also feature a series of application specific driving simulator sessions. The full range of VI-grade’s Driving Simulators, specifically targeted at discipline-oriented applications (Ride & Handling, NVH, ADAS & AV, HMI and Motorsports), will be available for attendees to experience: DESKTOP and DESKTOP NVH Simulator, COMPACT and COMPACT NVH Simulator, STATIC Simulator, DiM250 DYNAMIC Simulator. AutoHawk, VI-grade’s HiL solution powered by Concurrent Real-Time for automotive applications, also will be on display for the first time ever in North America.
VI-grade gratefully acknowledges the support of its North American ZPS sponsors: Rebel Dynamics, SAGInoMIYA (Platinum); 3DMapping Solutions, Barco, Concurrent Real-Time, Hexagon, Smarteye and Stackpole Engineering Services (Golden).
Registration for the North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit is still open and free-of-charge at https://conference.vi-grade.com/. Final details about the event will be added to the VI-grade website as they become available.
Darmstadt, Germany / North Canton, OH, US, September 7th, 2022 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, and Stackpole Engineering Services, a leading full-service provider of engineering solutions to tire and vehicle OEM’s and suppliers, today announced their strategic partnership, that will significantly advance the companies’ research and development efforts in the areas of tire testing, tire modeling and simulation application.
Stackpole Engineering Services utilizes a VI-grade DESKTOP Simulator at their Corporate office in North Canton, Ohio to support the evaluation and certification of tire models and vehicle physics in various professional driving simulator applications. Through this strategic partnership, VI-grade and Stackpole Engineering Services now directly collaborate on the development and implementation of tire and vehicle models across VI-grade’s driving simulators, ensuring the best possible support for the joint customer base of vehicle and tire manufacturers.
Highlights of the partnership between Stackpole Engineering Services and VI-grade include the following major advances:
Close cooperation in the evaluation and certification of third-party software as well as vehicle and tire models to ensure native and seamless application in VI-grade driving simulators
Equipping all VI-grade SimCenters worldwide with SES-AgileTire™ software suite for tire model analysis and providing access to sample library of commercial tire models.
“It is an honor for Stackpole Engineering Services, Inc. to partner with the team at VI-grade on the creation, implementation and validation of tire models and vehicle physics in the VI-grade simulator environment, and to provide industry-leading support for our joint customers”, commented Michael Stackpole, President and Founder, Stackpole Engineering Services. “Stackpole Engineering Services is proud to include the VI-grade simulator as part of our expanded engineering service offerings, and are focused on utilizing this world-class toolset to evaluate and certify commercial and custom tire & vehicle models, and to support our customer’s unique virtual environment programs.”
“I am pleased to announce the collaboration of VI-grade and Stackpole Engineering Services”, said Tony Spagnuolo, Vice President Business Development at VI-grade. “We look forward to collaborating even more closely with our valued partner Stackpole Engineering Services in the development and implementation of tire models on our driving simulators to provide the best possible simulation solutions to our joint customer base of vehicle and tire OEMs.”
Stackpole Engineering Services will be present at the 41st Annual Tire Society Conference (September 12-13, 2022 in Akron, OH) with a booth and their VI-grade DESKTOP simulator. In addition, Kelly Holshue, Delivery and Installation Manager - North America at VI-grade will give a dedicated presentation on the benefits of virtual tire evaluation using a Driver-in-the-Loop Simulator (DiL).
Canton, MI, US / Tokyo, Japan, August 31st, 2022 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced final agendas of its first-ever regional ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits (ZPS) to be held on September 22nd in Tokyo, Japan and on October 12th at Multimatic’s SimCenter in Novi (suburban Detroit), Michigan.
As with VI-grade’s flagship event held in Udine, Italy, in May 2022, both regional ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits will showcase a combination of application-specific driving simulator sessions and high-level technical presentations from industry-leading companies actively using VI-grade’s simulation, driving simulator and hardware-in-the-loop technology in their product development processes.
The main focus for the local Summits is demonstrating how VI-grade tools drive immediate technical and financial returns in the customers’ product development process across ADAS, Vehicle Dynamics, NVH and HMI areas of focus, including multi-attribute simulations. Attendees will benefit from hearing actual customer testimonials describing how adopting VI-grade technologies moved them from “skeptic to speaker” as they bridge the gap between simulation and physical testing in the ultimate quest to achieve zero prototypes sign-off.
Speakers at the Japanese ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit include representatives from Honda Japan, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Mazda, Hitachi Astemo, Applus+ IDIADA, Solize, Meiji University, SAGInoMIYA, Rebel Dynamics, Hexagon, HBK and Barco. In addition to keynote and technical presentations, all attendees will also have opportunities to experience the VI-grade DESKTOP Simulator, DESKTOP NVH Simulator, COMPACT NVH Simulator as well as the recently launched HiL Platform, AutoHawk, live and in action in dedicated demo sessions.
