Visual simulation of dynamic three dimensional systems using the vector network

This paper describes briefly a digital simulation program developed at the University of Waterloo, Canada. The program accepts the description of a dynamic three-dimensional mechanical system as input (presently limited to particle masses) and then formulates and integrates the equations of motion of the system. The resulting dynamic response is displayed on a CRT screen for observa tion. The theoretical basis for the program is the vector-network model, a recently-developed formula tion process based on graph theory. The computer graphics subroutines include a novel package for previewing and photographing the dynamic sequences on 16-mm motion-picture film. With some further development, the program could become a useful engineering tool for the design of dynamic mechanical systems.