Simulation 3D Three-Wheeled Vehicle

Implement three-wheeled vehicle in 3D environment

Since R2023b

• 

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

Description

Note

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

The Simulation 3D Three-Wheeled Vehicle block implements a vehicle with three 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 Three-Wheeled Vehicle block executes before the Simulation 3D Scene Configuration block. That way, Simulation 3D Three-Wheeled 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 then click the Properties button . On the General tab, confirm these Priority settings:

• Simulation 3D Scene Configuration — 0

• Simulation 3D Three-Wheeled Vehicle — -1

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

Examples

Place Vehicle in 3D Environment

This example shows how to create a 3D environment with a three-wheeled vehicle model, similar to a tuk tuk, and view the model animation in the Simulation 3D Viewer window using Simulink®. You can use the Simulation 3D Scene Configuration (Simulink 3D Animation) block to create a 3D environment and the Simulation 3D Three-Wheeled Vehicle block to implement a three-wheeled vehicle in a 3D environment. You can then view the 3D environment in the Simulation 3D Viewer window.

Open Model

Open the Simulink model.

open_system("Sim3dTukTukExample");

Explore Model

The model includes a Simulation 3D Scene Configuration block and a Simulation 3D Three-Wheeled Vehicle block. The Simulation 3D Scene Configuration (Simulink 3D Animation) block implements a 3D simulation environment. Double-click the Simulation 3D Scene Configuration block to open the Block Parameters dialog box. Set a view in the scene with the Scene view parameter. You must include the configuration block when building Simulink models with 3D blocks.

The Simulation 3D Three-Wheeled Vehicle block adds a three-wheeled vehicle to the 3D environment. Double-click the Simulation 3D Three-Wheeled Vehicle block to open the Block Parameters dialog box.

In this example, Constant blocks reposition and reorient the three-wheeled vehicle and turn specific vehicle lights on or off.

Simulate Model

Simulate the model to view the tuk tuk animation in the Simulation 3D Viewer window.

sim("Sim3dTukTukExample");

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.

$$Translation=\left[\begin{array}{ccc}{X}_v& Y_v& Z_v\\ X_H& Y_H& Z_H\\ X_F& Y_F& Z_F\\ X_{RL}& Y_{RL}& Z_{RL}\\ X_{RR}& Y_{RR}& Z_{RR}\end{array}\right]$$

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
Handlebars, XH	Translation(2,1)	Inertial vehicle Z-down X-axis
Handlebars, YH	Translation(2,2)	Inertial vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Handlebars, ZH	Translation(2,3)	Inertial vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front wheel, XF	Translation(3,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front wheel, YF	Translation(3,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front wheel, ZF	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.

Note

If the yaw value provided for the front wheel differs from the yaw value provided for the handlebars, the yaw value of the handlebars is used for the front wheel. The yaw value of the handlebars and the front wheel is limited to the range of [-30, 30] degrees.

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

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

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
Handlebars, RollH	Rotation(2,1)	Inertial vehicle Z-down X-axis
Handlebars, PitchH	Rotation(2,2)	Inertial vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Handlebars, YawH	Rotation(2,3)	Inertial vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front wheel, RollF	Rotation(3,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front wheel, PitchF	Rotation(3,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front wheel, YawF	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

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 — Type of vehicle

Tuk tuk (default)

Type of vehicle. By default, Type is set to Tuk tuk. For vehicle dimensions, see Tuk tuk.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	Mesh
Values:	Tuk tuk (default)
Data Types:	character vector

Name — 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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	ActorName
Values:	SimulinkVehicle1 (default) | character vector
Data Types:	character vector

Sample time — Sample time

-1 (default) | scalar

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

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	SampleTime
Values:	-1 (default) | scalar
Data Types:	double

Initial Values

Initial array values to translate vehicle per part, Translation (m) — 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.

$$Translation=\left[\begin{array}{ccc}{X}_v& Y_v& Z_v\\ X_H& Y_H& Z_H\\ X_F& Y_F& Z_F\\ X_{RL}& Y_{RL}& Z_{RL}\\ X_{RR}& Y_{RR}& Z_{RR}\end{array}\right]$$

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
Handlebars, XH	Translation(2,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Handlebars, YH	Translation(2,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Handlebars, ZH	Translation(2,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front wheel, XF	Translation(3,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front wheel, YF	Translation(3,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front wheel, ZF	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

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	Translation
Values:	zeros(5,3) (default) | 5-by-3 array
Data Types:	double

Initial array values to rotate vehicle per part, Rotation (rad) — 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.

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

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
Handlebars, RollH	Rotation(2,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Handlebars, PitchH	Rotation(2,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Handlebars, YawH	Rotation(2,3)	Vehicle Z-down Z-axis
Front wheel, RollF	Rotation(3,1)	Vehicle Z-down X-axis
Front wheel, PitchF	Rotation(3,2)	Vehicle Z-down Y-axis
Front wheel, YawF	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

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	Rotation
Values:	zeros(5,3) (default) | 5-by-3 array
Data Types:	double

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

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	VehLightsControl
Values:	Off (default) | On
Data Types:	character vector

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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	HeadlightColor
Values:	[1,1,1] (default) | vector
Data Types:	double

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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	HighBeamIntensity
Values:	100000 (default) | scalar
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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	LowBeamIntensity
Values:	60000 (default) | scalar
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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	HighBeamConeAngle
Values:	1.22 (default) | scalar
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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	LowBeamConeAngle
Values:	1.22 (default) | scalar
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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	LeftHeadlightOrientation
Values:	[0,0] (default) | vector
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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	RightHeadlightOrientation
Values:	[0,0] (default) | vector
Data Types:	double

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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	BrakelightIntensity
Values:	500 (default) | scalar
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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	ReverselightIntensity
Values:	500 (default) | scalar
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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	SignallightIntensity
Values:	500 (default) | scalar
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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	SignallightPeriod
Values:	1 (default) | scalar
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.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

To get the block parameter value programmatically, use the get_param function.

Parameter:	SignalPulseWidth
Values:	50 (default) | scalar
Data Types:	double

More About

Control Vehicle Lights

To control the lights of vehicles in a scene:

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.

Version History

Introduced in R2023b

R2024a: Requires Simulink 3D Animation

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