STISIM Drive - Options Option

To make the simulation program general enough so that you may custom configure your simulator, we have included a general configuration option. Once the system is configured to your liking, it may be saved to a specific file for future use. STISIM Drive comes with a default configuration file named STISIM.CFG that can be found in the program's root directory. This default file contains settings that are typical for using STISIM Drive, however you should go through and change them to your own personal preferences. Each time STISIM Drive is loaded into memory, it will automatically load the last system configuration that was used, and if no configuration file has been specified, then it will use the STISIM.CFG file. To use a configuration that you have saved to a specific file name, use the Load option from the File menu. You may save your configuration file to any location that you wish. All of STISIM Drive's configuration options are accessed through the Options menu. Clicking on Options, will display a menu that contains the following options:

Configuration
Set Simulation Colors
Assign Simulation Colors

By clicking on any of the options listed, you may then begin configuring your system.

Next to the Scenario Definition Language (SDL) the options menu is the most important section of the program because the options that are given to you allow the simulator to be customized for your particular application. You probably won't be able to do everything that you would like, but if you can do it, this is the place to get it done. From specifying vehicle parameters to defining the color of the roadway stripes and speedometer, it is all done from the options menu.

With earlier versions of the program, there were several files that were used to save the systems configuration, and these files always had to be named the same thing. This is no longer the case. With STISIM Drive, the entire system configuration is saved into a single configuration file that you can save to any name you like so that it can be used in the future. In the past there was a file named "GAINS" that held most of the simulator's configuration and another file named "STISIM.COL" that contained the color definitions for the simulator. Both files were text files that had to be edited by hand and were cumbersome to work with because there were no definitions in the file. The new configuration is based on a point and click approach where you can enable and disable options by simply choosing the desired option and clicking on it with the mouse, or enter values using a Windows text box.

When creating or modifying your configuration for a particular environment, there are several steps that you should follow in order to minimize the amount of time it takes to create the desired driving environment.

1. Go through and make sure that all of the hardware flags have been set correctly. These include the controller flag, the graphics mode that will be used, location of the data files, frame time, and what the field of view will be. If the hardware is specified correctly from the start, it will make other headaches disappear at the start.
2. Set all of the flags that are pertinent to your scenario. These flags make up the majority of the simulator's configuration but are very important for tailoring the scenario to your specific needs. These flags include the side of the road that the driver is expected to drive on, Metric or English units, post run options, showing the pass fail screen, auditory feedback flags, penalty reward parameters, driver’s eye height, and rear view mirror information.
3. Set the dynamics for the type of vehicle that is to be simulated. Whether you want the vehicle to respond like a sports car or a tractor-trailer combination, the vehicle parameters will have to be set accordingly, and the configuration contains parameters for setting these dynamic characteristics. They include scaling factors for converting steering, throttle and brake inputs from the driver to simulation variables, maximum and minimum settings for the controller pedals, maximum speed, and instability coefficients.
4. Finally, there are several general flags that you will want to set based on your own personal preferences. These parameters include the colors and such.

In order to determine if the parameters that you have set perform the way you intended, you will have to run the simulation to check your entries. You should use one of the sample events files (SAMPLE.EVT) that have been included with the simulator. This will provide you with a scenario that you can use to make sure the simulator is functioning properly.

One final note before the various options are discussed. There is a gains file converter that is installed during program installation. It is located in the program's root directory under the subdirectory Tools (C:\STISIM\Tools), and is named "GAINS_Config.EXE". For those of you who are upgrading from a DOS based version of the program, this program will take a currently existing GAINS file and convert it into a new STISIM Drive configuration file. Unfortunately, it is not perfect. Because of option changes and new definitions, it does not do a 100 percent conversion, but it is a good place to start.