an advanced simulator for autonomous racing

About

Company
Ugent Racing
Location
Ghent, Belgium
Competences

digital twin

virtual simulation

mechatronics

controls

autonomous systems

autonomous racing

how we helped UGent Racing build an advanced simulator for autonomous racing

At UGent Racing, innovation is key. As participants in international student competitions for autonomous cars (Formula Student) they have recently ventured into creating a virtual simulator for their car in order to refine the algorithms that drive the car.


The development and building of the simulator - which is transparently linked to the autonomous driving stack - was significantly accelerated by Vintecc. The Vintecc Simulation Team brought a lot of know-how in simulation and software architecture to the table, helping UGent Racing make remarkable progress in the development of their Unity-based simulator.

In this blog, you can read how the collaboration between Ugent and Vintecc boosted the simulator.

1. Waarom een simulator bouwen?

Building a simulator for their car was not just a side project for UGent Racing - it was a strategic move to enhance their testing capabilities to improve their chances in the competition.

  • Safety first: Testing new algorithms directly on the physical car involves risks. A simulator provides a safe environment to experiment and refine.
  • Efficiency gains: No more dragging the car to test sites or hassle with logistics. With a simulator, the team can test software wherever and whenever they want.
  • Always available: Whether it is the middle of the night or raining outside, the simulator is always ready, enabling continuous development.
  • Comprehensive testing: Simulating sensors such as LiDAR and cameras ensures that the full autonomous driving stack can be tested in a controlled environment.
  • Competitive advantage: A customised simulator showcases the team's technical expertise. By doing so, they also hope to impress judges, score extra points and increase their chances in competitions.

2. Addressing challenges with Vintecc's expertise

Although the idea - building a test simulator - was exciting, challenging and at the same time motivating, the UGent Racing Team faced a huge learning curve, especially when working with Unity, the platform they chose for the simulator. This is where Vintecc came in with crucial support to keep the project on track.

  • The core architecture of the simulator
    • Developing a robust foundation for the simulator was crucial. Vintecc provided architectural advice to help the team set up Unity for efficient scene loading, functionality for game loops and version control. These building blocks ensured a scalable and maintainable project.
  • Optimising performance
    • Driving simulations for an autonomous racing car require a lot of computing power, especially when simulating sensors like LiDAR, which can generate more than a million data points per second. Vintecc helped the team optimise performance so that the simulator ran smoothly without compromising realism.
  • Seamless integration
    • To fully test their self-driving software, the simulator needed to interact with other tools such as Simulink for vehicle dynamics and ROS (Robot Operating System) for the autonomous stack. Vintecc's guidance on these integrations ensured a seamless connection between the virtual and physical parts of the project.

3. Meeting milestones and the way forward

In just one semester, UGent Racing team has achieved impressive results. Thanks to the collaboration, the team now has a fully functional simulator that:

  • Simulates LiDAR sensors: Allows them to customise and test different LiDAR configurations to optimise race car performance.
  • Generates racing circuits dynamically: Different virtual circuits can be easily created and changed, allowing realistic testing.
  • Simulates autonomous driving: The team can virtually validate their software and algorithms long before the car hits the track.

In the next phase, UGent Racing plans to move computationally intensive tasks to the cloud via Microsoft Azure, making simulations even faster and more detailed. Their goal now is to complete the simulator well before the physical car, giving them enough time to refine their algorithms and gain an advantage over other teams in upcoming races.

4. A partnership that accelerates innovation

Vintecc's sponsorship has proved invaluable to UGent Racing. By sharing expertise in simulation and software development, Vintecc has helped the team accelerate their learning curve, gain a potential edge over the competition, and achieve milestones that seemed out of their reach just a few months ago. The simulator is already showcasing the technical skills and drive of the Ugent Racing Team.


This partnership is about more than sponsorship - it is about collaboration, knowledge sharing and being able to accelerate together with technology. As UGent Racing prepares fully for their next competition, one thing is clear: with an advanced simulator at their side, they are ready to compete in student competitions at European level.

So worth following them on their socials.

5. Ready to realise your vision?

At Vintecc, we are passionate about supporting industrial innovators with the tools and expertise they need to succeed. Ready to bring your ambitious projects to life? Get in touch with us today.

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