The North American edition of VI-grade’s ZPS event will feature high-caliber keynote and technical contributions from Multimatic Inc., Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Harman, Lamborghini / Bridgestone, McMaster University, Stackpole Engineering Services, Hitachi Astemo, SAGInoMIYA and Rebel Dynamics. Because the event will be held at Multimatic's state-of-the-art SimCenter, attendees will also have the unique opportunity to experience first-hand the full spectrum of VI-grade driving simulators and directly experience what makes VI-grade technologically superior to the competition.
“We are extremely pleased to bring our renowned ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit to our local VI-grade communities in Japan and in the United States and to host such an impressive slate of speakers at each event”, commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “These presentations will provide our valued customers, partners and followers with exclusive insights into how key players in the global automotive industry are currently using simulation and driving simulators to accelerate the development of new vehicles, bringing them ever closer to virtual release.”
Registration for both regional ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits is free-of-charge atthis link. Additional details about the event will be added to the VI-grade website as they become available.
VI-grade社のManaging Director のGuido Bairati氏は、次のように述べています。
「世界中の学生フォーミュラチームに対する世界規模のスポンサーシッププログラムの開始を、発表できることを嬉しく思います。今日の学生は明日のエンジニアであり、我々は彼らの旅立ちを支援し、主要なOEM、サプライヤー、モータースポーツチームで使用されている当社の最先端のソフトウェア製品を紹介できることを嬉しく思っています。学生にとっては、チームの研究開発プロセスを後押しし、学生フォーミュラ／FSAEレースでのパフォーマンスを向上させるとともに、自動車やモータースポーツ業界での将来のキャリアに活用できる当社の最先端シミュレーションツールについて深い知識を得ることができる素晴らしい機会です。」
Kaiserslautern Racing Team(KaRaT e.v.)のチームリーダー、Khalil Mahjoub氏は、次のように述べています。「この2シーズン、VI-gradeが私たちに与えてくれたものは、まさに驚異的でした。このソフトウェアは非常に使いやすく、我々の部署の誰もが簡単に使い方を学ぶことができます。また、私たちはVI-gradeのソフトウェアを使用して、自動運転レーシングカーの車両挙動をシミュレートするのに役立てています。このソフトウェアの機能はまだ模索中ですが、VI-gradeの大きなサポートに本当に感謝したいと思います。」
VI-grade社のManaging Director のGuido Bairati氏は、次のように述べています。
「2022年秋に北米と日本でZERO PROTOTYPES Summitを開催することを楽しみにしています。日本や北米のコミュニティに対して、弊社の全ビジョンやツールを示すだけでなく、お客様やパートナーがVI-gradeの革新的なシミュレーションソリューションを使用して達成した最新のプロジェクトや進歩について知ることができる絶好の機会です。」
VI-gradeの北米ディレクターであるDean Streck氏は、次のように述べています。
「私たちの大切な顧客、パートナー、スポンサーを SimCenter Detroit に招待し、初のローカル ZERO PROTOTYPES Summitのイベントを開催できることを嬉しく思っています。イタリアのウーディネで開催されたイベントと同様に、ノバイのイベントでも参加者は当社が所有する全シミュレータの実機をその場で体験することができます。 このサミットでは、ADAS、ビークルダイナミクス、NVH、HMIといった様々な種類のシミュレーションを含むVI-gradeのツールが、顧客の製品開発プロセスにおいていかに技術的・経済的利益を即座にもたらすかを紹介することに主眼が置かれています。参加者は、VI-gradeの技術を採用することで“懐疑的な立場から発言者”になり、今ではVI-gradeのシミュレーション技術が業務の中核に組み込まれていない製品開発は考えられないという、実際のお客様の声を聞くことで貴重な見解を得ることができます。」
VI-grade社のJapan Country Managerの吉井 亨氏は、次のように述べています。
「3年間に及ぶ数々のバーチャル・イベントの後、日本のコミュニティのために2回目のオフラインのカンファレンスを開催できることを嬉しく思います。本イベントでは、日本の主要自動車メーカーやサプライヤーによるハイレベルな基調講演や技術講演のほか、ドライビングシミュレータによるデモセッション、技術展示エリアでは、スポンサー各社によるソリューションの展示が予定されています。」
ZPSローカルイベントの（現時点での）確定スポンサーは以下の通りです。
Udine, Italy, June 29th, 2022 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced the 2022.1 release of its main software products for real-time simulation and driving simulators. The release includes major product updates and several usability enhancements for VI-CarRealTime, VI-WorldSim, VI-DriveSim and for the whole NVH Simulator product suite.
The 2022.1 release of VI-CarRealTime, VI-grade’s flagship real-time vehicle simulation environment, features multiple benefits for users:
The Solid Axle suspension model is now based on a separate body representing the axle, leading to a more accurate computation of steering dynamics
The Steering Subsystem Editor is now completely redesigned to be more intuitive and to allow better control of its different elements
The new Yaw Moment Event enables to generate a representation of the vehicle maneuvering envelope computing its dynamic equilibrium at constant speed over a given range of side slip and steering
The Adams Car Interface now supports a side-by-side installation mode, enabling the usage of a single Adams Car installation with multiple versions of VI-CarRealTime
The 2022.1 release of VI-WorldSim, VI-grade’s user-friendly, fully integrated graphic environment focused on ADAS development, features the following enhancements:
An enhanced model of the sky, featuring volumetric clouds and other atmospheric visual improvements, more accurate illumination at night and presence of the moon
AI controlled vehicles are now able to swerve around obstacles
Any vehicle may be given exclusive control to the external SDK process independently from the behavior specified in the scenario
The Simulink library has been expanded, providing access to trigger activation, weather conditions, vehicle lights and control actions generated by the AI module.
