Collaborative and Distributed Simulation Through a Reflexive XML Middleware

摘要

This paper presents a new reflexive middleware that simplifies reuse and collaboration between various Commercial Off-The-Shelf simulators. ComRTI is a portable middleware that uses only widely available software such as TCP/IP and extensible Markup Language toolkits. ComRTI provides a generic approach to develop Adapters for coupling COTS simulators and 3D models. Adapters cooperate by sharing neutral XML models. ComRTI defines an Object Simulation Bus where 3D Adapters or simulation Adapters plug dynamically various neutral models. Our Object Simulation Bus is a reflexive kernel including a set of meta-classes that support meta-modeling and sharing of various 3D or simulation models. CoSimul is a cooperative application that demonstrates how ComRTI eases the development of a simulation loop crossing multiple sites and tools. Thus, distributed designers cooperate easily by sharing meta-models and reusing their classical simulation interfaces. The designers cooperate by running a distributed simulation involving different target simulators.