Simulation: Difference between revisions

From SpaceElevatorWiki.com
Jump to navigationJump to search
(bunch of changes)
 
(24 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
<issues search = "false" filter = "false"/>
= Simulation and Engineering Software =
= Simulation and Engineering Software =
== Scenarios ==
Imagine you built a simulator so that when you added weight to the climber, the ribbon dimensions got bigger. If a spreadsheet created calculations that boiled down to simple algebraic formulas, those could be put into a video game. If someone improves the spreadsheet, they can swap in different algebraic constants.


== Collaboration ==
One can simulate the design and operation of a space elevtor in software to an arbitrary degree, down to the atom where necessary such as the ribbon.
OpenOffice has the ability to merge documents, and to do change-tracking, and there other solutions, because underlying the OpenOffice document is a bunch of textual XML which can easily be merged and diffed. As more people start working on documents at the same time, we can find what works best.


In general it should not be a problem:
== Models ==
People can read an (old version) of a binary document all they want, and if they want to edit it, they should make sure they have the latest copy, make changes, and then upload them right away. The idea that our spreadsheets will be so busy that there will be merge conflicts is very optimistic!
There are many models one could improve:
* Make climber more realistic, using data from commercial parts
* Simulating the deployment and operation
* Improving model for the station at GEO
* Designing ships deployed from GEO to send cargo and people to Mars
* Modeling SE climbers for humans rather than just cargo
* Creating a luxurious Mars and moon colony. What can you do for $10/pound?


We could try various things like GoogleDocs for spreadsheet collaboration, but we throw away like 90% of our features! I think that is a bad idea.
== Spreadsheets ==
Just think how many places a spreadsheet cost calculator must go to come up with a "final" number! Spreadsheets get very cool when you start to combine the data from various pieces together. Every separate spreadsheet is a locked up silo of information, unless it is linking to other ones. We have 16 spreadsheets in our archives already.


== Spreadsheets ==
Complete list:
A Spreadsheet is a monster tool, but the various pieces need to be linked or otherwise integrated. Just think how many places a spreadsheet cost calculator must go to come up with a "final" number! Spreadsheets get very cool when you start to combine the data from various pieces together. Every separate spreadsheet is a locked up silo of information, unless it is linking to other ones. We have 16 spreadsheets in our archives, and that number already is too big. If you were to build a finite element analysis engine inside a spreadsheet, I would suggest that be a separate one!
* http://spaceelevatorwiki.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Imagelist?limit=500&ilsearch=ods&title=Special%3AImagelist
It is possible to have our models and simulations be huge and easy to approach. You just organize the data into Sheets, Create headings, make important boxes be highlighted, etc.


Some available spreadsheets:
Some available spreadsheets:
*[[Image:Energy_worksht.xls| Ascent time for specified energies, planets, climber mass]]
*[[Image:Energy_worksht.ods| Ascent time for specified energies, planets, climber mass]]
*[[Image:Cable_worksheet.ods| Basic spreadsheet on the ribbon giving mass, profile, tension, counterweight, ... for specified material tensile strength, material density, planet, climber,...  OpenOffice file]]
*[[Image:Cable_worksheet.ods| Basic spreadsheet on the ribbon giving mass, profile, tension, counterweight, ... for specified material tensile strength, material density, planet, climber,...  OpenOffice file]]
*[[Image:Off-Equator_Cable.ods| Calculates various attributes of ribbons that are off the equator  OpenOffice file  NOTE: Needs cleaning]]
*[[Image:Off-Equator_Cable.ods| Calculates various attributes of ribbons that are off the equator  OpenOffice file  NOTE: Needs cleaning]]
*[[Image:Length_Vs_Climbers.ods| Calcualtions relating ribbon length and number of construction climbers  OpenOffice file NOTE:Needs cleaning]]
*[[Image:Length_Vs_Climbers.ods| Calcualtions relating ribbon length and number of construction climbers  OpenOffice file NOTE:Needs cleaning]]
*Additional spreadsheets available in the archive require cleaning  
Additional spreadsheets available in the archive require cleaning  
**[[Image:Climber_mass.ods| Climber_mass.ods]]   
*[[Image:Climber_mass.ods| Climber_mass.ods]]   
**[[Image:SEMassTaper.ods| SEMassTaper.ods]]   
*[[Image:SEMassTaper.ods| SEMassTaper.ods]]   
**[[Image:Interplanetary+Orbits.ods| Interplanetary+Orbits.ods]]   
*[[Image:Interplanetary+Orbits.ods| Interplanetary+Orbits.ods]]   
**[[Image:E&S_Orbit.ods|E&S_Orbit.ods]]   
*[[Image:E&S_Orbit.ods|E&S_Orbit.ods]]   
**[[Image:Deployment_Mass_Calcs_New.ods| Deployment_Mass_Calcs_New.ods ]]   
*[[Image:Deployment_Mass_Calcs_New.ods| Deployment_Mass_Calcs_New.ods ]]   
**[[Image:Climber_Number.ods|Climber_Number.ods]]   
*[[Image:Climber_Number.ods|Climber_Number.ods]]   
**[[Image:Climber_Mass.ods| Climber_Mass.ods]]   
*[[Image:Climber_Mass.ods| Climber_Mass.ods]]   
**[[Image:Asteroid.ods| Asteroid.ods]]   
*[[Image:Asteroid.ods| Asteroid.ods]]   
**[[Image:Angular_Momentum_New.ods| Angular_Momentum_New.ods]]
*[[Image:Angular_Momentum_New.ods| Angular_Momentum_New.ods]]


