Opal: An open source ray-tracing propagation simulator for electromagnetic characterization

PLoS One. 2021 Nov 17;16(11):e0260060. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260060. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Accurate characterization and simulation of electromagnetic propagation can be obtained by ray-tracing methods, which are based on a high frequency approximation to the Maxwell equations and describe the propagating field as a set of propagating rays, reflecting, diffracting and scattering over environment elements. However, this approach has been usually too computationally costly to be used in large and dynamic scenarios, but this situation is changing thanks the increasing availability of efficient ray-tracing libraries for graphical processing units. In this paper we present Opal, an electromagnetic propagation simulation tool implemented with ray-tracing on graphical processing units, which is part of the Veneris framework. Opal can be used as a stand-alone ray-tracing simulator, but its main strength lies in its integration with the game engine, which allows to generate customized 3D environments quickly and intuitively. We describe its most relevant features and provide implementation details, highlighting the different simulation types it supports and its extension possibilites. We provide application examples and validate the simulation on demanding scenarios, such as tunnels, where we compare the results with theoretical solutions and further discuss the tradeoffs between the simulation types and its performance.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electromagnetic Phenomena*
  • Intuition
  • Libraries
  • Reproduction

Grants and funding

This work was supported in part by the AEI/FEDER/UE [Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), and Unión Europea (UE)] under Grant PID2020-112675RB-C41 (ONOFRE-3) and Grant PID2019-107885GB-C33. Part of this work was supported through the RITMEA project co-financed by the European Union with the European Regional Development Fund, the French state and the Hauts de France Region. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.