A component-based animation framework for DEVS-based simulation environments

This study describes the design and an initial implementation of a component-based architecture which integrates system architecture and application frameworks to visualize animated products and scenarios in a virtual environment. The emphasis is placed on the use of functional simulations as motion (behaviour) generators to facilitate animated visualisation of the product functionality by linking them together over the network. An Object-Oriented simulation modelling approach combined with the DEVS formalism form the foundation for the specification of the interface between the simulation model which defines the product functionality and the geometric model which defines the physical appearence of the product. VRML is used as the modelling language of the 3D scenes and OpenGL is used as the rendering engine.