McLaren Automotive enhances virtual development capabilities

Enabled by the DMG simulator’s realistic feedback and highly accurate correlation to real vehicle performance, engineers and test drivers can exploit a virtual environment more powerful than ever before, to explore vehicle characteristics and develop engineering solutions.

While real-world dynamic testing remains essential, engineers can now ‘close the loop’ on development challenges with greater speed and efficiency, feeding insights from physical testing back into an exceptionally accurate digital model that is experienced through the simulator’s ultra-low latency and high motion bandwidth. Akin to a Formula 1-style investigative process, the ability to replicate scenarios experienced by test drivers during real-world testing gives even greater visibility of the exact data behind why a car performs, behaves and drives a certain way – and with this a more detailed understanding of the DNA that defines the visceral experience of driving a McLaren.

Dynisma’s latest DMG simulation technology enables a higher level of insight throughout development stages, from CFD simulations to wind tunnel testing, aero mapping, simulator trials, and real-world validation. As an example, moment-by-moment readouts of downforce and aerodynamic performance in any given scenario are critical to bridging the gap between wind tunnel insight and real-world assessment, unlocking a deeper understanding of how suspension and aero systems interact.

The first car to benefit from the use of a simulator as advanced as the DMG is the McLaren W1; the high-downforce, low-drag, active aerodynamic technologies and suspension settings and control systems having been finalised as part of a combined simulator validation and aerodynamic development programme.

The deployment of DMG technology in developing and validating the McLaren W1’s active aerodynamics and suspension served as compelling proof of concept and paves the way for deeper integration of virtual development into future vehicle programmes.  

“The accuracy and representativeness of the Dynisma Motion Simulator allows us to extract a new level of detail and data from virtual development activity. We can explore a wider range of dynamic possibilities and behaviours in a virtual environment. The fidelity of road texture and ride inputs is so precise that we can simulate standard road conditions at lower speeds, alongside high-load scenarios on test tracks or race circuits, with remarkable realism," commented Emmanuele Raveglia, chief vehicle programme officer at McLaren Automotive.

cars.mclaren.com