Physical Modeling

R2026b

Create, optimize, and test models of physical systems

Simscape™ products enable you to model, optimize, and test physical systems. Model a physical system by connecting electrical, mechanical, magnetic, hydraulic, pneumatic, and thermal components into a network. Use the Simscape language to create custom components. With Simscape products, specialists in different domains can work together in a single simulation environment to optimize system-level performance and test control algorithms. Apply techniques such as deep learning and predictive maintenance by integrating with MATLAB^® and Simulink^®. To deploy models to other environments, including hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) systems, the Simscape products support code generation.

The Simscape product group depicted with Simscape as the foundation product, supporting Simscape Electrical, Simscape Battery, Simscape Fluids, Simscape Multibody, and Simscape Driveline. Examples of physical modeling environments include electrical, mechanical, magnetic, thermal, custom, isothermal liquid, two-phase fluid, gas, and moist air.

Products for Physical Modeling

Simscape

Model and simulate multidomain physical systems

Simscape Battery

Design and simulate battery and energy storage systems

Simscape Driveline

Model and simulate rotational and translational mechanical systems

Simscape Electrical

Model and simulate electronic, mechatronic, and electrical power systems

Simscape Fluids

Model and simulate fluid systems

Simscape Multibody

Model and simulate multibody mechanical systems

Topics

Electronic and Mechatronic Systems

Build and Simulate a Simple Circuit (Simscape Electrical)
Build a Simscape Electrical™ model and parameterize the blocks using datasheet values, run the model, and examine the results.
Modeling Analog Circuit Architectures, Mechatronic Systems, and Electrical Power Systems Using Simscape Electrical (Simscape Electrical)
Model mechatronic systems, analog circuit architectures, and single- and multi-phase electrical power systems that you can connect to networks in other Simscape domains.
Build Simple Model of Battery Pack in MATLAB and Simscape (Simscape Battery)
Create and build a Simscape system model of a battery pack with Simscape Battery™.

Fluid Systems

Electric Vehicle Thermal Management (Simscape Fluids)
Model the thermal management system of a battery electric vehicle.
Modeling and Simulating Fluid Networks (Simscape Fluids)
Learn the basics of constructing a model in Simscape Fluids™.
Model an Isothermal Actuation System (Simscape Fluids)
Use isothermal components to model a simple actuation system.

Robotics

Pick and Place Robot Using Forward and Inverse Kinematics (Simscape Multibody)
Model a delta robot performing a pick and place task.
Train Humanoid Walker (Simscape Multibody)
Model a humanoid robot using Simscape Multibody™ and train it using either a genetic algorithm (which requires a Global Optimization Toolbox license) or reinforcement learning (which requires Deep Learning Toolbox™ and Reinforcement Learning Toolbox™ licenses).

Vehicles

Capabilities of Simscape Driveline Software (Simscape Driveline)
Learn about modeling drivetrains in the Simscape Driveline™ environment.
Complete Vehicle Model (Simscape Driveline)
Explore a model that includes an engine, a transmission, and drivetrain-wheel-road coupling.
Vehicle Dynamics - Car with Heave and Roll (Simscape Multibody)
Model vehicle dynamics using a vehicle model that has 14 degrees of freedom.

Virtual Test and Design Optimization

Aircraft Fuel Supply System with Three Tanks (Simscape Fluids)
Model an aircraft fuel supply system consisting of three tanks and an engine.
Solar Power Inverter (Simscape Electrical)
Determine the efficiency of a single-stage solar inverter.
Power-Split Hybrid Transmission (Simscape Driveline)
This example shows the basic architecture of a power-split hybrid transmission.

Model Deployment

Electric Vehicle Configured for HIL (Simscape Electrical)
Model an electric vehicle model suitable for Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) deployment.
Generate and Validate HDL Code for Simscape Model (HDL Coder)
Generate HDL code from Simscape switched linear models.
FPGA-Based HIL Deployment of Simscape Model on Speedgoat FPGA I/O Module (HDL Coder)
Synthesize and generate FPGA bitstream from a Simscape half-wave rectifier model and deploy it onto a Speedgoat^® FPGA I/O 334-325K target.
How Simscape Code Generation Differs from Simulink (Simscape)
Learn about Simscape code generation specifics.

Featured Examples

Backhoe

Model a hydraulically actuated backhoe with closed-loop PID control.

(Simscape Multibody)

Electrical Component Analysis for Hybrid and Electric Aircraft

Model for rapid exploration of design space in the hybrid and electric aircraft area and compare the results to design criteria.

(Aerospace Blockset)

Engine Cooling System

Model an engine cooling system with an oil cooling circuit.

(Simscape Fluids)

Deploy Simscape Buck Converter Model to Speedgoat IO Module Using HDL Workflow Script

Deploy buck converter modeled in Simscape to Speedgoat IO modules using HDL Workflow script.

(HDL Coder)

Modeling and Control of a Mars Rover

Models a mars rover performing a sample retrieval task using Simscape Multibody and Robotics System Toolbox. The rover follows a desired path on a rigid terrain surface, stops at the target location and uses its manipulator to pick and store a sample from the surface. It uses the following key features to model different aspects of the application:

(Simscape Multibody)

Three-Phase Asynchronous Wind Turbine Generator

Model an induction machine used as a wind turbine generator.

(Simscape Electrical)

Videos

Modeling a Mechatronic System
This video shows how to use optimization algorithms to find realistic parameter values for a DC motor model in Simscape Electrical. Using Simulink Design Optimization, motor model parameter values are adjusted until simulation results match measured data.

Optimizing System Performance: Hydraulic Actuator
This video shows how to create and automatically tune a Simscape Fluids model of a hydromechanical actuation system using Simulink Design Optimization. The system must track a reference signal without exceeding actuator force limits.

Simulating in Real Time: Scissor Lift
This video shows how to reuse a Simscape model of a scissor lift with a hydraulic actuator for HIL testing. Configuration steps include enabling the Simscape local solver, verifying speed and accuracy of the fixed-step simulation, and converting to C code.