DEVELOPMENT OF UNITY3D SIMULATION PLATFORM FOR A HEAVY-DUTY MULTI-FUNCTIONAL CATAMARAN IN OPEN WATER

Abstract

This thesis focuses on a series of systematic procedures for developing a Unity3D Simulator for a special case study, where an unmanned surface vehicle, or more specifically a catamaran, is tested in open water. It starts with a literature review of the progress of 3D simulators in the past and present, followed by the inspiration from unmanned surface vehicles and the necessity of building our own catamaran. After that, the development of the Unity3D simulator is presented and directly followed by the case study, including hardware assembly, software setup and experimental procedures. Data collected are utilised for theoretical control model identification and latterly model verification. Lastly, we discuss the resemblances and differences between simulated and experimental method, leading to the advantages and the necessity of 3D simulation with sufficient accuracy.