The 2022.1 update also includes enhancements for VI-DriveSim, VI-grade’s software platform enabling easy and complete control of driving simulator components:
A brand-new user interface enabling to manage all driving simulator subsystems from a single application
The MotionCueing module reduces the actuation latency for cable-driven simulators thanks to an increased operative frequency.
The new MultiCueing module coordinates the usage of the VI-ActiveSeat unit with the motion platform actions.
Finally, the 2022.1 release of NVH Simulator contains several major improvements and new functionalities:
All-new NVH Simulator toolbox featuring many new capabilities and enhancements: full capabilities of previous toolbox, Magic Brush sound editing multi-tool, Wav edit (expanded functionality with trim, fade, invert), Order Designer (expanded to create EV orders), Road/Engine Masking playback improvements
NVH Simulator Data Preparation Software enriched with several new capabilities and improvements: High-res order display for easy order identification in EVs, Auto order identification, Integrated masking noise calculation for engine and road masking, Batch Processing
Support of new VI-WorldSim version and scenarios (Calabogie racetrack, Cityscape)
Support of assembly ID switching for QNX Liveamp
MME audio output option in VI-SimSound
“I'm overjoyed to share this significant software update for VI-flagship grade's software product line,” said Roberto De Vecchi, VI-grade Product Development Manager. “All of our real-time and NVH software solutions have undergone a significant overhaul with version 2022.1, and I am convinced that customers of our offline and driving simulator software will benefit much from it.”
「SOLIZEがVI-WorldSimソフトウェアのアクティブユーザーであり、すでに最初のステップで大きな成果を遂げていることをお知らせできることを嬉しく思います」と、VI-grade社のJapan Country Managerの吉井 亨氏は、述べています。 「これは、既存のドライビングシミュレーション環境を完全に補完するものであり、SOLIZEがADASおよび自動運転機能をさらに高いレベルに引き上げることを可能にします。」
VI-grade社のManaging Director のGuido Bairati氏は、次のように述べています。「HiL 市場は、イノベーションを推進する上で重要であり、ドライビングシミュレーションとシミュレータにおける当社のコアコンピタンスと経験を活用することを可能にします。私たちのビジョンは、ハードウェア・イン・ザ・ループを開発プロセスの重要なコンポーネントとして、統合されたバーチャルテスト手法を構築することです。これにより、お客様は開発サイクル全体を通して物理的なプロトタイプの数を減らし、最終的にバーチャルサインオフを達成することができます。」
为期两天的ZPS以全球汽车行业创新者为用户导向，让他们了解仿真领域的专家在实现零原型过程中所使用的方法，以及VI grade高级仿真解决方案在这一过程中所起的重要作用。第一天的主题演讲和技术分享代表来自：倍耐力轮胎、沃尔沃汽车/皇家理工学院、麦克马斯特大学、Applus+IDIADA、固特异轮胎和橡胶公司、兰博基尼汽车/普利司通、丹宁思工程/ Meccanica 42、UTAC、米兰理工大学和Multimatic Inc. 第二天的主题演讲和技术分享代表来自：通用汽车、现代汽车欧洲技术中心股份、温莎大学、MegaRide / BE CAE Test、德累斯顿理工大学、福特德国和HORIBA MIRA。
图注:使用兰博基尼Huracan驾驶舱在DiM400上进行HiL测试
今年的“ZPS最佳论文奖”授予
来自兰博基尼汽车公司的 Giuseppe Sgoluppi 和来自普利司通 EMIA 的 Alfredo Corollaro，他们联合发表的“Optimal Coupling of Suspensions Set-up and Tire Dynamic Footprint through FEM Modeling and Driver-in-the-Loop Approach（基于 FEM 建模和驾驶员在环的悬架设置与轮胎动态印迹最佳耦合）”；
来自Applus+IDIADA的Guido Tosolin与Mahindra&Mahindra，他们联合发表的“Achieving World-Class Dynamics Performance of the New XUV 700 and Cutting Down Development Time and Cost Using a Driving Simulator（基于驾驶模拟器的XUV 700动力学性能实现与研发时间和成本降低）”。
VI grade董事总经理Guido Bairati表示：“我们的用户对2022年零原型峰会表现出的高度关注于兴趣给我们留下了深刻的印象，从本次活动现场与线下出席人数就证明了这一点。这一切都始于8个月前，当时的想法是将我们的客户、合作伙伴、赞助商和同僚带到我们的软件和模拟器开发和测试的地方。这也是我们第一次决定不将模拟器带到会议，而是将会议移到模拟器所在的地。尽管存在着诸多障碍和挑战，但我们的首届‘混合’峰会取得了圆满成功。我们非常感谢VI-grade的忠实的客户，并为我们多年来建立的关系感到自豪。”