== Collada ==
== Collada ==
We will use the Collada format which is open, XML, has 3-D and physics capabilities.
Where possible, free software and formats will be used to make it easy for someone interested to contribute.
Collada introduction: http://keithcu.com/cgi-bin/hg.cgi?raw-file/6bcb243bfc7d/docs/COLLADA.odp


== Blender ==
== Blender ==
People complain that it is hard to get into, but many who have used it for months come to love it. It is extremely powerful, has a huge community, and it has some physics simulation capabilities built in and supports Collada. '''Dig in, everyone.'''
Blender is the Ferrari of 3-D graphics packages. Is extremely powerful, has a huge community, has physics simulation capabilities built in and supports Collada.


Monster feature list: http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/features/
Feature list: http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/features/


Gallery of pretty pictures: http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/gallery/art-gallery/
Gallery of pretty pictures: http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/gallery/art-gallery/
Line 51: Line 54:


Wikibook: [http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro]
Wikibook: [http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro]
''Help organize / simplify this list and put your comments by these documents''
== Physics Models ==
''Dynamics, basic principles relationships, materials properties.''
Blender comes with a physics engine, and a simulation UI, etc. so we should start by doing all the physics work inside the existing engine inside Blender and leaving the below for the '''walk''' phase.
We believe that http://www.ode.org could be a good simulation engine for realtime, or batch-processed calculations. With Ode.Net, we can program it in C#. We can connect it to a C# wrapper around Ogre, and have a high quality game engine to display the simulations run by Ode. However, some have also put (or attempted to put) ODE into Blender, and that is another way.
Intro to a physics game engine: http://keithcu.com/cgi-bin/hg.cgi?raw-file/073cec0e2635/docs/dynamics.pdf
Discussion of Ogre, Ode, Blender, etc: http://www.ogre3d.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=276861&sid=ce193664e1d3d7c4af509e6f4e2718c6
More discussions: [[Codebase_Analysis#Physics_Engines]]


== Finite Element Analysis ==
== Finite Element Analysis ==
Matlab-type: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Octave
A full set of Python-based scientific libraries: http://scipy.org/
 
Does many things including FEA.
 
(''Can someone please analyze and comment on this FEniCS project?'')
http://www.fenics.org/wiki/FEniCS_Project


Complete list [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_finite_element_software_packages]
Other Python software for science and engineering: http://www.scipy.org/Topical_Software


== K3D ==
It is recommended to use Python for scientific research.
This is a powerful, but simpler 3-D program we are also considering using:
http://www.k-3d.org/wiki/Main_Page


This is what people will use if they are going to spend 5 minutes looking around, but they will use Blender if they are going to spend 5 hours.
== Other Software ==
== Other Software ==
NASA's free code: http://opensource.arc.nasa.gov/
NASA's free code: http://opensource.arc.nasa.gov/

Latest revision as of 20:29, 1 January 2014

<issues search = "false" filter = "false"/>

Simulation and Engineering Software

One can simulate the design and operation of a space elevtor in software to an arbitrary degree, down to the atom where necessary such as the ribbon.

Models

There are many models one could improve:

  • Make climber more realistic, using data from commercial parts
  • Simulating the deployment and operation
  • Improving model for the station at GEO
  • Designing ships deployed from GEO to send cargo and people to Mars
  • Modeling SE climbers for humans rather than just cargo
  • Creating a luxurious Mars and moon colony. What can you do for $10/pound?

Spreadsheets

Just think how many places a spreadsheet cost calculator must go to come up with a "final" number! Spreadsheets get very cool when you start to combine the data from various pieces together. Every separate spreadsheet is a locked up silo of information, unless it is linking to other ones. We have 16 spreadsheets in our archives already.

Complete list:

Some available spreadsheets:

Additional spreadsheets available in the archive require cleaning

Collada

Where possible, free software and formats will be used to make it easy for someone interested to contribute.

Blender

Blender is the Ferrari of 3-D graphics packages. Is extremely powerful, has a huge community, has physics simulation capabilities built in and supports Collada.

Feature list: http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/features/

Gallery of pretty pictures: http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/gallery/art-gallery/

Online Manual TOC: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Manual

Complete Tutorial: [1]

UI Intro: [2]

Various tutorials: [3]

Wikibook: [4]

Finite Element Analysis

A full set of Python-based scientific libraries: http://scipy.org/

Other Python software for science and engineering: http://www.scipy.org/Topical_Software

It is recommended to use Python for scientific research.

Other Software

NASA's free code: http://opensource.arc.nasa.gov/

Retrieved from "http://spaceelevatorwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Simulation&oldid=3680"