Open-source 3D discrete event simulator based on the game engine unity

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we present the development of an open-source discrete event simulator (DES) using the cross-platform game engine Unity and C#. Our goal is to provide a robust DES engine that can be seamlessly integrated with a game engine, leveraging its modularity and reusability. We built a standalone DES simulator in C# and integrated it with Unity through a custom code layer. This integration allowed us to leverage Unity’s capabilities and explore potential applications while providing a basic set of assets tailored for manufacturing processes. Verification tests against commercial DES software and experiments validated our approach. Additionally, we showcase examples that explore the advantages and limitations of using game engines as platforms for manufacturing digital twins. While further development is required to transform the simulator into a ready-to-use OS simulator, our approach enables future developments and seamless integration with other tools while maintaining the project’s open-source nature.

KEYWORDS:

• Discrete event simulation
• DES engine
• game engine
• unity
• open-source
• smart manufacturing

Acknowledgments

We would like to share our gratitude to all the participants of the user testing experiment for their collaboration to our research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).