Co-Simulation with CarMaker

A CarMaker co-simulation project allows you to use Ansys AVxcelerate Lighting and Sensors in a dynamic environment created with CarMaker.

Prerequisites

  • Make sure you have a CarMaker version compatible with 2025 R1 Ansys AVxcelerate Lighting and Sensors: CarMaker versions 11.0, 12.0.1 and 13.0.
  • Make sure your IPG license includes the following capabilities:
    • Product CarMaker/GUI
    • Product CarMaker
    • Product ipg-movie
    • Product ipg-control
    • Product MovieNX
    • Product ipg-road

Resources

To perform co-simulation with CarMaker, you need the AVxcelerate Headlamp Library for CarMaker, which includes the connector as well as a set of resources.

The AVxcelerate Headlamp Library for CarMaker provides the following CarMaker resources:
  • one sample CarMaker project for each supported CarMaker version,
  • several sample TestRuns and roads for each supported CarMaker version,
  • CarMaker dynamic assets that you can use to customize the CarMaker sample TestRuns,
  • CarMaker static assets as well as traffic signs that you can add to the road.
The following resources, which are installed along with the software, are also required:
  • the Ansys AVxcelerate Lighting and Sensors counterparts for the provided CarMaker assets and roads,
  • the co-simulation mapping file (in which each CarMaker asset is paired to an Ansys AVxcelerate Lighting and Sensors counterpart).

For more information about files location, refer to File Locations > AVxcelerate Headlamp Library for CarMaker.

Workflow

If you want to use one of the roads delivered in the AVxcelerate Headlamp Library for CarMaker, you can:
  • open the corresponding CarMaker Co-simulation Project (*.vrxprojcm file) provided in C:\ProgramData\Optis\Program\Library\Tracks
  • create a new Co-simulation Project with the *.env file corresponding to the road (*.rd5) defined in the CarMaker TestRun that you want to use.
    Note: Use the *.env file without the _CoSim suffix. For Motorway and Country Meander use the *.env file with the _CoSim_CM suffix.
If you want use a *.track provided in AVxcelerate Sensors Library for CarMaker (installed with the Ansys AVxcelerate Sensors package):
  1. generate the *.env file, refer to Generating an Environment File from a Track File,
  2. when creating a new Co-simulation Project make sure that the content and name of selected *.track file correspond to the road (*.rd5) defined in the CarMaker TestRun that you want to use.
If you want to create a road for co-simulation between Ansys AVxcelerate Lighting and Sensors and CarMaker (*.env) from a CarMaker road:
  1. make sure that the name of your files only includes alphanumeric characters (a to z and 0 to 9), hyphen ' - ' or underscore ' _ '.
  2. use the CarMaker Road to AVX Track Converter available when using the CarMaker Connector for AVxcelerate Sensors Simulator,
  3. generate the *.env file, refer to Generating an Environment File from a Track File,
  4. when creating a new Co-simulation Project make sure that the content and name of selected *.track file correspond to the road (*.rd5) defined in the CarMaker TestRun that you want to use.