SIMULATION VS. ANIMATION

Simulation is the process of creating a computer model of the humans, vehicles and environment involved in a traffic accident, and calculating the forces acting on each at discrete time intervals. Using Newtonian Physics, the positions and velocities of vehicles and humans are updated and displayed graphically.

Computer animation software only interpolates vehicle positions based upon user entered coordinates and velocities. Whereas animation provides a visual depiction of the event that is similar to the graphical representation of a simulation, it is not an analytical tool.

Computer simulation is a valuable tool in analyzing complicated events because the motions of humans and vehicles in the simulation are controlled by a physics program. The parameters of driver actions, vehicle characteristics, and roadway conditions can be evaluated easily.

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Baker Sneddon Consulting uses HVE® simulation software from Engineering Dynamics Corporation®.  HVE (Human Vehicle Environment) is a computer environment for studying interactions between humans, vehicles and their environment.  HVE allows the user to create detailed three-dimensional models of humans, vehicles and environments, study their interaction using HVE-compatible reconstruction and simulation models, and to combine the results of several interactions involving multiple humans and vehicles into a single coherent sequence.