Roadmap

The PyDy Roadmap

Or, things we want to do next!

Improved web presence

Add pages for

• Installation

• Examples (github or ipython notebooks)

• Installation free dynamics.

• Improve documentation. Should read like a nice book.

Low level (within SymPy) library functionality

Low level explicit library for dynamics. A programmatic computer assisted approach to what would otherwise be done manually.

• Code output for numerical integration or for arbitrary vector / symbolic expression

  • For constrained problems, automatically select "best" independent coordinates/speeds and makes calls to nonlinear and linear system solvers to determine dependent coordinates/speeds.

• Easy numerical integration (NDSolve/ode45/odeint)

• Speed of some operations

• Characterize implementation complexity (Order(N) and Order(log(N)) are possible)

• User accessible F^* and F for each body and/or particle.

  • F currently isn't associated with the RigidBody or Particle class, so separating out terms acting on/from each body isn't currently possible with given infrastructure.
  • User accessible R^* and T^* for each body/particle.

• Testing with a flexible body problem. A nice rolling rubber doughnut.

• Parallelize derivation in KanesMethod

• Refactor KanesMethod implementation so only one code path is used for all system constraint cases.

• Some limited methods to Point and ReferenceFrame to make animation/visualization easier.

• Improve interface to ReferenceFrame, Point, RigidBody, and Particle so that a higher level application can easily automatically generate code/script to derive EOMs.

• IPython extensions to use mprint or mlatex printing by default.

• Visualization of ReferenceFrame and Point trees to be able to quickly at a glance see problem structure.

• Class template for defining a dynamic system. This would move past the script based approach of deriving the equations of motion. This class could either serve as a template that people reuse and adapt to their own problems, or it could be designed to subclass.

High level application functionality

High level functionality, to compete with things such as Adams, Carsim, SimMechanics.

• Basic GUI interface to low-level code?

• System use cases:

  • Rolling disc
  • Satellite with flexible member
  • Plane
  • Train
  • Bicycle/motorcycle
  • Car/truck
  • Human
  • Robotic arm (control and dynamics)
  • Vibrating equipment of all sorts
  • Manufacturing machines (mills/lathes/printers/presses/saws)

• Make templates of above systems and identify the key work flow elements so that main GUI functionality can be identified.

• Parametric definition of system, still be able to see symbolic equations.

• Higher level scripting or actual standalone (web)app?

• User use cases:

  • People like us who play with symbolics but want a more visual way to interact with the problem. Examples include a GUI with clickable bodies which can be inspected in a graphical fashion to see symbolic attributes.
  • People who can define their own problem and want an easy way to visualize and perform numeric operations.
  • People who don't have a graduate degree in dynamics and/or are not programmers.
  • People who don't want to define the system, they are looking for pre-defined systems they can perform minor tweaks to and then simulate and see results.

• Easy way to define a system using 3D models and joint types.

• Be able to draw your system within the GUI to define the system, somewhat like Working Model. Quickly get an intuitive feel for how some system would behave.